Campbell Books

Black Potatoes is a very readable and understandable review of the important elements of the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. Wishing to learn more about this essential event in my Irish-American heritage, I read the book, The Great Hunger, which is offered and reviewed separately at this site. I mistakenly thought that would be a better read than Black Potatoes which is advertised as being for a high-school audience. But all the essentials of The Great Hunger were delivered in less than 1/3 the text by Black Potatoes, which of course is a much faster and informative read. In addition, it carries many sketches which make the story that much more vivid and imaginable, while there are many fewer in The Great Hunger which seems itself written more from the British point of view than the Irish (the author of Hunger was herself British). Black Potatoes is an excellent way to get a rapid understanding of that pivotal five-year period in Irish history.

An interesting and worthwhile history, made more palatable than a textbook by the extensive quotations of personal accounts and contemporary newspaper illustrations.

Broad in scope and adequate in depth, the book treats the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1850 with a sensitive, compassionate tone, spending great time on the human toll of the Famine, as well as the diseases it invited and the social upheaval it instigated.

Bartoletti vividly illustrates the dehumanizing and horrifying experience of the starving Irish, and explicitly eschews diplomacy to explore the economic and political causes. The book also explores both the (perceived or actual) maintenance and possible exacerbation of the crisis by the English government and the English landlords. Bartoletti concludes that the awkward and faltering relief was so unwillingly given because of staunchly protected laissez-faire economics as well as cultural biases and prejudice against the Irish. These factors created a political climate where merely the forecast of improvement caused the English to quit relief programs, often too soon, thus causing the situation to worsen for the Irish, creating staggering costs - in pounds as well as in lives.

Brief treatment of revolutionary activity is included, as well as interesting exposition of folk beliefs and practices.

This book avoids the "boring history" noose of more densely-written academic works, and is clearly targeted at young adults with its narrative style, but I recommend this for anyone wishing to read more deeply on this subject. Definitely written from an Irish point of view, but well researched and rich in original sources.

What would you do if there was no food to eat, no clean clothes to wear or no shoes to wear in winter? The answers to these questions are found in Black Potatoes, which is set in Ireland in 1845 at the onset of the Potato famine. At the time of the potato famine, there were three classes of people in Ireland, the Irish farm laborers, the Irish farmers, and the English landlords. The farm laborers were the poorest, the farmers were middle class, and the landlords were the wealthy and powerful. The farm laborers and farmers rented land from the landlords and planted potatoes. When the potato famine hit, the Irish had a hard time paying their rents because of their failed crops. The Irish people had a long and enduring time during the potato famine to keep their families fed and well. The British Government came to the aid of the Irish, but many
times it was too late. The book is very Anti-British and rightfully so according to the evidence of British attitudes toward the Irish that reveal the ethnic and religious prejudices that divided the Irish and the English. The writing style of the author is very realistic and Irish everyday life is very detailed that it leaves a horrific feeling of sadness for those who lived and died during the potato famine and the years after. The pictures in the book are actual sketches obtained from various sources such as the Illustrated London News and British and Irish libraries.

This is the best non-fiction I have ever seen. The liberal use of personal histories and stories along with illustrations from periodicals reporting the situation make this compelling and fascinating.

This is an excellent summary of the Potato (note that spelling, Danny-Boy-O Quayle) Famine that plagued Ireland from 1845-1850, when the fungus Pythophthora Infestans destroyed the staple crop. Author Susan Campbell Barttoletti deftly explores the swirling pathological, sociological, political, and theological soup caused by the rotting potatoes and the aftermath. She relies on original sources and interviews with descendants of the resultant Diaspora. This book is found in the children's section of the library, but frankly, I found it hard to read myself - not because the words or concepts are difficult, but because it is so very grim - the horror! the horror! /TundraVision, Amazon reviewer.

Why Grace Changes Everything
A great Christian theology tract as it gives a succinct summary of why the Protestant Reformation occurred and a nice overview of Protestant theology and the doctrine of divine grace. I read this in college, but not having any background in Christianity at that time, I did not understand it. So I do not recommend this book as a witnessing tool to give to your non-Christian friends; I linked what I consider an easier to understand book by my favorite preacher of God's grace, Chuck Smith, to give to nonbelievers. However, once you understand the basics of your faith, this is a great pamphlet to help keep you anchored in grace and from straying into legalism. It also gives you a basic understanding of Martin Luther's teaching. With so many odd strands of Christian teaching emerging the past few decades, I highly recommend anchoring yourself in the theology of this amazing man of God, so as not to be pushed about by "every wave of doctrine". I try to keep it handy to refer to.

Keeping this review short and sweet, like the tract. For more, I'd read the other reviews on this tract.

Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in chaity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in chaity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

Not being Lutheran, I welcome the opportunity to study the man who came in third place in the "Person of the Millennium" poll.

This slim book contains his discourse on "Christian Liberty," that is, the relationship to faith and works. All the hearsay finally dies with this book, since you hear Luther's own words on the matter.

He asserts that Christian Liberty is paradoxical, that the Christian is a perfectly free lord to all, but also a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all. This paradox comes because of man dual nature: spirit and element. His main point is that by the Atonement, we all become free, but because of the atonement, we have an obligation to serve other people in charity.

I like this edition. The translation is actually a translation, and Mr. Grimm block the text into paragraphs for easier reading. Moreover, he provides the scriptural references that Luther merely alludes to. Thus, the book becomes lecture notes for our review and pondering.

The cover illustration is eye-catching. It shows Luther taking his stand before some potentate. It reflects the energy that you feel in the words, the drive that empowered a man to shake all of Europe. It shows the energy that drove this man to liberty.

Martin Luther's treatise "Christian Liberty" (or "The Freedom of a Christian") is perhaps the most powerful and concise presentation of the Christian life ever written. I cannot recommend this work highly enough. I rank this among the very best of Luther's works (and that is really saying something). If an inexpensive copy were still in publication I would buy every copy to give as gifts to friends and family. The power, discernment, brevity and readability of this work make a true gem among Reformation writings (and Christian writings in general). Here you will find the essence of the spirit of the Reformation distilled into a guide for practical, biblical living.

With the clarity and bold authority of a true prophet, Luther sets forth the whole of the Christian life in two theses: "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all." We are free from sin and the law (subject to none) but slaves to Christ in love (subject to all). As Paul writes in Romans 6:22, "But now...you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God."

Luther writes as a shepherd of the common people and the tone and content differ greatly from his better-known debate-oriented works (ie. Bondage of the Will, 95 Theses). The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is the heart and soul of Luther's message, founded upon a firm conviction in the authority of scripture alone.

He writes, "One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ."

And again, "It ought to be the first concern of every Christian to lay aside all confidence in works and increasingly to strengthen faith alone and through faith to grow in the knowledge, not of works, but of Christ Jesus, who suffered and rose for him.... No other work makes a Christian.... 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent' (John 6:29)."

And regarding our service to God, "...In this way the stronger member may serve the weaker, and we may be sons of God, each caring for and working for the other, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ. This is a truly Christian life. Here faith is truly active through love. That is, it finds expression in works of the freest service, cheerfully and lovingly done, with which a man willingly serves another without hope of reward; and for himself he is satisfied with the fullness and wealth of his faith."

This volume is currently out-of-print, but this treatise has been published in a number of other individual volumes and in at least one very worthy compilation entitled "Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings" (ed. Timothy F. Lull, 1989) which also contains a number of other infinitely worthy works such as Luther's "Small Catechism," the stirring "Meditation of Christ's Passion," and the thesis chapters of the foundational "Bondage of the Will." I cannot vouch for any other volume than this one and the one detailed above, but any version of this monumental treatise is bound to bless you. It is the fire and the hammer of the Word of God to consume the adversaries and break apart the stone hearts of impenitant men.

Of all the aspects of dream study, mutual or shared dreaming is probably the least understood. The very fact that people can meet in the dream state and recall it upon waking challenges our ideas of time, space and the nature of dreams.

In this stunning new book, World Dreams Peace Bridge founder, Jean Campbell, traces the history of group dreaming research beginning in the 1970s and demonstrates how this research led her to believe that dreamers, working together can change the world.

Jean has written a beautiful book of experience and awe of the energy of deep dreaming connections that can pass from your head to your heart and onto the world in a new and more synchronized way.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in dreams and/or consciousness studies - however we choose to define that.

The studies conducted by Jean Campbell over a period of 25 years support the experiences of many people, of having shared dreams with friends and family, and show that such dreams cannot be merely coincidental - the most common form of dismissal by many western `experts'. Many of us know that we go places in our dreams, and meet with people, and Group Dreaming: Dreams to the Tenth Power confirms not only our ability to do this, but that it is both a common phenomenon and perfectly normal!

Jean's style of writing is immediate and engaging, this is a book you will likely want to read from cover to cover, as the people in the book come to life and you really can't wait to learn what happens next!

Jean Campbell's Group Dreaming book is fascinating in its mystery-like compelling "what's next" longitudinal exploration of group dreaming. The possibilities she inspires toward Group Dreaming for Peace is humbling.

Jean Campbell, who I know as a pioneer of dreamwork and peace, surprising us once more with her endless gifts. You will see this book is not only a research or history of group dreaming but she wrote it as a novel, in literary style. Not only teaching but also exciting, enthusiastic and tastefull. I think, the most important thing she shows us in the last part of this book is; opening a new horizon on how group dreaming can be used for serving humanity, children, world peace and harmony. How we can dream for peace together, become groups of peace dreamers and make our dreams come true in waking reality. How we can go to dream, we can interpeate in connection, we can build projects on our dream wisdoms and than we can touch the souls and wounds of others so far from us. And thanks to her, we are reading all these as living a fairy tale which brings magic on earth.

MARY OF BELLINGHAM is a delightful & thought-provoking read about virginity & immaculate conception, cloning & DNA manipulation, faith & morality, UFOs & alien invasions, religious sleights of hand & spiritual innocence, mental illness & emotional healing, being a child & growing up.

One of the best stories about the miracle of birth, our expectations about salvation, our fears about failure, our search for relevance, & our enduring love of a mystery.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends MARY OF BELLINGHAM as a must read for anyone expecting a child -- woman or man -- teenager or adult -- OB/GYN or nurse. It is pregnant with passion, comedy, fear & redemption. Anneke Campbell's people are real & recognizable -- warts, love of life, greed, infidelity, yearnings, religious fervor, questionings, hope & all.

Could not put it down!

If you thought that "The Passion of Christ" was an important movie you must read Mary of Bellinghm.

How would you react if confronted with a miracle? Would you even recognize one if it were staring you in the face? These are the questions posed by poet, journalist and former midwife, Anneke Cambell in this charming and thought-provoking first novel. Young "Mary" stumbles into the lives of the people of Bellingham, trudging between houses, knocking on doors and clutching a blue blanket against the bitter winter cold. She is mute, bedraggled, bruised, and very pregnant Already an unusual occurrence for the sleepy little town, Mary's arrival becomes national news when a local doctor determines that the girl is, in fact, still a virgin.

Is she a miracle? Is she some quirk of science? Is she lying? Is she demon possessed? Can her touch heal? Should she be committed? Each of Campbell's richly drawn characters responds differently to the mystery of this young virgin, who seems at times a frightened, even rebellious teenager, and at times glows with an inner aura of peace. Some are moved to help, some to profit , some to disbelief and fear, and some to awe depending on their own greatest need. With a gentle, almost lyrical style, Campbell's plot weaves deftly through the lives of Bellingham's townspeople--people within whom it is easy to see ourselves, our friends, families and neighbors, as they try to care for, exploit, deny or understand this phenomenon in their midst.

A superb first work. Inspiring and heart warming, without being either preachy or overly sentimental I look forward to reading more from this author.

Elyce Picciotti
Sarasota, FL

In an age that relishes the sensationalistic treatment of religious themes, it's hard to imagine an author insisting on something much more complex, subtle, and deeply ambiguous. It refreshingly gives us the female point of view and, in doing so, asks one immensely difficult question after another. Even more important, it refuses to answer these questions definitively. This reader for once felt that his intelligence was being honored. Mel Gibson--in fact, all of Hollywood--should read this novel. It's passion and, yes, its humor as well are richly rewarding.

Mary Of Bellingham is an imaginatively crafted novel by Anneke Campbell premising a modern-day miracle of virgin birth. When a pregnant teenager, alone and in need of help, wanders into an ordinary town, she sparks heated controversy, by claiming that she is channeling the Virgin Mary. Through kindness, a local waitress takes the girl into her own home, while controversy and speculation sets the community into something of an uproar. An exceptionally well written and original work of very highly recommended fiction, Mary Of Bellingham also provides readers with a quite thoughtful commentary upon the nature of the miracle of birth and a compelling testimony with respect to the desperate human desire to be part of something sublime and far beyond the ordinary.

A marriage of convenience to the eighteen year-old Cynthia le Wyte brings life back into the elderly John Wendeville. The feeble lord knows he is dying, but he wants a companion in his final years. Cynthia is so much more than he asked for. She is a vibrant lover who brings him unexpected pleasure and fills his days with joy and happiness. Her healing herbs and potions extend his life and give them two beautiful years together. Lord John adores his young wife and before taking his last breath he makes her swear to keep a promise that will affect her future - a future a greedy Wendeville abbot hopes to change.

The gaunt abbot is absolutely livid when he learns Lord John bequeathed the small Charing Castle to him. He'd courted the old man almost like a lover and expected to be his heir before the harlot arrived and changed everything. He will have his revenge and it will begin by selecting the new chaplain for her castle. Ah yes, he knows just the right cleric - one who won't interfere with his plans - the pitiful Garth de Ware.

Garth trained as a knight along with his brothers and is able to handle a sword and defend in battle, but when he fails to hold a castle for his brother Holden he decides to return to the church. Garth is temporarily sidetracked and instead of the church, he worships Mariana, a woman devoted to sexual pleasures. Mariana manages to shred the inexperienced youth of all of his masculinity and the humiliated young man vows never to shame himself with a woman ever again. He hides beneath a heavy wool robe and enters a poor monastery to insure that he doesn't. Poor misguided Garth - he may have lost his spirit, but not his hot-blooded male body. He has lustful dreams nightly resulting in torturous penance daily. The prior believes Garth is wasting away in the monastery, and is almost relieved when the Wendeville Abbot asks that Garth replace him as chaplain at Wendeville - a request that makes Garth freak out!

The instant Garth is introduced to the castle, Cynthia senses she's met him before, and soon recognizes him as the fifteen year old she vowed to marry when she was a young lady all of eleven. Her memories flood back to the day in his mother's enchanted garden when the handsome young knight enchanted her. Garth's memories of that day are suppressed, but future circumstances will bring them back. Meanwhile, the young man is about to learn he isn't meant to become a monk.

Glynnis Campbell delivers a masterpiece set in the medieval era. MY HERO has quite an unusual plot, featuring a would-be monk as the hero, but WOW! What a hero Garth de Ware turns out to be! Both Garth and Cynthia are adults, but still innocents, a fact that causes them to misunderstand each other's reactions. The evil Abbot moves the plot along and before it's over the entire de Ware clan from the previous stories in this trilogy (MY CHAMPION, MY WARRIOR) will make an appearance. Ohhh, when I read this scene I was reminded of movies I saw years ago. I felt like stomping, clapping, and standing up to whistle and cheer YES! What a grand finale to a glorious medieval tale. And to make a fabulous story even better, Glynnis Campbell adds an epilogue that adds the finishing crown to a masterpiece of writing. MY HERO - I loved it! Loved it!

Carol Carter, As posted on Romance Reviews Today

This was an enjoyable book with good characters and a interesting story. I liked reading all the books in this series, with this one being the best of the three. Will be looking for more on this author.

I got hooked on Glynnis Campbell with "My Champion" and am thrilled that she has continued the family saga trilogy with Garth's story. Garth de Ware is the youngest member of the De Ware clan and the one who has chosen the cloth (his elder brothers were the knights of Campbell's first two titles). But he meets with temptation when his path reunites him with Lady Cynthia le Wyte, a healer and head of the castle where he is postioned. It's a delightful book, one that's hard to put down. Like Campbell's other two adventurous titles, readers will be drawn in by the well-established, well-rounded characters, the interesting Medieval details and the engaging story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this delightful author.

Glynnis Campbell does a great job of making each brother in her trilogy very appealing, while very different from each other. In turn, each brother is attracted to a quite different kind of woman. You can see how clearly a given brother would appreciate but not love deeply his two sister in laws. The woman he finds is the woman who is perfect for his temperment.

In Garth's case, both he and the woman he meets - the widow Cynthia - have had some but little sexual experience. I really like this in a romance novel. Probably 99% of the time you have the over-sexed guy who sleeps with every female he comes across, and the frigid ice-queen woman who has never been touched or kissed. It's nice to have a book where the woman is comfortable with touching a man and being in bed with him - and the man is in the same situation.

Also, where Duncan looked at his woman and thought "beautiful angel! I must follow her!" and Holden looked at his wildcat and thought "Fierce passion! I must have her!", Garth and Cynthia are both much more soulful. Cynthia isn't the buxom perfect-hair perfect-body model. She's a wholesome, healthy, down to earth woman who doesn't mind working on wounds, dealing with sick children, and doing what has to be done. Garth is quite unlike his two brothers. The siblings are both out proving themselves, making themselves known and seen. Garth has hidden himself away, focussing on his meditations and studies.

Interestingly, the issue here is really quite separate from the main characters or anything they have "done". It has to do with Cynthia's dead husband. He, naturally, left her his wealth - and a jealous bishop felt it was supposed to go to him. That bishop is now masterminding a scheme to get rid of her. Part of his plan is to put a quiet, non-intrusive priest into her household.

Unfortunately, he chooses Garth - and Garth and Cynthia are immediately drawn to each other. They had met briefly as children, and now they are both fully grown up. In the intermediate time, both had slept with other people. Cynthia had been married to a much older man, who she cared for but never was passionate with. Garth had been dallying with a over-sexed woman who wanted 12 orgasms a day. The lusty lady was dismissive of him when he couldn't keep up, and he retreated into a monastery, feeling he was less than a man.

Much of the storyline is about Garth and Cynthia fighting their attraction as improper, and how the bishop slowly, steadily draws his net around Cynthia. It's only at the very end that everything starts to come together, the other family members come in, and the rousing finale is extremely satisfying. You really get to see how each character's personality shines and how the couples fit together properly.

I liked this couple very much. I like how they are not obsessed about physical beauty, but care about the innate traits within a person. I like how they are comfortable with the human body. The story is about their personalities connecting, not just about virgin lust. As much as I love Holden and Cambria, in many ways I found this tale the most satisfying.

Probably my only complaint here is that Holden grew up with wildly oversexed brothers who talked endlessly about their conquests. He was a soldier for several years. The chance of him having only one, single lover - and not knowing that her desire for 12 orgasms a day was unusual - is slim to none. So the whole basis of his self-isolation is very suspect and reduces, in my mind, his level of wisdom and intelligence. I wish it had been something a little more believable that had sent him into that isolation.

Still, if we're going to complain about unbelievable beginning plot twists to set up a story, then pretty much any novel is going to get poked at. Once you get past that issue, the story is very enjoyable and, as I mentioned, the ending is extremely satisfying.

Well done! Just make sure you read the other two books first, so that you get the full background and history. It all makes sense, then, why the characters are the way they are.

Garth de Ware comes from a family of warriors, but he thinks himself less than a man and turns to the Church. Lady Cynthia le Wyte has loved Garth since childhood and considers him her hero. It takes a special kind of woman to show this man the way to worldly love, but Cynthia is up to the challenge. The last quarter of this book is the most exciting I've ever read--I stayed up 'til 3:00 am to finish it, unable to sleep until Garth and Cynthia had found their happy ending. If you think you won't like a romance with an ex-monk for a hero--think again. Glynnis Campbell's book will make you wish there were more writers willing to tell a fresh and different type of story!

Were Solo Crossing to be one long whine about divorce angst, it would not necessarily be worth reading. What does shine in this book is the author's distinct ability to distill human experience, which in her case does include a painful divorce, into images that are right and relevant for all sorts of readers. Here is another wonderful example why poetry is reaching so many new readers.

On reading her poems my heart resonated. At some I cried. I did not want to, but she plucked that exact string and I was transported instantaneously into the feelings of my own divorce. What more can you ask for in an author?

The strength of these poems goes far beyond the all-too-human experience of divorce and betrayal. Here is a rich poetic voice, fresh in metaphor (from Crocuses: Synchronized/as infant birds straining gullets), and fearless in romantic honesty (from Airborne: My mother, 72,/turns to the handsome man seated beside/her on the plane./I bet you were hoping to sit next to/an attractive young blonde./Smiling, he replies, I am.) These poems are ringingly lyrical and unselfconscious, sometimes a bit spare and clipped, but always redeemed by their music.

Solo Crossing is the original book by Split Verse editor Meg Campbell. Here poems touch on all topics, though many are framed by Campbell's divorce. "Ode to a Single Mother" and "Leavetaking" address Campbell's experiences in single motherhood. Many poems on childhood as well. These poems are stunning in their portrayal of a woman's life.

Ms. Campbell's imagery is evocative and yet accessible. While maintaining a distinctly imaginative voice throughout the collection, the poems are etched deeply in a life which could be anyone's. Whether young or old, in love or out, we all know loss, and this poet tells a story which is important to hear.

Throughout this amazing book I marvelled at how beautifully the author presented so many ordinary aspects of life and showed the wonder in their connectedness. I couldn't help but relate to Sam's experiences and hope that his awakening to the healing power of love can manifest itself in my own life.

To go on an inward journey takes courage....courage to remember, feel, experience and heal. This is the journey that Patricia Kowal has taken me on by sharing Sam's story. Beautifully, yet simply written Stillpoint touched my soul, giving me permission to quietly breath in life with its pain and joy. This is a book to read more than once, to pass onto to my children and friends. Thank you Patricia for your soulfulness and wisdom.

The wording on the back cover drew me in and then the book itself just blew me away. Stillpoint, a turning point in one's life, a pause for reflection, a comma - what appropriate applications to my own life and the lives of so many people I know. Through the eyes and mind of Sam Barsby I saw his life unfold and with it, so many similarities to my own. Ms Kowal also took me to places I'd never been and gave me a history lesson I'd never heard about in school. (I guess learning about how people suffered in the "depression" is not a particlarly popular topic.) There were so many other "lessons" succinctly taught in "Stillpoint" that I'll be thinking about the content for a long time to come: love, loyalty, commitment, despair, and the impact one's actions can have on others. Vivid and inspiring!

Deep within each man is fear and doubt as Sam Barsby knows, yet his determination to peel off the layers of pain to find peace takes him on a journey within, far more signicant than the incredible events of his life. EVERY woman should buy this book for any man in her life who desires support in his walk through life with tough times and obstacles that bring him worries beyond his control. This book will heal his soul.

I just can't say enough about this book. Great for all ages. Very easy reading...a book you can't put down. Nice blend of reality and historical events. Beautifully written with descriptions that make you feel like you are there. This book gives a touching, heart-felt appreciation of life and family, of hardships and friendships, of nature and peace. Very possibly the best book I have ever read. An excellent "first" book by this author; can't wait to read more from her. Perfect title: Stillpoint..a pause in life to reflect and complete your journey.

This is the best collection of new short stories I've read since I discovered Thomas Ligotti some years ago. Hirshburg is every bit as good, but entirely different. Any fan of horror stories should buy this immediately. Let's hope he's more prolific than Ligotti.

This is a collection of short stories by an already celebrated author for his short fictions. In the ghost story genre Glen Hirshberg is truely the best american pen stylist since the first publication of Great Master Peter Straub, 30 years ago. Mr. Hirshberg gives a good quantity of new blood, always served in the most literary ways. These are all ghost stories but herein, there isn't any kind of repetition feeling. The only wrong note is that here, the blend is so good that this collection, at the end feels a little short. There is two ways to solve this problem. Either re-read that wonderful collection or read, The Snowman's Children, Mr. Hirshberg's first novel, also a gem on its own . Thanks, Glen! I can't wait for your new novel.

Pull up a chair, start the fire, listen as the tales are told, and see if you sleep tonight. Being a sucker for a ghost story, I thought I'd get a quick scare, have a bit of fun and then put the book down with only a vague recollection of the tales. I couldn't have been more wrong. What I found was so psychologically shattering, it left me with a chill for days.

Centering on education and childhood fears, the fours stories connect and ambush the reader with a combined strike of terror and awe. The title story is heartbreaking and may come to revisit the reader for months, even years after. Each individual plot is so beguiling and intellectually chilling, they leave you breathless. Comfortable and warm, the atmosphere quietly switches gears so fast it's paralyzing.

The characters are deeply portrayed, filled with a delicacy and a history that has damaged them in some way. They soon begin to not only resonate, but also demand to be heard. The pace set in the story is slow and gentle with a build up of a speed so intense it leaves you gasping for air. Hirshberg's style of writing is measured and ingenious, always leaving the reader with his or her own explanations.

Here are five tale that are nominal and unconventional. Classic storytelling with a decisive twist. Perfect!

I give this book a 5 . Buy this book today, but don't forget the No Dose...I wish i hadn't!

The five novellas that make up The Two Sams are billed as ghost stories, but I would describe them more as haunting pieces of fiction, which is not necessarily the same thing. Glen Hirshberg has a wonderful writing style, one that has already earned him many award nominations in his young career. It's a mix of the classic and the modern, a sort of Henry James meets Ramsey Campbell, and in fact Campbell supplies the meritorious introduction to this collection. What you get here is the highest literary form of the dark tale.

There is a great deal of variety between the five long short stories collected here, but they all share a wonderful atmosphere and the underpinnings of well-constructed tales. They are not traditional ghost stories; indeed, they could best be described as psychological horror pieces that remind us once again that the most frightening ghosts are sometimes the ones inside our own heads.

The title story is the shortest and my least favorite of the bunch. It revolves around a father trying to deal with the history of two miscarried pregnancies as his wife's third pregnancy enters its final stages. Who can say what kind of connection a father might have to his children who were not to be? "Dancing Men" seems to garner the most critical acclaim among these stories, but this tale of a boy's very strange rite of passage, one linking the horrors his grandfather suffered in the Holocaust with Native American rituals, didn't evoke the same type of feelings the other stories evoked in me. "Shipwreck Beach" is an interesting story set just off the coast of a Hawaiian island. A young lady has come to see her cousin and friend for the first time since he got out of jail and moved to the islands. Her cousin has something to show her, a mysterious boat that sort of just appeared and cannot be sunk just off the coast. The most interesting aspect of this tale is the story that evolves from the young man's history, the mysterious culmination of which comes onboard the strangely otherworldly boat.

If you are looking for real scares, I would direct your attention to "Struwwelpter" and "Mr. Dark's Carnival." The first story is rather a strange one involving a youth's fascination with a mysterious old man's house and gardens, especially a bell that can reportedly raise the dead. The exploration of the house produces some potentially scary moments for the reader, and the story takes a strange and in some ways much more disturbing turn at the very end.

"Mr. Dark's Carnival" is, in my opinion, the best story by far in this collection. It is set in a college Montana town famous for its Halloween celebrations, much of the collective enthusiasm bound up in the local legend of a strange carnival of undisclosed horrors going back many years. The protagonist is a college professor who delights in teaching this local tradition to his students, and for years he has sought the opportunity to visit this ultimate Halloween haunted house experience -- if it actually exists. You have to be invited to the undisclosed location, and this year he receives what might be a genuine ticket to the supposedly legendary festivities. The whole atmosphere of the story is teeming with spooky potential, the experience as it is happening is fully capable of raising a few hairs on the back of your neck, and the ending hits you like a punch in the guts. I have to say, in all honesty, "Mr. Dark's Carnival" is one of the most impressive horror stories I have read in a long time.

If you have your doubts about the continued honing of the darker crafts of writing in this modern age, you will be especially pleased to sample the impressive wares of Glen Hirshberg. This guy is, as they say, going places -- and he is taking a deep sense of the rich history of the horror genre along with him.

Exhibiting the same compelling, richly textured storytelling style displayed in Hirshberg's noteworthy debut novel, The Snowman's Children, The Two Sams features five novellas that work satisfying variations on familiar themes. All are told in the first person.

The two most intriguing stories in the collection are the bittersweet title story, "The Two Sams," and the surreal "Mr. Dark's Carnival." "The Two Sams" features a troubled husband reflecting on the two miscarriages his wife has suffered-the character's sense of loss is palpable, the climax is profoundly moving. "Mr. Dark's Carnival" which, while evocative of Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is far, far darker, chronicles a college professor's disturbing Halloween encounter with a local legend.

Another tale set on Halloween night, "Struwwelpeter," is about a haunted house and the allure it holds for a troubled teenager. "Shipwreck Beach" is about the uneasy relationship between two cousins; as it's title indicates, it's about shipwrecks, both literal, and those some people make of their lives. Finally, "Dancing Men" provides a sensitive yet simultaneously harrowing look at some fallout from the central tragedy of our age, the Holocaust.

The enthusiasm Ramsey Campbell displays for Hirshberg's work in his introduction is justifiable-truly an "original and considerable talent," Hirshberg does indeed "bring enviable skills to his work," such as a "stylistic precision that comes of loving language, an unerring eye for character and the moments that define or reveal it," and "a keen sense not just of place but how light and the time of day transform his settings." As to Campbell's assertion that "history will hail him as a crucial contributor to the field," only time will tell. Based on the evidence in The Two Sams, the probability certainly seems high.

This dictionary is just the ticket for an adult language learner who's ready to move from a beginning dictionary but needs to stay at this level for awhile before moving on to an adult dictionary. Good sized print with many colored pictures to keep a disabled learner's attention.

river runner girl

My daughter uses the dictionary constantly. She is only 9 but finds it very helpful, especially during her homewok and it is not as difficult to follow or understand as the adult version.

This is the dictionary my child's teacher suggested. It is a very good dictionary for middle school age children. The print, though not as large as a children's primary dictionary, is not nearly as small as the print of college dictionaries. The volume is large enough to encompass a large volume of words, also a plus for school work. It contains definitions, synonyms and antonyms. This is most helpful for homework. The book is hardbound which makes it easier to use for children as they do not need to keep one hand one the page to keep the book open while writing. We have yet to find a shortfall, when using this dictionary. :)

Excellent buy.
Great dictionary for school-aged children. Easy to read and understand definitions.

This dictionary is relevant, up to date (does not include too many obsolete definitions) and like another person said, when you need to look up word a good dictionary will give you a clear and precise definition which doesn't give you other words to look up in the process.

This book was used as the underlying basis to understanding the policy process in my graduate level class that I took recently.

Overall I would give this book 5 stars because it is relatively thorough and it encompasses a great deal in a concise model that is easy to understand.

Kingdon discusses that his model is set within three streams, problem, policy and political. Each of these streams have their own unique characteristics that work to help merge with the others. When these streams, ideally all three, a policy window opens where action on policy can occur by a decision-making body such as Congress. With the help of policy entrepreneuers, national mood, policy communities, and much more as agents amongst these streams, each work to produce change on the agenda.

As this class was titled the policy process that I took, it explained how it began but this book does not cover how the process moves once something has been acted upon on the agenda.

If you are looking for understanding more about activity leading up to action, this is a great book. If you are looking to understand the process afterwards, this may not be the right book, but it will help you understand the forces leading up to a process of change.

Definitely, I would recommend this for any political science class at the undergraduate level. I am glad that I was fortunate enough to have it assigned in my grad level policy process class.

Kingdon has produced an innovative and useful theory of the policy process. This book is clearly not intended for the lay reader, but for political scientists and policy specialists interested in theorizing about policy formation.

Kingdon's writing style is somewhat formal, and at times stiff, but the book is easy to get through. Kingdon provides many concrete examples of the ideas he discusses, making the abstract principles easier to understand.

Recommended for classes on the policy process, especially in conjunction with Baumgarter and Jones' Agendas and Instability in American Politics.

I am in the graduate program at American University's School of Public Affairs. This book was required for one of the core classes. The theory--the dynamic, fluid model that Kingdon builds in this book has been practically adopted as THE mantra within policy formation/agenda setting research.
The book is well organized and easy to follow. It is not a challenging read but I found sections of the book to be a bit dry. Also, be ready to contend with literally hundreds of fluid metaphors that Kingdon employs throughout the book.

John Kingdon attempts to answer very difficult questions in his work "Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies." What makes an idea's time come? What makes people in and around government attend to some subjects and not to others? In short, Kingdon explores how ideas become policy in his 1994 award-winning book.

The book makes many interesting conclusions, as Kingdon uses scientific research methods to discuss how ideas become policy. It is amazing that Kingdon is able to quantify how influential certain groups are to policy formulation and implementation. In doing this, he looks at the influence of groups in and outside of government. Kingdon then goes onto his major two concepts of the policy primeval soup and the political stream. Both of these are wonderful illustrations of how policymaking happens.

In the end, this is a great book for public policy students. My only complaint is that Kingdon is oftentimes too wordy. It seems that he could have written a much more effective piece by summing it up in a 40-page journal article. In any event, the book is worth the read, even if some chapters are only skimmed.

Agenda setting, in the world of politics, is when a problem becomes identified as an issue that calls for government attention, discussion, and--possibly--decision making. This book is one of the most important works on agenda-setting.

John Kingdon has stated that:

Political events flow along according to their own dynamics and their own rules. Participants perceive swings in national mood, elections bring new administrations to power and new partisan or ideological distributions to Congress, and interest groups of various descriptions press (or fail to press) their demands on government.

The author sees three streams that must come together for an issue to be placed on the agenda--a political stream (just noted above), a policy stream (in which some policy proposal emerges as "best"), and a problem stream (a problem develops that people label as important). If they come together and if the window of opportunity for success is there, then the issue can become an agenda item. If the streams do not come together, agenda placement is unsuccessful--as with President Clinton's health care plan. That plan had two of three requirements in place. One, the political stream was supportive. A new President had been elected with his party having a majority in both houses of Congress; furthermore, Clinton outlined as a campaign issue support for a more ambitious health care program for Americans. The confluence of these two factors produced something like a "mandate" for change. Two, the problem stream saw health care bubbling up toward the top. That is, increasingly, people seemed to define health care as a serious problem about which something had to be done.

Nonetheless, no major initiative emerged to be fully considered. Clinton's plan was very nearly DOA (dead on arrival) once serious discussion began. Why? No single policy proposal garnered enough support. Democrats supported several different plans--such as a single payer system (in which government becomes the insurer), "pay or play" (in which businesses would largely fund health care insurance), and the Clinton plan itself (which focused on managed care). Thus, the policy stream never did "come together" around any single proposal. As a result, the initiative died and no substantial changes were forthcoming in the health care system.

What emerges in each stream is, to a large extent, "contingent," depending upon many factors--including chance. The result is unpredictability.

It may be that this work overemphasizes chance and contingency and underplays the role of human agency (for instance, the role of policy entrepreneurs who labot to get issues placed on the agenda and acted upon). Nonetheless, this is an exemplary work and well worth attending to if one is interested in setting the political agenda.