C Books

Lies, lies, lies. The description for comments was, "Perfect!" Verbatim. One word.
This book was NOT perfect, in great shape, yes, but NOT perfect. There was writing all over the margins as well as a few highlighting marks, which all should have been disclosed.

If you want to read a book of significance, look no further. While it may be a difficult read it is one of the most influential and important books ever written.

There were only 9 reviews on this book . . . what can one say. . . either something brings you to this book or it does not. . . if you are reading these reviews, then buy it.

This book is one of the most important and influential works on ethics. It is dense, not an easy read, the structure is loose and troublesome at times, but it is groundbreaking and brilliant.

There are many internet resources to guide you along the reading,. so do not be intimidated. Much of future work will rest on the contributions by Kant.

This version of the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals provides a clear and concise introduction. You will find it useful to understand how Kant's moral philosophy fits within his general philosophy and to get acquainted with some of the debates around his work. Although this book is rather expensive for what it is, it is useful and worth buying if you are really interested in this topic.

'Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals' by Immanuel Kant is easily the most important work devoted exclusively to thinking about morality in the history of Philosophy, especially considering it's size.

The cornerstone of the work, and the end result of Kant's analysis is the categorical imperative which says that a moral law are only those for which you can state should be true of all people.

In one fell swoop, Kant marginalizes all thinking about relativism in morality and at the same time distinguishes moral from religious thinking.

If you pair this up with St. Paul's statements in his letter to the Romans (3:19-28) which states strongly that adherance to the law has virtually nothing to do with salvation, it should make things pretty clear to all concerned.

Unfortunately, things are rarely that simple. As important as Kant's conclusion is, it is necessary but not sufficient for a complete analysis of morality.

One excuse may be that this work is really Kant's version of 'Cliff Notes' to his moral argument. His full presentation comes in the 'Critique of Practical Reason', which, however, is not often read.

Note that contrary to another review of this edition, the translator and commentator is the noted Kant scholar of 70 years ago, H. J. Paton.

To people who are not used to reading philosophy, I will not hide the fact that Kant is tough going. He may not be quite as tough as Hegel, the Existentialists, or the ancient Greeks, but he is definitely harder to understand than any modern nonfiction book I can think of.

The biggest argument against the 'Groundwork' and the categorical imperative is usually the fact that it does not rule out trivial rules, such as 'you must always eat a starch at least once a day'. This rule is physically possible for anyone living anywhere in the world, yet it is certainly not a moral law. It is not even a very good dietary law, but that's neither here nor there. A second argument is that Kant's argument seems a bit circular, when he says that the only thing which unqualifiedly good is a good will.

For anyone who has been vexed by moral questions, an honest reading of this work will at the very least give you hope that with the right amount of thought, one can make sense of moral issues.

A truly great book.

In his book `Reason and Culture', Ernest Gellner points his finger at certain philosophers of science for undermining reason. One of the culprits is Paul Feyerabend.
This autobiography is very revealing indeed. It gives an in depth view of Feyerabend's eventful life, his difficult character, his fierce philosophical battles, his profound (physical and intellectual) loves and his (self-) inflicted deceptions.
As young soldier, he was physically heavily marked by World War II, but astonishingly his fighting spirit was enhanced. On the other hand, was this experience not a main reason for his deep pessimism: `Me? A family? Children? Not on this planet!' He called himself an `icy egotist'. All his life he had violent outburst of inner rage: `We shall act in a barbaric way. We shall punish, kill, meet violence with violence.'
During the war, he was lived, as Nietzsche said: `the aims of Nazism - I hardly knew what they were.' Already then for him, `a clean moral vision implies simplifications and acts of cruelty and injustice.'
After the war, he had to choose between a career as a professional singer (he had a beautiful voice and loved opera) or as a scientist. He became a philosopher of science.
But now the intellectual caste became the target of his violent attacks: `intellectuals prepare a New Age of ignorance, darkness and slavery.' His main foe was the man he saw as the new POP(p)E(r) of philosophy.
Overreactions and exaggerations made him even return to animism: `two types of tumors to be removed - philosophy of science and general philosophy (ethics, epistemology etc.) ... Nor is there one way of knowing, science. There are many such ways, and before they were ruined by Western civilization, they were effective in the sense that they kept people alive and made their existence comprehensible.'??
His anger culminated in his best known book `Against Method', called by his caste `anything goes'. Already the title is a provocation. It provoked an avalanche of devastating reviews which traumatized him deeply. He defends himself: `I never denigrated reason, only some petrified and tyrannical versions of it.'
After meeting the love of his life, the rebel (sometimes without a cause) became less caustic, and even wanted children.

All in all, this book is a fascinating read.

One of the most moving, insightful, and honest autobiographies I've ever read. Unduly influenced by the standard ignorant rap on Against Method, I was also very surprised. Get it, especially if you have a background in math, physics, philosophy, or even music.

This is one of the most touching autobiography I have read. Paul Feyerabend was not only an important thinker or philosopher, I was also an interesting human being. It is not, however, so much his story that is intriguing as it is the moral we can draw from his experiences that is illuminating. Perhaps the most valuable counsel he gives us in this book is the following:"If you want to achieve something, if you want to write a book, paint a picture, be sure that the center of your existence is somewhere else and that it's solidly grounded; only then will you be able to keep your cool and laugh at the attacks that are bound to come"(147). I think any student of philosophy, literature and the arts should take this advice to heart. Feyerabend is one of the rare philosophers who realized that, after all, a worthwile life is not one devoted to abstract thinking but one devoted to love. As he says," There are strong inclinations after all;...they are not about abstract things such as solitude or intellectual achievements but about a live human being"(169). I cannot but recommend you to read this very enlightening autobiography. Vladimir Pintro, student of philosophy at S.U.N.Y.

Typical Feyerabend arrogance, spiced with unbearable charm. Brimming with intimate details of his sexual experiences, fighting with the Nazi Army on the Western Front, his lifelong (almost) apathy toward academic philosophy, and his real passion: opera singing. Philosophy, it turns out, was "just a job." I had *no* idea that Paul Feyerabend once possessed a "world voice" for opera. It was opera he loved. About 1/3 of the story is about operas he'd seen worldwide, who sang the roles, his critical opinion of the singing!

Also includes his bookish, only-child upbringing; his horribly depressed mother and her suicide in his teens; his adult depressions; his affairs and marriages; and finally, his mature love for the beautiful Graziana, which allowed him some actual truth in this life. It ends with Graziana's reminder that most of Feyerabend's life was spent in chronic pain, the result of a gunshot to his groin during the Nazi retreat from Russia. That was the injury which rendered him sexually impotent at 20 - a recurring theme in the story.

By the last page, I was in tears. Imagine tears of compassion after reading the words of that anarchist maniac who wrote "Against Method"!! But tears there were. It's a very good book.

This is a slim volume, barely 200 pages, but it charts an awesome spiritual odyssee. Paul Feyerabend - enfant terrible of late 20th century philosophy - looked ruthlessly in the mirror and painted an unadorned picture of himself. At the end of his life, he painfully recognised that its course had been shaped by absences, rather than by specific events or, for that matter, ideas: absence of purpose, of content, of a focused interest, absence of moral character, absence of warmth and of social relationships.

Only when Feyerabend approached the final fifteen years of his life and settled as a professor in the philosophy of science in Zürich - after having lectured four decades at Anglo-American universities - he started to relax. And eventually, a woman came and set things right. In 1983 he met the Italian physicist Grazia Borrini for the first time. Five years later they married. His relationship with Mrs. Borrini must have been the single most important event in Feyerabend's life. Reading his autobiography is an experience akin to listening to Sibelius' tone-poem 'Nightride and Sunrise': after 1983 the colours change dramatically and his prose is infused with warmth and immense gratefulness. It is a delight to read his rapt eulogies on the companion of the last decade of his life, on his most fortunate discovery of true love and friendship. Indeed, although Feyerabend is not interested in 'spoiling' his autobiography with an extensive reiteration of his philosophical positions, there are a few messages he clearly wants to drive home. The central role in life of love and friendship is one of them. Without these "even the noblest achievements and the most fundamental principles remain pale, empty and dangerous" (p. 173). Yet, Feyerabend clearly wants us to see that this love "is a gift, not an achievement" (p. 173). It is something which is subjected neither to the intellect, nor to the will, but is the result of a fortunate constellation of circumstances.

The same applies to the acquisition of 'moral character'. This too "cannot be created by argument, 'education' or an act of will." (p.174). Yet, it is only in the context of a moral character - something which Feyerabend confesses to having only acquired a trace of after a long life and the good fortune of having met Grazia - that ethical categories such as guilt, responsibility and obligation acquire a meaning. "They are empty words, even obstacles, when it is lacking." (p.174) (Consequently, he did not think himself responsible for his behavior during the Nazi period).

Contrary to someone like Karl Kraus, Feyerabend seems to think that men, at least as long as they have not acquired moral character, are morally neutral, whilst ideas are not. A question which remains, of course, is who is to be held responsible for intellectual aberrations and intentional obfuscation if this character is only to be acquired by an act of grace, an accidental constellation of circumstances.

There is an enigmatic passage in the autobiography which may shed light on this important problem. After having seen a performance of Shakespeare's Richard II, in which the protagonist undoes himself of all his royal insigna, thereby relinquishing not just "a social role but his very individuality, those features of his character that separated him from other", Feyerabend notes that the "dark, unwieldy, clumsy, helpless creature that appeared seemed freer and safer, despite prison and death, than what he had left behind." (p. 172) It prompts him to the insight that "the sum of our works and/or deeds does not constitute a life. These . . . are like debris on an ocean . . . They may even form a solid platform, thus creating an illusion of universality, security, and permanence. Yet the security and the permanence can be swept away by the powers that permitted them to arise." (p. 172) These ideas do not exactly solve the question about moral responsibility, but they do suggest a tragic 'Lebensgefühl' - an acknowledgment of the fact that the spheres of reason, order and justice are terribly limited and that no progress in our science and technical resources will change their relevance - which seems to underpin Feyerabends very earthbound philosophy.

This book was verry intresting. It made me want for more knowledge on the war and that time period.

I had a nice time reading this book. What great insight to the workings of the military intelligence community.

Excellent historical fiction novel. This book is rivoting and found myself searching for more information about the war during this period. Highly recommend.

This ia a book that once you start it you cannot lay it down until the end. I found this book interesting, fast moving, and one I was sorry to reach the end. I enjoyed this book enough that I intend on re-read it. You really get picked up with the story. In that regard I would like to have a follow on book that continues the story. The authors style has various scenerios, at different locations which significantly added to the enjoyment I had in reading it. I have recommended this book to a number of my friends Russell W. Gorman, Rear Admiral U. S. Navy (ret)

The book "The Kochi Maru Affair" by Daniel C. Helix was a "Can't-Put-It-Down" bonanza. The story was very intriguing, well written and well sequenced. The author kept a steady flow of action. Ken Grainger, the hero, seemed to be faced with a never ending string of problems. Problems that he gave much thought to and came up with the most rational solutions. Just full of action. And about a man, a person and an Army officer who had his head screwed on properly.

James E. Tallman
Walnut Creek, CA

This book arrived in top condition and in time. In a college book store this book cost a lot more, so I am very pleased to be able to buy it from this seller.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the descriptive way the author wrote. I have been through Colorado and have seen the beauty she described. Also enjoyed the story because there wasn't a lot of violence and if there was any sex, it was only in our imagination which is the greatest kind. I was amazed at how the lady rode for miles in rugged wilderness without seeming to get lost. The fact that she could subsist on meager food was also interesting.

For many years I saw this book in National Park bookstores and passed it by thinking it would be an example of the overwritten, rather tedious journals of other Victorian travelers. When I finally found it at a used bookstore and rather reluctantly bought it, I was surprised to find out how exciting and relevant her story was.

Because I live in Colorado, I recoginize and travel through many of the places she describes. Just this weekend as we traveled along Highway 67, my husband and I remarked on the likelihood, that this was the same route she'd taken out of Colorado Springs.

Her accounts lend life to the grey, weatherbeaten cabins, abandoned roads and rusting rails that we see. Even though many parts of Europe and the US were relatively modern at the time of her adventures, it is surprising to read just how primitive and precarious was the life of many Colorado settlers.

Even if you aren't from Colorado, read this book to become aquainted with a Victorian woman who found a way to live life fully. Read it to learn about life in the west. Read it just because it's a good read.

I bought this book while visiting Estes Park, CO...hungry for books about life in the West that may not be so readily available here in NJ. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read! Isabella's descriptions of the Rocky Mountains and the climate through which she travelled are vivid and gripping. But more than that, she gives a detailed and honest account of what life was like for settlers on the frontier. How she managed to ride thru the mountains where the only "trails" were tracks of wagons or animals, when often those were covered with the seemingly constant snow, boggles the mind. Her love for Colorado sings out in every word she writes. I too was deeply touched by its beauty, and hope to return again, this time with an enriched appreciation due to this wonderful recounting of Isabella Bird's journey.

Did you ever read any of the BEANY MALONE novels by Lenora Mattingly Weber? In them I first read about Isabella Bird and her remarkable life in the American West. Beany's older brother, Johnny Malone, is a teenager when the series begins, a young Denver boy with a remarkable passion for unearthing the memoirs and daguerrotypes of Colorado pioneers and taking notes on the old-timers who settled the state. Their colorful lives make his ordinary life seem rather pastel, so he often sinks into a nostalgia of the past, while his family members tease him about the dreamy look in his eyes. He helps a veteran journalist, Emerson Worth, complete his magnum opus, OUR CITY HAS DEEP ROOTS. And among the pioneers Johnny obsessed about was none other than Isabella Bird, so when I found this book on a recent trip to Boulder, I added it to my rucksack.

If you are reading on horseback, as Isabella Bird did, this is perhaps the ideal book to carry with you. She was a woman used to the English-style horse with its Ascot breeding and high carriage. What she found in Colorado were, naturally, the horses of the West, more perfectly adapted to the mile-high atmospheres, but slung somewhat lower than anything she's been used to and slightly swaybacked. Bird adapted quickly, and the fun of her autobiography is to see her taking in her stride a series of calamities and hardships that would have Job complaining bitterly! No matter if it's an insect infestation or tumbling right through a sheet of ice into zero degree river chills, for Isabella Bird it's all part of a day's fun. Travel writing in the 19th century was, of course, the leading genre of prose. From no other source were English-speaking readers able to find out more about other people's lives, and the curiosity was immense.

You'll like Isabella, and her crazy love affair with Colorado. She remains very much a lady, but will challenge your preconceived notions of what a lady is and isn't. Most of all you will thrill to follow the course of her journeys up and down the mountains through which, now, there are some better trails but still the same amazing sunrises which she describes with the thrill of one for whom every day's an adventure.

LEAVE IT TO CHANCE is a delightful read. Though it follows a typical formula: a boy, a girl, and a horse, Sands does well in updating the formula with the modern day trails of a messy divorce, a rebellious teen, and a frazzled single mom.
Sierra Montgomery is doing her best to make ends meet after losing her job and having her child support checks bounce. Then, out of nowhere, she inherits a horse, an animal she is deathly afraid of. Knowing she has no intentions of keeping the horse, she runs an ad and hopes to make enough money to pay the next month's rent. When her three kids find out she is selling the horse, they are devastated. When the deal falls through, and her ex-husband sloughs off just one more weekend with his kids, Sierra realizes her kids cannot face another disappointment, and against her better judgment, decides to keep the horse. Her take charge mother arranges to have Chance boarded with Ross Morgan, a landscaper that happens to be single and gorgeous. There is an immediate attraction between Ross and Sierra, but she has no room in her life for more complications . . . or so she says.
I enjoyed LEAVE IT TO CHANCE enough to ignore the predictability of it. Sands creates some wonderful characters in Sierra's best friend, Elise and Ross' father figure, Sid. Ross is your typical good guy hero that you can't help but fall in love with. LEAVE IT TO CHANCE is a quick read that keeps you turning pages, waiting for the time that Sierra will finally admit her feelings for Ross.

I've got to be honest. When I first heard the premise of this book, I was more than skeptical. A boy, a girl and a horse. Sounds like a cheesy, teeny-bopper romance - right? I mean, didn't we all dream about having horses and rugged men to come along and reign in our wild, independent spirits with their charm and devastatingly good looks? But then we grew up.

"Leave it to Chance" FAR exceeded my expectations. I couldn't put it down! Yes, it has a boy, a girl and a horse, but the story is much more complex than that. And Sherri's writng is fantastic. Her characters are intricately developed. Their struggles are relevant, and their faith is tried. I anticipated a predictable storyline, but instead was pleasantly surprised with each twist of plot and character's choice.

The book is filled with endearing characters. My favorites: Elise, Sierra's best friend; a fun, quirky chick and one of very few people Sierra has seen exhibit a sincere, uninhibited relationship with God, and Sid, the hunky landscaper's neighbor and father-figure; an ornery grandfatherly type who challenges everyone around him to be their best and believe the Truth. It's a great read!

Sherri Sand's "Leave it to Chance" was a delectable read. Devouring fiction is a part of this writer's life, so I go through a lot of books. But this one stands out. Why? Sherri's characters are well drawn, her plot well paced. I enjoyed the romance thread most, but I'd have to say the other elements joined forces to advance the story so well I could barely tear myself away. Her prose was fresh and her story well-handled. Great job, Sherri!

[...]
Sierra Montgomery is the single mother of three. Life is a struggle, financially and emotionally. She has a strong support group in her friends and mom, who they live with. One of her major struggles is her belief yet doubt in God. She inherits of all things, a horse named Chance. Ross Morgan a landscaper lets Chance stay at his farm and helps Sierra's son Braden train the horse. Chance helps her to believe, love and cope with life.
Leave It To Chance is a great Christian read. Sherri Sand cleverly mixes humor and a strong plot to entertain and uplift readers. I could not put this book down. Sand's style is easy to read, inspiring and very enjoyable.

Sierra Montgomery is barely making ends meet. She has three kids to raise, and her ex-husband can't be bothered to help. Then she inherits a horse of all things. A real, live horse named Chance--the last things she wants. Sierra had a bad incident with a horse when she was young, and has been afraid of them ever since. However, it would break her children's hearts if she sells Chance. A friend recommended Ross Morgan, who has an empty barn and pasture. Ross reluctantly agrees to board the horse, but Chance proves to be more trouble than he's worth. He can open any gate, and with a pasture full of grass, plenty of good hay and grain, his favorite snack is Ross' most expensive landscaping plants. Ross can't get rid of the horse though, because he has a fondness for Sierra's kids. And maybe for Sierra. Leave It To Chance is a warm-hearted, tender love story. Sherri Sand uses humor and a strong faith message, combined with a clever, tightly written plot to keep the reader turning those pages. Recommended.

We keep buying this for children, but all the adults who see this are mesmerized! A winner!

This is a great book that my 21 month old daughter loves. She has been learning her colors and this book helped.

This is such a cute book! My 3-year-old daughter loves to have it read to her, and "read" it back to me as well. She always gets a kick out of the "wrong" colors for familiar objects. I plan on buying this book as a birthday gift for another young child very soon.

My grandchildren, ages 6 and 3, and I enjoyed this very simple but most pleasurable book. The kids giggled and I smiled. Beautiful colors; cleverly arranged cut-outs. The idea that lemons are NOT red and other items are NOT colors that they're not, has great appeal to these young minds.

A terrific book for thinking about color, enjoying beautiful art, and just having fun. Clever take on the tired color concept book. Your kids will be laughing and thinking and immersed in high quality art. What could be better?

How different would Leni Riefenstahl's life have been had she not filmed Triumph of the Will? One can only speculate what films she would have directed and starred in after World War II were it not for Hitler insisting she do the film.

Riefenstahl has been referred to as a Renaissance woman, and she most certainly was. She was a creative being and expressed her creativity in dance, acting, directing, photography and ocean diving. These five areas, spanning her entire long life, are the subject of this sumptuous coffee table book.

Editor Taschen Angelica is to be commended on compiling this life-work on Riefenstahl while Leni was still alive to assist in the selection and arrangement of the photographs. The segment on the mountain films is worth the price of the book alone, but the color images of the Nuba are also amazing.

Riefenstahl's revenge against those who denied her her cinematic craft after World War II was being able to live to 101, and seeing her life-long accomplishments compliled into this book. Rumor has it Jody Foster is at work on a film project about Riefenstahl. One hopes Foster will get it right and cover her entire life, not just the years that caused so much controversy.

A biography in pictures of arguably the most influential female film-maker in the history of the medium...though all too many people in the industry are afraid to admit to it. Made the greatest propaganda film in history (unfortunate choice of subject matter) and the most important and influential sports documentary of all time (Olympia). Dancer, actress, director, producer, still photographer, underwater cinematographer...an astounding list of accomplishments driven by a desire to perceive and record the world around her has compelled Leni Riefenstahl since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Oversized, handsomely produced volume (typical Taschen quality) is packed with rare photographs and fascinating commentary. Note: sparkle in eyes of 19-year old dancer and 99-year old legend is exactly the same.

As gifted as she is controversial, Leni Riefenstahl's "five" lives are imminently fascinating as this impressive book will prove! Even to the uninformed or casual observer, this edition will entrance. A great addition to your library, especially if you are impressed by the 102 year old dynamo who continues to prove filmmaking and photography as an art form. A living testament to the fact that "bodies in motion, stay in motion!"

A biography in pictures of arguably the most influential female film-maker in the history of the medium...though all too many people in the industry are afraid to admit to it. Made the greatest propaganda film in history (unfortunate choice of subject matter) and the most important and influential sports documentary of all time (Olympia). Dancer, actress, director, producer, still photographer, underwater cinematographer...an astounding list of accomplishments driven by a desire to perceive and record the world around her has compelled Leni Riefenstahl since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Oversized, handsomely produced volume (typical Taschen quality) is packed with rare photographs and fascinating commentary. Note: sparkle in eyes of 19-year old dancer and 99-year old legend is exactly the same.

The striking front cover on this book is a publicity still as Junta, in the movie "The Blue Light" 1932. As impressive as the cover is, it gets better when you open it to reveal hundreds of artistically shot photos. Dr. Ruth says bigger is not necessarily better. However in this case it is; something about the size of the photographs add to their striking appearance. Most are in grainy black and white with some color sections. This book is just a wee to large to fit in my oversized bookshelf. So I am making a larger shelf to display the books front view.

Just as you assume that this is a great coffee table book you will find that there is more too it. Luckily the pictures are not cluttered or distracted by alpha pneumonics. All the descriptions are in a separate section. The title of the book is appropriate as it portray s the different vocations of Leni. (Dancer, Actress, Director, Photographer, Diver)

This book also enhances the viewing experience of Leni's films.

THE GERMAN CENTURY.

All the wonderful reviews of Professor Markos' work leave little left to be said. It is a brilliant and insightful work that has many layers of instructional possibilities. One of Professor Markos' greatest strengths is as an effective communicator. His obvious love for humanity and commitment to educational values that by far exceed the norm, shine through his words, that are bolstered by his enthusiasm and love for CS Lewis. He embodies the twin roles of student and master beautifully by following Newton's advice of "standing on the shoulders of giants" and then by breathing life into his experiences so that others may benefit from his committed contemplations. I am very grateful for the work Professor Markos has done and has shared with us.

I enjoyed the book. The book referenced a large sample of the Lewis corpus. His approach to the Space Trilogy and how we can use Lewis to make bridges to the New Agers was very interesting. I knocked a star off because of his writing style. It was very uneven. At times it seemed forced and at other times it was inspired. The section on the deconstruction of language lost me, but that may be due to my lack of study in that area. His love of the fiction of Lewis came through very strong. I wanted to drop everything and read the Space Trilogy again.

I love primary sources. I would much rather read St Paul or Plato, than read about them. But must I apologize for reading and enjoying commmentary on the work of a leading Christian apologist? If dismissed as simply too academic a thing to do, you will miss an edifying and delightful 'read'.

The writings of CS Lewis continue to post major sales, so there is likelihood that many may be interested in this title in spite of its slightly overwrought subtitle. And as for the title itself, Markos explains that it's borrowed from a play written by John Milton, Samson Agonistes, (ie: Samson, the Wrestler). The OED tells us that the agon is 'a gathering or assembly, (f. to lead or bring with one), esp. for the public games; hence 'the contest for the prize at the games,' and by extension, 'any contest or struggle'. He tells us that this volume grew out of an article he wrote for Christianity Today (April 2001). In the book he says he is an evangelical who teaches English literature at Houston Baptist University, but he also states that Christianity is not the only truth. (I can almost hear his fellow pew sitters cobbling together a cross! He does go on to qualify the statement; yet it is evident that he is very broadminded.) I've learned that it is his eighth title, but the first to make it into print. So, clearly our author is tenacious!

Indeed, I find him to be an accomplished grappler, actually carrying forward the conversation advanced by CS Lewis. He attempts to "fashion an aesthetics of incarnation,one that will not only speak to the potential of the arts to bear a heavy weight of meaning but that will champion the arts as a far greater friend than foe to the beleagured apologist living in a postmodern world." This is refreshing in a day when we are weary of narcissism and nihilism in the arts. And I think he makes good on this thesis, which is not the sole goal of the book.

Rarely have I encountered an author who is as well-read and capable of weaving a grand tapestry from the canons of literature and scripture. Those already familiar with CSL's writing may find the first chapter a bit tedious as Markos sets the stage, but it's worth being patient, and this reader was rewarded several times in chapter one.

He adeptly lays a foundation for a new paradigm of the intuition to replace that worn (worn out?) by today's rationalists. This guy doesn't merely wrestle in defence of the faith, he wrestles to win! After capsulizing CSL's many joustings with materialism Markos points us forward with this delightful clip: "If a skeptic has already decided that miracles do not and cannot occur, then even if one should take place right in front of his nose, he would simply dismiss it as a coincidence, a natural anomaly, or, like Scrooge, as the result of 'an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato.'" His commanding ability to integrate what he has read, combined with his passion for reason in pursuit of truth, takes us on a joyride questing to be persuaded of his new paradigm. I'm on board.

Along the way he speaks eloquently about developing a desire to minister to devotees ['neopagans' -- a word he defines kindly] of the new age: "If we are to win back the neopagans, we need to rediscover our awe at the majesty of God and his Creation, an awe that has little to do with the modern warfare over worship styles and everything to do with that breathless sense of the numinous that we first encountered in the nursery when a timeless tale from mythology or folklore or legend ushered us into the world of faerie." And he even ventures to deconstruct heaven and hell: "Americans have the wrong understanding of heaven and hell. We think that life is like college and that if we get an 'A' we go to heaven, and if we get an 'F' we go to hell. Thus, to go to hell is to be a failure, a 'loser,' and no American can stand to be labeled as such. But the fact of the matter is there are two colleges: the College of Heaven and the College of Hell. If we enroll in the former, it means that what we truly desire is God and the things of God. And if that is our desire, Lewis asserts, we shall someday find it: 'No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.' But if we enroll instead in the latter college, it is because we have chosen our own wills over that of God, because we have agreed to adopt as our motto that most American of phrases, 'looking out for number one.' I have met many pople who say they cannot believe in God because he sends people to hell. Invariably, though, as we speak further, it is soon revealed that this person does not like God and certainly does not wish to spend eternity with him. We can't have it both ways. Our souls are immmortal; they must go somewhere after we die: if not to God, then, by default, they must go to hell. For, as we already said above, hell is the only place in the universe where God is not. And yet, even in hell, God extends some mercy."

I will caution that Markos makes what I deem to be an occasional overstatement. Psalm 139:8 says if I make my bed in hell, God is there. And if I don't like Him, hell may be akin to being sat next to the Teacher's desk. But his concluding epilog had my ears hearing my lips pronounce a resounding 'YES'. Markos may not yet be worthy of wearing Lewis' mantle, but he is a reliable valet capable of carrying it, and the conversation across-the-centuries, onward.

Eric Chaffee, Alden NY

I did enjoy this book but I found Dr Markos' lecture series "The life and Writings of C.S. Lewis" to be much richer as it covered so much more ground and it was wonderful to hear the enthusiasm that Markos has for Lewis' body of work. The CD lectures are available here on Amazon and I highly recommend them.

I've read so many books on Lewis, many of them disappointing, that I'm always wary when I begin a new one. I picked up Lewis Agonistes because of the promise in its subtitle--that I would gain insights from Lewis' work on how to relate truth to the postmodern world. Almost every Lewis reader understands that the great British writer's incisive logic and imagination effectively sliced through modern thought, but perhaps few consider how he also addresses the postmodern error. Markos did not disappoint me. His book demonstrates a rich understanding of Lewis' body of work and does an insightful job of showing how it refutes both modern and postmodern thinking. It's a fine addition to anyone's Lewis Library. -- Thomas Williams, author of The Heart of the Chronicles of Narnia and Knowing Aslan.

This was the first Romain Gary book I've ever read - he doesn't seem to be very well known in the US, which is too bad. This book is so very well written. It's beautiful and kind and funny.

I could easily say this is one of the best books I've ever read. Roamin Gary is briliant. He make you laugh and cry at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book.

My favorite book. So endearing and sweet, it will undoubtedly touch your heart. This story is incredibly poignant yet light and funny at the same time. A must read. I would be surprised if anyone did not absolutely adore this book!!

This is by far the best book that I have read in a very long time. I wasn't familiar with Romain Gary until I read a little book called "Darkness Visible - A Memoir of Madness" by the great author William Styron. In "Darkness Visible" Styron describes his crippling depression and near suicide and speaks of Camus and Romain Gary with great affection. He knew Gary and his wife Jean Seberg. (Styron almost met Camus - he had a dinner engagement with him when he learned he was killed in an auto accident.) Styron saw Romain Gary in his deepest state of depression only to experience serious depression himself later. Styron was deeply affected when he found out that Jean had committed suicide and later so did Romain Gary. It is disturbing how we often lose so many of our great artists by their own hand. And Romain Gary was certainly one of the greatest.

In "The Life Before Us" Romain Gary tells the story of Madame Rosa from the viewpoint of little "Momo". This was the first time I had ever read a novel where I was literally laughing from humour and crying from sadness at the same time. It is amazing how the same exact sentence can inspire both humour and sadness. But Gary accomplished this and much more with this very touching novel. There are many tender Truths in this work. A touching quote: "'Monsieur Hamil, can somebody live without love?''Yes', he said, and bowed his head in shame. I burst into tears." Another is: "'It's where I hide when I'm afraid.' 'Afraid of what, Madame Rosa?' 'You don't need reasons to be afraid, Momo.' I've never forgotten those words, because they were the truest words I've ever heard."

This novel is about life and what it means to be human. It is profoundly touching, disturbing, sad, funny, and honest. You will look at the world differently after reading this novel. It is sad that Romain Gary is gone from our world, but my how he enriched it.

...like life, and like death, defies review. Some of its best thoughts are not even written; they surface between the pages, or months, even years, after the last page is read. In The Life Before Us, Gary touches places in the mind that went unnoticed before, but were always waiting to be found. It is as though one were watching a video of all the dreams that were dreamt too long before waking to be remembered, but, now seen, entirely familiar.

I purchased this book and it was in the quality the seller indicated and my husband and I loved the book.

I love all of Robert Witlow's books and this one was excellent!

Robert Whitlow's second in this series of two books, Life Support and Life Everlasting,grabbed this reader's attention in such a way that I completed the book in one day. The story was captivating and the spiritual message throughout the book was inspiring. I will be looking for more books like this one.

This book was truly awesome. In the first book Life Support, I enjoyed the story and the characters. This book was so riveting I could not put it down. I stayed up late every night because I never found a spot slow enough to put it down. Now I'm catching up on my sleep. The characters and story have stayed with me and I look forward to finding more gems from Robert Whitlow.

Whitlow is a master at peeling back the secrets and layers of Southern settings and characters. After one of his best books, "Life Support," I was thrilled to see a sequel. To be honest, though, I wasn't sure what material he had to work with. Others may disagree, but I loved the open-ended conclusion of "Life Support."

Once again, we are pulled into the psychotic world of Rena, a woman living with guilts and secrets. She begins seeing mysterious visions, and unwinds before our eyes. Whitlow portrays her with perfection. Along the way, Alex, her lawyer, begins to look for ways to disengage herself from this nightmarish client, while also looking for ways to build a deeper relationship with Ted Morgan, a Christian music minister. Their relationship goes through ups and downs, but they are drawn closer as the troubles of Rena's past loom larger.

The ending provides some satisfying emotional moments, even if a few of the mystery aspects are wrapped up a bit quickly. Although the book didn't hold the same sway over me as the first in the Santee Series, it's definitely a must for Whitlow fans.