I Books

"I am rectum." With these words, you become the nameless "i" being processed at a Nazi death camp in part one of "The i Tetralogy."

"I am Gunther." With these words in part two of the novel, you become the guard who efficiently processes the Jews.

"MIN-E-OLA. An American Indian name, no doubt, for a long Island as bland as an ironing board. But here in my Cape Cod, built after the war by the GIs who destroyed the Reich, I have found a measure of security." With these words you become the guard as an old man in the 1990s looking back on the wonders of his life in part three of Mathias B. Freese's masterpiece.

"I HATE HIM. I HATE HIM. I HATE HIM." With these words, you become Gunther's son in search of truths about the Jews, the war, his father, and himself that he may or may not find between the lines of the last 78 pages of this book.

"The i Tetralogy" places the living, breathing and dying moments of people trapped within the Holocaust beneath a microscope powerful enough to bring every visceral urge, fear, motive and drop of blood into an IMAX-theater-size view.

But make no mistake about it. While reading this novel, you are not viewing the Holocaust as a movie-goer or even as a reader: you are immersed in it and participating in it. Mentally, upon a shadowy sea of words, you are experiencing first hand a world outside boundaries of humanity as we understand it, or even want to understand it.

The unrelenting power of Freese's writing calls to mind the gritty horror and hopelessness of Erich Maria Remarque's World War I novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" and the grim insanity of Dalton Trumbo's story about a wounded soldier in "Johnny Got His Gun." Equally stark and eloquent, "The i Tetralogy" is written in the first person with a substantial amount of internal monologue. Both precise and beautiful, the prose cuts like a knife, laying bare the question: Where, if anywhere, is the meaning in the deadly embraces between prisoner and guard, guard and lover, guard and wife, guard and son, son and mother?

"We are dead men as it is, Izzy, i tells a fellow prisoner. "I believe there is no explanation for all of this, for if I were given one, I would dismiss it out of hand. We should stop trying to juggle it into sense or some order, some meaning. It is meaningless--and even that gives it meaning."

Gunther tells himself, "Here, in Anus Mundi, as one SS doctor calls it, I serve to kill Jews. Not a harsh thing to say or think, it's a necessary thing to do. Not a harsh thing to feel, for it has nothing to do with feeling--or morality.

Years late, after he learns of his father's role in World War II, Gunther's son Conrad, tells himself, "Of the six million Jews, in fantasy I wish I could replace each one--die the individual, idiosyncratic, special, even holy death of each one. I wish to be disfigured, raped, shot in the neck, gassed, torched. But this is fantasy. It speaks of intent or good will, of higher motives and purposes. But to what avail?"

Psychotherapist Victor Frankl, who survived a Nazi concentration camp wrote, in "Man's Search for Meaning," "A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the why for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any how."

Frankl's 1946 book makes a strong case for the ultimate meaningfulness of every moment of life, including moments of suffering and depersonalization. Freese's novel throws the whole matter open to question, leaving you to decide for yourself whether or not i or Conrad or you concur.

Freese's author's note, "Raison d'Être," is rather like a message in a bottle explaining how and why he wrote the book. "A close reading of 'The i Tetralogy,' a substitution of the author's name for i, Gunther, Karl, Conrad, Milly and Kurt," he writes, "will reveal the suffering of the species individually lived."

If you dare to walk or crawl 365 pages in these characters' shoes, you will emerge at the merciful end of this novel changed by the agony that, as Freese suggests in his author's note, made him aware." It is all too much, too much to bear--but bear it you must," he says. "It is a part of human suffering--and human strength."

If you read closely and bear each revolting moment, you may discover that through "The i Tetralogy," you have found both meaning and catharsis.

Auschwitz and its siblings produced victors and victims. Hitler and his kind produced demons and angels.

In the first part of The i Tetralogy we meet the rectum. He has long since lost his identity, tied as he is to Gunther the god of his world who has driven out the God of his youth. He is a slave, a dying collection of parts seeping, weeping and oozing from miserable life into living death.

All around him the rectum of the now becomes the brother, father, uncle and son of the night when the camp is silent and the ghosts beside him whisper in the darkness and relish their few hoarded crumbs of wormy, hard bread, the food that keeps them alive while they fester and suppurate and nurture a waning spark of intellect and philosophy, belief and humanity until the harsh, cold light of morning throws them back into the pits to work and await their turn to be released from the mindless and endless trenches and latrines beneath Gunther's polished leather boots, serpentine whip and cruel gloved hands that probe their souls with studied, graceful cruelty. They long for the release of death even as they cling with waning hope to life and dreams of freedom.

Years later Gunther stalks the streets of Minneola, New York far from his glory days under Hitler ever vigilant for any break in his cover that might brand him a war criminal, a designation he gleefully spurns, his defense always ready to hand. In his eighties, married to a shell of a woman he hollowed out decades before, sire of two sons he never fathered and secure in his memories of the good old days when he was a god, he relives his past in the basement of his bland American Cape Cod home through the trains that chug and cross the land of his youth and power carrying more Jews to the ovens and to his trenches and latrines. He wants to be discovered even as he carefully conceals himself behind a stolen name and fabricated life.

What is so disturbing about Freese's stories is not the horror of the camps or the soul wrenching tale of stolen lives and dreams plundered and hollowed out by Gunther's relentless hunt for the Jewishness of the Jewish soul, but the seductive and rational explanations Gunther gives for his actions. There is a kind of truth and honesty about Gunther's philosophy and reasoning that makes his deeds all the more horrific because they resonate in some dark corner of the mind and soul. Even as the poisonous seeds find fertile ground, they waken a moral sensibility that forcibly expels them in outraged denial. This is how Hitler, that pied piper of Germany, wove his magical snare to catch the hearts and minds of a nation and moved them beyond the confines of reason and morality into the dangerous territory where people become things and foul, unspeakable acts of inhumanity, the final solution that paved the road to hell on earth.

Freese weaves a dark tapestry of the soul that echoes inside of each of us and wakens not an impersonal evil but an all too human Beast with the face and manner of a hollow Hero.

Genre: Literary/Historical Fiction

Title: The i Tetralogy

Author: Mathias B. Freese

History forgotten is history repeated-Enlightening yet frightening, The I Tetralogy will haunt you like no other book.

Author, Mathias Freese is not only a brilliant literary genius; he has an uncanny ability to explore the depths of madness like no other. Set in the German camps during WW II, prisoners and guards alike live a surreal existence never before experienced. Gunther, Karl, Gertrud and the other cruel and sadistic guards take great pleasure in sucking the very essence from the Jews in the prison camp as they slowly exterminate them. The prisoners learn to become non-existent or die. The four separate stories give different points of view by characters each believing their truth is the only truth; first the prisoner then the guard, each one living their own personal hell. We read how an older Gunther yearns for the days in the camp. Readers look at Gunther the parent, through the eyes of his son who feels remorse, guilt and horror at his father's acts.

The i Tetralogy is an in depth look at the mind of the Holocaust victims, both prisoner and prison guard that takes the reader beyond any boundaries previous presented. Readers are embroiled in the thought processes of man slowly going mad in often frightening clarity. The author seems to reach out and tenaciously grasp the reader's emotions by the heart, causing intense empathy with the characters.

This book would be an excellent textbook for both history and psychology majors. Educators would find it a profound and in depth study of the workings of the human psyche as well as sociological influences on human behavior. It is also an excellent historical fiction that readers will not forget.

Highly Recommended by Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.

in a time when genocides are happening in the sudan and parts of burma and north korea a book like this seems more relevant then ever. too often the nazi attrocities are glossed over as in movies like schindlers list and downfall. this book hits you in a gutteral way that all americans should experience. too many of us are oblivious to the plight of unfortunites in those countries as well as in our own. a great read overall.

The i Tetralogy ~ Mathias B. Freese ~ Hats Off Books ~ History: Fiction

Combining true to life characters, believable settings and a peek into the psychology of all those involved, The i Tetralogy provides a descriptive, disturbing and graphic account of fictional history.

The i Tetralogy, consists of four volumes; i, I am Gunther, Gunther's Lament and Gunther Redux. Written from the perspective of three key characters; the Jewish prisoner, the executor and the murderer's son, this is a bleak, but powerful and graphic fictional perspective of the effect the Holocaust had on each character. It also focuses on the legacy it left behind.

Beginning in Europe in the mid-1940's, we visit the grim, weary life of a death camp prisoner as he silently digs the latrines, deprived of the dignity and humanity he was once accustomed to. This is a heart-rending account of one man's inner strength and resilience, despite a weak and decaying body; and how he learns ways of being vigilant and obedient in order to avoid death.

When volume two, I am Gunther, begins, the reader will be taken aback with the change of attitude. Seeing life as a German guard, Gunther, debating the suffering and cruelty he subjects the prisoners to, on behalf of his country. Yet among his ludicrous beliefs and ideals of superiority, one can't help, at times, feeling sorry for him, as a lost human being stuck in a world gone mad.

Half a century later, Gunther's Lament, follows the aging Nazi, Gunther, to a suburban town on Long Island. Here we explore deeper into his wrecked and warped mind as he struggles to come to terms with his very existence, without the security the war gave him as a German guard with power.

In Gunther Redux, the story continues as it investigates the views and thoughts of his son Conrad, who is tormented by his father's 'previous life' and burdened by the damaging truths of what really went on inside the death camps.

It is hard for the human mind to comprehend the full horror of the Holocaust. Telling the story through three key characters, however, provides a vivid insight into this inexplicable and shocking period of history. When I finished the book I found myself asking all sorts of questions; how did the dominant and brutal leader, Hitler, convince the Germans that they were the superior and most powerful race with such devastating effectiveness? Why did they believe in him? Can ordinary people be convinced to accept instructions to behave without decency and humanity under the right circumstances? Although this is a work of fiction, the characters are extremely true to life. The setting is so believable it almost reads like an autobiography of these three different people, making it an astounding, descriptive piece of well written prose.

The final section titled Raison d'Etre provided many answers to my questions, whilst giving me a greater understanding of Mathias B Freese's personal views and the psychological terror of all involved during (and after) this disturbing period of history.

alternative-read reviews

Having been in the East Village during the last stages of the 60s, I found "I Think Therefore Who Am I" an impressive recollection of what still lives inside me like a dream. But within that dream these memoirs felt like they resurrected real people, real imaginings, real drugs, real doubt and real angst. By turning on and tuning out, the world described here is seemingly more paradoxical than ever before: the author's predilection for capturing the essence of the countercultural revolution of the hippie world is strung alongside the existential mood of the characters who we find are often not that idealistic at all. Descartes' "cogito" started out as a dream that, when he woke, gave him the essential surety of his own self's ability to doubt. That kind of self-reflective keenness, taken into the poignant musings of a good observer and writer like Weissman, takes the question of "who am I" and surrounds it brilliantly with the aura of a particularly intoxicating time.

Although I wasn't there myself, I'm pretty sure this book is one of the most vivid, absorbing and true-to-life accounts out there of psychedelic hippy life in the late 60's East Village (with bits of Haight Ashbury). But the historical details (and the drugs - plenty of them) are a small part of the pleasure of reading (and re-reading) this memoir/novel. It's the perceptions of the human emotion - the uncertainty, anxiety, and occasional moments of almost mythic connection and becoming - that make this book so compelling and universal. Being young, on your own, a little lost and perhaps hungry, but with a pocket of pills and the address of the pad at which some friends are crashing, never sounded like so much fun or so much like the fundamental human predicament.

The gestures, the little turns of phrase or cheek or leg are so intimate, sometimes you feel almost like a spy, looking out from behind Peter's glasses as he weaves through a maze of tenement hallways, turn-ons and near misses. The most unforgettable for me were the coming-of-age epiphanies, including the first time on acid and the first time.... not to mention the down moments, sudden realizations of total directionlessness, or of homesickness for a for a temporary home you had fled just days or weeks earlier. Books and movies are full of cookie-cutter or melodramatic portrayals of life moments like these, but seldom do we actually see or read what thoughtful, self-aware and imperfectly graceful people (i.e. most of us) actually think or feel at these moments. From an LSD-induced realization of 20-something mortality while wandering alone along Ave. A at dusk, to appreciating the silent coaching of a more experienced lover, "I think, therefore who am I" is full of unflinching but tender accounts of why we actually do what we do, and what it feels like.

Utterly engaging and one hell of a lot of fun, I found myself genuinely unable to put this book down. I am a fan of Kerouac, Tom Wolfe (both Tom Wolfes, in fact), and Hunter S., and to me this book contained scattered elements that recalled all those writers, yet Weissman's achievement stands distinctly apart from these others in style, subject, and form. I am a very, very slow reader, so I particularly loved how the story is broken up into manageable chapters, each one feeling complete and self-contained, yet fitting in perfectly with the whole book, scene transitioning to scene as 1967 unravels in a staggering rush. The people are real, compelling characters and the imagery is some of the brightest and most vivid I have ever read. A candle can't flicker and a beautiful girl can't blink in this book but that the reader is there also, seeing it happen. A very impressive book, I hope to see more from Weissman!

Somehow, after all these years, Peter Weissman has managed to uncannily capture the texture, the rhythm and the dialogue of stoned young people living in NYC's East Village in 1967. At a time when books on the sixties have become more common as the protagonists reach their sixties, Weissman's work is unusual in depicting the life of an everyday hippie, not a Weatherman or a celebrity.

Anyone coming of age in the late sixties drug culture will recognize the daily characters and settings of Peter's hippie life with a sense of amazement - here they are again! While this is cast as a "coming of age" story, by the time Peter goes to California and returns, the drugs have overwhelmed any sense of growing up. Luckily, Weissman has a sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud again and again, which was good because, while the supporting cast goes through every kind of change, Peter himself seems to be heading in one direction, - from "a sorry scene... reminiscent of the thirties" in California to being "frozen in a particular purgatory" back East on his return, despite his recurrent hope that they're all on the brink of a new and more meaningful reality.

While the humor is wonderful, it's the epilogue which makes it work in the end. Since Weissman wrote the book we know he escaped with his brains intact, but it takes the epilogue for us to really believe it. As a sixty year old myself I loved the book and found it provided a rare and gritty assist to looking back and trying to make sense anew of those years. I highly recommend it to my peers and I can't help but suspect there's an audience as well among today's kids in their twenties.

This lucid memoir captures the hippie era of the sixties, the highs and lows of the psychedelic drug scene in New York City's East Village and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury during the "Summer of Love."

The author, conveying the shifting fortunes and mental state of his "acid head" narrator, recalls that scene and the young man he was with sardonic humor. His chronological yet nonlinear tale, covering the year 1967, is a pastiche of discrete, titled stories ("In the Realm of Mythunderstanding," "Beelzebub and His Sidekick," "The Eighth Street Commune," "Leo's Hexagram," "In Thought's Caboose"). It starts well and gets even better, as the various pieces mesh and the overall tale of transformation and disintegration moves toward its denouement with mounting dread. But the awareness that suffuses this memoir keeps it sharp and unsentimental, so that even as the protagonist loses his mind, his confusion is rarely solemn, but gritty, or hilarious, and sometimes both at the same time.

Indeed, as someone who experienced that era, I can say it was a roller coaster time when it seemed everyone was higher or lower than they'd ever been, and never one or the other for very long. For the former psychedelic drug user, or pothead, the sense of exhilaration and abject despair and paranoia will seem eerily accurate.

But finally, what most recommends this book to me, a serious reader, is how fluidly it moves, from transition to transition, through the interwoven stories about spiritual and pseudospiritual realities and assumptions, politics and the existential poetry of the moment, sex and sexuality, the grungy details of life and the daily dreams of transcendance. I highly recommend it.

More than anything else, this book makes a great conversation starter to bring up the often-taboo subject of infant circumcision, more aptly called Male Genital Mutilation. It's a colorful and lighthearted look at one man's very real desire to have his normal, healthy, and functional prepuce back where it belongs--on his body.

How many times have you read the words "delightfully funny" and it actually be true? This is it. "I Want My Foreskin for Giftmas" light-heartedly critizes forced circumcision. It's an issue felt by many men but who have said nothing about it.

I Want My Foreskin For Giftmas is amazing. Nothing like I've ever seen or read before. Every inch of the book is paper art. It's genius! As entertaining and comical as it is, it also serves great purpose. Hats off to C. Schutt!!!

On a warm May morning in 1948 an unknown doctor assaulted my infant body and mutilated my penis. I have been angry about it every day since! Thanks to Carl Schutt my anger has found its voice. In "I Want My Foreskin For Giftmas," Schutt tackles a very adult topic from the perspective of a little boy who has been robbed of his birthright. That little boy was Schutt, but he also was me and millions of others like us. We were defenseless against doctors too eager to perform unnecessary surgery and parents too ignorant to stop them! This book is creative, funny, and irreverent. It is a great read for everyone and a primer for all parents thinking of taking from their sons what no boy should be forced to give away. Bravos for Schutt!

This offbeat book bursts with color, imagination, raw emotion, wit, and an idealism that challenges the reader to pause and ask, "What if we've been doing it wrong all along?"

The artist and author, Carl Schutt, combines art, craft, and folk art to create a book full of humor and social commentary about why we (Americans) insist on a surgical procedure that most pediatricians agree is painful and wholly unnecessary, i.e. circumcision.

The author creates a tone that is at one moment analytically irreverent about the outmoded Judeo-Christian holdover and in the next moment cloaks himself by assuming the voice of a forlorn, foreskinless child who wonders what it would be like to be whole again. The book's searching and fearless inspection brings into the fray parents, God, and yes...even Santa! No stone is unturned.

The author/artist is an iconoclast who finds a way to smartly broach a subject that could stand to be reexamined even though it remains, for the most part, unchallenged. Who can think of a topic so taboo that its first mention at a party full of urban hipsters would result in a choking halt in conversation?

Implicitly under attack is that uptight male machismo that says, "I'm cut and there's nothing wrong with me!" Well, what if instead of there being "nothing wrong" we could all strive for an ideal and, well, be intact and unmodified? Carl Schutt exclaims that circumcision is the male body image crisis equivalent to that of a middle-aged Orange County woman retooled by countless touches of the plastic surgeon's knife; and yet it's a body image crisis that our culture artificially creates, propagates, and hoists upon boys who are only days old. What if this should be changed? What if this could be changed? It's this sort of idealism and visionary spirit that makes this creation refreshing.

Visually the book appears to have been constructed from a million shavings of felt, paper, cardboard, and other banal materials; these common media are brought together by a hand fraught with an almost maniacal need for precision, energy, and speed.

"Foreskin for Giftmas" is the ultimate gift for enlightened parents-to-be, for people who are initiates in the "zine" culture, or anyone who appreciates a clever creation like this that pushes the edge of human understanding.

I found this book to be outstanding. It covers subjects in a different way than most others. It is a very good purchase especially if you're aware of a pending death because it has checklists for when clear thoughts are uncomprehendable. It also shares stories of people, real people who have suffered losses.

I found this workbook and its companion book, "I wasn't ready to say a goodbye" a tremendous help after the sudden death of our 36b year old daughter. It contains very practical help, but more importantly gave me a sense that I was not alone. The authors very effectively used their experience to help others work through their grief.

This book is helpful to my clients when dealing with a sudden death.

This is an excellent grief resource that provides a solid roadmap to go along with the book. The activities are meaningful and help one who has recently suffered a loss go through the grieving process faster.

You will get the most benefit if you read the book and do the activities provided in this workbook. However, you could work with each of these separately.

The The Grief Recovery Handbook : The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death Divorce, and Other Losses is also quite popular and geared toward losses of all types. This book is strongly focused on a recent loss, but will be useful to anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one.

"As we live our life, we can choose to become a light for those we have lost. We can carry their memory, their hopes, their dreams into the future." ~Brook Noel

The need to talk about loss can lead to a deeper healing process and having a comforting workbook provides a place of understanding. In order to move through the grieving process, Brook Noel and Pamela Blair explain the process of grief.

They start the book with notes for the first few weeks, lists of calls that need to be made and information on who needs to be notified. There are place to write all the information you need to remember.

They explain the emotions of fear, anger and depression and also provide calming exercises. There are helpful guides for anyone helping others with loss and the section on Learning through Loss provides an excellent list of positive affirmations. There are ideas about Memory Books and ways to honor someone through donations or a living memorial.

The third chapter answers many questions that need to be answered. Should you take medication to get through the process or would a natural therapy work better? I have found the Bach Rescue Remedy to be very effective and comforting.

Explaining the situation to children and dealing with the holidays are also issues to consider. Writing poetry and memories in a journal are also ideas that are helpful and healing. The quotes and poems throughout the workbook are beautiful and carefully chosen.

Understanding grief can also help you with all areas of loss in your life, because I think we go through them when we lose anything or anyone we truly love. So in that regard, this book is for everyone and will be appreciated by counselors, pastors, family members, friends and especially by anyone who is currently experiencing the affects of loss. Additional books and CDs are also available.

~The Rebecca Review

The best thing about this book is the lilting happy rhyming. This book is meant to be read out loud, and it's actually a fun thing to do. Some so-called children's classics are tongue twisters, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The prose in this book floats freely and melodically. The pictures are kind of cute in their own way, but I swear I could have drawn those bunny ears! My kids don't read on their own yet, but once they do start learning to read this poem may become a favorite.

What a fantastic book- the first time I read this to my 9 month old daughter it became an instant favorite! We have read it every day since, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face- especially the lines "I will kiss you on your toes, when you're naked with no clothes, and your tiny tushy shows"! Along with Goodnight Moon, our bedtime favorite, and Sandra Boynton's "Belly Button Book" (which also always makes me chuckle), this book is on the top of my list. It is the perfect length- not too short and not too long- and full of great rhyming text and cute illustrations. I read my daughter at least three books a day, so it's important to me that I can enjoy them as much as she does. I think I probably enjoy this one more! I highly recommend it!

"It is bursting with love." - Elise, 7

In "I Will Kiss You," Stoo Hample has captured that deep emotion of adoring, delightful, absolutely complete love shared between a mother and child. His illustrations sweetly show the contentment and peace that come from such love. Well done Stoo Hample.

My daughter is a spirited 2 and 1/2 year old young lady who loves the silly rhymes and kisses all over when I read the book to her and mommy does too! We read "I Will Kiss You: Lots & Lots & Lots" over and over and over! Total fun to share this book with everyone.

We recently received this book as a gift and it has quickly become a family favorite. Our soon to be 3-year-old son likes it "lots and lots and lots" and will read it to himself over and over and over. The illustrations are darling and the text is so cute and humorous. We will add The Silly Book to our list and look forward to reading more of Stoo!

That's the name of the book too. If you read this book, you may find yourself agreeing. Don't read this book if you'd rather not find a place for your ideals in your life. That's how many people will conclude they need to be. We are conditioned and rewarded to abandon our principles in the quest for success and in our striving to dominate and eliminate perceived threats to survival.

Coleman McCarthy understands that we have it upside down. Don't read this book unless you want to be inspired. We are taught violence from the moment we are born and McCarthy describes a simple alternative that he has been living for more than twenty years; teach peace. He leads students of all ages - including elementary age, where we most need to begin - and prisoners, including the many young, black male victims of culturally ingrained injustice - to the study of Ghandi, non-violence, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Daniel Berrigan and others like them. He suggests, yes illuminates, the fact that we can and must act on the ideals of peace and non-violence that exist in us all, but are only buried by the current institutions of our culture and the world.

Don't read this book if you want to stay asleep. Right now, in today's world, as the US financial system spins quickly into oblivion, we need to orient to the values of peace; need to quickly develop a felt understanding of the quality of life available to each and everyone of us if we teach peace, live peace, give peace, are peace. But we will naturally respond differently to the catastrophe. We will grip even harder onto that which we know, are comfortable with, have been taught. We have been taught violence. We will need to learn something new or suffer greatly.

In this book, Cole McCarthy describes his life of teaching in schools and prisons the elements of peaceful conflict resolution. He teaches the absurdity and ineffectiveness of pursing peace through violent means.

As we struggle in the coming years to resolve our personal confusion between survival and success, we will need to grab hold of peace and nonviolence lest we simply fall back into the dead end beliefs of fighting and overcoming instead of collaboration, compassion, relationship - not only with each other, but with the natural world as well. Our violent beliefs have brought us to where we are now, a catharsis of civilization.

Read this book. Pass it on and go forth into the emerging paradigm with an evolved consciousness. And if someone tells you that you are being too idealistic, politely, lovingly, emphatically teach peace. Suggest that they read the book too!

Colman McCarthy's I'd Rather Teach Peace opens with his description of the first course he ever taught. Mr. McCarthy explains how an invitation to speak at a children's high school in Washington, DC in the spring of 1982 transformed his life, bringing challenges, but also opening the limitless possibilities to teaching peace. Upon deciding to enter the classroom, McCarthy had already accrued fourteen years as a syndicate columnist with the Washington Post. A Roman Catholic, McCarthy spent five years in a Trappist Monastery previous to his role as a journalist. This solid contemplative foundation is evident in the genuine, thought-provoking ideas Colman presents in his autobiography, I'd Rather Teach Peace.

To the politically moderate reader, a book as honest as Mr. McCarthy's might be either shocking or disregarded as ideological banter or both. At its core, McCarthy's book takes great strides in challenging the reader to think outside of a conformist and obedient society. These jabs are very intelligently constructed avoiding insult or condescension. In one succinct sentence of his preface, Colman states his objective in teaching, "Alternatives to violence exist and, if individuals and nations can organize themselves properly, nonviolent force is always stronger, more enduring, and assuredly more moral than violent force" (McCarthy xiii). Throughout his book, McCarthy expands on this idea, emphasizing the power of peace.

Taking place across a semester, McCarthy journals about his experiences in several different schools, ranging from Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel, Maryland to Georgetown Law School. While a sizeable portion of the book follows from McCarthy's thoughts and ideologies, the meat of the narrative is derived from McCarthy's students and their reactions to his teachings. This is a particularly strong aspect of I'd Rather Teach Peace for the way in which it allows McCarthy to respond to doubters while also physically illustrating the potential for his theories on peace and its study. These responses enable McCarthy to fluidly analyze many aspects of non-violence theory, while incorporating his witty humor and vast experiential knowledge. This format, combined with McCarthy's natural style, makes for an incredibly fascinating and engaging read.

Despite the strengths of McCarthy's book, I have difficulty naming it as one of the best pieces of literature I've ever read. Pondering this in disappointment, it seems that one of the books strengths, its accessibility, may also double as its greatest weakness. Mr. McCarthy speaks directly and honestly. These qualities give the book a unique flavor that make its read feel as though you are sitting next to the author as he shares the narrative aloud. The ideas presented are heavy, yet tangible and real. Mr. McCarthy steers clear of literary devices typical to the humanities, symbolism, metaphor, and other thematic elements. As a result, I have difficulty taking Mr. McCarthy's book for anything more than surface value. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it remains a very powerful read. But regardless, this style seems to take away from the imaginative and interpretive qualities found in some of literature classics, from Shakespeare to Twain.

Nonetheless, Mr. McCarthy's book most certainly leaves the reader wanting more. While it may not provoke second and third readings in search of deeper analyses, it remains a very discussable book. What McCarthy's book lacks in interpretive substance, it more than makes up for with the inspiration it leaves the reader. After a strong initial impact, the book does not conclude without creating a legacy for itself within the reader.

It is difficult to objectively analyze this legacy because it is likely different for every reader. However, there are several points that seem to build the foundation for the book as an eternal guardian in the conscience of the reader. McCarthy presents many of these ideas in his chapter titled "Ideas to Practice, Not to Mull", long before the Epilogue. One of McCarthy's most poignant passages is his response to a student's speculation about the use of non-violent strategies against Hitler.
"Sound bites don't do it. I feel like a math teacher who chalks the blackboard with calculus equations and then a student - who has never taken a math course before and has been told all his life that 2+2=423 - rises to say that nothing on the board makes sense. But make it clear with a quickie answer. Right now."
(McCarthy, 82)
This is impossible of course. Yet, this scenario seems to drive the objective of McCarthy's book.

He works throughout his memoir to nullify the notion that, "2+2=423," and slowly prove to the reader that it, in fact, equals four. Not in a demeaning or patronizing way, but in the methodical way any teacher would help a student who didn't understand a concept from class. The legacy of the book lies in McCarthy's revelations and the tools he gives the reader for further questioning and understanding. So sure, McCarthy's book isn't Tolstoy, Gandhi, or Merton. But, it's a start. And change must start somewhere.

When Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy was invited to teach a course on writing at an impoverished public school in Washington DC, he responded that he'd 'rather teach peace' - and thus he began a new career, teaching courses on nonviolence and conflict management to a range of schools. "I'd Rather Teach Peace" details one semester in six of these schools, and is an excellent pick for educators seeking insights on teaching peace within the education curriculum.

Very heart-felt, and gets to the core of many issues affecting us as a nation, and really does make you wonder "Why don't they teach Peace in school?".

McCarthy's book is inspirational. I'm working on a manuscript on peace and writing, and sometimes the realities of the world raise serious doubts. When it becomes hard to believe in the possibility of peace, I open this book.

I'm A Girl, written by Lila Jukes, effectively delivers an important powerful message to young girls to be "courageous, smart and valuable." This, in the eyes of the author, is the inner beauty of the reader. It's a good message to young girls that is not often exposed to younger children. The book is easy to read, with a large font and the location of the words is consistent from page to page. Even though the style of writing is repetitive, it reinforces the importance of the message. One thing that seems off kilter is that the illustrations don't really fit with what the text is implying. The illustrations aren't sharp vivid images and the colors are plain yet the words are intense and confident. The girls depicted in the illustrations are young and are of different race. This is a good tactic because it involves all girls, not just one kind. This itself helps children feel like they are included in society. The illustrations also depict girls active in different kinds of activities. These activities range from sports such as sottball to spending time with a family member. I'm A Girl is a book that should be read to all young girls.

The book "I'm a Girl" by Lila Jukes is a well written book designed for children of a young age. The book is very positive with flowing words easy to read for any youngster. It describes the attitude of what a growing young girl should have. The illustrations are very vivid and help attract the reader to what is on the page. I didn't enjoy the book because it's not designed for me but I would recommend it to anyone raising a young girl. This book gets right to the point by using powerful words in its text. This book is simple yet powerful and would be a great addition on any bookshelf of expecting parents.

Lila Jukes says it all, in a flowing, basic little book which is wholly positive and encouraging. It describes important attributes of healthy, emotionally functioning girls, provides beautiful, down-to-earth illustrations, which clearly illustrate the story being read,(perfect for 'picture-reading' age girls). I recommend it be read to girls from pregnancy onward! I'm a Girl! is enthusiastic, to the point, and uses specific words: 'independent', 'powerful', and 'valuable'--great for readers who wish to expose their girls to the capabilities of language, not protect them from them. It's the kind of simple, universally understandable book which makes perfect bed-time reading, and it will have an effect far beyond its size! Query as to how this book can possibly be out of print????

What a simple, yet powerful book. It takes the reader into a world where they can make anything happen. Any girl will feel good about themselves after hearing this story. Any woman will also feel good about being a girl! We are beautiful.

It is a thrill to see these wonderful comments. The "girls" portrayed in this book are all young friends of mine....beautiful, smart, great individuals quickly growing into young women. I'm glad to have been able to portray them in a book. I, too, think a reprint would be great. Frequently, I run into people who've looked--unsuccessfully--for copies to give to loved ones. Thanks for your support. And, if you liked this book, please take a look at The Piano!

Byrd Baylor's book "I'm in charge of Celebrations" is the best "any age" book I've ever known. Everyone I know has started keeping a celebration book modeled after hers! What an absolutely marvelous journey! And Parnell's illustrations are magnificent!!!

This is a memmorable book for a child

I use this book in the beginning of each school year with my fifth grade students. It always leads to great discussions about what is important to them and leads into interesting writer's notebook entries. The book is a great tool for inferencing, noticing details, and celebrating the little events in our lives that make us who we are. A good book to use when teaching about differences that make each of us unique and how we all have our own set of priorities.

One of the best picture books ever. I'm one who believes picture books are not just for children and this one proves it! It reflects a wonderful attitude that there's always something out there to celebrate. A most uplifting book. Byrd Baylor is really tuned into nature and Peter Parnell turns those words into unforgetable images.

I stumbled upon this book recently and, as an avid reader of children's literature, believe it is one of the most amazing books I have seen -- for readers of all ages. It is lyrical, humorous and quiet. The illustrations are spare--and that's all that's needed. Life in the desert is depicted beautifully. I felt like the book was speaking me, calling me to a more mindful way of life. I plan to buy it as gifts for all my friends this year, no matter their age.

I loved The Rock Orchard and had to read something else by P.S. (Paula) Wall. If I Were a Man, I'd Marry Me is a collection of short stories taken from a column she used to write (or still writes, not sure) that center on quirky southern characters and situations. She does the same here as she did in The Rock Orchard -- write some quirky, surrealistic takes of ordinary, every day people. Her wit is priceless in this collection and I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed her novel. My favorite stories are "Maxine's Diet," "Faithful," "The Mortician," "Harley," "Warming the Bench," "Topless," "The Ghost of Elvis," "Chivalry," and "Fruitcake." I guess the one disappointing thing about this collection is that the stories are very short -- about three or four pages each. Other than that, I loved If I Were a Man, I'd Marry Me and I hope to read more stuff by this talented writer.

After a tough day I can count on P.S. Wall to lift my spirits. Wall has a gift for putting everyday occurances into a humerous perspective. Reading her stories makes you feel like you are a part of her group. And what a fun loving group it is! You go girl... and take me with you.

P.S. Wall is just as funny in person as she is in print. She's the kind of storyteller that you want to take home, sat her on the hearth and let her entertain you for the rest of your life. This writer is a well kept secret who is destined to become one of the great Southern humorists of all time.

The other day, my husband and I got a crazy waitress at a Shoneys. As we walked outside after lunch, we burst into laughter and agreed that we'd just had a Wall Moment. I could almost read the article she would have written about the incident. Buy this book, and soon you'll be having Wall Moments too.

If I Were A Man, I'd Marry Me draws you into P. S. Wall's slightly skewed universe. The same things happen to her that happen to all of us -- she finds and writes about the absurdity, the humor and the craziness of ordinary life. I'll never look at a dipstick or chocolate brown shoes the same way again.

Wall's book is filled with friends and family you want to be part of. You follow Rosie and Maxine and even Cat from adventrue to mis-adventure with constant chuckling, but also a growing sense of familiarity. These are your people. I met Sweetie once at a conference -- believe me, he lives up to his hype.

Though consistently out there, Wall's universe remains grounded in reality. She doesn't avoid tough questions -- "If you dream about another man," one character asks, "is that being unfaithful?" Of course, the man they all dream about turns out to be Al Gore -- go figure. Wall tackles emotional insecurity, the tribulations of being single, the difficulties as well as the rewards of marriage. Perhaps that's what makes these essays more than just fun to read once. Like Mark Twain or Erma Bombeck, P. S. Wall writes about our real lives, and we want to return to her again and again.

You can catch P. S. Wall at uexpress.com, and I'd travel 1000 miles to her her speak in person -- she's that good. But right now, for a good healthy dose of vintage Wall, buy If I Were A Man, I'd Marry Me. I guarantee you'll laugh on every page, and pretty soon you'll be having Wall Moments too.

Walls takes life and makes it into stories you can laugh about. The hooker story is the first and it is hillarious as the others. They are cleverly written. Read all of her works with girl friends.

I literally just put down this book!!! If you are living with an ostomy, cancer or other health issue and could use a good laugh...this is your book.

Be ready to laugh and cry as Brenda takes you along on her journey through colorectal cancer. Be ready to read some of your own thoughts and experiences in this book. Reading this book is like talking to a good friend.

I genuinely appreciate how Brenda can share with us her thoughts and experiences with amazing openness and candor.

As the voice of experience...Laughter truly is the best medicine!!! Try it!!

Brenda's communication skills make her the perfect messenger to deliver a touching, humorous yet medically accurate tale of her own experience with cancer, surgery and healing - both physically and emotionally.

Her story was especially touching since we went through similar experiences two years ago. Her story and ours had many parallels, with nearly the same characters in each part of the story - the accuracy of her account is amazing and truthful.

A "must read" for anyone living with an ostomy or colorectal cancer as a patient, family member or friend.

Insightful, accurate, touching, and funny!

Humor is where you find it. Brenda Elsagher has the amazing ability to find humor in a most difficult journey through colorectal cancer. She encourages the reader to use humor as a survival tactic to combat cancer. This book presents a sensitive portrayal of the immense challenge to the human spirit posed by cancer diagnosis and treatment. It also contains a powerful message of hope for life after diagnosis as readers follow Brenda's transformation from hair stylist to comedian. Brenda's description of her treatment for cancer "back there" under the capable hands of her surgeon "the rear admiral" is incredibly funny. It is likely to cause the reader to laugh out loud. For cancer patients that is a very good thing as laughter is good medicine!!!

Although I have known Brenda for 25 years and know what she has been through, the book was very hard to put down. It is an inspiration to survivors and caregivers alike. I am a caregiver myself and she really touched home on many points. It is a must read, especially if cancer has touched your life in any way, shape or form. A definate must for your bookshelf!

Brenda Elsagher is living proof that if you're determined (a feisty attitude is a bonus) and armed with a brutal sense of humor, the spirit of a fighter won't be defeated. And Brenda is a fighter. Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 1995, she shares in If The Battle Is Over Why Am I Still In Uniform? her private war with a deadly enemy; one she was determined to beat.

After reading this book I will never think about my colon, or any other body part for that matter, in the same way again. I learned that screening for colorectal cancer is important, because if caught early enough, it can be cured.

If The Battle Is Over Why Am I Still In Uniform? is filled with wit, wisdom, and the stark realities of cancer. I laughed often and my eyes misted more than once. It is a well-written book of one woman's cancer reality. It is also the story of that woman's determination to grow old with her husband and meet her grandchildren.

This book will provide you with information that might just save your life. If you know someone with colorectal cancer, sharing this book with them will let them know that they're not fighting the battle alone.

Also, if you know someone (maybe you) who is long overdue for their colon screening, this book will encourage them with reality. Get your doctor's number handy and call now!