I Books

This is a wonderful book by a sensitive contemporary practitioner, a German who became a Buddhist monk in a SE Asia monastery and traveled through Tibet with his wife Li Gotami (who published a book of fascinating photographs). The author is probably best known for his "Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism" which is probably a modern classic. This book is, perhaps, more personal in nature, however. But, as I've heard Lama Govinda (Anangavajra Khamsum Wangchuk) quoted (but I don't know the source), "A religion whose ideal is only a matter of the past or the distant future has no living value for the present day." He has considerable insight into the human condition and its relation to religion and spirituality as demonstrated in some quotes from this book:

"Seriousness and a sense of humor do not exclude each other; on the contrary, they constitute and indicate the fullness and completeness of human experience and the capacity to see the relativity of all things and all `truths' and especially of our own position. The Buddha's sense of humor--which is so evident in many of his discourses--is closely bound up with his sense of compassion: both are born from an understanding of greater connections from an insight into the interrelatedness of all things and all beings and the chain reactions of cause and effect. His smile is the expression of one who can see the wondrous play of ignorance and knowledge against the universal background and its deeper meaning. Only thus is it possible not to be overpowered by the misery of the world or by our own sense of righteousness that judges and condemns what is not in accordance with our own understanding and divides the world into good and bad. A man with a sense of humour cannot but be compassionate in his heart, because his sense of proportion allows him to see things in their proper perspective. pp. 176-7.

"Events and facts become meaningful only if seen against the back¬ground of inner experience." 1970 p. xiv

"Personality consists in the power to influence others, and this power is due to consistency, harmony, and one-pointedness of character. If these qualities are present in an individual, in their highest perfection, then this individual is a fit leader of humanity, either as a ruler, a thinker, or a saint, and we recognize him as a vessel of divine power." p.297

"The Way of the White Clouds" is a truly wonderful piece of art. On my own path this has been the most significant book to open my mind and heart to what is beyond the obvious.

Govinda writes from the heart with an openness and clarity which is rare in this world. Combine this with a description of a journey of Tibet just prior to it's invasion, and you can nearly grasp the Heart of tibetan spiritual culture.

Highly recommended, I truly hope Rider/Random House get enough requests for this literary gem to be printed again.

You'll need your reading glasses, for sure, when you pick up Lama Govinda's The Way of the White Clouds because you won't want to miss one word of this marvelous text. Travel log, personal diary, and spiritual pilgrimage - I have read this book twice and will read it again. I have only loaned it out once - and only to a family member. It is that previous to me. Govinda's images of Tibet of the 40's are vivid - he takes you there. Another - much more modern - book that shares a similar place of importance on my shelf is The Blessings Already Are by John Morton. You may have to ask for it at your favorite book store as it was just recently published this year. Peace, fellow travelers.

Lama Govinda visited Tibet in times pre-chinese. His tale is of a personal character - and wonderfully so. It feels as if the author is present, when reading.
I have the book in German, purchased thru Amazon.de, and can highly recommend this to anyone who is able to read German fluently. It is, as said in the title of my review, a wonderfully poetic tale.

This book will fill you with love, compassion, warmth and dreams.It will take you on an unforgettable journey through Tibet and this in turn will urge you to follow your dreams and not just your ambitions.Its written from the heart and written beauifully.I will be reading it again and again.Having been on a 21 day journey through Ladakh, I could almost relate to the author's experience.Its a truly wonderful and I urge all of you to partake in it.Tholing and Tsaparang, here I come..

What I Call Life by:Jill Wolfson
What is life? Whats your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses?Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry hurry!!! Time is running out!
It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabma Lavendar,Cal for short. She has a unabrow,she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged.Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady.The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney,Amber,Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change.Amber stops pulling her hair out,Monica isnt scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didnt realley change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also leraned that what ever she does whereever sh goes is her real life.She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but,didnt stop them. Will they come back?Red to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. It's even happening as you read this.R ight now there are childeren out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exacly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi C.

I loved this book. Jill Wolfson created a spunky, endearing character in Cal Lavender from the first words on the page. Readers will be drawn into the world (and personality) of this lively, teenage girl living in foster care. But Wolfson's quirky characters don't stop with Cal - short for California which in turn is short for Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama - there are a whole host of fun, lovable characters to get to know, including the Knitting Lady who runs the girls group home. (Check out Wolfson's website, she loves knitting. Could she be the Knitting Lady?)

No matter what the life situation of teenagers, they inevitable feel alienated from those around them. Wolfson's What I Call Life may be about a teen in foster care, but her voice expresses the needs all teens feel to fit in.

What I Call Life by: Jill Wolfson

What is life? What's your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses? Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry!!!
Time is running out! It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavendar, Cal for short. She has a unabrow, she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged. Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady. The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney, Amber, Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change. Amber stops pulling her hair out, Monica isn't scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didn't really change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also learned that what ever she does wherever she goes is her real life. She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but didn't stop them. Will they come back? Read it to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. Its even happening as you read this. Right now there are children out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exactly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi

What I Call Life is an excellent read, quirky, fast-paced, interesting dialog, with even more remarkable characters. Cal Lavender (11 years-old) is a strong protagonist trying to survive, emotionally, after being dumped in a group home for girls. Knitting Lady (the group-home-mother) and the other girls are brought to life with fascinating descriptions and realistic dialog. The story intertwines their lives with the story Knitting Lady is telling throughout the book.
Teachers and Media Specialists: This novel does include a little language, so you would want to preview it before reading aloud to a class (it would still be an appropriate read-aloud). It would also be a good novel for introducing or reinforcing the reading strategies of predictions and inferences.

This is such an endearing story - spoken through an eleven year old girl's voice and thoughts with a refreshing honesty. The girls in this group home all display different strengths, coping methods, and vulnerabilities which are revealed one by one as the story progresses.

The Knitting Lady is an insightful and patient woman, who is not presented as simply "all-knowing and wise", but also as a caring person with her own wounds and self-doubts. She does seem almost too good to be true: occasionally relaxing the rules and letting the girls learn truths on their own, going with the flow and being totally present - but, as I said, she does have her own self-doubts. I feel that the Knitting Lady was not only the girls' mentor in the story, but that she has become my mentor as well.

My daughter observed me while tears ran down my face a few times when I was reading the book and asked, "Why are you crying Mom? Is it sad?" I replied, "Some parts are very sad, but the parts that make me cry are the happy ones.."

This is a very touching book.

The girls, the Knitting Lady, and their stories stayed with me for days after reading the story. Actually, they haven't left - I can still feel them. They make me want to be a better person.

Thank you, Jill Wolfson, for giving all of us this story and for giving us the Knitting Lady.

This book takes place in Doyelstown, PA, my town! If you read the book, it mentions places like Nat's Pizza and the barber shop on 3rd. I went to Nat's just last week! The author's daughter goes to my school, and the author is coming to speak with the school next week. (this part i'm no really excited about, I hate assemblies). I'm aspiring to be an author myself, so it can't be too bad. The book itself was pretty good, but not really my style. It isn't a fantasy or romance book, really. It was more of a realistic-fiction peice. In my opinion, kind of boring, because I already live a normal life. Reading about one isn't that entertaining. But maybe you will like it! My advice: try it out. It's only 10 bucks, and the author is really great. Plus Doylestown rocks!

This was a fun, easy, and entertaining read. Perfect for a young teen or even younger reader, all (no matter what ethnic persuasion) will empathize with the challenges and triumphs of the heroine, Sang. Makes a great gift. Looking forward to a sequel.

I just finished reading this book. I am amazed at how well Marie captures the heart and mind of a young adult - the thoughts, the priorities and the struggles are all very well represented and make the reader really care for Sang, the protagonist. The bi-racial (Italian American and Indian) angle is seamlessly integrated throughout the book. Not only will teenagers find this a page-turner, I think it is a must read for all parents with teenage children as this book offers a unique window into the "complexities" of their lives, all while maintaining a good sense of humor.

It's a great read, and by the end of the book I felt I KNEW the main character. I gave a copy to my it to my niece for her classroom, knowing that it would be a story that would interest her students, get them thinking, and keep them reading.

What do you do when your parents think you're bulimic, your little sister thinks you're a thief, the boy you love thinks you're not into him at all--and they're all wrong?

Sangeet Jumnal, the heroine of What I Meant..., is a fifteen-year-old who can't get her family to believe her. In this debut young adult novel, she pulls through with humor and courage.

Some of the main characters are ethnic and the book includes interesting touches of Indian culture, but it's not about being Indian or even about being bi-racial. Sang is a normal American teenager, with an Indian father, and that's one of the book's strongest points. The author skillfully weaves modern young adult problems with colorful detail about family life in a small town. The town, however, is not fictional. It's Doylestown, where I live with my family, another reason I loved this book. My kids hung out there, just like Sang and her pals Gina (who is Chinese-American,) Dalton and Jason. They wrestle with issues like grades, popularity and high school cliques. They worry about the myriad of bewildering choices facing teens today, including alcohol, Goth attire and body piercing. The girls, especially, are fully-developed characters with brains and personality. When they devote too much time to teen gossip magazines and worry about getting boyfriends, some of them even think it's funny. In other words, they are real and likeable young women.

After the first few pages, I couldn't put the book down. It's easy reading while still leaving you with thought-provoking questions. Can the "stuff they believe in India," as Sang says, "like respecting your elders even if they're complete jerks," cause problems? Can wanting to rescue a friend land you in unforeseen danger?

You might guess that this is exactly what happens to Sang. Her evil aunt moves in and plants evidence against her that's hard to disprove. And after lying to her parents once, Sang gets in deeper as she hides in the bathroom to avoid them. Like many adults, they misinterpret the actions of teens. This time they suspect she's bulimic. Now she can't ask for a second helping of dinner without being sent to a psychologist for evaluation, who happens to be the mother of her friend Gina. Gina has some observations herself about being the daughter of two psychologists. The situation is written with humor and respect for all parties, young, old and in between.

The author clearly knows her stuff. She writes from the first person point of view. Nobody under 18 uses the phone, and all plans are made on the computer, via e-mail or instant messaging. The author has two daughters close in age to the two sisters in the novel, and is married to a native of India. She has traveled widely in the Indian subcontinent, and her book is enriched by her intimate knowledge of family structure and tradition.

If you have a young teen or were one yourself, pick up a copy. It's fun, it's fast and it will leave you with some questions you'll want to discuss with the nearest young adult.

Previously posted at www.storycircle.org/BookReviews.

For 7 years I have struggled with the "respect factor" in my marriage. I grew up witnessing a worldly view of womens independence and my mom calling the shots in our home. I try to show my husband how much I love him by the things that I do for him and keep wondering why I can't make him happy. Now I know! Thanks Yvette for this book full of Biblical truths on how to make my husband truly happy. I look forward to applying the simple principles and will be confessing postive results! :)

This is The book for all brides and grooms to be. The scriptual references to God's way will certainly bless all that desire to have a Godly marriage. The author has certainly done an outstanding job!

This is a must have for any woman who is preparation for marriage whether young or not so young. The contents are very useful planning tools to avoid the pitfalls that some couples encounter. We plan everything else and this books outlines step by step how to plan NOT your wedding day BUT your Marriage! If you are serious about marriage, read this book before you go another step! Be empowered!

"What to Do After You Say I Do" is an awesome book! It is also a powerful advantage to have the information in this book before you get married. The author does a great job explaining the difference between planning for a wedding and preparing for a marriage. From a single woman's perspective, I think this book is a beneficial tool that gives women valuable information and godly enlightenment on how to pray and prepare for a loving and everlasting marriage. Yvette Gavin really did an OUTSTANDING job in writing this book. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who values their soul mate as much as they value their wedding day.

Wow, there is so much truth in this book. I wasn't focused on the marriage when I was planning my wedding. Where I am happily married today, I could have avoided many of the stumbling blocks in the early years of my marriage. Today, I regained a focus and commitment to cover my husband in prayer, to stop talking about the negative stuff, and respect him in all I do by respecting myself first. The information on becoming the president of my husband's fan club was excellent! All of my girlfriends are getting a copy of this book for their birthday this year.

Fabulous Read, with most Awesome and Engaging pictures...as you can hunt for words and 'the hidden' in the very beautiful, colorful well-depicted illustrations!!!! Loved by both my 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old sons...most repetitively read now as their "fav" request...and to think that not too long ago it was "Goodnight Moon"--but not anymore!!!! As a Child Psychiatrist and a Mom it is hard to find a great book that holds the attention span like this awesome book does so very well..... & the most colorful, bold illustrations have been so special for my slightly visually impaired 2 yr. old in bifocals...and the 4 yr. old is fascinated by "the hidden words" and is trying to learn some Hawaiian words........A TRUE MUST HAVE BOOK FOR THE PRE-SCHOOL AND EARLY ELEMENTARY SET

Whew, thanks heaps for the gorgeous reviews! Truly a JOY to read! As a School Teacher, Artist, Writer, Animal Lover and Islander, I hope my series makes it fun to learn about the islands and her rare, unusual and endangered animal friends...including a humpback whale, a soft nene (say nay-nay, Hawaiian goose), and a potty-bellied pig "with perfectly pink lips." I really appreciate Amazon posting a pic of the cover and a peek at the pages. The quotes in Amazon's preview may be confusing bc there are several typos. Oops. For instance, it should be..."When I am quiet on Mt. Haleakala soon after (rather than "alter") sunrise, I hear the willowy wind whoooo-sh across the crater floor." I'm sure you will figure it out. It's all good. This book is perfect for anyone who loves Maui! Aloha, Judi

When I read my book I am transported to the Island of Maui, I hear the sounds, I feel the air, I smell the scents and I just know that I have truly experienced Maui. This book is just unbelievable. The story has a recurring theme that goes through to the end. The pictures are beautiful. I love the way the sounds that you "hear" are seen in the picture. I read this to a group of children at a Luau that I had. They loved the story & the pictures but had the most fun finding the sound that was in the picuture to go with the story. They really experienced Maui by creating the sounds on their own. This author is one-of-a-kind who really puts herself in her books. I am trying to be patient in anticipation of her new book that is coming out soon. I encourage any one who is looking into this book to purchase it whether it is for a child or an adult the book will thrill you just the same!!!! ALOHA!!!

This is our favorite children's book ever! So well-written, with fabulous illustrations - it really does take to you the island for a mini vacation. And the way the words play off each other makes this book as much fun to read for ME as it is for my daughter. This book makes me glad I have a child so I have an excuse to read it aloud every single day. We are anxiously awaiting other books by this author...

When I am Quiet on Maui has been enjoyed by our family over and over. The art work brings the story to life. We are transported in our thoughts to the island with every read. We await the next of the Tiki Tales series. This author/artist has a real skill at bringing the reader to the Island.

an adorable gift for father's day.we read the book together and it's something that we would cherish in the years to come as our son grows up.

A must read on every fathers day and a must read for every father.

I read this book to my little sister every night and we both were very fascinated by the sweet story. The book is very nice and lovely. I recommend this book to everyone who loves his children and wants to read it to them.

I read this book to my little brother and he really enjoyed it! It's lovely and very sweet!

If you have little siblings you must read it to them!

We are big turtle fans. This book has very nice pictures of turtles. They are so lovely. I have a collection of different kinds of turtles and this book fits perfectly to it. We love this book. Buy and read it!

As a kindergarten teacher I've already used this lovely book as the basis for working with children. The 3- to 6-year-olds love looking at the illustrations and having the story read out to them. We talked about their parents' jobs and their own dream jobs. We also talked about the kids' favorite pets. Then the children drew pictures based on that. We even organised a little exhibition of those drawings in our kindergarten. "When I Grow Up ..." is a really nice book!

We Baby Boomers are moving into a new decade. For us 60s generation women, the 60s decade of our lives is a perfect fit. It is time once again to be free, to be inventive, to be thoughtful and philosophical, to be outrageous, to be brave. We are finally the Queens of our Selves, sovereigns of our own lives and domains. How exciting! And what fun!

This is a great book....perfect birthday, christmas or mother's day gift. It's very "classy" looking book and a fun read!

She thought it was one of the better ones she received.

I saw this book in a gift shop and knew I could get it at a better price through Amazon, so I ordered a copy for my cousin, who turned 60 last month. She has since bought copies for her friends who are turning 60. It's a great gift book with funny insights, not just platitudes about the aging process. A little humor goes a long way!

I was lucky enough to interview Wendy on my radio show on station WGNU in St Louis. It happens that I am a sixtyish lady and found the book wonderfull appropriate!
Wendy is a HOOT...we just laughed through the whole interview and we and our listeners felt like we'd related and knew the author and the book by the time (an hour later) that we were finished.
This is the sort of book you pass around to friends and give to pals who are having their 60th birthday. One of the great things about women getting older is that they really care about their friends and this book is a perfect illustration of that.
Hurry up and write the 70th birthday book, Wendy...I'm approaching it FAST.

When I was a boy I dreamed is a fabulous book - it's really cool! Because it's cool that an old man dreams of stuff that he wanted to do when he was a boy. Because this book is as good as the book Go Ask Mom. It's as good as all of Justin Mattot's poems and books! Because it's really good and cool! I like the illustrations. An old man that dreams of stuff that he wanted to do when he was a boy. This old man is dreaming of the stuff, when he was a boy he dreamed of a dragon. He dreamed of a whale and a tree house. You should really read this book because there's an old man that dreams of stuff when he was a boy.

I bought this book for my four year old grandson, and we both loved the book. He chose that book to read first every night. The pictures are very detailed and the different activities are exactly activities that any boy would find exciting.

I read this with my little brother and he loves it alot. I do too. It makes me think about when I was a kid and all the thing my friends and me did. I am almost eleven now and think it is cool.

This is a wonderfully written story, allowing the young and old to dream together. The illustrations are spectacular and the book will draw a family together for a wonderful story time. I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

I liked when Mr. Matott visited my school. My teacher reads his books to us and this is my best. I hope he writes twenty more books.

Thanks to this book, I look at my people, Black people, in a deeper dimension. A lot of what we do today, whether food or clothes, comes from what was forced upon us in slavery. Black slave families torn apart, is the reason why TODAY, we Black people are family.

Extremely enlightening. First person acounts of the daily lives of real slaves in an undramatized style.

Norman Yetman has done every researcher of African American history a great service by his splendid compilation in "When I Was a Slave." Yetman used a precise formula for inclusion and/or exclusion in order to compile these narratives out of more than 3,000 interviews performed by the WPA in the 1930s. They are clearly representative of the entire 3,000, while at the same time of greater length and providing more detail than the 2,900 others.

Here the reader hears first-hand the voices of the ex-enslaved African American--telling his or her story with startling imagery and amazing detail. This is a one-of-a-kind collection well worth buying, reading, and re-reading.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Soul Physicians.

This is one of the most startling yet enlightening books I have ever read. Remembrances, recollections and memories of ex-slaves were gathered by Mr. Yetman and reproduced unedited (except for clarity) as a project developed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Written in the 1930's when a few very elderly slaves were still living and taken directly from them, the reader gets a true sense of the inhumanity of slavery.

Althugh some slaves were treated decently (I cannot say "kindly" - that word didn't exist when it came to slaves), most were simply a product or asset on a plantation or farm.

Families were ripped apart and sold at the owner's whim - never to see brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers again.

Husbands and wives suffered the same fate.

Many were starved and beaten. Many had no place to sleep at night.

It was forbidden for them to learn to read.

The treatment, tortures and torments these poor souls endured will break the hardest of hearts.

This was not just a "Southern" way of life. There were Northerners equally guilty of these crimes against humanity.

There is simply no way to describe the less-than-human conditions that slaves endured except to read their travails for yourself.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Yetman for preserving these remembrances of "our eternal shame".

I feel that this should be required reading in schools. And included in some way in the test for citizenship.

The book is slim and the memoirs are short and quickly read.

Although it is revolting, slavery is part of our American heritage and
every American should know that slavery was our legacy of dishonor" and will foreveer remain our eternal regret.

This book gives a wonderful insight into what slavery was like. It's hard to believe that human beings can be so cruel to each other. I don't know how slaves were able to endure such horrible lifes. This book helped me to have even more respect for my ancestors and admire their strengh and wisdom.

Jim Hayhurst has identified and hit the motherlode of true career fit. Using memory and reflection as his tools of excavation he has illuminated the process by which any person can finally uncover/discover his or her own unique pattern of personal excellence and expression and then apply their knowledge to the discovery of the kinds of work that best engages that personal pattern. The satisfaction and elation that follows this congruence between one's work duties and the real life engagement of one's natural pattern is very real. Jim Hayhurst has made a vitally significant contribution to all of us who wonder about our place in the world of work.

Jim's book has helped me look at things so differently. He is a wonderful author, presentor and this is his best book so far.

Marti Smye

After reading Jim Hayhurst Sr.'s first book, "The Right Mountain," I was eager to read his second book, "Where Have I Gone Right?"
This latest book is an insightful, and well thought out book. It is an easy read, and yet delivers strong, and important messages along the way. It has a structure that allows one to first learn about themselves, and then apply this new understanding to any aspect of ones life.
A great read for anyone.

I read Where Have I Gone Right? this weekend. It is simple, direct, positive and easy to read. Frankly, after
spending time working through Bolles's What Colour is Your Parachute?, I wish I had met this book first. Where Have I Gone Right? asks the essential question and demands the critical work be done first - determining who am I? Without actually having done the "gone right" process (I intend to do so)this work gets to point more effectively and adds important dimensions and communication strategies such as reference points and personal allegories -that separate and enhance what Bolles and others have done for job and life seekers. In a very few hours this book gave me the understanding and the positive tools to get accomplishments, skills, values, relationships into synch-- and to help tell my story in a more distinctive and powerful way.

If word of mouth can be a tipping point for a new career and
life change manual-- Where Have I Gone Right? has my word and I will spread it to anyone who needs or wants to hear.

I picked up this book in the midst of my career search, and I am very glad I did. After completing the book, which was an easy read but contained meaningful lessons, I realized I needed to first take stock of myself. The book, "Where Have I Gone Right?" is a must read for anyone who is frustrated, confused, or on the edge of insanity during their job search. It is not an easy process, but with the help of this book you will start applying to the jobs that you are interested and passionate about. I highly reccomend this book at any point in a persons life, the lessons drawn out of its excercises are relevant to anybody, at any point in their lives