Gent Books

I loved this book. The women of my church used this book for a 12 week bible study following each chapter and our hearts and minds were transformed. Every woman should read this book. This book is better than any twelve step program out there and it speaks directly to the mind and soul of a woman, there is no way you can read it and still think the same way about the Samaritan woman or any woman for that matter. Give it a shot, you won't regret it!!

This is a must read for every woman. Bishop McKenzie takes you on a strategic journey that brings you to a place of awareness of all that God has deposited in you. She weaves the Biblical story into our lives and brings clarity of God's divine work in us. An excellent tool for a small group study!

Bishop McKenzie writes in the most wonderful conversational style. Reading her book made me feel as though she and I were conversing. The book evoked deep emotion and introspection in my spiritual life. Highly recommended.

This book was a christmas gift from my sister. Journey to the well helped me travel down a well worn road. You have already thought about the things that she has written about your spiritual journey, but with how much perspective. Vashti's book helped me to reflect on my image in the well. Looking at myself objectively in the well, I can change things I dont want to see.

I have been enriched by reading this book by Bishop McKenzie. It came to my attention as a recommended reading posted at my school, Trinity College of D.C. Not aware of Bishop McKenzie, I was intrigued by the summary of this book and decided to read it. What a tremendous blessing. As I read it, I realized that so many women travel often to the well in our daily lives. Just trying our best, no matter how painful, to do what we can until things get better. Like the Samarian woman at the well, we yearned for something different in our lives that would free us from many of the cultural, societal, and spiritual bonds that bind us. Dr. Mckenzie reminds us systematically through the additional Biblical references, exercises, and journal assignments that support this blessed encounter that we are waiting for our opportunity to meet Jesus at the well. Pausing to answer this blessed stranger's questions and boldly asking questions of Him healed her. Reading this book, we are also healed. I encourage women from all walks of life, age or religion to read this book. Like the Samarian woman who met Jesus at the well, you, too will find your voice. through His grace be healed to go forth and tell everyone of the man you just met who knew everything about you and loves you dearly. Peace

This book has been a blessing. It's encouraging and inspiring. The authors' flair for story telling and his testimony shows that through faith and trusting in god you can reach the fullness that god has set aside for each one of us.
Deuteronomy 8:18 - But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

This is a wonderful true story of God getting a hold of a young man trying to survive the streets of downtown Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's. Great history and an excellent read.

This book is a must-read! I thought I would have something nice to read for a awhile, but once I started reading, I could not put the book down! Lou's powerful testimony offers hope and encouragement to everyone who struggles in life's challenges. His heart warming testimony will make you laugh, and cry. Your heart will be inspired and transformed by the amazing story of his life! Buy it today!

This book is an inspiration. It is a must read for everyone. I truly enjoyed every line.

In Lou Gelormino's world, he was the kid that the meek feared and the bullies emulated - being poor was his license to steal. The gangsters were his role models. His friends, like Vinnie Mophead, would rather hang off the roof of a four-story brownstone than do what was right. The turnaround began when Lou was brutally stabbed and facing a judge.
Could a person like this be saved from his self-scripted path of disaster? Could it happen to you or your loved ones? Read this book if you are in trouble and looking for a way back....read this book if you don't believe in God....read ths book if you are a minister. No matter who you are or what you do, this book will make you examine your past and give you inspiration to better your future. This book is a must for everyone!

BEAUTIFUL. LOVE IT. It is big, so you should be sure you have the space to keep it. BUT GORGEOUS.

The book is extremely well crafted.

Perhaps the size of the print could've been a little larger, but I see it OK as it is. The written content is well-informed and easily accesible for non-experts. Paper is obviously of high quality as is the printing. Especially nice is the black suede and gold print detail on the side of the outside binding.

I purchased this book for two reasons: it covers an interesting topic and it is also a nice piece of decoration for a study room or library. The book is very elegant; you will not be dissapointed.

There are many of us who just can't afford the time and money to get many Cellarius pieces for the home. This is the solution in a lovely, well printed and compiled edition of the book, from start to finish. It is large (slightly larger than the original). It would be perfect on a library table or similar. If you are interested illminated manuscripts, astronomy history, mythology, early scientific understanding of the heavens... then this is of great interest to you.

A great source book, with beautiful illustrations of cosmos seeing thought the ayes of the 15 Century Artists.

Taschen never seems to disapoint and this latest issue in their series of oversized classic texts is no exception. The Harmonia Macrocosmia is a lavish oversized book of 17th century celstial maps that are reproduced with stunning clarity and brilliance. This volume should appeal easily to anyone with an interest in astronomy, art or fine books.

After Pete had asked a friend & I to join his Bangor team for the Kalamazoo tourney in the summer of 1991, I really got to understand & appreciate the love that he had for Carter & youth sports. His book was truly touching, especially after he asked me to be a small part of one of those summers. I will always cherish the opportunity he gave me, as well as the autographed copy of this book. A must read for all baseball fans & parents.

I cannot believe this book is out of print. I gave my copy to my brother several years ago, and went looking for a new copy today after the hated New York Yankees swept my beloved Boston Red Sox by scoring a whopping 6 runs in three games.
Why? Because Peter Gent's book - which is a wonderful tale about a father and his son getting to know one another - is also a prequel to the very public and successful career of Derek Jeter. You see, Derek Jeter starred on the Connie Mack team that Gent's son Carter played against for the Michigan state championship, and even back then, he was being viewed as a big-time up-and-coming baseball phenom.
And while some of the scenes between Gent and his son will tear your heart out, Jeter is front-and-center in the best sports scene in the book. That occurs when Mike Wyshowski(sp?), the farm-boy pitcher for Carter's team, whiffs Derek Jeter swinging with runners in scoring position late in the very close Championship Game, thereby sealing the win for the underdogs (and permanently endearing himself to me).
This is a wonderful novel. I read North Dallas Forty when I was just a kid, and thought it was a great, funny book. I thought this book, which I read after I'd gotten old enough to get married and have kids of my own, was much, much better. I'm assuming the fact that it's out of print means it didn't sell well. That's a shame, because it's every bit the story NDF was, and then some.

Although the divorce is pivotal in this story, it is not necessarily the key to the book's essence. Any parent who has reached the point of letting go can relate to the emotions the author so wonderfully describes. If a reader is an avid baseball fan, especially Little League, Pony League, Babe Ruth, etc., the story jumps out at you and transports you to that "magic" only summer youth baseball can take you. As the mother of three children, two who are finished with youth baseball and softball, and one still keeping me in the "magic" at the age of 13, I loved the book. Mr. Gent deals with emotions like unconditional love, fear, apprehension,regret and wins during that Last Magic Summer.

Very enjoyable. Typical Peter Gent book. If you like his others, you will like this one. Conspiracies everywhere. The protagonist is a tortured, well-meaning, but not perfect, baseball coach/scout. I hope that the recruiting scandals described are not even one quarter true, but who knows?

My only regret is that he hasn't written more novels

I read The Conquering Heroes by Peter Gent several years ago and was reminded of it when I recently read The Franchise by Gent. This book is a very interesting story of some of the behind the scenes of major college basketball. As in most of his books, the seedy underside is explored in great detail here from recruiting scandal to protection of a star player who committed a major crime. I enjoyed this book as much as I did North Dallas 40, although it didn't get near the accolades that 40 did. If you can find it used, it's worth your time.

I read Mighty gents over four years ago and I have been searching for it ever since. Mr.Wesley wrote an excellent story about the struggle for acceptance and survival and made it touch those of us who knew people just like those in his script.

This little book is an indispensible resource for any person who serves on an altar guild, the lay ministry in the episcopalian church responsible for making sure that everything on the altar and in the sanctuary is ready for worship.

Altar guild ministry isn't for everyone, but it's both absolutely essential for the liturgy and a symbolic reminder of the necessity for conscientious labor in the everyday world. It's the way of Martha, of quiet, unobtrusive household work that goes on in the background. In making sure that vestments are laid out, candle wicks are trimmed, altar clothes ironed, hymn numbers displayed, and so on, the altar guild member serves both God and his or her fellows. It's a ministry of what Henri Nouwen called "downward mobility" that encourages anonymous service, loyalty, and discipline.

Barbara Gent and Betty Sturges take the ministry seriously enough to have put together a book that takes altar guild members through the sometimes arcane language of the sacristy (what exactly is the difference between a lavabo and a baptismal towel? where does the word "amice" come from? and what in the world is a cerecloth?!), gives step-by-step instructions on setting up an altar or decorating the church according to the church calendar, and explains how to prepare for special occasions such as funerals. The authors wisely recognize that many procedural details can and should be worked out by individual churches. What's the point of over-regulating? But there still remain many procedures uniform to all congregations, and it's these that they cover in their book.

If I have any reservation at all about this useful little guide, it's that I wish there was more of a discussion on the spirituality of altar guilding. But one book can't do everything, and what this one does it does extremely well. Highly recommended.

This little book is a delight and a treasure! I have read and re-read it several times, not to mention gifting it to several rose friends.

The writing is informative, yet entertaining. The photographs are gorgeous and guaranteed to set a rose-lover off on a search for plants of their own. I recommend this one for your own collection, the night table in the guest room and to give to friends.

The cover of this book is beautiful. Most books these days come with dust jackets and dull covers underneath. Sleepy Hollow comes with a clear dust jacket and beautiful art underneath. Totally worth the price of admission alone. The first story, Sleepy Hollow, follows very closely the Disney version. There are a few hints as to how the Johnny Depp version came about. After Sleepy Hollow follow other short stories. Mostly ghost stories some with very cleaver twists at the end. The twists make this book somewhat appropriate for younger children. Still recommend a once over from adult first before reading to youngster. Then the book turns to one story with about five sequels. These stories did not seem to match the quality of the previous stories. Actually on the boring side. That is why I rated this book four stars out of five.

I give my neices and nephews storybooks each year for Christmas.
Last year, I ordered all the books in September and Amazon filled most of the order, but kept delaying several of the books. Christmas came and went, and I had to give some of the kids candy and promises that their books would come later. It took 12 months, until September of this year, when Amazon admitted they could never fill the order. So, this year, I tried hard to find the books in other places, but unfortunately, I had to order a few from Amazon. Despite my low expectations, the books showed up on time.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
By: Washington Irving
Review by Tristan
Did you ever hear of the headless horseman? If you didn't, now you will.
Ichabod Crane is a thin, odd-looking school teacher of Sleepy Hollow. He likes Katrina Van Tassel and also her father's farm. Katrina Van Tassel is a pretty, young flitter of sleepy hollow. Her father, Baltus Van Tassel, is a wealthy man who has a harvest feast. Ichabod borrows Gun Powder ,a horse, to get to the feast. Ichabod is competing for Katrina. His nemeses Brom Bones, the town's dare devil.
So, one day when he just borrowed Gun Powder and he fell asleep in Sleepy Hollow's little valley. Some people say it was curse by a German doctor or by an Indian Chief the wizard of his tribe who held his Pow-Wows there. So he falls asleep and wakes up face to face with the HEADLESS HORSEMAN. Some people say he's a ghost of a cavalry revolutionary war officer and he got his head shot off. Does Ichabod live or die?
If you like to read scary books this is for you, but if you like Elmo it's

I will keep this quick because it was already a waste of time to read this book. They used these horrible drawing for the book that look like my little brother did them. Basically they messed up the story and made it for kids. They made it a childrens book, if that is what your looking for then it is good.

Indeed, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" are the capstone stories to THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW AND OTHER STORIES, OR THE SKETCH BOOK OF GEOFFREY CRAYON, GENT. However, it is the other 32 essays and short stories that are the jewel to the Modern Library Classics'edition of Washington Irving's most widely read literary tales. Through the psyeudonyms of Diedrich Knickenbacker and Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, Irving produced his most revered works, HISTORY OF NEW YORK AND SKETCH BOOK, which both reflect on the state of early nineteenth century America -- 40 or more years after the American Revolution and soon after the War of 1812, and later the dawn of the Industrial Age. Irving's stories have the same flair of Charles Dickens's, but with a nostalgic quality.

The best part of the book is the humor and observations that Irving wrote from both sides of the Atlantic. His flowing and quite descriptive prose livens his stories, especially the haunting Halloween classic "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." "Rip Van Winkle" has a bit of Jeffersonian thought about idleness. But addition to these tales, Irvings invites all to share a little holiday fair as he takes readers into the fun and folly of an Old English Christmas with five delightful stories: "Christmas," "The Stage Coach," "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Day," and "Christmas Dinner," which all echoes Dickens in mind. However, these were written years before "A Christmas Carol."

Beyond the folklore tales that resonate the Old World, Irving also writes about Native Americans. He tells the story of the Indian in "Traits of Indian Character" and "Philip of Pokanoket"; the latter is the tale of the legendary figure King Philip. The last passage of "Philip" definitely strikes an ironic chord, "...he lived a wanderer and a fugitive in his native land, and went down, like a lonely bark foundering amid darkness and tempest - without pity eye to weep his fall, or a friendly hand to record his struggle" (266).

Washington Irving's THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW AND OTHER STORIES are filled with a treasure trove of American literature. All the stories are suitable reading for any season, or merely for the pleasure of reading a collection of stories that reflect on a historical past.

This is a magnificent novel - a riveting study of man and sports. However, the 30th Anniversary Sport Book Classic edition has the last chapter first and then repeated at the end. It's a printing error apparently and it's totally out of order because you accidentally read the climax to the novel first. The real first chapter is here on the Amazon site. If you get the edition where both Monday chapters are the same, skip the first one!

I have read and re-read this book 3 or 4 times.
It just rings true.
Gent's insights into the personalities of the athletes
and those who idolize them are dead-on accurate.

Peter Gent wrote other books after North Dallas Forty, but none of them were as forceful, or prescient, as this one. Fans and the media are always surprised by the drug scandals in the NFL. The revelations about cocaine and steroid use in the last 20 years have been greeted with a sense of shock and incredulity, as if these problems never existed in the NFL's glory years. North Dallas Forty is a thinly fictionalized account of the Dallas Cowboys of the late 60's and early 70's. Needless to say, drug use was just as big a problem in the NFL then as it is now, as Gent graphically illustates through the trials and tribulations of Phil Elliot. Anyone who has read this book realizes that drugs are not a new problem in sports, but a continuing one. The book is laced with savage humor, graphic sex, and an unflinching exploration of the dark side of the NFL. It is fun to pick out the fictional versions of real-life figures. B.A. Quinlan is obviously Tom Landry. Seth Maxwell is obviously Don Meredith. Delma Huddle is obviously Bob Hayes. This book illustrates that athletes are basically the same people that they were 30 years ago. They aren't better or worse. The main difference is a 24 hour media that magnifies players' actions for entertainment value and increased salaries.

Pete Gent's most famous work was reissued a few months ago and hopefully it garners as much attention now as it did when originally issued. Ostensibly a thinly veiled semi-biography of his own pro football experiences, the book, when originally issued, was considered scandalous as it exposed the underside of the professional football world.

At the center of the novel is Phil Elliot, a fairly talented tight end who relies on pain killers to get him through the season. He carouses with the quarterback, only to ultimately find that the man he considered his closest friend when not be there for him in the end, and downs alcohol and drugs with a sense of abandon. To Elliot's mind, he is a team player because of his willingness to play with pain, taking painful, burning shots of cortisone in his knees in order to practice and play. But to his coaches, he is a loose cannon who they will only tolerate so long as he is useful to the team.

Ultimately, Elliot loses the game he loves. He learns that his only real value to the team is his ability to perform and when the side issues with him outweigh his talent to catch a pass, he loses that which he loved above all else (even if he would not admit it to himself): the game.

If you've seen the movie, you've only gotten a taste of the novel. Gent has written other books, but this remains his best. The book exposed a raw nerve at the time of its first release and was decried in many corners as nothing more than the fanciful tirade of a embittered former player. Instead, over the years we've learned that Gent's revelations regarding sex, drugs, and alcohol abuse in the NFL were all too true. And despite stringent drug testing rules, all of the problems exposed in his novel are still present in the NFL today.

I bought this 30th annivesary "Hall of Fame Edition", and I just finished reading it. I thought it was weird that the first chapter and last chapter were identical. I didn't find out until just now, that my book was misprinted. Chapter 1 in the book, was NOT the same as Chapter 1 (Monday) in the "Look Inside" that's linked above.

That aside, I really liked the book. I don't think I missed too much without the first chapter. I've never seen the movie, that's next on my list.

Chapter 7 (Sunday) was a really GREAT chapter about a football game, really made me feel like I was IN THE GAME!

Go ahead, read the book. But, be wary of the "Hall of Fame Edition"