W Books

I love anything Ravi Zacharias writes. He brings you to the only conclusion possible in whatever spiritual truth he is presenting, and I love this. But greater still --- there is in Ravi Zacharias a truth that transcends intellect -- he genuinely loves the Lord he writes (or speaks) about. This makes his books or his sermons worth my attention.

"When we see our hearts as God sees them, we find His strength, not only to understand good and evil, but to act on it. The one who resists this truth has nowhere to turn." (p. 184)

Ravi Zacharias is a native of India, but got Saved and converted to Christianity as a young man. He is most famous as a public speaker for explaining and defending Christian concepts in an intellectually thoughtful context, mostly by debunking the faulty viewpoints of the opposition. Where other radio preachers and book authors are heavy on emotionally expounding upon Scripture, Ravi's unique approach focuses on intellectual discourse. He talks and reasons his way as to why Christianity and Bible teachings are correct, without necessarily using Scripture as the sole evidence, but rather by using logic and focused thinking. He teaches Bible truths and values using observations about society, history, and culture.

I personally find that Ravi is most concise and focused on the radio, not in his books, nevertheless, in his autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, Ravi says that DELIVER US FROM EVIL and THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM are his bestselling books. I have read both, and I think this book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is his strongest work.

"It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched America's conscience. Nor was it the intent or content of the Koran. By no stretch of imagination was it the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. America's soul was indubitably formed in keeping with the basic assumptions and injunctions of this, the moral law of the Hebrews, which gave her a vision of history's linear thrust whereby she was to reconcile liberty with law." (p. 154)

In DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Ravi writes about the state of Western culture, which has largely abandoned Bible-based morality and thus also suffered the consequences which we must now try to redeem. "Freedom can be destroyed, not just by its retraction, but also by its abuse." (p. 86)

The popular concept that there are no absolute truths, and thus anything goes, morally speaking, is at the basis of today's sorry state of affairs, culturally speaking. "An ABSOLUTE is basically an unchanging point of reference by which all other changes are measured...RELATIVISM is, therefore, only another word for ANARCHY, and that is why truth itself becomes elusive when there is no longer a point of reference." (p. 219)

The danger is that without a commonly accepted standard of morality, our culture is constantly under attack from within, by people with unhappy, desperate hearts which know no peace, and who wish to enforce an absence of morality. "Rebellion that sees no sanctity in life's essence is a constant state of mind bespeaking a heart that will never be satisfied." (p. 136)

This can only be done by trying to build a consensus that there is no God, the Bible is not real, and all that exists and may be considered is the material world--ripped away from any spiritual meaning or purpose. "...secularization assumes that this world--the material world-- is all we have...secularism is the philosophy of choice for American intellectual and political life." (p. 23)

In the USA, where the the 1st Amendment has been perverted by religion haters to mean freedom FROM religion, the problem is one that we are living with everyday, and not for the betterment of society, but to its detriment. "Not only has secularization brought us a silent universe with no voice from without, it has also brought us a silence from within as it has redefined the whole role of conscience." (p. 56)

Have you ever been self-righteously confronted by someone defending morally reprehensible things, while condemning the concept of morality itself? "In an unbelievable and shocking turn of events we have moved from speaking out against certain moral choices to being pressured by political enforcement and the so-called tolerant cultural elite not only to accept what was once disapproved of, but to celebrate it. Allowance for people to determine their own moral destinies has been supplanted by the demand that even that which may be repugnant or offensive to one's moral sensitivities must be acclaimed and glorified." (p. 133)

The anti-Christian spirit of this age has increasingly, and secretively, turned to the power of a secular judicial system of government to try to enforce immorality and condemn morality. "...the power to create and enforce moral relativism has been placed into the hands of government. Political power is a strange place to entrust morality because proverbially politics is not synonymous with moral uprightness. The very institution that is distrusted most has now become the shaper of the soul." (p. 78)

These days, we are pretty far along the wrong path in our Western culture, and the good guys are very late in catching onto the game plan of the bad guys, to wit, the public school system has been taken over by secularist believers who get to teach their secular view of life while condemning a Christian worldview because it opposes their immoral behavior. "The whole point of state controlled education is that it gives to the government the power to shape the souls and write on the fresh slates of young hearts... to assume that they accept that responsibility from a posture of neutrality is to live under the most destructive illusion." (p. 138)

By the time I finished this book, I thought that Ravi explained how things got so bad in our culture, and that knowing that much, we are better equipped to understand and deal with the situation, which will basically require an act of God to straighten out, of course, but God will win in the end. Christians know how the Bible ends and the true believing Christians end up in Heaven, while what do the secularist have to look forward to in the end? Nothing, by their own perspective, and worse, eternal damnation from a Biblical viewpoint. You can't beat God in the end. "Throughout history the Word of God has remained firm; it rises up to outlive its pallbearers." (p. 190)

Amen that, Ravi, amen that.

Leave it to Ravi Zacharias to put eloquently what all of us somehow feels. Something's gone wrong in our society -- it's not as kind as it used to be. Something's amiss. Ravi has tapped into that "something". As always, brilliantly thought out and argued. Always with compassion but never compromised.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, points out what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA.

Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods.

Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum).

The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual.

This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others. The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations.

Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again.

Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul.

Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart.

The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook. I also recommend Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Bruce Walker, While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski, The Dragons Of Expectation: Reality And Delusion In The Course Of History by Robert Conquest, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, The West's Last Chance by Tony Blankley and Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, identifies what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA. Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods. Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum). The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual. This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others.

The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations. Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again. Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul. Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart. The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook.

The Illusions of Postmodernism

Intellectual Impostures

Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas

Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie

Since I am not an economist, I must leave some of the technical details of the book for assessment by others. However, the author's advocacy for financial privacy and for consumption taxes seem to be right on the money--so to speak. He writes in a very lucid and comprehensible manner.

Richard Rahn explains money concepts and how it relates to your everyday life in a simple and concise manner. He conclusively argues for the abolution of taxes on capital and why unprincipled politicians will fight to keep them. He demonstrates with examples how some countries have prospered by keeping or eliminating taxes on capital while those who didn't have fallen behind. He is most persuasive on the issue of financial privacy as a human right and without it we are at the mercy of a totalitarian government. Very easy to read.

OK, so you have your guns, you've studied the law and you've got your gold and 10 years of food stashed.

Guess what?

It's not necessary. Not now. Not anymore.

No violence, no protests, no writing your congressman.

This is a revolution that is happening one person at a time, anonymously, securely, privately and instantaneously. Each individual voluntarily removes his energy from the system that is enslaving him.

The government will simply lose revenue until it can only function within its justified duties, which is the protection of the property and lives of its citizens.

This book shows the convergence of multiple truly revolutionary technologies that will give us back our freedom and force government to adjust to this new world. This is the way we will return to true freedom.

Rahn has made a bold attempt to predict the impact of technological and financial innovations on the economy and society in general. The technological developments are the Internet, electronic money, and freely available cryptographic software of a very high standard, specifically PGP. Other commentators have also speculated on the problems these with cause to governments in raising taxes, fighting money laundering etc. However Rahn takes into account not just technological developments but also an innovation of a purely financial nature, namely securitization.

In principle, almost any kind of asset can be turned into money by securitization. Probably the most highly publicised example is "Bowie bonds" which are backed by royalties from songs. David Bowie was the first to raise money in this way, hence the name.

Throughout history governments have yielded to the temptation to allow their currencies to be debased. In the past most people had to put up with this but Rahn suggests that the technological and financial innovation will effectively give people other choices.

Rahn concentrates on the US in his book, which is natural enough - after all as well as being his own country it is the world's most influential! However he does make many references to Switzerland, particularly in connection with that nation's long experience of bank secrecy, and is also very critical of the tendency of many Americans to think that what is illegal in the US should be illegal everywhere and conversely that what is legal there should be legal everywhere. He points out that the American legal system imposes a big burden on American business and society and that other countries should be suspicious of attempts to export US law.

One of my major quibbles is that the title is a bit misleading since what Rahn is describing is not really the "end of money" but its transformation and the end of coins and banknotes. Even that is questionable since the developments he foresees are most relevant to the comfortably off. In many countries the poor will remain a large section of the population for many years to come and I expect many of them will want to continue using hard cash.

However this is a thought-provoking an fascinating book which should help us to anticipate the problems and the opportunities changes in the form of money pose for society.

Dr. Rahn explains advanced concepts of economics in a format that the beginner and simpleton, like me, can understand and use. It is an easy four hour read, is a primer in economics and is must reading for anyone who thinks the way of spending money will continue just like it is at this time. The big question is whether government will grow up in time not to get in the way of the monetary changes and whether you and I will be able to spend our money as we wish without Big Brother's nosing in. What Dr. Rahn fails to point out is that the concepts expressed in his book are basic to our constitution and to our freedom. If we do not take heed, we stand to lose both. It is must reading for every citizen.

I came to the Love and Rockets bandwagon late. I first read both Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez a few years ago when I picked up this collection and the "Heartbreak Soup" collection by Gilbert and tore through each in turn.

This is a review for both, which is perhaps a bit unfair. But I feel that both brothers possess a deep, amazing skill for expressing deeply life in all of its pain and joy. The incredible thing is that, so often, the situations the characters find themselves in seem completely absurd, fantastical, surreal...yet the "realness" and vitality of both brothers' work cannot be overstated. I've been reduced to tears by the struggles and successes of Maggie and Hopey, of Heraclio and Carmen; but to mention only these characters doesn't do justice to the power of experiencing the different choices and consequences of each and every character in both series alongside them.

Please pick these up and read them--it is so worthwhile.

I thought I'd over extended when I bought it a coupla years ago. Now I see it was a worthy investment. There is so much here. It's actually a heavy book, literally. I can't even dig all into it and it's comics. There's just a ton here and it continues to wait for me to dig further. There are so many stories and you enter a world that you know exists somewhere out there, portrayed lovingly in these pages. Definitely worth getting, though now it's a steeper price. I wonder if it'll cost more in 3 years? 10? Comics with a Mexican flavor yet straight outta the heart of the Chicano life. I dig it. I think you will too if yer considering buying it.

Growing up in an artistic family, I was read Love and Rockets as a very young girl. The drawings, language, and storyline always intrigued me and till this day, I think of Luba as part of my family. She is very real to me, because she is like my mother (really). Such a dynamic, sexy character. People may say that Beto is lacking in his half of the L&R series but I disagree on so many levels.

I started reading Love & Rockets when I was in college in the mid 80s. It blew me away in terms of writing, style, layout. Gilbert is not the best technically, but he more than makes up for it in his storytelling and pacing. I continued reading the stories of Palomar until the mid 90s when other life issues took up most of my time. It was wonderful rediscovering this magnificent work in a single volume. Likewise, Locas by Gilbert's brother Jaime is a superlative body of work (700 pages!). Both volumes should take their deserved place on any comic book lovers shelf.

I've loved the Palomar stories ever since a friend handed me "Heartbreak Soup" (an earlier compilation of a few of the stories). The characters are wonderfully real, the art is expressive, and the strange, strange stories are always entertaining.

What a treat to have all of the Palomar stories in one (huge) volume! I totally agree with the reviewer who said that now Jaime Hernandez should follow suit, and release "Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories" (or whatever title he likes, as long as it's the complete Maggie and Hopey).

If you haven't read Regeneration, you are making a big mistake if you read The Eye in the Door before Regeneration. Regeneration sets the stage for The Eye in the Door and provides much background information that you need to appreciate this book.

Those who liked the first book in the Regeneration trilogy, Regeneration, will absolutely adore The Eye in the Door. The characters from Regeneration return, and you have a chance to find out the consequences of the treatments they received from Dr. William Rivers in Regeneration. Pat Barker builds on the tensions, damage, doubts, and despair of mid-World War I to show how much more desperate matters were for the British by the spring of 1918.

In developing these themes, Pat Barker does a masterful job of explaining how a soldier has to operate both by emotion and by objective distance in order to function. From there, she helps us use the crucible of war to see how that duality is important to everyday functioning for all people.

As the title indicates, the book builds on a central metaphor of everyone being under observation as doubts build about Britain's ability to win the war. Those on the margins are most under pressure and at greatest risk.

I thought that the portrayal of Lieutenant Billy Prior was brilliant. He comes across as the kind of complex, interesting character that can help us learn a lot about Ms. Barker's messages for us. The eye metaphor is nicely developed in the context of Billy's life.

Brava, Ms. Barker!

THE EYE IN THE DOOR is the second installment in Pat Barker's marvelous Regeneration trilogy. In this volume the principle characters of Dr. Rivers and Prior have left Criaglockhart War Hospital and are now living in London. Although Dr. Rivers has taken a new position treating shell-shock soldiers who have returned from the front in France, he continues to keep in touch and treat his former patients from Criaglockhart, especially Prior. Amidst the bombing and blackouts of wartime London, Prior continues to suffer from war neurosis as he embarks on solving a mystery that involves his childhood friends and acquaintances. He is confronted by England's societal fixation with fear and scapegoating of those who are believed to deter from the war effort (mainly war deserters and homosexuals). Individuals are often forced to hide their true attributes from society during this time of societal finger pointing and blaming. As in the previous volume of this trilogy, the characters of Prior and Dr. Rivers are well developed and nuanced. I continually enjoy reading about their trials and tribulations, and look forward to reading the third and final volume in this trilogy.

THE EYE IN THE DOOR (spoilers)

Ms Barker's epigraph, a quote from Stevenson, sets the tone: "It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man. I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both."

I am hampered in critiquing the trilogy, since I've read only the first two works, REGENERATION and THE EYE IN THE DOOR. The first of these concentrates on the relation between the enlightened, humane Dr Rivers and the war hero/war protester Siegfried Sassoon, who has been labeled a war neurotic ("shell-shocked") in order to avoid confronting his rational case against the war. Both Rivers and Sassoon are historical characters who the author effectively fictionalizes (their dialogues, etc).

The second novel focuses on the relation between Rivers and Billy Prior, a relatively minor character in the first. The book is set on a wider stage than REGENERATION, which was confined to the (real) mental hospital of Craiglockhart in Scotland. Here we are in London, during the crisis produced by the initial success of the Germans' spring offensive in 1918. As happens during defeats, the search is on for scapegoats seen as undermining the war effort, groups like pacifists and ... who are seen as destroying the nation's "moral fiber." Ludicrously, the leading anti-... crusader, lays the blame on the Germans, who are said to have sent homosexual agents over before the war to corrupt English youth.

Billy Prior, on medical leave from the front, works for a counter-intelligence agency, but his loyalties are divided, since his earliest friends are pacifists and "conchies" (conscientious objectors). The result of these divided loyalties is a split consciousness, where the fugue state ("Hyde") takes over at times, doing things that the "daytime" Billy is not aware of, but whose consequences nevertheless he must face. It is this split consciousness that Rivers must deal with-and on one occasion, he deals directly with "Hyde," who speaks of Billy in the third person.

At the crisis of the novel, Billy's alter ego betrays his closest friend, something that the daytime Billy at first denies doing, but which he finally comes to suspect he has actually done. Rivers treats the psychological phenomenon by making Billy see that it is basically Oedipal, that he actually wished to kill his father, who had, in Billy's sight and hearing, beat and abused his mother. One manifestation of this hatred is "Hyde's": punching the agent provocateur Spragge, who looks like Billy's father. To complicate the issue, his father is a socialist/pacifist, a fact which may contribute to Billy's ambivalent attitude to his pacifist friends, one of whom he helps, as he betrays the other.

Sassoon make another appearance here, having gone back to France (partly at Rivers' suggestion), and once again been wounded (by friendly fire). But Sassoon's appearance doesn't seem to contribute to the plot of this novel, tho it may have a role to play in the trilogy as a whole. (Maybe his divided consciousness is relevant, since he was very effective at killing Germans, but at home becomes a "dove") Another seemingly extraneous thread is Manning, one of Billy's sex partners.

But basically a rich novel, recalling a key point in Western history. In many ways, WWI was more traumatic than WWII, since it occurred after almost a century or relative peace in Europe. And, as Barker makes clear, WWI was harder on soldiers than was WWII.

Trivia: Why were French troops show on the covers of the paper editions of the first two novels? They play no role in the novels themselves (tho they played the major role on the Western Front).

People existing against a war background-normal people doing normal things whilst shouldering the burden of their experiences, their fears and societies norms and expectations.

A lovely book that always has the lightest of touches in the darkest of moments. Nothing is simple and nothing is complicated, but everything is ambiguous and dwarfed by "the front" and what is expected.

The writing is always simple, but the ideas, concepts and dilemmas dealt with are complex and impossible to resolve. Class and duty are themes; the most interesting theme in my opinion is that of being a pacifist, a father figure to your men and a violent war hero simultaneously. (By the nature of things, war heroes are violent.)

My one regret is that I have only just realised that this book is part of a trilogy and that I have read it out of sequence... although on the positive side it means I have two more books to explore. I would strongly recommend this book; I have just gone and bought one of Sassoon's books as a direct result of it awakening school hood poems by him and Wilfred Owens.

After reading "Regeneration", the second novel of the trilogy "Eye in the Door" expands in terms of characterization and plot complexity. Whereas Regeneration is superb in its exploration of the consciousness of Siegfreid Sassoon and his psychiatrist, Dr. River; Eye in the Door expands the character of Billy Prior to become one of the most psychologically well developed and complex characters in English fiction.

Billy Prior , a bisexual, has both male and female lovers in this novel. These relationships are embedded in the homophobic atmosphere of war torn London. Prior, suffering from "shell shock" struggles with his identify of war hero and pacifism. He struggles with childhood trauma in a society where repressesions are let lose in a war charged atmospher.

The book is beautifully written. Whereas Regeneration explores Sassoon's struggles to brng meaning into a meaningless situation, Eye in the Door explores more of the societal struggles with the war and individual reactions to the pressures of a war time society.

I loved this book and would give it 10 stars if I could.

I love this book! I buy it for all my friends and relatives.
It is great for holding thoughts captive. No matter what your situation, this book will help you through it. If you need affirmation, or renewal, or just want to praise and adore our father; this prayer book helps you pray the scriptures for intimacy, insight, clarity, and peace.
So many times have I opened this book and found that the daily prayers were exactly what I needed for that days situation. It can be read in sequence, (three month devotional), or used only when necessary. It is structured to be used as a short devotion, or for a lengthy dialogue with the father. Whatever your need, this book will answer it for you.

We learn to pray by repeating what we hear others say. Our first prayers may be nothing more than a simple memorized prayer before bedtime or mealtime that we learn as a child. I was raised in a tradition that looked down on "prayer books" and instead advocated using one's own words in prayer. Inevitably, however, one would end up using the words and phrases they heard others say when they prayed. A prayer book is essentially the same thing, except that the prayers have been carefully constructed and often refined and polished through years of use.

One advantage of Boa's wonderful prayer book is that it incorporates the words of scripture to form the backbone for one's daily prayer while, at the same time, provides a rotating list of instructions which encourage one to pray, using their own words, over a variety of topics.

The book has provided a helpful jump start for my often lifeless attempts at prayer. It helps me pray when that is a low item on my priority list for the day. It has also helped me develop consistency in prayer. I give these books often as gifts and in the beginning of 2008 each family in our congregation was encouraged to purchase a copy that we might all grow together in our devotion to prayer.

I love the format of the daily prayers in this book and the way that scripture is incorporated into the prayer as well as promptings for personal prayer time as well. This is a great way to have daily worship and prayer time, as well as reinforcing God's word into our memory.

This is a prayer book that turned my quiet time into something i began to look forward to. Dr Ken Boa shows how verses from the Word of God, when prayed in the structure of the Lord's Prayer can transform your relationship with Him. Buy the book for yourself or better still, gift it as a blessing to somebody else!

Face to Face has become a mainstay for my time in the Word of God. The daily scriptures always apply to personal life - always timely. I like the size and covering of the book - I can take it with me anywhere - usually it goes with me daily to the gym. It is a great source of refreshment and getting my thoughts grounded back on the absolute Truth of God's Word. There's always a verse or two that I end up copying on an index card to keep before my eyes regularly.

As someone who has been in group therapy for a while, I must say this is a terrific book. What I like about it is that it is not a "self-help," feel good book. The book doesn't necessarily tell us anything we don't already know. But it crystallizes things with astonishing lucidity. Get this book--and share it with your partner. Talk about it in bed.

Summary - This is a clinical psych textbook. It is designed to introduce new psychotherapists to the array of pathology they will encounter in field practice in couples and relationship counseling. For a general understanding of how, in our pursuit of intimacy, we get sidetracked and sabotaged by our unconscious, for non-therapists, books on Transactional Analysis (TA) and its more mature offshoot, Redecision Therapy are a better bet. This book touches and adds to issues raised by David Deida, who has contributed the most evolved books on relationship as a means of spiritual growth at this time.

Fear of Intimacy
Robert Firestone & Joyce Catlett (both in So. Cal)

David Deida says, "We long for the same fullness of bliss that we never seem to have time to offer. We complain about our lives and blame others, until we realize that right now, we are making love-or we are refusing-right now."

Fear of Intimacy offers several insights that can be used as tools to move towards intimacy with the universe as Deida proposes.

The book has several headlines. One is "our defenses are the illness." The book describes how defenses are formed. Our primary defense [are formed] at a time when the child would be in great danger if he or she was abandoned by the parent. ...[The child] is afraid that if they react with emotional integrity, if they really cry out, if they really ask, if they really scream for help, that it won't come, and they will be in the same panicky, frightened state [forever]" (36). Rather then be frightened forever, the child is forced to go away from the pain of 3D reality and into a fantasy world of some kind. They go into a fiction, into a delusion, hug a teddy bear or puppy, numb out, obsess on substances, etc. "In this [way] people's defenses formed under painful circumstances, become the core of their neurosis..." (35). This is the clearest language I've seen for how unresolved traumas are "put into us" as kids.

The idea of "defenses are our illness" stimulated me to check to see if defendedness could be measured by muscle testing. Sure enuf, it can. As Spirit sees it, Defendedness appears to be on a scale of 1000. John-Roger (msia.org) is the least defended person I know and perhaps one of the least defended persons ever. He measures at zero by my checking. It's possible to measure your own Defendedness.

The book excels on "Why do we defend?" Then it shows how defenses impact relationships. Defenses play into relationships this way, "...people tend to select partners who are like people in their own early lives [because] their defenses are appropriate [to them]"(39) If wife is like birth mother, then "...it leaves a person's defense system intact" (39). Hence the phenomena of the man who marries a woman then complains, "You're just like my mother!" The authors propose that in the unexamined areas of our life, "we "feel relaxed [and familiar] when our defenses are appropriate" (69). People who carry a primarily negative self-image from childhood are a particular focus of the book.

The book makes a nice segue to Deida when it says things like, "Distortions of self, others and the world, inherent in being defended, are introduced into new relationships... Most people end up fighting ghosts [of the past] rather than struggling with [growth:] personal gratification and self-actualization" (63). The early part of the book lays out patterns of psychological defense so that readers can find their own dysfunction and dysfunctional family pattern, if they stumble across a shoe that fits.

Readers are led early on to an insight that 99% of everyone-thruout human history-has, as a child, suffered physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect or some combination of the three. This simply goes with growing up on a planet where the sins of the parents are visited on the children. On this, the book is refreshingly frank. "The ideal conditions favoring a secure attachment [to an early care giver] rarely exist [anywhere]. All children, to varying degrees, suffer emotional pain and anxiety that necessitate the building of defenses" (65). The damaged condition of therapists and clients-that's everyone pretty much- is simply a given, not a cause for blame or for victim pride.

Moving on thru much ground the book covers, the authors say something new to me. "Once a person is damaged, he or she formulates defenses that not only preclude getting hurt again but also ward off loving responses." "...The truth is that mature love-kindness, respect, sensitivity, and affectionate treatment-is not only difficult to find but is [also] difficult to tolerate or accept [if negative self-concepts are held on to]." (310). The idea that we build defenses is old. The idea that we sabotage unconditionally loving gestures directed at us, because it would require us to give up familiar negative self-images, is not a common insight and is one that is conspicuous by its absence in my reading of classic Transactional Analysis literature

The book emphasizes how in childhood we are handed a provisional personality that integrates us into the family system. John Bradshaw used to display a hanging mobile from the ceiling in his televised workshops to show his conception of the family system, how every part has its place, is moving and affects every other part one way or another.

The books says, to the degree our provisional family personality was negative, was accepted by us, and became familiar, to that extent we tend to defend it from loving gestures that would cause us to rethink our view of ourself. The book is highly cognizant of the wisdom of family systems that if we do not review, revise, update and upgrade the personality handed to us early in our life in our family of origin, then we will tend to replicate our family dynamic in relationships, coupling, and marriage.

Much of the rest of the book works in the area where couples transition from being in love and cherishing each other; and then, transition to distance, routinized behavior, loss of passion, complacency or even fighting and violence. The books is good about tracking how couples move out of initial positive bloom of love to a dysfunctional relationships. "In spite of their stated desire for self-affirmation, people seek confirmation for their negative provisional identity, developed in the context of the [early] family" (304).

The book gives a lot of case studies. It proposes a variation of voice dialogue to unearth and expose the negative self-talk and give lots of examples of how they do this. The book embraces the topic of voice dialogue and quotes Christopher Lasch, "The distinguishing character of selfhood...is not rationality; rather, the critical awareness of man's divided nature." The book's take on unearthing negative self talk is more talk-therapy than inner-child related. See TA, Voice Dialogue or the Three Selves for the more solution-oriented approaches to conversing with your inner "parts."

Addictions and dysfunctional fantasy life, including masturbatory behavior, come in for lots of discussion. Addiction is discussed as "...a fundamental choice away from relationships" (41) `The child (and adult) unconsciously rejects real gratification and gives up goal-directed activity to hold on to the safety of a fantasy world over which he or she has complete control."

The unexamined life tends to repeat and recreate early family dynamics, good or ill. Beyond this, the authors point to two existential issues that clearly block us from the kind of intimacy Deida encourages. A radio interview Joyce Catlett gave on KPFK put a better point on this than the book does. She said that two fears block us at the deepest level. One is the fear of being separated and isolated from the ones we love [the Beloved]. The other fear is being overwhelmed and swallowed whole [merged and] losing our identity in our loved one [or the Beloved]. "...being loved challenges core psychological defenses" (311)

I've been checking this out. It does indeed seem to be the case; fear breaks down into two categories, fear of separation-isolation; and, fear of dissolution and loss of identity in merging with the Beloved. Some classical associations arise here. Separation and pain associate with darkness. Converging with ecstasy associates with light and bliss. Acknowledging and backtracking thru these two fears has clarified for me where I got off track navigating towards the undefended loving Deida encourages. These topics, more commonly found in spiritual literature, can be applied productively to couples counseling and self-examination.

If you've ever had someone tell you, "I don't know what you're thinking," and "You never tell me anything," this book is for you. I never knew I was the withholding type (as described by Firestone) but this book hit the nail on the head.

I'm not sure exactly what to do with the information. It seems you may need some pretty specific help with a therapist to undo the negative messages "stuck in your craw" but just the awareness of my problem has helped my relationship in very real ways.

I picked up this book as a way to understand the behavior of someone close to me, and I was amazed at how much of it I could apply to myself. The book offered so much insight into people and their behaviors. I have recommended this book to many people and have even bought it as a gift. This book is written in a more clinical way, perhaps not readily consumed by the masses, but I found it to be much more insightful and "helpful" than any self-help book I've ever read. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in human behavior.

Sexual, emotional or spiritual vulnerability takes considerable courage and the authors make a compelling case for the fear of intimacy. The book starts fast and is very dense but digestable. The authors lighten up on the content about midway into the section on psychodynamics of relationships and the strong theme of the opening chapters seem to fade into generalities. I have often recommended the book to clients based solely on the value of the first few chapters.

One cannot read about the intricacies of the human body and the miracle that keeps us moving as each part works both separately and together. I borrowed a friend's copy, but had to buy my own to take notes.

I learned about the functions of the body in an easy to understand layman's discussion: that is, the skeleton, the skin, etc. He tells stories about people he has treated that exhibited some of the illnesses when these areas of the body do not work as they should. At the same time he relates this information on a spiritual realm. Although the book is not new, I liked the way he wrote and found it an easy way to learn about a lot of how my body works.

Dr. Brand's book can't help but leave the reader feeling as though they are disconnected with what is taking place around them. From a personal perspective, it's impossible to appreciate the complexity of performing even the most routine activities throughout the day. On a large scale, this book challenges all of us to consider what our obligations are to society as a whole, exposing what an isolated perspective most of us are able to maintain living in America. This is an excellent choice for anyone involved in a reading group.

Note: This review refers to an additional book, "In His Image" by the same author that I consider a "companion" to this one.

In both these books the authors take us into the world of medicine as seen through spiritual eyes. The parallels between our own bodies and the Body of Christ are fascinating to say the least. Read, for example, how when one area of our physical body is injured an urgent call goes out and hundreds of thousands of cells respond by plugging the holes in the walls, protecting the weak, cleansing the area and rebuilding itself. Read also how the body responds when there is rebellion loose within it. The list includes the workings of: (Fearfully and Wonderfully Made) cells, bones, skin, motion, (In His Image) image, blood, head, spirit and pain.

The reading style is very relaxed and everything is explained simply so that you don't need a degree in chemistry to understand what's going on. A special bonus is Dr. Brand's focus on his life's work with lepers which is interwoven throughout both books. If you've got an interest in how the physical body works and how it relates to biblical concepts, get these books - you won't be disappointed. -- Moza

This is primarily a book about the human body and the startling complexity of what is under (and a part of) our skin. Four main areas of our bodies are discussed; the skin which holds us all in, our cells which make up an intrinsic little universe inside each human body, human bones and lastly motion. The insights into the physical human body are enough to make this book great for it shows that whoever or whatever created the human body was unfathomably intelligent. I prefer to believe that God was the designer and so this book causes me to be in awe of God, who I believe to be the creator of mankind. But for an atheist, this book would have to cause him or her to give great awe and respect toward chance. For if chance created our human bodies, it did one heck of a job. Though primarily about the physical human body, the authors are constantly making application to the spiritual body of Christ which, as the Bible tells us, is the entire group of people on earth who have believed in Jesus Christ. The Bible also makes a lot of comparisons between this strange group of people and the human body. Paul (one of the human authors of the Bible) tells us that God sees this group of people (I will refer to it as the church henceforth) like a human body, with many different parts, each part with a special function. In Yancey and Brand's book, they explore the different aspects of the human body and then show how these apply to the church. The analogies are insightful into how we as Christians are to function. In the introduction to the book Yancey writes, "In a sense, metaphorical symbols are the only way for us to grasp spiritual truths, which explains why the Bible uses them so lavishly... the human body expresses spiritual reality so authentically that soon the common stuff of matter will appear more and more like a mere shadow."

Yancey is a great author, and Brand is clearly a great doctor. The book is written as well as Yancey's other books and it is broken down into 25 short chapters. Each chapter has a specific point, and most chapters also offer an analogy about the church, the spiritual body of Christ. I read the book in 25 days, a chapter daily which was an excellent pace to be able to digest the book while still keeping it constantly fresh in my mind. I would recommend the book to any Christian eager to be astounded by the human body and the spiritual analogies that come from the mysteries of our physical bodies.

I have the previous edition of "the pink book", and knowledge has advanced in these species such that I desperately needed the new edition. An excellent text that is a must have if you see small mammal patients.

As a ferret owner, you have the responsibility to know what diseases or cancers your ferret could get, and for making sure they get the proper treatment as soon as possible. Early diagnosis is the key. This is one of the best books you will find and it's more than worth the money invested. Every ferret owner should have a personal copy. Check with your vet to see if they have a copy as well, this is an awesome Christmas present. Read! Highlight! Consult! Together, you can extend the life of your ferret.

This is that kind of book , that helps you to increase your knowledgement.
For every veterinary and student who work with Ferrets, Rabbits, or Rodents.

This book is the absolute best resource on the medicine of these species. The book is easy to follow and find specific information as necessary. Most illustrations are quite useful, although in black and white. The book is organized mostly by taxonomic groups. However, the book seems to repeat itself in some chapters as well as in different chapters, and sometimes, finding information may be indexed in more than one place only to find that they are all quite similar pieces of information. I HIGHLY reccomend this book, and its is the best amount of informtion at a very affordable price.

I got this book so I can better understand what the heck the vet was telling me about two of my ferrets. It is a reall good resouce for pet owners to learn more about the different medical conditions that will come up with owning a ferret. However, be warned!.... This book explains thing in terminology that a vet or a vet tech will understand. It is not a book for the average person per se, but it did help me ask the right questions and to be better informed. One vet I talked to uses this book as a reference quite often. I enjoyed going through this book and it was very educational.

Hot, Spicy and Good to the last drop! The ending will definitely blow you away. These two male authors have come together to create a one of a kind masterpiece. A great summer read that will keep you sizzling for a while.

Diva Reviewer
www.divasread2.com

Great read. I was really surprised at how the story ended. It left me a little perturbed with Sheila and Nick. Who would have thought this would be the ending? Hey Shiela what comes around goes around. This will certainly catch up with you at some point. Thank you Brian for visiting with the ASIS Book Club this weekend. We really enjoyed your explanations to all of our inquisitive questions. Hope that you will return to visit with us again. PS: You must write another novel with the cameos of the Final Fling. I am truly curious about Sheila and Nick...Take care: Dee

shelia, malik, greg and rena are definetly not ones to learn a valuable lesson from past mistakes. the authors picked right up where they left off from swingers, and the s.w.a.p game. the sex was hot and the drama never ending and to put them on a cruise ship had me wishing i taken one this year because the description was on point. i enjoyed this book and just when i thought i knew what the ending would be WHAM Brian and Torrian threw us a fast ball that took a sharp curve and never slowed down.

Shelia went from having my sympathy to me just flat out wanting to kill her scandalous a$$. Rena just can't catch a break with her punk A$$ husband greg always acting like a straight up byotch even though he's supposed to be the man. if he's the man point me out to the nearest lil richard because i can do without a man like that. Malik was such a hater blaming his short comings on everyone but himself but had the nerve to always want to flirt and hit something. i was't expecting the ending to go as it did and even though this was the couples final fling i still feel we need more to really give us closure. the story ended in a way that wasn't resolved and with scores still needing to be settled.

i suggest anyone that's looking to get involved in swinging to read s.w.a.p game, swingers and final fling these books might make you wanna reconsider

These two authors did a great collaboration, the story fell into place through each character's eyes and I was able to understand Sheila & Malik eventhough I hadn't read S.W.A.P. Hot and exciting with a twist that will leave you talking!

I loved this book. I thought it was an easy read from cover to cover. I felt like I knew the characters of the SWAP game personally and I could not believe they would go there again. I wish I had read the book Swingers before I read Final Fling but I didn't. If you have not read both books I would recommend that. I kept wanting to know the history of the other book but I could not stop reading Final Fling and start Swingers the book was just to juicy.

I also found humor in some parts of the book that others might not have. I won't give away the story line but lets just say the trip to Hedonism was kind of funny. Also the ending threw me for a loop I saw something coming but not that. I do wish the authors would have taken a little more time at the end I wanted more and it was done.

Overall good read and it will make you think what would I do in that situation ?????

I previously used earlier edition of the book. Not much of a difference. Orthopedics have their own way of dealing with fractures. This book is entirely intended for primary care providers. An excellent reference I can keep in my office. I think Essentials of MS offers more compare to this book. It features an easy to read box of what one ought to do. Highly recommended.

A great resource book to have on fractures. I am using it frequently in practice

I am an Internist who bought this prior to deployment to a Level 2 BAS in Iraq. This was very helpful not only in terms of diagnosis, but management. It lets you know just when to refer, so you are not taking up medical evac resources, or placing soldiers on the road unnecessarily. I highly recommend this book as part of your packing list if you are a non-ortho battalion surgeon.

This is an excellent reference to rapidly give you the plan of treatment for any fracture in a table form as well as a longer written discussion. It states when orto MD must be seen and when. Perfect as a ready reference!

Great photos of fractures plus this manual gives a description of how to treat - what the best type of casts or splints would be and what they look like as well. Excellent resource!