Your Family, My Family by Joan Drescher, is out of print, but may be obtained directly through the publisher or from certain libraries. The book describes many different types of families. There are various racial groups, adopted families, foster families, extended families, and one lesbian-headed family. This entry reads, "Margo and Rita are Peggy's family. Although Margo is her real mother, Peggy feels as if she has two mothers."

This was one of the first picture books to depict gay characters, published in 1980, which may account for the language used in making the distinction between the "real parent" and the biological parent. I believe the book displays minimum sex-role stereotypes, some ageist assumptions and no differently abled adults or children, with the exception of an older man with a cane. That said, the merits of the book outweigh the flaws.

This book is about different kinds of families. It validates the many different human groupings that make up a family, and it does so as a child would see it, not as an adult would see it. Thus there's no need for the author to make a terribly big deal about the fact that some children have one parent and some children have no parents and some children have two parents who are married and some children have two parents who aren't. Children accept the families that surround them without question.
The families in Drescher's book all care about each other, but they don't always get along-- just like your family and my family.

Like most readers, I found the theories embodied in this book concerning the location of the Garden of Eden and its connection with Mt. Sinai/Horeb to be fascinating and somewhat plausible. The reflowering of the Garden of Eden in the end days? Well--kind of a stretch, but I won't say it couldn't happen. I did appreciate a little different take on the end times chronology. What I found hard to swallow centers around two different areas.

1. The author seems to subscibe to a conspiracy theory which traces all evildoings on the world scene back to a small group of people. Whether you call them the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, or whatever, I have a hard time believing that a gathering of 12 new-age wackos have all the power. I used to be a conspiracy buff, but I think the "new-age agenda", if you want to call it that, is much more disorganized and chaotic than is portrayed, even with the one loose cannon that causes the most trouble in the novel. It makes for exciting reading to have such an open, frontal attack on the archaeologist and his team, but I think the devil works in much more subtle ways, through discrediting the discoveries, for example. I don't believe that the discovery of Noah's Ark or the Garden of Eden would bring a massive religious revival, anyway. Some won't believe even with the evidence staring them in the face.

2. Adam Livingstone, the main character in the novel, puzzled me somewhat. Livingstone, before he gets saved (I don't think I'm giving anything away, it's obvious that will happen from the beginning, and, hey, this is a book for the Christian market, after all) seems to have a curious interest in proving the Bible accounts are true, even before he believes them himself. In addition, for such a swashbuckling, debonair, single world-wide celebrity he seems to live a squeaky-clean, wholesome life, even keeping his girlfriend at arms' length (It's pretty clear there was no hanky-panky going on). It was not too big a turnaround, it seems, for him to become a Christian, he acted like one practically through the whole book. I guess the Christian market prefers blatant, sinister evil wrapped up in a new-age package to simple hedonism. Plus, the idea of a celebrity archaeologist is peculiar. How many people can name even one modern archaeologist?

This is not to say the book is not a good read, because it is. It is exciting and tense, and would make a better movie, in the right hands, than the lame "Omega Code". Genesis fascinates me more than the book of Revelation, anyway, and there is a lot concerning ancient world here. So I give it a thumbs up, with reservations.

This book was one of those that you really need a little Bible knowledge to make it as intriguing as it is meant to be. I found the theories mind-boggling. I've never really stopped to ask the questions " Is the arc still there?" and "Where is it located? ". If you are one of those "seeing is believing" type of people maybe this book would provoke your curiosities enough to seek out THE TRUTH. Phillips did a wonderful job of exploring some incredible possibilities of our Biblical pasts. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to the believer and non-believer alike.

A wonderful story about the finding of Noah's Ark and the search for the Garden of Eden. I was totally enthralled and found it hard to put down, even very late at night when I should have been sleeping. It will make you stop and think about God, and you'll find yourself looking items up in your bible to really try to understand the theories this book is proposing. With a dash of romance to keep you smiling, this book is a must read that you will really enjoy. I'm looking forward to the release of the next book in the series.

Helen Keller- The Story of My Life
By: Helen Keller
Reveiwed by: J. Yang
Period: P.4

In the first nineteen months of Helen Keller's life, she is a normal child like us. Suddenly, a high fever gets on Helen Keller and makes her deaf and blind. Forever, she is in a dark, silent world. Anne Sullivan is Helen's teacher. She teaches Helen how to communicate with signs and gestures. Helen Keller also learns to read and write.

What I liked about this book is that it is very deltailed. The story gives details on Helen's feelings, the enviroment, and whatever Helen Keller feels. "On the afternoon of that eventful day, I stood on the porch, dumb, expectant." You can actually feel how Helen Keller feels. When I read this book, I always feel how Helen feels. I guess the book is very descriptive!

Another thing I liked in this book was when Helen Keller was learning. Anne Sullivan is a great, loving teacher. Anne loved Helen. "Miss Sullivan put her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, "I love Helen."" Helen asks about what was love, and Anne Sullivan said to her that love is in your heart. Anne is a very passionate person.

My favorite part of the book was when Helen went to the sea. She went with Anne Sullivan. Helen went into the sea for her first swim. All the waves were splashing on her. Helen Keller drank some of the water up and then she said, "Who put salt in the water?" Finally, Anne Sullivan carried Helen out of the water for a little rest.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is an autobiography illustrating her insistent desire in learning how to write and read and defeating her deafness and blindness at the same time. This book records her life back from when she was as young as 4. Due to the loss of sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, Helen lived her life in frustration and pain in her early life. She couldn't understand her family because she didn't yet learn how to communicate. To solve that, her parents hired Ms. Anne Sullivan who influenced her the most. Even througt special education with Ms. Sullivan, Helen coulsn't communicate with her family without Ms. Sullivan's translations. Yet, Helen didn't give up. Her passion for learning how to read and write overcame the obstacles. Her improvements on reading, writing, and arithmetic amazed her teachers and family. She has succeeded in many many areas which helped her to get in college. On her way, there were events that made her learn that deafness can be conquered, such as the blind institution, etc. The students in blind institution were one of Helen's inspiration in learning. Since they lived states away, Helen must contact her friends by mail. That motivated Helen's will to write more. The attached letters in the book shows how much she's improved since she first started to write. This book has taught us lessons that we would never learn in everyday life. Helen Keller defeated her disabilities and lived went to college as a result of her hardworks. Her courage and insistence should be admired. Teenagers nowadays worry much more on appearance or etc rather than their future. This book shows the lesson of working hard, and anything would be possible.

I first read this book in 6th grade. I have read it several times in the intervening years, the most recent time being within the past one year.

Helen Keller, blind and deaf since the age of 1 1/2 has offered, in her own words an accounting of her life experience. It is incredible to imagine how this woman, unable to see or hear can give such a strong voice to descriptions of nature. The book is replete with beautiful, articulate metaphors that draw the reader into the world as Helen knew it. One wonders how a person with no language can "think," and Helen provides some clues. During these "dark days," prior to the arrival of her "Teacher," Annie Sullivan, Helen's life was a series of desires and impressions. She could commnicate by a series of crude signs she and her parents had created. She demonstrated early on that she could learn.

I like the way Helen herself takes her readers past that water pump when she learned that "all things have a name." Instead of getting stuck there, Helen takes her readers on the journey of her life to that point.

In addition to having a good linguistic base, Helen also demonstrates having a phenomenal memory. When she was twelve, she wrote a story she believed to be her own. Entitled "The Frost King," it bore a strong resemblance to one written by a Ms. Canby called "The Frost Fairies." Many of the sentences are identical and a good number of the descriptions are paraphrased. In relating this devasting incident, Helen and Annie recall that Annie had exposed Helen to the story some three years earlier and Helen had somehow retained that information. This plainly shows intelligence.

Both the "Frost" stories are reprinted in full, thus giving the reader a chance to see just how amazing being able to remember such a work really was.

Helen describes her work raising money for other deaf-blind children to attend the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and in so doing, embarks upon her lifelong mission as a crusader for multiply challenged individuals.

I have not only read the book, but was also fortunate enough to find a trained Davis facilitator to help my 9 year old son begin the process outlined in the book. My son , Edward is in the 3rd grade at a private school in Nashville, TN. Edward is very smart, but he couldn't learn to read. Yes, he could read with great frustration and "muddle" through, but only at about beginning first grade level.We had him "tested" on the advice of his kindergarten teacher(auditory processing was the diagnosis)and we began the painful tutoring journey with phonics-based programs(Linda-Mood Bell, Orton-Gillingham, Wilson,etc.) In spite of following the "experts'" advice Edward could not read. His teacher and tutor said "he wasn't trying hard enough." Not trying hard enough? Baloney! I saw daily the look of pain and frustration on my child's face as he struggled to read. He simply had not been given the right tools to decode the English language. Edward is dyslexic. This program has given Edward the tools he needs to be a fluid reader with full comprehension. His self confidence is high and he's having fun. I am greatful to Ron Davis for sharing this information with my child and me. It has changed my child's and my life forever. Thank you.

My vision blurred with tears as I listened to "The Gift" on tape. Ron Davis described my son! After years of struggling, hearing teachers and other professionals label him lazy, unmotivated, oppositonal and of average intelligence, I was now listening to someone who viewed him as I did: gifted. He saw the world in ways I never dreamed of, yet he struggled with reading but knew so much. This book gave us realistic hope; we no longer had to believe that "junior college is all you can hope for". After reading the book and completing the tapes we went to the Davis Dyslexia Center/Reading Research Council this past summer. My son is now confident and a reader. Spelling and math have improved tremendously. He will no longer be in special education as of January-6 months after he completed the program. His teachers have all read the book and the special education teacher has implemented many of the techniques in her strategies class. When she first read the description from the book to the student

In January of '99 my first grader was completely unable to read. After formal testing at a university, special education intervention, and endless hours of struggle, I sat down and studied this book. By April of '99 (3 short months) my daughter was reading at a second grade level! I have since then gone on to complete the program described in the book for other students with good success. One 9 year old girl went from a pre-primer reading level to a 2nd grade reading level in just 5 days! Furthermore, the book offers hope. While dyslexia clearly causes problems it also offers special talents. Knowing what those are enables me to encourage interests where she is naturally gifted. Albert Einstein, Alexander Grahm Bell, Thomas Edison... my daughter is in good company. Read this book!

Four young people, uncertain and unshaped burst onto the folk scene and gave birth to a revolutionary musical age. The ephemeral, Baez sisters, the Byronesque Richard Farina and the anxious, midwestern adolescent, Bob Dylan, attained a status and sound far beyond their own, and others' expectations. Their story includes tragedy, betrayal and lays the social and musical impetus that would reverberate throughout the second half of the twentieth century. For two of the four; their careers would extend into the milennium and become headings in the history of American music and social activism.
Joan Baez, we read in David Hadju's "Positively Fourth Street," was drawn to the Peace movement legitimately. Through her early experiences in Quaker meetings, she pursued the concept of passivism in her politics and her relationships, particularly with her younger, prettier sister, Mimi. Baez' life reads less liberated than her image but most lives of women of her era, and well beyond, do. Mimi, suffering dyslexia, and the status of the younger child, sought recognition beyond Joan, but that was not to be. She become the wife of the self-promoting and wayward Richard Farina, who died in a motorcycle accident, in tandem with Dylan, who survived. These four were incestuous, and, as with many who embraced free love experimentation, were more often victims of this 'liberation' than celebrants. The cost to women, was far greater.

Joan's fame came early and some may say, she lingered overlong in a style that had outlived itself. Robert Zimmerman, whom she endorsed in the music scene and in the Greenwich Village culture, entered the scene as an awkward, obsessed and undistinguished adolescent. He came from the Middle West on a pilgrimage to the bedside of Woody Guthrie, his suffering idol. Fellow artists in the Village ridiculed Dylan whom they said imitated the twitching and tics of his mentor. Later, he was accused of stealing his music as well. All in all, the early Dylan, whose name was originally taken from Matt Dillon, of the TV show Gunsmoke, and not, as he would later state, from the iconoclastic Dylan Thomas, rebel-lord of that period in the Village. Embarassed by his comfortable middle class, Jewish background, Dylan painted a more romantic past; part Native American, and devoid of the bourgeois elements of a furniture merchant's family. Even later in life, Dylan tried to obscure his past, claiming that he never knew what a suburb was, how his youth was spent without such impedimenta. Once Dylan gained entry into the folk establishment, it appeared that much of the music was handed to him. What was not freely given, he often appropriated for himself. He copied and reworked but the outcome, the voice, the anger, was purely, irrevocably his own. It came as much from his hunger as from his self-loathing and his brilliance. He was also a product and ultimately leading spokesman of his time. In his name, compounded of a prescience that spoke to a generation pulling apart like none of its predecessors, was the recklessness and spiritual conflicts of the end of the modern and beginnings of the postmodern era.
Joan Baez, funnier than her image, endorsed Dylan, and loved him. His ultimate response was to be cruel and derisive. Once he had attained some stature, he threw off the pacifist, resistance yoke and traveled into a far more country and rock and roll blend that became the roots of myriad forms and eventually a revolution.
This book was well-researched and sensitively drawn. I doubt anyone harbored any ideal of Dylan as an ideal mate, and his detractors, Dave van Ronk and the others whom he idealized, and then took advantage of, do not and could not diminish his status and contributions. Most musicians borrow and blend, but none can match the robust opus of Dylan, nor do they try. His talent, his timing and combustion of his ambition, moved the sound of a society. Joan Baez, Mimi Farina, and many other women, saw in him a manchild in need of protection. He took it, and then tired of it. Those men, always end up ingrates, and Dylan was that and more.
The music is not the subject of this story, but a secondary theme. For fans of Baez, Dylan or any combination of music enthusiasts, it is a quick and worthwhile read.

I was totally excited when the release of the book occurred for several reasons, but the main one was that the interesting lives of Richard and Mimi Baez Farina would be discussed.

Hadju, as he did in his excellent look at Billy Strayhorn ("Lush Life"),weaves a wonderful portrait of 4 young artists, all with immense talent,(the Baez sisters and Dylan as musicians, Farina as a novelist and musician) who all converge on the thriving Greenwich Village scene in the early 1960's. From there, the book, (complete with hundreds of wonderful interviews) begins to read like a modern soap opera- complete with torrid affairs, opportunism, deceipt, and lust. Whether it was Dylan's affair with Joan Baez to further his budding career, or taking on the bohemian personna that Richard Farina naturally had; Farina's courtship with Mimi Baez by letters, but all the while having a secret love for Joan; Dylan's very public breakup with Joan after his star had risen well beyond anyone's expectations- it's all in this book.

The book tactfully takes on the tangled web that these 4 people created for themselves, makes sense of it all, and while not pointing fingers in any one particular direction, does showcase both Dylan and Farina's overt opportunism, both at the expense of the Baez sisters. One can only conjecture what may have occurred had Richard Farina not died..would he have pursued Joan? and what would have become of Mimi at that point?

While the music is well documented on any number of cds- Dylan's early folk works are exquisite, Joan's politically active folk even more so, and Richard and Mimi's works, including one of my favorite folk songs in "Reno, Nevada," also on cd, the book takes off the golden dome of the era and shows the true underbelly of 4 starving artists trying to make it. They all did, to varying degrees. The book charts the early days, the struggles, the open deceipt, trials and tribulations. A riveting book.

One of the nice things about a quadruple biography is that you don't have to bear the foibles and character defects of any one of its four subjects for too long. The interplay of personalities--the supersized egos of Bob Dylan, Richard Farina, and Joan Baez as well as the more humanly-proportioned ego of Mimi Baez Farina--is fascinating. Author David Hajdu is thorough in his research (extensive interviews with many people, some now deceased), unbiased in his assessments, and reasonably skeptical when quoting the subjects as they reflect on themselves and on one another. Hajdu seems well-informed on music in general and presents the phenomenon of the 60s folk revival in a way that seems true and fair (I speak as someone who has owned and still owns most of the vinyl ablumns mentioned in the book). Long before Madonna became the daring of academics for her ability to shed skins and transform herself annually, Dylan, Farina, and the elder Baez were conciously and single-mindedly crafting their personae to meet audience expectations and assure their own success. The competition among the four is extreme. But so is the affection and loyalty (distorted and self-serving though it may have been at times). One finishes the book with a sense that the key to success is wanting it deperately; talent and good luck, though nice in their own way, are less essential. Overall, the Baez women come off better than the men. The pacifist Joan was capable of incredible cattiness in her personal relationships, but could be generous professionally (for instance, she continued to promote Bob Dylan even after he dumped her as his lover and publicly mocked her, sometimes in song). Aside from Mimi's somewhat saintly aura, there are no villains or heroes here. Unlike the writers of the protest songs of the folk revival, Hajdu does not see things in black and white. His subjects live quite colorfully on these pages--and without apology for their shortcomings and inconsistancies. This is an intriguing story told with aptly chosen and fascinating details.

Most novels, IMHO, are the same story told different ways. In THE SUNDAY WIFE, the reader is refreshened to a new story and a cast of characters very familiar but not.

Pastor Ben and his wife, Dean, move to a larger church and you are behind the scenes in this book rather than in the congregation! It shows an insight on what goes on with this Pastor and his wife - their seperate life together and their life in the church.

Ben's vision is a selfish one and his attitude towards his wife is appalling throughout the book. Dean becomes friends with Augusta who brings, IMHO, makes Dean stronger than she ever was before.

An amazing read - a powerful one and one that should be read and savored.

Great fiction! However, it could be a true story. As a Methodist from Alabama, many of the characters and situations in The Sunday Wife seem very realistic. "Men of the Cloth" often are not really what they project from the pulpit, just ask their family members. Having read King's earlier novel, Making Waves in Zion, I looked forward to this new novel. I was not disappointed. I will recommend the book to my friends. She is a gifted author and I hope she writes many more books.

In this most recent work by acclaimed and celebrated writer Cassandra King we are introduced to the quiet world of Dean Lynch. She is married to a hum-drum minister and she feels resented by him when she doesn't hold up his standards of behavior in front of the church community. She makes fast friends with Augusta Maddox, a wealthy diva sought after by the church for their family name and reputation and there friendship leads them on a journey through the new age supernatural world of Celeste the fortune teller. But, make no mistake, this story is entrenched with issues that permeate contemporary Southern living such as, the changing ideas of marriage and divorce, gay rights, and the everchanging landscape of the people who flock to and flee from the south either in awe or disgust. And, if you think this story is good, read Making Waves In Zion her first book! I don't know where this lady came from, but I know that she knows the South and how it is today as compared to how it has been portrayed in the past. Thanks for showing us what has been sometimes swept under the rug, Mrs. King!!

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

Amy Tan created another wonderful story about a Chinese immigrant in THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER. My third Amy Tan book, this one tells the story of Lu Ling, a Chinese woman who was raised by a nursemaid she knew only as "Precious Auntie", and lived with a family that she thought for many years was her own.

Lu Ling's story, however, starts in present day San Francisco with her daughter Ruth who works as a "ghost writer", creating books for clients who tell her what to write. She's single but lives with her boyfriend Art, who in turn has two daughters from a previous marriage.

Ruth is encountering problems with her mother - Lu Ling is starting to exhibit memory problems and weird behavior patterns. She claims she is one age, but Ruth knows she is another. She claims that her mother is one woman, but Ruth knows it's another. Seeing her mother fall apart leaves Ruth anxious and upset. And the fact that Art doesn't seem to feel this is his problem too, doesn't make it any easier for Ruth.

Ruth has problems of her own, mainly her life with Art and his two young girls, but with Lu Ling's health falling apart, she shifts her focus on her mother. While going through her mother's belongings one day, Ruth finds a set of manuscripts that she remembers were written by her mother. As she starts to slowly translate the Chinese characters, she realizes it is her mother's life story.

From this point, the book turns to Lu Ling's life in China as a young girl and what brought her to America all those years ago. We learn of Lu Ling's life with Precious Auntie, Lu Ling's first love, and the impact of WW II on China and her part of the world. The biggest impact on Lu Ling's life, however, was Precious Auntie, who was a bonesetter's daughter, a bonesetter being a type of medicine man. It was Precious Auntie's death that helped Lu Ling learn about her true heritage, and how important the nursemaid was in her life.

What happens to all of them is left for the reader to find out, but I would like to recommend THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER as one of my favorite Amy Tan books, next to The Joy Luck Club. Tan's novels about the Chinese immigrant ring true for me, and as a third generation Japanese American, I find that I can relate to the "Americanized" characters that Amy Tan creates in her books. Regardless of ethnicity or background, I highly recommend THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER.

Amy Tan has done it again in this novel. She's captured the
experience of being a Chinese-American daughter in cultural clashes
with her Chinese-born mother. And she tells a fascinating story that
moves between modern San Francisco and a rural China in the
1920s.

Ruth Young, in her mid-forties, makes her living as a
ghostwriter for self-help books and is going through difficulties with
her live-in boyfriend and his children. Her mother is in the early
stages of Alzheimer's and Ruth is watching her gradual decline. But
when she comes across a memoir her mother started writing years
earlier, it not only brings up her own memories, but she starts to
understand her mother better through the gradual revelations of the
family secrets.

The chapters about Ruth set the stage for the core
of the book, which is the story of LuLing, the mother. We learn about
the bonesetter's daughter, the terribly scared nursemaid named
Precious Annie who raised LuLing and the connections between the
generations. It's a story of betrayal and ghosts and a curse through
the ages. It's a story of relationships between sisters and teachers
and mothers. It's the story of healing and hope and redemption. And
it's all so interesting that it's hard to put the book down.

Ms. Tan
is a fine writer. She brings out some universal truths about a world
I'm familiar with as well as those of a world that has vanished and
can only be recreated by the skill of the author. Her sense of place
is extraordinary and she puts the reader right into the skin of the
characters, building the story gradually and adding telling details at
just the right moments. I was swept right into it and found bits and
pieces intruding on my thoughts until I could get back to it later.
It was 353 pages but I wish it had been longer.

The Bonesetter's Daughter succeeds superbly by continuing the theme of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife, but with different characters and a different story. In those novels Chinese American children, particularly daughters, are excavating their ancestral roots. Again, in her new novel, Amy Tan is focusing on mother-daughter relationships, a secretive mother, and a daughter who must discover those secrets in order to heal childhood wounds, reconcile with the mother, and resolve adult relationships.

The story divides into three sections, the first and third set in the present, and narrated by daughter Ruth Young, a counselor and ghost writer of self help books, who has a long-term live-in relationship with a Jewish man and is a second mother of sorts to his two daughters. The middle section takes place in China and is the story of Ruth's mother and grandmother. It is actually Mrs. Young's journal. The first section sets the stage, shows us Ruth in the present and also Ruth as a child at critical junctures. Amy Tan adds another element to the story, that of Mrs. Young's Alzheimer's disease, which lends poignancy as well as urgency to the discovery and translation of her journal.

As we enter her mother's life story the mystery of her seemingly (to Ruth) irrational or eccentric behavior as a mother starts to make sense and feels like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being filled in. One example is the tradition of sand drawing in order to divine the intent of the gods, which was common in Mrs. Young's childhood in China, and which she foists upon a reluctant Ruth from time to time.

As the story comes back into the present in the third section, the focus is three-fold, wrapping up the plot, but also showing us a realistic and compassionate portrait of an Alzheimer patient and the family who have to deal with a dreaded disease, as well as the hurdles of prejudice and misunderstanding that immigrants have to deal with, and the adjustments that they make in order to survive. As Ruth discovers through the journal, her mother is not just "eccentric" or "crazy", but a lot of her mysterious behavior is rooted in Chinese tradition and in the unearthed secrets of her family history. Ruth has been given a gift beyond measure.

Non-Mormon and non-practicing Mormon reviewers have noted the "objectivity" of Mormon America. Indeed, the book is cleverly written to promote that impression. By focusing on controversial issues of doctrine and practice and by interviewing the same small set of critics that are always the focus of works like this (e.g., Excommunicated Mormon Michael Quinn is cited as many times in the index as current church President Gordon B. Hinckley. One wonders if Quinn actually was a ghost writer for the book.), the authors are able to create the feeling that the church does not have answers to the difficult questions raised. Responses by LDS scholars are given short shrift. For example, criticisms of the the Book of Mormon are dealt with in great detail, but supporting evidence from LDS scholars is only mentioned (e.g., word print analysis and Chaismus). More importantly, there is no discussion on the doctrinal contributions of the Book of Mormon and the reader is left hanging as to how the virtually illerate Joseph could have produced the book in such a short time span.

In most cases, the authors do a competent job in getting their facts straight. One glaring error is their understanding of the role of Christ in the LDS church. They portray his sacrifice as a great example, but not an actual atoning for sins. Nothing could be further from the truth. A closer reading of the Book of Mormon or virtually any other church publications on the topic would make the belief in an actual atonement crystal clear.

An interesting book, but just a bit more suble in its bias than the standard stuff written about the Church for years

The best book about the LDS church remains Leonard Arrington and Davis Bitton's 1979 "The Mormon Experience" which is still unmatched in its depth of insight. But if you are curious about Mormons and looking for a readable new book about them this is what you want. Someone has said that every reporter who visits Salt Lake for the 2002 Olympics with be carrying "Mormon America" as a handbook for local culture. That's probably accurate. The Ostlings wrote the recent cover story on the church for TIME magazine and have greatly expanded it for this effort.

Anyone who believes the sterotype of Mormons as brain-dead religious fundamentalists are in for a shock when they read this first-rate journalism. The Ostlings write with great empathy about the complexity of life for people who take religion seriously. The chapters on our intellectual culture are as balanced as anything I've read on that subject. The sections on practice are accurate, too. The Ostlings come very close to revealing what it's like on the inside--they ultimately fail to catch what it really feels like, however, because of the ultimately unbridgeable gap between description and the indescribable faith that lies at the heart of a believer's life. That's not really their fault of course--it's like trying to describe in words what the color "blue" is like. Orthodox Judaism has gotten a lot of respectful attention recently because of the nomination of Sen. Joseph Lieberman for vice-president. Many reporters have revealed a new sensitivity about how devout people live. The Ostling's book should be considered at the forefront of this new attention to the relationship of faith and American culture.

You can be sure that your Mormon neighbor will not want you to read this book, even though it is the most even-handed 'outsider' treatment of the subject available. That's because the Ostlings are not afraid to discuss LDS history and practice--which is not as lily-white as Church members and outsiders are led to believe. Mormon behavior is reviewed as well--in particular, the tendency throughout LDS history to resort to 'casuistry'--as it is politely phrased--when it comes to touchy topics, such as polygamy (e.g., Joseph Smith's public denial that he was practicing it while privately enjoying multiple plural marriages; also post-Manifesto deceit to cover up the practice), and, most recently, Gordon B. Hinckley's dissembling when asked during his interview with Richard Ostling (for Time magazine) about the Mormon belief that God was once a man, etc. That said, one has to read the book to fully appreciate the Ostling's mature admiration for the many good things they encountered within Mormonism. This is a must have book.

Willy Loman the protagonist of the play „Death of the Salesman" is supposed to embody the American average man. An American average man is married, has children, lives in a house, possesses a well paid job. Hence he spends his quality time with his family, so most of American fathers use to teach their children football, baseball or other sport activities. Willy Loman the protagonist in Arthur Miller's play just seems to fulfill the duties of an American average man. Yes, he is married to Linda, yes, he also has children, two boys named Biff and Happy. Willy and his sons are footballphile. Nevertheless, he lives in a house and he seems be to be succesful as a salesman. But while you read the play you will realize Willy Loman is just a faker who is still dreaming and has not woke up yet. Willy Loman has internalized wrong values which are money, success and „being well liked". He wanted to earn respect and lost his view for the most significant values a human being should have such as being satisfied with yourself and having people around you who support and love you. The consequence of having wrong values is Willy Loman alienated himself from society, although he deeply wanted to be part of succesful people. Ironically Willy Loman is a product of society. He tried to adapt himself to society's expectations and actually lost himself in the crowd. Willy has always looked for more, more than he actually was able to achieve. Willy wanted success, money and respect which people should bring towards him.

At this point I am wondering if these goals will lead individuals to become satisfied with themselves. Can people be actually pleased with money and success? Or are these aims only an illusion? Biff and Happy Loman experience whether money and success are worthy values you should set your life on or not. They both come up to a different conclusion. Happy still holds on to success and money. He believes that these values are the key to life. Money rules the world. Whereas Biff has found other criterias he wanted his life to be based on. Biff believes in his individual talent, he trusts his feelings what they tell him to do. Biff goes his own way, therefore he prefers to work on a ranch. Biff came off from what society thinks, what society expects him to do.

Therefore I think Death of the Salesman has lost a little bit of topicality. Arthur Miller focuses his play especially at Willy Loman's failure in society because of his wrong values. But today I think people have enough courage to stand and speak up for themselves as Biff does by the end of the play. Our daily American and even European society is a crowd of individuals.

Death of a salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller (1915- ). The play focuses on how Willy Loman, the main character always thinks and talks about being successful. Being successful is Willy's great dream. Just like the American dream. Willy strives to bring happiness to himself and his family, but does not succeed. He is too prideful to accept the fact that his dream of being a successful salesman never will become true, and he is too prideful to accept where he fits in society. People like Willy are very common in today's society. They are caught up in the American dream; everybody wants to be successful, but only a few make it to the top. But is this really the most important values in life? Willy looks at himself as a failure, just because he didn't make it to the top in business life, well, that is how business is; not everybody can make it to the top. That doesn't necessarily mean that your whole life is over. That is what happened to Willy; when he felt like a failure because of his broken dream, he let it out on his wife, and his two sons, Biff and Happy. Then he killed himself. This shows that Willy's only values in life were to become wee-liked and successful and if he didn't, it wasn't worth living. I think the book was a bit difficult to read, because the play shifts between present and past, which makes it a bit confusing. All over, I liked the book, not because the story was so good, but because after finishing it, it made me think about how much people think about their career, and how often the career becomes a first priority, no matter what. Is it the career that makes a man successful?

"Death of a Salesman" is a sad, but wonderful play written by Arthur Miller. This play, together with "The Catcher in the Rye", was my introduction to real reading. Previous to reading this book, I had kept to what I will call "easier" reading.

"Death of a Salesman" was assigned to us by our English teacher, as part of our undergraduate English class. Our teacher, Mrs. Syring, knew this play by heart. She pointed out the subtleties in this play for us (you can't expect too much from a bunch of accounting students..) and she made us understand what kind of outstanding literary attack on the American society and the American dream this play really is.

The protagonist, Willy Loman, is a committed, hard working, aging, middle class man, with a dream to be rich and successful. Making it "big"- just like the American dream. Unfortunately, Loman is neither rich nor very successful. And in the end, Loman commits suicide, (wrongfully) thinking that his family will be just as happy without him, living well off the insurance money.

This play is a classic portrayal of what kind of tragedy the pursuit of the American dream can bring to a man and his family.

The play is written some sixty years ago (written in 1949), but I don't think this play will ever be outdated. Wonderfully written, with an important moral lesson for all of us to remember.

My Antonia by Willa Cather is set in the farmlands of Nebraska during the late 1800's. The main characters are a young inexperienced boy named Jim and a strong willed girl named Antonia. I thought the book was unique and worth reading.

It was like a fresh breath of air from reading other stuffy books. The first reason I liked it was because the setting was clear. I never knew what Nebraska looked like until I read the book! I felt like I was standing on the long, red, grassy farmlands. The author described the setting so that the reader could get a better feeling for the story. Another reason was the characters were described very well. The main characters, Jim and Antonia were described to make you feel that they were like real people. Jim snuck out of his house to go to the Fireman's dances every Friday night, when his Grandparents forbid him to go. Antonia had a child with her fiancé who ran away from her before they were married. The last reason was the theme was fantastic. The theme was Jim's admiration for Antonia. Even when Antonia had a bunch of kids and was older, he still admired her inner strength, intelligence, and beauty.

My Antonia is a different kind of a romantic novel. It wasn't gushy, otherwise I wouldn't have read it at all! The novel was exciting and a really good page-turner. My Antonia is a novel you would want to read sometime during your lifetime.

The words "historical fiction" may inflict the same agony as "pop quiz" or "speeding ticket" to many teenagers, but reading My Antonia is quite painless.

Title character Antonia Shimerda is introduced to the reader and the narrator when she can say only one phrase of English: "We go Black Hawk, Nebraska." On a seemingly endless train ride across a young United States, Bohemian immigrant Antonia and her family meet recently orphaned Virginia-born Jim Burden for the first time. He tells the story of the Shimerdas and his friend Antonia now as a middle aged man, illustrating his respect for the prairie and the woman who embodies it.

My Antonia is a story for the most part told about the youthful years of a select group of opinionated, hardworking, and brave souls. It is unique, and an especially intriguing read for teens, because the novel is told as a bittersweet memory from an old man. The story might make a reader realize that you may actually look back fondly on some of those pop tests or speeding tickets. "The best days, " quotes Cather on the beginning page, "are the first to flee."

Set in the harsh Nebraska plains during the late 19th century, MY ÁNTONIA follows a Bohemian immigrant family as they attempt to tame their wild land and become self-supporting farmers. Narrated by Jim Burden, a young orphan who recently moved from Virginia to his grandparent's farm in Nebraska, he first encounters the Shimerdas as they embark from the same train to settle in the rugged and wild plains. MY ÁNTONIA is about the platonic love and admiration shared between Jim and Ántonia from their initial meeting on the long train ride from the East and long into their adulthood. Although Jim and Ántonia are separated geographically for up to twenty years in late adulthood, both find that the other remains in their hearts and center of their childhood memories.

Aside from the human characterizations in this novel, the Nebraska prairie plays a significant part in MY ÁNTONIA. The reader is given a glimpse of the beginning land cultivation and an understanding of the hard work involved in transforming the wild prairie land with the red grass to farm plots of corn and wheat. In a time before county roads and highways are constructed, horses must pave their own path through the terrain to travel to the next farmhouse or the nearest town. MY ÁNTONIA captures brilliantly how farmers are essentially controlled by weather and sun patterns than by a time clock. Written mere decades after the Native Americans left the prairie, MY ÁNTONIA displays the initial founding of this land by Anglo farmers and merchants.

Another aspect of MY ÁNTONIA that I enjoyed was the portrayal of the traditional of oral storytelling. With the lack of modern forms of entertainment and high illiteracy rates, individuals living on the plains were left to tell stories at the end of a hard day's work. There certainly wasn't a lack of highly imaginative stories told around the kitchen fire. Some of these stories included tales of why neighbors were forced to leave their homeland due to scandals while others involved questionable behavior that occurred in their own back yards. These stories were told with much detail and humor that I couldn't help but laugh while reading them! I found them to be clever and original.

MY ÁNTONIA is a delightful story that is difficult to put down. I believe it deserves to be classified as an American classic as this story contains so many timeless elements and enduring characters that continue to stay with you long after you finish the book.