What a wonderful addition to Jill Churchill's Jeffrey books. And a rather different situtation--sister and brother set in the early part of the 20th century. Reminds me of Tommy and Tuppence that Agatha Christie wrote. Can't wait for more in this fabulous new series. Lots of fun to read and they take you away from everyday life for a few minutes. Good clues and plot.

I loved this mystery--I have read all the books in the mystery series featuring Jane Jeffry. I think this book will be the start of an interesting new series for the author. The locale and time frame are entirely different from what she has done before. It takes place in New York in the 1930's, with an interesting brother and sister combo as the main characters. Lily and Robert Brewster have fallen on hard times after the crash of 1929 and are living a very hand-to-mouth existence. They jump at the chance at going to live in their uncle's estate after his untimely death. Their living there come with certain conditions, however. By starting to fulfill these conditions, they discover that their uncle's death may not have been an accident. When they begin to ask questions about it, they find out that they may be looked on as suspects! The book was completely enjoyable and a must for those who enjoy her other mystery series.

When a brother and sister who have lost all their family wealth in the Crash of 1929 discover they have inherited their Great Uncle Horatio's rural New York mansion, Honeysuckle Cottage, they also learn that their uncle's will requires them to reside in the mansion for ten years before the house is actually theirs. Also, Great Uncle Horatio, who supposedly drowned in a boating accident, may actually have been murdered. The two lead characters set out to discover the truth about their uncle's death. Jill Churchill has begun a wonderful new series set in the 1930's, and I hope the next book is out soon.

"Because I can no longer ignore death, I pay more attention to life," Treya Wilber observes in the face of cancer (p. 407). Shambhala recently published the Second Edition of this book, twelve years after the death of Ken Wilber's wife. Heart wrenching and profound, this book lives up to its title by taking its reader through all the grace and grit of his wife's five year struggle with cancer. "Grace and grit" summarizes Treya's entire life, Wilber writes. "Being and doing. Equanimity and passion. Surrender and will. Total acceptance and fierce determination. Those two sides of her soul, the two sides she wrestled with all her life, the two sides that she had finally brought together into one harmonious whole" (pp. 390-91). Derived in part directly from Treya's journals, Wilber's book is as much about Treya's "nightmarish tour through medical hell" (p. 23), as it is about the couple's ability to "stay open to life and grow in compassion" (p. 341) through "profound inner change" (p. 164).

"GRACE AND GRIT is her story; and our story," Wilber writes (p. x). It is a real love story that unfolds against a Buddhist backdrop that tells us: "Life is a bubble, a dream, a reflection, a mirage" (p. 363). At age 36, Treya met the man of her dreams, in 1983. They married four months later. Ten days after the wedding, Treya discovered she had breast cancer, and then underwent surgery and radiation. Eight months later, she suffered a recurrence, followed by more surgery and eight months of soul-poisoning chemotherapy (p. 279) and baldness. Eight months later, Treya was diagnosed with diabetes, followed by years of recurrent tumors throughout her lungs and brain (pp. 240; 268).

Her cancer teaches Treya many things, including real suffering: "There is suffering in this world, no way around that one" (p. 280). However, through tonglen meditation, Treya finds compassion for it (p. 315). She learns "to be human. To be truly human. That is most important" (p. 170). Treya learns to "live in the present, not in the future, giving her allegiance to what is, not what might be" (p. 312). She discovers "passionate equanimity--to be fully passionate about all aspects of life, about one's relationship with spirit, to care to the depths of one's being but with no trace of clinging or holding" (pp. 335-6).

Of the five Wilber books I've read, this one comes closest to a memoir, offering its reader a revealing look at Ken Wilber, the man and "support person." "I'm a ... " he says (p. 361), as he silently performs his "daily chores" for Treya, including cleaning, laundry, cooking, dishes, groceries, and vegetable juicing (pp. 336, 362). He writes, "learning to make friends with cancer; learning to make friends with the possibility of an early and perhaps painful death, has taught me a great deal about making friends with myself, as I am, and a great deal about making friends with life, as it is" (p. 356). He also learns to "practice the wound of love:" "Real love hurts; real love makes you totally vulnerable and open; real love will take you far beyond yourself; and therefore real love will devastate you. I kept thinking, if love does not shatter you, you do not know love" (p. 396).

"Treya's story is everyperson's story," Wilber writes in his Introduction to the the Second Edition of his book. As such, it has much to offer any reader interested in personal growth, spirituality, relationships, illness, or caretaking, and it deserves a large audience. It also offers an easy introduction to Ken Wilber's vision. This is both a five-star book, and a five-pointed cosmic star book, "luminous and radiant."

G. Merritt

An extraordinary story which makes such a welcome and necessary change from the superficial and happy-clappy stories about illness that all have such happy endings. This has a sad, powerful, truthful, enlightening ending. Treya dies, just like nearly all cancer patients and yet her dying IS meaningful, but not in the New Age way of "its all just your karma, or a life lesson you have brought upon yourself" - puke!

The philosophy is outstanding. Highly intelligent and compassionate. No-one I have ever read about worked at hard as getting her spirit well (in case that might cure her cancer) as Treya and yet she dies. A definitive repost indeed to all the Caroline Myss and Louise Hay's of the world. I have grown deeply angry with the "you can heal your life/ you create your own reality" approaches as I struggle with (I hope) grace and grit through my own, possibly terminal, illness. This book is a rare shining example of truth - bright, brilliant, loving truth - in amongst the heap of self-righteous publications out there.

Read it to be moved. To be enlightened. To grow in wisdom and courage.

I have read the review thus far and want to give some an idea of what this book is. This book is Treya Wilber who, in her warm, inspiring way, fought to find a way to calm her anxiety. This story is about a husband who shares his wife's life with cancer. The emotional content in this book is strong and compelling to the point that I recomend this book for anyone who has known, loved, or even shared a life with a person who has suffered through any life threatening illness/sickness------any illness/sickness.

To the readers delighting in pyschology and mystical philosophy, the book is a living breathing practice of such beauty--all presented as two loving people shared their devotion and many tears together.

Treya, thank you. I have found something that had lay dormant for years within me. Ken, I wish you so much happiness and peace, and thank you for sharing your story so publically.

Destiny's Lady was a treat worth waiting for! Filled with passion, adventure, and romance, Susan Grace captures the reader from page one with her incredible new story. This book is a keeper! I can hardly wait for the rest of Ms. Grace's series.

DESTINY'S LADY by Susan Grace reaches beyond the typical historical romance by defying the conventions of the time; that is, women should be beautiful and mindless. Instead, Susan creates a powerful heroine certain to delight the most feminist heart, yet enchant the worst cynic.

Catherine and Victoria are separated during infancy, growing up in vastly different worlds. Known as Catherine O' Banyon to her adoptive family, Catherine was never told that she was a foundling. Catherine grows up to become "Lady Cat," captaining a ship that smuggles of arms in defense of Ireland from the tyranny of William Pitt and King George. Meanwhile, her twin Victoria becomes a businesswoman capable of coping with most stolid board, as well as the fashions and snobbery of London' most elite circles.

When Miles Grayson captures `Lady Cat', he finds the perfect image of his missing fiancée, Victoria Carlisle. Everyone believes that Victoria is dead, and Miles is determined to deceive her murderer and bring him to justice. Therefore, he convinces Catherine to take Victoria's place. What he didn't count on was falling in love.

This sweeping historical romance encompasses adventure, heartbreak, mystery, two sensual love stories, and a fascinating psychic bond shared by the twins. Because so much groundwork must be laid for such a complex tale, readers may find the beginning a bit slow going. But when Catherine and Miles meet, the tempo quickly heats up, sweeping the reader away on a tide of passion and sensuality. The complex plot and deepening relationships between the characters rewards the reader with a satisfying romantic tale certain to keep the blood boiling. I heartily recommend DESTINY'S LADY to lovers of historical romance.

I loved GOLDEN FIRE (Ms. Grace's debut title of last year) and was eagerly awaiting DESTINY'S LADY, which is actually the first book of this exciting new saga. What a wonderful story! So much happens between Cat and Miles and the people around them that I can't even begin to explain here (somebody already spoiled some of the fun farther down, I see) but suffice it to say that DESTINY'S LADY left me breathless. It's chock-full of adventure, excitement, romance, and sizzling sensuality--a real winner, and a fabulous follow-up to Ms. Grace's previous title. These two books are keepers for me, and Susan Grace just moved up the ranks to my automatic-buy list. Just wonderful!

My mother, who was born and raised in New Hampshire, and I were having a conversation about books one afternoon. I told her that I had seen someone on the subway with a copy of Peyton Place, which inspired her to launch into some stories of the controversy that had surrounded the book upon it's publication, and the scandal that reverberated through small-town New England, with each town trying to figure out if they were the subject of Metalious's work.
I finally read Peyton Place several years ago, long after it wasn't 'hot stuff' or controversial. Certainly it isn't shocking by today's standards but the book presents an interesting view of 1950's America, far removed from the soda pop and sundae image that nostalgia has tried to recreate.
The story centers around Allison McKenzie, a girl coming of age and facing all of the challenges of growing up in a small town without a father. Her mother, Constance, is emotionally distance at the novel's beginning but warms steadily as she undertakes a romance of her own. Matt Swain is presented as the doctor with a conscience, and the impoverished Cross family provides an ample contrast to the genteel country setting. The book, in many ways, reminds me of Edith Wharton- characters whose lives are woven together in a tremendous fabric of narrative and insight. All characters seem to struggle with the perceived morality forced upon them by the social morays of life in a small town, and the manner in which the deal with problems provides much of the plot that propels this book. In short, this book is wonderful and probably on my top three or four lists of favorites. It's exciting without being tawdry, and something I wish I had read a long time ago.

Having grown up watching the TV series based on this 1956 novel, this reviewer had always intended to someday read the book. I now can certainly see what all the furor was about. Metalious engaged in some very risky writing for that quieter, more conservative time. While anything in this novel seens tame to innocuous by today's standards, after the steamy potboilers of Jackie Collins and Danielle Steel, the author's insights into the makeup and less bucolic underpinings of small-town life ring as true as ever. The characters of Alison MacKenzie and her mother, Constance, are vividly alive and resonate with grace and humanity long after the book is through. Metalious' style is often overblown and purple prose abounds, but it is all rather fun and refreshing after much of the bleakness of contemporary fiction.

Typically, the Kirkus review above pompously dismisses this as not being an "important" novel and decries its defender from academe as "puffery." Kirkus is well-known for such arrogant historionics and should be promptly ignored by the reading public.

I don't want to judge whether Peyton Place and its sequel is a good or great novel or not, as it is rather pointless. People mostly use their own subjective standards for such judgment. However, I do enjoy reading this book thoroughly. As to the sexual explicitness, I can imagine that it would be "groundbreaking" in the fifties as far as it being on printed pages; they otherwise did not seem overly dramatized.

The book gives me a sense of what a New England small town life is like. Of course, I don't, for a minute, believe that the events are typical. I enjoyed all of the characters Grace Metalious sculpted, and I also liked the plot very much. Grace Metalious constructed a perfect web of links between the characters to tell her story. At the center was the evolving relationship between Constance, her husband Tom (Mike) and her daughter, Allison. The other characters, such as Selena Cross, and the Harringtons added important sidelights. The sequel was quite well done and provided a welcome sense of closure, although it is not as riveting as the original.

Yea. I think you will enjoy this book, too.

I only wish this book was around 20 years ago. After reading this book I now really understand why life choices are so important. This book is a reality check and will definitely put you on the right track to receive joy and happiness in life. God bless you Dr.Cornish for telling the real truth about women making positive decisions for happy healthy lives that will benefit our families and our communities. This is the best book I have read in years!

Excellent Observations

This is one of the best self-help books I've read in a long time. I like the fact the case studies relate to all women who have experienced certain relationships with men who were not right for them. Another thing I liked about this book is that the language is simple. Who has the time to hunt down the meaning of a word,while reading a page turner. I believe it would be a good idea that all women of color buy a copy of this book and read it. I was truly amazed at some of the ages of the women in these case studies.

I wish I would have had this book when I was 20 years old. I could have saved myself much grief. This book is a great read to keep on your shelf and to re-read. Props to Dr. Cornish.

vhodge

My sister called me from California and told me to read this book. At first I was kind of hesitant because I don't care for books on relationships, so I picked it up the same day and began reading and I'm glad I did. It was great! Grace Cornish is a bad sister and she knows her stuff. Reading the experiences of what black sisters have gone thru to keep marriages and relationships together was shocking and sad, but with each story, Dr. Cornish gave great advice. I myself married young and experienced a cheating husband with outside children, boy, I wish I had access to this book then, but being a strong black woman I endured many years of heartache and pain until I decided that I needed to love myself first, and that was a start to a new beginning and I've been happy ever since. This book is definitely a must read!!!! for all black women!!!!!!!!

Strunk and White tell us to "omit needless words", and rely on taste to be our guide. The methodical Dr. Williams, viewing this as old-fashioned, sets out to define exactly what words are needless, and why, and how best to get rid of them. It's a worthy goal. Too bad the book stinks.

It's funny that Williams quotes H. L. Mencken's remark that most books about writing are badly written. He first quotes it, then goes on to prove it.

Normal humans from Planet Earth wouldn't say "stylistic infelicity" when they meant "bad writing". They wouldn't say "peripherally relevant" when they meant "closely related". And they wouldn't dream of saying "topicalize X", not even under torture, if what they wanted to say was "make X the topic of the sentence". (You read that right, the guy unashamedly says "topicalize".)

Want some idea of what you'll be getting yourself into? Check out this boner of a sentence, typical of the writing style of the whole book:

"But the object of our attention is writing whose success we measure not primarily by the pleasure we derive from it, but by how well it does a job of work."

Someone ought to tell this guy to omit needless words. The parallelism isn't parallel, the phrase "of our attention" is pointless, the phrase "whose success we measure" is awkward, and that "job OF WORK" is simply nauseating. An Earthling would write something like this:

"Our goal is not just pleasant prose, but effective prose."

So the whole book is written in turgid-ese, even while trying to speak out against it. It's all just an endless wearying slog through the mire. Not unintelligible, just not worth the effort. For what do we learn at the end of the Long March? We learn we should omit needless words.

Last but not least, the book is a typographical disaster, with everything jumbled together and packed into the page. Skimming is impossible.

Many of the five star reviews here are from technical writers, engineers, and so forth. I see a guy from MIT, another from Compuserve, and that's as it should be. They're enured to bad English already, and I'm sure that compared to an engineering textbook this is John friggin' Keats. But for the rest of us, it's just not good enough.

(It's by a linguist, after all, and what the heck do they know about language?)

So it's back to Strunk and White for non-fiction. If you're interested in clearing up confusion in your fiction, check out "Writing and Selling Your Novel" by Jack Bickham, especially chapters 4 and 6. Teachers should consider "Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student".

This little-known gem is the very best American book on writing and grammar. I have found it immensely valuable over an 18-year career as newspaper reporter, magazine editor, columnist and technical writer. Williams teaches you to write clearly and directly, to eliminate the bureaucratic bull and to make your sentences sing. When I was a cub reporter, I would do a few of his exercises in my head each morning as I warmed up the car. By the time I had finished the book, I could cut through the deadly jargon of school committee babble and social service double-talk and put my reports in words that people could read without slipping into a coma. The most amazing thing about this book is that it isn't famous in the writing community. If you care about your writing, buy it -- you can't go wrong.

I've seen some of the reviews that disparage this book. I weep because they did not see the humor of this book. Style is hilarious. Before I read this book, before I understood the value of language use, I was terrified of editing, because I cannot keep the rules of grammar in my head. Each time I re-read this book, more of its inherent humor comes forth. So much of Joseph William's humor is admittedly subtle, but it is just that wonderful humor that perhaps only careful writers and readers can understand. I must say that this book has been a good part in helping me edit my own work... no: it has helped me want to edit my own work and explore the rules of language as being Real, Folklore or Optional.

Joseph William's book Style taught me that language could actually be fun. I thank him for writing this book.

Like _House of Mirth, Edith Wharton's 1917 short novel _Summer _ shows a relatively aware young woman being ground up by social convention. Wharton is so linked with Henry James that no one seems to have noticed the extent to which she was a late naturalist, chronicled inexorable destruction. An argument could be made that Charity is rescued from her hereditary fate up in the mountains (the Berkshires) and that the prime upholder of convention takes pity on her plight, but _Summer_ is close to _Ethan Frome_ in more than a New England location. More pragmatic than some of those confronted with destruction in other Wharton works, Charity makes the best of her very limited options, but happiness is more fleeting than a New England summer is.

The lack of female solidarity in _Summer_ is especially striking. Lily Bart had one devoted female friend. Charity has none, and the professional woman she turns to is far and away the most vicious character in the book.

Most of the book is about the blooming of a love crossing social boundaries that I find tedious. Others, including, I think Wharton herself, enjoyed chronicling Charity's first experience of love with an out-of-towner whose life and commitments are elsewhere, but for me it is the portrait of small-town busybodies and the eventual narrow corner into which Charity paints herself (with the help of social hypocrisy and her lack of education or any marketable skills ) that are interesting.

Susan Minot's introduction is helpful in placing the book within the course of Edith Wharton's life. A particularly important continuity across Wharton's work Minot observes is that "Wharton's heroines are not hapless victims; they understand their helplessness." I am not convinced that this enables them to keep their dignity, but the awareness of their plight and the unreasonability of social judgments heightens the tragedies (in contrast to Stephen Crane's _Maggie_ to take one example).

Leaving behind the world of New York high society that is the subject of many of her greatest novels (The House of Mirth , The Age of Innocence), Edith Wharton focuses her attention on an entirely different scene: a tiny, isolated New England village in early 20th century America. Her heroine, Charity Royall, is young, working class, ill-educated, rough-mannered - in short, about as different from Wharton herself as a character can be. And yet Wharton renders her and her world with remarkable sympathy.

As always, Wharton vividly delineates the painfully constricted circumstances of her heroine's world. And make no mistake: the community that Charity lives in is almost unimaginably narrow and isolated, in a way that no community with access to the internet, TV, etc. could possibly be now, in 21st century America.

Part of what makes this novel so acutely moving is Wharton's depiction of how Charity's whole world opens up as love and passion enter her life. It's touching to see Charity's underlying sensitivity and sensuality - and her curiosity about the world - blossom as her relationship with Harney progresses, and at the same time heartbreaking to realize that, beneath her bravado, she is utterly dependent on him - because her gender, and her lack of money, education, etc., leave her with so few options.

The pleasures of this novel are many; I will limit myself to mentioning a few. Among the features of this novel which makes it so powerful and evocative are the beautifully rendered descriptions of the seasons and the natural environment. The lush portrayals of the plants, flowers, and the natural landscape highlight the erotic tensions inherent in the story.

I also admired the wonderful way each of the places in the novel - the village of North Dormer, the town of Nettleton, the mysterious "Mountain" - take on a distinctive character, and how all of them, taken together, become a microcosm of the world. This symbolism adds a resonance that gives this seemingly "small" novel grandeur and heft. Best of all, the symbolism seems like a totally natural and organic part of the story, not at all forced or strained.

The 4th of July episode is a dazzling setpiece that not only gives the reader some delightful social history about what such celebrations were like in early 20th century America, but also serves to underscore the themes of desire (those sexually charged fireworks, and all those enticing, yet unavailable items in the store windows!) and of Charity's journey from village to the world, from innocence to experience.

This novel also contains some of Wharton's most accomplished characterizations. The complex, morally ambiguous Lawyer Royall is, I think, a masterpiece. (Though I'll admit I was less satisfied with the portrayal of Harney - I think Wharton lets him off the hook).

Finally, this is a book about female sexual desire, and as such it probably broke new ground in the Anglo-American novel (Kate Chopin's The Awakening is the only earlier novel I know that handles this theme with comparable frankness). What Wharton is really great at is dramatizing the paradoxes of desire: the way desire feeds itself and leaves you forever wanting more, and also how desire - the sighing, dreaming, longing - can become an exquisitely painful/deliciously pleasurable end in itself.

Ultimately, like so many of Wharton's novels, Summer is about women's choices, and it presents a remarkably clear-eyed view of a strong-willed young woman's pragmatic yet painful reckoning, as she struggles to make the best of the raw deal society has foist upon her. Charity's fate has the semi-tragic inevitability of so many other Wharton heroines, yet here the writing is suffused with a tenderness that rarely, if ever, appears in Wharton's other works. Long after I put this book down, it continued to haunt me.

Written when Wharton's own marriage was failing, this tale of first love won and lost is a bittersweet, moving novel which melds Wharton's two worlds beautifully - high society, and rural New England. Her personal favorite of all the novels she wrote, Edith Wharton captures the very essence of love and longing in this beautiful, sensual story of Charity Royall and Lucius Harney. Born to a poor mother, Mr. Royall rescues Charity and raises her as his own daughter, but when his wife dies of consumption, and Charity begins to ripen into a lovely woman, Mr. Royal realizes that his feelings for her are deeper than he imagined. Repulsed by his offer of marriage, Charity instead turns her attentions to the handsome young architect from Boston, Mr. Lucius Harney, who is visiting North Dormer for the summer. As summer unfurls in North Dormer like the Red Rambler rose in Charity's garden, Charity and Lucius' love blossoms, burns hot, and spills over into sexual union. Wharton's language of love is extraordinary - beautiful, sensual, and filled with all the fire of first love. I won't ruin the ending for you by revealing it, but it is poignant, achingly human, and ultimately fitting that Charity ends up where she does. Bittersweet and gorgeously written, this is a magical book not to be missed.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a classic poem, which sings to the better angels of the human spirit. Far from a paen to drinking, the poem is a deep spiritual meditation. Look deeply into Omar the tentmaker's poem, with your mind open to the spirit underlying the poem, and you will find the "one true Light." This edition is particularly good, because it contains two of Fitzgerald's five translations. The second edition is mature and somewhat darker than the first. I highly recommend this poem to anyone open to beautiful poetry and Truth.

Khayyam's poetry is a beacon of honesty and courage in a writing form rife with the romantic,silly and childish.Poetry has almost exclusively been the domain of the mystifiers and the pretentious.Khayyam's message is looked down upon by the people who don't have the courage to be pessimists and instead hide behind their daddy in the sky or in some metaphysical womb.Khayyam, like Lucretius,looked honestly around him and drew the conclusions we all know deep down to be true but are usually to weak to admit.Khayyam knew life was an absurdity and the greatest absurdity was not to enjoy yourself and do and think as you please.After all, this is the REAL religion that the world has always adhered to,whatever its pretenses to the contrary.After reading Khayyam almost all other poets seem insipid by comparison.Every poem is exquisite and has the ring of truth.Never mind if Fitzgerald's translation is not faithful to the original Persian;the miraculous,yet simple truth of Khayyam comes through just the same.If you buy one book of poetry in your life make this book the one.

I first read this work of art a month ago, and many times after that. My parents were surprised that I, being 14 years of age, liked it, although I think anyone with a bit of an understanding towards life would enjoy it. Being Persian myslef, and knowledgable towards the history of Omar Khayyam and his time,I read this book in Persian, English and French. Although I think that without doubt anyone who is able to should read the Persian edition, the English translation did not lose the touch and certain charm of the works. Don't underestimate your children either. I mean hey, give it a shot, they might like it!

For Southerners (or others) in the early stages of discovering that many of the things we were taught about the South and the War Between the States aren't really true, Michael Andrew Grissom's book is a good introduction to all the Southerner has to be proud of.

I found the first section of the book, in which Grissom discusses attributes of Southerners and the South -- accents, food, and the like -- to be among the most entertaining. He tells the story of the War (including explaining why 'the War' means only one thing to true Southerners) and Reconstruction, paints moving portraits of Southern heroes, and recounts some Southern myths and folklore.

To someone familiar with other Southern-perspective histories of the War and its impact on the South, including Jefferson Davis' 'Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government,' Edward Pollard, or even the Kennedy brothers (not to mention unblinkered histories like Jeffery Rogers Hummel's 'Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men'), the central section of the book adds little that's new. Grissom helpfully includes a long bibliography, with recommendations for additional reading and study.

Perhaps the most interesting and evocative section of the book is Grissom's extensive collection of Southern photographs, most never before published, and nearly all dating from the War to the early years of the Twentieth Century.

Michael Andrew Grissom is a God-send! To Southerners, you must read this book-we have much reason to be proud. Northerners-if you value the truth, you must read this book. Not only is Grissom a gifted writer, but he is also a thorough historical researcher. Everything in the book is FULLY DOCUMENTED. We all, Northerners and Southerners, should realize one thing--The winner of war takes all, including the telling of history. Of course, history courses in the public schools have always been geared to glorify what Yankees did, but Grissom reveals what Yankees don't want anyone to know, such as the fact that before, during, and after the war, many northern states passed legislation which banned black people from coming to their state to set up residence. So, in essence, many Northerners were saying, "We want you to be free, but don't come up here and live among us!" There is much history yet to be learned which lies hidden, many times purposely hidden. Grissom brings the North's skeletons out of the closet. It is about time. Long live the South and long live Mike Grissom!

Grissom takes a stand for Dixie!
This book should be required reading for all Southerners and those who desire to understand the Southern psyche. It is all right to display rebel pride and be proud of the Old South. The truth shall set Southerners free.
This book is continues to be so popular that it is still only available in hard back after being released in 1989.
Buy it, share it and donate it!

Marianne Williamson's books are informed by her profound belief in peoples' ability to find peace and strength from within. She talks about "miracles," "magic," "spirituality" and "mysticism " all in the same voice. Some consider her to be a "self-help guru." Others call her a "New Age" proselytizer, while still others consider her to be a brilliant "cult leader." The reality is that she is a friend to show biz personalities, has a radio talk show, is a television personality, has written eight books, developed "A Course on Miracles," and is a mother. Williamson has proven herself to be a woman with a vision who has followed her calling to deliver a message to all who are willing to listen.

In her latest book, EVERYDAY GRACE, that message speaks to an optimism founded in what she describes as a "mystical journey" ... [of] "personal transformation [whose] path runs through ... our own psyche." She believes that every human being must explore the "mystical realm" in each of us if we are to cope with our daily lives, fully appreciate our humanity and make some kind of peace with the chaos all around us.

The genesis of her proclamations lies deep within her personal convictions: "I have always had a sense that something is missing in this world". She proceeds to discuss the void, the emptiness she perceives we all feel as we strive to live our lives to the fullest: "I believe that hunger [is] for a lost dimension of experience, is natural in all of us and it doesn't go away just because we ignore it."

Williamson encourages her readers to seek the "magical source" within themselves --- the place at their core where she believes miracles are born. "We wish to cultivate the sacred in the midst of the great small difficulties [we suffer]. We want spiritual principles to be more than beautiful abstractions; we want them to actually transform our lives."

Sometimes the simple prose that forms EVERYDAY GRACE reads like a series of bromides --- sometimes it is very profound; sometimes the clichés jump off the page; sometimes the narrative is lyrical; sometimes readers will be convinced that just for the asking a miracle will take place; and sometimes, they will simply smile and say, "Oh yeah"?

Williamson fans and those who ascribe to New Age dialectic will find solace in her words of advice, while others will be more skeptical. But, in the long run, anyone who is seeking the "Truth" or the "Answers" will probably have as much of a chance of finding them in EVERYDAY GRACE as they will anywhere else.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

Marianne Williamson is in good form in "Everyday Grace," her eighth book. Her basic message is that change occurs on the level of consciousness. Through the agents of prayer, meditation, and new thought the world can be changed. She draws on a diverse source of material to support her beliefs -- the writings of Ghandi, RFK and MLK Jr., various Eastern and Western religious traditions, and American pop culture. The writing is personal, as she relays touching stories like the moment she said goodbye to her dying sister, but also universal in its desire.

Those who have read Williamson's other books, and listened to her library of tapes, will be familiar with her message. Many of her ideas are based on A Course in Miracles, a kind of New Age bible that came about through channeling sessions in the '70s. Williamson is an invaluable agent to break its message down in easier and more relevant language.

The message is simple, as Williamson explains it. Only love is real. When we attempt to judge others, we are ignoring the innocence in them. By focusing on their guilt, we have forgotten that we are all children of the same God. We can give up judging by asking for a miraculous intervention, a simple prayer that our thoughts be aligned with God's. Ask to see the situation through a new set of eyes and a miracle will occur. Williamson believes this works not just on a personal level but on a political one as well. We must pray for our enemies and seek to understand them.

I'm sure that many will benefit from the advice Williamson offers. This book is a good one. I'd also recommend "Healing the Soul of America," an underrated tome from a few years ago.

No one, absolutely no one, can inspire me like Marianne Williamson. In today's world, with all the terrifying, depressing news that haunts us every single day, it's quite a challenge to feel that there is something we can actually do about it. The minute I picked up this book, I began to feel hopeful again. Everyday Grace is so important because it actually gives us the tools to help us shift from feeling so negative and helpless, to creating the experience of the miraculous in our lives. No mean feat for these troubled times. I don't know of anybody that can provide this kind of insight and inspiration the way Marianne Williamson does. This is the perfect Christmas present. I can't think of a better gift at this particular time. I heard Oprah say that on her show, and, after reading this book, I see what she means.