In the past month, I have visited almost 20 orphanages that have been gifted with from 2 to 20 computers by well-meaning supporters of their schools. Now the administrators and teachers of these schools can stop fumbling with their new assets, because I am going to gift each one with a copy of this wonderful book. And if the publisher will produce a Spanish-language version for my many friends in Latin America, my joy will be complete!

A twelve year old boy experiences the joy and pain of freedom when the Civil War ends, he and his family are set free, and Lincoln is assassinated. The cadence of the language evokes the rhythm of a spiritual and the illustrations provide rich interpretation of the story. Winner of the Simon Wiesenthal Children's Book Award, The Wagon is a valuable addition to school libraries. The quiet dignity of the family, the social justice of freedom counterbalanced by the tragic assassination of Lincoln, and the search for a new life are ever important themes to present to children.

Ably edited for The James Dickey Contemporary Poetry Series, Without A Witness showcases the memorable poetry of Stella Johnston. Johnston uses language to pursue singular details or sequences of images and events within the context of experience and human perception.

I, as a Southern will put my two cents in here as these reviews are all by yankees who lament the slavery issue and wouldn't know a southernor if they saw one and surely will not know the true history from reading all the biased accounts they can get their hands on.

"I wrote a journal that I IMAGINED a highly literate and committed young Cavalier of the South would have kept." (emphasis mine)

Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback from readers and book reviewers?...

Dan Bauer: Many readers have difficulty believing the journal is FICTION because it is based on so much solid historical research they believe Pettigrew really kept a journal and that I edited it. Typical would be the response of Floyd Phelps who wrote,

"Are you telling me that you spiced up the Journals or that the whole thing is fiction."

When I replied that the journal was historical fiction Phelps wrote, "Thanks Dan. I guess I was hoping for the impossible. you are a very convincing writer."

Pageonelit.com: What was the last book you read?

Dan Bauer: I just finished William Lee Miller's LINCOLN'S VIRTUES An Ethical Biography. My hats off to Mr. Miller what a great book!

Mr. Bauer and the rest of you should know:

On March 2, 1861, the U.S. Senate passed a proposed Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution (which passed the House of Representatives on February 28) that would have prohibited the federal government from ever interfering with slavery in the Southern states. (See U.S. House of Representatives, 106th Congress, 2nd Session, The Constitution of the United States of America: Unratified Amendments, Document No. 106-214, presented by Congressman Henry Hyde (Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office, January 31, 2000). The proposed amendment read as follows:......

Two days later, in his First Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln promised to support the amendment even though he believed that the Constitution already prohibited the federal government from interfering with Southern slavery. As he stated:

This of course was consistent with one of the opening statements of the First Inaugural, where Lincoln quoted himself as saying: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

That's what Lincoln said his invasion of the Southern states was not about. In an August 22, 1862, letter to New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley he explained to the world what the war was about:

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union."

Of course, many Americans at the time, North and South, believed that a military invasion of the Southern states would destroy the union by destroying its voluntary nature. To Lincoln, "saving the Union" meant destroying the secession movement and with it the Jeffersonian political tradition of states' rights as a check on the tyrannical proclivities of the central government. His war might have "saved" the union geographically, but it destroyed it philosophically as the country became a consolidated empire as opposed to a constitutional republic of sovereign states.

On July 22, 1861, the US Congress issued a "Joint Resolution on the War" that echoed Lincoln's reasons for the invasion of the Southern states:

"Resolved: . . . That this war is not being prosecuted upon our part in any spirit of oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or established institutions of those states, but to defend and maintain the supremacy of the Constitution and all laws made in pursuance thereof and to preserve the Union, with all the dignity, equality and rights of the several states unimpaired; and that as soon as these objects are accomplished the war ought to cease."

By "the established institutions of those states" the Congress was referring to slavery. As with Lincoln, destroying the secession movement took precedence over doing anything about slavery.

On March 2, 1861 - the same day the "first Thirteenth Amendment" passed the U.S. Senate - another constitutional amendment was proposed that would have outlawed secession (See H. Newcomb Morse, "The Foundations and Meaning of Secession," Stetson Law Review, vol. 15, 1986, pp. 419-36). This is very telling, for it proves that Congress believed that secession was in fact constitutional under the Tenth Amendment. It would not have proposed an amendment outlawing secession if the Constitution already prohibited it.

Nor would the Republican Party, which enjoyed a political monopoly after the war, have insisted that the Southern states rewrite their state constitutions to outlaw secession as a condition of being readmitted to the Union. If secession was really unconstitutional there would have been no need to do so.

The book to read is Thomas J. DiLorenzo is the author of the LRC #1 bestseller, "The Real Lincoln": A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War (Forum/Random House, 2002) and professor of economics at Loyola College in Maryland.

I really, really, really enjoyed this book! I am not really a history buff but I read this book in a matter of a few days.
Having lived in Illinois all my life I never really understood
the Southern perspective.
I think this would be a great book for teachers to use with
students for it is extremely well researched. Written in Journal
foremat it would be easy for students to follow. I work for a public school system so is readily apparent to me.
Following General Pettigrew from pre-civil days in Charleston, South Carolina to Gettysburg, Pennslyvania was a wonderful reading experience. For example, When the Charleston
Courrier woman correspondent meets General Pettigrew and he is
astonished at her blommers I could only wonder what a gentleman of the 1860's thought. He was probably as perplexed as many men are over some of the attritire of todays women. The journal entry
dealing with the slave Jupiter and his story of the death of
Mom Lizzy still has me laughing.
Once again, this is a wonderful book, but don't take my word for it, read it yourself and enjoy!!

For much of the 20th Century, the American Civil War has been a popular favorite and familiar epic theme in American Literature and Culture. The struggle and conflict between the North and South, with its mythical ideals of sacrifice, bravery, & honor have long overshadowed the horror and reality of the conflict - the lost lives, the destruction, the pillage and carnage that a society at war with itself can inflict in such a short time. Whether or not the War Between the States was fought to put an end to slavery and emancipate the slaves - or to preserve the Union and thereby create a forward looking, nationalistic, military-industrial state is one of those American History final exam-type questions that will continue to be debated for decades.

Dan Bauer's book, The Long Lost Journal of Confederate General James Johnson Pettigrew, doesn't really try to answer any of these lofty and important questions. What it does - is to give the reader some fantastic insights into the thoughts and actions of a Southern gentleman, a Charleston lawyer, who risked and lost everything for The Cause in which he believed. As you might expect, Pettigrew's Long Lost Journal, is written from the perspective of James Johnson Pettigrew, a single, thirty-something lawyer, who decided to keep a journal as the events of the Fall, 1860 Presidential election began to unfold. His chronicles of the next three years' events include a great deal of historical fact, intertwined with a good deal of "camp humor", personal anecdotes, and most importantly, many reflective insights into that one question that pre-occupied and seemingly perplexed Pettigrew - "What is it that is so wrong about slavery"?

There are several other themes developed from Pettigrew's Long Lost Journal that are worth noting and speak volumes of Dan Bauer's craft and talent as a writer, researcher and historian. His descriptions of many of the battle scenes are horrifically realistic - you'll stop at the end of a passage realizing that your heart is pounding and your pulse racing from the din of battle. Yet, it's Pettigrew's descriptions of Confederate Army camp life that provide the truer picture of 19th Century soldiering and the ironic fact that many fine soldiers died of sickness and disease without ever experiencing the "glory of battle". In chronicling Pettigrew's campaigns, his organization and leadership of the Charleston militia prior to Fort Sumter, his "enlistment" as a private [just to see some action], his near fatal injury, capture and ultimate exchange as a prisoner of war, leading finally to his promotion to Brigadier General, Dan Bauer has accomplished the difficult task of painting a realistic picture of the Civil War without either boring the reader to death or compromising the truth of Pettigrew's service.

Dan Bauer has done a great job portraying The Conflict through Pettigrew's eyes, but that is far from all this book offers. Pettigrew's Long Lost Journal also enables the reader a glimpse into the heart and soul of a brave and noble, yet tragically flawed human being. General Pettigrew, like so many of his Southern contemporaries, was unable to comprehend the inherent evil that slavery posed. Though genuinely appalled by the many horrors, atrocities and physical abuses inflicted upon black slaves at the hands of their white masters, Pettigrew could not bring himself to do more than wonder about what the South might be like without slavery. He willingly died for The Cause, without ever questioning or considering that the institution of slavery for which he fought was so inherently evil and wrong. No amount of paternalistic rationalizing over the plight of freed slaves could ever justify the South's inhumanity toward and oppression of the slaves.

If there could be but one reason why the Civil War was fought, Pettigrew's Long Lost Journal certainly suggests an answer. It is so remarkably apparent, after reading this wonderful rendition by Dan Bauer, that the only way to purge the evil of slavery from the South, was by the blood and sacrifice of so many brave and noble men, men such as General James Johnson Pettigrew, who unquestionably believed in the "rightness" of The Cause for which they willingly fought and nobly died. While we may admire their bravery, courage, and unwavering loyalty, we should not forget that these Confederate Rebels, these noble Southern citizens were just, plain, wrong about slavery.

The passages of Pettigrew's Long Lost Journal that explain his thoughts about slavery and describe some of the events he witnessed, will make many readers of this book uncomfortable. That is good! It is all too easy for 21st Century Americans to take a four hour trip back in time and "experience" the Civil War through any number of romantic, epic tales portrayed on the silver screen. Thank you Dan Bauer for a wonderful history lesson from The Long Lost Journal of Confederate General James Johnson Pettigrew.

Gary L. Luhman Browntown, Wisconsin

This is the story of a genuine hero, one of uncountable many that America produces and, thankfully, continues to produce. Someone said: Freedom isn't free and this is amply demonstrated in this book. The story of one person's dedication to duty is vibrantly told.
There is a bridge, a heavy, strong, and a very capable bridge. Ironically, built by the US Army several years before. It is the only big strong bridge across a river separating North Vietnam from the south.
A formidable armored column from the north is approaching, intending to use this bridge as their avenue to overtake the south. It is somewhat late in the war, and America is pulling out ("Vietnamizing" the war), but there is a lot of pain and agony still to go through. The destruction of this bridge slowed the advance of the northern armies by three years.
The book is written on the detail level and therein lies its fascination. We see that Capt Ripley climbs over barbed wire fences, swings across the under girding of the bridge, and fights this battle from street to foxhole around the little town of Dong Ha (just a few miles from the DMZ). The writing is wonderful and gripping, putting you face-to-face with the action as it unfolds hour by hour.
This book does lack a few essentials. The full context, with appropriate maps, in time and space is missing. Additionally, the reader is sometimes lost (as I was) in the minute details of the action at the bridge. A very local map or two would have helped.
The heroism of Capt Ripley is focused on his action in moving around under the bridge, while under direct small arms and cannon fire. It is difficult for a reader to appreciate this without almost an engineering drawing of the undersides of the bridge. We read of channels, stringers, girders, piers, all three stories above the river. Capt Ripley was swinging, crawling, and hauling explosives. I (and maybe this is the engineer in me coming out) would have loved to see drawings showing the design of the bridge, with little arrows and annotations ('crawled from here to here', 'pulled xx pounds of explosvie across this girder', 'I was here when the rifle bullets came in', 'the tank shell hit here').
Finally, we note the very emotional and wonderful human touches, the radioman, the commander of the South Vietnames unit, the commander's bodyguard, are described very well; their humanity is very apparent, as is their own dedication to their country. While we learn a little about them, more would have been a great addition. Similarly with Capt Ripley's American compatriot, Major Jim Smock (USA, Armor), who was with him at the bridge.
The book is 186 pages long; it could have been twice that and welcome.

In his desperate attempt to blow up the bridge at Dong Ha and keep some 30,000 men and 200 tanks at bay, Ripley endured three hours of direct fire to rig more than 500 pounds of explosives. Handwalking the beams beneath the bridge, crimping detonators with his teeth, and racing the burning fuses back to shore, he saved his comrades from certain death. This earned Ripley the Navy Cross. He is a 1962 graduate of the United States Naval Academy - - yet another fine American produced at Annapolis.

Mr. Johnston has an execllent voice, he should have just read the Bible with out the voice effects and background music. The volume of the background music changed often and is at times quite distracting.

I spend 2 hours driving to and from work each day. Listening to this dramatized Bible puts me in a remarkably serene mood. The Word comes alive and it's like listening to live theater. I'm so glad I have this Bible. Thank you Stephen Johnston.

For anyone who chooses the New International Version as their Bible will absolutely love this recording. It is lovingly narrated and precisely word-for-word. I recommend it to anyone who wants to hear the clearest and best recording. It is well worth the price and I love to share it with friends. It's funny how few people realize that there is a recorded Bible out there. Thank you Stephen Johnston.

Thanks to the many requests of Star Wars fans and radio enthusiasts alike, the team that brought us the radio adaptations of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, reunited to conclude the original saga. Made exclusively by Highbridge, Return Of The Jedi, once again uses the film's score by John Williams and sound effects by Ben Burtt, to make for a top notch production. By using the actual soundtrack from the film, it gives the audio production crediability, as opposed to being made without it.

Once again, directed by John Madden, Jedi reunites most of the actors from the previous adaptions, with a couple of notable exceptions. Mark Hamill, who reprised his role as Luke Skywalker, for the first 2 productions, is replaced by Joshua Fardon. While, Billy Dee Williams, as rogue Lando Calrissian, is replaced by Arye Gross. As hard as these gentlemen try, because of the original actors previous involvment with the other two radio dramas, its difficult to imagine anyone else in those parts. Fardon's portrayal lacks the maturity of Hamill's character in the film version, Gross comes off, not quite as smooth, in playing Lando. The rest of the main radio cast, from the other two adaptations is thankfully intact. Actors Anthony Daniels, once again as C-3PO, (who has appeard in all 3 radio dramas as well as all of the films in the series) Brock Peters as Vader, Perry King, as Han Solo, Anne Sachs as Princess Leia, all complete their character arcs in the seies with style. Actor Edward Asner as the gangster Jabba The Hutt and John Lithgow as Master Yoda, (as he did in the Empire radio drama) use vocal talent, like no others, to bring these 2 unique characters to life.

Sci-fi author, Brian Daley, once again. wrote the radioplay for Jedi. As before, there are a few additional "scenes" presented, not in the film version. The end result is very good, but thanks to its shorter length, and the casting changes, I mentioned, Jedi doesn't seem quite as epic, as the other radio dramas in the series. Sadly, Daley passed away soon after the dialogue was recorded, and the production is dedicated to his memory. His script is very faithful to the film and the added scenes remain true to the characters and story.

If you own the other two radio dramas in the series, Jedi is a must have, minor problems and all. The story has six episodes, presented on three compact discs with a total running time of nearly 3 hours. Recommended

Return of the Jedi has always been my favorite Star Wars movie, both because I like how all the characters matured, (especially Luke) and because it finally delt face to face with the dark side, possibly the best force of evil ever thought of in the realms of fiction. This book exheeded not only my expectations for the book itself (which were very high) but even surpassed the movie in some ways. The author has a deep, highly emotional writing syle which apealed to me greatly, and was so profound that all through the book I truly felt as if was there, a part of the story. Every Star Wars fan should read this at some point, especially those who didn't like Return of the Jedi because they thought it was weaker than the others. I could almost garantee this book would change their minds. Also, the author did a tremendous job on the characters. Just they way they were presented made me truly feel for them, even characters who were previously not my favorites. At times this book had me sitting on the edge of my seat actually wondering if maybe this time it would turn out differently, and the part where Anakin Skywalker dies almost had me in tears. Anyway, I don't think think this book belongs in any particular age range, though probably some of it (in fact a lot of it) would most likely go over the heads of people younger then twelve or so.

You'll never see me cite one Star Wars movie being better than all the others (at least until Episode III comes out, which I'm convinced has the potential to be the best movie of all time), but as far as the novelizations go, Return of the Jedi is by far my favorite.

If you didn't already know it, there are a handful of important details included within this book that didn't make it into the movie. These details alone are reason enough for all Star Wars fans to read this book. When Episode III finally comes around, you will be able to appreciate it much more having read this book.

However, the true strength of this book is the wonderful portrayal of the characters. So much depth was given to them that it just strengthened all of the reasons why I love Star Wars. And the reason I do love Star Wars is because of the characters. While all the sci-fi stuff is really great, it is the story of these characters that has drawn me into this universe. Reading about Luke flaunting with the Dark Side as he faces against Vader and the Emperor is gut wrenchingly incredible.

This is the third part of a three part story. I recommend reading the first two parts first respectively - the third part is a treat you won't regret.

Certain dual-meaning tracts, or those with multiple possible translations, especially in the Acts and Gospels, are trimmed often and unneccessarily. If one is to understand the Word, it must not be edited for him.

The quality of sound is good. But a few words is cut by the end of every chapter. The read speed of Old Testament is little bit faster.

I have no idea what that reviewer from Canada is talking about! This audio Bible has been read word-for-word from the King James Version. I have listened and read along and there are no omissions or translation problems. It has been beautifully narrated and is a joy to have and listen to. You will love it!

Most people are put-off and confused by anything to do with legal procedure and process. I certainly am. That there is a judge lawyer out there who can untangle things for the legal novice is a surprise to me. Written by an experienced California judge, with contributions from a licensed psychologist and custody evaluator, this book (in the series Rebuilding Books for divorce and beyond) places emphasis on the emotional component to the issues surrounding child custody. The do's and don'ts at the end of each chapter will help you figure out what you need to do. The glossary is most helpful - it explained legal words to me in language that I could understand. The book does not shy away from tricky topics like child abuse and false molestation or how to select a lawyer. Even though the authors are California-based, they're aware of legal trends nationwide, so you'll find this book useful if you live in the United States. If you or someone you know is faced with the difficult decisions involved in working out a child custody agreement, I'd recommend this book.

As a psychologist who has read a number of child custody books, I find this one by James W. Stewart to be one of the best. Not only is it extremely helpful to me with the family court work in which I am involved, but I feel as though I have finally found a book I can recommend to my clients to read as well. The feedback I have received from the clients has been very positive, not only because of the content, but because of the clear, concise manner in which it is written.

Most people are put-off and confused by anything to do with legal procedure and process. I certainly am. That there is a judge/lawyer out there who can untangle things for the legal novice is a surprise to me. Written by an experienced California judge, with contributions from a licensed psychologist and custody evaluator, this book (in the series Rebuilding Books for divorce and beyond) places emphasis on the emotional component to the issues surrounding child custody. The do's and don'ts at the end of each chapter will help you figure out what you need to do. The glossary is most helpful - it explained legal words to me in language that I could understand. The book does not shy away from tricky topics like child abuse and false molestation or how to select a lawyer. Even though the authors are California-based, they're aware of legal trends nationwide, so you'll find this book useful if you live anywhere in the United States. If you or someone you know is faced with the difficult decisions involved in working out a child custody agreement, I'd recommend this book.

Listening to the Bible in Alexander Scourby's wonderful voice is pure pleasure. Unfortunately, for the "dramatized" version, they gave all quotations--entire chapters in some places--to actors of mediocre skills. They sound like they didn't read the script ahead of time. Voice inflection is all wrong. It's an effort to make sense of what one hears. My advice: buy the Alexander Scourby version that doesn't say "dramatized" instead.

This is a voice only recording of the KJV bible. This recording took Alexander Scourby over one year to complete. This package comes with 62 CDs - the CDs will give you a lifetime of flawless listening. You can listen to this complete recording on line at - http://www.audio-bible.com /bible/bible.html

This is a wonderful narration of the original KJV of 1611. I have been been enthralled with the vividness of the scripture afforded by this dramatized version. The quality of Scourby's narration, inflection and emphasis -and the various voices all produce clarity that I don't think I would have otherwise had. This product is a blessing and I really can't stop listening.