Rabbi Abraham Heschel is an intellectual and prophetic hero of mine. Any one who would stand up to the pope and say 'I'd rather die than convert' (when trying to get the Roman Catholic Church to drop 'conversion of the Jews' as an official aim of the church) has the sort of integrity of belief and identity that I aspire to and most likely will never attain.

Heschel's book 'The Prophets' became an almost instant classic. Simply reading through the chapter titles and subtitles (a partial list of titles appears at the bottom of this review) will give a sense of the breadth and depth of this work.

Heschel sees an urgent need for prophets and prophecy in today's world. 'The things that horrified the prophets are even now daily occurrences all over the world.' In examining the prophecies of Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nathan, &c, he discerns the common strands of the word of God in all that they said and did, and teaches the reader how to discern similar prophetic aspects in today's world.

'The prophet is human, yet he employs note one octave too high for our ears.'

The Bible says, let him who has ears to hear, listen. Alas, ordinarily we do not have the hearing range to be able to give adequate attention and comprehension to today's prophetic voices. Most often the voice of the prophet is one we do not want to hear (look at how the Israelites reacted to their prophets!). Prophets were often seen as doom-sayers and problematic people.

Indeed, every prediction of disaster is in itself an exhortation to repentance. The prophet is sent not only to upbraid, but to 'strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.'

Every prophetic utterance, according to Heschel, has to have within its core a message of hope. Without hope, without a promise to greater community and participation in the love of God, there is no true prophecy. The road may be hard and long, involving pain and even death, but in the end, the prophet's goal is greater life for all.

'To be a prophet is both a distinction and an affliction.'

Being a prophet has never been a chosen profession. Indeed, like Jonah, we'll often go to extraordinary lengths to avoid even the smallest call to prophecy. Prophetic voices are inconvenient, not least of which to the person charged to be the speaker of that voice. Yet the prophet is much more than a mouthpiece.

'The prophet claims to be far more than a messenger. He is a person who stands in the presence of God.'

The prophet becomes one with God in many ways, yet remains a human being. This creates a tension in the prophet, as Heschel writes about Isaiah:

'Indeed, two sympathies dwell in a prophet's soul: sympathy for God and sympathy for the people. Speaking to the people, he is emotionally at one with God; in the presence of God, beholding a vision, he is emotionally at one with the people.'

Yet prophecy has its limits.

'A prophet can give man a new word, but not a new heart.... Prophecy is not God's only instrument. What prophecy fails to bring about, the new covenant will accomplish: the complete transformation of every individual.'

It was the prophet who, long before ideas of political unity and divers peoples living together in community, first conceived of the idea of a unity that binds all human beings together.

Read and prepare to be enlightened, inspired, irritated, and educated.

Chapters include:
- What manner of man is the prophet?
- History
- Chastisement
- Justice
- The Theology of Pathos
- The Philosophy of Pathos
- Anthropopathy
- The Meaning and Mystery of Wrath
- Religion of Sympathy
- Prophecy and Ecstasy
- Prophecy and Poetic Inspiration
- Prophecy and Psychosis (there is a fine line between prophecy and madness, after all!)

'This, then, is the ultimate category of prophetic theology: involvement, attentiveness, concern. Prophetic religion may be defined, not as what man does with his ultimate concern, but rather what man does with God's concern.'

I truly enjoyed every aspect of this wonderful book written by a husband and wife team of excellence. They deserve commendation for writing such a book.

I came away understanding how the Prophets were advancing the education of man and woman to abandon idols and worshiping these graven images. Instead they were telling men to believe in themselves by controlling their emotions and anger by seeking out a larger spiritual presence in the Supreme Being and the precepts they say were created from high above.

The Western World is indeed indebted to Jewish thought, philosophy and attitudes towards social justice. It is time others who wish us harm understand the Jewish Culture is as much as a keystone to Western Civilization as Islam is to the Middle East and Buddhists are to the Orient. Respecting such concepts with tolerance is the work of G-d whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim.

One of my favorites Prophets is Elijah. Few knew he was on the brink of suicide suffering from a great depression until he heard words from somewhere telling him he is needed for a greater purpose in life. Even more fascinating was his first reaction. As in most Prophets, he tried to reject his calling; he did not want to listen to the voice. Let alone take up the burden to speak out for social causes that needed changed. Yet, his will was bended by a more powerful force and he ended up saving many from atrocities, curing others, challenging authority that was abusing the people and teaching the world how to treat one another. What I cannot deny is that something changed this man to change us and that is recorded in history!

Whether you are atheist, religious skeptic or outright spiteful towards religion, you will learn about the Prophets who have spoken to G-d. Their lives were real and existed telling us interesting stories whether you are a believer or Non-believer.

I highly recommend this exquisite book of history. I will leave it to you to choose to believe what you wish and desire as always. As for me, I am one day more educated by reading this book and that suits me just fine today.

The depth of Heschel's understanding, appreciation and devotion to the prophets will amaze you, Jew or Christian. You may never even glimpse the prophets if you do not read this book. Until you have read several of Heschel's books, you have missed a major light with which God illuminates our world.

A real Inspiration
This book was captivating from beginning to end...Why isn't there a movie? The Mighty Atom was indeed mighty! I laughed, cried and wanted to bend steel bars in half when I was finished! A must read for all underdogs!

I have the original edition and the second printing with some different photos from the first edition.A great book which I have read many times.I gave my son Jay a copy and like myself and everyone else who reads it loved it.A very inspirational book for all ages.I would highly recommend it to anyone.

This is one of my favorite books of all time! I have read it several times over the years, and it's always a treasure.

This is a true and amazing story about a truly amazing man, Joe Greenstein aka "The Mighty Atom", a strongman of the highest caliber.

Very well-written and highly entertaining, this book details the amazing, miraculous accomplishments of the Mighty Atom (not least of which includes holding back an airplane with his HAIR alone!). But it goes far beyond just listing his strongman feats - it's a truly interesting, in-depth look at a fascinating man and his hardships and successes in life as a vaudeville showman, father to ten children, devoted husband, spiritual seeker, and friend of mankind.

I highly recommend this book for kids, adults, everyone! It's such a great, great book. Full of inspiration and wonder.

I have spent many years reading books, talking to counselors, and talking to friends about relationships. Reading Johnson's book was a real eye opener, to put it very mildly. I have enjoyed the author's style in his other books where he presents a myth and discusses it's psychological meaning. This book is no exception, except that it's relevance is way off the charts. Before reading "We" I had all but thrown my hands in the air in frustration regarding relationships. The author's beautiful style drills deep and answers the many questions I had. Johnson's use of the Tristan myth told me what I did not want to hear, but the pain I have experience in relationship told me that Johnson was right on the money. The author's analysis of romantic love and the distinction he makes between passion and true love (which is more low key and may even come across as boring sometimes) spoke loud and clear. He made me realize that I have been searching out there in vain for so many years for lady soul, because lady soul lurked within my unconscious mind. Since reading this book I was able to connect with lady soul and have that symbolic marriage that Johnson talks about.

I highly recommend this book to each person who has a lot of questions about why relationships in our cultures are in a state of epidepic crisis. The author's answers may not be what you want to hear if you are a "zealous" romantic. If you are willing to stretch yourself and change, then Johnson's words are an excellent catalyst for changing your ways and heading in the right direction.

I consider "We" among the most relevant books by Robert Johnson, and among the most relevantt books by any author!

This classic work gives us a simple story and model for how men think, what they secretly want, and how men can see what it is they really need.

I've incorporated a lot of this book in my own work (a hidden resource that I don't really mention or credit).

At only about 100 pages and less than [$$], how could anyone miss out on buying this book.

I found this volume almost impossible to put down once I started reading it.
Author Robert A. Johnson has a very fluid writing style, and does a superb job
of exposing the archetypal aspect of romance and love relationships by discussing the implications of
the myth of Tristan and Iseult. I found myself strongly moved
by this volume, and it helped me work through some live and
at the time previously unexplored aspects of my own psyche.

This book doesn't leave you feeling torn apart as many analytical
works on love do. It analyzes the emotions and expectations of
lovers in such a way as to allow one to re-examine one's own
love relationships and ultimately one's understanding of what
a love relationship should be. This is a timeless volume, which
transcends the stereotypical types of responses one has to love and love relationships. Western media and folklore have so thoroughly dwelt on this topic that I find it remarkable that this Jungian philosopher is able to significantly add to the tradition, by allowing one to consciously break down the archetypal influences that seem to so powerfully motivate us when we are in love. I found this book illuminating enough that after finishing it I had to purchase a copy for a close friend.

Be aware that this type of progress doesn't happen in a vacuum, so this book may be somewhat troubling if you are a person who has
long cherished views that you do not want to question about love and romance. But if you are willing to subscribe to the author's thesis that love and love relationships can be improved by understanding their core motivations as reflected in myth and allegory, you will absolutely love this book as I did and possibly this book will change the way you look at love and life. Definitely a must-read if you are someone like me who is always falling in love and not knowing why.

If every general manager in baseball (Ed Lynch, are you reading this! ) was forced to study this book, entire paradigms of baseball lore would suddenly be pushed aside in favor or fresh, rational, and rigorous principles of management. All of the statistics provided in the prospectus are, of course, second to none, but Michael Wolverton's relief ratings (ARP, ARA, etc.) are truly something special. I have always been amazed at how even the most "knowledgable" baseball minds accept simplistic statistics like ERA and saves as valuable appraisals of a relief pitcher's talents. It's as if the baseball gurus have failed to adjust to post-1950 baseball with its growing reliance on bullpens and decreasing reliance on starting pitchers, and the completely different conditions in which relief pitchers work in comparison to their starting compatriots. Yet these same "experts" have accepted without question the notion that a team must have a real "closer" in order to be a contender. Wolverton blasts these assumptions to smithereens with his analyses, and his elaborate calculations, yet pristine conclusions should revolutionize how the later innings of games are viewed. Throw in the authors' passionate defense of wise treatment of young pitchers, their funny yet consistently incisive comments about hundreds of players, their willingness to challenge age-old fallacies like "veteran leadership" and the genuinely historical perspective they bring to the table of baseball debate, and you have one of the most informative and entertaining baseball books I've ever read.

BP debunks myths, explodes fallacies, and takes sabermetrics to a new height. It has an excellent method for evaluating and projecting performance, but many other credible methods can found elsewhere. BP's riches are found in the essays and player commentaries. Its insights will reshape the baseball debate in the coming years. Roster management, pitcher abuse, big markets v. small markets, tools v. skills -- the debates defining our age and the age to come are all discussed fully and insightfully here.

BP readers will in short time find themselves looking at baseball in a much more complex and accurate way. They will find themselves at greater and greater distance from the newsstand knowledge of those who rely on magazines and Baseball Weekly. They'll be better fans for having read BP. No other book provides so much. BP2K is the best value on the market.

Baseball Prospectus is a must-have for any hard-core baseball fan. These guys do a fantastic job of stripping away the nonsense and the myths and really analyzing the facts to come up with some really useful observations. Also, the manner in which they do it is fun, funny and engrossing; never just a cold statistical survey. All fantasy league players should buy this book immediately, but it will be a great read to any fan of the game.

I loved this book as a kid 25 years ago, and now I love reading it to my 20-month old son. My son loves Joe, too, and wants to read it over and over. Joe seems like such a friendly, hard-working fellow, and he's a wonderful example for kids. The illustrations are about the best I've ever seen in a children's book, so good, in fact, I sometimes pick it up even after my son goes to bed!

We purchased this book for our son who is now 14, I saved all his baby books, and now we've got a new son, 19 months..both of them have enjoyed this book immensely! The cut-away view of the truck is wonderful, the illustrations so detailed and accurate..this book is one of the best out there for truck- loving toddlers...a must have, and a classic in our house.

I have read this book at least 100 times to my son Bjorn. And I still enjoy reading it!!! I think that says somthing of the quality of the thing. Bjorn is now 4 years old and we started when he was about 2.5 years old. The book has very good illustrations, detailed enough to be interesting even after a hundred times! We usually start to look at the x-ray drawing of the truck, talking of where the radiator is and whats it for, why there is a fire extinguisher beside the drivers seat etc, etc...

I love it.

Marshall's Lakota Way is a wonderful book that I found to conatin bits of wisdom that can benefit all of us, no matter who you are or where you live. The book examines Lakota perspectives on life and how it relates to modern society. I would highly recommend this book as well as Marshall's "Winter of the Holy Iron".

I was truely swept away by this book. All the different stories relating to the Virtues are wonderful. I would recommend this to anyone that shares a love for Native Americans. Their beliefs really come alive in this book for dreamers and romantics like me.

I borrowed this book from the library and
when I started reading it, I couldn't put
it down. I finished the book that same night,
it was great.

This book is based on reality. All these virtues
are based on pure common sense principles.

I will buy this book and a couple more for my
family and friends.

As a high school librarian, I love coming across books that need just "one sale" to just one student. As they say, and the rest is history. This is that kind of book. I do so enjoy being able to recommend a book to a reluctant reader and be confident in assuring them that they will not only finish reading it--but will share it with friends before returning it!

This is a winner!

FREAKs won "Honorable Mention" in the Writer's Digest 2001 Book Writing Competition...

"In a few pages Scalia takes the readers into a realistic junior high environment that could be theirs. The story could be theirs, too... Hildy, Scotty, Harrison, Carmine are so real! Scalia treats them with the respect each deserves. The voice of the story and Hildy's voice are loud and clear. The language is simple but beautiful. The dialogue is credible... Young adults of different reading levels will enjoy this book. Adults should read it, too."

Nothing but raves from Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English. FREAKs was featured in the "English Festival 2002" held this May at Duquesne University, where 1500 junior/senior high school students read it and loved it!
It is a book that speaks to the reader from pre-teen to young adult and beyond! A must for schools across the country!

Delissio's "River Cafe Wine Primer" is a nice place to start for the beginning oenophile. It reads easily, for the most part, and never insults the reader. The author joins the "all things are possible" attitude, leaving the appreciation of wine to the reader, while providing guideposts for enjoyment. Never is the reader talked down to, but neither is the author willing to keep his advice on a lowest common denominator level.

This book has an insider's information and I found some of the restaurant and background info on par with Boudrain's "Kitchen Confidential", but with a dash more restraint. I'm not sure if the wine industry has the kind of dirt that Boudrain exposes, but the novelistic style of Delissio's book still makes it a worthy read.

Where this primer fails is not so much the fault of the book, but rather in its competition. Zraly's wine course book and MacNeil's "The Wine Bible" are superior. The Zraly book is very basic, while MacNeil's is far more thorough. One reviewer noted how well Delissio clarified the wines of France, but I found his tour to be more confusing than similar discussions in the other two books. The sidenotes and fun facts in Zraly, and the ebullient, "zest for life" attitude of MacNeil also take them one step above "The River Cafe Wine Primer".

Another significant lack is that due to the writing style and the book's layout, it doesn't function well as a reference. In other words, it wouldn't be a book I would reach for if I had a question. Delissio avoids naming names - his wine recommendations are more generalized. This works well for a book that will probably not go through several revisions, but again, it makes it harder to use for specific help.

A nice day read, "The River Cafe Wine Primer" is a fine addition for wine lovers who seek to round out their knowledge, but in a crowded market of wine books, there are other more essential books to add to one's library.

While I have always liked wine I have always hated the arrogance of most people who sell wine. Be it the cocky wine shop clerk or the restaurant wine whatever you call them guys with the silly silver cup, they seldom make me feel like my opinion means anything. They make me feel stupid! That has all changed since I have read The Wine Primer. While I did not buy the Wine Primer, (it was a gift from a woman who has become my ex woman) I love the power and comfort it has given me.

Best of all this book saves me money. I didnt know wine shops give quantity discounts until I read it in the Wine Primer. I tried it out when I bought six bottles of wine in my local wine shop when at checkout, I asked if there was any multiple bottle discount- to my surprise there was, 10 % to be exact. I have
saved over a hundred dollars since I read of this tip in The River Cafe Wine Primer.
I like red wine with almost every thing I eat. Once at a well known restaurant I ordered a French red Bordeaux with my Tuna and was given a three minute lecture by "The Wine Guy" on how it
as a horrible match. Needless to say I was so intimidated I changed my order. Here I am I'm thirty four years old, I own my own buisness, my own home, repair my boat and car by myself, and coach a little leaugue soccer team, and I found my self embarrassed to have red wine with Tuna. Mr. Delissio says in his book that "the only palate one ever needs to impress is his own" and puts it in a way that you believe it.

There is a saying in the bible that if you teach a man to fish you will never have to feed him. The River Cafe Wine Primer has taught me how to let myself enjoy my own tastes, and after reading it I find that when it comes to wine I don't need any help. Best of all it keeps saving me money.
I recommend everyone learn how to fish and read this book.

As a mere advanced beginner in the world of wine enjoyment, I find this book to be among the best I have explored to educate myself. It covers all kinds of really practical information from ordering wine in different types of restaurants to purchasing wine in retail stores, as well as more detailed information on types of wines. Imagine that you have a great friend or associate who knows the world of wine inside and out and you ask him to write down some advice for you, and you'll get an idea of the easy style you'll find here...only expanded tenfold. This book is laid out thoughtfully and is bursting with the kind of practical advice that can only reflect a deep love for the subject matter. I would highly recommend this book to both someone who is just beginning to explore and enjoy wines and also to those a little further along who are looking for depth of general knowledge.

I've read all of Luxbacher's soccer books. Judging by how he writes, he's one of the best youth coaches in America. I've incorporated many of Luxbacher's drills and small-sided games into my sons' teams' practices. Luxbacher and publisher Human Kinetics are the best in America!

One of the best books on soccer coaching ever. The drills are very simple to follow. I have incorporated some of the ideas into my own coaching sessions and the team that I coach really loves it. They have fun whilst at the same time they learn some basic skills. With this book, you will not be short of ideas on how to run soccer practices.

This is my first year coaching. I was worried what/how to teach 3 & 4th graders. This book gave MANY excellent drills and games for the kids to play and learn. The diagrams were very helpful. If your looking for a good book with lots of great ideas...this is great for any level player or coach!!

This volume was first written in the 1960's Soviet Union under Krushchev's less onerous regime. By the time Children of the Arbat was ready for print Brezhnev had taken power and any dissent was supressed. Arbat was in fact, not printed until 1987.

The novel takes place in 30's Russia on the eve of the Great Purges under Stalin. The Arbat itself is street in Moscow which was once a bazaar and then (and now) the location of several cafe's and ourdoor music.

Children of the Arbat is great work combining literature and political commentary. Rybakov shows the impact of the terror on a small group of friends and relations. His portrayal of Stalin is on the mark, cold and ruthless.

An excellent novel of an era in Russia that should never be forgotten.

This book documents the horrors of the Stalinist reign of terror in the old Soviet Union from a uniquely Russian perspective .It is in fact written in a very similar style to Tolstoys 'War and Peace' The epic develops at just the right pace with well developed characters who are very real.The hero of the story Sasha Pankratov,a loyal Communinst Party member who falls victim to the rotten machinations of the party,the rebellious and strong yet vulnerable Varya Ivaova,the scheming and ruthless Yuri Sharok,the opportunistic Vika Marasevitch,the colourless Nina Ivanova,the vilainous Kostya and a host of other characters who all get caught up one way or another in the evil of the Communist regime

Rybakov refused to have his "Children of the Arbat" published abroad until it was first published in the Soviet Union. After reading how idealistic young Soviets sacrifice themselves to Stalin's lofty plans, in the end betrayed by the very system that they so strongly believed in, one can understand why it took so long before the book went to press. The reader certainly gets a feel for the hope, revolutionary fervor, and idealism of Soviet youth in the 1930's - even while the "Terror" was in full swing. The paths and decisions of the characters take each in widely different (and sometimes opposing) directions - much like life in the real world. Children of the Arbat is a fabulous read - its a pity that it is out of print.