Woman Word is a treasure of Women's stories from the New Testament. Each woman is described biographically, then within context historically and according to her place within scripture. An inclusive lectionary reading of the scripture passages follows with an original psalm and prayer. The points for shared reflection accompanying each woman provide thoughtful reflection for solitary prayer or group discussion. The illustrations help to bring these women to life! I cannot recommend this book enough for those who are seeking to expand their relationship with a God who transcends gender and calls us to step outside the boundaries that limit our vision.

Informational and comprehensive, covering the lifespan and incorporating historical perspectives focusing on debunking myths and promoting truth. An excellent reference for you and yours.

I have had the opportunity to teach a Women's Bible Study using this book twice before and may do it again this fall. Miriam Neff shows how each emotion we have is God given and for our benefit. However Satan has influenced man to use each emotion in a distructive way. Learning to know the difference and how to do things God's way is a tremendous benefit to all of us.

I gave this book to my daughter when she was 10 years old before she went off to camp because I thought she should have some information about her body before she was exposed to the kind of misinformation I picked up in camp. She loved it and when I asked her if she had any questions she said all the questions she had were asked and answered by the author at the end of the book.

This fantastic book weaves a story about Jewish life in Czarist Russia that is endearing...and unfortunately, gone forever. This effort succeeds on many levels..as a historical footprint, family biography, and wonderful personality sketches. Best of all, it chronicles the many sucesses, and many tragedies of the Bercinsky family. To any that are interested in Jewish family life in the Czarist "Pale of Settlement"...this is a must read!

Yoga At Work is a great book! This book has nice line drawings of the yoga stretches and postures and good explanations. Not only does it have yoga stretches, but this book covers such topics as the causes of physical and mental stress, improving your workspace, "quick-fix" solutions to common problems, diet advice, and 10-15 minute programs that are easy to follow and fit into a busy schedule. The book discusses meditation, relaxation, and yoga for travellers. The progression of exercises in the book is logical and easy enough for a beginner or someone with limited flexibility. For each exercise, there is a nice drawing (or drawings), what area of the body the exercise/stretch benefits, and how the stretch will benefit you. There are a lot of tips that are very useful for beginners. There isn't really any spiritual focus, mostly just practical information. None of the exercises requires any special equipment, other than a chair, perhaps. All can be done in a small workspace like a cubicle or office. The drawings show people in professional clothing and the exercises are especially designed for those who are confined to offices. There are stretches for those who mostly sit and for those who mostly stand at work. All in all, this book is very useful for relieving strain at work and the exercises are easy to use. I think anyone could benefit from using this book. Even if you are not an office/factory worker, you might find the short programs useful if you are very busy but want to loosen up a little and relieve some stress.

I found it an easy way to understand psychology through this book. Since I am not native speaker, to read English is complicated for me. However, the way the author tried to explain pshchlolgy is systematic; using simple words; good case and explanation. It;s fun to read this book. I am looking for the new edition for this book. Mine is already bitten by termite.

This beautiful edition gathers writings from Zen spirituality, matches them with color photos reflective of these writings, and blends in poetry for maximum impact. The result is a beautiful title suitable for gift-giving for any with an interest in Zen.

Just as Clement Moore gave us the definitive Santa Claus in "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (a.k.a. "The Night Before Christmas"), Charles Dickens gave us the definitive Christmas spirit in his simple but charming novella "A Christmas Carol". First published in 1843, this supernatural story of an elderly man's redemption from his mean-spirited, miserly ways takes place in Victorian London, but its universal theme of charity towards our fellow man has endeared this classic to many a generation around the globe. In addition to its priceless role as a morality tale, the book colorfully describes the Yuletide customs practiced in England during the early nineteenth century. This Washington Square Press edition of "A Christmas Carol" is unabridged, yet you can understand why so short a book is yet published in abridged versions, especially for schoolchildren. Not infrequently, Dickens veers from the main story line and goes into tangents of a philosophical or descriptive nature, much like the converser who abruptly changes the subject only to return to it with the familiar "Anyway, ... ". I assume children (and some adults) may find these tangents cumbersome and distracting, but they are still useful in that they reflect Dickens' thoughts while writing the book. It may still be difficult for some of us to think that cold-hearted Christmas-bashers like Ebenezer Scrooge exist, but look at human nature around you, and it will be difficult no more. At a time when "Merry Christmas" is being supplanted by a more vague "Happy Holidays", and the season gives way to coarse behavior and unchecked materialism, "A Christmas Carol" is the perfect guidebook to put things into perspective.

Well, I finally read it (instead of just watching it on the TV screen).

This is what you can call a simple idea, well told. A lonely, bitter old gaffer needs redemption, and thus is visited by three spirits who wish to give him a push in the right direction. You have then a ghost story, a timeslip adventure, and the slow defrosting of old Scrooge's soul. There are certain additions in the more famous filmed versions that help tweak the bare essentials as laid down by Dickens, but really, all the emotional impact and plot development necessary to make it believable that Scrooge is redeemable--and worth redeeming--is brilliantly cozied into place by the great novelist.

The scenes that choke me up the most are in the book; they may not be your favourites. I react very strongly to our very first look at the young Scrooge, sitting alone at school, emotionally abandoned by his father, waiting for his sister to come tell him there may be a happy Christmas. Then there are the various Cratchit scenes, but it is not so much Tiny Tim's appearances or absence that get to me--it's Bob Cratchit's dedication to his ailing son, and his various bits of small talk that either reveal how much he really listens to Tim, or else hide the pain Cratchit is feeling after we witness the family coming to grips with an empty place at the table. Scrooge as Tim's saviour is grandly set up, if only Scrooge can remember the little boy he once was, and start empathizing with the world once again. I especially like all Scrooge's minor epiphanies along his mystical journey; he stops a few times and realizes when he has said the wrong thing to Cratchit, having belittled Bob's low wages and position in life, and only later realizing that he is the miser with his bootheel on Cratchit's back. Plus, he must confront his opposite in business, Fezziwig, who treated his workers so wonderfully, and he watches as true love slips through his fingers again.

It all makes up the perfect Christmas tale, and if anyone can find happiness after having true love slip through his fingers many years ago, surprisingly, it's Scrooge. With the help of several supporting players borrowed from the horror arena, and put to splendid use here.

Master storyteller and social critic, Charles Dickens, turns this social treatise on shortcomings of Victorian society into an entertaining and heartwarming Christmas ghost story which has charmed generations and become an icon of Christmas traditions. Who, in the Western world has not heard, "Bah, Humbug!" And who can forget the now almost hackneyed line of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!" or his cheerfully poignant observation, that he did not mind the stares of strangers in church, for he might thus serve as a reminder of He who made the lame, walk and the blind, see. Several movie versions: musical, animated, updated, or standard; as well as stage productions (I recall the Cleveland Playhouse and McCarter Theatre`s with fondess.) have brought the wonderful characterizations to the screen, as well as to life. This story of the redemption of the bitter and spiritually poor miser, and the book itself; however, is a timeless treasure whose richness, like Mrs Cratchit`s Christmas pudding, is one that no production can hope to fully capture.

The Diary of Anne Frank is a very good book! I recommend this book to anyone interested in the holocaust. If your some of those people who like to read diary books then this is definitely a great book for you. The diary was given to Anne on her birthday. She wrote in it because she felt paper was more patience then man. She begins talking about restrictions that the Nazi's were putting on Jews: no Jews outside after 8:00 p.m., no Jews are aloud to have bicycles, no Jews are allowed to drive their car, all Jews must wear the Star of David on their clothes, etc. While she lived life with restrictions she never knew that her dad was planning a hiding spot for their family. The hiding spot was in the building behind Mr. Frank's office. When they went into hiding Mr. And Mrs. VanDann along with their son Peter hid in what they called "the Secret Annex." After some time Mr. Dussel came to stay with them. Anne does not like Mr. Dussel one bit. As time goes by everyone gets into fights: Mrs. Frank and Mrs. VanDann, Anne and Mr. Dussel, etc. If you want to find out what really happens in her diary then I advise you pick up a copy and start reading.

I first read The Diary of Anne Frank in 6th grade but didn't finish it. Looking back on it I couldn't identify with Anne yet.
I tried it again in 7th grade and read it all the way through that time. It is probably one of the best accounts of the Holocaust that I have ever read and believe me I have read many!

What shocks me the most about this book is the raw truth about it. Anne, as a teenage Jewish girl during WWII wrote what she saw and felt. It must have been terrifying for her every day. Not knowing if she and her family were going to be found by the Nazi's or even if she would live to see the next day.

It is a portarit of a young girl who wanted to live life.
And it breaks my heart every time I read it knowing that she would not get to experience life like she should have been able to.

In a time when people were mere statistics we are involved in knowing the terror, hope, anger and dreams of one true, genuine person.

When a Supreme Court justice was asked why humanity would be worth saving, he replied "I have read Anne Frank's Diary."

What makes the Diary, next to the Bible, the best selling non-fiction book of all time has something to do with Anne's perceptive, wise, candid, lovable presence tangibly radiating from the pages. And the mysterious fact that it survived at all written by a young teen under life threatening conditions.

Mrs. Van Maarsen, mother of "Jopie" (Jacqueline Van Maarsen, author of My Friend Anne Frank)--Anne's friend whom she wrote to and about in the Diary, was quoted "Anne is not lost to us. Jopie admits I'm right." (Anne Frank: A Portrait In Courage, 1958). This quote described an otherworldly encounter Mrs. Van Maarsen stated that she'd had with Anne's spirit after her death. Regardless of whether Anne Frank is affecting people from some other dimension of reality, the intimate impact of the Diary remains. Touched by the "still small voice" of Anne Frank, receptive souls are forever altered and the heart of humanity uniquely softened.

written on June 12, A.F.'s birthday