I adore biography - especially those of the great characters of the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. I knew of Jane Digby el Mezrab from Irving Wallace's Nymphos and Other Maniacs which I read many years ago and also via several biographies of Sir Richard Burton. This is a well written, carefully and extensively researched book which benefited enormously from the author's good luck in uncovering much new, previously unseen and unpublished family material in Dorset and New Zealand. This, the author says in her acknowledgements, is more satisfying than the publication of the book itself. I agree, for this sort of discovery is palpably thrilling and the author's excitement shines through her narrative.

This biography reads like fiction and Jane Digby, firstly Lady Ellenborough, was one of those larger than life people who followed their own path, irrespective of the mores of their own time. Following Jane's life is a tour through the drawing rooms of Regency England, several European and Balkan courts to the deserts of Syria and Arabia. It is the story of a woman (thrice divorced) who eventually found happiness and fulfilment with a man of great nobility from an entirely different race, culture and religion. Jane's interest in the minutiae of life in Damascus in the mid 19th century makes fascinating reading and her wit and fondness for her adopted "tribe" in the desert is moving.

Highly recommended!

I have read this book and the only thing Scandalous about is is that the publisher has not reprinted it! The herstory of the Middle East has many intriguing women who have done remarkable things. These women like Jane Digby, loved the desert no less than many of the "heroes" we all can still read about today. Yet their travels are scarcely cited. Jane Digby's romantic trysts may have stunned her peers, but today her story is fascinating. Visiting Damascus, travelling to Palmyra, each had such a different impact knowing I was seeing what she saw over a hundred years ago. In a region where the dominance of males, Islam and the harsh desert life is well documented, it is a shame more interested readers cannot learn why a western woman would chose it as her home in the 19th century. The author stays away from judgements about Jane Digby, and presents her as honestly as she was-a rebel of the heart.

If Jane Digby had been a man she would have been Prime Minister. As a woman living in the early 1800s, she had little scope for her brilliance and personality except in romantic intrigue - and what intrigue. I was breathless after the the first few chapters, and yet there were still husbands aplenty to come, as well as passion and drama. Who of us now would throw caution to the winds and live in a cave with a brigand, or marry an Arab sheik 20 years younger? And yet she did so in a time when women were far more confined and limited in their options. Her ability to withstand society's strictures and disapproval, and go where no European women and very few European men had been before bespeaks a very strong mind. Her strength, intelligence and obvious sex appeal she would have made her a formidable woman. Mary Lovell is obviously fascinated by her subject and the pace never falters in her narrative, although the content is exhausting. A thoroughly wonderful read- I have given this book to many friends and they have all loved it. Besiege the publisher to do a reprint.

In this colorful book, kids will delight in the tale of the pure, if someone what unlikely, friendship that develops between an old, lonely man and the house-trained flea he purchases from a petshop ("teeny tiny litter tray" and everything). The classic theme of friendships that break the usual mold is revitalized in this story by Mary Elizabeth Hanson with quirky and emotion-filled illustrations by David Webber Merrell.

While the old man is enjoying taking his tiny little friend to the movies, the beach and even a whale-watching cruise, the ever-skepital townspeople begin to whisper among themselves. "He's knotted his noodle." It's true that they mean well, but it seems that the townspeople would feel a bit more comfortable if they could actually see the pal the old man is chatting with.

This is a fun, fun book with a strong message about friendship that your kids will want you to read over and over. You'll gladly oblige.

Amazon is making a serious mistake in classifying this marvelous book a children's book. I will be 70 on my next birthday, and I fell in love with this book and bought it (full price) while visiting Taos, NM. I plan to share it with my grown children. The charm of this book lies in the inseperability of its wacky tale and fabulous illustrations. I predict that this combination of Mary Elizabeth Hanson and David Webber Merrell will take its place alongside Lewis Carroll and Sir John Tenniel.

The title of this "little gem of a story" is what captured my interest, but the illustrations by David Webber Merrell stole my heart. Gentle lessons and laugh out loud illustrations are a wonderful combination to this feel good picture book. A lonely old man finds friendship and companionship in a most unlikley pet...and she is a lovely shade of purple with a saucy yellow bow on her head. This is one story you will want to read to yourself after you have read it to the children or grandchilden.

Very inspiring book. It makes you look at not just the world of raccoons but the world in general. A great bedtime book for kids and adults.

We read this book outloud and were throughly intrigued throughout the story. It is a book that is hard to put down. It is a wonderful story of racoons personified, as those who would be new or seeking Christians. By example the story teaches us about the heart of God! A wonderfully well written book that has never gotten enough exposure. My children gave this book for a birthday gift to several friends and all enjoyed the book and often bought the sequel Methuselahs Heart. Which is also a good read about the heart of a christian practicing servanthood. It is good for all ages!

I believe that this book shows that ohers have thoughts like us. This book really touched my heart. It is one of my favorite books. This book shows a family of raccoons that are trying to understand humans, under the teaching of Methuselah. It shows what this world should be like all of the way around-kind.

Certainly there are societal pressures and daily challenges facing kids today. But Uhlig's story of "Grandmother Mary" shows that these problems are not really new as she introduces us to a lady who weathered emotionally turbulent times and still finds joy in her life. Mary faces significant losses while young; and yet through an indomitable inner strength, she manages to find a wonderful and fulfilling path in life. A lovely tale for kids who are in the 8-11ish age range.

When having first read this book as a divorced dad to my 8 year old, I was struck by how such a story of real life could be conveyed so simply and beautifully. "Grandmother Mary" handles some of life's difficult transitions in ways that children can understand and appreciate. My daughter and I really like the fun illustrations and images of the holidays, seasons...even the weather! For us, the book was and continues to be real treat. It truly celebrates the important connections we have and make with others throughout our lifetime. As a dad who loves to read to his child, I highly recommend this book. Kudos to the author!

How delightful to read of the not-so-usual "fairy tale " story of a Grand mother and her history...Life is often a disappointment when one reads all the "fluff" stories of grandma's cookies and sleepy evenings in the country..Mary was a true and courageous child whose life is an inspiration for the REAL world ..My grandchildren loved the beauty of Mary and the illustrations of this book....and let the author know that this reader had a wondrous experience reading it to my 87 year old mother..who enjoyed the life of Mary and the places that she could recall and relate to..such an added dessert for this family..Greatgrandmother ,Grandmother and Granchildren..I am so delighted to see the photo of Mary at her door..Long Live Grandmother Mary...and I look forward eagerly to Ms. Uhligs next adventure ..

Inspiration for Student Leaders is a concise, intelligent read, ideal for both students and professional staff who work with student leaders. Stories, poems, quick quotes and other works combine to make this publication live up to its goal of inspiring student leaders. Student Activities professional should give this book to incoming student leaders to help them broaden their perspectives on leadership. Established student leaders whose energy may be waning, can draw encouragement from the passages written by other students. This book should be on the resource shelf in every Student Union in America.

This book is phenomenal! A collection of stories, poems, quotes, and real experiences for student leaders. The book has many applications to leadership studies and personal motivation and inspiration.

As one of the co-authors, I'm extremely proud of the finished product. In addition to getting a great resourse for your library, every purchase of this book gives a $1 donation to the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Educational Foundation - NACA provides scholarships for college students across the US.

This is simply the best book anywhere for campus leaders.

I admit that I'm one of the co-authors. But keep this in mind-- as editor of Student Leader magazine, I don't lend my name and reputation to just any project.

I was, and am, proud to be associated with this uplifting and inpsiriational book. It's written similiar in style to the Chicken Soup series, including lots of heartwarming stories written by campus leaders themselves nationwide.

This book is perfect for leadership retreats, workshops, and seminars. It would be the perfect addition to any leadership classes as well.

If you're the parent, friend, or relative of a student government leader, resident assistant, Greek leader, or other campus leader, this book would be the perfect easy gift!

Hi I am a 5th grade student. I am going to tell you about the book that I read called Dear Ellen Bee. I liked the book because it is about a little girl named Liza and a teacher named Miss Bet. In the book it talks about two union spies. If you read this book you wuold think it is worth 5 stars. Well I think it is worth 5 stars. I think you would like to read this book. Me and my group made a poster and gave it 5 stars. It was realy FUN to read this book!!!

The book Dear Ellen Bee by Mary E Lyons and Muriel M Branch is a great book. You can't leave the fifth grade wihout reading this book. Dear Ellen Bee is a book about two union spies named Miss Bet and Liza.Liza is a freed slave and wants to be an artist,but Miss Bet wants Liza to be a teacher so therefore Liza and Miss Bet argue alot. If you like the civil war you'll really like this book. I hope you'll read it!

Hi I am in the fifth grade and I read Dear Ellen Bee. It is a civil war scrapbook and there is a girl named Liza. She is black and her teacher is white her name is Miss Bet. Their two Union spies and they are the main characters in this story. Miss Bet wants Liza to be a teacher, but Liza wants to be an artist, Liza goes to college for a teacher. Well that's all I can tell you or it will spoil the book for you. I hope you read it.HAVE FUN!!!

I am 40 years old and have kept a journal for 29 years, therefore, the journal format fascinates me. I adore Lucy Maud Montgomery's works and in 1992, I made a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit all her old haunts with my daugter and my girlfriend and her daughter. I purchased the first two journals while there. If you, dear reader, would like to know what went on in Lucy's (called Maud by everyone) mind and heart from the tender, turbulent age of 14 until her mid-thirties, I highly recommend this book. It will transport you to a simpler time, an era where people read more, pondered in greater depth, made visiting one another a social art. There was no television, computers, internet and telephones had just come into existence. The automobile was invented during these years. The book is fascinating in a historical realm as well as entering Maud's mind and gaining a perspective on her outlook of life and those around her. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and anyone who is a fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery will relish this book and treasure it greatly. It added dimension to my life because people have always intriged me and what their thoughts are, and where they get inspiration to write about their ideas. By reading this book, it added music and dimension to my soul. She freely discusses her love life and her miseries and joys. Read it! You will never forget it. The following journals that were published were just as compelling to read. I own them all in my personal library. My thanks to the publishers: Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston.

I picked up this volume in a bed and breafast on Prince Edward Island a few years ago. I ran out and bought it while I was there and ordered the next 2 volumes soon after. I've been a huge "Anne" fan since I was 12 years old. Montgomery's journals make the author seem as alive as the fictional character she created. They offer insight into the author's life, her work, and the time in which she lived. I was surprised about how frank she is about her own love life and about her feelings for "Anne." A great read which may inspire you to start a journal of your own.

Volume II is easily the best of Maud's journals; it is the one that I "dip" into whenever I have a few moments or need a bedtime book and consequently is starting to show some wear and tear. It covers the most dramatic points in her life--her marriage, birth of her sons, the discovery of her husband's mental illness, and the death of her best friend, as well as her most prolific years as a writer. She hasn't yet begun to hide as much in her journals, which makes the third and fourth volumes frustrating to read. Since anyone reading the second volume will probably go on to read them all, I should say here that third volume was rather tedious with the lawsuits and maid problems, and number four, though weirdly compelling, was painful to read as her imminent breakdown is all to evident--it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I wonder if the journals of her last years will ever be published-- I understand that there are problems with people still living, etc.

Anne Of The Island is a great book. It is about a girl with dark strawberry-blonde hair. She goes off to college with her friends: Charlie, Gilbert, and Diana. She makes some new friends and one of them, Priscila which is Pris for short, they meet in the graveyard across from the college. She meets many men she thinks she is in love with, including Gilbert, but when the propose to her she finds out she really doesn't love them that much. She even turns down the man of her dreams. So, it is partially a love story. She was adopted when she was young by Marilla. Now they have taken in twins when their mother died and their only relative can't take care of them. The younger one is Davy, who is always asking questions and getting in to mischief. He especially likes to bother his twin sister, Dora. She is always quiet and quite lady-like. They all live on Prince Edward Island in Canada. If you want to know the rest, you can read the book for yourself. Happy reading!

If you like the Anne of Green Gables series this is the best one in the whole thing! Anne of the Island has something for everyone! Anne Shirley leaves the small town of Avonlea to attend Redmond collage.. There the novel introduces you to a character who is extremely funny named Pricella! (Hope I spelled her name right). In this novel Anne falls in love with a fellow school mate, while her long time friend Gilbert Blythe finds a love interest as well! Do they end up together at last? Read the book and find out! This book is definatly for people who liked the movie "Anne of Avonlea". They are without a doubt slightly similar, but the book is definatly better!

I think that this is my favorite Anne book. I have read it over a hundred times to myself and soon I will need to order a new copy. It tells the ongoing story of Anne Shirley and chronicles her adventures in higher education, friendship, love, and of course WRITING! This is not a childrens' book as some might think. It is very easy to read, but it is for people of all ages. Of course, it features the same Gilbert Blythe who we all know and love as Anne's constant admirer and the irredeemably Sloanish Charlie. She also has Priscilla Grant at her side. She also makes a new friend, Phillippa Gordon, who makes Anne's freshman year wonderful and may someday prove to be quite sensible. In the course of the book, Anne will gain friends and admirers as well as continue to matchmake and write (of Course). She will have her share of joy, tears, loss, and love and ultimately set her course for her life beyond the bend in the road. I learned an important life lesson from this book,you never value what you have until you have lost it. I loved the characterization of all the new characters especially Phillipa, I think that we all know someone like her who attracts men without knowing how or wanting to. I can relate to Anne in this book. This book is thoroughly enjoyable and you not regret reading it. If you still want more Anne after reading this book,you should read all of the other Anne books (the next is Anne of Windy Poplars) and the Chronicles of Avonlea(it includes several stories which include Anne in them: The Hurring of Ludovic, The Winning of Lucinda, etc.) I hope that you will love it as much as I did!

I LOVE this book. It seriously helped me through a rough breakup. I guess I should be grateful that the breakup happened around Valentines Day because that is the only reason I found this book. It was on a table full of other mushy poetry books, but I was drawn to the 'little black book' with the candy hearts on the cover. It hooked me from the beginning.

The book is broken up into different sections (anger, moving on, false hope, and eventually real hope)... feelings you actually go through during a breakup. And they are perfect. The poems for the ANGER section were exactly what I needed when I was so mad at the world.... and my ex.

The sections at the end, the real healing chapters, truly helped me. To know that someone else (and great poets at that!) has felt what I was feeling and that there is hope even when it does not seem like it, comforted me.

I really believe this book helped me through one of the hardest times of my life. I have recommended it to many friends who have also enjoyed it. Buy this book if you or someone you know needs help through a breakup or divorce!

This book is hilarious, profound, accessible, and absolutely perfect. Esselman and Velez break down break-ups into all of the stages you've experienced but never had the guts (or the sanity, at any given moment) to name--stages like rage, self-hatred, relapse, and moving on. Their commentary for the poems in each section is as intelligent and down-to-earth as the poems they choose. Read this, if you've ever even THOUGHT about being in--or out of--love. You'll find yourself entranced by the good poetry and comforted by the fact that no matter how you are trying to deal with a love lost, you aren't alone, or crazy: William Shakespeare, John Donne, Lucilie Clifton, and Billy Collins have all been members of the same lonely hearts club at one time or another...and, it seems, they've all come out laughing on the other side.

A charming collection whose only problem is the title. The title implies that the authors are angry and loveless when in fact they demonstrate a depth of understanding the full gamut of emotions surrounding the commitments people make to one another. My 20-year-old daughter (who knows less about poetry than I do) handed me me this book with the off-putting caveat "You probably won't get it, but I loved this!" I loved it too -- for the breath of the collection of poems, the witty and incisive commentary before each chapter, and mostly its affirmation of the beauty and bounty of finding love at any age and at any cost. I highly recommend that mothers give this to their daughters, fathers to their sons for Valentine's Day, but tell them first that this nifty book is, despite the cautionary title, a wise and witty book about how careful they should be to find and keep someone to love.

I thought the book LINK ACROSS AMERICA by Mary Elizabeth Anderson was excellent. I have lived by the Lincoln Highway most of my life but I was never aware of the histroy behind it. It is a fun book for children to read, and also learn at the same time. The book makes us appreciate what we have and also recognize the efforts of the people who gave us the first coast to coast highway.

A friend of mine recommended "Link Across America", and I thourghly enjoyed reading it. I had no idea that the Lincoln Highway even existed, since I grew up here in Michigan. I was also not a fan of history as a kid, but this book is so interesting and easy to read. Children will love it. It is a great part of history that children should not miss out on. I also love all of the colorful pictures.

Reading Mary Elizabeth Anderson's "Link Across America: A Story of the Historic Lincoln Highway" was a pure delight!

I heard about this book from a friend of mine. I thought it would be the perfect Christmas present for my nine-year-old nephew. Luckily, I read it before I wrapped it up as a present.

Having grown up in Iowa myself, I related to all of the small towns and points of interests Ms. Anderson described in her book. I have seen so many of the Lincoln Highway signs in my lifetime, but never thought twice about the signs. I had no idea the Lincoln Highway spanned 12 states. I also learned what a "seedling mile" was for the first time in my life.

Basing the book on transportation history for children is something I know my nephew will find so interesting. And oh, those pictures! I remember passing through and seeing Lincoln Highway signs as a child.

This is a book I hope my nephew will enjoy reading and treasure. I know I enjoyed reading "Lincoln Highway."

I now live in Northern California and am close to the historic Lincoln Highway. I now have a richer understanding and view when I see one the old signs.