The first poem that I read of his was "Shores of silence," a beautiful poem, very profound, and the best that I've ever read. The poetry of Pope John Paul II, should not be missed. You will most certainly gain much more from reading it. So I encourage you all to order it. Really, it is mesmerizing, and you won't be sorry.

This work by two investigative reporters is extremely interesting and well-written. How accurate it is I do not know, but I know thatI found it to be extremely absorbing reading. E.g.: The authors say that Cardinal Benelli had 70 votes and if he had gotten 75 he would have elected Pope. Since Benelli died Oct. 25, 1982, if he had been elected the whole history of this latter part of the 20th century would have been different!

This is a wonderful way to introduce your children to Pope John Paul II.

Richly illustrated by award-winning Italian comic book artists, the book tells the story of Pope John Paul through a grandfather and his grandchildren.

It includes Karol Wojtyla's childhood and early losses, years in the undergound seminary, skiing escapades, election as Pope, assassination attempt, and many other highlights.

The book also includes a wonderful timeline, list of papal trips, and photographs from the Holy Father's life at the end of the book.

Our own six-year-old son enjoys the book and asks to have it read to him often before bed time. I would recommend it to children ages 6 to 15.

What a real treat to have a beautiful monthly photograph of John Paul's historic and moving pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The calendar provides a great way to preserve this special moment of history, while also providing a helpful way to remember birthdays and anniversaries year after year. What I especially like about this calendar is that you can start using it any time of year, and, for that matter, in any year!

This short collection includes Letter to Women, several Angelus addresses, and other resources. Pope John Paul II on the Genius of Women makes an excellent supplement to Mulieris Dignitatem (English: On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) because the documents included offer more specific examples and applications of MD's teaching. If you're daunted by the size of Theology of the Body, or if you're just beginning to read Church documents on the dignity and vocation of women, this is a great place to start.

Last spring while visiting the mystical and beautiful hillside town of Assisi, Italy with my wife, we came upon an exhibit of photographs taken by Reuters photographers of Pope John Paul II displayed around a balcony above a beautiful courtyard by the basilica.

Wanting to move on with our afternoon, I reluctantly agreed to her request that we look at them, and we immediately became transfixed, not just by their colors, clarity and interesting poses of the Pope with various world figures, ordinary people, on his many journeys,etc.---but with the historic story they told of the now 25 years of his remarkable Pontificate and its impact not just on Catholics, but on the entire world. It is easy from the perspective of this new century to forget that just over a dozen years ago Poland and other great nations of eastern and central Europe were under Russia's heel---and it is due in no small part to this Pope that the evils of that communistic and repressive system fell in Warsaw, Prague, Berlin and ultimately Moscow itself.

So who could have predicted in 1978, 1989, or even in 2000 that a book chronicling this massive tidal wave of historic change, with excellent essays by its editor Phillip Pullella and others acting as a frame for the very special photos, would be published about the Pope reaching across national borders and political philosophies with forewords by the unlikely duo of Lech Walesa and Mikhail Gorbachev!

As we left the exhibit that day in Assisi, we commented to each other that the photographs deserved to be in a book for countless others who could not see them in person to enjoy. So even before seeing it I purchased several copies having a hunch it would be great, and it is the perfect book to have and to give as a gift. I have never written an Amazon (or any other)review before, but I am pleased and honored to do so for "Pope John Paul II:Reaching Out Across Borders."

Inspirational. Profound. Practical. A companion.

A one page/three-minute read every day. And an opportunity to plumb the depths of what it means to be a man or a woman.

Philosophy has been called: The Queen of all Sciences. These meditations are from the mind of a brilliant philosopher. A great intellect. An extraordinary human being. A man who has used his mind to reason to Truth. A Truth reflected in his personal life. A life that has transcended and soared above personal tragedy, Naziism, Communism, and Modernism.

This book provides the reader with a few minutes each day to reflect on what is most meaningful to each of us: relationships, work, marriage, family, sex, education, success, failure, suffering, tragedy, death, life.

"Prayers and Devotions: 365 Daily Meditations" is a reflection of other writings by John Paul, such as "Fides et Ratio", which is a treatise discussing the interdependence and complementarity of Faith and Technology. "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth---in a word, to know himself---so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves."

From "Veritatis Splendor": "The splendor of truth shines forth in all the works of the Creator and in a special way in man, created in the image and likeness of God. Truth enlightens man's intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord. Hence the psalmist prays: 'Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.'"

And from "Evangelium Vitae": "The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as 'good news' to the people of every age and culture."

"Prayers and Devotions" capsulizes much of the thought of John Paul. It is a rich treasure with each page providing jewels to be discovered, polished, and reflected upon. A book to be read, enjoyed, shared, and re-read.

This book is the best book of the year .I am a collector of his holiness. I had to back stage passes form when he came to New Orleans and pic clippions sence he was ordain Pope . I always highly admire the pope .Their was ever a time that this Pope let his people down . ... .

This exceptional book contains the Wednesday Catechesis of the Pope from 1989 to 1991. The Holy Spirit is the great unknown among many Christians. Here you have, divided in three sections, a great summary about the reality of the Spirit of God. The first part deals with the revelation, analyzing the main texts in the Holy Scripture. The second one studies the relation between the Paraclete (the Advocate) and the Church. Finally, in the third part, we have the life of the Holy Spirit in our souls, which is a brief treatise of spirituality. In this remarkable work, you will find pages containing a broad spectrum of themes: from the difficult matter of the Holy Trinity to very practical issues of our daily life, such as the role of the prayer, love, freedom and joy. All of them are supported with quotations from the Bible and the saints, especially of St. Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval thinker. Each catechesis, four to five pages long, is presented with the clarity and precision of one of the most eminent theologians of our time.

Every year, Pope John Paul II selects a preacher for a course of Spiritual Exercises for himself and the Vatican's Roman Curia. For the Jubilee 2000, he chose Vietnamese Archbishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.

I originally read Archbishop Thuan's exercises by way of Zenit - the News of Rome. As compelling as those accounts were, the book is even better. Archbishop Van Thuan's experiences, as a prisoner in Communist prisons for 13 years, and his insight on faith are true food for a hungry soul.

Testimony of Hope is the complete text of those Exercises. Archbishop Van Thuan's description of isolation and abandonment, and his secret for finding hope in despair makes for moving and uplifting reading.

I guarantee that readers will be moved by the 22 meditations. Archbishop Van Thuan offers light amidst the darkness. The book is a quick, easy, and inspirational read.