John Jakes has done it again with another great historical epic. The writing and images put the reader in that era. I felt like a part of the Crown family. It was a long book, but I could not put it down!

Homeland is not a literary masterpiece, but it is a thoroughly engrossing look at turn-of-the-century America through the eyes and adventures of one family. Joe Crown is a German immigrant who has built a successful brewery. Son Joe Junior becomes passionately involved in union activity, while nephew Pauli, a street kid in Berlin, travels to America and finds his calling in moving pictures.

What I love about John Jakes is how he showcases the major issues, struggles and viewpoints of a time period through his characters, but still manages to give the characters depth and allow the reader to connect and relate to them. Once you read Homeland, you'll be anxious to pick up the sequel, American Dreams, to see what happens to the second generation of the Crowns!

This book took me back in time to events that were very important in American History. I often find myself thinking that today's world offers many difficult and unique challenges; however reading "Homeland" helps me to remember how good, many of us have it now, in the twenty-first century. In the 1890's life was very proscribed for women and still very class-based. John Jakes manages to touch upon many very contemporary issues in an objective and interesting way while writing about history. I am delighted to have stumbled upon a new (to me) author and I look forward to reading his other works in times to come.

I have never been down the Green River, the Colorado River or even to the Grand Canyon. Having read Dolnick's book about John Wesley Powell's first expedition, I definitely want to go there and read more about this. Dolnick's writing is so vivid, and clear that you almost feel like you are on the expedition too. It would be hard to write a fictional account of an adventure that would be more exciting than Powell's expedition. Every day there was some thing more awful or wonderful than the day before. Real unexplored territory! Looking at the bibliography and chapter notes, it is obvious that Dolnick did a great deal of research before he wrote this book. The use of the primary sources, especially diaries of men on the expedition, add a great deal to the delight of reading this book. You get to know some of the "characters" quite well. A highly recommended read.

This was a fantastic book. I read Powell's "Exploration of the Colorado" almost 50 years ago and was so excited about it that I bought a boat, tried to replicate his trip, almost drowned and spent 10 days nearly starving in Cataract Canyon. If I had read Dolnick's book instead of Powell's romanticized, much abbreviated account, I would have been much more cautious. Powell's book is still one of the great books in American history, but until I read Dolnick's book I really didn't know what went on. It was like revisiting the trip all over again, and was, if this is possible, even more exciting. There's only a book or two each year that I recommend to my friends and this is definitely one. Also, to any river runners out there who think this is just a rehash of Powell's trip - it's much, much more.

If you enjoy adventure and American history you are in for a treat. My knowledge of John Wesley Powell and his cohorts 1869 trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was nonexistent so anything I read was new to me. In addition to literally riding the rapids with Powell's group through their three months trip we are also given a history lesson on Powell and the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War in which a number of interesting facts are given to illustrate the horror of the Civil War. Powell was extremely interested in geology and he was thrilled with what he was experiencing on the trip through the Grand Canyon and oblivious to the fact that his mates were experiencing frustration at his leisure pace while starvation loomed due to inadequate provisions. One individual of the ten men crew left the group after the first narrow escape and three others left only one day before exiting the canyon and were eventually murdered under mysterious circumstances. Powell made a second trip a few years later but aborted the trip when halfway through the canyon. What became of the remaining six members of the ten man group who made the 1869 trip is also provided in addition to interesting facts about the Grand Canyon that will most likely be new to you. You shouldn't hesitate to give this book a try. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

The authors of the book take a neutral stance on these white supremacists. They present their ideas without actually condoning them. They have a reserved sympathy for these people since the authors live in the rural conservative culture of Texas that breeds this sort of extremism. They also mention that they had repugnance towards some of the ideas presented, but avoided editorial comments as part of their deal with the extremists.

Many racial extremists have the religious theology of an antisemitic variety of Christian Identity. They interpret the scriptures to mean that whites are actually the chosen people and the Jews are the seed of Satan. They believe that the stone of destiny that the monarchs in England swear themselves upon when being enthroned is Jacob's pillar in the Bible because English tradition says so. Not all Identity Christians are anti-semitic though.

The extremists are firm believers in conspiracy theories involving the Jews and their Gentile freemason cohorts. They believe everything is controlled by ZOG (Zionist Occupied Government) and that the Jews and freemasons involved shape society to their own benefit and to the detriment of the white population.

The authors do not sanitize their accounts of what the extremists truly believe. They believe in the elimination of homosexuals, Jews, race mixers, and the unproductive. Some of their beliefs on these matters are influenced by their interpretation of the Scriptures. (The more violent, younger and secular Neo-Nazi gangs believe in elimination of the unproductive.) The religious racists see themselves as soldiers of God in a righteous fight against what they see as evil. These religious beliefs make them very committed and sometimes they will attempt violence or lawbreaking to achieve their goals of having a Christian theocracy. They believe they are at war with a corrupt government that needs to be overthrown. However, they think that Timothy McVeigh was actually a government agent that worked to put the blame on racial extremists for OKC bombing and to create an incident to pass an anti-terrorists bill targeted against patriots.

They have problems with the theory of racial equality since they think affirmative action is used to promote people who do not merit the position and that blacks often make formerly all-white neighborhoods crime zones.

The authors do not try to confirm or deny any of the many conspiracy theories that they believe in and I think that this is weakness to the book.

The racial extremists have a battle strategy of leaderless resistance in which they form a small group of no more than seven people who know each other well. This strategy guards against infiltrators because the group remains very quiet about what they plan to do. They plan to have hundreds of these groups who will reek havoc upon what they see as ZOG controlled society as they attempt to implement a revolution.

I view the group as ultra conservatives with unorthodox Christian beliefs that do not want to live in a multi-culti society with race mixing and little adherence to some of the more thorny traditional Christian beliefs. They are unable to get what they want at the voting booth and are willing to use violence to get what they want. They also see through the weaknesses in the theory of racial equality and racial sameness when they observe reality. They are scary, but at the same time, fascinating to read about. Although milder conservatives may have the same complaints as the extremists do, they do not have the same nuances in their beliefs that will lead them to violence. Nuances in belief systems are important.

More people will probably be radicalized enough to join extremist groups in the future if the economy keeps sputtering and more foreigners come to live here making the nation less of a predominately white culture. Resentment will be stirred if non-whites are still considered a protected class as opposed to whites according to the law.

This is an informative and readable book that covers extremists in depth while avoiding the simplicity and distortion that the media usually resorts to when covering extremists.

This book has answered many questions I have always had about white supremacists organizations and Identity Christianity. By using Bible quotes and personal interviews "Soldiers of God" makes it clear as to what, why and how these people derive their conclusions from the Bible. I recommend that everyone pick up a copy and read about these interesting people and their complicated beliefs.

The authors are to be commended for letting their subjects speak for themselves, rather than presenting the reader with an editorial on the evils of white supremacist movements and using selected quotations to back it up. That said, I find the book incredibly frightening: the members of the groups profiled have made the common mistake of confusing "We're sincere" and "We can find Biblical support for our beliefs" with "We're RIGHT." (In fact you can find Biblical justification for just about anything, but that's never stopped anyone.) They resent being lumped together with "racist groups" by the FBI et al., but they themselves lump all sorts of unrelated phenomena together and call it the Satanic plot to take over the world.
These groups may contend that they're not "racist," but according to the maxim attributed to the late Cardinal Cushing: if it walks like a duck, and swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I say it's a duck.

This vol. introduces the main character of the series and sets the tone for the next 3 vol.s to come. Written for the pulps back in the 30's, this book predicts the emergence of the international drug cartels which plague today's world. The book "Galactic Patrol" features clearly defined heros and heroines, and villenous villens, while maintaining a "G" rating (beds in this book are only for sleeping in). The rest of the books of this series, Gray Lensman, Second Stage Lensman, and Children of the Lens, just get better and better as the story builds to its ultimate climax. If you want understand where such films as "Star Wars", "Babylon 5", and "Star Trek" came from, you should read this series. It is the first "Space Opera" of the genre.

This book started it all. Many, many of the devices, plots, alien races, and moods of later science fiction come from this book, and indeed the entire Lensman Series. No one does it like Doc Smith!

This is the penultimate Science Fiction story. Some of the technology is far fetched, but some of it is used in many sci-fi stories of the present. Inertialess drive is one of them. This story has efverthing a young reader would want in a story, Monsters, heros, big powerful space ships and bad guys, who are really bad. I believe if you have a youngster interested in science fiction, ala starwars, this entire series is for you

Mr. Kanze's lucid writing and wonderful photographs quickly drew me into the world of John Burroughs. I was not a fan of Burroughs when I first encounter this book, in fact, I had never heard of John Burroughs. I recently read this book again and I walked away with a renewed sense of wonder for the world around me, the birds, plants, trees and people. I can think of no better testament to the efficacy of John Burroughs influence on the way we view the natural world and his personal philosophy than to read his story so well told. I think Mr. Burroughs would have approved. I was also inspired by the notable friends of John Burroughs, people like Theodore Roosevelt, Hernry Ford, Edison, Walt Whitman, who the author so adeptly weaves into a story that recreates a time period that rarely fails to enchant. I highly recommend this book!

As the editor of a forthcoming book of essays on John Burroughs, I have found The World of John Burroughs an invaluable resource. Its author is an in-the-field naturalist as well as a superb writer and scholar. The beautiful format of The World of John Burroughs might mislead readers to look at the pictures and ignore Edward Kanze's superb writing and painstaking research; but the book is filled with factual and verbal treasure-- including the most recent and complete research on the fascinating story behind the birth of Julian Burroughs. Most of all, this book helps to renew our awareness of the continuing relevance and liveliness of John Burroughs's contribution to American nature writing.

As a professional naturalist and outdoorswoman, I was drawn to the World of John Burroughs, and to Mr. Kanze's enthusiasm, sensitivity and love of this surprisingly uncelebrated naturalist. The author has thankfully reinstated John Burroughs' name among the great American conservationists, and has done so within the medium of lush, breathtaking photography. I feel positively drenched in John Burrough's world: the stunning outdoor photos, and the impressive wildlife photography combined with historic photos were a visual feast which allow a total immersion into John Burroughs' world. The visuals were enhanced by the personal sensitivity of the author and his gentle flair for storytelling, balanced by painstaking research, and an unassuming presentation of the facts. I enjoy Mr. Kanze's writings and look forward to his next book with great anticipation.

I read Edwards and McGee, Technical Analysis of Stock Market Trends with great enthusiasm. Here was a book that was originally written in the 1940's that is equally valid to anyone trying to play the stock market in the Twenty First Century. It also gave me insights into the wild times on Wall Street in the Roaring 20's, and taught me how the pros did stock manipulation and organized "bear traps." Understanding Wall Street irrational exuberance in 1928 helps a smart investor understand the irrational exuberance in 1999. I started reading and then using Technical Analysis because I found I couldn't make money on the market just using the fundamental analysis that my accounting professors taught me in business school. I bought stocks based on detailed analysis of the firm's fundamentals and then could not understand why the prices of my "smart" investments immediately dropped like a rock. Technical analysis provides an investor with insights into the market forces (supply and demand) that affect the rise and fall of stock prices and give a rational investor understanding of the psychology of the herd of investors.

Modern web technology available from Clearstation and E-trade take the drudgery out of the technical charting, and make it easy for an amateur investor to become an experienced technical chart reader. Edwards and McGee was the book that helped me develop this skill. I can not praise the authors of this book enough.

Technical Analysis of Stock Trends was a revolutionary book when it was first published. It was the first comprehensive work on technical analysis, at a time when technical analysis was considered an abstract art rather than a true science. It is so complete in its descriptions of the markets and how to trade them, that it has survived the greatest test of the literary world - time. It is without peer when described as the Bible of Technical Analysis. Anyone who is interested in market history, or the history of technical analysis, should read this amazing work. And anyone who is considering studying technical analysis or actually trading using TA, is also highly encouraged to not just read, but devour, this book. Now, Darwin was known for describing the process of evolution, and his attention would have been greatly stimulated by the world of technical analysis. This book was the first, but by no means the last. Mr. Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Market and Mr. Schwager's Complete Guide to the Futures Market are powerful additions to the rishness and wealth of information in the world of TA. But there can only be one original, one foundation, and that classic epic title belongs to Edwards & Magee.

As an avid student of technical analysis I can sum up Magee and Edwards in two words: The Best.

Magee and Edwards classic work is one of the oldest and certainly most comprehensive sources for BASIC technical analysis information such as trendlines, reversal patterns, and over all assessment of the stock market. I find myself rereading chapter after chapter of Magee and Edwards on a weekly basis. Simply put, before I bought this book, I regularly lost more than I made in the stock market. After buying this book, I have changed my tactics completely and successfully.. both in bull and bear market conditions.

Through a series of twenty one stories, Fr. Edward L. Beck highlights the God in every day life using a particularly refreshing voice within Catholic spirituality, a reclaiming of the spirit that forms the basis of the Catholic faith. Fr. Beck's candor and honesty afford us a level of intimacy with a Catholic religious seldom available but highly welcomed. Through eloquent, heartfelt narratives Fr. Edward leads us into a journey where we are invited to find the Spirit present in the travails of daily living: love, family, friends, work, personal loss, turmoil, trials, and tribulations. The book is an open invitation to share the bittersweet paths of life in the comfort of knowing that underneath all that surrounds us, God is ever present.

Fr. Beck brings the reader along for a journey through 21 touching and highly personal stories about his life experiences in this easy to read book. I absolutely could not put the book down and finished it all in one day. Some stories had me laughing, some crying, and others both at the same time! It's very unusual to find someone with a gift of telling stories such as Fr. Beck's. He is able to use brutal honesty to allow you into his heart and soul and to imagine walking hand-in-hand with him through some really challenging situations. Fr. Beck doesn't try to gloss over the fact that life sometimes challenges us, but he shows the reader that there is a bit of magic in the strangest of places!

God Underneath is a moving, sincere glimpse into the heart and soul of a religious man. Fr. Edward's real life stories evoke deep feelings of joy, fear, and doubt. He bravely reveals the struggles and rewards of being a Catholic priest. Fr Edward allows us to intimately share with him his personal spiritual journey. These heartfelt and inspirational stories demonstrate the presence of God in everyday life. God touches all of us in different ways. To experience God we simply need to open ourselves up to the events and people around us.
I found it refreshing to have a priest put his trust in us by revealing himself so honestly and openly. We are fortunate to have Fr Edward working at God's side.
I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for God in their daily lives.

I read The Pilgrim's Progress as a child and recently reread it in order to do a comparative essay on allegorical journeys for my english class. The other book I read for the assignment was Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, and I found that Bunyan's novel equaled or exceeded Conrad's in every way. While Conrad used far more symbolism and allusions, I felt that Bunyan still did a better job of making the reader identify with his character's journey. The Pilgrim's Progress is a wonderfully written story that inspires hope and confidence in God to help his people though their own journeys.

"The Pilgrim's Progress" is widely known and widely imitated. Perhaps a bit too widely. While the book itself is stunning, having seen, heard, or read so many attempts to imitate it, I found that the original effect of the story was lessened for me.

By all means, this book should be read -- it is in itself a great work of literature, and it is a prime example of Puritan thought. Be aware, however, that much of it will seem trite and worn -- not because of anything inherently wrong with Bunyan's writing -- primarily because we have all heard so many poor imitations that it will be difficult to put them aside.

However, this book still warrants a reading for the simple fact that it is a great story! I shall be re-reading this in the not-too-distant future, hopefully better prepared to dismiss the memories of the imitations and to appreciate the genius of Bunyan's allegory.

Read it!

Pilgrim's Progress has been accepted by the world as a classic piece of literature. However, just as Handel's Messiah is recognised as a magnificent work without people really appreciating the message it brings so Pilgrim's Progress can suffer from its own fame. Here we have the stories of believers moving towards heaven. They have ups and downs. They suffer pain and experience pleasure. All the time the christian reader is being led forward into experimental practical christian avenues. Despair, doubt, backsliding, the temptations of the world, helps from above and support from others on the Way all make this work so vital and relevant. Both parts, Christian's journey and Christiana's are wonderful in their own ways. For the past four years I have preferred the second part. Read it every year at least once. If you must read only one other book next to your Bible let it be this one, (Or Thomas Watson on All things for Good) but do read it all. A classic that is beyond review.

This audio is sensational. I have been receiving messsages since I was a kid, but did not understand some of the elements on how to interpret those messages. Both John's book and this audio opened a whole new world for me. I like it so much that I am ordering another one for a friend. Can't wait for John's new book. His last book was simple, but forceful and forward and John has a great since of humor, what surprised me. Sunny

These tapes were wonderful! Not only did they touch on the very subject matter, but they permitted John's own unique humor to come thru!! I admit that I felt that the use of 2 tapes was a at first glance a waste. I then realized that you needed two tapes to take in so much. These are 2 thumbs up - Thanks John!

I found this book so fascinating that I have re-read it at least 3 times and have read certain sections more than that. I find John Edward to be a sincere person who at first had difficulty with his "gift", and is now helping many people come to a closure on their loved one's death. I wish he were easier to reach as I would certainly enjoy a conversation with him.

Sinners in the hands of an angry God, by Jonathan Edwards.

Who would chose this title for a best seller today? Yet this is probably one of the best-known American sermons ever preached! This sermon had three main sections: ' The state of mankind'; 'Sinner, beware'; and 'A warning to all'. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1785) was pastor at First Church of Northampton, Massachusetts. His aim in ministry was to transform his congregation from mere believers who understood the logic of Christian doctrine to converted Christians who were generally moved by the principles of their belief.

On July 8th 1741 Edwards preached his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" to a Church in Enfield, Connecticut, USA. It was a word of light imparted to darkened souls and many came to faith experiencing true 'heart religion'. It was based on Deuteronomy 32:35 "Their foot shall slide in due time". Jonathan Edwards gave a clear picture of the predicament of every unbeliever and lukewarm Christian. Edwards used compelling words and images to describe the shaky position of those who do not follow Christ and God's urgent call to receive His love and forgiveness.

Edwards spoke graphically, for example, "As the heart is now a cesspool of sin so if sin were not restrained it would immediately turn the soul into a fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone". He warned his hearers that, "Whatever pains a natural man take in religion, whatever prayers he makes, until he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him from eternal destruction for even a moment." This book gives an interesting insight into a revival sermon - used by God to help change America. Read it ... if you dare.

This particular sermon from Edwards has been trumpeted by some as the greatest sermon given on American soil, while being vehemently attacked by others as puritanical fire and brimstone of a backwards age. Oddly enough, there are elements of truth in both sentiments, more the former than the latter however. While unquestionably hitting on many timeless truths that are relevant in any period of time, the genius of the sermon really comes out when one considers the historical context in which the sermon was given.

Contrary to many negative reflex and often revisionist reactions we tend to hear today about puritanism and Edwards, Edwards was not a constant fire and brimstone preacher. The writings of Edwards reveal a man who spoke much more on the grace and mercy of God then of His wrath. But really, the two go hand in hand. There's no need for God to be merciful if there's no eternal wrath to fear. There's no need for God to show grace to human beings if there's nothing bad enough in human beings to warrant divine punishment. It is impossible to adequately discuss God's mercy and grace without also dwelling very intently on the wretchedness of man and the divine justice that must be exacted if we believe that God is perfectly holy. This is the context in which this sermon by Edwards was given. He was invited to preach at a church that was spiritually dead and dominated by a spirit of skepticism and a deeply entrenched disbelief in the need for radical personal conversion. Such is the attitude that can be found in many churches today. Yet contrary to what happens each Sunday in these kind of churches all across America, the preacher at this particular church found such comfortable skepticism not to be a virtue of an enlightened congregation, but as a cancer that ensured that many in his church would go unsaved if things didn't change. Enter Jonathan Edwards, and his sermon to this church on that day changed the people in that church and made a lasting impact on American Christianity that is felt to this day.

The main purpose of the sermon, contextually speaking, was to abruptly dislodge and disrupt the culture of apathetic skepticism that reigned in this church. Edwards attempted to do this by drawing haunting imagery of God's mercy in all things, ensuring the congregation that the only reason they are even breathing is because of God's grace. He paints a picture of man dangling over an eternal fire, and stressing that this is where man finds himself right now, and that the only reason he doesn't fall in is because God (and a very angry God at that) has a hold of him and hasn't yet let go. For Edwards, it was clear that by holding on to sinful and unrepentant man and not allowing him to fall at any moment, God was being infinitely more merciful than we deserve, but that such mercy is not indefinite or inexhaustible, but instead serves either to keep an elect person alive long enough for him to reach a point of faith and repentence, or serves to harden the sinner's heart to the point where eternal damnation is a completely just punishment for having denied and defied the authority of their Maker for so long.

Some have commented that this kind of imagery is backwards because Christians shouldn't be in the business of trying to scare people into personal faith. While such a sentiment sounds good and tends to appeal to our modern sensitivities, such a view is decidedly unfaithful to the entire earthly ministry of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospels. Jesus talked about hell and punishment more than anyone else, and certainly far more than Edwards. If one accepts that Jesus is God and can therefore be considered a pretty reliable authority on the supernatural and the afterlife, then one must conclude that Christ's continual warnings about eternal punishment are authoritative, accurate, and should be heeded with deep seriousness. I found this sermon by Edwards to be very faithful to the uncomfortable and even scary warnings given by Jesus throughout the four Gospels of the New Testament. Edwards is not scaring people for the sake of scaring people. He is doing exactly what Christ did 2,000 years ago - out of a spirit of deep love and concern, he is warning people of the very real and terrifying consequences of deliberately walking away from Jesus Christ.

In the end, the basic question one has to ask when reading either Edwards or Scripture is whether the eternal punishment described by both is truthful or not. If it is, then how can it possibly be an act of love not to tell people about it? Better to offend with the truth and call people to faith in the one true God and personal repentance than try to make people feel comfortable believing a lie and not seeing a need for people to change anything about their beliefs, wrong and negatively consequential though they may be. If someone believes that eternal punishment is false, then that person has bigger fish to fry then Edwards, they must also patently reject the sayings of Jesus and adopt completely by blind faith a different view of the afterlife. Many have taken this latter road, just as Christ predicted would happen. But truth does not depend on whether our ears are sufficiently tickled. Those who sincerely want to know the truth will give Edwards a fair hearing here and put his views to the test.

The danger in understanding Edwards is that all too few know anything about him except for this sermon. He spoke about the excellency of Christ more than any other topic.

The editor was wise in noting that Edwards gave this sermon to a church that was playing around with God. Jesus' example is that He was very harsh with the religious hypocrites, and He was gentle and sweet with the "sinners."

It should be noted that without law there can be no concept of grace. When the doctrines of grace were recovered in the Reformation, respect for God's law was likewise recovered. If someone is coming to Jesus not based on because they need forgiveness and atonement with a Holy God, they are coming on false grounds. That is why this sermon is needed today. There is too much felt-needs sermons. Come to Jesus because He will make you better. No, come to Jesus and escape the wrath of God. If you come on other grounds than that, you are endanger of not being a true disciple. That last sentence may sound weird. If it does, I would read "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John MacArthur.