The Velveteen Rabbit will always be one of the most treasured children's books of all time. I've read the book many times at various stages of my childhood, and now that I'm 22-years-old, I find that this timeless story isn't just for children.

This, of course, is the story of a stuffed toy rabbit who seems to have a life of his own. "The Boy" finds the rabbit in his stocking at Christmas. After playing with him for a short time, the rabbit is put away on a shelf where he is to stay for an extended period of time. While on that shelf, he befriends a fellow stuffed toy animal called the Skin Horse. The horse tells the rabbit all about what it means to become "real", and the rabbit is quickly enamored by this aspiration. One day, the rabbit is taken off the shelf and given to the boy who cuddles with him every night and takes him wherever he goes during the day. The rabbit feels truly loved, and is thrilled when the boy tells him that he's real. There's a touching part of the story where the rabbit toy is confronted by two real rabbits who tease him about being just a toy, and he vehemently maintains that he, too, is real because "the boy said so."

I'm not going to give away the ending, but I have to admit that I felt the same lump in my throat while reading this book now as I did when I first read it many years ago. I know of college students who've had to read this book for class. There's a great deal to be learned here about beauty and love. While the story remains the same, the message changes as one grows older.

This book is a definite necessity for anyone's personal library.

The Velveteen Rabbit was (and still is) my favorite children's book. The classic tale of how the little boy's love made the rabbit real is a classic. I had a hard time finding this book, but I finally have it. I am hoping to read it to my future kids and hopefully my kids will read it to their kids. This is a book that anyone from any generation could enjoy. I will always love the Velveteen Rabbit!

It has been seventy-seven years since this story was first published and it continues to be popular with each generation. I am amazed at how often I've read it to the children of today. It is the classic story of a stuffed rabbit who, after many years, becomes a real rabbit through love. It is a book that also should be on the shelf of any serious student of children literature.

I often give this book out as a gift whenever a person younger than me asks for my advice on money. I always present this book to them saying "if you read it and do as it says, it will work magic." It really contains excellent, time tested advice, and would make a good gift for someone in their early 20s who is on their own for the first time, and struggling.

The book is a series of parables about money written in the 1920s by George Clason. They were written as individual essays of a few thousand words, but the theme throughout them is consistent -- save 10% of your money, give 10% away, use 10% to reduce your debt load, and live on the remaining 70%.

The stories in the book are entertaining; they are reminiscent of some of the parables in the Bible, such as the Prodigal Son or the story of the Workers in the Vineyard. I think this is intentional on the part of the author; certainly readers in the 1920s had an appreciation for "old fashioned stories with a moral" that people today seem to have lost. I enjoy the book greatly, though, and any thoughtful person who reads the book should find it interesting, especially if they are trying to get their finances in order.

I first read "Richest Man in Bablyon bac in 1975. At first I was taken back by it's compact size and story book style. This book should be read by everyone from grade school to the college level students, employees, executives and the self employed. In todays's society, where people spend most if not all of what they make, this book is mre valuable than ever. Other books I would recommend are; "The Millionaire next Door" by Dr. Stanley et all, "More Wealth without Risk" and "Financial Self-Defense" by Charles Givens. Great book. A must read for anyone seeking financial independence,

I am continually amazed at how a book so small can contain so much content and be so powerful. This book should be mandatory reading beginning at the grade school level through college and should be given as a gift right along with a diploma.

I took the advice of acde1034@yahoo.com who recommended 'The Millionaire next Door" and "More Weath without Risk" and bought and have read both. Both of these books are in the same status as "The Richest Man in Bablyon" and should also be required reading by anyone who is serious about their financial future. I am now giving "Richest Man in Bablyon" as a accessory gift to a cash gift at weddings and graduations.

Jan Karon's second tale of Mitford is not quite as good as her first. Her characters don't display as many of those little quirks in their personalities and as much of that homespun philosophy that made me fall in love with the town in her first book ("At Home in Mitford"). And frankly, this entry in the series shows definite signs of belonging on the same shelf as your basic Harlequin romance.

But there was enough of the original charm from the first book to allow me to recommend this one. The spiritual and emotional center of the town is still the local Episcopalian minister, Father Tim Kavanagh (whose last name we finally learn at the end of this book!). His relationship with his next-door neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith, is still going down the same road as in the first book - although there are a lot of bumps and potholes along the way - and his bond with the boy Dooley is only getting stronger.

Aside from Father Tim's pursuit of Cynthia (and vice-versa), it would be impossible to describe all the little episodes that make up this book. But there are some that stand out. The town's latest widow, Edith Mallory, shows a definite mercenary streak - she's in shameless pursuit of Father Tim and also wants to close down the local diner and replace it with a dress shop that's willing to pay double the current rent. Miss Sadie, the town millionaire, is literally pouring her millions into repairing her home, just so she can give her newfound niece the wedding of her (and Miss Sadie's) dreams. And a redhead comes to Father Tim's door claiming to be his cousin Meg from Sligo, Ireland.

I do wish Ms. Karon had gone more deeply into the "Cousin Meg" sequence, but I can live with what she gave me.

Overall this is a worthy sequel to a fascinating tale of small-town life.

It had been over a year since I read the first Mitford book, so I figured it was time to take another visit. I will admit I wasn't too excited about reading Mitford #2 because I knew there wouldn't be much action in the story. However, after about 50 pages or so in A Light in the Window, I realized what I was missing. I was finally home once again...

This second installment is chock-full of happenings. We have recent widower, Edith Mallory, setting her eyes (and hands) on Father Tim; a mysterious Irish cousin who comes to stay in the rectory for questionable reasons; and we meet a new character, Buck Leeper, the hardened, unpleasant building supervisor hired to build Mitford's new nursing home. But the most important part of this book is Father Tim's growing feelings toward his neighbor, Cynthia, and his struggle to accept them, be happy, and let nature take its course. And naturally, Cynthia has a word or two to say about that!

I enjoyed A Light in the Window much better than the first one. I found myself reading this novel until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't get enough of the characters or heartwarming storylines. No action, no plot twists, no shocking endings -- but I simply didn't care. Jan Karon has a way of telling a story that makes all those other page-turning qualities seem unimportant. Mitford is a home away from home, a fictitious account of REAL life, and a place where I will look forward to visiting in the books to come.

From the first page of At Home in Mitford to the last page of Out To Canaan, I could not put the books down. I've never felt compelled to write to an author before but I would love to write to Karon or visit with her in her kitchen over a cup of coffee. Her integration of faith and life is not preachy or sacchrine but sincere and warm. The characters live out the golden rule and have a wonderful sense of humor that more of our world could use. I hope she continues to write about Mitford and Fr. Tim. What a blessing this series is!

"Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" literally had me writhing. At least my toes curled and I kept saying, "Ouch," as chapter after chapter critiqued yet another one of my cherished writing habits ('Tom Swifties' for one). I have two suggestions for potential readers: (1) bypass "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" completely if you have a delicate ego; (2) if you do read it, stock up on several different colors of magic markers and keep your manuscript nearby. It will soon be streaming with color.

Renni Browne and Dave King also explain why self-editing, "is probably the only kind of editing your manuscript will ever get." Many publishing houses have eliminated the tedious step of editing a promising manuscript to bring it up to its full potential. If they like it coming in the door, the manuscript is published 'as is'!

I'm sorry, Renni and Dave. I had to use an exclamation point to end that last sentence. Your book explains why I've been struggling through so many bloated fantasy novels, lately. The editors who used to take a red pencil to them are now gone missing, probably in the interests of 'cost cutting'. And if there is anyone out there who still believes fantasy novels do get edited, read "Rhapsody: Child of Blood" by Elizabeth Haydon.

"Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" is not just for the unpublished. The authors take examples of bad dialogue mechanics or second-hand reporting right out of the classics and show us how to rectify them. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and P.D. James all take their lumps in this book, and once you've seen how Renni and Dave improve these authors' paragraphs, you will probably agree with them (I did). You also get to practice on "The Great Gatsby" yourself in one of the exercises that follows the chapter on "Dialogue Mechanics".

Each chapter except the last in "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" has a checklist that you can take to your own manuscript. I used all eleven of the checklists on mine, and all I can say is, thank God for the 'cut and paste feature' in word processors. This novel of mine originally started out on a typewriter, and I would have been forced to commit hara-kiri if I'd read this book before 'cut and paste' was invented.

Seriously, this is a most helpful book for would-be 'published' authors of fiction. I'll give it five stars for now, but I'm going to hack in to Amazon.com and up its rating to seventeen stars if I actually do get published. Right now, I've got a few more changes to make to my manuscript....

A lot of succesful published authors could learn from this book. It's written by two gifted editors who worked for major publishing houses and edited writers like Erica Jong and Sol Stein. I'm a professional writer (nonfiction)and writing teacher with a master's in language arts and I learned more about writing fiction from this text than any other source. It can't give you what you don't have in the way of ideas or talent, but it can make your writing much better and help you avoid the kinds of 'errors' (or weaknesses, shortcomings, and distractions where the author gets in the way of the story) that authors like Jane Smily, Le Carre,and Ruth Rendell DON'T make but that some popular writers I've really enjoyed (like Mary Higgins Clark and Ridley Pearson) DO sometimes make. Applying Browne and King's techniques has made my fiction so much stronger and given me answers to questions I've had for years about how to show characters' emotions without 'telling,' how to handle attributions and 'beats,' and other points of craft that can be learned. This is a wonderfully written, succinct, even brilliant book from people who really know what they're talking about. If my novel gets published it will be in large part because of the editing and final polish I was able to give it after studying this book. The first two editors and one agent I have approached want to read more chapters, and I think that's because of the improvements SELF EDITING showed me how to make.

After you've written the best story you possibly can and you're ready to send it to an agent- read this book and go back to the drawing board. Don't let the comic book illustrations fool you, this is a serious writing tool. The examples and techniques given by Renni Browne and Dave King in SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS are priceless. It will highlight the amateur mistakes unwittingly made by many first-time authors, which are screaming red flags to agents and an acquisitions editor. Your manuscript will then gain that extra mark of professionalism. The distinction between a first draft and a story they want to see published. I found the chapter on characterization and exposition most beneficial. I learn something new about my growth as a writer and areas I can excel each time I read it. I consider it to be as valuable a reference as my dictionary or thesaurus. I hope to see more collaborative efforts from professionals in the field of editing and publishing for the benefit of writers in the future that are as easy to understand and readily applicable.

I have read this book several times and it just gets better. If you like the mystical, the spiritual, or just need to be uplifted this is the book for you. As you follow the adventures in the life of Hafid, you too will learn the art of self acceptance and living life to it's fullest. You will lean, as he did, that life is what you make of it. You will find yourself taking the lessons of the 10 scrolls and joyfully incorporating them into your life. I just can't express how beautiful and motivating this little book is. When you add to it the fact that it is also a wonderful story, well what more could you want in any book?

It's 6:15 am. The phone rings as I am reviewing the ten scrolls of a great little book by OG MANDINO. It's called THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD. The author is a recovering drunk who started getting off track as a WW2 aviator. For those of us who are self educated it is a must read. It might even help those who are university limited. The cumulation of the book is ten powerful Scrolls.

The first Scroll is:

1. Today I begin a new life.

The phone call tells me that I have a new great-grandson, born five minutes ago. The second scroll is:

2. I will greet this day with love in my heart.

In my sixty-nine years I have seen many changes. On many fronts our fellow humans have made progress, My great-grandson could easily live into the next century. Or he could be destroyed by a society that is out of control. One thing that could improve his chances is for you and me to continue our mission of merging the good education forces. So I ask you to ask yourself what more can YOU DO to help those of us who want to see a universal change in the way we develop human thinking.

The third Scroll is:

3. I will persist until I succeed.

Few who know this "aging," "recovering lawyer"will doubt that this scroll describes Burl Waits. I have lived a great life because I was given the gift of persistence. Survival in war, learning to learn after dropping out of school, recovering from my dedication to stopping progress through "unionism," getting involved with community service, and finally focusing on a "life mission" to bring those of you dedicated to better education processes into a "Chaordic" type International public service organization.

Scroll IV-speaks for all of us who have the unique capacity to developing our thinking and feeling "intelligence."

4. I am nature's greatest miracle.

And V tells us how to put our egotistic nature in proper prospective.

5. I will live this day as if it is my last.

The last sentence of this section reads:

And, if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks. And, for the 69 year old Burl Waits, I will add and I hope some of you will keep merging resources and showing business and education that "our kids are our most important products," so that twenty years from now my new grandson will live in a gentler, kinder world.

The Scroll Marked VI

6. Today I will be master of my emotions.

In the first decade of this new millennium those of us who survive will see many changes. As we break the genetic code, and develop cell like computers that will fit in the human blood stream, we will see a merger of science and technology, we will begin to understand that our greatest gift as humans is the potential to merge thought and feeling. Before the decade is out we will see that even the "old line agrarian trained educators" will understand that "survival requires change" not in the kids, but in the ones standing in front of the room.

And now for my favorite Scroll the one Marked VII

7. I will laugh at the world.

Allow me to quote Og Mandino's first paragraph in this section:

"No living creature can laugh except man. Trees may bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose, Henceforth, I will cultivate the habit of laughter."

From Dale Carniege and others we learn that laughter starts with a smile and that a mind either laughing or smiling cannot harbor negative thoughts.

And now Og and Burl challenge you with Scroll VIII

8. Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

As YOU help me bring together the education "energy fields" we will be able to rise the hundred to at least a thousandfold.

I have obtained a tax ID number for a new nonprofit corporation for your use. As you might suspect the name is PROCESS LEARNING CENTERS. It will be a "Chaordic" organization where there will be no traditional power structure, and you that choose to utilize our mission will steer the organization, very much like the VISA organization set up by DEE HOCK. For those who think they might want to stay involved please review the concepts at the Chaordic Alliance. We hope to convince the new management that we have a process they should support.

Click here: Welcome to The Chaordic Alliance

And now for the test of you human capacity to grow

The Scroll Marked IX

9. I will act now. My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action.

I WILL ACT NOW.

As I review my twelve years of struggle to make a difference in education process reform I find that: I have attended many seminars and training session.( Maybe one hundred) I have attended many meeting called by myself and others (Maybe more than a thousand) I have had many great ideas for what someone else should do (Maybe a million)

So I guess it is time to act-WHAT DO YOU THINK? What else are you willing to do. I want to raise a million dollars and let you direct where it is spent as long as NINETY PERCENT (90%) goes directly to "Support systems for learners"

And now for the most important Scroll of all THE SCROLL MARKED X.

10. From Burl: No, I changed my mind, I'm not going to tell you this greatest of all secrets. If you are interested, buy the book, or go to the library or ask any good salesperson.

And again the Book: THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD

The author: OG MANDINO

Click here: Amazon.com: buying info: The Greatest Salesman in the World

And a HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Note from Burl- This message goes to 200 friends across the nation- burlw@aol.com

The summer after my freshman year in high school, a ton of years ago, I was miserable. I didn't have any new friends at school, I was having a hard time at home, and I was trying to get through everyday with a smile on my face.

I took a trip with a bunch of people I didn't know, a 10 day backpacking trip to an island in lake superior. Our guide was a 75 year-old man named Dave. Everyday, Dave read us a chapter from this book, and everyday my respect for him grew.

The day I got off the island I bought the book and began my ten month journey through the scrolls it contained. I've followed the instructions, reading each chapter for one month, several times. I've worn out several copies and given away several others.

This book profoundly changed my life. Not only am I extraordinarily successful in terms of "material" success, but I am happier than I ever imagined it was possible to be several years ago before I went on that island. Buy this book, follow it's instructions, and even if you are never the richest woman or man on earth, you will be among the happiest.

So there's a misuse of words in the story...big deal. I don't feel that my daughter is going to use poor English just because one (very cute) book does. It's actually a good opportunity to teach her the correct way to use the words! The illustrations are adorable and I just love the expressions on George's mom's face when he can't spit out a proper "Arf." When she takes him to the vet to find out the problem, my daughter cracks up every time he pulls a different animal out of George's tummy. There's even a twist at the end that I didn't expect. If you like to read fun books to your kids and don't take them all too seriously, then you should love this book!

This book is chosen by both our 4 yr old and our almost-2 yr old *all the time* for reading (and we have 4 shelves of kids books). The 4 yr old laughs with the "No, no -- dogs don't say 'quack'" and the 2 yr old loves any book with animal sounds -- whether they are the correct ones for the animal or not. Fun reading and the twists still make us laugh each time we read it.

I got this book for my son, who is 2 years old. He requests it eagerly, and enjoys saying "silly DOG" each time George belts out the wrong sound. This is the type of kids book that will have your child repeating with you, and adding things on his own interactively. It is a fun book with cute illustrations and punchline. As a mom who loves to read fun books, I recommend it for all parents with young kids.

George Orwell is now remembered for two works Animal Farm and 1984. As these books are parodies of Stalinist Russia one would imagine over time that he will gradually sink into obscurity.

This book is an earlier work and tells of his experience as a volunteer during the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was a volunteer with the forces organized by POUM. The early part of the book tells of his experiences at the front line. As a memoir it is remarkable honest and readable.

The Spanish Civil War was one of the early experiences of Communism seizing a nationalist movement and diverting it for their own purposes. Orwell was horrified at this occurring and a good deal of the book deals with the politics of the situation. He describes how a popular movement with some chance of winning was hijacked by Stalin's cronies and ended up being defeated.

It is no surprise that he ended up being one of the most articulate and effective critics of Stalinism. This book is readable and a fascinating picture of a pivotal time in history.

Written with passion, verve and brilliance, this is Orwell's personal history of his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. A liberal leftist in the old sense of the words, his dedication to political liberty compelled him to put his life on the line for the ideals he held dear.

And a harrowing experience it was. Orwell shows how the forces of the Republic were themselves split along idealogical lines and eventually became totalitarian as the war progressed. The atrocities on both sides, the deeply felt values of his anarchists and the political intrigues of an increasingly crumbling republic are all highlighted.

Read Orwell. Read this, his essays and his novels, not just the popular 1984 or Animal Farm. His one one of the great voices of the early-mid twentieth century. A contrarian, a liberal leftest and an anti-totalitarian. Homage to Catalonia is one of the most gripping tales of the twentieth century by one of it's most shining minds.

Orwell's very satisfying account of his days as a Trotskyist dogface offers much insight into the Spanish Civil War. The heart of politics is crossed with the everday life as a volunteer soldier in someone else's war. Orwell, the committed socialist, finds much disillusionment in Stalinist Communism and explains its danger quite thoroughy. The Spanish Civil-War was a seminal act in the course of the 20th Century. A must read for any political officiando.

This past weekend, my copy of The Beatles Anthology came from Amazon.com. The deliverer was glad she didn't have to go to the front office with it since it's so heavy!

This book is special because the Beatles themselves are the authors! There are also contributing quotes from Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe, George Martin, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall and others.

The stories are great, from their childhood (John being an avid reader in grade school, Paul's father supporting his music skills, George mastering the guitar at a young age, and Ringo being shuffled in and out of hospitals) to their days in Hamburg (John claims that's where he truly grew up!).

In Hamburg, John, Paul, George, Pete, and Stu play various taverns (and meet Ringo) until Stu falls in love and abandons the Beatles. It seems like Ringo fits in better so they eventually sack Best for Ringo.

Funny stories include Mal breaking a windshield on a cold day while driving the Fab Four to their next gig and the Beatles hiding like school kids from an angry George Martin after missing a recording session!

They meet celebrities like Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Queen, and the King (Elvis).

John discusses "Help", "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds", and "Revolution 9", Paul discusses "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby", "Yellow Submarine" and the Abbey Road Medley (particularly its highlight "The End"), George discusses "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Taxman", and Ringo discusses "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus' Garden".

There are the sore subjects, too, like Manilla (Paul claims they were the 1st to snub Marcos), John's comments about Jesus, the death of Brian Epstein, the breakup coming close on the White Album and later on Let It Be.

Although some of the photos and interviews here can be seen and heard in the Anthology video series and some perhaps read in other books, this brings most everything you need to know about the Beatles in full circle.

And of course, the Beatles experiment with drugs (and later both John and George get
busted by Sgt. Pilcher for possession of them), seek spiritual guidance from the Maharishi (is he as "cosmic" as they think?), fall in love (John with Yoko, Paul with Linda). Unlike in the video series, there is mention of Paul being "dead" and the final nail in the coffin for the Beatles in late 1969 and 1970.

You can't tell it all even in this one (no mention of the Christmas singles, save for a poem by John called "Wonsapon a Pool Table"), but since the Beatles themselves (and their closest comrades) speak for the Beatles, a lot of myths and legends are put to rest. If you're a Beatles fan, you won't want to pass this by!

As a first generation Beatlesfan,I have read many books over the years on the Beatles.Some excellent,some good but most just plain exploitive.Because of the principals involved namely John,Paul,George,Ringo et.al,this tome(no exaggeration)offers as close to a definitive look into their history as we are likely to receive.As such it is a beautiful and awesome undertaking. The text is revealing with some insightful and perceptible comments, though I suspect some of it is revisionist.The photographs and artwork are exceptional,if a tad familiar.Fortunately there are many I've never seen. The coffee table design is a bit cumbersome but I imagine that would be the only practical layout.One thought,however, intrigues me while reading this anthology. I can't help but wonder what John Lennon's contemporary views on his Beatle past and this book would be.At any rate, the Beatles appeal is timeless and in my life I've loved them all.

Imagine having lived through the most intense decade in recent history, being witness to the major cultural and political changes of that time. The Beatles have published their scrapbook of these times, the 1960's.

This book is big. Literally. Almost 400 pages long, thick, my first impresssion was how well the text (mostly transcripts from the Anthology series and from Lennon's interviews) and the photos flow together to create a true journal of the Fab Four. The book's design captures the dyamicism of The Beatles. Don't expect a stuffy, art gallery volume of tastfully placed photos; this book gives you the feel of the events and phases of The Beatle's career .

This is not a book for fact freaks. Don't expect lists, charts, trivia questions or day to day events. This is a personal tale. Unlike most other Beatles books, it does not list every city they toured, how many times they recorded a song, or even what percentage of what song John or Paul wrote. That's not needed nor missed in this book.

There are the juicy parts, especially when they talk about Hamburg's red light district, but its treater more matter of fact than anything else. I've read most of the Beatles bios but Anthology, unblemished by a writer's interpretation, makes a lot of the history seem fresh.

Most of the photographs, it seems, have never been published; and there are some striking image collages. One to is the Shea Stadium concert images, some of which seemed to have been pulled from the concert's movie film frames.

When you tell the story of the greatest band ever, your job is not easy, but clear: let them tell it in their own words and pictures. This book is The Beatles. Their charm and freshness were as much a reason they took over the world as was their music. Beatles fan? Yes, get this book. Get it anyway. Like many of what the Beatles touched, it's already the gold standard for its field. Highly recommended.

This book is about the life of George Dawson, a remarkable 101-year-old man who is the grandson of slaves. Born in 1898, he tells of what life was like in Texas before integration. He turned away racial hatred by his gentle manner and kept his dignity during the most trying circumstances. He did manual labor from the time he was 4 until he was 90, and at age 98 he began to look for new challenges and so decided to go to Adult Education classes and learn to read. When he was growing up, he was always working,and as the oldest son he was depended upon to contribute financially to his family. His younger brothers and sisters went to school, but he never had a chance until someone knocked on his door and offered him the chance to learn to read. His quiet dignity shines through the pages as his story is told to co-author, Richard Glaubman. Glaubman is an elementary school teacher from Washington who became fascinated with a newspaper article he read about Dawson in a Seattle paper. The two became good friends over the course of the writing of this book and it is told in a narrative style of two friends chatting about the past. Some of the most interesting stories involve Dawson's early years and the times in his 20's when he traveled around the country just to satisfy his wanderlust. This is a wonderful book and in the course of reading it I felt as if I'd gotten to know a very special person

and if you don't believe it, then you need to read this book!

Mr. Dawson has led an amazing life. Born in 1898, he has seen it all. The grandson of freed slaves, he was taught to be a good man, a man of integrity and he learned it well. He married (4 times! and outlived them all!), had 7 children and put them all through school, all graduated college even though he never learned how to read.

Then one day, at the age of 98, he was offered the chance to learn and he seized it. A hard worker all his life, he attacked his new goal with the same attitude. He's now a full time student.

This book is the incredible story of his rich, not in money, but in more important things like love, pride in one's self, and life. The reason for Mr. Dawson's long life? I don't think it was anything as special as eating a certain way, or exercise per say, but it was love. Mr. Dawson loves life and it shines through every part of his life. There are wonderful life lessons are here for everyone; young, old, black, white, man or woman. A must read!

When a friend loaned me this book, I hadn't heard about it. Once I started reading, I wondered why the book wasn't widely known. LIFE IS SO GOOD reveals, with great poignancy, how an illiterate black man earned his living for most of a century--years of wandering, taking hard labor jobs, following the rules for survival in a white man's world. At an age when white boys were getting their favorite toys, he left home to work on a white man's farm. . .truly a hired "hand," not acknowledged as a youngster who needed family, recreation, education, social development, and nurturing. We follow George Dawson as he hoards the few dollars he earns, never complaining about his plight. Unable to decipher a newspaper, George is oblivious to the progress taking place around him--automobiles, modern appliances, jobs with fringe benefits. He knows little about the historical and social revolutions permeating America. Nevertheless, he survives--and remains content. His greatest miracle, though, comes at age 98, when he learns to read. At this point, he starts to grasp what others have known all along. LIFE tugs at the reader's heartstrings. We grieve as we consider all he missed in life, we rejoice at his delayed triumphs. If you've ever considered yourself disadvantaged, read this book. You'll be blessed by George Dawson's fortitude and gratitude.

De Tocqueville was simply of one of the great social scientists writing about America and Democracy. From reading the book I deduced that De Tocqueville was a social scientist before Marx! He compares European culture and government with the fledgling culture and democracy he observes in America. He is very much impressed with what he sees taking place in America in the 1830's and hopes it will spread to Europe. He at first believed that America's prosperity was simply due to geography and their distance from powerful neighbors, he abandons this idea after his visit to America. He comes to realize that the West is not being peopled "by new European immigrants to America, but by Americans who he believes have no adversity to taking risks". De Tocqueville comes to see that Americans are the most broadly educated and politically advanced people in the world and one of the reasons for the success of our form of government. He also foretells America's industrial preeminence and strength through the unfettered spread of ideas and human industry.

De Tocqueville also saw the insidious damage that the institution of slavery was causing the country and predicted some 30 years before the Civil War that slavery would probable cause the states to fragment from the union. He also the emergence of stronger states rights over the power of the federal government. He held fast to his belief that the greatest danger to democracy was the trend toward the concentration of power by the federal government. He predicted wrongly that the union would probably break up into 2 or 3 countries because of regional interests and differences. This idea is the only one about America that he gets wrong. Despite some of his misgivings, De Tocqueville, saw that democracy is an "inescapable development" of the modern world. The arguments in the "Federalist Papers" were greater than most people realized. He saw a social revolution coming that continues throughout the world today.

De Tocqueville realizes at the very beginning of the "industrial revolution" how industry, centralization and democracy strengthened each other and moved forward together. I am convinced that De Tocqueville is still the preeminent observer of America but is also the father of social science. As a retired Army officer and political philosopher, I found this book to be a must read for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy or the social sciences.

Toquevilles' Democracy in America, written over a century and a half ago, is almost as relevant today as when it first appeared in print. Outside of the Federalist Papers, no book is as essential to a American student of political philosophy as this. This book is neither a manifesto of the right or left - both sides can draw powerful arguments (and lessons) from this work. Paramount to the book are the conflicts between equality and liberty, which today remains the core difference between the major political parties. Toqueville also predicted the rise of America and Russia, as well as the growth of the central government - a hundred years before it became reality. His praise of the American system of decentralized, voluntary associations is also dead on. A wonderful book.

This book has an abundance of profound observations of both praise and constructive criticism of the American political system, delivered in a richly eloquent and distinctly objective manner by a young Nineteenth Century French aristocrat/lawyer with a very impressive grasp of enduring political reality. The heart of Tocqueville's message is twofold: (1) his praise of Americans' voluntary associations as prime examples of what results from individuals pursuing enlightened self-interest, and (2) his warning that American democracy has the potential to devolve into pervasive majoritarian tyranny by an all-powerful central government covering the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules and treating citizens like children or timid and industrious animals, in perpetuity. In other words, he accurately predicted the out-of-control bureaucracy and rule by opinion poll which is now inflicting its hypnotic popular tyranny upon us. END