I picked up this book randomly at the book store when I saw the title and was intrigued. This has turned out to be the best book of poetry I have ever read! If you like Rilke, you will love this book as well. Margaret Gibson has an amazing gift with language and a very insightful view of the world and her own experiences. Her poems are filled with longing and love. "I want the faith that moves mountains. / I want the bright force that keeps them still." ("Keeping Still") This is the kind of book that you keep near you and pick up again and again whenever you want comfort or inspiration.

I had the joy of meeting Margaret Gibson at a literary festival and was pleased to put a face and warm personality to the beautiful works I have read. Earth Elegy is a wonderful book, with a mix of new poems and selected old favorites. "Dia De Los Muertos" and "Fire Elegy" are strong works, along with the other poems. She has a good grasp of language and I'm glad to have become acquainted with both her as a person and her as a poetess.

This book deals with an important subject -- the interaction between a distinctive immigrant group and the surrounding community; does so in a scholarly and thorough way; and yet is a pleasure to read. I have no background in sociology but I was fascinated by this research, which is presented in an understandable and engaging way.

The only caution I'd suggest to other readers is that one should be careful about extrapolating these findings about Sikh farmers in rural California to the larger Indian-American community. The subjects described here are clearly different from many (perhaps most) other Indian-Americans -- in religion, dress, social customs, occupation, education and economic class; so different in fact that I think one should be hesitant about reaching any conclusions about the larger community just from this book. As an Indian-American who grew up and attended high school in suburban New Jersey, I can testify that my own experience was far different from the one described here.

Look at Matthew xii:36.

"But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, and every good word that men shall not speak, they shall give account therof in the day of judgement.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

See the difference between the above and your Bible? This book tells the remarkable story of how this saying, which fell from the lips of Jesus, but did not find a place in the authenticated record, came to be found (over 100 years ago), but has not been acknowledged by biblical scholars and authority.

Margaret Gibson, a poet who has given us many books exploring the human experience, brings us in Icon and Evidence a passionately spiritual oratorio. The poems are among the most musical I have read in a good while, and their literary antecedents and allusions are beautifully woven into the whole.
The voice of Gerard Manley Hopkins echoes from many of these pieces, giving them an urgency too often lacking in much of our lackadaisical contemporary poetry. This is a book of poetry one can't put down, as if it weaves a spell, a spell approaching chant and liturgy.

This collection was very powerful, in that the woman being written about is dead and the intensity of Ms. Gibson's words. Tina Modotti was clearly a strong, passionate woman--one I hope I am on the way to becoming. It is a sad book at times, but illustrates the power of the human spirit--even after death.

The Vigil is a work about survival amidst alcoholism and the daily struggles of life. I met Ms. Gibson at a literary festival and she autographed my copy of the book. She is a strong poetess and woman, and I would highly recommend reading this book, along with her others.

This book is about a poor family of five children and their widowed mother. It's about their troubles of being poor and their ability to always look on the bright side. Sidney tells about how the family deals with their problems. The family goes through many hardships, such as an illness throughout the family and a temporary blindness occurring. They think all is over when a twist of fate turns their spirits around.

This book has a great storyline with well-developed characters. It has some tougher words which makes the book an older children's novel. But it is a wonderful book and the author did an excellent job making the reader believe he or she is actually there seeing what's going on and really knowing the characters. I would recommend this book to readers who like stories of growing up and dealing with hardships.

This book was the first in a series of 12 about the Pepper family. It was written in 1881 and takes place shortly after the Civil War(1860's-70's). The Pepper books follow the adventures of the 5 Pepper children and their widowed mother. The Peppers are poor but proud and the books extoll the importance of family and love and honesty and believing in yourself. These are wonderful books for children of all ages. They are sweet and funny and have an undercurrent of morality sadly lacking in most books written today. I started with my mothers childhood copy and have read and re-read the 4 books from the series I have been able to track down. I would recommend this and all the Pepper books to everyone. They are especially suited to be passed down from mother to daughter.

At the turn of the last century, five children and their widowed mother are left alone in the Brown House to make do in the daunting face of real poverty, with the fear of starvation always looming. And yet, the Pepper house is full of love. The five children, Ben, Polly, Davie, Joel and Phronsie, all help their mother in the day-to-day chores that make up their rough existence.

True to the mores of the time, Polly helps her mother sew so she can earn her pitiful pennies as a seamstress. The older boys do odd jobs and their chores. They frequently have nothing to eat but a cold potato, and when measles strikes the house, the almost deadly consequences just about tear the family apart. But their strength and love pulls them through--just in time to meet a family that will change their lives forever.

If you want your child to learn true family values, and to see and value the true spirit of giving, this is the book. Without preaching, without being cloying, without hammering the point home, "The Five Little Peppers" is a lasting testament to all that is good in people. Its charm is as strong today as it was generations ago.

I found this book hard to follow, as it switches from the main characters life to her fathers, but overall it was an interesting and beautifully written story.

This volume reveiws the texts of Latin and vernacular translations of the Bible from late antiquity to the about the time of the invention of the printing press. The book covers several existing manuspcripts and texts and discusses their style, lenght, script type, brief historical setting and other usefull information for the person looking for the history of different versions and transalations of the Bible, plus information for those interested in late antique and medieval manuscripts. I was dissapointed at the black and white reproduction of what must be gorgeous colored texts and the fact that the book does not goes in depth into the subject. Still is an interesting tome to have for those who are interested in the subject.