I came across this book when faced with a spiritual crisis in my life. I was working night shift in an E.R. and a SIDS baby (crib death) came in. I felt the pain that the young mother and father were feeling and asked how a loving God could have possibly tormented this family by giving them a baby to love and then taken it away a month later. This book helped me understand that if your existence is a symphony, then your time on earth is just the first page of it.

This book crystalized the many concepts floating around in my mind concerning the Purpose of this Physical Existence. I crossed a barrier in my spiritual understanding that I will not regress from. I've been intersested in this subject all my life and I'm sure the subject matter is something that most people in their innermost essence crave for. It's almost as if the Book were tailor made for the exact enlightenment that my soul needs at this stage in my growth. A few points that stuck with me from the book, "Salvation" is not an end in itself, but rather it's in "motion". It's not a static place, but a dynamic education process overseen by a Divine Teacher.

The basic premise of this book is to attempt to fathom why essentially spiritual beings(we humans) are here living our lives in this physical world. Along the way, the question of theodicy is brought up. That is, how do we explain evil in a world supposedly created and administered by a loving God. The author compares and contrasts several early attempts at answering this question. The story of Job, Plato's Republic, Boethius, Milton's Paradise Lost and the Baha'i Faith's responses are the ones he chose to look at. If you're like me, this discussion may spur you on to read some of these classic works in their entirety. The Baha'i Faith provides the framework for this work, and it is quite compelling. My one quibble with the book is the examination of near death experiences. It may provide some interesting material that fits the context of the book, but NDE research is at the pseudo-science stage and I don't like seeing it given undue credence in an otherwise superb philosophical work. The follow-up work to this is called The Arc of Ascent. I would wholeheartedly recommend it as well.

The Ceratopsia is not only the most endepth book written on the horned Dinosaurs, it is also an opportunity to read a book written by the historical figures that discovered and studied these great animals. This book is based on preliminary studies by Othnial C. Marsh, a legend in the field of paleontology. The book starts out with a brief biography of the author and then a short history of the Ceratopsia. From there the book goes into intricate detail of the anatomy of the Ceratopsians discovered as of 1907. This book also contains beautifully drawn monographs that cover every part of the skeleton. If for no other reason I would recommend the book for the monographs alone. If you are a true Dinosaur enthusiast who likes very technical books, this is a book for you. If you are not, you may find this book a little difficult to get through. Another excellent book on Ceratopsians that I recommend is the Horned Dinosaurs by Peter Dodson. It is also a highly technical book covering the Ceratopsians discussed in the Ceratopsia, plus the Ceratopsians discovered since then.

The Ceratopsia is one of the classic works of paleontology. Although it is over 90 years old, it still stands as the supreme reference on horned dinosaur anatomy. Highlights include a thorough description of every ceratopsid specimen known until 1907--this includes Triceratops, Monoclonius and Torosaurus. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. The fold-out lithographs illustrate the specimens better than any photograph ever could. They are true works of art. In my opinion, no reference before or since has come close to the descriptions, illustrations and usefullness of Hatcher's Ceratopsia.

A brilliantly written book. It tackles the 'big' issues(philosophy, religion, spirituality) that people for ages have been fearful to attempt to describe and analyze with the encorporation of proper methods. John Hatcher starts with looking at the individual and what living a life of spirituality really is all about (translating abstract spiritual qualities in metaphorical expression). As a Bahai, he draws on the vast ocean of its text and writings to construct his points. The ark of Ascent puts the history of the world, which is the history of religious revelation in perspective, while showing the phenomenal process that is in action as we speak. The process that is ultimately fashioning a divine civilization. Hatcher also demonstrates the unity of religions as well how theodicy is operating in a seemingly unjust world. We are spiritual being who's purpose in life is to use this physical world as class room to enable us to reflect and live a spiritual life. At the moment of birth we are not, as some seem to think on a enevitable descent to death, but rather on the ark of ascent to the spritual world.

If you dare to have some of your pet theories about the old Antibellum South challenged, take a look at this unusual little volume! The story of a Black slave that became one of the most famous Protestant preachers of the South. The life of John Jasper provides a look at the South from the vantage point of the Preacher himself, with some portions of his sermons reprinted. A most unusual and unorthodox look at the spirit of his era.

This a sequel to Hatcher's previous book "Ali's Dream". Ali is now grown but as questioning as ever. A devoted member of the Baha'i Faith living at a key time in his religion's history, he wants to know more about life and religion, and how they interact, and to explore his own beliefs. This he does through his conversations with members of his family. The story is good, the "conversations" are informative and not heavy, the oversall result is very good.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.