This book is a giant leap forward in beginning exegesis. It opens a world of possibilities for the beginning student as well as serving as a great review for experienced interpreters. The book is delightfully written, and prayerfully organized. I can't imagine a better book to begin the interpretive journey. While written with college students in mind, anyone who is serious about grasping God's word will find it very helpful!

For a long time the only books available for those interested in Bible study methodology have fallen into two general categories. There were those written more at the popular level (ie. Kay Arthur's Inductive method, Tim LaHaye's How to Study the Bible, etc...); or those that were more technical (Osborne's Hermeneutical Spiral, Vanhoozer's Is There a Meaning in this Text, etc...). However, there has been no real attempt to weave these two types together; an easily readable text that doesn't betray the Spiritual aspect of Bible Study, while at the same time teaching the standard methods of interpretation. Fee and Stuart took a huge step that way with How to Read the Bible for All it's Worth; I submit that their intentions were perfected by Duvall and Hays in this book. Here is a book that can teach college students, seminarians, and even laypeople the correct methods of hermeneutics for every genre in the Bible. At the same time, it remains light and sometimes even funny. I can't imagine there being a more perfect book for those that are interested in truly Grasping God's Word.

FINALLY! A true and honest look at what the bible says concerning the end times! The authors do a wonderful job of dismissing myths about the need for Babylon to be rebuilt. My favorite chapter was chapter 5 in which they gave valid proof to disbelieve that Russia will ever attack Israel. Excellent. I would recommend this to everyone.

This book is based upon journals kept by a father and son during their sailing voyage around Cape Horn. They really do a great job of integrating each person's observations as they sail down from New England to Panama, through the canal, then South and eventually around the Cape. Both writers share a great sense of humor including letters, the daily ship's log, and games they played to pass the many hours of sailing such a small craft that far. There are some esoteric points that are made that wouldn't make a lot of sense to anyone but a sailing enthusiast but overall the book does a nice job of providing laymen's definitions of such things as how to do celestial navigation. I really enjoyed their description of places they visited like Galapagos Easter Island, and the Horn. Maps are provided at the beginning of each portion of their journey so the reader gets a good idea of where and what to expect. If you enjoy sailing you'll especially enjoy this father and son accomplishment.

Cape Horn looms in sailing lore as the ultimate challenge; a graveyard of ships whose rocks and capricious weather should be feared by even the most seasoned old salt. Yet, the temptation to be one of the few who have met this challenge (Cape Horners are even allowed to put their feet up on the tablein the officers' wardroom in an English warship) is as great as the danger, and the father and son team of David and Daniel Hays are not immune to this temptation . On one level, this is the day by day account of two men who became the first Americans to sail around Cape Horn in a sailboat under 30 ft long. The details of living and surviving in such a small efficient space are fascinating, not only to sailors, but to casual readers, who will marvel at spending that much time closely confined with a family member and no form of entertainment other than books or (gasp) conversation. On a deeper, and perhaps even more interesting level, this is an account of the mental and emotional journey taken by a father and son. Alternating between the voices of the romantic, dramatic David, and his cynical, directionless son Daniel, it is a vivid picture of a troubled but enduring relationship. The two play off of eachother in the narrative much as they must have played off of each other during that year-long solitary voyage. As you read, you feel sometimes the cramped environment of two such different men forced to live in such a small space, and sometimes admiration, for the almost wordless emotional partnership of two men who share love for each other and for the sea; a partnership whose strength is attested by their accomplishment. Finally, it is subtly mythical tale of a father who learns to acknowledge his son's adulthood, and a son who learns to accept a leadership role in the family. Generations of seafaring fathers weave in and out of the narrative and become part of the heroic quest. Sometimes jokey, sometimes over-sentimental, the narrative tone varies wildly (and sometimes annoyingly) but the book itself is easy to read and interesting, as the simple details of the voyage open up the interior lives of the voyagers.

This book lived up to all of its reviews. The father and son team set out on a voyage to overcome sailings most famous foe only to find themselves forced to deal with their own relationship. Though the overlying theme is based on a sailing voyage, the authors use a boating vocabulary which doesn't alienate the non-sailng reader.

Dan Hays captured the spirit of Whale Island very well. As someone who appreciates the nature writing genre, I was impressed by his graphic descriptions of the scenery and of events as they unfolded. Maybe the biggest compliment of all is that it rarely dawned on me that Dan Hays was working on the book each day, as the story unfolded; in other words, I became entirely engrossed in the story of a small family living their lives on an island off the Canadian coast.

Dan Hays might also be recognized for his honesty. I appreciated the way -- both positive and negative -- that he let himself, his wife and his son come through. All this adds up, in my mind, to a very realistic and engaging story.

I LOVED this book! So few memoirists are able to write completely honestly, instead usually holding up some kind of complimentary or tidying prism on the experience with the effect of sanitizing and fictionalizing the end result ... not so here. I am actually surprised at a couple of the other reviewers' comments...misogynist? Just because he's honest enough to look at how he and his wife respond differently to the same situation? And anyone who lives with dogs will laugh out loud at Dan's detailed descriptions of some of the drawbacks of living in close quarters with them - and yes we love them but it can get disgusting. I think in a way it was as brave of Dan to choose to live in close quarters with his family on an island for a year - without the buffer of modern comforts - as it must have been to round Cape Horn in a sailboat. Anyway, anyone who likes to read about family, dogs or is interested in one person's examination of his attempt to get closer to an honest life experience by escaping the mainland should read this.

It was as if he was in the room with us. We listened to Daniel Hays read from On Whale Island and it mesmerized us! We smiled, we cried and nearly pee'd in our pants at the stories he told. Stories about his brave adventure on a deserted island with his small family. I personally loved it so much because they did what I always wanted to do. Throw off convention, wake up and go 'out there'.
Told with honesty, humor and tenderness. I did not want it to end!

I can't say I thought it was interesting, but that was mainly due to the fact that I bought it only for a school assignment. I would like to note that it goes in depth into industrialization and I think it was a great learning tool.