This book was a visual journey into the lives of early 20th century black america. Many of the pictures could be termed as "dignified photo essays" of life in the black community.You feel as though you are right there behind the lenses of these photo's while they're being taken. They almost have an "ethereal beauty" about them. In these photo's you can see the dignity of a race of people who were considered low class at the time of the photographs, but in the way they are portrayed you feel like you're in the presence of royalty. "A visual treat for the eye's" is the best way to describe this book . It is also well worth reading as you enjoy the beautiful photography! I would highly recommended this book to african americans and those who enjoy a look into the past!

Company E of the 2nd Pennsylvania was made of 94 men from the best families and best-educated of Westmoreland County, PA. Of the 94 men only 44 returned. (Most of the men died of disease)The two diarists detail interesting info on the deaths of comrades, which might never be known from offical documents.

Living conditions, battle descriptions, commentary about leaders, many of which were prominent in the Civil War (McClellan, Hooker, etc), make this book hard to put down. The pranks these guys played are also very amusing to read. These volunteers had quite a time in Mexico!!!

There are plenty of footnotes and an annotated roster of Company "E", plus a helpful index. The book is 331 pages long. No photos & few maps. Suggestions for futher reading are provided.

Company "E" landed at Vera Cruz and fought in the battles from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, then did occupation duty around Mexico City. Daily life, drinking, drill, looting, gambling, bickering, suffering, etc. are all covered. Pvt. Coulter was a scavanger for this group, so he tells about the farms & ranches which he and others raided. Sgt Barclay, later a LT in the 11th US Infantry, gives more of the command & strategic issues, but also tells of the daily routine. (Information from one often supplements the comments of the other.)

If you are unfamiliar with the Mexican War, this will be enlightening. For those who have some knowledge this will be a real treat.This book would also be helpful to those who wish to understand Mexican feelings about the war, because the mistreatment of Mexicans and atrocities by both sides are vividly recounted.

Nagel's article is essential for serious students of military ethics. It is a thoughtful essay that takes on kant, utilitarianism, moral rationalization, and moral decision making. The conclusion is Kantian: right actions, and not deliberating consequences.

Mr. Baker was my 9th grade Algebra teacher. Although I think he was more famous for his 5 minute lessons, this book gives great insight to kids in the field of science. Kids love doing these home experiments that teach them how the weather works. This book I highly recommend to elementary school teachers, GATE programs, and after school science clubs. There's so much to learn from this book! Have fun!

The book Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is a great book for all ages. Most kids can relate to Billy being a pet or dog lover! We also understand how bad Billy wanted those dogs. Billy and his family are just like an average American family. They are very close and love each other very much!
This book definitely shows how talented Wilson Rawls is. With his wonderful imagery, Rawls paints pictures in everyones mind. It was just like I was a part of the book! I am glad I read this book not only because it was great, but it also taught me some valuable lessons, like to never ever give up even when times get hard. This book could definitely be a true story about a young boy and his family. The book teaches us how to deal with everyday problems and very tough problems as well.
3rd. HLB

Although it has been nearly two weeks since I finished listening to the tape of Where the Red Fern Grows, I am fighting to choke back the tears even now. I plan to order several copies for Christmas gifts.

Yes it is a wonderful epic adventure story about a boy and his dogs and their heroic devotion to each other. And yes, it is so well read that you live every moment right alongside Billy and Old Dan and Little Ann. But, like most great novels, it is much more.

I am a dog lover, a college teacher, and a retired field grade Army officer. I loved the book not only for the captivating story, but also for the slice of Americana that it captures and preserves. It is a time capsule of a way of life, of what made this nation great. The breadth, depth, and magnitude of the love, devotion, responsibility, integrity, courage, and tenacity of the characters is awesome. It was a simpler time, when modest, humble, ordinary people were heroes in their own right, but could not imagine being any other way.

If this story doesn't burst your heart with joy and then rip it out with painful agony, you are dead and worse.

If you think you're dead, it will awaken and electrify feelings you didn't know you had.

If you are looking for answers, you will find them all in this simple little tale of perfectly ordinary and unassuming heroes of epic stature.

This is a good book about a fascinating boy named Billy. Billy was in love with dogs and wants two coonhounds for hunting. He went through a hard time getting those coonhounds, by selling fruit and bait to fishermen, until he had enough money to buy them. His grandfather orders the dogs for him and he leaves his house in the middle of the night one evening, and he sets off on his journey to get his dogs. He goes into town. While he's there, kids laugh at him and make fun. He stands up for himself, and gets help from the sheriff. On the way home, Billy spent the night in a cave and heard a mountain lion. His dogs howled at the growling lion. Right then, Billy knew he had two special dogs. That's when he decided to name them Old Dan and Little Ann.
Like any good owner, he trains his animals to hunt raccoon and many other animals. He gets help setting up traps from his grandfather. His dogs become good hunters, and he hunts with them every night. In fact, they are so good at hunting, that Billy's grandpa enters them into a hunting contest. There are many adult coon hunters in it and they are really nice to Billy. Billy's hounds get to the championship round, when all of the sudden a blizzard begins. They can't find Billy's coonhounds anywhere and Billy doesn't know what to do. He ends up finding the hounds and wins about 300 dollars, which is good since he and his family were really poor. Billy and his dogs develop a bond that is so strong, Billy has to count on them to do him one of the biggest favors he ever needs. This book is definitely recommended and I think everyone who has the chance should read it.
I liked this book because it's the perfect adventure of a young boy and his two coonhounds.

This book was recommended by a friend. I resisted for a while than decided to read the books. I now own every book written by Richard Paul Evans. The most beautiful stories about Love I have ever read. For anyone who has lost a loved one, especially a child, don't miss this book. This is surely a Christmas Story that should be read every year at Christmas time to renew the true meaning of Love. Mr. Evans really knows what Love is all about. Keep writing for I want more good reading in my life.

Although not written as a trilogy, these books all tell a wonderful story set at the turn of the century in Salt Lake City. Each book/story relates to the other two, but do not have to be read in any particular order. They intertwine in the lives of two families with stories that touch your heart and teach an appreciation of true love of that which is most important. Not necessarily set specific to Christmas reading, this holiday season makes it particularly inspiring as we naturally turn to goodwill to friends and strangers. Richard Paul Evans writes in a manner that puts you amidst the characters and lets you feel like an interactive character in the story. He makes you feel like you are truly there viewing things firsthand. A must reading, quick and easy.

This is a fine book for anyone to read and enjoy although it has a special interest for some. Written to comfort those who have lost a loved one, to bring people closer to family members, and to offer comfort to all who have suffered tragedies and abuse, this book is a reasonably well written collection of stories that will change your life.

Evans's dynamic characters come to life as you experience their pains, triumphs, challenges and loves. As you finish each book of this trilogy, you can't wait to sink your teeth into the next one.

Though it is not a literary superstar I gave this book 5 stars for the power with which the message hits home and the importance of the message of this book. I think it is especially timely in the new millenium.

It is written as a story of hope in the face of great pain and loss. It offers comfort to so many who have experienced the death of a child, a miscarriage / still born child, or the death of any loved one. This book also applies well to one who has suffered abuse or tragedy in any form.

In addition, it speaks of sacrificing family interests for our career and focusing our attentions where they bring the least happiness, a lesson learned as a busy entrepeneur and the author refers to as trading stones for diamonds.

The greatest lesson, though is love and faith. Devestating as great challenges can be on individuals, they reek havoc on a relationship. This book delves into the rebuilding of individuals as well as the marriage in the years after the loss of a great tragedy.

This book is enjoyable reading (though at times bordering on melodramatic) and I am buying my fourth and fifth copy today as gifts for more friends. Having read all of his books which seem to deliver a similar message with equally engaging characters, I especially recommend his latest book from Spring of 2002 which tells his personal story of writing and self publishing 'The Christmas Box'.

But, again it is the characters in the stories that you quickly become attached to, so much that you will laugh with them, weep with them and not want to put the book down when you come to the satisfying end. Enjoy!

Your book is truly frightening in its final chapters, while much of the initial chapters are seductively scientific, biological and, thus for me, quite compelling. You suggest no realistic neurological mechanisms for "limbic resonance" which is offered as a means of fundamentally communicating love, and also (by implication) as a means of therapy for the love-dysfunctional. You suggest that such therapy may take many years. I find it hard to believe that we are sufficiently ill to require this degree of intensive relations with a professional who is, after all, conducting uncontrolled experiments with our minds (this will remain true until we completely understand the mind). The initial biological basis of your book is compelling, but it falls short when you simply walk away from the essential questions of "how" and "why." You correctly note that at least one side of our neocortical brain processes emotional information, yet you totally ignore the connection that this part of the neocortex has with its limbic foundation. This is critical if there is to be any real hope for those who believe that "insight therapy" (based on neocortical function) will in any way help their problems. Your last chapter is utterly devoid of hope for the epidemic of anxiety and depression that, as you correctly observe, plague our modern culture.

As an evolutionary biologist, I welcome your refreshing approach to psychobiology, but I have three concerns about your work. (1) It ignores the power of our recently-evolved neocortex to influence affective disorders. Although I do not understand how this can occur, I would suggest that more research should be done in this area. The physical connections between the two parts of the brain exist. Why? Truly debilitating affective disorder did not develop with the limbic system alone (these organisms would be extinct). Modern affective disease requires interaction with the neocortex. We are missing something here, although I certainly lack the expertise to tell you what it is. You completely fail to recognize that cultural evolution is far faster and potentially more powerful than biological evolution, and how this might relate to the problems that you pose. (2) You offer no mechanisms for the central feature of your theory, "limbic resonance." It could be that we are simply not using our neocortex to its fullest capacity to solve these problems, or perhaps, we are failing to understand the appropriate way to communicate between the two parts, i.e., your poorly defined "limbic resonance." (3) Your final chapter offers no explicit solution for affectively ill individuals, or, for that matter, our society as a whole. While much of the pathology of modern society that you cite is without question true, your link between the limbic brain and these ills is merely assertion, although, I admit that the possibility of such a link is frightening in the context of our evolutionary future.

In sum, this work should go through the peer review process. I would be very interested to learn what your anonymous peer-reviewers might have to say about this book.

An eloquent book written by three doctors, who would have thought? A friend recently recommended "A General Theory of Love." I was skeptical but read it nonetheless. How nice it is to be proved wrong sometimes!

Lewis, Amini, and Lannon, in simple terms, describe for all readers the scientific basis of the mammalian brain. They proceed to discuss a child's emotional mind and how the earliest moments of life can impact the emotional health of adults. But, they don't stop there -- they don't leave you with a feeling of despondence, that perhaps your chances for love are pre-determined by your youth. The amazing piece of this book comes toward the end, when they begin to discuss "what can be done to heal hearts gone astray." Not once did I feel preached to, or even, as is so often the case in San Francisco, did I feel as if they were spouting unsubstantiated "new-ageisms." In the end, almost against their thesis, I felt a limbic connection to these authors and feel inspired to pursue love and reach my potential for fulfillment and joy.

Warning: The General Theory of Love contains highly innovative ideas that are elegantly stated. It has been found in some cases that reading this book carefully may cause greater understanding of the world we live in. In order to understand a theory, it helps me if I can state the axioms as Euclid did in the classic Geometry text: "Elements".

In order to summarize the tremendous impact this book has had on my concept of human interaction, I have tried to reduce this theory to its core axioms or principles. Though one cannot do this in as pure a sense as pure mathematics, my approach is more concise than it is inaccurate. I should note that these axioms are based on conversations with the authors after a recent book signing.

There are 3 "axioms" for successful love: (1) Connect, (2) Be authentic, (3) The earlier the better. The more these 3 conditions are met, the more we experience love. Now that is a theory we can apply! As a member of the corporate world, I like the fact that the authors offer solutions not just scientific observations and results. "Connect" means listen, look at, etc. "Be authentic" means say what you are really feeling not what is convenient or politically correct. "The earlier the better" suggests that loving is most crucial early in life and early in relationships.

I don't want to get too analytical in the space of 1000 words, but let me illustrate a single application of these axioms. Separating the infant from the mother at birth is a common practice in the USA. However, this practice violates the "axioms of love" since the mother cannot connect emotionally by holding and smelling the newborn child if the child is taken away for "medical procedures". The "earlier the better" axiom is not satisfied either since mother/child are separated from the earliest moment in life. Conclusion: let the child stay with the mother so they can "connect early."

After reading this book, I am now confident that I can be an incredible lover and parent! I recommend this book to everyone. It resonates with me. I believe that as these ideas are applied, the world could end up a better place to live.

I bought this box at christmas. One night while waiting for my 5 year old to get ready for bed I picked up this book. I finished the first chapter before he came in then I couldn't wait to finish reading the book. However I couldn't finish it that night because my son wanted me to read him picture books. So the next day, I started the second chapter. As it turned out even though it was a very short story it took me days to read it and as I took my time on reading, I reflected on what the author was writing. I felt that as each day was passing on the character lives, that they became people that I felt close to. When Jenna talked to Mary about time with her father it may my heart ache. Don't we all put off time now and then and forget about how fast our children grow? The book made me laugh, cry and reflect. So much, that now the most important thing in my life is my child. Work can wait my child can not. My child and I now wear angel pin pals so that we will never be apart from each other. A MUST READ BOOK.

In between books on December 31, of 2001, I thought about reading a memorable book to finish off this calamitous year. The book I chose was The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans which was actually a re-read for me but proved to be even more meaningful this time than the first time I read it sevevral years ago. Coincidentally earlier in the month I read The Christmas Box Miracle where Evans described how he came to write The Christmas Box and the tremendous popularity this small book has received. Both titles, seemed then and now, most appropriate choices.

Today many readers are familiar with the book and the movie based on this book which starred Maureen O'Hara and Richard Thomas. Originally written as a gift for Evans's two daughter, The Christmas Box provides readers with a rather simplr and inspiring story of an elderly woman and the young family who she hires to help her out with her large home. As they live with this woman, her story of love and devotion is told through an antique Christmas Box that is also connected to the elderly woman's daughter. The message which is time;ess allows one to realize not only the true spirit of the holidays but a parents unconditional love for their children.

The events of Septemebr 11th were certainly on my mind then as they are now, and as I finished this book I grieved for the many parents who lost children and the many children who lost parents. In some ways I found this inspirational book provided me with the profound hope for better days in the future.

I try to keep informed with what's going on in the world and keep up with all that is going on in popular culture. However, often I never do understand or figure out what all the fuss and hub-bub over certain books, movies, television shows, etc. is about. THE CHRISTMAS BOX does not fall into that category.

I had intended to read this story several yeas ago, but never got around to reading it until now. I'm so glad that I did. THE CHRISTMAS BOX is a great story. However, it is more than just a great story. At it's heart, it contains two powerful messages. The one is the story of the Gospels, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life." Chirstmas is not about Santa Claus; Christmas is about Jesus Christ and what His birth, death, and resurrection mean in our lives. I was quite surprised to find that the central message of Christmas was also the central message of THE CHRISTMAS BOX.

However, there is another important message contained within the book. Life is precious and every moment should be lived to the full. Most of us have the privilage of being around children in one way or the other; whether we have our own, or we teach them, or someone dear to us has kids. This short story brings to heart how special children are and how important the time spent with them is. These are lessons that we need to hear and be reminded of often.

I've read this piece of "flawed, outrageous humanity" no less than a hundred times, and have yet to find anything more truly gorgeous, more terrible, more moving, or more hilarious. Pat Conroy chooses the most beautiful words of the English language and strings them together like jewels; the story crafts the lovely as well as the hideous. Mr. Conroy tells a story that is so engaging that it is nearly impossible to stop reading. Somehow this book is especially appealing to those people whose families and backgrounds are less than perfect-yet even these people are able to find something to identify with in this book. I would recommend this to anyone over 18, due to some mature subjects.

If you like short stories, you'll love this book--it's a compilation of them. If you like novels, I've never read anything so accessible yet so challenging. If you think your life was hard, read this book. If you love beauty, poetry, nature, words, literature, or the south, read this. Mr. Conroy's other books are also several notches above excellent.

PS-skip the movie. I've only ever seen one movie that was as good as the book, and this wasn't it.

I first read this book in the winter of 1988 -- along with a majority of my friends. At that time I proclaimed it to be my favorite book of all time and hurried to read all of Pat Conroy's other works.

I just finished The Prince for the 3rd time a few weeks ago. While Tom Wingo's images stayed with me for ten years (Tolitha laughing with her legs in the air, sibling love and devotion), I found myself getting more out of this book than I ever had before. I like Conroy's writing a lot, and am able to overlook his five-dollar words to get to the heart of the story.

Pat Conroy writes a beautiful story about a boy's love for his brother and sister and his strange relationship with his parents. This book touches upon all our raw emotions -- love, hate, friendship and lust. You will dive into this book and feel what Tom Wingo feels, cry when Tom Wingo cries and laugh uproariously at the foolishness of some characters.

As I say to all my friends, read The Prince of ! ! Tides, then let's talk.

I read this wonderful book over 10 years ago and, for some reason, recently decided to read it again. What a difference 10 years makes in one's perspective!! It was always on my top ten list, but after the second read, I now place it in my top 3. I loved this book, and especially loved the writing. It is written with deep emotion, wonderful characters, and a great sense of humor!! The story is about the Wingo family from the low-country of South Carolina and their troubled journey through childhood into an even more troubled journey into adulthood. I love Tom Wingo, the principal character; he has become real to me. Pat Conroy brought this character to life as no author has ever done for me before. Tom Wingo wonderfully depicts the attitude and character of the southern male. He is flawed, yet so lovable. Tom is trying to save his troubled sister, Savannah, who has been placed in a mental institution. In doing so, he must re-live many, many traumatic and repressed childhood memories, but in the end, it's all about love and forgiveness. Chapter 9 tells of Tom's mother (a great character in this book) and how as a child he loved the way she wore gardenias in her hair only to throw them in the trash when she overhears the "women of the upper crust society" making fun of her. It is the shortest, sweetest, most well-written chapter I think I've ever read. This book has you wrecked with emotion in one chapter and laughing hysterically in the next (Tolitha picks out her coffin springs to mind as an example). The writing is so beautiful, I was just sobbing at the end (it's been a long, long time since a book stirred my emotions as much as this one did). I would love to see the book re-surface for the present generation's enjoyment!! Pat Convoy deserves tremendous praise for the wonderful writing in this book, as well as BEACH MUSIC (another wonderful read). There were no Oprah's around when this wonderful book was written; it sure does deserve the attention and praise any of her selections have received!! I urge anyone who has not read this book to please pick it up; you will not be sorry!! This book is a classic and one that I hope will be on everyone's bookshelf. Please don't skip the book and opt to see the movie. The movie is good, but in no way does it do the book justice.

Native Son is a very deep book that explores the race relations (or lack of them) in Chicago in the 1940s. A black twenty-year old named Bigger Thomas accidentally kills a prominent white woman and then tries to cover it up. Wright goes deeply into the feelings of Bigger, mostly in regard to his attitude toward the whites. Bigger has been so oppressed by the whites that his major feelings are hate and fear. Native Son really made me think about how hard it was for blacks back then and, to some extent, even now. The book is very depressing to read because Bigger is such a sad character. He has no options in life, so after his accidental murder, he's almost happy because now something is happening to him. He's finally the center of attention, and he matters in the world. The parts where he covers up the murder, the reporters find the dead girl, and the police's chase of him through the streets and apartments of Chicago are very exciting. However, the rest of the book focuses mainly on Bigger's emotions, and gets a little boring. The best part about the book is how the author, speaking through Bigger's lawyer, explains how the oppression of blacks has made all blacks hate and fear whites, forcing Bigger to murder. This attitude is much different than the one expressed in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. While that book has a hopeful outlook on race relations, Native Son has a much more negative viewpoint. Wright feels that the oppression and dehumanization of blacks has made it so that blacks and whites will never treat each other as they would members of their own race. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a long book that isn't easy to read but really makes one think.

Native Son is an excellent book that is quite deep on many levels. Richard Wright does an incredibly nice job of developing his main character, Bigger Thomas.

Bigger is a twenty year-old poor black man hired by a wealthy white family, and then accidentally kills the prominent young daughter out of fear. In covering up her death, he allows his emotions to get the better of him, and he rapes and kills another girl.

The first two sections of the book are loaded with intrigue, suspense, and drama, as the reader is right there with Bigger as he tries to mislead the murder investigation, and then runs from the large angry masses once his cover-up is foiled. The third section allows you to get into Bigger's mind and feel his confused emotions. Here, the reader is treated to Wright's views on society mainly through the voice of Bigger's trial attorney.

The language in the book is easy-flowing, and not terribly descriptive, which was done intentionally, so the reader could read between the lines and make clear assumptions. All in all, the novel was quite entertaining and rather eye-opening.

Native Son is perhaps the best book that I have ever read. I can not directly relate to this book, because i have not been exposed to the conditions that are present in this book. However, I can imagine, being an African-American myself, what it was like during the time described in Native Son. In reading this book, I have definately gained an appreciation for the present and for the conditions that I live in. It has also given me a greater apppreciation for literature. Through Native Son, Richard Wright addresses the injustices that African-Americans endured during the 1930's. In reading the book, one must understand that Wright is not trying to portray whites as racist or as villains. He is simply trying to show the graveness of black people's condition and oppression. The purpose of this book is to show the black man's struggle to give meaning to his life despite living in a prejudiced society. He illustrates a troubled man's fear, flight, and fate. Bigger Thomas, the main character, represents the struggle of the black man. He represents the black man that refuses to be tamed by white society. He is an outsider, who, through his "trials" and tribulations, defines his life, finds his place in the world, and establishes his equality. Bigger, however, acheives these goals through violence, because he is surrounded by it; it is all he knows. This character makes up only one of millions of Biggers out their who revolt against the injustices of society. They are the products of American society, and therefore fit their names: "native sons."