Very good book for Parents and kids.There is so much beauty around us it's a shame we take it for granted so often.Myself being born in the country and residing in the city,this book sure made me homesick! :o) Gentle Breezes, Cinnamon

This book describes the author's nighttime walks with her children during each of a year's thirteen full moons. Through these chapters the reader experiences the thrill and awe of moonlit discoveries. Reading this book to children is a wonderful way to introduce them to nature. Most children and parents who read this book will want to follow its example, and both will benefit if they do. It would be an excellent resource for elementary school teachers. Very well written and illustrated.

Sharing the joys of nature between parents and children is a rare topic. This book is a simple, yet joyful, description of a parent's decision that bedtime doesn't always take precedence over discovering nature.

My mother read this to me while we were living on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin, where this book is set, which made the stories even more important to me.

A wonderful bedtime story for any child longing to see the natural world at night.

This book changed my life 10 years ago and through the narrative life of the little man of Assisi. A must for anyone wanting to learn about the spirtuality and human aspects of Francis' character.

Fr. Bodo has been so interested in St. Francis for so many years that his depth of understanding is thought-provoking and often startling. Every chapter has some dimension of Francis, the contemplative life, and the lessons of Francescan living that are informative to me personally and important to me Spiritually. This is a book that I will re-read a number of times to try to absorb as many of the ideas as my mind will permit. I am most thankful to have discovered this gem written about one of the most important mystics of all history.

Fr Bodo has created a piece of work that makes St Francis comes alive for us today. The writing is direct and easy to follow. St Francis would be proud of this modern day Franciscan and his views.

Why Die of Colon Cancer? by Francis G. Mackey, M. D., describes, in laymen's' terms, how one can virtually "immunize" oneself and one's loved ones against colon cancer, the second-largest form of cancer-killer that claims 60,000 lives a year. As such, this book is literally a "gift of life." The key: getting a colonoscopy, a painless procedure, every 7 to 10 years (upon reaching 35 if there's a history of colon cancer in one's family, or other risk factors; or, starting at age 40-50 if not).

Written in an engaging, straightforward, highly readable, and conversational tone- and a quick read (the main body is 80 pages)-Why Die? is one of the most important books to read this year for every adult who is 30 and over.

Why Die of Colon Cancer? is important and timely because it debunks as inadequate, misleading, and a waste of time and money the four other unpleasant colon-cancer diagnostic procedures that still remain widely recommended: the digital rectal examination, the fecal occult blood test, the sigmoidoscopy, and the barium-enema x-ray. Read this book, and you'll be armed with all the facts you'll need to talk your doctor out of these hugely flawed and dreaded procedures! As one who has had an uncomfortable and useless sigmoidoscopy and a painless and reliable colonscopy, I guarantee this knowledge is worth the price of the book alone!

The book (a) describes the colonoscopy, the procedure you should ask -- no, insist-- of your doctor; (b) persuades you or a loved one to get a colonoscopy, if you or (s)he is reluctant to get it; and (c) relates first-hand testimony by a very knowledgeable, insightful and compassionate doctor-patient-author of the consequences of colon cancer and how to cope with them. It is an excellent resource for those who have been struck by this terrible disease, and includes 33 pages of a glossary and appendices with reviews of helpful books and web sites.

Executives, doctors, and regulators of the health care delivery and health insurance fields will find Why Die? invaluable. It makes the medical AND dollars-and-cents case for the broad adoption of colonscopy screening by all health maintenance and care organizations. It also makes a great hand-out to patients who need colonscopies but are resisting recommendations.

Dr. Mackey wanted to make sure his last act of medical careÐ this book, a gift of life for us allÐ was published before he died of colon cancer. Please accept his gift. No one need die of this disease as he did March 17, 2001.

About the Author: There is a fairly long history of Dr. Mackey's life and career already on this site. My own knowledge of Francis Mackey is more personal. He is a resident of the same retirement community in which my mother lives. I met Dr. Mackey at the retirement community. I know him as an extraordinarily caring and compassionate physician. Although retired, Francis is always available to offer his caring support to all. This book arose out of Dr. Mackey's own battles with colon cancer and is his gift to all of us - women and men who have been diagnosed with colon cancer, their wives, children, and friends.

Who Should Read this Book: This is a book for men and women over 50 and their families and friends. In my view, medical students, nurses, and physicians should also read it.

What You'll Learn: About the Normal and Not-So-Normal Colon - The book begins with a description of the normal colon, along with a helpful diagram. Dr. Mackey then goes on to explain the importance of polyps, the "culprit" in colon cancer. In easy-to-understand language, Dr. Mackey explains the various kinds of polyps, where they are likely to be located in the colon, and the various tests to reveal polyps. Later in the book, Dr. Mackey makes a strong case for the use of a colonoscopy. Currently, many health insurance plans don't cover colonoscopies, finding them too expensive. The book argues persuasively that the failure to cover colonoscopies not only results in unnecessary deaths but also costs all of us more over the long run. In chapters 5-8, Dr. Mackey recounts his own experience with surgery and chemotherapy. These very personal chapters contain invaluable information for those fighting colon cancer. Here we learn about the importance of personal hygiene, dealing with depression, fighting pain, the need for exercise, checking your medications, the use of complementary medicines, prayer, etc.

Reviewer's Summary: Why Die of Colon Cancer? is a well-researched and clearly written book. Those of us who follow Dr. Mackey's advice will no doubt live free of colon cancer. For many of us who have health insurance that will not cover a colonoscopy and who do not have the personal means to pay for the test, this book is a call-to-action.

Dr. Mackey offers a wealth of practical, informed, and first-hand advice on how to avoid a basically avoidable disease - colon cancer. From his own experiences and medical knowledge, he talks sensitively, but persuasively about the power each of us has to take charge of our lives. If nothing else, I learned two things: One, that a colonoscopy is far more preferable in the proper course of prevention of colon cancer than a Sigmoid by itself (or even in combination with anything else). And two, in today's time-pressed and dollars-pressed medical environment, it is extremely important for each of us to ask questions of our medical professionals and to learn as much as possible about the diseases they diagnose in us and the efficacy of the various options that exist to combat them. But most importantly, the best way to combat cancer or most any other disease is education, communication, and prevention.

What strikes me very much is that the author very eloquently express those questions many of us have deep within about life and God but are unable to convey. And he goes on to provide some very convincing and uplifting responses to those questions. A must read for anyone who wants (and is brave enough)to ponder on the meaning of our lives, beyond our careers, material acquisition and 21st century lifestyle.

Why praise God? is a refreshing attempt to marry religious devotions to modern thoughts on cosmology. With broad strokes, the author combines modern scientific concepts to 'old-fashioned' piety. Many will particularly like the prayerful reflections at the end of each chapter. The author sweeps the reader up and takes him on a journey from the Big Bang to the end of his own worldly tenure and peers beyond for a glimpse of the other side from which none has ever returned.

A most commendable book.
It is indeed a very interesting and well written book

Paul Pang CSSR

I first read Wonderful Fool in a high school English class, it was out of print so my teacher photocopied 60 copies of the entire book, and it was wel worth it. I loved both the story and the way it was told, with vivid colors and moods. Highly recommended

Didn't Mr Endo pass away in 1996?

Being a large fan of Shusaku Endo, when I saw this book with an interesting title, I decided to read it. I was very happily surprised. Not only is this excellently written story a very moving tale, but it is often very funny. Endo has used his talent to tell the story of an often foolish man named Gaston Bonaparte, a man with a passion for Japan. He travels to Japan and stays with a small Japanese family. While his old pen pal, the only son of the family, is very supportive of him, the only daughter does not like him at all. Things get even worse when he is abducted by an angry gangster, and eventually forced to make the greatest sacrifice of all. If you like dramatic, moving, and funny stories, make sure you read this one.

Feeling down? Pick up this book! Depressed? Read a few pages at random. Down in the dumps? Read a few more pages and commit at least one of the many nuggets of wisdom contained within to memory. You will see the world with fresh eyes, you will feel uplifted; tolerance for your own sorry self and your sorry fellow humans will return, even if you previously felt there was no hope. Normally I would cross the street and board a bus to avoid a book like this, but a friend turned me on to it during a time when I felt about as disenfrancised and fed up with people as I ever want to feel. It's an antidote to the Darwinian, Machiavellian, dog-eat-dog horror of modern Western culture. It takes courage to be loving -- reading this book will help restore your sense of courage and faith in humanity.

Dr. Onderdonk provides a compilation of quotes (including some new english translations of Tolstoy's work) that is incomperable to anything in existence. He draws from east and west, religion and appearently secular sources. Wonderfull book own - not the kind you sit down and read straight through.

This book is an excellent Bible study tool. It is perfect for beginnng Bible study students, but I would also recommend it as a guide for small group or home Bible studies.. Francis Schaeffer was a very spiritual (but not religious!) man with a great amount of integrity. I also recommend his commentary on Romans 1-8. If you feel that religion has let you down and want to know what the God of the Bible has to say about it, read this book, including Two Contents, Two Realities at the end. An excellent way to equip yourself in a world filled with contradictions.

A very insightful book by a modern day prophet. This is an excellent choice for Christians that want to re-evaluate and re-affirm their beliefs and a superb tool to use while witnessing to others about Christ.

This collection gathers selected correspondence of artist Marcel Duchamp, selecting carefully from a huge volume of letters to provide correspondence to many of his notable friends. The art historian author spent twenty years assembling, translating and annotating these letters; add historical context and background and you have a very accessible, comprehensive collection.

Impeccibly researched, designed, and presented, these selected letters retain their original type, language, and format, so you feel like Duchamp's personality is laid bare. This book has been invaluable for me in understanding the person behind some of the 20th century's most amazing artistic practices. If you're interested in modern art, buy this book!

Beckwith and Jones perform an excellent service by admitting to the difficulty of this important issue by sharing intelligent observations from both sides of the table. "Reader in Seattle" is just another clueless woman whose ignorant comments admit to her bigotry.

Intelligent, open-minded readers will enjoy this collection.

Gender, race, and class are what A.A. addresses, not the hurt feelings of a few clueless white males. As a feminist who happens to be a white Woman, I'm challenging the paradigms of gender and race imposed upon us by elitist white males. As a graduate of Stanford, I renew my committment to fighting those people who would take diversity away from our campuses, not just in California but everywhere. Let's rememeber then, someday white males will need Affirmative Action!!!!

Penn has led me to insight into my own mixed-up family as my mother seems to have forgotten her own mixblood memory--had it not been for my grandparents, I would have never known my great-grandparents were members of the Delaware nation. Racial shame is the wrong way to bring up your children, and Penn clearly depicts the suffering it inflicts upon the entire family.

I think that good autobiography brings us to that space and place in our humanity where we must stop and rethink America's history so we do not continue to make the same mistakes again. Penn relates how American history has affected his own family from Chief Joseph to the present. What I enjoyed most was the way he wove textual criticism of other Native authors and their works into the story of his life. He is truly a gifted storyteller, and knows how to connect with his reader.

This is an amazing book. It is hard to write about one's own family and make it interesting. To go further and make it not only interesting, but relevant to others, takes a writer of rare talent. Penn is clearly such a writer, and I was very pleasantly surprised at the creative and original approach taken in this work. The author draws thought-provoking parallels and connections between his own mixblood Indian family's dreams, visions, failures and successes, and those of other families, in particular other native and mixed-blood families, including exploration of the writing of many historical native American figures. This is a creative and very original book, highly recommended.