Buku ini sungguh luar biasa. Saya telah membacanya beberapa kali dan tetap amat menyentuh.

Buku amat menolong kita dalam proses menghayati makna Natal di tengah kondisi perayaan Natal yang sering kali kehilangan makna karena nilai-nilai komersial.

Saya merekomendasikan buku ini untuk Anda dan keluarga!

I checked this book out of our local library while searching for short inspirational pieces to use for our church women's Advent tea. I wanted meaningful short stories or pieces that were not too HEAVY. I found so much that I had a hard time limiting my choices to fit the time given over to entertainment. I chose two by Joni Eareckson Tada and Nativity by Philip Gulley. This little book is a gem. While I am online today, I am ordering a copy for myself and one for a friend.

I've never bought a book for my step-father for which he said "Thank you" until "Christmas Stories for the Heart". He has read it over and over during the past year. I'd recommend it for any age to uplift the spirit.

Maybe Michael Bruce should have hired a ghost writer. But don't hold it against him. Until a better writer happens along, this will probably have to be the definitive account of Alice Cooper's early life - as in, when the name indicated a band first and foremost, even if the lead singer decided to adopt the name as his own stage name, too - if only because it comes from the man who was probably the real most valuable player in the band. Though they began as a gang of rabble-and-rollers who also had a sense of the absurd which veered between the surreal and the downright insane (you have to hear their very first album, the Frank Zappa-produced "Pretties For You," to understand), it didn't take long before Alice Cooper began shaping into a slashing band with hooks to burn - the maturity which began on their second album ("Easy Action") and all but exploded on their third ("Love It To Death") may have been a rather watered-down and cartooned-up version of the Stooges' genuine teenage-wasteland angst, but there was no escaping the quick grip of songs like "Eighteen," "Under My Wheels," "Be My Lover," "Caught In A Dream," "School's Out," "You Drive Me Nervous," "Dead Babies," "Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," and "Billion Dollar Baby." And it was predominantly Michael Bruce - who was actually the better of the band's two guitarists, though fellow guitarist Glen Buxton usually earned the raves for the spiky lead guitar work even when he didn't play it (which, beginning with the impossibly best-selling "Billion Dollar Babies," was damn near all the time; the stories abounded about the band using unseen guitarists to cover for Buxton while Bruce actually switched between lead and rhythm guitar onstage) - who provided the hooks and the overall balanced structure that made the songs workable even without the stage act whose shock value, in hindsight, wore off into self-parody rather quickly.

It probably should have surprised no one that the overworked Alice Cooper fivesome delivered something less than their front line with 1974's "Muscle of Love," but what happened next proves somewhat tawdry - announcing a temporary hiatus for the band, on the pretext of regrouping and refreshing, Cooper the singer cut a well-received solo album ("Welcome To My Nightmare") with most of the band he swiped from Lou Reed (the famed "Rock and Roll Animal" group, spearhead by twin guitar slingers Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner)...and then some solo concerts with a few new variations on his old stage tricks...then another solo album...a few hit singles (especially 1977's surprisingly masterful and haunting ballad, "You And Me")...another couple of solo albums, including a live album at least a third of which was stuff from the old band. Meanwhile, the old band twisted in the wind and figured out the hard way that Alice Cooper the singer had no intention of ever reuniting Alice Cooper the band. (Almost a year and a half later, while Cooper was riding his slowly swelling solo success, the band gave interviews in which they assured one and all that yes, they were only on temporary vacation and they were just waiting for Alice to pass the word it was time to rock again.)

The band was fool enough to try it on their own for awhile (minus Buxton, apparently), changing the name to Billion Dollar Babies, and cutting an album which had plenty missing beginning with the foolishness of their new name. From there, they drifted apart to various ventures none of which came even close to their old glory, and practically the whole world forgot Alice Cooper began as a band name.

As all but the musical director of that band, Bruce has all the reason in the world to be bitter over their shabby treatment. He may not be David Niven as a show business memoirist, but given his limitations as a prose writer he's telling a story fans of the 1970s (remember: Alice Cooper the band was the hottest act in American show business from 1971-73) and of Alice Cooper will want to know, and if you get past his stylistic flaws as a writer you'll be surprised at how well he keeps the bitterness down to a dull roar and still has a stubborn pride in what he did accomplish.

This is an excellent book by Michael Bruce (Alice Cooper Band Original Guitarists) and Billy James (Ant Bee) which follows the Bands History from Arizona to Los Angeles To Michigan to Superstardom. It is well written and tells the story in an engaging way with much humor and candor. This is a MUST HAVE for any Alice Cooper fan and really any Rock Fan.

A great book that goes right to the heart of The Alice cooper band. I only wish that it was longer. Good content indeed!
Lovely photos and info throughout! If you are a fan of the early AC, READ THIS BOOK! It is essential!

I'm fascinated by the women of this period and social sphere and what they made of their various situations, and found this to be a very informative and interesting account of James' life, as well as the childhood and life of her brothers. Although I came away as yet unconvinced of her "brilliance," I am inspired to pursue Alice further.

It's interesting that Alice's disabling illness has always been considered as neurotic, perhaps even a sign of envy of her successful brothers. It's occurred to me that Alice may have been suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, at that time an undiagnosed illness, as opposed to "brother envy". In any case, the book is beautifully written and is fascinating indeed.

I first read this book in 1991 and am still haunted by some of the words and letters of Alice James. Jean Srouse's thorough research and great prose kept me reading. It was Alice, herself, however who really touched me. This book introduced me to a cast of interesting characters who are with me still.

Dick Grier is a proven expert in the field of serial communications and Visual Basic as documented by his peer-support contributions in both the VB Compuserve forum and VB Microsoft Newsgroups over the years. His book, "Visual Basic Programmer's Guide To Serial Communications" is well structured and well written including a serial communications primer, Modem FAQ (and answers), and the ins and outs of implementing data communications using all versions of Visual Basic (2.0 - 5.0) . Coverage includes intricacies (and code examples) of the Visual Basic MSComm control, and discussions relating to the use of the Windows data communications API and Visual Basic. If you are involved in any type of Visual Basic related serial communications development I would highly recommend this book

I am always pleasantly surprised by the number of people in thetechnical world who take the time to summarize their knowledge andshare it with others. Dick Grier has done a fine job of getting together information that ties serial communications and Visual Basic together. If you are a novice to intermediate user of either serial communications or Visual Basic (in my case, I am a novice VB programmer), the book will provide sufficient info to get you "over the top". Modems, terminal emulators, loggers, GPS interfacing and telephony are some of the areas that are covered. You may find a sample app that fits just what you are trying to accomplish. To facilitate moving beyond the information the book provides, Dick has included a list that covers lots of additional resources for data.

This is an excellent, excellent reference for using serial ports with VB. I can't say enough for this book. The author knows his material and communicates his knowledge very well. I am using it to write a communications program to interface with field devices using the modbus protocol. The book doesn't specifically cover modbus, but I still found this book to be very helpful. Again, excellent!

Lewis Carroll sends Alice on a second set of adventures in some territory that is beyond our world. This time she crosses a mirror and enters a game of chess. She will eventually become a queen but she will in all possible ways express her deep desire to rebel against a world that is seen as having too many limitations and frustrating rules. She will in a way rebel against the game of chess itself when she comes to the end of it and pulls the tablecloth from under all the pawns and pieces to have peace and quiet, to free herself of absolute slavery. But what is she the slave of ? Of rules, the rules of the game, the rules of society, the rules of education. Of words and their silly ambiguities that enable them to mean both one sense and its reverse, that enable them to lead to absurd statements and declarations that completely block her in blind alleys and impasses. But at the same time, her return to the normal world that transforms those adventures into a dream, is a rejection of such adventures and of such rebellion as being absurd and purely fantasmatic, dreamlike. There is in this book a rather sad lesson that comes out of this ending : children can dream adventures, can dream perfect freedom, but reason brings them back to the comfortable world of everyday life and submission. And there is no other way possible. This book is pessimistic about a possible evolution from one generation to the next thanks to the retension of childish, childlike dreams, forgetting that the world can only change and progress thanks to the fuel those dreams represent in our social engine.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

"Through The Looking Glass" is, perhaps, not QUITE as good as "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland", but it's close enough to still rate five stars. Not, properly, a sequel to the first book, there is no indication at any point in it that the Alice (clearly the same individual, slightly older) from this book ever had the adventures in the first one; there is no reference to her previous adventures, even when she once again meets Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Obviously, the two books are intended as parallel adventures, not subsequent ones.

The most memorable bits from this book are doubtlessly the poem, "Jabberwocky", as well as chapter six, "Humpty Dumpty". But all of the book is marvellous, and not to be missed by anyone who enjoys a magical romp through silliness and playful use of the English language.

(This review refers to the unabridged "Dover Thrift Edition".)

Carrol was a profound and wonderful writer, and Through the Looking Glass... is definate proof of this. Though there isn't much evidence that he was a pedophile, you shouldn't grade his works simply on who he might or might not have been. Through the Looking Glass... is one of the greatest works of literature in the english language, and will continue to be despite the author's supposed problems.

I really don't think prophecy is on trial. In fact, while Alice Bailey's and Benjamin Creme's work has extraordinary merit and certainly helps in preparing the world for what is coming, at this point I find another announcement being made in another (recently published) book much more credible -- that the Christ will not come this time, but has instead sent a messenger.

You see, as Jesus said, "there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, who shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that they shall deceive and seduce the very elect." (Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22) That was not merely to warn us of imposters and pretenders. It was also to confirm that the person who would actually fulfill Judeo-Christian prophecy would not be the Christ, but His messenger.

Other evidence of this is that the prophesied messenger is the "bridegroom-lamb," our "brother and fellow servant who has the testimony of Jesus" (Revelations 19:10). He is also the messenger for the "Spirit of Truth" that Jesus said would come, to "guide us unto all truth, show us things to come, and glorify me (Jesus)." (John 16:13-14) What's more, he is the "son of man who (unlike Jesus) first suffered many things and was rejected by his generation," as prophesied by Jesus. (Luke 17:24-25 and Isaiah 49:4) He is also the son of man who was first "stricken and afflicted." (Isaiah 53:4 and 57:15-17) All those biblical facts, along with others, indicate the truth about today's messenger of God, who is not a superman, and not holier than thou, but a prodigal son of man who delivers the true message for the Spirit of Truth.

The messenger has no personal agenda and will play no other role. In fact, he prefers to remain anonymous and writes under a pen name. He fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah in that "the servant and witness of God will not make his voice heard in the street" (or in public), but sends "his work before him." (Isaiah 42:1-2 and 62:11) He says the world does not need another would-be savior to scorn and crucify, or to exalt and put on a pedestal, and no man should be tempted with such great worldly power or bear its responsibility. He says the world needs truth, and nothing but the truth, and submits that the new covenant of God frees us from sovereign authority or sovereign leadership of any kind. He says there is no hierarchy in Christ, and he repeats what Isaiah wrote, that "besides God there is no savior." (Isaiah 43:10-11)

The book is titled Real Prophecy Unveiled, by Joseph J. Adamson. It's really about our total liberation and the fulfillment of prophecy, and it includes a comprehensive critique of what and who causes our main problems. It turns the tables on the Religious Right, establishing that Jesus (like all other enlightened ones) was really a "bleeding heart liberal," and it exposes the error and hypocrisy of right-wing religious leaders who claim otherwise. This, the messenger submits, is absolutely necessary because in order for the humble and meek to inherit the earth, the proud and militant must be exposed and rebuked to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah and Jesus. And he is not "lukewarm and neither hot or cold" about it, knowing the Christ's desire that the judgment from the son of man be strong and firm.

The messenger also establishes the value and need for secular government, separation of church and state, equality of religions, and an end to misguided patriarchal traditions. He also dispels myths and false beliefs and explains the value of esoteric teachings. He even gives us a way to abolish partisan politics and be rid of the "pretender to the throne" so we can share the throne of God's "new kingdom" as the equal joint heirs that we really are according to the Bible, creating government that is finally of, for, and by the people. It is an overall view of prophecy we can enthusiastically live with and even celebrate!

That is why, unless Bailey's and Creme's Maitreya actually reveals himself and demonstrates that he is not merely a false christ who shows great signs and wonders, I will accept Joseph's work as the message from the Spirit of Truth. While there are many claims being made about the existence or the coming of the Christ (AKA the Saoshyant/Avatar/Buddha/Imam Mahdi), Joseph evidently is the person who really serves the Holy One according to prophecy.