Anne Knoll's The Secret Life Of Thomas Bradford is an imaginative and entertaining novel for young adults about an odd-eyed white cat who considers himself to be a king, and a self-centered young man with a similar illusion. Neither cat nor man will let anyone or anything stop him on his quest for glory! Humorous and sometimes poignant, The Secret Life Of Thomas Bradford will especially resonate for anyone who shares their household with a furry feline king or queen. Entertaining and especially recommended for young cat lovers and feline fanciers!

I try to read my children's books as often as I can although doing so is not always what you would call a literary adventure. This was not the case in "The Secret Life of Thomas Bradford." Not only was this one of the best children's books I've read, it was one of the best BOOKS I've read in a long time (including some of the so-called bestsellers). "TB" was imaginative and adventurous, so much so I felt compelled to write a review. I plan to buy extra copies to give as gifts and to donate to the school library. I see Ms. Knoll writes gothic romances (just like Marcy). I hope she writes another children's book, she has a true gift. Also, wouldn't this make a lovely full-length cartoon? Quick! Somebody call Disney and Nickelodeon!

Storyline is the adventures of Thomas (the cat) who runs away from an unhappy home. I liked it because Thomas told the story which made me laugh, cry and be happy at the end.

The book is well written with many important topics.

Anyone who reads this book will find that it is wonderful. I have only read a few chapters of if for a college course that I am taking, and am looking forward to reading more of it. The information included in the text was so easy to grasp and to remember. The author thinks about every little aspect concerning the issue and draws on it clearly so as to make sure that the reader understands each and every issue involved. This surely is a book for anyone who is interested in environmental issues and what causese those issues to come about and how much of an impact that we humans have on the planet.

I think that this book is very educational and successful in getting the point across to the readers. I would personally reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in evironmental issues because it is very thorough and easy to understand.

Unusually lucid, clinically relevant and rich descriptions of difficult patient situations. Theoretically useful update on Winnicott's work on holding. Highly recommended for therapists working with difficult patients.

This excellent book represents a sophisticated integration of theory and clinical practice. It offers both dynamically oriented therapists and psychoanalysts a framework that is especially helpful in working with extremely difficult patients who do not respond to standard therapy technique. Slochower uses the notion of holding to describe the therapist's attempt to contain the patient's intense affective responses as well as the therapists struggle to hold himself. Slochower extends holding beyond Winnicott's conception of regression by 1)applying the model to work with borderline and narcissistic patients and 2)by addressing the therapist's participation in the holding process from a relational perspective. Her book is replete with rich clinical examples, illustrating the use of holding with patients struggling with issues of dependence, self involvement, ruthlessness and hate. Throughout the text, she also discusses instances in which the holding stance failed, and carefully addresses the clinical pitfalls of work within a holding metaphor. An especially interesting chapter addresses the holding theme outside the consulting room, in Jewish mourning ritual. A 'must read' for the contemporary clinician, whether of Freudian, Interpersonal, Self Psychological or Relational persuasion.

This is a life changing book! I have grown so much because of her gentle nudging in these pages. I have been reading and re-reading the book since 2000. For three years now I have picked it up again and again. I'm starting accountability groups based on the book now. This is one where there is always more to learn about myself and about God.

This book is 3 books in one. The first part, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, gives you advice and tips about every day living: wardrobe, time management, etc. The second part, Disciplines of the Heart, helps you enhance your relationship with God and your faith and trust in Him. This part has helped me a lot to be more confident in God, to not worry so much but
trust Him. The third part, Disciplines of the Home, is addressed especially to women who are also mothers.

Mrs. Ortlund does a beautiful job in teaching women how to organize their lives and get their priorities in place according to what will please God. She clearly sets the ideal, which may be unattainable for most women, especially those with young children. However, every woman should be able to gain some insight from this book and make her life better.

Like the previous reviewer, this ranks as one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It addresses so many themes: the question of identity, the relationship between one's name and one's identity, the danger of sentimentalising the past, the oppression of women in society, the dangers of false faith in religion, the list is endless. However, I have mainly read the novel as being about the relationship between France and Quebec and the growing estrangement between the two, as reflected in the immense distance between Flora Fantanges (representing France) and her daughter Maud (representing Quebec). I'd be very interested to know if people from Quebec would share this view!

This book is one of the best that I have read. I read it in French, but I am sure that it is great in English too. Hebert combines the struggle of Quebec and English, her main character's story, intertextuality and life in theatre for a complex, interesting, easy to read, and difficult to understand, novel. Very good and can be read on many levels. I recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting, intelligent book that is fun with a mysterious plot. (In a way it is like 12 Monkey or La Jetee: you don't understand what happened until the next scene, and you don't understand the book truly until it is over.)

TRAVE SETS OFF WITH THE KING OF KAPNOS TO GET HIS FATHER'S MEDALLION TO PROVE THAT HE IS RIGHTFUL KING OF GADALLA. THEN AFTER A ENCOUNTER WITH THE LEADER OF THE DARK ALLIANCE WHICH CONSISTS OF SARDA LITORIS AND TORRIDIA,SARDA THE LEADER HE LEARNS A SECRET. UNFORTUNATELY HE HAS NO TIME TO PONDER THIS FOR GADALLA IS ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED BY THE DARK ALLIANCE. THE GADALLAN, KAPNOS, AND KOLONIAN ARMIES ARE AT THE BATTLE FIELD, BUT ARE LOSING! CAN THE DIDERAN ARMIE GET THERE IN TIME?

PRINCE TRAVE SETS AOUT WITH THE KING OF KAPNOS TO FIND HIS FATHER'S MEDALLION TO PROVE THAT HE IS THE RIGHTFUL KING OF GADALLA. THEN AFTER A BAD ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY HE LEARNS A STARTLING SECRET BUT HAS NO TIME TO PONDER IT BECAUSE HE HAS TO SAVE GADALLA FROM BEING USURPED BY THE ENEMIES

Trave is prince of Gadalla, but he should be king. His fatherdied long ago, and he often reminds himself that his uncle, Panii, isnot the rightful king. One day he will rule. Now Trave is not allowed to own a falcon. Now he is not allowed a horse. One day he will have a stable full of fine horses. One day all Gadalla will listen to him and obey his every word.

Trave has little thought of any but himself (and horses)until he meets a visitor to Gadalla, Gris, the wise king of Kapnos. This king remembers Trave's father, of whom it is forbidden to speak. King Gris may be able to help Trave get his throne. He promises to lead Trave on the dangerous journey to find the medallion which is the mark of the true king.

Trave and Gris set off at once, on a journey which leads far. Trave finds himself forced to do many things which do not seem the job of a king, and forbidden to do what a king should be allowed. Perhaps Gris is not truly helping him. Perhaps there is a better way to the crown. Perhaps the medallion does not even exist.

In his journeys, Trave learns the dutys of a king:

To learn what is true;

To believe the truth;

To act on that belief.

Though totally fictitious, this is one of the greatest children's books I have read. An exciting story is used to teach the lesson which Christ so humbly demonstrated by washing His disciples feet: The true king is first a servant.

Free and Appropriate Public Education (5th Edition), by Rud and Ann Turnbull, is the defining legal resource for all special education advocates.

The Turnbull's, who co-founded and co-direct the Beach Center on Families with Disability at the University of Kansas, take the cumbersome legal process that is special education and turn it into a powerful reader friendly guide to understanding special education advocacy. The book has three parts, Introduction to the Law, the six principles of IDEA, and enforcing the law. The 5th edition is updated to include the 1997 IDEA amendments.

The first part of the book places the special education struggle into an historical context, preparing the reader for the principles at the heart of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]. The Turnbull's tell the reader where the law comes from, why it is needed and explains its power in the special education process. The reader learns what law is and how to make it work for individual students. A reader who understands why IDEA was needed in the first place will be better armed to advocate for a free appropriate public education for all students. This historical framework alone makes the book invaluable.

The second part of the Turnbull's book focuses on the six principles of the IDEA: zero reject (including discipline); nondiscriminatory evaluation; appropriate education (including positive behavior support); least restrictive environment (access to general education); due process (including mediation); and parent participation. The Turnbull's leave no stone unturned in detailing what families of children with disabilities have a right to expect from school administrators and teachers. The first time reader is thoroughly educated to the law and children with disabilty. The return reader and practicing advocate is given sophisticated information directly applicable to specific issues. The Turnbulls color each prinicple with the ink of history and the script of practical reality.

Rud and Ann Turnbull's final section tells parents how to use the law to obtain a truly free appropriate education for children with special needs. They give the reader a straightforward, no nonsense discussion of how IDEA is enforced. The authors give equal emphasis to hardball legal mechanisms and emerging alternative dispute resolution practices. A parent or advocate who understands how the law really works is better able to weigh specific choices for specific children.

Free Appropriate Public Education includes comprehensive resources. This 400-page hard cover book includes the 1997 IDEA amendments; glossary; a table of important cases; and extensive excerpts from the three landmark educational rights cases.

This book is ideal for the parent who for whatever reason cannot take advantage of opportunities to attend or participate in special education trainings or conferences. It also is an invaluable resource to those parents and advocates who present training opportunities or direct advocacy to other parents and families. The book is easy to use to refresh one's understanding of specific concepts or procedures. Finally, Free and Appropriate Public Education constantly reminds its readers and users that IDEA belongs to the families and not to the schools. It is not unreasonable for families to ask that IDEA be followed. The Turnbull's have given families a brief case resource which lets them put reason into practice. We heartily recommend this book.

This book is a must have for regular education teachers, special education teachers and especially parents of children with any disability or who suspect their child has a disability. It is written with the wisdom, compassion, and insight that only a parent of a child with disabilities could muster.

This book is the LAW for special education and it clearly defines what should be happening in America's schools. I highly recommend it.

Anne Catherine Emmerich gives the "everyday" happenings in the lives of those she "observed". I thought this book was a lovely read, and give me renewed interest in the Bible itself. As with all her books, it is like reading the full story as opposed to the headlines. Because Anne Catherine was a nun, it is often supposed that this, and indeed all her books, are only for Catholics. However, for Jewish people, it gives a most profound knowledge of the rich Jewish culture two thousand years ago, and for Christians, it fills in the blanks that Mathew, Mark, Luke and John left - they probably didn't realise that two thousand years later, their readers would not know what a Jewish wedding was like (Mary's dress and hair do left me breathless!). After reading the Chapter of Christmas, you too will wonder how Santa Claus managed to take over this wonderful event. I have also read the four volumes of the Life and Passion of Our Lord. Easter has never been the same for me.

NOTHING in her books contradicts the bible in any way. It just brings it to life.

It was as if God let me get to read this book: whether the visions are accurte or not even the idea of such amazing events taking place is like heaven and Gods presence. This book hit me so sublimely and wondeful...I felt Grace reading her words...so privleged.

Miss Emmerich relates in minute and often beautiful detail her visions of the life of Mary, from her conception to her assumption. Although not necessarily historical, the visions are a benefit to meditation on the events that we do know to have taken place, and help transport the reader back to Palestine in the first century.

All worries, troubles and life's problems pale in comparison to the Lord's suffering FOR US. And to think, He would endure it all over again for even ONE of His children. His love is beyond measure and beyond comprehension and this book brings the knowledge of what Jesus did into a horrific yet beautiful reality. Non-catholics and Catholics alike will be overwhelmed by this book.

Faithful to the Bible story of the Passion and death of Jesus, it fills in many details and is edifying and inspiring beyond belief; plus, it is surpising and heartrendering. It will melt a heart of stone. This book is the best on the Passion we have seen. It is also wonderful on the Blessed Mother's role inour redemption. Includes a short biography of St. Emmerich. A great, great book for the whole family!

Some Catholic Mystics (Saints) teach us that focusing on Jesus' Passion and Death will get you to heaven. This book walks you through our Lord's agony, step by step. After I read it, I was left with the picture of a Person who was literally skinned alive through scourging, and His Head was crowned with thorns and then The Body finally nailed to a cross, you get a little idea of what HE suffered "for us" physically. There were also mental and spiritual torments in addition to His physical sufferings. This book is for those who really want to grow spiritually and can face what He went through for us. The author was a nun who received only 2 months worth of visions depicting Christ's crucifixion and suffering. This book is well worth reading and contemplating.

Informative! It does get a bit long & wordy at times, but it's a fair representation of Helen & Annie's lives. The more I read about Annie Sullivan, the more I like her. I think it was a real shame that Arthur & Kate Keller felt threatened by the close bond Annie had with Helen. I think Arthur & Kate just wanted Helen to be "trained," but not really the free independent spirit she was meant to be. I'm so glad Annie stood by her & helped her become a free person & became a lifelong friend to Helen as well. Annie was very open about whatever failings she'd had & was a warm, loving supportive guide in Helen's life. I get the feeling Helen & Annie had almost a mother-daugher-like bond, which of course practically killed Arthur & Kate. The stupid thing was, the Keller parents wanted to just shift over the responibility to Annie of educating her & getting her to fit into society, yet wanted total control over Helen's life. If anyone was manipulative & controlling, it was Arthur & Kate. Esp. Arthur, I think was really patronizing & downright domineering toward Annie. Kate didn't help matters either & when I read about her attempts to break Helen & Pete up later on & her consent to try to split Helen & Annie up, I really lost respect for Kate. I know I'm slamming Kate & Arthur here, but I see Annie as more of a loving parent figure in Helen's life. I really commend Annie for standing strong against Helen's domineering, manipulative parents. Oh, boy, was that John Macy a real creep! I was sooo glad Annie got away from him; he accused Annie of being "manipulative & controlling" when he was controlling himself! He KNEW Annie & Helen had a tight bond, yet after he married Annie, he started giving poor Annie a hard time about it! What was really contemptable was that John wrote to Kate & others badmouthing Annie behind her back & it's good that the book exposed that clearly. That made me lose respect for John too; sorry, but I have no sympathy for John Macy. I think Annie tried really hard to be a good wife, yet John just criticized her for being too close to Helen. Poor Annie, it was sad reading about her heartbreak. It was touching & kind of reassuring to read that it was Helen who came to Annie's support when Annie couldn't stop crying for several days over John. It was Helen who fired a letter off to John blasting him for badmouthing Annie. I cheered when Helen was the one who helped Annie get back on her feet, esp. since I hear that John cleaned out the Macys' joint account & closed it without Annie's consent & Annie had to struggle to get her career going again. Boy, was it inspiring to read about Annie's heart healing & her getting her writing going again as well as back on her feet financially! I love how Helen & Annie stood by each other all the way & once Polly joined them, stood by them too. Annie's shaky pride suffered a lot of blows in her life, but always she managed to get back on her feet. I always knew Helen was forever grateful to Annie for freeing her from her early wordless prison & helping her get started to an independent free life & Helen showed this gratitude by being the one to take care of Annie when Annie grew old & frail & went permanently blind. It was a touching mother-daugher bond almost...when Helen was young, Annie looked out for her, then the roles reversed; when Annie got older & weaker, Helen was the one to look out for her & it was great that Helen was able to be by her bedside when her mentor & friend died. What was wonderful also was that Annie was a really sweet, accepting person; she had so many problems in her life, yet never sank into self-pity; she even made wry jokes about her blindness & even wrote a self-effacing column "Foolish Remarks From a Foolish Woman." That part cracked me up! Annie was a quick-tempered little thing, but was quick to forgive & had a big heart & I'm glad this book acknowledged that. Even Helen said that Annie was generous "to a fault." But the last best gift Annie gave Helen was the capacity to be completely independent, even from her, so once Annie died, with only a little help from Polly, Helen was able to live a free life, even long after Annie was gone. I say kudos to both Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan!!!!

This is the best biography about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller that I have ever read. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by them and have read everything that I could get my hands on. Lash goes beyond their heroism and describes Annie and Helen as real people with "feet of clay."

He relies heavily on voluminous correspondence to show the many facets of Helen and those in her life. Many of these details are not explained in great deal in other biographies. For example, Helen's father tried to shore up his finances with loans (often defaulted) from Helen's patrons. The "Frost King" incident caused many people to doubt Annie's voracity and credibility as a teacher for the rest of her life. Mr.Sandborn and Mr. Anagnos used the controversy to divert credit from Annie's role as Teacher to Helen and to re-focus attention on the role that the Perkins Institute played in her education. Lash also shows that John Macy had a complex relationship (for the good and the bad) with both Annie and with Helen. Helen was a radical Socialist and often risked her popularity and therefore income. In the end the reader sees that Helen and all those around her did great things, but they were not perfect. Insecurity, jealousy, money and a desire for love and fame caused all of them to act ugly sometimes.

The other point that was never clear to me before, is that Helen and Annie spent their lives marketing themselves in order to generate an income. Helen's father faced a serious financial downturn that prevented him from supporting them from Helen's young womanhood on. Therefore, to continue Helen's formal education and to maintain a home away from Alabama, they had to cultivate sponsors, write publishable material, and earn money speaking at a myriad of functions. In many ways, this was an uncertain life that dictated that they remain in good standing with public opinion at all times.

The other connection that Lash made for me concerns the complexity, the depth and the breadth of Annie and Helen's relationship. Because Annie suffered through a harrowing childhood, she desperately needed to create a loving family. Helen presented the perfect opportunity for Annie to be needed and to love and be loved unconditionally. While some people construed their relationship to be unhealthy or manipulative, it seems that it was a natural outgrowth of their particular situation. Once again, it was not perfect, but it served a huge need for them both.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a more realistic view of the lives of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan.

The lives of Helen Keller and her teacher, Ann Sullivan Macy are eternally intertwined. Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy depended on Annie since the age of 6 when the latter was hired to teach her.

This comprehensive, fascinating and completely riviting biography does an excellent job of separating the two women's lives and analyzing each woman in her own right. Helen takes giant steps beyond the water pump where Annie first impressed upon her the concept of language. It is to this author's credit that the reader does not languish at that water pump, but follows these women throughout their lives.

The true symbiosis is fully described when other teachers as well as Helen's own mother Kate, try to separate her from Annie. Feeling that her maternal authority had been usurped, Kate understandably wanted to wean Helen from Annie. Each attempt by any person to effect such a change resulted in disaster. Even Annie's marriage to a gifted editor named John Macy ended in an acrimonious split because he felt Helen took up too large a portion of their lives together. From all accounts, Macy seemed to feel that Annie used the same domineering methods she had used on the child Helen with him. He also described Annie as "manipulative and controlling," which certainly seem like apt descriptions of her approach. Resentful of Helen's constant presence and feeling like an odd member of an equally odd triadic relationship, John retreats further from the marriage.

When Annie dies, Helen is disconsolate; she feels she can't survive without her "Teacher," although she, by that point had been at Annie's side for nearly half a century. A bright, progressive woman named Polly assumes the role of "Teacher," and Helen flourishes under her gentle tutlage and interpretation. Polly is clearly accepting of Helen's challenges and appears to make a sincere effort to see that Helen is fully included in all conversations and activities which she [Polly] is part of. One does not get the sense that Polly is a martyr. One gets the impression that Polly is loyal and determined with no agenda of her own.

Helen's relationship with Polly does appear to be much healthier than her relationship with Annie. This book fully explores Helen's character, her life experiences and the types of relationships she forged in the post-Teacher years with intelligence and sensitivity.