This book remains on the top of my list of favorites. My wife and I (both fans of the book) have made significant improvements to our financial status in the past two years since reading "The Four Laws". I mean significant! We've paid off $29K in credit card debt, invested the same amount in mutual funds, both are able to max out our 401(k) plans, have met our contribution limits to our Roth IRA's already and are planning our next visit to ski in Austria (...)! That is our story now. It was far from pretty before reading the book. It is important to note, like anything worthwhile, it takes goal setting, planning and follow-through to achieve. This book lit a fire that no other book could. In fact, about 10 of my friends have received a copy of their own as gifts from us. Simply a great feeling knowing that I can control my life and help others to achieve the same experience. Peace, love and happiness!

This is an excellent book. It is less than 120 pages. It reads like a story. Starting with man hacking his fake Xmas tree to bits and ending with financial freedom, a real friend, and a new lease on life! I loved it! I have sent copies to family members who have actually thanked me and implemented what they read! I plan to send out more this year. It's a funny, no-nonsense look at getting out of debt. I think I'll go and re-read it again!

I purchased the audiotape of this book and listened to it on my daily commute. The presentation of the idea was very simple and made me feel like I could follow their suggestions too! I sat down and worked out my tracking, target, trimming, and training goals and realized that with all of my debt...I could be paid off and debt free by April of 2003 (and I had lots of debts from just finishing my doctorate). I also mentioned some of the ideas in this tape to my 13 year old (that if a 15 year old puts $7 aside each month until s/he was 65...and received 15% return...that they'd be a millionaire at retirement). She, too, is excited about the rules given in this book.

A powerfull and easy to undersand book on the way to build a Jesus Church and what we can do to serve. It helped my lighthouse to grow even brighter.

The Jesus Principle combines a biblical theology and an ecclesiology that is helpful in defining and establishing the method of operation for the church. Written by Arlington, Texas pastor, Charles Wade, the work refuses to advocate a singular method of being and doing church. Wade weaves a defining tale of the church with interesting self-disclosure and historical quotations that reinforce and illuminate the principles. This book is not touting a singular, myopic, denominational position - it is much more. Nor is it a handbook on how to be a Baptist. Wade concentrates more on the broader spectrum of "the church" as the gathered and dispersed people of God. In reading this book one is reminded of Thomas Oden's excellent theology of the church in Pastoral Theology. Oden has written relevantly to "the church" from a Methodist home base, even as Wade has done so from a Baptist perspective. Any Christian open enough to open this book can learn and grow in their practice of faith. Perhaps the two most helpful expositions in The Jesus Principle are Wade's outlines of "What is the Church?" and "Functions of the Church". He answers the nature of the church question with several descriptive images, including: People of God, Temple of God, Army of God, Bride of Christ, Ark of God and Body of Christ. His basics in the function of the church are foundational elements in any holistic congregation: worship, evangelize, disciple, minister and create fellowship. Ancient rhetorician Qunitillian said the most basic criteria for judging a speech is a good person speaking well. Although The Jesus Principle is not a spoken word, it is clear from the reading, this is a good person writing well. The Jesus Principle is a "must read." Dan Williams, Pastor of Southland Baptist Church, San Angelo, Texas. From Texas Baptist Committed Newsletter, May, 1998.

In The Jesus Principle, Charles Wade has written a thorough account of how the church can ever more perfectly be made to reflect the character of Christ. I can say from personal experience as a former staff minister of his church that Charles Wade practices what he preaches. His life and his church make you want to cozy up close to learn. This book brings him and the church he serves closer to us all. More important, it brings us closer to the Christ who is the sole authority for all churches. Dr. George Mason, Pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas.

I am a brazilian architect, working now in a thesis research about movie theaters located in my city, Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil. I found this book in B&N store, in New York. It's a great book! GOOD for my work in research end for teaching architecture design (at an architecture school)about movie theaters. (sorry for my poor english...)

Having worked and managed movie theatres from the 40s thru early 70s, and now considered a "dinosaur" of that age, was completely captivated by the coverage accomplished by Ms.Valentine, especially on the accomplishments of architect Lee.She captured the "flavor" and context of that wonderful era,never to be again. And surprise of surprises,I actually managed or knew intimately of some of the theatres Mr.Lee designed or worked on! I have nearly all the books published on movie theatres,et al,but have to admit this particular tome really grabbed me emotionally with text and photos so for the while it took me to read this book(hard to put down)I re-lived that era in a way I never thought possible. (The Arden in Lynwood, Tower in L.A., the old Alhambra in Alhambra, are only a few I "set foot in again"!)..if I could give it more than 5 stars I would! A tip of my hat to Ms.Valentine, to Mr.Lee, and the great bunch of people I worked with, and for, oh, so many, many years ago

My sister has written a very intelligent and well thought out book. She deserves to be rich and famous.

Rascals and confusion, Trollope wrote with all the elements that excited that of readers from the Victorian Era, and that can also excite ones from our age.

One of the brightest lights of the Palliser novels is extinguished in the first chapter with the death of the Duchess Glencora. Bereft of her vivacious influence the grieving Duke, already reserved and traditional, sinks into stodginess. Far worse than this, he is left with three young adult children whom he fails completely to understand. To say that they cause him many heartaches is to greatly understate the situation.

The eldest, heir to the title, Lord Silverbridge has already been booted out of Oxford for a silly prank. Now he goes into horse racing with questionable companions and winds up as the victim of a major scandal, which costs his father a huge sum. Next he deserts his father's choice for his bride to woo an American girl whose grandfather was a laborer.

The Duke's daughter, Mary, wants to marry a commoner, son of a country squire, a good man, but with no title and little money. The outraged Duke is adamantly opposed to such a match, but Mary vows to marry no other and is constantly miserable.

The youngest son, Gerald, who plays a relatively minor role in the novel, is forced to leave Cambridge because he was away without permission attending a race in which his brother's horse was running. Later he loses several thousand pounds in a card game.

The Duke bemoans his children's foolishness and their lack of respect for the traditions of their fathers. He pays for their mistakes, but vigorously opposes the two unwise marriages. But although he is a strict, authoritarian man, he is also a compassionate and loving father. Will he yield to the fervent desires of his rebellious offspring? The resolution of this clash of generations brings the Palliser novels to a satisfying conclusion.

As always, it is Trollope's great gift of characterization which makes THE DUKE'S CHILDREN an outstanding novel. From the outwardly firm but inwardly doubting Duke to the very sincere but frequently erring Silverbridge to the tragic Lady Mabel Grex, who has the young heir in her grasp only to let him slip away, these are well-rounded figures with whom the reader lives intimately and comes to understand thoroughly. With the perfectly depicted ambience of upper-class Victoriana as the setting, this novel is an absorbing work of genius.

A better bargain than this smashing little paperback will be hard to find. The blended letters of Susan and Charles Blackford, two erudite, observant members of the Virginian gentry, tell the story of one family's Civil War struggle in the frontlines and on the homefront beautifully. Susan describes the loss of children, the battle to feed family, and the "impression" she made in front of her husband's unit plunging headfirst into a mudpile. Charles observes the war from the vantages of both the line and the staff, and supplies some incredible character studies ranging from Jeff Davis to Lee and Jackson, down to the private soldier (with the impudence of a town cow). A collection of letters from someone who wrote on a warmed frying pan to keep his hand from freezing probably deserves reading regardless! My third reading...

My Uncle Minor was the author of this book. It was first published 40 years ago.We would sit on his front porch and he would talk about his work. He told me how proud he was that when it went out of print and became a library issue that he would get a phone call about once a year from a college student challenging him on one General he misquoted the name. My Uncle is deceased now but going through the house after his death I accidently found a stack of unpublished manuscripts that would headed for the dumpster as no one knew about them. I salveged them and working on getting them in print as they are wonderful cival war historical novels. The first one is named Cry Liberty as is centered around Lychburg and Col Lynch and the war. I am sure he would be proud that I saved his work so many can enjoy it in print.

This book offers a glimpse into the history and making of this holiday classic TV special, as well as paying tribute to Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz through interviews with Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson, and some of the voice talents. Also included is a sampling of production and promotional art, and the entire script of the show accompanied by film stills. Just focusing on one of the many Peanuts shows makes for a very short book, however, but what is here is well researched and attractively presented. This book makes a good keepsake, but a book about all of the Peanuts animation would have made a longer, more interesting book. Still, I would recommend this book to Peanuts fans.

Reading "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on a dark Sunday afternoon in November is a bit like owning a DVD crammed with special features. This gorgeously-designed hardcover, with glossy pages and a heavy silver dustjacket, is a terrific companion to the TV special, and an almost essential shelf companion to "Peanuts: A Golden Celebration".

Anything you'd want to know about the "Christmas" TV special is in this book -- lengthy interviews with producer Lee Mendelson (a veteran of Peanuts anniversary books) and animator Bill Melendez. Charles M Schulz passed away before the book was written, but there are plenty of rarely-seen photos of him taken in the 1960s. There's a chapter on Vince Guaraldi, whose jazz soundtrack defines the lives of many "Peanuts" fans; interviews with some of the children who voiced the characters; and, O happy day, sheet music! The second half of the book contains the complete script for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" itself, along with dozens of photos and animated sequences, taken from the original cels.

"Christmas" is not for small children (unless they're reading it with you), and there are a couple of misprints (including, in my first edition, a caption for a photo that's not in the book!). But it's lovely to look at, and when I put it down finally, reluctantly, I was whistling the soundtrack and hearing Linus's nativity speech (and I'm Jewish!). These days you can buy it for about as much as the DVD costs, and it's a wonderful Christmas gift. Unless, of course, the person you're buying it for already owns it.

This book is for anybody who's seen A Charlie Brown Christmas virtually every year it's been on TV or via VHS or DVD.

It includes storyboards of the Ford commercials which featured Linus and Lucy back in 1962 (3 years before this classic TV special debuted). Not only that, it features advertisements in TV guide, an interview with Bill Melendez, who animated all the Peanuts specials and films up to Charles Schulz's untimely death in 2000), and a few essays from Lee Mendelson, who worked side by side with Melendez on each of the specials. It also features a few words from Peter Robins (the 1st voice of Charlie Brown) and Chris Shea (who played Linus). You also get a tribute to Vince Guaraldi who composed the music (not to mention that it includes the sheet music for "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmastime Is Here"). This book mentions how they came up with the adult "voices" in the specials and Schulz's conditions on working on Charlie Brown Christmas (one was that real children would do the kids' voices, and another was that the Gospel of Luke was present in the script in order to remind the audience the true meaning of Christmas).

Most importantly, this book includes the entire script of Charlie Brown Christmas with stills from the special. In essence, there is enough information for you to cast your own stage production of A Charlie Brown Christmas. There is one slight error in the script, however- the Peanuts gang is not humming "O Little Town of Bethelehem" at the finale but "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (unless this was written in the original script and changed at the last minute). Finally, turn the pages and you'll see Snoopy cause Charlie Brown to crash into the tree in the one scene that begins the special!

Recommended to all Peanuts collectors and all who love the classic special that started it all for Peanuts animation. I got this from a good friend as a Christmas present!

There is no Spoon River, IL. Check your map. Several towns argue that they stake their claim in being what Masters asserted to be this mythical town. Petersburg and Lewistown, two towns of otherwise minor repute seem closest... but it is so much better we haven't an actual town... Spoon River's residents are our next door neighbors, whether we live in Central Illinois or Central Florida, or southern Alaska.

Masters has written not fables, but the essence of American life. He hasn't captured the life and times of 1915, but has instead recorded in 1915 the life and times of our present day America.

The same reason the paintings of Norman Rockwell makes sense is why Edgar Lee Masters poetry makes sense. To read the quick messages on the gravestone of one man, learning a little bit him, and something about a neighbor or two, we can learn a little about how we live in communities today.

Our lives, like Jimmy Stewart's character in "It's a Wonderful Life" found out, interact and impact everyone we meet. Who we love, who we should love and who we reject. And when we die, others feel the loss. Masters has aptly put this in a humorous, yet insightful way into short verses.

The poems don't rhyme. The meter is not solid, and the poetics aren't intricate. They aren't poems like Poe's or Dickinson, not in the way they wrote American poems. Don't expect iambic pentameter-based sonnets or villanelles. Expect a conversation, and listen in.

The poetry here is in the subtle use of social nuance. In the nuances are his insight and wit. Two readings will bring to light what you miss in the first.

Buy this book, read it slow. It reads faster than most poetry book, but don't get caught in the temptation to zoom through each poem just because you can.

After you read it, see the play if it happens to be performed in your town.

I fully recommend it.

Anthony Trendl

Edgar Lee Masters was a Chicago attorney who, long before Lake Woebegone, wrote of the mythical village of Spoon River, IL. Specifically, of the real stories of the people in it's graveyard. Now that they're dead the truth can finally be told. And almost all of them lived lives of terrible lies. I was introduced to it in Jr. High, was blown away at the realization that people all around me probably had these same kinds of secrets, living with them hidden, or hoped they were hidden. Paraphrasing, "I was of the party of Prohibition (anti-alcohol), villagers thought I died from eating watermelon. It was my liver. Every day at noon I slipped behind the partition at the drug store and had a generous drink from the bottle labeled Spiritum Fermenti!" The several poems that introduce Hamilton Greene are as powerful as anything I've ever read. Do yourself a huge favor, read this book! And then imagine yourself in the Spoon River graveyard, finally able to tell the truth about your life.

I was turned on to this book after hearing the latest Richard Buckner release "The Hill", in which the musician uses the Spoon River Anthology as the basis for his conceptual music. After listening to this wonderful disc, I was compelled to read the actual work by Edgar Lee Masters. What I found was a book that was written in 1915, but that brings to life the voices of humanity louder than anything I've read in recent years. This book is more poetry than literature, but the stories of the residents of Spoon River that are collected within the pages are stories that are not soon forgotten.

This book has moved me more than anything else I've read in recent years, and I highly recommend that othes read this outstanding work of art.

This book shows a side of Robert E. Lee that seems to have been lost in the history books. After the end of the Civil War, we hear little or nothing about General Lee. In truth, he died five years after the war ended, but he made the most of that time in trying to repair the damage done by the war. This book is an excellent chronicle of those years.

Lee lost most of his property during the war. He was a career soldier, and didn't have many prospects for employment. He hoped to move onto a farm and to live quietly in the country.

However, other plans were being made for him. The trustees of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, voted unanimously to offer him a job as president of the college. Lee was not a professional educator (although he had served as superintendent of West Point), but the trustees believed that his leadership and integrity were just what the college needed to survive the harsh economy left by the war. For his part, Lee saw this as an opportunity to help young Southern men to become productive citizens.

The college's wager paid off. Enrollment grew each year that Lee spent at the helm. The college developed new programs, and Lee's stature and good reputation were such that Washington College received large donations from philanthropists, even in the Northern states. Lee took a personal interest in the students, learning to address them by name and taking responsibility for disciplinary measures.

Yet Lee's last five years were not years of unabated bliss. His health declined steadily, his wife was an invalid, his brother died, and his reputation suffered from some unjust attacks in Northern newspapers. Throughout it all, Lee held his head high and maintained his dignity, his character, and his principles.

Lee put much effort into healing the wounds left by the war. He appreciated the esteem in which he was held by his fellow Southerners, but he encouraged them to be loyal citizens of the United States of America. He never said a word against General U.S. Grant, and even rebuked an employee of Washington College who did. One of the most fascinating (and mysterious) episodes in the book is Lee's trip to Washington, D.C., to visit President Grant in the White House. No one else was present for the meeting, and so no one really knows what they discussed.

The book ends abruptly with an account of Lee's death, without going reporting on his funeral and his family's life without him. Even so, this book makes great reading and has fascinating insights into the private life of an American icon.

I have a real passion for the American Civil War and, if truth be told, I usually enjoy reading about it from a Southern perspective. I am though no Robert E. Lee worshipper and can see the good and the bad in the man and the soldier. He was not the perfect general and he did make mistakes (some very costly) but he is a fascinating character and any understanding of him leads to an appreciation of duty and honour. In those respects he was a paragon of virtue.

I'd read so much about Lee during the war that I needed something more, to find out what happened to him after the war. Charles B. Flood provided that "something" and I am so happy that I decided to go for this purchase. It was a snap decision but one I shall never regret.

The first ten chapters of the book are worth the price of purchase on their own, dealing as they do with the surrender of the marvellous Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox and the subsequent weeks and months as Lee made his way back to Richmond and waited to see what fate awaited him at the hands of the victorious Union.

I don't believe Flood was laying it on too thickly but the devotion felt towards Lee by his old soldiers (Pickett excepted of course) and the civilian population of the South are incredible. The stories of soldiers coming to see him before they set off on foot to return home are just so moving and Lee will not say no to anybody who wishes to see him.

After those opening incredible chapters things slow down somewhat and we learn of Lee's transition into what could be called a 'normal' life which sees him take up the presidency of the Lexington College in Virginia. It's not rivetting stuff by any stretch of the imagination but it's interesting and we gain a greater insight into what drives Robert E. Lee... duty and honour. He could have cashed in on his name a thousand times to retire a wealthy man, but he would not sell out and knows that his example, a dutiful one, will be followed by so many former Confederates in those dark post-war days.

Lee also refuses to incriminate his former comrades when pressed to do so and it is a measure of his standing even in the North that no-one dares to bring charges against him, despite the clamour from some sections of society that he be tried for treason.

The picture that Flood paints of Lee is not always flattering though. He is shown to be a stubborn man in some respects and his family are always in awe of him, especially his daughters, of whom he is extremely possessive. So much so that all three will die spinsters!

One of the last things that Lee does before his death in 1870 is to go on a short trip into the deep south and that again provides an incredible picture of his standing in the old Confedracy. Though he craves privacy word gets out that he is on a train and telegrams break the news ahead of his journey. Consequently, thousands turn up just to get a glimpse of him, with old soldiers bringing their children (man of who have been named after Lee). It is a very moving account of just how deeply his people felt for him.

My only complaint is that I would have liked just a little more reaction to lee's death around the South. How did the people react? What did the papers say? That sort of thing. An omission that could easily have been avoided in my opinion.

All in all though a hearty well done to Charles B. Flood for an excellent biography of Lee's last years. If my review sounds a little soppy then believe me, the book isn't. It is a solid, fair and well constructed picture of the last years of Robert E. Lee's life. It may move you in ways you weren't expecting though!

This was a passionate story of the last five years of the life of one of our greatest American heroes. Finally, we have a look at what Lee accomplished AFTER the war! From the first chapter to the end, I was enthralled with the story of Lee's dedication to God and country. The author used interesting stories to detail Lee's character which made the book easy to read and immensely enjoyable. I judge this to be one of the very best biographies I've ever read.

Poet Ezra Pound once told literary critic Hugh Kenner that Kenner had an obligation to visit the great people of his time. In "Street Conscious Rap", H. Samy Alim takes this counsel to heart and hand, as he, with James G. Spady, records the words and ideas of hip-hop's innovators and creators. The resulting rarity--the makers of hip-hop speaking, without interpretation, of what they, themselves, think and do--is a resource for study and insight; a document with archival muscle; a testimony for all time.

The interviews in this book are so detailed and in-depth that it made me think differently about some hip hop artists and hip hop as a whole. For instance, Method Man, Common, and Xzibit provide some real insight into the creative processes and abilities involved in hip hop. And Grandmaster Flash provides a first-hand historical account that makes you feel like you were there when hip hop was just getting started. All of the artists tell such amazing stories about their lives and experiences that we don't really read about anywhere else. The book also shows how important hip hop is culturally, historically, and socially -- and the impact it's had on the world. If you're serious about hip hop, this is the book you need to get. It's off tha hook, y'all!

I have always believed that hip hop, is America's only TRUE culture. Originated in the U.S., and flourishing all over the globe, hip-hop has become a subject of great interest over the last decade. This book gives much insight as to the origins of hip-hop with interviews and ideas from legends like Grandmaster Flash, Doug E. Fresh and LL Cool J. At the other end of the spectrum, some of hip-hops newer and most intriguing artists are covered from Method Man to Busta Rhymes and even including some of the hottest local and underground rap groups to show the evolution of hip-hop in America. You will see that this virtual encyclopedia of hip-hop facts and philosophy doesn't miss a beat, as you find yourself continuosly nodding your head in awe of the detailed content as you turn each page. Anyone who has a thirst to learn more about the thoughts of their favorite rap artist, or to better understand the culture, philosophy and art of hip-hop, should purchase this book.

"A Silent Cry" really moved me. It is amazing how one can tell their memories of life, along with the trials and tribulations that one go through.

I found this book to be interesting, since I, myself, had to go through a lot. Who would have thought that reading this book would heal some wounds. Now I know that I was not the only one who has been down a rough road of life.

Charles Lee really told it like it was. I could hardly put the book down!

I have recommended this book to several people. As a matter of fact, my copy is now missing from my library!

It has always been my opinion that if a book is good it should be able to transport the reader to another time and place. "A Silent Cry" by Mr. Lee did that for me. Uncomfortable at times while reading this, one walks briefly into a life of poverty, pain and rejection.

Charles Lee's book is a slice of Americana - Black Americana, that I found hard to put down. With each page you feel the frustration and despair of Mr. Lee, only to watch him rise later to yet another challenge. And the way Mr. Lee understates the painful events of his life, one begins to understand why his is a "Silent Cry".

I was very impressed with a "Silent Cry" by Charles Lee. The book captivated me with it's depiction of Mr. Lee's life situations. It was also very motivating to see someone who was faced with so many obstacles throughout his life, but never gave in to defeat but rather arose to each battle that life dealt him.

I particularly enjoyed chapter 7 when Mr. Lee finally meets his soul mate. It was enlightening to see love prevail in the end. I would definitely recommend a "Silent Cry" by Charles Lee to all of my friends and family.