At long last someone has come up with a new slant to WWII history. It is refreshing to find that after 55 years or so has passed an author can yet teach us something new about history, which can captivate, can sometimes even excite, and definitely can entertain.

I had no expectations when I started this novel. I had wanted to try an unknown author. WAS I SURPRISED! At every turn of the plot my attention was captured, the read was fast paced,and the descriptions made me feel as if I were there.

I was stunned by the creativity and descriptiveness of the writer. His remarkable grammar and way of writing leaves you interested the whole time. He is the next J.K. Rowling by the level of interest that he provides in his book. Congratualations, you are a wiz of an author.
Sicerely,
An extremely happy reader

The Mountain Meadows Massacre is usually recounted in one of two simple version: 1) Brigham Young ordered the assassination of innocent Gentile travellers; or 2) John D. Lee took it upon himself to do the same.

Brooks deals with the Massacre more thoroughly in her appropriately-titled _Mountain Meadows Massacre_, also available on this fine website. But the picture is incomplete without an understanding of who John D. Lee was. That picture is provided in great detail by this book, and it is sometimes startling.

Lee was not some renegade Danite chieftain. Raised on the American frontier, he joined the Mormons and became a pillar of the southern Utah community -- a church leader, the federal government's Indian farmer, and an officer in the militia. He was widely respected and reputed to have spiritual gifts of prophecy and healing.

And on the day of the Massacre, he was in a bad spot. Caught between conflicting and ambiguous military orders and facing the alternatives of killing not-completely-innocent travellers and alienating the native american population at a moment when the U.S. Federal government had declared war on the Utah Mormons, he made a tough choice.

Eventually, of course, Lee was banished for his crime, living out his last years as a ferryman with a greatly reduced family on the Utah-Arizona border. Some odd details strike you when reading Brooks' account, though:

1. There's plenty of evidence that people talked about Lee's excommunication, but in the well-kept church records, no sure indication that it actually happened.

2. Lee was a spiritually powerful man and a firm believer. Moreover, he was an intimate of Brigham Young (Young's adopted son, in fact).

3. Lee was a frontiersman through and through, one of the few Mormon pioneers (along with, say, Orrin Porter Rockwell and Bill Hickman)really equipped to deal with the harsh desert environment.

4. Lee was banished not when Brigham Young found out about the Massacre, but years later, and almost certainly in response to public sentiment.

So ask yourself this: if you were Brigham Young, and you needed to sacrifice someone to protect the church, who would it be? It's hard not to wonder whether John D. Lee's banishment was a calling. Maybe he wasn't excommunicated at all, but sent away as a visible sacrifice for the good of the community. Only a man with Lee's faith, independence and wilderness skills could be called on to make such a sacrifice.

Likewise, Lee seems to have virtually surrendered to his own execution, but it's not clear why. Was he again sacrificing himself for Brigham Young and the church? Did he feel the guilt of the Massacres and seek to atone by offering his own life?

I don't know, but I know this: if you're interested in Mormon history, Utah history or even the history of the American West, you should read this book.

I could not put this book down until I had finished it cover to cover. It is a gripping narative that is historically accurate. (None of the criticisms I have heard change the nature of the story at all.) She draws on primary resources and was often able to obtain documents no one else could. Her analysis, especially of Lee's second trial, is very insightful.

I was surprised to learn that the group of 12 or so men known as the "Misouri Wildcats" who were probably the target of the massacre had parted with the Francher company the day before the the first Indian raid and hence escaped being in the massacre.

I am not a descendant of John D. Lee.

I am pleased to be the first reviewer of this book who is not a decendent of John D. Lee, yet I, too, must give the book highest marks. While it is history, and a biography, it is as captivating as any novel, and a treat for the immagination as well as the rational mind. Full marks for the late Ms. Brooks in her ability to weave together the elements that make the man, her insight mostly derived from his own copious writings and those of his faithful wives. The result is a reasonably complete look at the complex man, faithful to his dying moments in the Church and gospel he thought he was defending, a look that includes his intimate thoughts, a sense of his apparent egotism, his devotion to his multiple families, and the role that his wives and children played in his life.

There is much that I appreciated about this book, not the least of which is the fact that Ms. Brooks did not shy away from the possibility that Brigham Young sacrificed J. D. Lee in a manner consistent with a Book of Mormon account, in which it is stated by God that "it is better that one man should perish, then a whole nation dwindle in unbelief." Lee himself implicates his "adoptive father," Brigham Young, in his farewell letter to his wives. At the same time, she does not for a moment lose the perspective of the seige mentality, the war-time thinking of both the perpetrators of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, and the leaders of the Church. Without this context, it is easy to stand in self-rightous judgement of what hindsight clearly dictates was a horrible act. With that psycho/social context, the fair-minded reader can at least admit that while John D. Lee was indeed a participant in an evil day, he was not an evil man. Far from it. Indeed, he may have paid the price with his life because he was in fact a man of high principles, and utmost regard for the God who gave him life. His faith sustained him through remarkable hardship, and sustained him in his own noble imprisonment and ultimatly his execution.

You will not be able to read this book without a strong sense of compassion for his wives, either. They were called upon to endure extreme hardship, and appear to have risen to the challenge. From their march across the plains, to the numerous times they were asked to open a new settlement, to eventually living practically alone in Navajo country to fend for themselves, even to birth children without so much as the help from an older daughter, these were women of enormous faith, incredible fortitude, and proud devotion to a man that their Church had marked as a scapegoat and sacrificial lamb.

It is likely that decendents of the Fancher Party would read this book with different emotions than I, but I found it to be highly stimulating and engaging, both to the sensitivities and the mind. It is a story of faith, of perseverence, of work and sacrifice, and ultimately betrayal by a man's dearest friends. If the book is too forgiving of Lee for his role in the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, it is only because his life was so much more than that one, dark day. The rest of his life was a labor of love, for his God, his Prophet, his friends, his wives, his children, and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God, of which he believed he was a key builder, in partnership with his God and his prophets.

Lee has written a wonderful book that takes on all the myths about dietary and lifestyle health that have been support for years by economic interests at the detrement of our society. I have used this book as a reference since it came out and a resource to those who might challange with so many erroneous dietary cliches (e.g. "drink milk to have stronger bones"). If every adult read this book and digested it, what an enlightened, healthy society we would become...if only. Great job Lee!!

When I have a question about health, diet or food. This is the book I always turn to first. I've read and re-read this book many times and it's one of my most used references.

Lee covers dietary components like proteins, fats, carbohydrates, additives, dairy, seafood and vitamins. He also summarizes some of the different diets around the world and correlates them with different levels of disease and sickness--in the process finding those diets which are the most healthful. Lee then provides recipes and cooking strategies to integrate the best foods into your own diet.

Weight control, exercise, biological age, seniors, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and more are examined and Lee quotes research and the plain facts concerning each. The ladder half of the book is devoted to the food and drug industry and their interactions with government organizations like the FDA, RDA, USDA and APA. He writes allot about chemicals, pesticides and toxins found in most foods and their is a chapter concerning Organic vs. Conventional growing.

Throughout the book you will find very amusing and often absurd quotes by industry leaders touting the benefits of their toxic foods. These snippets of corporate propaganda and government idiocy are often rendered disturbing when they punctuate the actual truths which Lee sites.

It's a real shame the vast majority of American's are mindless of the harm they are doing to their bodies with their diet. A book like this is a great education and wakeup call to most anyone. My thanks to the author for sharing his knowledge.

Also, if you've read this book and liked it check out "Milk : The Deadly Poison" by Robert Cohen, Jane Heimlich. Kinda poetic title, huh. :)

If you believe that your health is the single most important asset you own then the book "Long Life Now: Startegies for Staying Alive" by Doctor Hitchcox is for you. Well written, well laid out - designed to be read "Long Life Now" is the most comprehensive round-up of profound and accurate information compiled to inform and educate us on what is going on with our culture when it comes to health. This book is a must have in all libraries. This book is a major reference book for all concerned individuals and activists.

Doctor Hitchcox has throughly researched and verified his facts and is to be commended for the time he took and the throughness of his work. He has written a highly insightful and at times terrifying account of the current cultural practices and values in this country around health and environmental issues.

This is a book worth the time to read - don't plan to read it all at once. You will need time to digest what he says. If you can only read one section in the book read his discussion on diet and its relationship to long life. This discussion alone is well worth the read. Read this book if you value your life and quality of life

This is one of the best at getting into the mind of the radically unchurched.

On the downside, this book (like most on the subject) takes a narrative approach to each chapter. Some chapters have useful take-away summaries. What I would have liked but did not find in the chapters were:
1. Discussion or review questions at the end of each chapter
2. Application exercise(s) at the end of each chapter

So, in my view, this book fell short on providing clear, easy to adopt "how to" ways to build effective relationship evangelism habits.

A promising new book that I may use is Evangelism Outside The Box (Rick Richardson, 2000).

Older books that have worked well for me in teaching others are: (roughly in order of preference): Power Evangelism (John Wimber, 1992), Witnessing Without Fear (Bill Bright, 1987), Out of the Salt Shaker (Rebecca Pippert).

When looking only at the title of the book, it could be concluded that this book is only a diatribe against non Christians and what motivates them to stay away from God. But after reading the book, I found that this is not the emphasis of the book at all.

It seemed to me that the book was pretty much addressing two main questions - why are some people suspicious of Christianity and the church, and what can Christians and the church do to respectfully dialogue with these folks and make them feel safe in exploring the claims of Christianity. Because the book is dealing with these two questions, I found Strobel to be very balanced in assessing both sides. His treatment of the attitudes and motivations of the unchurched is done respectfully and is generally absent of condemnation. Having been a self declared atheist for many years, he brings a unique insight into this question and I believe he handles the subject matter with the same respect and gentleness that he would liked to have received from the church during his atheist days. Likewise, when dealing with the question of what the church can be doing better to reach out to these folks, he is very balanced in his assessment. In fact, it seemed to me that if Strobel was being critical of anyone in this whole equation, he reserved his strongest criticism for the church in terms of not doing a good job reaching these folks and being unwilling to move beyond traditional forms of worship to establish a more relevant and safe environment which is still Biblically based for the sincere seeker.

I think that this book is very insightful in its probing of the attitudes of the unchurched, and I would recommend this book purely on that basis. It is important that as Christians, we have some level of understanding for how some folks become either indifferent or hostile to our faith. Having this level of understanding will help us to engage these folks where they are and to hopefully give us an opening to reach a deeper level of understanding on a one on one basis, one person at a time. But I would also highly recommend this book as a pastoral resource. I think the section that discusses what the church response should be in reaching out to these folks should be required reading for every pastor in America who is looking to spread the Good News but is having difficulty finding the right formula for effectively reaching out to the secular community. This is a very good resource.

This is the story many would like to read -- how a self-avowed atheist working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune not only converted to Christianity, but became a minister. This book -- and particularly Chapter 9 -- provides the answers.

The book is written as a how-to book which allows others to lead their "Unchurched" friends (a term first coined by the Gallup polling agency) down the same path. In this fashion, the author covers all of his former objections to Christianity along with the factors that eventually changed his mind.

The author's journalistic skills are in evidence throughout the book -- the reader will find it difficult to put the book down until it is completely finished. Both Christians and non-Christians will find the book enlightening, interesting and enjoyable.

wo side effects from reading "Inside the Works" are blindness, resulting from the weird font, and nausea, resulting from horror so hardcore that you want to wash your hands after putting the book down. Edward Lee along with Tom Piccirilli and Gerard Daniel Houarner, are the writers featured in this "3-way collection of hard core horror". All three have a kind of genius for writing almost pornographic horror that is intense, gut-wrenching, and scary, yet strangely compelling. Although these stories are like skinny dipping in a pool of blood and other bodily fluids, I kept getting the sensation that I was reading something NEW and FRESH. Edward Lee's novella The Pig was drenched in torture and mutilation but amazingly enough these elements were used in service of a great story rather than the other way around! Also worthy of mention i! s that many of the situations in the story had me laughing out loud! Counterbalancing Lee is Tom Piccirilli, whose five short stories were grim little journeys into hellish back alleys of New York. At this time, I have yet to read all of Gerard Daniel Houarner's contribution but I will soon! If he's as good as the company he keeps than I am in for a ride!

The Pig was one of the most disgusting stories ever. Buy it. The "Plugger" scene in this story is unmatched to date.

Two side effects from reading "Inside the Works" are blindness, resulting from the weird font, and nausea, resulting from horror so hardcore that you want to wash your hands after putting the book down. Edward Lee along with Tom Piccirilli and Gerard Daniel Houarner, are the writers featured in this "3-way collection of hard core horror". All three have a kind of genius for writing almost pornographic horror that is intense, gut-wrenching, and scary, yet strangely compelling. Although these stories are like skinny dipping in a pool of blood and other bodily fluids, I kept getting the sensation that I was reading something NEW and FRESH. Edward Lee's novella The Pig was drenched in torture and mutilation but amazingly enough these elements were used in service of a great story rather than the other way around! Also worthy of mention is that ! many of the situations in the story had me laughing out loud! Counterbalancing Lee is Tom Piccirilli, whose five short stories were grim little journeys into hellish back alleys of New York. At this time, I have yet to read any all of Gerard Daniel Houarner's contributions but I will soon! If he's as good as the company he keeps than I am in for a ride!

It's a great book. I haven't paddled the Churchhill River yet, but rivers closeby, and you still find the wilderness and the loneliness that Sig Olson describes. After reading this book and others by Sig Olson I just want to go out paddling and enjoy the wilderness.

I was looking on information on old canoe routes of the voyageurs and I came upon this book. It tells the experiences of Olson, a famous naturalist of the 50's and 60's, and 5 of his friends, as they paddle three wood and canvas canoes down 500 miles of the Churchhill River in Saskatchewan in 1960. Olson describes the setting and experience so completely, including diary entries of famous fur trappers who traveled the same route, that I have thought of nothing else but going to see the country he describes, the Canadian Shield of Northern Saskatchewan. It is a different place now than it was 40 years ago, less lonely I imagine, but still something I must do. I would recommend this book to anyone who longs to experience this land, North America, before it became overpopulated.

After I read this book I had a burning desire to visit the Canadian Shield and paddle a wood and canvas canoe on the Churchill River. I only wish I could have done it in 1960, when this book was written. It is a much different place today. This is an excellent book about a canoe trip of 500 miles by six friends. I only hope I will be as lucky to do such a trip someday.

I purchase almost any romance that follows the Beauty/Beast or Phantom/Christine archetype. I just love wounded, scarred, disfigured heroes and the women with enough depth and sensitivity to love them.

That said, this was a pretty good romance for readers who enjoy that kind of storyline.

The hero was ambushed, imprisoned and tortured while on Crusade. He had been estranged from his domineering father. He stays away from home, but ultimately returns and has his heart captured when he spies a lovely village woman combing her hair in front of her cottage. But he fears to expose his disfigurement to her and stays in the shadows, yearning. Meanwhile, the villain is out to destroy them both.

The story has a nice fairy tale feel to it. The author even opens up using a formalized syntax that says to the reader "These are ye olde days." Never mind that the syntax isn't consistent and throughout the book there are a few anachronistic bits of dialogue that make one stop and go,"huh"?

Fortunately, this is a fast-paced tale with a truly repulsive villain (one-dimensional, fully evil, no redeeming qualities--which is not that odd in the romance genre, hence, forgivable for its two-dimensionality), a madwoman out for revenge and a hero with a tortured soul.

The above quibbles aside, this IS a page-turner, and if you enjoy medieval romances with "beast" heroes and can immerse yourself sufficiently in a love story so that small annoyances can be overlooked, then you will definitely enjoy the romance of Galen and Anne.

Why this novel does not get a higher overall grade from me is that the heroine's aggressiveness is just not believable. Middle ages, folks. Lord with the power of life and death. Growing up poor, a PEASANT, used to taking orders, AND A WOMAN, used to being commanded by father and those in charge. Yet Anne doesn't hesitate to talk back to nobility and to physically engage in scuffles with a warrior Lord. While we do see her engage physically and ably with would-be rapists--hurrah, for her!--those are lowlives and commoners, not the Lord of the Manor.

Also, the hero doesn't act very cunningly and cautiously when there is grave danger to the heroine towards the latter half of the book. He really does not come across as someone in control of his keep or his men...or terribly bright.

All that doesn't make me detract overly much from my final grade of B- because the writing is attractive, the story has a nice fairy-tale feel, the hero is brave and soulfully wounded, the heroine is loving and energetic, and the bad guy is really slimy and gets his comeuppance. I also liked the cranky housekeeper/cook. :)

I look forward to seeing what Ms. Poff does with her next romance. She's definitely got talent. If this is a debut, it's a promising one.

*Mir*

Donna Lee Poff’s THE MASK is a wonderful example of a beautifully constructed Beauty and the Beast tale. From page one the reader will be totally mesmerized by the magically created cast of characters.

Galen Tarrant, Lord of Rosethorn, returns from the Crusades after an eleven-year absence to reclaim his land. Having been captured and savagely tortured by an archenemy, he now hides half of his face behind a mask. On a late night outing he happens upon Anne of Thornberry, the carpenter’s daughter. He is enchanted by this dainty "wood elf" who sits in the forest, with not a care in the world. Her innocence gives him the strength to once again trust in mankind. Her zest for life will shed light on his dark, tortured soul.

Anne of Thornberry, a fresh-faced village girl, is naive to the evils in which the world contains. On a fateful moonlit night she meets with Galen Tarrant, a dark, mysterious stranger. In her eyes she sees Galen as being perfect in every way possible. Her greatest challenge will be to convince Galen he is not the Beast he is convinced he has become. Little does she know danger looms in the shadows. A madman is determined to reek havoc once again, and finish the vengeance he once started.

THE MASK is a much treasured book. Its value is priceless in my library. It is one of those books, which can be read a thousand times over, and each time find something new and exciting. A word of caution - have plenty of Kleenex on hand when you experience it for the first time. Being so close to the characters, you will feel their pain and suffering as it enfolds before your eyes.

I also enjoy the "Beauty and the Beast" premise and I was not disappointed. This story made me laugh and cry. What more can a reader ask? Ms. Poff makes a wonderful debut and I eagerly await additional books by this author.