God bless Fr. Eugene Hamilton! I, being a seminarian, could not have found a better time to read the life of this saintly young man than now while I'm undergoing my Pastoral Year. In two years, I hope to be ordained a Priest for service in Miami, Florida. I happen to remember Gene vaguely as we grew up in our hometown Haverstraw, NY. I remember him as a young little boy serving mass at St. Peter's. I played and sang the guitar Mass at the parish.

The book was very inspiring to me as a future priest. Gene's love for the faith and the Church inspired and rekindled my somewhat dry faith (a strange phenomena that happens to us seminarians as we undergo formation). Gene's spiritual life, commitment to celibacy, love for the liturgy, friendships, all helped to mold my own life and viewpoints. I highly recommend this book to all of us seminarians who need a spark, a ray of hope during those bleak dark nights that we seminarians undergo. Groeschel's book about Fr. Gene inspires us to continue on our call and strive for holiness in the priesthood. I couldn't help but cry when I read the section on how Gene died...such a holy death! I plan on visiting my hometown (my dad still lives there) and pay a visit to his grave.

Eugene Hamilton's life was a life of faith. To me, a college student, it was a life of example. In a society that is seeing morals go into extinction, his life of adoration to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was a refreshing reminder that our life should be of service to God. To the seminarian, I can only imagine this book is a book of hope. Eugene proves that becoming a priest is not giving up a fulfilling life. His quest for the priesthood not only filled his life with grace, it allowed us, the reader, to taste how fulfilling a life of service to God can be. Thank you Eugene for your life. Thank you Fr. Groeschel for putting into words this powerful testimony.

The story of Father Hamilton, as told by Father Groeschel, is not only riveting and heroic, it also clearly demonstrates that God has a vocational plan for every human being. Father Hamilton's response to God's call to the priesthood, in spite of his illness and immanent death, should encourage every reader to have the same determination and enthusiasm to live one's vocation to the fullest. Priests who read this book will be humbled that they are able to exercise their ministry as Gene wanted to do so badly. Those considering a vocation will want to emulate the heroism of this young priest. We all benefit from the heavenly ministry of Father Hamilton. Father Groeschel's description was so vivid that as I offered Mass today, an activity Gene could not perform, I knew for certain that my earthly worship and his heavenly worship were closely united. That demonstrates the power of this book!

Moskva-Petushki, which is translated in English as Moscow to the End of the Line, is Venedikt Erofeev's greatest work, one drunken man's (Venichka's) journey on the Moskovskaia-Gor'skovskaia train line to visit his lover and child in the Petushki. En route, Venichka talks with other travelers in dialogue and he also speaks in monologue about various themes such as drinking, Russian literature and philosophy and the sad, poetic soul of the Russian peasant. As the novel progresses, it becomes increasingly dark, disoriented, hallucinogenic and surrealistic, in proportion to the narrator's alcohol intake.

Moscow to the End of the Line was written in 1970. During this time, Erofeev, himself, was traveling around the Soviet Union working as a telephone cable layer. Erofeev's friends have said the author made the story up in order to entertain his fellow workers as they traveled, and that many of these fellow workers were later incorporated as characters in the book.

The text of the novel began to be circulated in samizdat within the Soviet Union and then it was smuggled to the West where it was eventually translated into English. The official Russian language publication took place in Paris in 1977. With glasnost, Moscow to the End of the Line was able to be circulated freely within Russia, but, rather than stick to the original form, the novel was abridged in the government pamphlet Sobriety and Culture, ostensibly as a campaign against alcoholism. Finally, in 1995, it was officially published, together with all the formerly edited obscenities and without censorship.

Although he is an alcoholic, Venichka never comes across to the reader as despicable. Venichka is not a man who drinks because he wants to drink; he drinks to escape a reality that has gone beyond miserable and veered off into the absurd. He is not a stupid or pitiable character, but rather one who has no outlet for his considerable intelligence. That Venichka is very educated is obvious; he makes intelligent and well-read references to both literature and religion. However, in the restrictive Soviet Union of his time, there was no outlet for this kind of intelligent creativity; Venichka is forced to channel his creative instincts into bizarre drink recipes and visions of sphinxes, angels and devils.

Although many will see Moscow to the End of the Line as satire, it really is not. Instead, it is Erofeev's anguished and heartfelt cry, a cry that demanded change. Venichka is not a hopeless character, however, the situation in which he is living is a hopeless one.

A semi-autobiographical work, Moscow to the End of the Line was never meant as a denunciation of alcoholism but rather an explanation of why alcohol was so tragically necessary in the day-to-day life of citizens living under Soviet rule.

Moscow to the End of the Line is a highly entertaining book and it is a book that is very important in understanding the Russia of both yesterday and today as well. This book is really a classic of world literature and it is a shame that more people do not read Moscow to the End of the Line rather than relying on the standard "bestseller." This book deserves to be more widely read and appreciated.

This is a sublime little tale, saturated with humor and pathos. Erofeev (both author & narrator have the same name, heightening the autobiographical tone of the book) is the Dante of the Moscow commuter rail. He stumbles from bar to bar and a purgatory of the 'thirteen varieties of Soviet vodka.' Then, it's onto the train, which takes him some thirty stops from Kursk station and 'The Hammer and Sickle' to the 'end of the line' at Petushki (which I'm told means 'flowers' in Russian) where he is to meet his Beatrice.

But (unlike Dante) Erofeev never seems to arrive. As he downs more and more hooch, the story becomes progressively more blotched and incoherent. It culminates in the Passion of Erofeev, in which our poor hero is driven up against the wall of the Kremlin (though whether its the Kremlin in Moscow or Petushki is unclear) and left screwed.

This is a story about mercy. Read it. It is easily one of the best books I've read in the past year. Then pass the word along, because it deserves to be better known.

Ah, this book...a cherished one for me, pilfered from a friend who's father studied under Nabokov (but later given back). I read this under the serious spell of Knut Hamsun and this book is similiar to "Hunger" but perhaps more humorous. It's about an unemployed, alcholic cable fitter who is fired for charting diagrams of his comrades "idleness" correalated with the days they get drunk. Thrust into a serious drinking binge he is stuck on a train trying to reach Moscow and in between we have flashbacks of him trying to buy vodka before restaurants and stores have opened, giving us recipes of cocktails made out of aftershave ("Aunt Clara's Kiss) that brings on hallucinations and incredible verbal pyrotechnics full of literary ramblings and political rumblings. The whole time his hallucinations are marked by a pair of overcoated angels egging him on or chastising his behavior as he mixes up his route on the train forgetting to disembark and actually heading away from his destination. He finally does reach Moscow and the novel closes like a hand over a movie lens as abruptly as it started. It is a startling book, not only the best of the samizdat novels (works distributed like fanzines secretly during the communist regime) but by far the most dazzling comic novels ever written about desperation and alcholism. It is an incredible book and after reading it you will never have patience for another Bukowski book again.

Of the reviewers posted here, I think I am probably the only one who read Radical Hospitality, the other book by these authors, before reading Benedict's Way. I like Radical Hospitality better if only because it spoke to me about how I need to make some changes in my life. Benedict's Way is a great book for anyone who wants to go a little deeper into benedictine spirituality but isn't much into serious scholarship. My brother is a Benedictine monk and he showed me a review of the book that came out recently. It talked about how this book is written in a simple and direct style but there is an evident scholarship lurking in the backgrounds of the authors. They just don't seem to be showy about it. Which is very good news for the reader who wants depth without pretentiousness. Even if you do read Radical Hospitality first, you'll love this book.

Benedict's Way guides the reader easily into understanding God's intentions of our time here on earth. We have created a fast paced lifestyle that is self serving causing much anxiety. This is evident by the ever increaing need for lifestyle managing drugs. Our current society with all its technology and materialism has the highest rates of divorce, depression, sucide, etc., in history. It seems that all this financial wealth has done little to make us truly happy. Is it possible that God in is infinite wisdom understood this and inspired spiritual teachers like Buddha, Mother Terresa, and St. Benedict to teach us how to live?

Pratt and Homan have challenged the reader to look at their own life and reflect on it. For me personally this book has opened my eyes to my own self serving ways. Each chapter is thought provoking and one of my favorites Balance and Celebration caused me to pause and look at how I approach my family time, work time, personal time, spritual time, etc.

The format makes this an easy read with each chapter ending in a reflective prayer. Another great aspect of the book is the suggested reading section that includes web-sites to visit.

This book is a must read for anyone serious about living a simplier spirit filled life.

I'm new to Benedictine spirituality but am learning to value the simple things. I thought that made this book a good place to start my Benedictine journey. The book challenged my long-held ideas about spirituality and the nature of the universe and I came away feeling good about myself believing that maybe the universe is a good place after all. It helped me. I think that's what I really needed from a book rather than advice on Benedictine spirituality although I'm confident that is also a strength for this book. We all want balance and this really does help.

I was epecting something a little more politically polemic or bleak, but this account is hysterically funny and inspired. Behan's writing is always vital, his grasp of dialogue perfect, but this novel enjoys a pacing brilliance I dared not hope from a playwright. Most dramatists have trouble with narrative prose because the rhythms are different, but not so with this account of his jail time as an adolescent in England.

I'm an avid reader and can't believe I overlooked this book for so long. Perhaps I dismissed Behan as a professional Irishman, known more for his carousing than for his writing. What a mistake! This memoir is profound, profane, funny and, ultimately, humane. Read this book now; you're in for a treat.

Borstal Boy makes me laugh out loud and also reminds me of my time in the British Royal Navy. One of the young Brendan Behan's fellow prisoners in the English young peoples' prison is a sailor named Charlie. The book shows some of the horrors of prison life but also a lot of the camaraderie that goes on whenever boys get together. Brendan Behan is very humorous, especially when writing about his court appearances, and when he's singing in prison. His descriptive language is brilliant, this from the first page, "A young one, with a blonde, Herrenvolk head and a B.B.C. accent shouted, 'I say, greb him, the bestud.' I have read this book at least four times, and will continue to be entertained by the wit and skill of the author. GREAT READ!!!

I read the book and saw the movie so many years ago. The movie was and still is one of my favorites. I am going to see if I can order a copy from Amazon, as well as order the book. The story of Mary tells us just how difficult life can be and how the technology of today's world here in America has helped reduce the tragedies suffered by Mary and her peole to practically nothing. Evelyn Keyes played the part of Mary. Now I wait for one or both the book and the movie to arrive at my door!

I checked Mrs. Mike out from the school library when I was in the 6th grade. I brought it home and my mother was so happy to tell me how much she had enjoyed the book when she was younger. I have read Mrs. Mike several times since then... and it is always as if I am reading it for the first time. I often ask friends, "Where are the Mikes of this world??" I was so touched by the love the Flannigans had for each other and it is so comforting to know that their's is a true story! I am in college and now and just recently found a first edition of Mrs. Mike at an antique store. I now have three different copies and I plan to keep my collection growing. I thank the Freedman's for writing a book that I will never stop enjoying. Please read Mrs. Mike, it is a touching story of romance that one does not come across often.

I,also,read this book when I was a young girl in the 60's. I have read it many times since then.It's a timeless classic. You feel like your right there with her,you feel her sadness through bad times and happiness through good times. Also, I remember seeing the movie of Mrs.Mike on television on the Saturday afternoon matinee several times as a teenager,but I've been unsuccessful in my search of purchasing the VHS video movie.

I am 13 years old. I just finished reading Mrs. Mike. My mother found the book at our public library and told me I should read it. I didn't bother to find out what it was about. You know how people always tell you not to judge a book by it's cover? That is exactly what I did. Since it was old and worn I expected it to be a book that I wouldn't find interesting, or very good. I was SO wrong! I have read many books and this is the VERY BEST book I have ever read. My mother told me that the book has stuck with her ever since she read it! I can see why. I couldn't stop reading it! It is a very well written book telling about a young Boston Girl, Katherine Mary O'Fallon and Sergent Mike Flannigan, a Canadian Mountie, who fall in love and start a new life in the Canadian Wilderness. There life is full of love, hardships, and friends you will never forget. I recemmend this book to anyone who can sit still long enough to read it!!

Mrs. Mike is a surprisingly contemporary story whose main character is a strong female. I think it was written about 40 years ago, so parts of it are a bit dated (and perhaps politically incorrect by today's standards). However, it is a wonderful, tender love story set against the background of the extreme and brutal climate and geography of the Canadian northwest. It is the story of a young Irish girl from Boston who falls in love with a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. The young husband, a strong male character, adores his wife and treats her accordingly. The book also depicts Indians (now called First Nation people in Candada) in a wonderful fashion, as well as strong and deep friendships among the women. This book should be required reading for young people, especially in a time when bonds between people are easily shattered and hardship is looked on as something to be avoided at all cost. Our book group loved it and read it based upon the memory of one of our members who read it as a very young woman and always treasured it in her heart.

This book is my all-time favorite. I first read it as a teenager, and recently found a copy at [local book review] after many years of thinking I'd never see the book again! It is an uncomplicated story of love and life in the early 20th Century in the Northwest Territory. As a young girl, the places referred to in the book were just names. Now they are real.

My daughter moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchuwan last year. She is married and has a baby boy. When re-reading Mrs. Mike last night, the first city mentioned was Regina, SK. I've been there on the way to Saskatoon! Edmonton is not far from Saskatoon, either.

I've always loved this book's simple love story, but did not remember that the part of Canada the story was set in was where my daughter actually lives. It seems that my daughter and Katherine Mary have a lot in common!

Saskatchuwan is beautiful! I did not have the opportunity to visit the Northwest Territory, but through Mrs. Mike, I feel as if I have already been there!

I am so grateful that the authors chose to re-release this book, and am waiting anxiously for the sequel, The Search for Joyful!

This true life story is told with no holds bar'd the autor bears his soul for everyone to read. This gripping tail leads you on a a journy of forgivness showing that once you learn to let go of the things which haunt you life can realy begin. It is one of the most compelling books that I have ever read and as the two stories weave their way in and out of each other with skill.Although the book is VERY personal to Mr Benedict it does have a lesson which we can all learn

I just finished this absolutely mesmerizing tale (or really two tales in one) and have come back to order kamikaze cowboy. Not everyone could open up his or her lives like this, but this is a life worth sharing. It is so refreshing and exhilarating to see such a fine actor have such other admirable qualities and the ability to articulate them to the world. I spent my afternoon curled up with this book, and read it cover to cover in one sitting. After all the books I've been required to read by higher education, by the so-called best writers, they all pale in comparison to And Then We Went Fishing: A Story of Fatherhood, Fate and Forgiveness. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone!

After reading Kamikaze Cowboy, I wanted to read everything Mr. Benedict wrote. He has found his true calling as a writer. From the first page, I was swept up in the story, and could not put it down. Mr.Benedict deftly weaves the birth of his first son, the murder of his father and Shakespeare's Hamlet into an unforgettable tale of self-discovery. He is a dangerous wordsmith indeed as his writings continue to stay with you long after the book is finished. I hope his next book will receive the attention and notarity it deserves. It was an enlightening journey to witness his growth as a person. Thanks for the ride, Dirk.

Teresa of Avila was a carmelite nun who wrote this book as a means to guide the nuns in her convent onto the path of holiness, not for their own sake but for love of God.

Accordingly, much of what is written applies strictly to the setting of the convent. However, the spiritual values expressed are timeless. The Saint extols ascetical poverty. While we in the world cannot, or do not, practice ascetical poverty we can derive the spirit behind the vow - that of detachment from things that do not lead us to Christ.

The hallmark of this work, however, is the several chapters written on the Our Father. St. Teresa explains the perfection in Our Lord's Prayer and its message to, and demands upon, all of us Christians.

There is immeasurable value in this. This book fills up the soul.

OK, let's say you have made a beginning on the way of prayer, and you have been looking for good sources to read. You have heard a lot about St. Teresa of Avila. After all, she was one of the first women ever named a Doctor (in the Latin meaning of "teacher") of the Church. But lo and behold, you have found her Life puzzling and The Interior Castle just about impossible to understand.
Then this is the place to start. Yes, Teresa was writing 400 and more years ago, and her audience was cloistered contemplative nuns. But this was written almost like a letter. The personal tone gives it great charm and readability. Very little of it is hard to understand, and almost all of it can be applied to our lives here and now.
My only difficulty with Peers' translation is the huge number of footnotes. They would be invaluable to a scholar, but I can never keep myself from looking at them, and they are not really necessary or even helpful when your desire is to learn the spiritual wisdom of one of our greatest saints. I love her and love this book, and highly recommend it.

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

St. Teresa of Avila lived nearly four hundred years ago. Her work, The Way of Perfection, comes very soon after the completion of her autobiography. The way of which she speaks is a life of prayer. The book is addressed to the nuns of whom she is prioress. It is mainly intended for their use, but it is riddled with introspective knowledge on a prayer-filled relationship with God. This book is undoubtedly a work deeply rooted in Catholicism. However, Teresa's own intimate relationship with the Father is one to be marveled by all Christians. She begins her work by laying out the requirements to begin a prayerful life: aesthetic poverty, perfect love, and self-mortification. She follows with a discussion on the contemplative life and vocal and mental prayer. She meticulously dissects the Lord's Prayer and gives her nuns guidance in praying through the Paternoster. She intends to do the same with the Ave Maria but reconciles to let it alone for lack of space.

There are two versions of The Way of Perfection: the Escorial version and the Valladolid version. The Escorial version was written first and is directed uniquely toward the nuns of Avila. The edition above comes from the Valladolid text. It is a more formal manuscript intended for a larger audience. The translator and editor E. Allison Peers does a wonderful job of footnoting the differences between the two versions and inserting italicized sections from the Escorial text. The reader is given a feel for both versions in one book. It can be tiresome to constantly refer to footnotes, but a straight read-through is very enjoyable. It is nice to know the footnotes are there for any academic study. Teresa often meanders from her main point and talks at length about issues that her writing leads her to discuss. At first it may seem annoying that her focus is not always succinct, but her conversational tone greatly attests to the intimacy she has with her fellow nuns and with God. In all, The Way of Perfection is a pleasant and inspiring read.

I found this book to be fascinating as well as informative,well written,and easy to read. I am glad that Mr.Benedict not only had the courage and determination to take control of his life but,also I admire his selflessness in writing about his personal experiences so that we may benefit by his example and alter our lifestyles. Mr.Benedict may have been a kamikase cowboy, but after reading his book,I view him more as a modern day Indiana Jones with a machete,cutting a swath through the jungle of the Medical Establishment for us to follow.I thoroughly enjoyed TALES OF A KAMIKASE COWBOY and highly recommend it.YO,DIRK! KEEP WRITING WILL YA!

I read this great book a # of years ago and have re-read it several times. I also gave copies to and lent my copy to a few friends and also to my Dad and my brother. I am 35 years old and of all the books I've read and have learned from over the years only 2 of them have been what I'd consider life changing. This is one of them. I began a whole new direction and journey after reading this book. It's gutsy and honest and I feel very fortunate to have found it. Thank god William Dufty encouraged Dirk to write his story and in so doing come out of the "tofu closet" I am eagerly waiting for the publicaton of Dirk's next book "Dig Deep, Puppy in Bottom...Notes from a Dangerous Wordsmith" ( I'm not sure if I want to read it because I've enjoyed reading Dirk's other books so much or because I want to know what the hell that wacky title is all about.) Keep on a rocking Cowboy and thank you for your honest insights.

It took me a long time to find Mr Benedict's book. When I first read it,I totally understood what he was going through during that trying time in his life. I am sorry to hear the medical experts and other people that think they are experts want the book banned, In my opinon I don't think so. I think it is about time that someone in Mr. Benedict's caliber said and wrote a book regarding about health and life itself. I think patients in general should start questioning doctors motives and treatments like Mr Benedict suggested and I have myself question my Doctor many a time. So, I strongly suggest to any reader, be it a Doctor or other health person who works in the medical field and or a individual who strongly believes in value of one's life read this book and really look at what he is saying and open your mind to new thoughts and experiences in order to survive. Keep it up Dirk and I am looking forward toward your other books that you are currently working on!