I read this book after watching the video 'Who is Jesus?'. The book is an account by the author, Bruce Marciano, who played the role of Jesus in the filming of the Gospel of Matthew from which the video was made. The account is about the making of the film, experiences, acting, producing etc and about some 'post filming' experiences. It is impossible to view the video and then read the book without being deeply moved. I have recommended it to many friends with the promise that if they do not feel moved I would refund the price. So far nobody has claimed a refund.

This has surely been a journey and it seems I need to go even further. Let me explain. I was stopped in my tracks as I couldn't take my eyes off the cover photo of the Plain Truth magazine. There was something too odd with it. IT came too close to my vision of how Jesus must have really looked. (I never bought into the porceline doll, divine, almost fragile look) Purchased...read the first few paragraphs and I gasped for breath at the passion this ordinary guy wrote with. Even in that article I fell in love. Decided on the spot that this was a must read. (I had a Spirit filled experience while producing and writing a compassion driven short movie as well. I also did most of the behind the scenes photography so I wanted his "JESUS, yesterday, today, forever picture book.)

Let me tell you when I got the books in my hands, I was right. I couldn't put them down. This was too real to be true. How can I say this...I want to hear ALL of the stories over hot chocolate one day, Bruce. He has become like a true Christian friend. Deeply grounded in Our Savior and his love for even the least of us, and screaming it across the world! From the looks of all the reviews all over the internet...we are all in one accord in the spirit of this most effective ministry. The Word of God does not return void when interpreted and inspired realistically. God Bless all the endeavours of this magnificent team and keep them away from the evils and corruptions of their inevitable fame. TO GOD BE THE GLORY AS BRUCE IS DOING SUCH A MARVELOUS JOB WITH. Now I've just got to get my hands on the audio tape and visual bible - Matthew, Acts and the Great Storyteller. Lastly, please listen to Bruce when he reminds us all to check it back to the Bible YOURSELF! Don't just take his word for it, the Bible was trying to tell Hollywood for a long time...Jesus was and still is very real! HE LAUGHED AND LOVED AND WEPT AND PLAYED WITH CHILDREN!

What can I add to the other reviews except AMEN! I have both the paper AND auido copy of the book. Bruce tells how at the end of filming he wrote in his journal " I"ll miss Him (Jesus)" and how that seems a silly thing to say, yet I felt the same way when I reached the end of Bruce's book. While reading it I felt somehow a part of the wonderful miracles that happend while filming was going on. It makes me want to cry even now to think of it. THANK YOU BRUCE, for being willing to share what must have been some of the most personal, vulnerable moments of your life. I'll never read Matt. 23 the same again. If you ever get the chance to listen to Bruce talk about this in person take it. I hope do.

Full moons light to wake the egg,
Full moons light to hatch it
Midsummer's Night will crack the world,
But St John Day will patch it

This is the incantation that Jeremy Thatcher has to recite in order to hatch a dragon egg!! One day whale fleeing from some bullies and Mary Lou Hutton (a girl who wants to kiss him!) Jeremy stumbles on to a magic shop and saw a sign that reads:

ELIVES' MAGIC SUPPLES
S.H. ELIVES PROP.

He buys a colorful orb, like a "kaleidoscope" which turns out to be a dragon egg!!! Soon the dragon named Tiamat starts to cause an abundance of trouble. No one else can see her besides Jeremy and Mary Lou. What will happen when Tiamat gets too big? Read the book, find out. You won't be sorry.

I would recommend this book for 4-6 graders. I loved this book. I read it again and again. Colville is a genus!

I remember, a few years back, when I first read this book. I finished it in tears, but I absolutely loved it. If you like fantasy, adventure, fun, and a little bit of mischief, this story is for you. A must with dragon lovers!

I've read my paperback from cover to cover, and its appearance can tell a story of its own. The spine is broken, the pages are falling out, and it is one of the most loved books in my collection. It is one to always keep close to your heart, one that makes your imagination set forth and adventure into the depths of fantasy. Bruce Coville definately at his best.

This story is a fantasy about a six-grade boy named Jeremy Thatcher. He visits a magic shop, and buys a shiny rock. When he gets home, he finds out it's a dragon egg. That night he reads a poem under the moon.

The next day crack, out comes a red dragon! And in comes responsibility! The way Jeremy and the dragon communicate is in pictures. When I say pictures, I mean they see the pictures in each other's mind. Next Jeremy has to give the dragon a name. He names it Tiamat. Then Jeremy has to feed Tiamat, so he feeds her chicken livers and gives her milk. That makes her go to sleep.

Weeks later Tiamat has grown bigger then Jeremy and lives in the barn. One night Jeremy got to ride on Tiamat's back. Soon Jeremy must return Tiamat on Midsummer's Night to be with all the other dragons.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher was one of the best stories I have ever read. It was funny when Tiamat gave Mr. Kravitz a hot foot. It was mysterious because only Jeremy could see it. It was sad when Tiamat had to leave. I think any fourth grader would enjoy this book.

When I bought this book in third grade, I expected a girly story about Unicorns. I only bought it as all my friends did, too. When I got it, I read a page, got distracted, and left it to collect dust for ages. When I was in seventh grade, I finally had the sense to give the book a shot. I am sooooo glad I did. It is NOT a girly book about unicorns- it is a well written fantasy with deep characters and an intriguing plot. The story moves at a perfect pace, and it is a book I adore. I believe the title is very misleading. It is a great story, and it is right up there with Ella Enchanted, The Immortals Quartet, Harry Potter, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and The Changling Sea. Those are books you'd probably also enjoy if you enjoyed this.

The fate of Luster,the mystical kingdom of the unicorns, lies in the hands of a young girl and her loyal companions. But a dark Hunter stalks them, and a hidden enemy seeks to destroy their realm.
This has been my favorite fantasy book for nearly eight years, and I have not read another to equal it. I first read this book when I was 9; and at now 17, I still read it with the same enthusiasm I had as a fourth-grader. Although Bruce Coville is generally considered to be an author of children's horror, he breaks away from his usual style of writing. This book is in no way questionable, and there is no reference to black magic. The plot is original, unlike many of today's fantasy books; the story is simple yet moving; and the characters are well-developed and memorable. I recommend this book for readers of all ages.

A book that I really enjoyed is titled Into the Land of the Unicorns. It is full of excitement and creativity, about a young girl who finds her way into the land of the unicorns. She goes on a long adventure to save them. She runs into a lot of mythical creatures such as a unicorn and a centaur. Unicorns are hunted because of their blood; their blood can stop pain when it is placed on the are of the pain. The little girl succeeds in saving the unicorns but finds out something that shocks her. The book could be said to have several climaxes, but the part of the book that I thought most exciting was when the little girl finds her father in the Unicorn land and he just happens to be the Unicorn hunter. This book is also filled with courage and anticipation. I would highly recommend this book to people who enjoy reading mythical books and like to the their imaginations run wild and get caught up in the book. I never could put the book down because every time you read a paragraph it feels like it is pulling you in to read what is going to happen next.
~*~ LaSalle Fantasy Reader ~*~

A friend lent me this book when my husband left me and I was in the depths of dispair. I was reading anything I could to try and understand, but this is the one book that really helped. I latched onto it like a life-preserver to a drowning person. I have read each chapter serveral times now, and keep getting more out of it as I progress in my healing. I returned my friend's copy and bought my own (which I have now in turn lent to a friend in need.)

One of the revelations I found comforting was simply to know what the physical symptoms of grief are - that my sore throat my aching chest and my dry mouth were all manifestations of my emotional trauma.

This book felt like I was talking to a friend who had been there and back, and could take me by the hand through the healing process and help me find my way back to joy. Please read it if you are hurting from the loss of a relationship - it will comfort you a great deal and help you more forward constructively. Then lend it to someone you know who could be helped by it.

In its third printing, this book is a self-help manual for those trying to recover from a divorce, or going through the process of divorce. The first thing I noticed about Rebuilding is the feelings that surface during this trying and stressful period of your life are identified. When we are really suffering, it is hard sometimes, to analyze what we are feeling. Is it pain? Depression? Self-hate? All of the above? It is comforting to read that you learn we are not alone in our pain and confusion and that given the circumstances, the turmoil you are experiencing is quite normal. As each emotion is explored, the reasons for them are also examined. An example from another who has suffered the same misery is given, then the best part--what we can do with and about those upsetting, hurtful and sometimes hateful feelings that want to pull us under and drown us. For example, Chapter 7 looks at the two, " . . . very strong feelings which accompany the trauma of divorce--guilt and rejection. Advice given is to do a self-examination. Do we need to learn new ways of relating to people? Do we realize that feeling rejected is a part of ending any relationship? It's normal. It's natural. There is nothing wrong with us. Whew! If you are the one leaving the relationship, you are probably feeling guilt. You don't want to hurt someone you do or did love. However, say Fisher and Alberti, "To end a love relationship may be appropriate because it has been destructive for both people." Leaving can be a good thing for both people in the relationship. The chapter continues to describe the emotional cycles the "dumpers" (the one ending the relationship) and the "Dumpee" (the one being rejected) go through. Fisher and Alberti acknowledge not everyone is going to react the same, but no one escapes the pain. No matter how we are affected, though, we must remember guilt and rejection are tied to feelings of self- worth and self-love. Build up these two areas and we will be less devastated by life's inevitable rejections. And how do we go about building our self-worth. Chapter 11 tells us how to go about that. The end of each chapter has a "How Are You Doing?" section. A list of questions will help us think our way through our dilemmas and offer ideas with which we can rebuild our lives. I like this book because it forces us to do something besides sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. There are ways to work through relationships that end, and we have the power and the tools to do it. We don't have to feel helpless. I like this book because it acknowledges we are not alone with our feelings. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We can go on to live a normal, happy life. It gives us hope. Bruce Fisher, Ed.D., (1931-1998) was the founder and director of the Family Relations Learning Center in Boulder, Colorado. He was a divorce therapist, author, teacher and a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Robert E. Alberti, Ph.D., is a psychologist marriage & family therapist, Fellow of the American Psychological Association, clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and author/coauthor of several books. A 287-page volume that demands us to do some work, but it is well worth the effort.

This book is a very helpful tool for anyone who is experiencing the pain and emotional turmoil of a break-up, whether you were married or not, whether you were the "Dumper" or "Dumpee." I especially liked the comparison of climbing the moutain, taking each level and learning those lessons at each level - and that sometimes you would come to an understanding at one level and as you moved up to the next, you may realize there was still more to learn "back there" where you had just left, at a lower level of the mountain. But the book ALLOWS you to understand that these feelings are a process, that there is no easy or orderly way to experience them, and that it's perfectly OK to step up the moutain and then back down a couple of steps, up again, down again - until you come to understand it all and allow yourself to experience that understanding. Each step helps you to deal with the last, and you don't have to "finish" in one area before you move onto the next. You learn in your own way and your own time, yet the words are always there to comfort, encourage and teach you. This book put it all in perspective for me, gave me permission to feel pain and confusion, and helped me through each phase of my struggle, reminding me of my worth and teaching me the most important lesson of all - which is to take care of and value myself. I recommend it highly.

I read book one, I don't remember about it, but I know I liked it. I just checked out "Song of the Wanderer", on Thursday. I started reading it yesterday and I practically just finished it about maybe 40 minutes or less ago. I loved it. The characters were richly detailed, especially the Unicorns, I like Lightfoot and Finder. The story really is excellent. Bruce Coville really knows how to keep people riveted to their seats for hours on end. I'm kind of sad that I finished it so early. I wanted to stop reading it for a while last night, but I just couldn't stand it. It called me back, It's that good that you keep wanting more. Where is the next one? I can't wait to find out what happens. I want to see what happens in the final battle. Beloved is going down. I hope, but I'm sure she will be defeated. Three words, READ THIS BOOK(Song of the Wanderer), you will not be dissapointed. I'm 15 years old, I know that I'll probably be grown up when the Third one comes out, but what's to stop me from reding it? I don't care how old I am, I love it. And I think you will too.

My friend convinced me to read the first book and I thought it had an interesting plot, but it was only an okay book. I read the second one, though, and it was so great, I couldn't put it down. I felt as though it was magnetized to me. I ecspecially loved Lightfoot, who has become one of my favorite characters EVER! If you want to read a great book, pick up this one! I loved it, you will too!

I don't know what i can possibly say to do credit to this book. It picked up where the first left off and went to a whole other level. The characters developed with amazing depth and dimension and the plot took so many clever twists I couldn't put it down.
And the ending! I dont' want to give away the climax, so you'll just have to read it. All in all, it leaves you wanting more.

In the Children's book Jamberry by Bruce Degen, the pictures tell practically the whole story. The story begins with a sweet brown bear taking a berry picking adventure with a curious little boy. As they go about their berry-finding expedition, the illustrator depicts each scene with enormous imagination and creativity. The pages hold bright pictures that are simple enough for little children to comprehned and detailed so that each page holds someting new and entertaining. As the pair find themselves in going over a Niagra like berryfall, we see bread growing on bushes and jellybeans steming out of rivergrass. Upon arriving in Berryland, the two march in a berry parade, which circles the raspberry jam skating rink. This story holds age appropriate material which will hold toddlers attention enough to get to the ending where the the berry explorers expereince a jam jamboree with berries of all types. I highly reccommend this book for younger children. After reading it to my little brother once, I am now asked to read it everynight!

One of my all-time favorites for children aged four months to 2 1/2 years! The youngest will enjoy the enthusiastic alliterative rhyming and the bright colors; toddlers (and adults!) will also enjoy the clever pictorial links between each page (preparations for fireworks are shown in the corner of one page; delightfully exploding berries on the next).

I don't know whether this book is more fun for the reader or the listener ("Raspberry/Jazzberry/ Razzamatazzberry/ Berryband/Merryband/Jamming in Berryland"), but it will fast become a favorite for you and a child! An enchanting tale, beautifully told: A perfect gift!

I have to admit that when I first read this book, I wasn't too sure what I thought of it. As another reviewer said, it contains a lot of fanciful words: jamberry, moonberry, berryband, and so forth. My twins absolutely LOVE this book, though! To them, it's every bit as good as their favorite Dr. Seuss classic. They enjoy the rhyme and repetition of the words, and love to look through the beautifully illustrated pages to find things they recognize. We have a lot of books, and this is the one that they will ask me to read every day (sometimes more than once). We've nearly worn out one board book by reading and rereading it, so I'm going to buy another for them soon. I highly recommend this book for your toddler!

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

This one caught me by surprise. It's not the stuffy this-is-all-the-bad-stuff-that-happened textbook I expected, but rather a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable study of LSD and the CIA's role in the cultural and political maelstrom of the 1960s. Over the past thirty years, from Watergate to Zippergate, Americans have learned that their government is capable of some pretty amazing shenanigans. That helps what we read in this book seem more plausible. What Lee and Shlain document in Acid Dreams, with an impressive volume of research, is the CIA's enormous effort to develop mind-control methods. These included various psychedelic drugs--with LSD topping the list--hypnosis, and more. The potential uses of such control range from military to civilian--and to downright bizarre. For example, they discuss the unresolved question--in some minds--of whether Sirhan Sirhan was actually a CIA-created murdering automaton, a drug-and-hypnosis-induced killer, programmed to kill Robert Kennedy.

Some the things they reveal are far-fetched and may be impossible to ever prove one way or another, but there's plenty more that is incontrovertible. And everything in the book is interesting. Acid Dreams adds a fresh and wonderful perspective on this aspect of our recent history. A more recent book called "Hepcats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams," provides a complimentary education on this topic, covering a broader history of illegal drugs throughout America's past. Readers who enjoy Acid Dreams may want to follow up with this one.--Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

This is surprisingly one of the best books I have read. The authors give a colorfully accurate account of the events that occured decades ago, all of which still echo into our current era. It covers the origin of LSD, as a drug the CIA funded research on for use as a tool for mind control applications using civilians and military personnel as test subjects. At the very outset, it was obvious that the CIA was well aware of the potential power of this substance in its ability to wreak havoc on the collective psyche, to shatter current assumptions and threaten cherished ego boundaries. Yet, eventually it became available to the masses who would come to extol it's use religiously and otherwise.....giving rise to the groundswell of counterculture in the 60's. This book, more than any other source I have encountered, explores the underlying causes of the demise of the cultural/political/self re-evolution of that time and gives us pause to reflect on the politics of consciousness - to see who really won The War Of The Mind. Proof again that truth is stranger than fiction. Be informed.........read this book.

This book is somewhat similar to _Storming Heaven_ by Jay Stevens in that it is an objective history of the psychedelic drug movement. However, the emphasis of this book is focused more on the dark side of these new drugs, and the diabolic experiments conducted by the U.S. government with mind-altering drugs. This discussion goes far beyond LSD, and extends to STP, Ditran, and the infamous BZ (AKA Jacob's Ladder), which the government used on soldiers to see if it might make them more effective fighters. Of course the results of the BZ experiments were disastrous; looking back on it would almost be funny if it weren't so darn tragic. Nonetheless, _Acid Dreams_ is a riveting and disturbing account of the CIA's misuse and misapplication of mind control drugs. The authors provide many amusing anecdotes regarding the CIA's activities, such as slipping acid in each other's morning coffee just to see how they react, and so on and so forth. Inevitably, some General or high-ranking official would have a bad trip, causing him to call for an end to such experiments. Overall, this book is an interesting and entertaining read, and I recommend it to fans of the genre.

I found this book to be an interesting look at Bruce Campbell's life and how he's been able to carve himself a niche in the entertainment industry. Like the introduction says, it isn't a tell-all story about the glamorous life in Hollywood. But it's definitely a biography about himself and his experiences. I think that it does a very good job describing how hard it is to work in this field, but without being a big sob story, since he doesn't seem regret his decisions or resent the life he's led in any way.

Many of the stories are already known to people who've followed him over the last few years, or have been to his website (the "lemon" automobile story comes to mind), but there is still enough new material to make it worth the read. There are also lots and lots of cool pictures. My personal favorite is his "wacky potato chip guy" promo shot. Probably the best part is his description of the days filming "Evil Dead". I also found the story about how close he came to getting the lead of "The Phantom" very interesting, since it's probably very indicative of what a second-rate actor goes through to make it into these top Hollywood productions. Outside of his career, there aren't many details about his personal life (except for his early childhood), but to be fair I get the impression that he spends a huge chunk of his life working. He more or less says that this is probably why his first wife asked for a divorce.

I wouldn't say that this is an essential part of your library, so it's probably a little too expensive for many people. I feel a little silly for owning a hardcover edition of this. But if you can get your hands on it, and you're a Campbell fan, then I think you'll really enjoy it!

If Chins Could Kill is not only a really funny and entertaining biography; it is also a very touching, well-thought read. You get a lot from this book, more than one would imagine to get from a so-called b movie actor.

Campbell goes through his entire career in this book, from the 8mm shorts he directed and acted in with pal Sam Raimi to the Evil Dead films to his hollywood bs right up to his role as actor/director in the tv series Xena and Hercules.

Of course, the best parts of the books are the ones where Campbell talks about his experience at shooting the Evil Dead flicks. Those parts area great as we really get to see how hard it is to make an independant film. If there is one person out there who is full of determination and guts, it's Campbell! The hell he went through to make those film is nearly unbelievable. But Bruce isn't shy to say what's really on his mind; and so this book is filled with good annecdotes and interesting tidbits about the ways of Hollywood (and he loves to tell us how much he hates Tom Arnold, which is always a plus!!!).

This is more than a tell-all book. Campbell has written that rare biography that is a lot more than a simple recollection of one's craft. And have I mentioned how hillarious the book is? Campbell is a great guy indeed. Anyone who enjoys films - especially b films for that matter - will love this book.

With "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," Bruce Campbell proves that his standard wit and charm, two of the qualities that make him such a delicious addition to any film or television project, translate just as well onto the printed page. The book gives a thorough look at Campbell's life, where he waxes nostalgic about everything from his early childhood and family life to his recent experience on the sets of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." The detailed examinations of his work on the film "Evil Dead" will be a great pleasure to read for any Deadite, and the photographs that appear throughout the book offer a candid look at Campbell and friends, a nicely added touch that isn't seen in all autobiographies. Campbell's funny and irreverent look at life could make anyone laugh out loud, even those unfamiliar with his work, but this is certainly a must have for any fan.

This is actually a presentation on de Tocqueville's life and times, centered on a general analysis of Democracy in America, but including much background on his family's history, his political career and accomplishments and a look at the historical context of France, Europe and the US in the mid 19th Century. The themes of DiA are reviewed with many quotes from the book and from commentaries by de Tocqueville's contemporaries. He is presented in all his glory: his hits (the brilliant insights into social character, the nature of democracy and his devastatingly astute, timeless analysis of our American identity) and his misses (his advocacy of war and his surprisingly traditionalist views of society's class structure). An occasional cheesy French accent in some of the characterizations is the only flaw. This is a _great_ commute tape, I look forward to "reading" more in this series on other great writers!

Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville is by far an in depth view of America as seen by the traveling Frenchman. It is written so well that even today almost one hundred and fifty years later it is still apropos.

The translation flows very easily and is not distracting. De Tocqueville has a wonderful writing style that could pass today even though it was written long ago... so well readable and quotable that you get the picture of American life, morals, and an astute view of politics all rolled into one.

You get a view and meaning of American civilization, for America herself, and also for Europe. You can tell from reading. that this view is ever-present in De Tocqueville's mind as if he is a comparative sociologist. Yet reading this book you get the impression that De Tocqueville had generations of readers in mind.

As De Tocqueville noted, "It is not force alone, but rather good laws, which make a new govenment secure. After the battle comes the lawgiver. The one destroys; the other builds up. Each has its function." So true even for todays war. After you defeat your enemy you have to build up the infratructure just as Marshall and Truman both realized.

Reading this book you see the skillful eye of the author noticing and recording what he sees and he is impressed. I found this book to be of great import for the observations of America and hope that our educators use this book for teaching our children about the great country we live in.

De Tocqueville is every bit as brilliant and insightful as he has been said to be. The book is as relevant now as when written and is a must read for every american who is serious about understanding his country. What one realizes in reading the book is how novel and radical was the american experiment in creating a state that was both a republic and a democracy. De Toqueville's research was amazing, as well, he read the laws and constitutions of the various states, he didn't just observe the manifestation of american government and society. His assessments of the plusses and minuses of our government forms was incredibly astute and it is interesting to reflect on the changes that took place in the government after his time and how accurately he foresaw the advantages and disadvantages of those changes, as well. Given the short period of time that he spent in this country and the distances that he travelled one stands in awe of his work. His writing style is, of course, dated but one gets accustomed to it and learns to follow the rhythm.