For anyone out there interested about Ester and her role (Explained in greater detail) should get this book.

I would suggest this series to anybody interested in theology, hands down.

For any student of theology, this is a fascinating collection. Contains references to Lilith (Adam's first wife) and a plethora of angel names - over 200. I highly recommend this exceptional collection for all readers.

We 3 Fifth Graders, read a book about Louis Braille, by Margaret Davidson. This book is about a boy named Louis Braille. He was the boy who invented books for the blind. Louis lived in Coupvray,in France. He is blind. He became blind by playing with his father's awl. The awl slid right into Louis' eye and it got injured and it got infected. One day, a new priest came to a church on the hillside. The priest was named Father Jacques Palluy. Father Palluy knew that Louis was blind so, he sent Louis to a new school for blind children in Paris. He liked every school subjects there.One day, a Captain called Charles Barbier came to Louis' school. Captain Barbier taught Louis about nightwriting. Nightwriting are raised dots that stands for sounds. Louis invented his own alphabet dots and he spread the news by making books. When Louis died, everyone started to call his dots Braille. Will Louis' popularty ever be extraordinary? Why did some people dislike his invention at first? Will the Braille be used forever?

Our opinion about this book is that this is an outstanding book because Louis made up a way for blind people to read. Why would Louis want to make books for blind people? We gave this book 5 star because we think it is a fantastic book. This book can teach blind people how to read and write. People that are not blind can also learn Braille.The back of the book also has braille dots so, we can practice. We even learned how to spell our names in Braille. We think that Louis' idea was excellent.

We should recommend this book to 4,5,and 6 graders because it teaches a lesson about not playing with sharp tools, and it also teaches you how to read the Braille alphabet. Another lesson we learned is that if you want to get something done you have to do it yourself. If you want to learn more about Louis Braille, try reading: Louis Braille: the Boy who Invented Books for the Blind.

I really enjoyed this book. I actually was reading the braille version for my braille class. I would recommend this book to practically anyone.

Of all the biography's I've read in my life, I think this is the best one! I thought it was so neat how Louis suddenly thought of how we could use dots like that. Everyday when I got to scool I couldn't wait to start reading. So I think you should buy this book and start reading!

I read The Master of Ballantrae quite recently and I think it is an awesome book. James Durie (the Master) is such a wicked man, but seems to charm (most) everybody. He is such a round character. He torments his poor brother Henry Durie and Henry suffers in silence. Only Mr. Mackellar knows of Henry's sufferings. The Master makes the book so colorful. It's full of adventure, romance, sorrow, and revenge. I highly recommend this book, because it was so interesting and kept you wondering what would happen next. I am sure it will capture your attention as it did mine.

I saw the Errol Flynn movie,which I found rather disappointing. I was assuming, however, that the book was a faithful adaptation of the movie. Be forewarned: it is most definitely not! This is not the kind of superficial swashbuckler you might assume. It is a dark and compelling book about the nature of evil and its manifestation in the person of James Durie, the Master of Ballantrae. The Master sets out to destroy everyone and everything he cannot control or manipulate, including (and especially)his own family. Without summarizing the book, I would offer this to anyone interested in a compelling plot, complex characters and just plain good writing. Stevenson is overlooked, and it's a shame, because he is an excellent writer, a writer in the best sense of the word. Read it and enjoy it!

Wild Grows the Heather in Devon is thought provoking, eloquant and superbly written. I have highlighted most of the book. Many of the prayers written, I have taken as my own. Excellent intelligent reading!

Billy Keene and Will Striker, the main characters of Louis Owens' novel Nightland, are half-breed Cherokees living on failing ranches in New Mexico that their grandparents bought from the Mexican-Americans whose family had a grant from Spain [who took the land from Native Americans in the first place]. They're out hunting deer when a man [who we find out is of Pueblo Indian blood] falls from the sky and ends up skewered on a juniper tree. A suitcase full of money falls with him. Despite misgivings, Billy and Will keep the money. Then all hell breaks loose. Nightland is at heart a thriller, but as with Owens' other novels, it is also a musing on identity. Native American spirituality and the supernatural play a key role in the novel, so if suspension of disbelief is a problem for the potential reader, don't start this book. This is a much faster read than Bone Game and The Sharpest Sight. I found Nightland to be one of the highlights of my summer reading. Oh, and as if my opinion actually counted, I think Richard Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino should buy the rights to Nightland and make a movie. One of the pieces of sad news from this summer was that Louis Owens had taken his own life. He left us five great novels, including Nightland.

A body falls from the sky in the dry New Mexico wilds. Two native American ranchers sight the mysterious image and set off to find it. Nearby to the body impaled in the limbs of a tree, they find a suitcase full of money.

This could be their lucky break, or their worst nightmare. They decide to risk keeping the money -- and to face the inevitable consequences . . .

The native American insights are a delight to read. Louis Owens's beautifully crafted prose leaves a last impression.

Owens' third American Indian crime thriller has received praise from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist and others. The consequences of trying to keep found money (in this case, $850,000 dropped from a drug dealer's plane in remote New Mexico) take ranchers Will Striker and Billy Keene on a wild ride. Enter sex and magical realism, stir, and find yourself reading a "well-wrought thriller capped by a twist-filled climax."

Having little knowlegde of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I failed to realize how drastically different the Disney version was from reality. The story does not focus on a loveable hunchback who finds happiness in the end, rather it is about the cathedral itself. The action and characters all feed off of Notre Dame and represent its values, but they are merely secondary aspects of the book. It is also a violent, depressing, and sometimes even erotic book, none of which of course comes through in a Disney movie.

Many things make this book an incredible read. The most obvious is the incredible prose. Hugo was a beautiful writer and his writing flows so smoothly. He also described with incredible detail the Paris of the late 15th century--the city's skyline, its culture, some of the notable people, and the issues of the day. He spent three years researching the book and he turned his noted into an historical epic. Finally, the action and characters of the book are well developed, exciting, and unique while still representing the values and controversies Hugo wanted to explore.

I originally picked this book up when I was in the 7th grade and was unable to make it more than 20 pages without giving up in frustration, but having more knowlegde of European history, a greater appreciation for literature, and more patience with a book that admittedly starts slowly, I am very glad I came back to it. I don't think this is a book that a young reader will find interesting--though the story itself is great so an abridged version would keep them reading--but any fan of great literature, beautiful prose, French history, architecture, or Victor Hugo will love this book if they give it a chance and do sit patiently while it revs up for 30-40 pages. I highly recommend it.

If you've only seen the film adaptations of this story, for heaven's sake read this jewel of a book! Hugo's ability to see into the hearts of people, especially those in states of degradation, is unequalled. His style, even in translation, is immensely powerful. The scene between Claude and Esmeralda in the dungeon is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking bits of writing I have ever come across.

This is one of the greatest love stories ever written.

This book is a collection of political columns, written mostly for the Baltimore Sun, that H.L. Mencken penned in the early twentieth century. In virtually every piece, Mencken advances the view that politicians are third-rate men, devoid of convictions, willing to follow any platform that will make them electable. The only politicians Mencken likes are those that he believes have spine. He detests politicians that waver, particularly those that try to sit on both sides of the fence on the abolition issue.
Mencken is at his best when he covers presidential campaigns, as he does in many columns in this collection. He revels in the empty rhetoric he hears, and describes the bilge to the reader in truculent and uncompromising language. The whole art of politics, to him, is circus-like. The pols are clowns and their election speeches are the main act.
Anyone looking for sober commentary should look elsewhere. But anyone looking for extremely witty, well-written and combative columns should pick up this collection. There is probably no better example of attack-dog journalism out there, nor is there likely a more entertaining way to get a quick history lesson on the important political figures and issues of the early twentieth century. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a book on H.L. Mencken, I would highly recommend "On Politics." This book highlights Mencken at his most acidic through his constant verbal jabs at the "holy" Woodrow Wilson, "Silent" Cal, the "royalist" Hoover, Roosevelt Minor and the stupidity of Warren Harding.(Note: Take a look at what Mencken writes about Harding's mangling of the english language and then compare it to what some modern columnists write about George W's handling of the language. It is truly scary how history repeats itself.)

Besides being an utterly hilarious look at the aforementioned presidents and American society in general, this book is quite eye-opening in terms of showing Mencken's political leanings. I always thought that Mencken was a pure liberatarian with his constant attacks on the New Deal and FDR. Actually, Mencken somewhat liked FDR up until he was elected. Mencken also sides with progressive politicians such as Robert M. LaFollete and expresses sympathy (or as much "sympathy" as the great misanthrope can express) for jailed socialist leader Eugene Debs. Nevertheless, all of the aforementioned people also receive Mencken verbal lashings.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in early 20th century American politics or for anyone with a slightly cynical bent. On days when you feel slightly misanthropic and (mad) at the world, read "On Politics" and you feel much, much better.

Favorite Mencken Quote: "All artists are idiots."

Buy everything you can find that was written by H. L Mencken, this collection is no exception. Mencken was one of the most influential and popular men of letters in America. He covered the Scopes Monkey Trial as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and was editor of two literary magazines: Smart Set and the American Mercury. His popularity waned for a variety of reasons. While he teased presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, he gave no quarter when it came to FDR, referring to him "Dr. Roosevelt" and "Roosevelt minor." He had little use for the New Deal. "The New Deal began, like the Salvation Army, by promising to save humanity. It ended, again like the Salvation Army, by running flop-houses and disturbing the peace." This and his pro-German attitudes didn't go over too well in the depression and war years. But over the last twenty or thirty years Mencken has enjoyed a resurgence or interest and popularity. As a journalist, a wit and a social critic he has no peer today.

On August 14, 1897, according to the "Cleveland Plain Dealer," a Choctaw Indian sentenced to be executed for the murder of another tribesman was granted a stay by the governor of the tribe to play in a big baseball game. This story is one of several that are found throughout "Indian Summer: The Tragic Story of Louis Sockalexis, the First Native American in Major League Baseball" by Brian McDonald and symbolizes the problem the author had in writing this biography. The subject of "Indian Summer" was a Penobscot Indian from a remote reservation in Maine, grandson of a chief, and a natural athlete who caused something of a furor when he played six successful seasons for the Cleveland Spiders in the National League in the 1890s before disappearing into the minors and ending his career because of alcoholism. The problem is that the historical record on Sockalexis and his baseball career are sketchy at best, which explains why McDonald has to resort to filling out this biography with stories providing insight into what life was like for Native Americans at the end of the 19th-century. The result is more of a biographical sketch, fleshed out by excerpts from the Cleveland press: before each chapter there is the reproduction of newspaper stories about Sockalexis ("Sockalexis's Usual Home Run") and other related topics ("Indian Outbreak Feared"). But I think once you take into account the limitations McDonald faced in putting together "Indian Summer," you can better appreciate the result.

It is not so much that the story of Sockalexis has been forgotten--Luke Salisbury wrote a fictional account of Sockalexis's life, "The Cleveland Indian" The Legend of King Saturday" and the debate continues over whether Sockalexis was the inspiration for the nickname of the Cleveland Indians--but that it was reduced to a historical footnote because it was not retold often enough. Part of the problem is that the end of his career and his life strikes us as cliché; a newspaper clipping from 1900 declares: "Drink, the curse of the Red man, is responsible for the downfall of Sockalexis." This does not take away from the tragedy of the story, but when the story of Sockalexis is compared to those of Jim Thorpe and Jackie Robinson (and Larry Doby) the first Native American in Major League Baseball suffers in comparison. Still, the story is fascinating and "Indian Summer" is a pleasant read heading into the All Star break, giving us a sense of what is was like to play professional baseball at the previous turn of the century. This is also important, because in terms of baseball books you usually get the sense that the only things that existed before Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees was Ty Cobb and the Black Sox. McDonald reminds us there was also Louis Sockalexis.

This book is a must read for baseball fans and history fans alike.
McDonald tells the story of this unsung hero while interweaving facts about the struggles of Native Americans in general during the 1890's in this country. The author does both Sockalexis and baseball fans a great service by telling the story of this phenomenal talent. Sockalexis performed head a shoulders above the others players while facing adversity at every turn. It is difficult to believe that a player of Sockalexis' caliber is not touted along with Babe Ruth, and the like- such a disservice to the game.One can't help but wonder what type of impact Sockalexis would have had on the game if he had played baseball during a different time period in this country.

Indian Summer tells the forgotten story of Louis Sockalexis, the pioneer Native American baseball player who briefly captured the American public's imagination in the 1890's. Sockalexis has been previously relegated to a footnote in baseball history (if he was mentioned at all) but he was so gifted as a ballplayer and might have had a truly great career if not for his tragic losing battle with alcoholism. The book is well-written and presents a fascinating picture of the early days of professional baseball and an American society which was not quite ready to embrace a Native American hero so soon after Custer and Little Big Horn. Life after baseball was not kind to Sockalexis and his death is quite sad. This is not a "feel good" book but anyone interested in American history should defintely not miss it.Highly recommended

Very detailed descriptions of each posture in the traditional Yang Family T'ai-Chi Ch'uan. For the practioner who wants to get to the bottom of each posture in the form. The new translations of some of the T'ai-Chi Ch'uan Classics is very enlightening.

Swaim's translation of Fu's incredibly detailed description of Yang Style Tai Chi is both clear and interesting. The text itself covers details of the form, descriptions of push hands, and discussions of the Tai Chi classics and theory. Fu's text contains much more detail than most of the classic texts, and he goes to great lengths to explain his points. Anyone who practices Tai Chi will find some point in the text which would help their practice. My only complaint is that the historical line-drawings which illustrate the moves are limited in the detail they can convey.

This books is really a worth to buy. It's much more deeper than any other Tai Chi book I've ever read. I've never find so deep descriptions of the movement covering any aspect of the movement itself. For a beginner a so big amount of information could make confusion but anyway this is the book where you will find tips and knowledge every time you read it again.

North to the Rails runs with a fun story that carries along with it a different western tone. Unlike many of our western heroes, Lamour develops a character that doesn't believe in guns. He learns the uses for it but carries an internal feeling against them, very different and unique. A good read.

The book is called North to the Rails. Louis L'amour wrote the book. It is a western. A young man from the east comes to buy cattle and ship them on the railroad. He buys 2,000 cattle and drives them to the railroad which is moving westward. His business depends on him and the cattle but he encounters many problems along the way. I have read many books by Louis L'amour and they are all good. This one kept my attenion very well and had a good plot. "I am not a coward. I simply do not believe in carrying guns, and I do not believe in killing."pg.16. One of the main problems in the book is that the main character, Tom Chantry, will not carry a gun. That gets him in a couple of fights with people. That also makes him defensless against anyone who want to push him around. When he gots tired of people pushiing him around he decides to change his mind. He was not use to having to use guns because he comes form the east where there is law and order. In the west there is no law and people kill people and it is no big deal. This book had many suspensfunl parts in it but in the begging it is kind of boring.

Tom Chantry came from the East to the West to buy cattle then bring them to the railroads at Dodge. But when he backs down from a shoot-out with a drunk named Dutch Akins, everyone takes him for a coward and a man who doesn't keep his word. Tom can't find anyone now to buy cattle from or even help move them to the railroads. Tom must learn that he is now in the untamed land of the west where there is no law but only a man's courage and his gun.

Then Tom shocks everyone with how much nerve he has. He makes a deal with French Williams, a well-known man who everyone accuses of stealing cattle though there is no proof. He is said to be able to swindle anyone out of a cow deal. Tom says to Williams that if French Williams will supply the men to help take the herd to the rails, Chantry will give him some shares of the profit. Then Tom makes the deal more interesting. He says that if he himself can't keep up with the outfit and doesn't make it to Dodge City, French Williams will get all of the profit. Williams agrees to it.

Now Tom must be sure to keep up with the herd. But everyone forgets that his father was the famous Borden Chantry and that Tom knows what he's doing. Though at first he is against having a gun, he buys himself a gun and a rifle. And not only does he know how to shoot, he knows how to fight. Local outlaws and gunmen mistake him for a victim but they were going to learn that he is no greenhorn and not a man to be trifled with.

This is a great book to read!! When I first read it, I had such a hard time putting it down when I had to do other things. I couldn't stop reading it. It's very exciting and suspenseful. The character of Tom Chantry is really likable and I was rooting him on throughout the whole book. But probably my most favorite character in the book was French Williams. He is cool, smart, fast with a gun, and a very honorable man. He might steal cattle from others and swindle people out of a cattle deal, he still is very nice and trustworthy. Then there's also the character of Mr. Sparrow. He's very mysterious yet nice and kind, and strangely very attached to Tom Chantry, even though they hardly know each other. But if I tell to much about him, I'll spoil the story.