This memoir is a wonderful panoramic view of America's most glorious tragedy, filled with romance, privation, luxury, and death. This chronicle is a window to a lost world, a world of private lives and great political movements.

Mrs. Chestnut provides us with the small details in the picaresque life of a general's wife. The frustration of a people's hope of self-determination is revealed, as is the revulsion of some Southerners to slavery and its attendant shame.

She shows us her neighbors' private and justified fear of murderous servants, the grand victories of the Confederate armies which mean nothing against an inexhaustible enemy, the intimate drawing room intrigues of upper class Southern debutantes among their friends and wounded heroes.

The traditional icons of Southern Gentility are shown to be less than uniformly admirable, though the perseverence and insight of this writer are heroic, and show the true character of the best of American womanhood.

Any serious student of the War Between the States who has not read this first-person account is not a serious student at all.

This narrative has the rare quality of allowing the reader to view the author's world through their glasses. The reader quickly slips into Mrs Chestnut's value system and truely appreciate the highs and lows of Confederate society, the wealth and hardship, privileges and privations of those who sat hearthside. Additionally, rare personal glimpses insights are provided on some of the movers and shakers of Confederate government, military and society. Such glimpes are delicious and slighly voyeuristic!
A great view, not by a driver in history, but one along for the ride.

I know this may sound crazy, but i am infact the great(times 3) granddaughter of mary boykin chestnut. When my grandfather told me this when i was younger (I am 16 now) I became very interested in learning about her and her husband and in trying to learn more i decided to read the diary in which mary had written. I found it very moving and in some cases disturbing. Before reading her diary ( My grandpap has one of the first copies of it) I could have cared less about the civil war or any war for that matter, but after reading it I gained a new found respect for everything that people in those days had to go through and I think that my grandmother gave people of today a great idea of what the war was like and how people were. I am very proud to say that I am of of the civil wars most influential women.

I acquired this book after enjoying other books in The West and the Wider World Series (Harris' The Sins of the Father, Seaman's Paper Airplanes in the Himalayas). Unlike the other books, The Cloud and the Light provides little insight into the relationships and the interactions between cultures. In part, this is due to the others being written by children of missionaries, authors exposed to both worlds as a child. A large part, however, seems to be Dr. Kawano's desire to be positive and not critical. He speaks against the horrors of radiation poisoning, suicide and smoking, but seems hesitant to criticize any person or cultural group. The absence of comments regarding America's use of the bomb are notable.

The first chapters of this autobiography provide revealing descriptions of what it was like to live and to provide medical care in Nagasaki during and after the bomb. The middle chapters, however, focus on other aspects of his life - his work in neurology and his support of suicide hotline and anti-smoking campaigns. The final chapters provide more wartime background and address how Dr. Kawano became a Christian.

Readers interested in "inspirational" lives may enjoy this book. Those interested in Japan and Japanese medicine during and immediately after the bomb should read the first chapters. Most will probably find the translated prose readable but dry.

THE CLOUD AND THE LIGHT Memoirs of a Japanese Christian Surgeon from Nagasaki

The West and the Wider World Series, Vol. XII By Martin Kawano, M.D.

In an extended memoir, Dr. Martin Kawano reviews his life from the rare perspective of a Protestant inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki. This intensely personal account casts more light on the bombing and its immediate aftermath than other existing classic works.

Dr. Kawano had studied Protestant theology, but set these pursuits aside to join the army. Following his stint in service, he began medical studies. He has been a surgeon all his professional life and a crusader against smoking. In his world-wide service as a social reformer he worked with many well-known people such as Maria Von Trapp and the daughter and granddaughter of Albert Schweitzer.

"Like my father Albert Schweitzer, who influenced him, Martin Kawano has made his life his argument. From the time when as a medical student he miraculously escaped death from the atomic bomb which fell on Nagasaki, his life has unfolded in steady service to mankind. From his studies in the USA, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, he has brought back to Japan unique capabilities for helping where he sees the greatest needs, without consideration for his career or his personal life. His story is inspiring, the testimony of a man with unwavering faith and dedication." Rhena Schweitzer Miller, 1996

Excellent graphics. Great quality in the physical aspect of the book and the colored graphics contianed in it. But, it definitely does not help the beginner much. It jumps steps and the photographs do not help to decipher what the author is trying to explain. Not for the NOVICE

This book has 22 step-by-step demonstrations of all the basic-level aurbrush techniques! It says what type of airbrushes are used for what type of airbrushing! Picking an air source, airbrsuh, paint, painting surfaces and things you need to get started in both Illustration and T-shirt airbrushing! This is a book I have read 3 or 4 times and every time I read it I find out something new! This is a must for any airbrush artist or artist to be!

In this modern online auction driven antique and collectibles market, a book like this can not keep up with values, descriptions, what's hot etc. by the time it comes to your local book store. I have bought and sold antiques and collectibles over the internet and in an antique mall and have found the best way to determine value, standards and validity TODAY as opposed to 5 years ago is to go to E-bay where you will find even the most high-brow of auctioneers and sellers plying their wares.

Now if you are looking to sit down, relax, and peruse over the collectibles market, this book is fun to read

If you are a collector, amateur or serious then this book is for you. It is one of the best around simply because it is easy to use, concise, colourful and downright practical. Okay, so it doesn't list every collectable in the world but no one book will do that. What this book will do for you is give you an idea of the cost of many popular collectibles as well as one offs that occasionally come on to the market. This is also a fun book just to browse through to see what is "in" and what is "not in" in the heady world of antiques-to-be and antiques that are already established. A good all round book on a hard to write about subject. As an added bonus it comes out each year so the suject is constantly being updated.

This adventure is the 2nd part of the famed 'Enemy Within' campaign for Warhammer FRP originally published by Games Workshop. The adventure, set in the small town of Bogenhafen has been described by its authors as a 'Call of Cthulhu' scenario. This means investigation, conspiracies, secret cults, and fateful summonings. Above all, it encourages roleplay since there is a bare minumum of violent action.

While many Warhammer FRP veterans enjoy this adventure and rate it highly, I prefer a more balanced style of adventure design. As it is written, the game features a lot of investigation and interaction, and almost no action. However if your group is fortunate enough to consist of players who prefer roleplay over combat, add one star - this adventure is made for you. Players with way too many weapon specialization skills would probably be unconscious with boredom before the end.

This adventure is not recommended for players who like only hack and slash. SOB is lighter version of Power behind the throne. Player characters are drawn to Bögenhafen by a mistake. There they are faced by a great threat of Chaos. One of the very high persons in Bögenhafen is corrupted and players are to find out who it is. Guilty one is found out quite easily, but problem is: How to find evidence hard enought to collapse him/her? Can players stop the catastrophe? This adventure is the first of The enemy within campaign. So player characters should not be too powerful. Very fascinating and interesting book. I recommend.

This book is an excellent collection of short stories with a sinister bent. Unfortunately, some are not up to par with the rest but most are well worth your time. The story about disfigured Air Force cadets with a hatred for truckers is worth the price of the book alone as is the story "Mother Tucker".

"Stalkers" is a great collection of short stories with a very sinister streak. While some tales are not as good as others, the book overall is definitely worth reading time. In fact, the story about disfigured Air Force cadets who hate truckers and the tale, "Mother Tucker", are worth the price of the book alone.

I would recommend this book to any elementary history teacher for the classroom or any parent who has a child who says history is boring. This book brings you into the lives and feelings of the Lankford family during the turbulent times in Boston during the Stamp Act Riots. It focuses on Kathleen and her brother Will, who is an ardent Patriot. Kathleen, however is torn between following the Patriot cause and doing what is right, such as helping a wounded British soldier. The story shows how the violence of the time inflenced the actions of many innocent people and also shows that the issues of independance and liberty are not always black and white but have many shades of gray. A very good book, a must read for any child or adult interested in colonial times.

Swan-Miller writes sensitively and knowledgeably about the impact of the suicide of a family member on the surviving sibling(s). Using her personal experience as a starting off point, she explores a variety of sibling relationships and feelings about the suicide of a brother or sister. Through interviews with sibling survivors she exposes the wide variety of emotions that these survivors go through and the unique aspects of their experiences. Straight-forward prose, well organized chapters and an underpinning of psychological expertise help the reader understand and digest this difficult topic. Clearly there is a need for greater support and understanding of sibling relationships within the family dynamic- especially when there is a suicide. Though I think that a bibliography/list of resources for survivors would have been a useful inclusion, this book is an excellent resource for lay and professional alike.

Dr. Shinedling's work offers a refreshing view of politics, and an alternative for those who are sick of politics as usual. His hypothesis is that neither major party advocates for the middle class, and therefore, we should not reelect any incumbent until the politicians start to work for the middle class. Anyone that is interested in politics at large and is open minded would enjoy this book simply for the refreshing point of view Dr. Shinedling has.

I think the book shows a lot about antiques and good price guides.