Pastor Robert Graetz left seminary with his young family to take a call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Alabama. As a white pastor during the time of the civil rights activity in Montgomery, he writes of his day to day struggle with racial hatred and how it affected his congregation and his family. This book defines the courage it takes to live out Christian justice and mercy and added a dimension to my knowledge of this era I had not yet experienced before I read it. Although I rated it a 9, if someone did not return my copy, I would buy another. It is a must for my library.

Paintings by Mose Tolliver, the key folk art painter from Alabama, who is one of America's greatest living treasures, inspired this gem of a book of poems by Robert Ely. The 8" 1/4-by 8 1/4" volume, published in Alabama by Black Belt Press, includes a brief introduction by Julian Bond. Twenty of Mose T's best known images are finely illustrated here in color, alongside the witty poems they inspired. Featured in the book are the fanciful inhabitants of the town of Slapout, among them the "Hoodoo Man...who learned his art from Kulba Khan," the "Jick-Jack Girl...who "kicks off her shoes when she begins to feel the blues" and "Mose t" himself, the artist who "paints pictures made with real paint...and many folks find them quaint."

--David Ebony, Assistant Managing Editor, Art in America magazine.

This is a wonderfully balanced, even-handed approach to the "worship wars" and debate over styles used in worship services. The small book is remarkably free from personal preferences and challenges the reader to examine biblical foundations in formulating opinions and thoughts concerning contemporary worship, especially as it relates to a return to God-centeredness in worship. Its direction and instruction may not be popular with those who prefer a market-driven, pole-oriented approach to what worship should look like, but its scholarship will be evident to all who read it. This is classic James Boice at his direct and insightful best.

My wife picked up a paperback edition at a yard sale some time ago. When I began reading it, I believed, like most people, that Sacco and Vanzetti were railroaded by a bigoted, nativist judicial system. I have since obtained an autographed hard bound copy. Read this book and form your own opinions.

R. H. Montgomery was a lawyer practicing in Massachusetts at the time of the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial. He has a very different view of the events than that championed by the chattering classes, then and now. He makes a compelling case that Sacco was a member of the murder party and Vanzetti was at least an accessory after the fact. The most damning fact is the ballistic evidence not used at the trial because the comparator microscope had not yet been invented. (The appeals process in this case was one of the first uses of the this invention. The account of the ballistics evidence alone is worth the price of the book.) Sacco's lawyers never disputed his possession of the murder gun until after it was incontrovertibly proven that it was the murder weapon, during his *very* public appeals. At trial he admitted to owning the weapon and having it in his possession at the time of his arrest. (The evidence offered at trial by the defense's ballistic "expert" is amusing.)

This and other evidence, not offered at trial, only bolsters the case for the defendants' guilt. (Some evidence has become available after the trial, some was not admissible though strongly incriminating. One eye witness identified Sacco's cap to police but refused to testify at trial because he didn't want "a bomb up my [redacted]".) Montgomery believes that the evidence offered at trial was more than sufficient for the jury to reach the conclusion it did. Sacco's and Vanzetti's defenders generally approach the case with their minds firmly closed to evidence, - distorting, selecting, fabricating to suit their needs. Evidence subjected to the scrutiny of judicial review does not serve their purpose. The preposterous claims thrown up by the defense were rejected by the jury, the judge, the appellate judges, the Governor and a blue ribbon committee, which was chaired by President Lowell of Harvard and included the president of MIT and other prominent citizens.

Montgomery also includes interviews with the surviving jurors made in the 1950's. Much is made of prejudice on the part of the jurors, but in the interviews they display none that is evident. Ordinary peoply are rarely artful enough to hide their opinions and prejudices.

For the record, the issue of anarchy and political affiliation was introduced by the defense, on the 15th day of the trial to explain lies told to police at the time of their arrest. [Lies told to police at the time of arrest are admissible as evidence of consciousness of guilt.] They would rather be suspected of anarchy then murder.

The defense, at the end, was taken over by radicals who seemed more intent on making martyrs of their clients than offering a sound defense or hope of mitigation. If true, than to the extent that they were victims of politics, it was the politics of their purported supporters.

For more excellent historical background read also Francis Russell's "Sacco & Vanzetti: The Case Resolved" ASIN 0060155248.

I took Mr. Montgomery's three-day speech course in 1974. It was the best skills course I have ever taken. He indicated at that time that he had reviewed over 300,000 speeches for organizations such as Xerox and the American Mangement Association. His course helped change my life for the better.

If your idea of love is limited to visions of puppies and balloons, The Thing About Love Is... probably not for you. In Polyphony Press' first effort, the heavy topic of love is tackled in gritty, gutsy pieces that cut to core of this complex emotion. Sometimes it's bliss, sometimes it's bizarre, and quite often it hurts, but regardless of its form, love is always intriguing. This anthology is in keeping with that notion. With a variety of styles and voices, the works featured here are unanimous in their ability to draw the reader in and keep him hooked. It is truly a great read that may challenge one's personal definition of love. Call it an enjoyable experiment in mind expansion!

It's difficult to find an anthology that has as much stopping power as this one. Reading it, I was impressed not only by the diversity of the authorial voices, but also by their veracity. Each story, poem and play seems to have come straight from the gut. What's more, the contributing writers help to remove our blinders; particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. Love, they argue, is nothing less than a battlefield on which each of us daily chances victory or defeat.Those seeking to enter the contest fully armed would do well to buy this book.

Anthologies are not my usual choice of reading material, but as this was recommended to me, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. While I could not relate to some of the pieces here, I enjoyed the underlying topic immensely. The poetry, drama, and short stories were a good blend. The Thing About Love Is... an enjoyable and fast read, but has a peculiar lingering effect that required that I return to it for further exploration. It's a perfect book to read from the relative comfort and safety of your best chair, where you know that you can dip into the joy and angst of love and for once, walk away unscathed.

this book has a few redeeming qualities but overall it is a book written to fit robert laguardia's belief that monty was some sort of god cast out of heaven due to his own hysterical behavior.there is very little in depth knowledge regarding films or montys approach to acting, only vague stereotypes meant to fit in laguardias angle.i highly suggest you read Patricia Bosworths bio. still in print. she actually knew him and is partial in her writing. one more thing the only other book r.la guardia wrote was a book about the days of our lives soap opera.

An excellent book. I recommend it to anyone interested in Post-World War II film history. Mr. Laguardia truly brings the life of this tragic actor into your heart. It will make you want to run out and rent Monty's movies. Because you know what he went through to make it. Laguardia's biography makes you want to truly be there to help Monty throught all his troubles. While I was reading the biography, I wanted to go back in time and be there. I loved the book. This is my third time reading it. It's a book you don't want to put down.

Raised in an unconvential family, giving him nearly unlimited access to exceptional opportunities, Montgomery Clift reached a pinnacle of dramatic achievement. Due to unknown reasons, or perhaps due to a chronic back injury he sustained in a car accident, Clift became involved in heavy narcotic usage such that his credibility as an insurable actor was compromised. LaGuardia states that the film "Freud" was filmed in 'a state of chaos,' with severe frustration and criticism from director John Huston, due to Clift's 'inability to function.' Ironically, the night one of his finest films was shown on TV, Clift lay in his bed in the dark, unable or unwilling to join his houseman in watching it. The next morning he was found dead, apparently from a heart attack.

Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, who together accomplished and popularized the "extreme close-up" in films with their on-screen radiance in "A Place in the Sun," were close friends until his death. When Clift was considered "uninsurable" due to rumors of his narcotic addiction, Taylor put up an exorbitant bond to cover his appearance in "Raintree County."

LaGuardia demonstrates a wealth of detailed information throughout this chronicle of one of the most skilled actors of our time. It is worth the read for those interested in the actor or in film history. I have read other bios of Clift and there is no comparison to the detail LaGuardia offers. I was even able to walk past the apartment in which Clift died in NYC and imagine what the floorplan inside might look like. I recommend this book to Clift aficinados as the primary source of information on his short, talented, and tormented life.

This book is mostly about the 3 children who had moved into the manse. Even though they are very "different" and interesting kids, I don't find them interesting, unlike Anne was when she was younger. I've seen a review which compares Faith to Anne - in their ways of getting into all sorts of unpredictable and unexpected trouble, imaginations, and making up all sorts of original excuses... But I felt Faith lacked Anne's fire and zest and didn't impress me at all.

This books is drifting apart from the series' main character - Anne. She is a small, supporting character in this book , and the closest we get to hearing about her are a few small stories about her kids... Which is my main reason for feeling this book should not belong in the Anne series...

I don't quite like Anne of Ingleside as I always want to know more about Anne but Montgomery just focused on Anne's children in the book.However,Rainbow Valley turned out to be completely different.It is as funny,delightful as other novels in the Anne series.Now, I love Anne's children and the manse children very much.But I don't like Mary Vance, she just seemed to be wicked though I know she was actually not, she was just brutally frank. The adventures of the children were as exciting as Anne's.They were all nice little souls.They were angels and to be loved by every one in the world.After reading Anne, I am now looking forward to having the chance to play in graveyards.They are no longer dreadful but beautiful places which bring you much joy and fun as soon as you finish Rainbow Valley. Lastly I think Anne Shirley is Anne Shirley. I can never accept Mrs. Doctor dear or Anne Blythe.

I really think the only reason not to find "Rainbow Valley" one of L. M. Montgomery's better novels in the Anne series is because it obviously has the least to do with Anne or her children. This one is really more about the four Meredith children who belong to Ingleside's new widowed minister, so I can see where some readers would be less than pleased with the direction. But the ending of this novel, where Una Meredith communes with her mother's wedding dress before going off to get her father a wife, is as touching as anything Montgomery ever wrote. All in all, "Rainbow Valley" reminds me more of "The Story Girl" and "The Golden Road" than any of the other Anne books, with the Meredith children having a series of humorous misadventures. I am also impressed because as you can tell from the ending when Walter Blythe speaks of "The Piper," that Montgomery is already committed to writing about what happens to these children during World War I in her next Anne book, "Rilla of Ingleside." Even though it is atypical "Rainbow Valley" is my second favorite book in the Anne series and I am the proud owner of a first edition copy.

... I would have never purchased this book.
I love the idea of giving my little 2 and a half year old a universal approach to tales and stories from all over the world. I new Rudoph qualified. I had no idea that there was a monster in the story; note that it was the one thing that impressed her, and she asked me what it was.
I wouldn't suggest it to anyone that wants to introduce the idea of Santa Clauss to their child.

I was very impressed with this book . . . a beautiful book, wonderfully illustrated, containing the original story, which did not have the Abominable, or Herbie, or Yukon Cornelius, like the later movie. I remember as a child in 1951 listening to the original story on 78rpm records put out by RCA and have attempted for years to find the original story. Although I did notice some subtle differences in the words . . .the original referred to Rudolph's, er, "forehead" (Santa was too polite to call it a big red nose) . . most of the text stayed true to what I had memorized. Definitely a book not only for children, but for us baby boomers who remember the original. A must-have to hand on from generation to generation.

Yes, the other reindeer make fun of Rudolph's red nose. (I would hardly call this bigotry.) That is the point of the story: Rudolph overcomes adversity and the other reindeer learn to accept differences. Even the elves learn to accept a dentist and the misfit toys are given to boys and girls who love them. Maybe the USA reader should have watched (or read) until the end of the story instead of making snap judgements like all of the other reindeer.

"Smart Leadership" could have more appropriately been titled "Smart Management." It contains helpful ideas, practical insights, and proven principles for managers. The primary areas the tapes cover include empowering people effectively, running meetings efficiently, and delegating projects productively. In listening to the tapes I realized deficiencies in my own management skills and was given practical ways to improve. Unlike some audio books narrators, Michael Podolinsky does an outstanding job of keeping the material interesting and of keeping your mind engaged in what he's discussing. The program also comes complete with a handy pocket guide. If you're looking for stimulation and information to improve your management skills I recommend "Smart Leadership."