Although this book's subtitle refers to religion in the heartland, essays in this collection evoke a more personal and, at times, idiosyncratic take on spirituality. David Hoppe, for example, writes about the "solitary communion" he spies through his neighbor's windows as they sit in front of their television sets at night. Jim Poyser recounts a surreal adventure at the Zoo in winter with his sons. In short, these essays, along with the handsome collection of photographs that complement the text, admirably plumb the psychic root cellar that entwines beneath the stereotypical surface of this Midwestern community.

Though strong Hoosier threads tie these stories together, the contributors share spiritual insights and experiences that will be meaningful to those outside the heartland as well. Read the tales for religious reasons or just because they are good stories by and about sensitive, observant people.

The editors chose writers from a variety of faiths and professional fields--included are a woman rabbi, newspaper people and professors. Big-name contributors are author Dan Wakefield and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa.

Susan Neville has long been a chronicler of secret lives, shadow selves, possibilities and fears and yearnings. She is one of the most lyrical prose stylists I know, and her characters are often illuminated by the light from lives they almost lived, choices they nearly took. IN THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS, Neville's newest collection, presents stories that are dazzlingly alive with what-might-have-been, possibilities so alive they feel like what-still-might-be. One of Neville's great gifts is her ability to present characters in the grip of double lives: visible, outward caily existences, alongside darker, hidden lives of desire. Characters are shaped and distorted by their longings--for stability, for a discernible God, for a glimpse of color in the middle of a tedious, gray midwestern winter--and IN THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS achieves a strange and beautiful expansiveness because characters generally do receive what they long for. In the luminous "Blue," the old husband of a young woman goes to lunatic lengths to bing color into her drab days--to bring her pleasure, that simple thing. In "Your Own Most Quiet Voice" a girl watches her mother slip into insanity. The girl years for the return of her normal life, and normality ultimately reasserts itself, but with a new, ghastly face. And in "August" a young wife, terrified by the bonds of marriage, is offered a chance to flee from those bonds, only to glimpse the more terrifying constriction beyond them. Like descriptions of God, the lives Susan Neville describes are gorgeous and terrifying, and this book is subtle, moving, and brilliant.
--Erin McGraw, Cincinnati

Literature before James Joyce, before Jane Austen, before Daniel Defoe: No Ulysses, no Emma, no Robinson Crusoe - for modern readers it is hard to imagine a stock of English literature without the existence of these and other important writers and their 'novels'. What kind of literature could one refer to in a pre-novelistic age? As a matter of fact, there were authors, such as Sir Thomas More and Sir Francis Bacon, who wrote prose which, indeed, still affects our thinking. However, neither More nor Bacon used English, but chose Latin as their original means of expression. For what reasons? And none of these authors was in fact a free-lance writer - they were all occupied in public and political spheres. What made them actually write fictional works? How does their fiction relate to their cultural environment - or, what was regarded as 'fiction'? These texts cover a century of political, religious, scientific and literary debates and gave rise to a new understanding of knowledge, and introduced influential literary devices.

Although my "mountaineering" is limited to hikes in the Canadian Rockies, I found Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro a fascinating and informative how-to on summiting this high point in Africa. The book is dense with practical tips on getting in shape, getting there, and getting to the top, with just about everything to keep you out of trouble in-between. This is not a page turner for the professional mountain climber or the extreme sport fanatic. But for the average hiker with aspirations for a sunrise at the top of Africa, it's hard to imagine a better guide. Pay special attention to the tips for staying healthy - the authors (both from the Mayo Clinic) obviously know of what they write.

Mount Kilimanjaro is not a "tourist trap" as an anonymous reviewer has mistakenly written. My wife, 2daughters, and I read Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro by Carmichael and Stoddard, and we all made it to the Top of Africa. It was grand! We particularly appreciated the advice about using poles on the ascent, and particularly on the descent; it was treacherous going in the muddy parts of the rain forest., and poles were essential. Also, I noticed that Dr. Carmichael is a Professor of Anatomy (and Orthopedic Surgery) at the Mayo Clinic, so I am convinced that he knows more about anatomy than the reviewer cloaked in anonymity. I am a surgeon myself, and the anatomical references are correct. The advice in this book worked for us, which speaks volumes. I understand that a new edition will be out soon, which is good news for those of you who are considering climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
I wanted to add, that while the ascend is tough and challinging in regards to muscular and cardiovascular fitness, the descent poses a different challenge and is hard to prepare for. I found it very helpful to use a sideways descnet technique, especially in the loose gravel on top, similar to slalom ski run downhill. The strain on the upper legs and knee joints is impressive.
Bernd-Uwe Sevin, M.D.

As a middle-aged "regular guy" this book got me into the best physical shape I have ever been in. You don't want any serious surprises on a trip like this, and "Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro" prepares you with the right equipment, clothing, energy foods and most importantly ATTITUDE. I summited Kili three weeks ago and judging from what I experienced, it pays to be prepared. Great trip - great book!

Susan Neville, an English professor at Butler University, has received literary awards for her short fiction and essays. "Fabrication: Essays on Making Things and Making Meaning" is a collection of related essays, most new, but some previously published. I read the essays in order, but the reader is free to skip around.

I was surprised that Neville's factories were largely located in small towns in Indiana and not restricted to industrialized areas like Gary and Indianapolis. I was raised in Indiana, attended Purdue and Indiana University, was familiar with many of the small towns, and yet I had no inkling of these hidden manufacturing enterprises. I learned that the world class steel mill in the town of Crawfordsville is to the larger steels mills in Gary as a laptop is to an old mainframe. Little Edinburgh calls itself the veneer capital of the world. The man who perfected piston rings and invented cruise control lived his life in sleepy Hagerstown.

I read "Fabrication" while I was also reading Primo Levi's extraordinary work, "The Periodic Table", and I may have unfairly held Susan Neville to an exceptionally high standard. Neville looks for meaning in the context of factory tours in Indiana while Levi writes about himself, a chemist that was a Jew living in Mussolini's Italy. We learn from Levi much about chemistry and how a chemist tackles problems, but we even learn more about Levi himself, about life in a Fascist state, and about human relationships in difficult situations. Susan Neville's essays, while successful in their intriguing descriptions of how things are made, are less so in the examination of "making meaning".

I enjoyed Neville's descriptions of small factories, the manufacturing processes, and the workers themselves. She examined how these factories came to be and how they fit into a world of increasing globalization. Not all tours are equally interesting, but she does make a good tour guide.

I was less comfortable with her search for meaning. A few essays seemed a bit flat, but I found others insightful and intriguing. I particularly like "Veneer" with its surprising links to Primo Levi. "Smoke" was quite good with its look at the dying tobacco farming tradition along the Ohio. Neville's Silicon Valley analogy in "Carboys", the story of the automotive invention in the Midwest in the last century, made me wonder why I had never quite realized how exciting and creative those early decades must have been.

Will you like Susan Neville's style? I suggest that you take a look (see ... reviews) at her book, "Twilight in Arcadia", published by Indiana Historical Society Press. These excerpts are included in "Fabrication" as the essay titled "Smoke" and are a good example of her informal style.

I give "Fabrication" four stars for "Making Things", but only three stars for "Making Meaning".