Grodzins has written an astonishingly thorough and readable biography of an important but neglected 19th Century American. Parker is one of the most influential Americans of the mid-1800s, a brilliant scholar and powerful preacher who became a crucial figure in our religious and political history.

The book is destined to become the standard biography of Parker for generations. Anyone interested in American political thought and the evolution of American religious doctrine will find this book invaluable. Any New Englander will find this a treasure trove of well-written stories.

It is June 27, 1942, nearly three years after the German army invaded Poland and began a war that is now being fought all over the globe. On board a battered, rusty freighter in the bleak port of Hvalfjordur, Iceland, Ensign Howard E. Carraway surveys the dozens of cargo ships anchored nearby; their decks crammed with tanks, crated aircraft, barrels of gasoline, and other implements of war. Despite the near certainty of enemy attack and the hazards of a voyage through the brutally cold waters above the Arctic Circle, these ships will sail tomorrow in an Allied convoy bound for Russia (Convoy PQ 17). For without the supplies she so desperately needs, the Soviet Union may well collapse; German soldiers are even now camped outside Moscow. Drawing on Ensign Carraway's personal diary and on documents long buried in military files, the author recreates the story of one of the most significant episodes in World War II naval history, an event that was to have far-reaching consequences, not only for the Soviet Union but for every future convoy that would sail near enemy territory. Above all, Theodore Taylor, the author, has written a vivid and compelling account of a military disaster, and of the simple courage, intelligence, and even humor with which ordinary human beings cope with the terrible perils of war. Unique B & W watercolor prints also add another dimension to this book.

Recognizing the precariousness of arguements from authority and supernatural proofs in light of both science and historical critical understandings of the Bible, Parker wishes to re-establish religion on a surer ground, one consistent with the expansion of knowledge and modernity. He does this by looking at various world religions, history of religions and there development, but continually refers to the religious sentiment to be found in every place. The creeds, scripture, Jesus miracles, etc. are all additions and pale in comparison to the basic truths accessible to all. His use of historical criticism to relook at all the dogmas of Christianity with the intent of revising faith not attacking it, is probably a first among American writers. His theory of religions is remarkably similar to the arguement made by John Hick. Some of his remarks, especially trust in progress may seem very 19th century but the book has a modern quality well written

Certainly tropical bird lovers, who have had the thrill of one or more bird trips to Central or South America, will want to begin to make more sense of their experiences. This book is for the birder about to turn tropical ecologist. It makes sense of the habitats, with terrific photos, many by John Fitzpatrick, of representative areas of the key habitats. The database tables in the back of the book, termed "essentially a download of Ted Parker's mind" are the essence of this information. For each of the 4000 species from the Rio Grande to Tierra Del Fuego, there are lists of habitats used by every species, and even a table of the indicator bird species for each region.
The books makes the really important point: you cannot prioritize saving the birds of the tropics only by species, one bird at a time. You have to look at what habitats are being irreversibly destroyed the most rapidly, and use those birds which depend most on these habitats - as info connections by which the habitats are to be recognized in the field, and then saved by appropriate political and economic action. Terrific book! Easy to read.