In his book, The Wounded Body, Dennis Patrick Slattery weaves together wounds and meanings, intertwines psyche and soma, and plaits mimesis and memory into life stories. If, as he believes, our origins and our destinies are within the poetics of our bodies, then who would turn away from tracing origins through memory and destiny through desire? Who would not unravel some of the knots of their body's images? Dennis Slattery heeds Shakespeare's teaching that our wounds are mouths and teaches the reader to listen, as he does, with rapt devotion to their stories. His imaginative discussion recalls works by Homer, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoevsky, Melville, Tolstoy, Flannery O'Connor and Toni Morrison. Slattery reminds the reader that wounds and fissures mark the places vulnerable to penetration by unknown deities. Our wounds are "where the hinge is located that marks the pivot of our history and destiny" (15). He poses the archetypal question: What is the wound asking of us? What story does it want to tell? The wound's meaning cannot be teased out logically. Only imagination will lead us to the story. Our wounds want to be recognized and dialogue with us. They want to matter, want to be incarnated. And as Hamlet teaches us, "perhaps the fullest form of embodiment is to be remembered in a story, for it is as close to immortality to which a mortal can aspire" (73). Read this book slowly, savouring its poetics, its reveries, its meanderings, and its gaps. The gaps invite the reader's memories to intertwine past with present and mingle with Slattery's reflections in a confluence of healing spider's webs for our wounds. Pay particular attention to the stories that resonate, for "the essence of mimesis is somatic, visceral, a shared physic element wherein we feel the action, the wounding, the marking of a body, in our own being" (13). Dennis Slattery, whose namesake is Dionysos -- the god of tragedy, reminds us that we must delve "deeply into the wound, the infection, the pollution that tragedy forces us to face; to escape from it is to invite its doubling intensity" (72). Then Dionysos leads us to Hermes, whose value "lies in being a mediator, an in-between figure who gives imagination depth and allows the ordinary things of the world to be remembered fully and experienced deeply" (143). By bowing deeply to both these gods, Slattery writes a vibrant and meaningful book about the wounded body. The most important part of writing a book is asking worthy questions. This author draws upon the most profound literature of twenty-five hundred years to refine his questions. If our wounds have stories to tell about our origins and destinies, who would dare to ignore their every imaginative appearance? Dennis Slattery never suggests that the wound's story will be redemptive. He cautions the reader that "the theory used to guide the study was itself wounded" (237). For in listening to our wound's stories, we hear about fragmentation, not integration. And I wonder, is fragmentation indeed redemptive?

Even in a world as worshipful of the body such as ours, the ancient split between matter and spirit, between body and soul is still so pervasive that it is an anomaly to think that the body is our way -- indeed the only way -- of existing in the world. Humans are not spirits condemned to the prison of the flesh, waiting for their liberation from matter and escape into the spiritual paradise. Rather they are incarnated spirits and ensouled bodies. They can achieve their wholeness only though their bodies -- and more precisely, their wounded bodies -- since the world in which they live is marked by diseases, pains, psychic sufferings and ultimately death. Through a series of insightful and profound analysis of literary, psychological, artistic and religious masterpieces -- from the ancient Greek tragedies to contemporary American novels -- Slattery offers us a way of imagining our wounded bodies, and through this imagination, reconnect them with the spirits. We owe Slattery an enormous debt for his powerful imagination. No one who reads this book will remain unchallenged and unchanged by his way of seeing the human body as an icon of the divine. I most strongly recommend his book to those seeking wholeness and spiritual transformation.

Reading this book compelled me to begin imagining not only literary works but the life of our bodies in ways I hadn't thought of before. As the author states in his chapter on Oedipus Rex, "a kind of knowledge is offered through the wounded or violated body that helps us to understand the poetic work's entire meaning." This is the first book I've come across that imagines the world of our body as a kind of text, to be read and meditated upon. Its meanings and its secrets will reveal themselves if we only take time to listen, to be attentive. For those of us that have been wounded in life, which I'm sure is most of us, we have felt our wounds beckoning to us. If not to be read, at least to be listened to. This book gave me a great charting on how to begin this kind of meditative activity. I've already begun to include it in my graduate studies as a way to re-imagine many of the classics I thought I had a handle on. Over the past several years we've had alot of books that have dealt with "Soul". This is a welcome book that reunites both body and soul.

My sensei is telling us all to buy this book because it helps us keep track of our tournaments and belt tests. Really cool! Great art, too!

The book was exquisitly written and magnificently edited. It is imperative that every student who wants to excel at the martial arts should own this book.

This book really is a MUST HAVE for any student of Martial Arts! It is exceptionally valuable in helping the student keep track of their growth and progress! It is well organized, well written, and contains everything a student of the Martial Arts could possibly want! Clearly the author has exceptional expertise in the Martial Arts and has provided this wonderful book as a tool to encourage others towards excellence! I've also read his Ultimate Jujutsu: Practices and Principals, and I look forward to additional titles.

One of the best civil war reads in quite some time. I could not put it down - the pace, action and writing style are truly impressive. I recommend this for every summer reading list.
Hooker's tale is one for all times.

I bought this book after reading a review by Nelson Demille, one of my favorite novelists. I know it's a cliche to say that "I couldn't put this book down." Actually, I did, and that's because I wanted it to last longer. The ending on the barren island off the coast of Maine was stunningly poignant. As Demille wrote, "great writing coupled with great history."

This novel is really special. The time we live in is so cynical that ... passes for good fiction. I picked up The Jester by James Patterson, and can only wonder at how such garbage gets on the best seller list when a novel of the same period like Bernard Cornwell's VAGABOND ends up in the equivalent dust heap. Mrazek writes like one of the masters-short,vivid, wonderful word pictures that put you in that time and place without cutting corners. It is a true reading pleasure to see how he progressed from his last book, Stonewall's Gold, which was superb, too. As someone who participates in Civil War re-enactments, I can tell you that Mrazek brings me closer in my imagination to what happened on those hallowed fields than anyone else currently writing about that war.

Romeo and Juliet

Felipe Gravier and Lorenzo Schiavo review:

We think that Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two star-crossed lovers whose families are in a terrible fight which prevents them from coming together. How far the couple will go to be together becomes the focus of the story. Of his richest poetry. The opening and closing choruses are some of his most outstanding work. Romeo's It is a brilliant love story but not much more. It still possesses however some wooing of Juliet is fabulously written. The Friar gets the best lines. Mercutio is one the best friends of Romeo. It is not as good as Shakespeare has written but it's still a fabulous book and up there with his best work. One part of the play we didn't like was that for the tow families get arrange there two kids had to die.
The English language wasn't finally finished so Shakespeare had the liberty to create words and play with the language, as he liked. That's why It was so difficult to understand what each character wanted to express so the teacher had to explain us each of that words and teach us all the words in that age and told us which were the words in the English of today.

This book provides lots of Shakespeare's Storys like "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and "Hamlet" with a children's fairy tale twist. The storys are the same as Shakespeare's, but easier for children to understand. My favorite story was Hamlet because I had just seen the play. A while after we read Children's Shakespeare and it helped me to understand Hamlet better.

Shakespeare is for kids and adults in E. Nesbit's creative mind. I always liked fairy tales, but I couldn't read Shakespeare very well. In Children's Shakespeare E. Nesbit turned his work into fairy tales without changing the story and morals. This book is not much like Nesbit's other books because it was written by Shakespeare, but I bet there are some simularities.

This book was a overall well writen book and I beleive E. Nesbit put a lot of hard work into her books in her life-time. I'm sure if she were alive now she would still be writing good books to this day.

P.R. Reid was interned in an old Austrian Schloss (castle) in the town of Colditz during World War II. He wrote the first book about his experiences in the camp, and The Latter Days At Colditz describing what happened after he successfully escaped. He effectively describes the colorful and engaging characters he was privileged to meet during what would be a bleak existence to an outside observer. The prisoners of Colditz, deemed dangerous by the Third Reich, were concentrated in this one place deep within Austria. The escape attempts described included tunnels that began in top of the clock tower. A glider (that was never discovered by the Germans) that was built to take off from the rooftops. A tunnel the French built that made so much noise that tunnelling could be heard at all hours of the day and night throughout the castle. These two books are rivetting accounts of life as a prisoner of war.

This is one of the greatest novels concerning escape in World War 2 ever written. It focuses on a series of escapes attempted at the famous fortress prison at the town of Colditz known as OFlag IVC. The massive castle was dubbed 'escape proof' by the Germans, yet hundreds of escapes were attempted. Few succeded, but they proved that the castle wasn't 'escape proof'. Reid's book tells the story about his own experiences, as well as those of others in Colditz Castle. This is a fascinating book and everyone should read it. Also check out the movie 'The Colditz Story' which is based on this book. Also be sure to check out two other very good escape books: 'The Wooden Horse' by Eric Williams, and 'The Great Escape' by Paul Brickhill.

Many WWII stories are somber, and for many good reasons. That is not the case with TCS; at times, in its humour it sounds more like Hogan's Heroes than real life. Perhaps the guards at Colditz were not nazis but merely Germans caught on something beyond their control. Whatever, they treated British, French and Dutch prisoners quite decently and involuntarily provided them with several opportunities to escape. These are very well told, in a proficient literary style, by Captain Reid, making for a very entertaining reading. The book is also a testament of the prisoners' heroism and their commitment to personal freedom.

What a delightful book! The illustrations leap out & sweep you up into Willowbe woods along with the characters. It encourages children to tell about their fears & makes them realize that it's ok to have fears. I hope this book finds it's way to many homes this holiday season!

This book is destined to become a family treasure, a favorite for children of all ages. The story and illustrations are clever, and are especially comforting to those who are afraid of the dark (that's almost everybody). The Moon in My Room is a wonderful gift, and will no doubt be worn ragged from many, many bedtime readings. This is a rare find for which we are thrilled to have stumbled upon. Buy and share this book!

This was a charming book for young readers. The illustrations are wonderful. The rhyming make it a fun and easy reading. The story is adorable and the characters are great. I really liked looking for the hidden pictures. Kids will love this book. I can't wait until the next book from WillowBe Woods is released!

Jack Aubrey falls upon hard times, beginning with the apparent failure of his luck when a long, long chase across the Atlantic from the West Indies after a privateer ends with the quarry slipping into port just ahead of him. The old SURPRISE is for the knackers -- she's been living on borrowed time for the past two volumes -- and Jack seems headed that way, too, after falling into a cunning trap that ends with him being roasted in a political show-trial for trying to manipulate the stock market. Stephen Maturin's fortunes, on the other hand, seem to be rising. He has found himself unexpectedly wealthy and he comes into information that answers the disturbing questions arising in his recent intelligence operations. As always, O'Brian shows himself a master of the details of early 19th century British society, language, and general style, . . . but his plotting is unfortunately becoming almost pro forma. A pretty good story, but far from his best.

The eleventh installment in Patrick O'Brian's excellent series of naval adventures finds Aubrey and Maturin back in Britain as their journey to the Pacific, begun in the previous book, comes to a conclusion. Aubrey, always a minnow among land sharks when he has money in his pocket, finds himself innocently ensnared in a complicated stock exchange scam that may have been set up by Maturin's enemies in the intelligence game. The complex case and courtroom scene, O'Brian assures us in a note, are based on a real case. The pillory scene is powerful, as Bonden gruffly clears the square of all but sailors, and officers and seamen of all stripes come to show Jack their love and respect.

After several books at sea, "The Reverse of the Medal" brings readers back to the Admiralty in London with its complicated and layered intrigues, back to Ashgrove and Sophie, and back to Maturin's espionage machinations. As always, O'Brian's wonderfully intelligent prose and satisfying grasp of historical nuance captures the reader in little pockets of 18th-century Britain. The entire Aubrey/Maturin series is great, and this installment is no exception.

I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.

This is a great book!! I have been reading books about Titanic for 6 months and this is the best one I have read so far!!!!!!! If you have any information about Titanic that you want to review, this is the book that you should read!!

I have been a Titanic Lover for life. I first read this book when I was 6 (I am 14 now) it is a great book if you are looking to start studying the Titanic or if you just want to know the more basic facts about her and her finding. But if you are really deep into the studies of her already then I would get "The Discovery of the Titanic". but there are many, many other great books on her (I should know I have enough to start my own Titanic bookstore ;). For the beginning Titanic studier this is the best book you can buy.

Children will enjoy this book and the illustrations clearly depict TITANIC's sinking and discovery. My daughter pointed this book out to me in 1991. I was surprised to see my picture in it! ( I was one of the US Naval officers to accompany Dr. Ballard on his 1986 expedition to the site.)

I first saw this chart on my Greek professor's wall and was stunned by it. So much information, and very clear diagrams indicating the relationships of all the gods. This is a must for any mythology enthusiast.

Word Ninja

I was not disappointed by this wallchart in the least. It has so much information, and really presents the relationships among gods, humans and other beings very well. These relationships are so intertwined and tangled that I doubted whether they could be clearly presented. This chart does. (Now if only the type were just a little larger.)

This enormous Wall Chart is a "Must Have" for any scholar of classical literature and mythology, as well as anyone who just loves reading Classical Myths and stories of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The artwork is superb, as are the detailed references and "nexi" that are drawn between the various figures of Classical Mythology--both famous and not so well known! The visual impact of this Wall Chart allows one to understand that complex system of mythology and beliefs that described the world of the Ancients. This is the best Wall Chart of any kind that has been created on any subject both Ancient and Modern. If you wish to hang it in an open space, just ensure that you have a suitable and sizable wall on which to place this wonderful chart.

It has been awhile since I've read a book in this series, but returning to it I felt like I had never taken a break. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin have become my good friends, and O'Brian swept me away with their exploits instantly. Even thought the style is decidedly un-modern, O'Brian's narrative thrust is irresistible. In this, the third volume of the series, Jack is still in debt due to the Admiralty refusing to honor a war prize based on a technicality, thus putting his engagement to Sophie in danger. Maturin is in real danger as the new Lord governing the navy broadcasts his name in a public meeting, thus raising possible questions about his role as a spy. Stephen's heart is troubled as well; he still moons over Diana Villiers, from the events of the second book.

How can you possibly dislike a book that contains a line such as this: "Jack, you have debauched my sloth." Yes, O'Brian has a certain amount of levity, although it is often hidden underneath the layers of the manners of the time. His style is somewhat like that of Jane Austen, where the most cutting of phrases are being said in the nicest of ways. You either like this sort of thing or don't. I like it, when I catch it, but I yearn for annotations, just knowing that there are some subtleties that are escaping me.

This is the third novel in the Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin series, and the story just keeps rolling right along. It's difficult to maintain the pace and the reader's interest for more than the first couple of volumes in any sort of fiction series, but O'brian certainly has the knack. This time, the newly-posted but still heavily indebted Captain Aubrey is detailed to ferry a diplomat to the court of an Indian prince . . . having been the unknowing beneficary of Maturin's leverage at the Admiralty. He's impatient at being out of the principal theater of the war with France, but happy to have any ship at all -- especially the frigate SURPRISE, in which he had served as a midshipman. Besides helping his friend, Dr. Maturin has his own reasons for visiting India -- Diana Villiers has gone there in the company of a wealthy merchant from the City and the East India Company. For O'Brian spends as much time on the details and development of his characters' personal interrelationships as he does on naval maneuvering and battles. And the descriptions of rounding the Cape of Good Hope are mesmerizing!

I read HMS Surprise several years ago, and I've read several others in this wonderful series, but I backtracked and read this novel again at the same time I listened to most of it in the audio version with Patrick Tull as the reader. It was a great experience. HMS Surprise comes close to being a perfect novel. From the rescue of Stephen in Port Mahon, to the scene on St. Paul's rocks, to the gale as they went round the cape of Good Hope, to Stephen's tragic adventures in Bombay, to the incredible battle with the French squadron, to Stephen's tragic relationship with Diana Villiers, to Maturin's duel in Calcutta, to whether Sophie would be waiting for Jack, every scene is near perfection.

Patrick Tull is a perfect narrator for O'Brian's work. He has the various voice down to perfection and you can tell he loves what he's reading.

Each book in this series has much to recommend, but his one stands slightly above the others.