This book is a comforting, precious childhood memory. As an adult reading it to my children, it still gives me a warm breezy feeling. My children love it and find it thought provoking and soothing.

How delighted I was to see that this lovely book is still in print. It was given to me when I was a little girl and I bought it for my daughter and one of her friends. The sentiments are wonderful and its petite size makes it so portable. This is a book that resides on a special shelf in our daughter's room and is definitely read at bedtime.

a sweet, innocent, classic

Death comes to us all - whether it's sudden or gradual; whether it's our own or someone close - leaving this garment, quitting this life, passing on to the next Grand Adventure. In each chapter of this detailed, simply written, expressive & compassionate volume, are poignant poems, soothing photos & sidebars of lists to walk us through from Living With Serious Illness to Finding Meaning to Helping Family Make Decisions and Give Care; from getting the Help You Need to Talking With Your Doctor; from Controlling Pain to Planning Ahead; from Hastening Death to The Dying of Children to Enduring Loss & beyond. A huge crew of researching assistants from the Center to Improve Care of the Dying out of George Washington University, put this Handbook for Mortals together & the caring insights, profound realizations & ordinary instructions make for a really useful book you can pick up at any time & not worry about disturbing someone in the middle of the night or during their busy work day.

I found this book days after leaving the hospital with a two year prognosis for a misdiagnosed illness. My head was spinning. I was making lists of questions and to do lists for leaving my 2 young children. Finding this book was a wonderful gift. It answered my questions and provided a realistic outlook for what to expect of a terminal condition. The book provides sample statements for calling your relatives and helps you to prepare for your doctor appointments. I visited a doctor today and I led the session and all of my questions were addressed before the exam occurred. This book should be recommended to all diagnosed with a terminal illness. Highly recommended book!

I wish I had picked up this book earlier in my step-father's illness. Very useful for those who are facing illness or who love someone who is very ill, telling you the kinds of things to expect and ways of dealing them.

My favorite kind of love story is when two people who have been friends for an extended period find themselves falling in love with each other, or discover that they have been in love all this time and in denial about it. Hawk's Way: The Virgin Groom is just such a tale.

Mac Macready met Jewel Whitelaw while attending Camp LittleHawk, a camp for children with cancer and other illnesses, when they were children. An intense friendship was formed that the passage of time, failed relationships with others, and painful injuries (to both body and spirit) has not weakened. When Mac is faced with a career ending injury he returns to the soothing comfort of the Hawk Ranch and his friendship with Jewel. But times and, more importantly, feelings have changed. Though neither Mac or Jewel want to destroy their friendship, both cannot deny the attraction they feel for one another. Things get even more sticky when they discover the feelings are mutual. And there is that painful trauma in Jewel's past that needs help being overcome. A deceptively brisk read that packs a bigger emotional punch than you would expect. Recommended.

Jewel Whitelaw was first introduced to us in her adopted parents book, Zach and Rebecca Whitelaw in The Disobediant Bride. Jewel was in an accident in that book that left her without a family, scars on her face and parts of her body, and a limp. Rebecca and Zach fell in love with her and was one of the first of many children that they adopted. In this book we learn that Jewel has suffered even more as she grew up. In her sister Cherry's book, The Temporary Groom we learn that Jewel was attacked by a boy as a teenager, but what we learn in this book was how brutal that attack was and that the one person that knows her secret is her long time best friend Mac.

Readers of the Hawk's Way series will remember Mac by his given first name Pete. Pete was one of the sick kids that came to Camp LittleHawk in The Disobediant Bride. Mac as he is now called is a great big football hero with a career ending injury. Mac comes back to Hawk's Pride to 'recover' because he is sure he will play again. Mac also wants to spend time with his best friend Jewel.

Mac learns that Jewel has still not recovered from the attack. Jewel will not let any man near her, but is somehow comfortable with Mac. Jewel hopes Mac can help her overcome her anxiety around men, you know as a 'friendly' favor. Mac wants to help Jewel, but is afraid that she will find out his horrible secret-this stong football hero is also a virgin.

It is a wonderful story and it is great to see Jewel and Mac help each other in lots of different ways. So many questions are raised. Can Jewel help Mac realize his football career is over? Can Mac help Jewel get over her anxiety of men? That is just the tip of the iceberg when they both realize that they have feelings for one another.

This is a great addition to the Hawk's Way series. I was disappointed that this book along with Cherry's story did not include more of the rest of the Whitelaw family. It is still a great read.

I have loved all the Hawk's Way and Hawk's Pride that Ms. Johnston has written and this one was no exception. Can't wait for the others.

The information is presented in an entertaining while very informative way. Quit fighting the same old over-the-counter routine...get this information so you can eliminate these critters for good, and KNOW with complete confidence that it's going to work Greatly. Then you can share what you know with others who you may find, need it as well :O)

I run a professional nit removal and head lice treatment service located in Roslyn, N.Y. We have been treating people with head lice for about 2 years and we use this book as our guideline. It is a wonderful book. The video is great too!

The authors seem to think so, and you might also after reading this. There is a lot of controversy surrounding head lice today. This book is a great reference to the variety of techniques as well as a delightfully entertaining guide to their own chosen style of eliminating the determined pests. The book treats the readers with respect. The straight forward honesty of the writers is refreshing and funny.

Father Francis MacNutt, has shared with us 30 years of experience on the healing ministry. I found this book, very helpful in giving me knowledge on a subject that is very difficult to talk with friends and even priests. It gives me courage enough to go on, and continue to discern on the healing ministry.

Real world, down-to-earth, in a realm too often seen as fantasy or historical, is how MacNutt approaches the healing work of a loving God. Scripturally supported throughout, this is an explanation of Christian healing, a straight-forward 'how-to' erasing much of the mystery many Christians and skeptics have surrounding the healing Jesus called His disciples to offer the broken. It powerfully affirms the healing work of Jesus, alive and occurring daily, even now. He provides practical answers, numerous experiences of his and others' and, at the same time, demonstrates the humility of walk in admitting those things to which he still cannot offer clear and simple answers, things beyond his understanding. This is a handbook for healing ministers, a book of testimony to instill faith in the unhealed that they can be healed, and a treasure for the Christian Church.

This was my first McNutt book. Excellent!! One to read over and over again. Uplifting and down to earth. Wonderfully written!

As a native woman and former Christian, I found this book very helpful in naming the "thing" that we as a society has agreed upon but were unconcious about this agreement. We as woman are taught to be less than men, double that for native women for we go with the myth that we are oppressed as natives also.There are so many myths about being native, so many agreements we make to keep "peace" in the home. The terrorist act on the WTC is just a big big wake up call to see what we are allowing - violence - in our home, allowing our children to be abused and allowing ourselves as women to be less than everyone. If you want to understand women and our gift of spirituality, this is the book.

This book is one of the best, well-balanced, thoroughly-discussed commentaries on Christianity, feminism, and liberation theology that I have ever read. Although she makes no secret of her political or spiritual views, Dr. Chittister places them in context, sharing anecdotes and stories as a means for getting her point across. She also manages to detoxify such "buzz words" as "feminism" and clarify why "Westernization" meets with such strong resistance in other cultures

In additioning to covering the "same old ground" (as I've heard it described) of why traditional hurts women, Dr. Chittister also illustrates how it harms men, society, and the earth; and points out how it differs from the way Jesus related to people - inclusive, peaceful, healing and compassionate. This book points to a more respectful and open theology. A brilliant, balanced, and compassionate work.

Every woman (& man, for that matter) who believes in a Higher Power should read this book. Those of us who are uncomfortable with the male version of a violent, misogynistic God will find answers in this wonderful book. As an added bonus, there is gorgeous feminist artwork throughout.

Joan Druett has put together fascinating stories about women that set sail with their husbands. Not only have their trials and tribulations been recorded, but first hand accounts from diaries were beautifully interlaced among the stories.

The illustrations are well done and I agree with other reviews in that it was a hard book to put down. The material was well researched and very easy to read.

Joan Druett's Hen Frigates: Wives of Merchant Captains Under Sail is a delightful book. Profusely illustrated, this largely anecdotal account gives the sense of life at sea during the age of sail from the woman's perspective. Because, however, so much of the hardships of sail belonged to the whole crew, Dreutt does not limit her writing to the wives, although much of her point of view is taken from several journals and diaries of these intrepid women. This is not so much a work of interpretative history or argument as it is a collection of delightful yarns. I found Druett a very pleasant and amiable companion.

Well researched and packed with information - yet it reads like a novel. Very enjoyable. Give us more Joan Druett!

This book is a MUST for anyone thinking of entering the world of screenwriting. Very clear, very easy to understand, very organized, and EXTREMELY useful tips on how to make it big in the business. It's become my own personal Bible for screenwriting!

If you truely believe that you have written 'the' screenplay that someone somewhere has to make into a movie, read this book. Not only will you receive a number of slaps of reality, you will get some great advice on how to make it happen.

This rocks! This tells you everything--I mean, everything--you need to know about breaking into the crazy profession of screenwriting. The Wilen sisters pull no punches. Besides the practical need-to-know stuff, the book is filled with the realities of the business. The numerous anecdotes from produced screenwriters are enlightening, entertaining and sometimes harrowing. I teach Screenwriting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arets. This book is going immediately onto my required reading list.

Joan London's GILGAMESH is an understated and engaging novel of physical and emotional adventure, and the unknowable and invisible bonds that unite some people in life. It is 1937, and seventeen-year-old Edith has lived her whole life on the wild Australian coast on a bit of land her father has tried to tame for years. After her father's death, the land grows harder and harder to maintain; she, along with her mother and sister, soon slip into complacency and solitude.

The arrival of her cousin Leopold and his intriguing Armenian friend Aram brings Edith back to life. The two young men, having just returned from an archeological dig in Iraq, challenge her to think about the world beyond southwestern Australia. They fascinate her with tales of the places they've traveled and the worlds they have seen. With Aram, Edith shares a special attraction and, after he and Leopold leave, she finds out that she is pregnant with his child. With new confidence, Edith decides to keep the baby and, after her son Jim is born, the two set off on a journey to find Aram.

Her love and longing for Aram, a man she hardly knows in any conventional sense, take Edith and her son from their isolated home to Soviet-ruled Armenia and then to the Middle East before returning to Australia. This journey brings her closer to Leopold and makes her more aware of her own needs and desires. It instills in Jim a sense of Armenian identity, as well as a wanderlust similar to that of Leopold and his father.

All of London's characters seem lonely. They come together under often dramatic or dangerous circumstances and then share the ordinary details and events of their lives. Despite the subtext of espionage, war and world affairs, this is a quiet novel as shy as Edith but still as bold. London's subdued tone belays the strong emotions of the characters, the urgency of Edith's need to find Aram and the drama of the story. The loneliness of the characters manifests in passionate relationships and these relationships compose much of the novel.

Edith's restlessness drives the plot, but the friendship and adventures of Aram and Leopold underscore the action. Their relationship parallels that of the mythical Gilgamesh and Enkidu. But by the end of the novel, Edith, Leopold and Jim are all like Gilgamesh, living life as best they can in the absence of Aram, their Enkidu. When he grows up, Jack becomes a figure like Edith, journeying far, with the assistance of Leopold, to search out the legacy of Aram.

The pace of GILGAMESH is slow, sometimes drowsy, but the novel is well written, a uniquely told yet classically understood take on the themes of friendship, longing and journeying. While no knowledge of the myth of Gilgamesh is required to understand, appreciate or enjoy the novel, it would certainly enhance the reading. Spinning from a myth of universal themes, London has created a novel just as evocative and universal.

Like Gilgamesh, Edith must leave home, test herself, love and lose much in order to learn her true strength and worth. Like Gilgamesh, she comes home weary and wise. And the reader, invested in the brutally real lives of Edith and Jim, gains much from this emotional and honest tale.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Gilgamesh is an excellent, excellent novel, well-written and interesting. The story, while not exotic or outlandish, still has a crisp, new, fresh feel to it. The novel concerns, mainly, Edith, a young Australian woman who is 17 in the late 30s. Her British cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram, visit Edith's family farm for an extended stay. Aram and Leopold's travel stories spark Edith's imagination and after they leave, she decides, for various reasons, to follow them and seek them out in their home lands. Despite the war raging on around her, Edith manages to leave Australia and makes it to Armenia. Edith's life is interesting, her story, engaging. Ms. London writes extremely well and has given us a superb, engaging and compelling novel. Enjoy.

Gilgamesh is a lyrical and engaging book, and especially impressive considering it is the author's first novel. The loneliness of the characters is very aptly described, and it helps you to admire what must be the vast beauty of Australia. I found the characters to be flawed and believable, and I am looking forward to the author's next novel.

As someone who has majored in religion, and a long time seeker, this book has been sooo incedibly wonderful. This book, as well as Volume 2, explains what you can and can not do, what you should and should not do. For example, when it is respectful leave a ceremony, what you should wear, is photography permitted. It even briefly explains the ceremony. I found a few errors, however. The Hindu customs for an infant are a little mixed up, but 98% of the book is fabulous!

. . .of every member of the clergy in America. (As well as on a lot of other desks and bookshelves).

In the America of the 21st century, all of us have friends, relatives, etc. who practice their faith in different manners. Most of us will have occasion to attend services in houses of worship other than our own. This book is a guide on proper behavior under these circumstances.

As a Christian clergyman, I have personally have had occasion to attend service in almost every major American Christian denomination, as well as Jewish temple services. Most members of the clergy that I know are in similar positions. All of us are passionate about our own faith -- but none of us want to be accidentally offensive to others.

Some might ask, "Why should I be concerned about how to behave at someone else's religious service? I never expect to go. They don't worship the way I do. They don't believe in the same God that I believe in, etc." For persons with these attitudes, here are some points to consider:

1) You may be surprised at the type of service you find yourself. A wedding. A funeral. A christening. A Bar-Mitzpah. The list goes on.

2) There are certain situations in which NOT attending can cause MORE offense.

3) Put yourself in the shoes of another. Would you want your Jewish or Muslim co-worker to support YOU if YOU lost a loved one?

4) Showing respect to another, WITHOUT compromising your own beliefs is an excellent way to share your own faith.

The list goes on.

This book does not suggest in any way that anyone compromise their own beliefs. It does not attempt to convert or sway anyone to a different way of thinking. What it DOES do, and does very well, is provide, to an increasingly discourteous society, the minimal rules of courtesy that persons today are no longer routinely taught.

Courtesy is the oil that lubricates all social interactions. This book helps provide this service.

I am purchasing this book after making use of it first as a library choice.It is a book I would suggest srongly to all age groups (8 to 80) for information which makes it possible to be respectful of relgious services other than the ones we ourselves know best and to do so in a relaxed and comfortable manner.