I have always enjoyed many of Rich's songs, but after having read this biography many of them have a much deeper, richer meaning to me. It is as if I never really heard the words before, but can hear them now. I particularly enjoyed reading about the incident that prompted Rich to write Hold Me Jesus. Rich was an ordinary person (aren't we all?) who genuinely tried to walk with God. This is the story of one person's struggles and joy. Doctrinally, this is about one person's experiential understanding of grace. Rich himself says he was heavily influenced by Brennan Manning in this regard. The fact that both Rich and Brennan found the doctrine of grace so surprising just goes to show how much we fail to teach accurately in our churches and seminaries. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals the word "grace" many times. How is it that we don't understand what it means to us? Why don't we understand Ephesians 2:5-9? How about Ephesians 1:7-8? Rich never pretends to be a theologian, nor is this a book of Christian doctrine. It is the account of the Spirit working in the life of one person who was touched by, and continues to touch others. It is well worth the reading.

Brennan Manning talks about how a ragamuffin is someone who is honest about themselves and their failings, passionate about being intimate with God and does not conform to the expectations of cultural christianity for the sake of it. Rich Mullins was a ragamuffin ... someone who took the challenge of being intimate with the Father ... impacting and influencing those around him with the possibilities of living a Christ centred life.

This book is great ... it is not just a biography ... nor is Rich Mullins made out to be a "saint". This book is an honest and candid look at a man ... who just wanted to love God and love those around him. It is a challenging read and the reader comes away with a hunger for a deeper walk with Christ.

Reflections on each chapter are included with the intention of guiding the reader into a deeper look at themselves and their relationship with God.

I read this book very quickly because i was excited to have it but I am now going back into it and reading it slowly and thoughtfully ... which is the best way to be impacted by the treasure within.

Buy it!!! The bonus CD is great as well!

Unlike many other biographies of public figures who died young, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing Towards Heaven by James Bryan Smith is a moving celebration of the man Rich Mullins. It also reflects the ideals he held dear.

One such ideal is simplistic living. Mullins firmly believed that all he had belonged to God. So he lived with few material possessions and was happy to share what little he had. Despite his success, for the last several years of his life, he hired an accountant to give him a stipend... and gave away the rest of his earnings to deserving charities.

Smith, a veteran writer, was also a close friend of Mullins for many years. When Mullins moved to Witchita, Kansas, in the early 1990s to earn a music education degree from Friends University, he lived in the attic apartment of Smith's house for three years.

The Mullins family asked Smith to write the book, because he knew Mullins so well. Because of Smith's friendship with Mullins, readers will enjoy how he shares Mullins with the public. He relates not only the highlights of Mullins' life, but also the struggles.

Even as a close friend, Smith did not rely on his experience alone to write this biography. He interviewed 40 of the people who knew Rich best-both friends and family. Their stories-as well as the words of Mullins himself that Smith culls from interviews, lyrics, and stage recordings-add to the breadth of the book.

Reading Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing Towards Heaven gives you a greater knowledge of the life of one amazing man. It also encourages you to live a life abandoned to the "reckless raging fury that they call the love of God."

Cordwainer Smith deserves the widest possible recognition. Perhaps the most highly literary of all science fiction writers before the New Wave of the sixties (and still, for my money, a better read than most of that failed revolutionary literature), Smith's single novel "Norstrilia" is utterly unlike any other science fiction novel. Rod McBan becomes the richest man in the universe through the economic warfare of his inherited computer; the novel largely concerns itself with the need to survive the acquisition of wealth. Funny, poetic, and touching, "Norstrilia" is a bittersweet read, because it starts to show how Smith would have continued the expansion and collation of his future history, the Instrumentality of Mankind. Unfortunately, his early death deprived us of what would have been the most lyrical of all future histories. At least we have his stories, which is where any new reader should start (there's a new collection in print now); much of the emotional resonance of the novel comes from recognizing characters from the shorter works, especially the cat-girl C'mell. When you're done with those shorter glories, then come to "Norstrilia" and experience the longest swim in Smith's pool. You won't regret it!

Harlan Ellison (one of my other favorite authors) brought Cordwainer Smith to my attention sometime in the 70s. Fortunately for me, both "Norstrilia" and "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" were available in paperback somewhere (used-book store?).

Ellison pretty much worshipped Smith, and I pretty much worshipped Ellison, so...

Until that point, I had considered Ray Bradbury the best user of language among the authors I read extensively.

Cordwainer Smith leaves even Bradbury in the dust. His lyrical narratives would make even mundane stories read wonderfully.

Fortunately, Smith's stories -- both short fiction and Norstrilia, his only novel-length effort -- are anything but mundane. His background and interests led him to create worlds utterly unlike any others I've encountered in 2o-some years of avid reading of speculative fiction.

Cordwainer Smith was the pen name of Dr. Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, godson of Sun Yat Sen.

He got his Ph.D. in political science at age 23, and wrote extensively about Chinese political issues, worked for the American intelligence community, produced a classic text about psychological warfare that was used by the U.S. Army for decades, and was a professor of Asiatic Politics at Johns Hopkins University and an advisor to John F. Kennedy. He died in 1966, far too early.

As another reviewer noted, it is too bad that the complete works of this great man are not fully available. I discovered him quite by accident in an "annual" of short stories. "A Planet Called Shayol" was the only science fiction story I've ever read that brought tears to my eyes; I had to close the book for a while. That doesn't often happen when reading any book, much less science fiction work.

I stongly recommend "Quest of the Three Worlds"; unbelievable that someone could imagine that universe and then write about it so well.

That said, Norstrilia is a rolicking good time book with rich underlying stories-within-stories. Fun, but deep stuff.

Stew's latest book, Maximum Fitness, is a superbly done and well researched book offering the most detailed, creative, and decent workout yet. The 52 week program keeps you going strong all year long, changing up routines, offering numerous optional workouts, suggestions, and guidance along the way. Having completed the 12 Weeks to BUD/S workout, I can definitely attest to Stew's knowledge and expertise in physical training. Trust me, if you stick with his guidelines, you will see awesome progress no matter where you are, hard core SEAL wannabe or beginner just looking for a workout. The stretches and exercises are clearly described and shown through large photos. The workouts vary. Stew offers many hints and tips to push you throughout the book. There is nutritional advice as well. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.

Maximum Fitness is a complete reference of well researched and time proven strategies to help anyone, regardless of fitness level, reach their maximum potential.

The workouts are based on a novel crosstraining approach. This approach incorporates calisthenics, weight training, swimming, biking, running, stretching and innovative time saver workouts one can perform anywhere and still maintain peak physical condition.

Mr. Smith's detailed and inspirational descriptions of the exercises, coupled with expertly photographed segments, produces a fine reference that the novice will easily comprehend. Also, the expert will be challenged like never before - try running three miles followed by swimming, abdominal, and chest exercises for thirty minutes, and then another three mile run! Maximum fitness in the only result!

Maximum Fitness is like having a personal trainer next to you during your workout 52 weeks a year. I have had a private lesson with Stew Smith recently and I can attest to his depth of knowledge, and sincerity with which he wants us all to reach maximum fitness.

I recieved this book shortly after it became availible. I've used numerous workout programs (including military training) and this one looks to be the best by far. LT Smith's 12 week program from his previous book put me in the best shape of my life and I can't wait to see the results once I'm done with this program. The 4 phase structure varies the workouts so you don't get bored with the program and every day is a bigger challenge than the day before. Outstanding book for those wanting to become a SEAL or just get into great shape.

This book is an excellent step-by-step guide to writing a novel. Smith covers all the necessary steps from coming up with a good idea to selling your manuscript. He gives clear and detailed instructions right down to the recommended size of the index cards you should make notes on.

He also includes 40 Cardinal Rules throughout the book. Rule # 1 is "Never be boring..." and my favorite, Rule #2 is "Every writing rule in the book has an exception--except rule #1"

This book contains a lot of useful information for an inexperienced writer. Some will benefit from the very detailed, prescriptive approach. E.g. he says to write a 5x8 card for each major charcater and a 3x5 card for each minor charcater in your book listing their physical traits, goals and motivations, etc. I found this too mechanical, but it does force a writer to consider details that will likely make a novel better.

Overall, I found the book to be helpful and well worth reading.

You Can Write a Novel is the first book on the subject of writing and getting published I read.

For several years I had been piddling around with a book idea, but never actually getting anything done. I finally broke down and went to the Writing and Publishing section of the bookstore and found this book right away.

It attracted me because it was short, simple, straightforward, and entertaining as well. I am a somewhat slow reader and have limited time to do so, but I finished this book in a few days anyhow. As Mr. Smith said himself that he enjoyed writing this book, I enjoyed reading it. That fact alone has taught me a lot about writing- That the more I enjoy writing a book, perhaps the more people will enjoy reading it.

As for the content in the book, the organization of the chapters in tips and steps made it flow very nicely. Mr. Smith used a lot of familiar books and movies as examples, which helped a lot (Though Jaws and Jurassic Park are not the greatest movies in the whole wide world, as examples, they helped get several points across). I, personally, really liked his ideas to use cards for scenes and characters. It helped me to understand that writing isn't about (except for the few extremely patient and talented types) sitting down and writing a 100,000 word novel from start to finish and somehow getting it published (which is something I didn't understand at age 12 when I first attempted to write a book). It is about spending a lot of time mapping out characters and scenes before you start and making correction notes to yourself instead of breaking the flow of your writing. I recommend that anyone interested in writing give this book a chance.

To all would-be novelists: do you need help? Is there a first line, or a first chapter, lurking in your desk drawer, waiting for your ideas to gel? Maybe scraps of ideas written on envelopes and napkins?

Get organized. This book is what you need.

James V. Smith covers all necessary aspects of writing novel-length fiction, up to and including a unique way to organize characters and scenes on index cards, keeping all your info available when you need it.

Then, beyond the mechanical help, Smith gives you practical advice on the creative process. Learn how to revise by eliminating text; exactly how many main characters a well-crafted novel has in population; how to make those characters believable, and the reader care about them; how to start and keep going until you finish.

It's as good as a fiction workshop priced at ten times the price of this book.

I'll admit that I'm a beginner in the study of Gnosis, and over estimated myself when I ordered this book. After reading snippets of it, like I would the bible, I realized that I was nearly in over my head. This book is confusing. Many others who I've spoken to have advised that one reads many books about the Nag Hammadi findings before they read the actual findings. They couldn't be closer to the truth. Besides the fact that it's confusing, it's a common Gnostic belief that you must learn from a teacher before learning on your own.

On that note, despite how useful this book is. I'd advise anyone, at all interested in the subject matter, to first look for books by Elaine Pagels and Stephan Hoeller, first to get an idea of what you can expect to actually be reading.

This long lost collection of ancient codexes belongs on your shelf! While I strongly disagree with the post below that Jesus was somehow an initiate in Egyptian mystery cults, the Gnostic texts of Nag Hammadi show an earnest effort to experience the Divine on a personal, human level. They tend to contradict even themselves, but are still a great read. The Gospel of Thomas, Teachings of Silvanus, Apocryphon of James, Book of Thomas the Contender, and Apocalypse of Peter are so far my favorites. We see here a stark rebellion against the simple faith of the first-century Christians which was itself deviating and perverting the Gospel into what we know call Catholicism. Maybe the lesson these aged and fragile papyri can teach us is that WE MUST find the Divine IN OURSELVES, for He is, to quote the text, "Everywhere yet no where. In you yet beyond you. Visible yet invisible."

This collection of texts gives a fascinating view of early Christian texts and views, particularly in light of the fact that these were not the writings that made it into the mainstream of church and biblical canonical development, but rather were influential in an underground, almost subversive way, in much of ancient and oriental Christianity -- were it not for the existence of texts such as these, indeed, we would not have the canon of the Bible which we have today (the political motivations behind deciding which books belonged in the Bible and which books didn't owe largely to texts such as those in the Nag Hammadi Library).

'This volume...marks the end of one stage of Nag Hammadi scholarship and the beginning of another. The first stage was concerned with making this library of texts available; the second stage has been characterised by the discussion and interpretation of the texts.'

This book represents an advance in both translation and analysis; this is part of the canon of the Gnostic sect, which saw more orthodox Christianity (from which Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies derive) as the ones who were heretical.

'The Nag Hammadi library also documents the fact that the rejection was mutual, in that Christians described there as 'heretical' seem to be more like what is usually thought of as 'orthodox'.'

Gnosticism was ultimately eliminated from mainstream Christianity, save the occasional resurgence of underground and spiritual movements. Of course, Gnosticism was not an exclusively Christian-oriented phenomenon: many of the texts refer to Hebrew Scriptures only, and the question of Jewish Gnosticism is discussed by Robinson.

The Dead Sea Scrolls (of which these texts are NOT a part, despite the fact that they often get cited and analysed as part of that body of documents) shed light on the pluralistic nature of first century Judaism; the idea that there was a sect primarily of Jewish gnostics which had little or no knowledge or regard of Christianity (still at this point one sect of many, particularly in cosmopolitan centres such as Alexandria) is not a strange one.

The Nag Hammadi library consists of twelve books, plus eight leaves of a thirteenth book. There are a total of fifty-two tracts. These are now kept in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, and, as the name suggests, are written in Coptic, although it is clear that the texts are Coptic translations of earlier Greek works. Coptic is the Egyptian language written with the Greek alphabet; there are different dialects of Coptic, and the Nag Hammadi library shows at least two. The were found in codex form (book form rather than scroll form). They were discovered in the mid 1940s, just a few years prior to the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls (another reason for the combination of the texts in the public imagination).

Included in these texts are The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Truth, The Gospel of Mary and other gospel contenders (alas, in fragmentary form--the translation in this volume however is the complete Nag Hammadi text). The Gospel of Thomas has perhaps been the highest profile text from Nag Hammadi; it has been translated and commented upon extensively, particularly in modern scholarship which discusses gospel development.

'Whoever find the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death.'

This gospel does not correspond to the narrative form with which modern readers are familiar; it is a collection of sayings (one modern scholar argues that the victory of the four canonical gospels was a victory of style, rather than substance).

This gospel also helps illuminate some of the early struggles in church formation (why exactly did it go from a house-based, relatively gender-neutral organisation to a male-exclusive-hierarchical model?).

Simon Peter said to them, 'Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.' Jesus said, 'I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.'

Other writings include various Acts of apostles, pieces of wisdom literature, parables and stories, most of which have some basis in Hebrew scripture or Christian scripture traditions.

The afterword, by Richard Smith, traces the idea of gnosticism through medieval and renaissance writers, through the enlightenment up to the modern day, in philosophy, theology, culture and the arts. From Blake to Gibbons to Melville to modern motion pictures, Gnostic ideas permeate many works, even before the Nag Hammadi library was available for study and contemplation.

'A quite self-conscious incorporation of Nag Hammadi texts into a science fiction novel appeared in Harold Bloom's 1979 novel The Flight to Lucifer: A Gnostic Fantasy. In it the reincarnated Valentinus and his companions fly to a planet called Lucifer. Quoting our gnostic texts, the heroes wage a violent battle against Saklas, the Demiurge who is worshipped in his 'Saklaseum'. Bloom, more successful as an interpreter of literature, later confessed that The Flight to Lucifer reads as though Walter Pater were writing Star Wars. But, then, so does much ancient gnostic writing.'

This is a wonderful collection, a truly fascinating view of texts that shared the religious stage with the proto-canonical Biblical texts. It gives insight into the varieties of early Christianity and Judaism. And it makes for interesting reading.

James and the Giant Peach was Roald Dahl's first book he wrote for children and I must say that this book was superb. It was funny, had really great characters, and had a really enthralling story. The book is about a boy named James that meets an old man and James gets these green beady things that can change his life forever. While walking to the house to use the beads he trips and they get into the soil. he thinks all of his hopes are up but they're not. A peach grows from the peach tree that never ever grew a peach and it gets bigger and bigger until it reaches about the size of a car. Then James gets inside the peach where he meets insects that tell the story how they got the beads and thats how they got in the peach and the peach got big. But then the peach starts rolling downhill until it reaches the sea and falls in. They come out and see sharks eating the peach so they have segulls pull them and they fly all over the Atlantic Ocean until they reach New York. That's the most I'll tell you except READ THIS BOOK. It is so good. Adults and children will love this book. Read it!

This book has been one of my favorite books the third or fourth grade, I don't exactly remember which one, I just know that I've really liked it for a long time. I'm getting out of the seventh grade in a month and a half and I've read this book at least five times; each time I read it I enjoy it as if I was reading it for the first time and it never gets old or monotnous. This is a book that I would read to my children as a bed time story; it's really a book the whole family can enjoy. I love how original this book is and how it captures your immangination, regardless of what your age is. I love how different the characters' personalities are and how much they fit them. I especially love Centipede's rudeness and songs, and Aunt Sponges' vainness. Lane Smith's wild illustrations are great; they're much better than the boring realistic illustrations. "James and the Giant Peach" is definitly a keeper. Roald Dahl is, in my opinion, the best children's book writer of all time. If you enjoy this book, I guarantee that you'll love Dahl's "Matilda" and Dahl's "Witches".

Whimisical, creative, silly, I would use these words to describe the fantastic story of James and the Giant Peach. James is a boy whose parents are killed by an unfortunate rhinoceros accident at the zoo. He is forced to live with his two aunts, Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge. They are mean to him and make him work alot. One day though he meets a magic fellow while he is working in the garden. The fellow gives him magic beans. James is supposed to eat them, but he drops them by the peach tree. In the evening James goes outside and is shocked by a huge peach on the tree. James finds a hole in the peach and he meets his new "friends". This book is interesting and very good. It is an excellent book for adults to read to kids, because both parties would get reading pleasure.

The version of this classic I read was a translation into modern English by Nevill Coghill. As you can see above, I awarded Chaucer (and the translation) five stars; but I do have a criticism. This translation (and many other publications of Chaucer) do not contain the two prose tales ("The Tale of Melibee" and "The Parson's Tale"). These are rarely read and I understand the publisher's and the translator's desire to keep the book to a managable size. Still, that should be the readers decision and no one else's. I had to go to the University library and get a complete copy in order to read those sections. As I mentioned, this copy is a translation into modern English. However, I do recommend that readers take a look at the Middle English version, at least of the Prologue. Many years ago, when I was in high school, my teacher had the entire class memorize the first part of the Prologue in the original Middle English. Almost forty years later, I still know it. I am always stunned at how beautiful, fluid, and melodic the poetry is, even if you don't understand the words. Twenty-nine pilgrims meet in the Tabard Inn in Southwark on their way to Canterbury. The host suggests that the pilgrims tell four stories each in order to shorten the trip (the work is incomplete in that only twenty-four stories are told). The tales are linked by narrative exchanges and each tale is presented in the manner and style of the character providing the story. This book was a major influence on literature. In fact, the development of the "short story" format owes much to these tales. All of the elements needed in a successful short story are present: flow of diction and freedom from artifice, faultless technical details and lightness of touch, and a graphic style which propels the story. In poetry, Chaucer introduced into English what will become known as rime royal (seven-line stanza riming ababbcc), the eight-line stanza (riming ababbcbc), and the heroic couplet. His poetry is noted for being melodious and fluid and has influenced a great many later poets. He has a remarkable talent for imagery and description. With respect to humor, which often receives the most negative responses from a certain group of readers (as witnessed by some of the comments below), there are at least three types: good humor which produces a laugh and is unexpected and unpredictable (for example, the description of the Prioress in the Prologue), satire (for example, the Wife of Bath's confession in the Prologue to her tale), and course humor, which is always meant to keep with the salty character of the teller of the tale or with the gross character of the tale itself. I am really stunned at the comments of the reviewer from London (of June 21, 1999). He/she clearly has no idea of the influence of the work nor on the reasons why Chaucer chose to present the humor the way he has. T. Keene of May 17 gave the work only three stars, presumably because it was once banned in Lake City, Florida. (Does that mean it would get fewer stars if it hadn't been banned?) Perhaps our London reviewer will be more comfortable moving to Lake City! Another reviewer suggested that "The Canterbury Tales" was only a classic because it had been around a long time. No! Chaucer's own contemporaries (for example, Gower, Lydgate, and Hoccleve) acknowledged his genius. My goodness, even science fiction books acknowledge the Tales (for example, Dan Simmons' "Hyperion," which won the 1990 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year, is based on the Tales). These brief entries are too short to review all of the tales. Let me just descibe the first two. Other readers might consider reviewing the other tales in later responses. In "The Knight's Tale," the Theban cousins Palamon and Arcite, while prisoners of the King of Athens (Theseus), fall in love with Emelyn, sister of Hippolyta and sister-in-law to Theseus. Their rivalry for Emelyn destroys their friendship. They compete for her in a tournament with different Greek gods supporting the two combatants. Arcite, supported by Mars, wins but soon dies from a fall from his horse (due to the intervention of Venus and Saturn). Both Palamon and Emelyn mourn Arcite, after which they are united. It is the basis of "The Two Noble Kinsmen" by Fletcher and Shakespeare. "The Miller's Tale" is a ribald tale about a husband, the carpenter John, who is deceived by the scholar Nicholas and the carpenter's wife Alison that a second flood is due. In this tale, a prospective lover is deceived into kissing a lady in an unusual location. And, recalling the response from our reviewer from London, apparently this Tale should not be read by people from London (or Lake City)!

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the first great works of literature in the English language and are good reading for a number of reasons. They are written in "old English", however, and read like a foreign language for most of us. Barbara Cohen's adapted translation gives us four of the tales in contemporary English and therefore provides an excellent introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Cohen's tales retain Chaucer's colorful insight into fourteenth century England including life as a knight, the horror of the plague, and the religous hypocrisy of the age. The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are vivid and tell a story all by themselves. I use Cohen's book as a supplement to teaching medieval history and literature to 7th and 8th graders.

In addition to its literary importance, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are an enchanting reading experience. The Bantam Classic edition presents the tales in Modern English translation alongside the Middle English so that one can fully appreciate the tales as Chaucer composed them, or if you're just in the mood for a fun romp you can speedily read the translation. The tales themselves move at a quick pace, so beginners will probably enjoy the modern version much more.

The Canterbury Tales revolve around a group of 29 on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral to pay homage to the martyred St. Thomas a'Becket. The members of the pilgrimage come from all walks of life, including a Knight, Prioress, Merchant, Miller, the ever-entertaining Wife of Bath, and many others. The Canterbury Tales are the pilgrims' stories and each one reflects the individual character's personality beautifully. One can't help but feel a part of this lively group.

Whether you like a bawdy, raucous tale or a morally sound fable you will definitely find something entertaining in this book. I laughed out loud several times and found Chaucer's use of symbolism, wit, wisdom, and the glimpse into 14th Century life absolutely fascinating.

Wilbur Smith amazingly juxtaposes his story and characters of his mesmerizing Egyptian classic The River God with a present day adventure in The Seventh Scroll.

It seems that Egyptologist, Royan Al Simma has uncovered the Seventh Scroll, a cryptic guide to the location of the tomb of the pharoah Mamose. Written by the hero of River God and master of just about everything, the eunuch Taita, it leads to intrigue in the Nile river valley of Ethiopia. Al Simma recruits the help of Egyptian artifact collector and wealthy nobleman, the swashbuckling Nicholas Quenton-Harper to attempt to locate the pharoah's burial site. With the aid of a cast of characters from widely diverse backgrounds they race against the efforts of a rival group of archeologists to make the discovery. This rival group, led by the driven, affluent German industrialist Von Schiller will stop at nothing including cold blooded murder to procure the spoils of the pharoah Mamose.

The ending has a few unexpected twists and overall after a slow start the book turns into a very satisfying reading experience.

How is it possible for a sequel to be set 4,000 years after the original story? Wilbur Smith answers that question in The Seventh Scroll, a book set largely in modern day Ethiopia where conflicting groups try to locate the Egyptian treasure entombed by Taita at the end of The River God, this book's predessor. I don't know how someone who had not read The River God would respond to The Seventh Scroll (though from the other reviews it is obvious that many loved it without reading the prior book) but for me, the connection between Taita, a character that dominated the story in The River God and remains one of my favorite recent fictional characters, and the exciting 'race for the treasure' plot of The Seventh Scroll, made the action of this book all the more fascinating.

The plot and characters here - unlike The River God - don't represent any great invetive achievement. It is pretty standard good guy/bad guy stuff with lots of cliff hanger action. But Smith handles this kind of thing better than most other authors and can make even predictable situations and characters exciting.

A fun read, especially if you read and enjoyed The River God. I would recommend this, and most of Smith's many novels, to anyone who likes exciting, complex and intelligent stories. His are all this and more.

I am a huge Wilbur Smith fan. "River God" is the best novel I have ever read. Be sure you read "River God" before you read "Seventh Scroll". If you like "River God" and "Seventh Scroll" you will probably also love "The Sunbird". It is very similar in theme and is its own sequel in the fashion of "River God" and "Seventh Scroll". If you have read all the Wilbur Smith books like I have, you'll yearn for more, but it takes him years to come up with a new book these days. You might look at "Churchill's Gold" by James Follett after you have read all of Mr. Smith's books. It is very similar in style and quality to most of the Courtney series.

I've read a lot of books about lost boys, but I've seldom been as impressed as I was by this one. Unlike other experts, this author never gives up on a boy--even if he's sitting on death row, as 300 American juveniles are. The author speaks of the divine spark in each of us--even murderers. He also addresses the root causes of violence and how to save our children. Prevention is the answer, of course,along with compassion and believing in the inherent goodness of all human beings. In a society that equates punishment with justice and believes in retribution rather than resurrection, LOST BOYS offers spiritual and practical hope for all.

If you want to see a clear examination of the problems that lead to the type of terrible violence we saw this week in Littleton, Colorado browse a copy of LOST BOYS: Why our sons run violent and how we can save them. By James Garbarino, Ph.D. Free Press; ISBN: 0684859084

I saw this this morning and thought that Professor Garbarino talks convincingly about the effects of isolation and marginalization of kids (boys especially); the easy availability of firearms; and the effects that point and shoot videogames and violent media have in removing the normal human reluctance that people have innately that makes most of us reluctant to point a weapon at another person to shoot to kill.

Garbarino offers some hope and some concrete ideas about how we can contribute, individually and as a community, to stemming this increasingly common tragedy.

If you have an interest in making your community safer from the kind of violence that ambushed Littleton, Colorado; Jonesboro, Arkansas and all too many other American communities I'd recommend reading this book.

This book by Dr. James Garbarino comes at a time when a lot of Americans wonder: What will happen next with youth violence? How far is this going to go? Are youth becoming monsters?

Like many Americans and others from around the world, I have been asking myself these questions. I have been horrified by the incomprehensible crimes committed by such young boys as the ones we all watched in replays of horrifying school shootings. "Lost Boys" is the first book I have read which really helped me understand how kids can commit "senseless" crimes. It also gave me hope that we, as members of society, do not need to be helpless witnesses of this madness. I recommend this book to anyone living in a violent society.

To call "Varieties of Religious Experience" a classic is an understatement. What I find really amazing is that it was written in 1902. James was first known for his work with "functionalism" in psychology, essentially making him the first modern psychologist --- moving psychology away from the realm of philosophy. Thus, we have psychology becoming an empirical science. The empirical methodology was used to explore items of interest in psychology and religion.

Many books on religion express an interest in religion from the point of view of a theologian or person who studies religion from the point of view of religious institutions. To many people, religion means different things. It could be from the point of view of a "born-again Christian," or it could be from a more personal point of view. We come to see religion as an existential phenomenon. We learn that it is an incredibly personal relation between the individual and his concept of the Divine. There is a definite emphasis on the personal aspects of religion.

With experimental psychology, we deal in matters that are seen and are easily quantifiable. In the psychology of religion, we deal with how the individual deals with the reality of the unseen. We have a feeling of the presence of God. Some people can feel a mystical experience, whereas others have a more rational approach. People experience the divine in different manners - on the one hand, it can be impersonal and transcendental, and on the other hand it can be solemn, personal, and passionate. The religious tell us that religion can have the result of "healthy mindedness" -- in fact, it leads to a systematic sense of "healthy mindedness" diverting our attention from disease and death. This is more than just "faith healing," but rather a prescription for a life of action. It leads to practical effectiveness. Another area of interest is sin and the "sick soul", and the healthy effects of "redemption." Other areas of interest are conversion, religious "back-sliding," saintliness and living the good life, empiricism and skepticism, mysticism and philosophy, and aspects of religious worship service.

I found that this book should have interest not just to students of the psychology of religion. It also has appeal to the religious, and those who want to find out more about the religious experience from a point of view that is a different from the views expressed in Church and Sunday School. The point of view is one that will appeal both to religious conservatives and to religious liberals. Its presentation is sensitive and logical. For some people, it may even produce the "aha!" response that they are now seeing religion with greater perspective. (This is a review of the paperback edition.)

This book is heavy going. Its like slogging up a beautiful mountain and on the way seeing all the beauty nature created on the way.

If you can grasp this book, and try to distill all the collected wisdom as presented by James, you will see that the essential religious experience is effected through surrender.

This book is not meant to be read at one sitting; no one will find it all captivating; but just finding one part - " But since, in any terms,the crisis described is the throwing of our conscious selves upon the mercy of powers which, *whatever they may be, are more ideal than we are actually*, and make for our redemption, you see why self-surrender has been and always must be regarded as the vital turning-point of the religious life, so far as the religious life is spiritual and no affair of outer works and ritual and sacraments.

Wonderful book;well worth reading.

I am always surprised when I am cruising around Amazon and take a look at a classic and find just 1 or 2 customer comments on a book such as James's masterful "Varieties". So, I just had to say something. This is one of the greatest and most readable books ever written on the subject of religion. Don't be surprised at what you find. WJ is not making a "case" for belief here, or any case for any particular religious "system". He is studying religious experience, trying to get to the bottom of what brings it about and what it means for human beings. Thus, he pays little attention to what we call "organized religion." He spends his time, rather, with the various ways that people have experienced God or the supernatural or the spiritual. James's style is very subtle, ornate, and powerful. Just let yourself soak in it for awhile and then try to learn. His metaphors are so stunning as to be memorable for the rest of your life. His discussion of the healthy-minded, the sick soul, and the mystic will entrall you and thrill you with his erudition, and they will become touchstones in your own religious experience and your own study of religion for the rest of your life. Religion is a living reality for WJ. He gives a powerful analysis of what it can, should, and does mean to men and women in the modern world. If you wish to understand modern thought on religion, by the way, you must read James, for much of it springs from his thought. Lastly, James is the kindest thinker who ever put pen to paper. For those of in the William james Society, this is why we love him so. He never chides or derides or condemns. He gently disagrees, looks for the best from every idea and every experience and every person, and lavishes praise on what he finds excellent and meaningful. His thought and writing and philosophical depth and style are an inspiration. Spend some time with one of the greatest thinkers ever. You won't regret it.