I didn't even read the book,because I found the projects horrible.I gave it to one of my friends who also gave it to somebody else because she found it also horrible.It shows lots of projects from different people,very modern and abstract.Definetely not what I was looking for.Don't get me wrong,I like modern art and I'm very open-minded.I just found it ugly to my taste.I even feel bad of talking like that about someone else's work.I'm sorry,I really hope someone likes it.

It is extremely refreshing to see a volume that showcases serious fiber artists' work - NOT someone who is doing "crafts" (i.e., Sunbonnet Sue or Quilt-in-a-Day). Perhaps that is why the previous reviewer was so disillusioned. I really am stumped by her view that it was "horrible". She claims to be open-minded and liking modern art, but but I'm not sure I would call someone with that attitude "open-minded".

This book shows a broad range of work from nearly 100 artists from the US and Canada. There are profiles of each one, explaining their technique and motives behind the work. The amazing array of images brings traditional needlework to new levels of interest. I find it to be extremely inspiring.

Barbara Lee Smith does a wonderful job weaving art and technique. The book highlights the work of about a dozen needlework artists. In each highlight is a discussion of the art itself, a review of special techniques used, and collection of tips from the artists on a number of topics (e.g., where they get design ideas, how they proceed from paper to canvas). The book is a wonderful introduction to needlework "art" for needleworkers who know the basics and are just beginning to design their own "serious" work. The best methods book I own.

I had a very hard time getting through this one. I have enjoyed some of Smith's other work, but I had to force myself through this one. The characters were one-dimensional caricatures and the plot seemed contrived and disjointed. This story was certainly not as tightly woven as FAMILY LINEN, which I enjoyed immensely.

Smith certainly knows how to interweave characters' plots. This is a delightful book. A bit more obvious than her later books, it is also more humorous, with several laugh-out- loud moments. Mostly, it has a wry sense of irony, as people believably rail against the very vice they are illustrating, for instance. The title is ostensibly about an event in competitive baton twirling (a quintessentially Southern event in 1965, the time of the novel). But, the title is also about the self-congratulatory town celebrating its 150th anniversary, and all of the town's population are represented doing their own version of a "fancy strut." I think my favorite is Manly Neighbors (a too-obvious name, but fun), the owner/editor of the weekly paper, a happily complacent guy who knows he doesn't like to think too much. I also like batty, snobbish old Miss Iona Flowers, a belle left over from a finer era, as she alone sees it.

This book made me laugh so hard, so often, I had to run to the bathroom on more than one occasion to avoid wetting my pants. The characters are all a delight to get to know, even the ones you love to hate, and it made me wish I lived among fun folks like these. What better compliment could a writer get?

I waited in vain for Smith to reveal a reason why Crystal Spangler's life and troubles were important enough to dramatize. Smith writes well and creates a vivid milieu, but my overwhelming reaction was, "So what?" Crystal, despite the vast amounts of text devoted to her thoughts and feelings, remains essentially a non-entity and her troubled life contains no redemptive or cathartic aspect. It's an exercise in detailed, adequately-crafted pointlessness.

Well, I'm a huge Lee Smith fan, so I'm surprised to find myself giving only 3 start to one of her creations. But this one just didn't live up to what her readers have come to expect from her.
I couldn't really get behind Crystal Spangler and her remoteness. It's clear to readers what her problem is from close to the beginning, but it takes the rest of the looooong book for Cristal herself to figure it out, and when she does, she just becomes more passive and decides to die.
I gave up real interest in the outcome long before I came to the end.
The one I'd have found more interesting was Agnes, her across-the-street friend, through whose eyes we see Crystal over the passage of years. She was a much stronger character than Crystal herself.

I have read all of Lee Smith books and highly recommend all of them. My favorite is Fair and Tender Ladies.

For those familiar with Lee Smith's work, some of these stories seem very familiar, like rehashes of themes and ideas from some of her previous works. The mood of this collection is darker than her other collections and the stories seem disconnected. They do not engage the reader as so many of her works do. As a huge fan of Ms. Smith's, (I have read all her work), I was a little disappointed and left a little flat.

Lee Smith has become one of the writers I have learned to count on for a consistantly good tale. News of the Spirit contains some of the best so far. As I read about Alice Scully's scandelous writing submitted to the Happy Memories Club (the writing group in her old folk's home) I could relate. There is the tale of the wild brother "Bubba" invented by a young woman away from home at college and hoping to increase her chances of being accepted by her more worldly roommmates. These and other tales remind us of those we know, the ones we were raised with, the relatives, friends and the "talked about" that come and go. Each Lee Smith character is fleshed out, and becomes alive, she enjoys her characters and exploring the human condition. I hated to see this book end, and found myself turning the pages back to have just a little bit more time.

Another example of Lee Smith's wonderful insight into the human condition

Though the writer is obviously gifted, and the stories are without a doubt amusing and accurately detailed, the author seems distant from his characters.

The author seems to stay un-involved and to coldly inspect his subjects as though they were fireflies in Mason jars, or butterflies on pins.

The writing is superb, but the lack of involvment in the characters inner workings and lives, leaves these stories sounding like a girlfriend repeating a soap opera in the office, to someone who missed an episode.

I'll lay off with these last words. The author should look into his own heart and write real, breathing characters, not try to bring to life cardboard cutouts. No matter how excellent it is, it must heart. This book does not have heart, though it does have plenty of good writing.

This wonderful collection of non-fiction accounts on the other side of the table is a true and accurate look at what makes the casinos tick: not the people who come with the money, but the people who take it. Lee Barnes has a gift and it is to conjure so many voices into one cohesive book. It is funny, sad, and terrible. If you ever wanted to know who lives in Las Vegas, read this.

To draw the most from this new book, you need to know already quite a bit about occupied France. The authors trace in detail academic perceptions of Vichy since 1945. Regime apologists tried to maintain in the 1950s that Petain had played a clever game in seeming to collaborate whilst plotting to maintain French independence. We now understand this was nonsense: Petain and Laval may have been interested in collaboration, but Hitler's only concern was booty. But equally in error was the Gaullist position that forty million Frenchmen supported the Resistance against a tiny number of traitors. The editors demonstrate that more recent research has shown how fragmented both the pro and anti Vichy groups were. For example, it was possible to be faithful to Petain whilst being anti nazi. Many ordinary French people, both in the cities and in the countryside, adopted an eclectic attitude according to "how the wind was blowing" in their area. The book suggests new lines for research on Vichy, especially a comparative approach with what was happening in other occupied countries such as Bulgaria and Hungary. The book is largely a tribute to Robert Paxton who wrote a ground breaking study of wartime France in the 1970s. This reviewer found the continuous adulation of Paxton, however merited, somewhat repetitive. You will enjoy this new volume if you really want to explore in depth the meaning of Vichy over the past sixty years. Given that France was still prosecuting men for war crimes in the late 1990s, Petain's regime is still a hotly debated topic in that country's academic establishment.

This book is an essential text for anyone interested in the history of of France during the Vichy regime. It offers a superlative compilation of the latest scholarship in the field, contributed by some of its most important writers, people like Michael Marrus, Jean-Pierre Azema, Henri Rousso, Stanley Hoffmann, Philippe Burrin, etc. etc. The introduction by Fishman and Smith is a thorough map of the entire contents of the book which, again, provides a rich collection of articles destined perhaps not for the general reader without any background on the subject, although the book itself is reader friendly....

this is a very good book for introducing body/mind health issues. it covers a lot of territory. only thing is, is the references. the references used in this book are mostly from "pop" magazines such as psychology today, time, u.s. world, readers digest (!), etc. i personally do not consider these publications too legit, but that is my opinion. i got this book through the local library, i would recommend you do the same to see if you want to shell out the big bucks.

This book shows the relationship between the way one thinks and the way the body feels. It is a very clear and easy to understand book showing the way that certain actions, functions and thoughts can change the way a person's body feels and the health of the person. I found it very interesting and helpful to what I was wondering about. Expensive though.

This book was the first I've ever bought where the Introduction was better than the book. I thought there might be an answer or 2 in the book. There wasn't. There wasn't much content and some the questions were questions I've asked before. Still not sure how to get them answered in my rather traditional church. This book may be more useful to Theology students and ministers.

For those of you who are comfortable bringing up challenging topics with your friends and family, this book is a must. With the questions the author has presented, you can spend hours learning about the true nature of those you hold dear.

If you are less comfortable challenging organized thought with others, take time to review your own views and beliefs. I believe this book has strengthened my beliefs as much as any sermon I've ever heard.

If you want to generate some interesting and, more than likely, confrontational discussion at your next dinner party, bring this book. The questions contained in this book are designed to challenge your assumptions and learned beliefs about God and religion. The book offers no answers to the questions. As the reader you can rest assured that the author does not push you down a path of thought you are not willing to explore. But I would challenge all readers to explore each path thoroughly and to find your faith strengthened by what you discover.

When deciding whether or not to accept arguments opposed to contemporary music, consider this historical account:

"The church should be a place of purity and holiness, separate from the world and its secular entertainment. How could good Christians conceive of welcoming this worldly instrument into the Lord's house." The wealthy churchman did all he could to thwart the efforts of the "misguided" group that had conceded to accept the sinister gift, beseeching them with tears and even offering to refund the entire price if someone would only dump the ill-fated cargo-a musical instrument-overboard during its transatlantic voyage. Just what was this instrument of such vile associations and shady history? ... The churchman's pleas were left unheeded; the instrument arrived safely in the New World, and the Brattle Street Church of Boston made room for the controversial instrument: the organ. (Quoted from Edward S. Ninde, The Story of the American Hymn [Nashville: Abingdon, 1921] in Elmer Towns and Warren Bird, Into the Future: Turning Today's Church Trends into Tomorrow's Opportunities [Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 2000], p. 231.)

Let us not crucify contemporary music for the perversions by those who are without God in the world. When the Bible speaks of worshiping God with the trumpet, harp, tambourine, dancing, strings, flute, crashing and resounding cymbals (Psalm 150) and the ten-stringed lyre (the ancestor to the 6-string guitar, Psalm 33), why would the music produced by such percussive and other instruments be dismissed as evil? No one continues to see the organ as evil, but it is no more sanctified than guitar or drums. Such an argument is a fallacy.

Christians who understand God and the Bible recognize that sex is a gift from God, yet it has clearly been perverted by sinful humans. But we don't preach against sex in the context of biblical heterosexual marriage. So why would we throw out contemporary music because of misuse? A similar controversy arose when Wycliffe wanted to translate the Bible into English. The religious establishment opposed him, even burning his bones after he'd died. All he wanted was for Christians to have the Bible (the very Word of God) in their contemporary language. To subject contemporary music to similar persecution seems ludicrous, does it not?

Kimberly Smith, a church organist and classically trained pianist, can be likened to a modern-day Dr. Van Helsing in pursuit of the fiendish "undead." Armed with the Word of God, she triumphantly impales "Christian" rock music, the most carnal and prevalent style of contemporary Christian music (CCM) today.

Despite the fact that the majority of Christians, especially teenagers, much prefer Christian rock over traditional church hymns, Smith exposes Christian rock as nothing more than "Christian" lyrics attached to secular rock music (the latter having evolved from sexually-driven rock 'n roll music of the 1950s). For any music to be acceptable in worship, the lyrics must be in spiritual harmony with the music itself, for each one sends its own "message." The musical "message" of all rock music, including Christian rock, is carnal, sensual, and unacceptable because it appeals to the "flesh" and violates biblical principles. Moreover, attempting to hallow rock music with "Christian" lyrics is futile, because the rock "message" (sex, rebellion, etc.) is not spiritually harmonious with the lyrics. In other words, the secular rock music corrupts and compromises the spiritual lyrics. Smith sees Christian rock as catering to worldly desires and preferences rather than glorifying God. She further presents 16 of the most common, "emotionally charged excuses given by people" regarding CCM in general, then crushes each one with an arsenal of Scripture references.

This book will generate extremes of opinions. Discerning Christians will praise Smith for exposing the fallacies and dangers of Christian rock. Non-believers and worldly "Christians," outraged at the magnitude of the truth presented, will burn her in effigy.

This book and its companion, "Let Those Who Have Ears to Hear," are highly recommended reading for Sunday school programs and youth groups.

Kim Smith has done an excellent job in bringing together all aspects of music and how it affects our souls. I challenge anyone who dares to criticize this work to do hours of unbiased research and come up with a different conclusion than Mrs Smith and her husband. If you have any questions about how important music is and the real origins of rock music, then this book is for you.

My grandmother once taught me: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days (Mormons) teaches its members that if they want to know whether the Book of Mormon is true or not they should pray about the matter. If they receive a "burning in their bosom" they will know that the book and the accounts depicted inside are accurate. For faithful members of the church this is the only way to discover the "truth" of the Book of Mormon.

Brent Metcalfe and Dan Vogel take a different approach. They present a number of articles from scholars who have attempted to get at "the truth" of the Book of Mormon in a totally different manner. They apply the tools of the scientific method, historical research, and logical analysis to formulate hypotheses and draw conclusions. As a result, people who use logic and science to resolve issues are likely to be impressed by this book. On the other hand, those who believe in a religion purely because of faith and answers they have received in prayer are not likely to be impressed by this work, or to want to read it for that matter.

The articles are quite interesting. My favorite three included the one on "automatic writing", Tom Murphy's article on DNA and the Lamanites (which he came close to being excommunicated for writing), and the article on former "Seventy" B.H. Roberts and what he really believed about the Book of Mormon.

What comes through to the educated person is that many things that have long been presented "as facts" by the church are not. The truth is far more complicated. One can read the Book of Mormon and conclude that Nephites and Lamanites were supposedly the only groups present in the Americas between 600 BC and 400 AD. However, DNA testing shows this is simply impossible. The vast, vast bulk of Native Americans are related to groups in Asia that crossed the Bering Straits into this continent 10,000 to 50,000 years ago. In fact, its virtually impossible to find any connection between Native Americans and either Jews or Egyptians as claimed in the Book of Mormon.

The article on automatic writing challenges the allegation that it would be impossible for one uneducated person to "invent" or "write" the Book of Mormon by himself. In fact, such things have been documented to have been done several times in the past and perhaps on a more impressive scale.

This is a good book for a scholarly person who has questions about Mormon doctrine and seeks an answer that is not "faith-based". Whether all the writers have arrived at the correct conclusions or not, it does stimulate alot of powerful thinking.

Yet another in a fairly recent series of works designed to confront mormonism from a scholarly approach. While I appreciate the work these writers have put forth, this is not a book designed for the casual researcher into the murky world of mormon history and theology. These essays are ideally suited for a reader with a solid background in both Christianity as well as mormonism. For the average individual just looking for an intro to the fallacies of mormonism, Bill McKeever's "Mormonism 101" or Richard Abanes "One Nation Under Gods" are good materials.

I do find the approach of this book, along with "The New Mormon Challenge" to be a bit disturbing. They purport to discard the "tired old arguments" against mormonism, but these arguments still are as valid as ever. One cannot understand mormonism without looking at the history and character (or lack thereof) of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (see Fawn Brodie's "No Man Knows My History" on Smith), looking critically at the temple ceremony, the absolute laughable quality of the Book of Mormon and especially at Smith's bogus translation that makes up the "Book of Abraham". There are an awful lot of books on mormonism, of varying quality and it seems that many authors are trying too hard to look at new information, when the existing information is more than enough to quash mormonism as a serious theology.

As a side note, take some of these preceding reviews with a sizable grain of salt. One reviewer, John Tvedtnes, is a "professional" mormon apologist who gets his paycheck from Brigham Young University, so he has a vested financial interest in maintaining the mormon illusion. Kevin Christensen's review also mentions Tvedtnes and his "scholarly" friends at FARMS as sources. Anyone familiar with FARMS reviews of books will notice that a) they tend to be polemic and nasty in tone toward the authors and b) FARMS reviewers have a pretty mixed bag of backgrounds, including: "coordinator of performance tours at Brigham Young University", "self-employed artist currently writing a book on scrollsaw art " and "director of Parking and Transportation Services at the University of Utah". Certainly there is nothing wrong with these professions, but it makes you wonder how much of their reviews are mere parroting of what the top dogs at FARMS tell them to write.