Well, this book is the best all around book I have seen on Iron Mike, and believe me I have seen and read them all. It finally gives an extensive look on this complex individual. Mike is a genius whose greatness may never be understood for years to come. Every quote you you've ever read about him or interview you have ever seen has been doctored to portray him has a brutal, ignorant bully. But in truth he is a very introverted, intelligent, and compassionate human being. But, the media needs a villain so consequently we have an amazing misunderstanding of who the man really is. This book pulls no punches and shows both sides of this often troubled and victimized individual. Be Real Mike and never give up your goal of regaining your belts.

Peace,
Soldier

God will speak to you through your own life as you read this book from the beginning to the end. If you skip around you might not hear Him clearly, which may cause you to miss His full message to you. This book will push you into reliving your own personal search for the truth about God. If you're still shaky about what you believe about God, this book will help you settle your issues/doubts about His existence. However, get ready to relive certain pieces of your life, good or bad. Don't worry if old wounds are opened because the book provides a remedy that'll help them to close and heal. Go ahead, give it a try. You have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose by reading this book.

This is a remarkable work, detailing the perceptions of Islam prevalent in the West since the birth of Islam in the 7th century. Daniel documents the medieval misconceptions and shows how they still exist in today's popular culture AND in modern scholarship. He displays his proofs in the context of discussing the particulars of Islam and how they were perceived by the West. I wish everyone would read this book. It would considerably aid Muslim-Christian relations in the world and especially this country.

Deleanu's book depicts Jesus'portrait as it appears in the Islamic literatures and traditions,revealing that the founder of Christianity is in fact extremely revered by Islam.This anthology is a must for any student of comparative religion and for all those who want to find out the real relationship between Islam and Christianity.Highly recommended.

If you have visited or have an passion for the land of Israel and the Bible be sure and purchase this book by Mr. Rosenthal. After seeing an review in Biblical Arch. Review magazine I ordered a copy. The description was exceptional but the actual book exceeded the reviewers comments.

If this was a lifes work then nothing else would ever have to be said. His articles are first rate and reflect the authors years of study and his heritage to the land itself.

Israel Discovered is picture lovers dream come true. If you are considering it just for the photos and pictures you are going to love it! These photos, many taken from angles and perspective of these wonderful location and most from angles and perspectives I've never seen before in any publication.

The quality of the book is beautiful even down to the very paper that it printed on. A first class book and one that I love to hand to anyone that visits our home.

Anyone who enjoys REAL country music will love this book, and the the unique place it is about. "It All Happened In Renfro Valley" tells the story of the late John Lair, and the country music entertainment center he created in the foothills of Kentucky's Cumberland Mountains, Renfro Valley. You'll read of how over the past 60 years Renfro Valley has grown to become one of the best and most unique homes for country music in the world, and how it has been the launching pad for the careers of now-legendary entertainers including the late Red Foley, and one of country music's first sucessful all-female acts, the late Lily May Ledford & The Coon Creek Girls. Perhaps most fascinating of all is the story of how through 60 years of ups and downs, and many changes, the unique spirit of the "Valley Where Time Stands Still" can still be found in this special place today. You'll learn of how the Valley is now in its second heyday so to speak, having underwent a much-needed revitalization and expansion about ten years ago, and how it is, as a result, once again drawing the kind of large crowds it did many years ago. In the book, Pete also tells about himself and many of the other great current and former entertainers who perform on the "regular" Renfro Valley shows like the Barn Dance and Jamboree, as well as how some of country music's biggest names now also come for concerts in the Valley. You'll also read of the Renfro Valley Gatherin', which is now the third oldest continuous radio broadcast in the nation. All in all, this is a great look back at the history of a one-of-a-kind true country place that is near and dear to the hearts of true country music fans and radio listeners all over the country and around the world. Pete also includes a few stories of his own amazing career as a country comedian and entertainer, songwriter, and disc jockey. In addition to having been a regular Renfro Valley performer since 1952, Pete was also a regular on country music's first televison show, Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee, during the mid 1950's, and was also Dolly Parton's road manager for a time in the 1970's. (She does still remember Pete, and was kind enough to write the forward to his book!) All of these experiences combine to allow Pete to tell the amazing story of a very special place in a way that only he could. "It All Happened In Renfro Valley," and you'll sure be glad if you read this book and let Mr. Pete Stamper tell you all about it!

This book is the best book I have read dealing with the pressures and dangers of joining a gang. The author gives you a realistic view of what it means to be a part of a gang. The story follows a young boys quest to belong. You get to watch this young boy slowly drift away from his family and friends into the gang lifestyle, until something tragic makes him realize that it doesn't have to be this way. This book does an incredible job of making you realize all that kids go through when faced with pressure to join gangs. This is a book that I am going to use in my classroom to open the eyes of my students. I believe this book is informing and empowering kids to not join gangs.

For a long time, Tolkien scholarship has had an uneven character. This isn't the time or place to explain why or give examples, but the appearance of this book, along with the recently published _Tolkien's Legendarium_, suggests that things may be changing and for the better. This collection of a dozen essays, all written by top-notch Tolkien scholars, possesses the highest degree of intellectual rigor and operates within a genuinely scholarly framework of interpretation. (You won't find any fan fluff here!)

The essays may be loosely divided into three main sections. The first comprises essays on the poetics and sources of Tolkien's fiction. The standouts here are Sullivan's "Tolkien the Bard", which suggests and that Tolkien's style may be best understood as an application of oral poetry and orally told story to written medium, and "The Dragon-Lore of Middle-Earth", which takes a close look at what Tolkien took from medieval (and specifically Norse) dragon stories and how he specifically adapted the material to his own purpose. The articles on Tolkien's verse and on his use of _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_is also quite insightful.

The second section tends to be 'comparative' and places Tolkien and his work in juxtaposition with other authors. The most intriguing article here is one that compares Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" with the Sir Philip Sydney's "In Defence of Poetry". What is so exciting about this is not so much the comparison of Tolkien's 'story theory' with that of Sydney, but the analysis of how, for Tolkien, creative writing-- and indeed the very act of subcreation itself-- is gendered masculine. Other articles touch on Tolkie and Lewis, _The Hobbit_ and _King Solomons Mines_, and Tolkien and Milton.

The third and final section is a more eclectic hodgepodge of articles on different subjects, ranging from Tolkien's legacy (and in particular, the ways in which female fantasy-writers have adopted, adapted, and responded to the overwhelming and masculine "shadow of the Ring"), to the elegeic quality of Tolkien's fiction and its concernw ith loss, to the nature of evil, to Tolkien's literary treatment of trees. Of all of these, the last, written by Verlyn Flieger is the most illuminating and advances the most excitin argument. Flieger carefully notes that the representation of trees and forests in _Lord of the Rings_ is *not* so universally favorable and sympathetic. By juxtaposing the Old Forest (and Old Man Willow) with Fangorn Forest (and the Ents), Flieger shows that this issue is more complex, ambiguous, and filled with internal tensions than has generally been assumed. It is, perhaps, the most important essay in this collection-- and may represent Flieger's finest work yet as a Tolkien scholar.

This is an academic book, published by a smaller press, so it's got a hefty pricetag on it-- but it's an outstanding collection of new Tolkien scholarship and I unqualifiedly recommend it to any serious Tolkien scholars. Those with an aversion to scholarly inquiry (a la _Tolkien's Legendarium_) and who prefer more fannish modes of discourse(e. g._Visualizing Middle-Earth_), however, might want to give this a pass.

I have been cooking with Jack Daniels Black Lable Whiskey for many years. Today I was sitting in the isle of a book store looking at cook books and ran upon this unknown book. After spending at least a half hour pouring over it I was impressed beyond words. I realized that my cooking with this whiskey had only touched the tip of the iceberg. The book is beautifully laid out and written; the range of recipes is great and the pictures and stories rich with the Tennessee heritage. Of course I put the book back on the shelf so I can purchase it here at Amazon since the savings is much better. But I can honestly declare you will be totally delighted with the book and the great eating you will gain.

"The question is not what you look at, but what you SEE."- -H.D. Thoreau

This quote from Thoreau aptly applies to the work of Flagstaff, AZ. artist James Turrell. Turrell has been fascinated all his life with the concept of light and its use in art and architecture. Add to this his notion that the individual should experience this art alone, embracing what the piece has, and does not have, to offer, and one has the basic mindset to take on his art.

To best experience Turrell, one needs to go to an exhibit and take the time necessary to participate IN his art. Like a good book or good music, art reqires a level of active participation to fully realize the piece's potential and to maximize its impact. A Turrell exhibit is a glorious thing- each person actively participates, taking in his color concepts, becoming one with them. Whether in one of his famed "skyspaces," where the participants sit in a consistently lighted room to look through an oval shaped hole in the roof at dusk to watch the changing lighting patterns- the light from the roof diminishes and the consistent railing lighting in the room dominates- or vice versa if one sees the exhibit at dawn, to his "dark rooms" where the viewer is in a 99.9% darkened room with the faint glimpse of an outline of light, allowing the mind and eyes of the viewer to re-conceive its surroundings and realities- not unlike an ink blot test, but in the dark, Turrell's pieces are challenging the concept of light and how each of us perceive it and use it in our lives.

What his art offers is vividly displayed in this book, a wonderfully in-depth one that showcases his growth and remarkable consistency brilliantly. His art is eclectic, ranging from the aforementioned "dark rooms," "Skyscapes," "blue rooms" (viewers in a room with a blue light dominating it, again, challenging perceptions and optics), to a recent "skyscape" that allowed perceived viewings of an eclipse, to his re-construction of a dormant crater (outside of Flagstaff, AZ) to allow unique views of the sky, light, the world. Each piece of art challenges the concept of optical illusion vs. reality- the light offers 3 dimenstional viewing in a 2 dimensional world based on angles of the light, the walls, etc- as well as the common perceptions of light in art.

Again, Turrell should be viewed in a proper exhibit, but this book offers a brilliant overview of his career. The text is in both German and English, but still offers precise pictures, diagrams,and Turrell's philosophies on art, light, and the world. It's a brilliant work by one of today's foremost artists.