I'm in an arts/high school program, PCCA. I came in after all of the other students had already been there for over a year. This was the first piece I ever performed there. I did a section of it where Trudy is Trudy, in the beginning.

The character was so rich. So many different quirks. The audience loved it, so did the other performers who did the same piece. This is one funny script.

I wasn't nervous when i performed it at all. I just kept thinking how funny the script was, and that, not matter how terrible the acting, the audience would still enjoy the performing.

This one woman plays many characters, and will take you on a journey of laughter, and much more, and leave you smiling for long after you put it down...

As she tries to explain human beings to extraterrestrials who are searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe, Trudy, the bag lady, channels among others: Agnus Angst, a throwaway teenage punk; Chrissy, an unemployed young woman who doesn't know what to do with herself; Kate -- a rich socialite bored with everything. It's a tough job, but Trudy is up to it -- she refuses to be intimidated by reality.

Wagner weaves together the stories of these separate lives with speculations about time, space, reality, art, and human nature. From Trudy's skewed perspective a vision forms of the interconnectedness of human life -- maybe of all intelligent life in the universe. Filled with laugh-out-loud one-liners and characters whose words and feelings ring true, this one-woman play is masterful writing from a deep and generous heart. If you didn't see Lily Tomlin's performance on Broadway, don't miss reading the book. It's more than a story; it's an experience.

"Soul Survivors" brought the horror of the Cambodian genocide to me in a way that the modern media never has. In a world where the news numbs society to mass murder and political unrest, "Soul Survivors" left me unable to remain numb to these atrocities. The book focuses on personal stories from a wide range of survivors of the genocide - stories that are essential to gaining a true understanding of how genocide affects a nation and culture. When I closed the book, I was filled with the kind of restless compassion that only comes from truly learning about the pain of another people and culture. "Soul Survivors" was an inspirational book and really made me want to change the world - something that every great book should do.

The stories are very inspiring, the photos are great, and the book itself is well done from the cover on.

This book offered me a chance to face a devastating period of human history with courage, compassion, and determination to make the world a better place. It tells the story of women and children who endured the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s and managed to rebuild their lives afterward. It includes the stories of two refugees who came to the United States as orphans, returning as young adults to help their country. In a series of personal narratives, the author lets these survivors tell their own stories in their own words, and there are accompanying photographs that give a wonderful added glimpse at their lives. Wagner also provides some brief but helpful political context for the suffering in Cambodia. Living as we are in a time of so much hatred and conflict and fear, Soul Survivors reaffirms the futility of violence and helped remind me of the possibility of redemption and reconciliation.

Jordan Wagner, who is not to my knowledge a rabbi, has put together an excellent little tract which explains in a basic yet comprehensive manner, the structure of the Jewish prayer service and the ins and outs of Synagogue ritual. Wagner states on his website that he wrote the book in order to educate some non-Jewish friends as to what to expect at a Synagogue service. The book is extensively footnoted and well written. It should be of interest to non-educated Jews interested in learning the meaning of the liturgy and non-Jews interested in the Jewish religion. It does not cover the other topics such as the laws of Kashrut (dietary laws) or the Holidays but focuses on the daily and Sabbath services.

Wagner has made the somewhat mysterious world of the Synagogue accessible. While people may go to most any church and feel perfectly at home, the Synagogue is not as well known. Wagner gives his readers an opportunity to understand and even participate in the worship services at the heart of Judaism. This book is highly readable and worth the time if you or anyone you know is going to Synagogue.
This is the book you must buy.

Wagner's book is not what I thought it would be, and in some ways it is better than I had expected, in some ways worse. What was better about it was that Wagner explains far more about synagogue ritual than I had expected. The book reveals the why behind each prayer, and indeed behind each phrase, in some cases. That kind of depth, I did not expect. Nor did I expect the historical analysis of how the rituals have evolved over the millenia. Having read this book, one gets not only a detailed guide to how and why services are as they are, but also an introduction to Jewish theology in general. All this was an unexpected bonus.

So in what sense did Wagner deliver less than I had hoped for? Only in that the book is not a simple quick introduction to what goes on in a synagogue. If you buy this book hoping for a quick evening's read, thinking that after a couple of hours you will have the gist of the synagogue ritual, you will be sorely disappointed. The book, befitting its subject, is far more complex than that, and it truly demands your time and concentration, if you are to derive from it all it has to offer.

But for those willing to devote the necessary time, it gives an unparalelled insight into Jewish services, and one which I have found completely absent from Jewish literature until now. Mazel Tov to Wagner for filling that gap!

I became interested in "Ten Sisters" when I noticed that the story took place in my home state of Illinois, but specifically central Illinois. I just graduated from EIU which is located in Charleston and just next door to Mattoon. Reading about the Waggoners in those towns was such a joy, but meeting nine of the sisters was an even greater honor. They signed my book at the mall in Mattoon and were extremely gracious at my interest in their stories. I wasn't able to finish the novel before I met them, but even so, reading the chapters after I had met the authors gave the book a personal touch. I was in disbelief at some of the personal trials they went through. It is amazing that any of them survived so much heartache and uncertainty! My favorite aspect of the book is how Jenny and the older sisters wrote about the same period of time, but by the time you get to Vera's, Audrey's, and Doris' chapters, you are set in a completely different timeframe with completely different lifestyles. It is amazing how so many different stories come out of one very close, very special family. They told me that they will be coming out with an audio version of the book and they'll be featured in a popular women's magazine in Nov. or Dec. I'll be sure to check it out, and you should too!

I really don't like to read...let alone do a report on something that I have read! I don't know why, but I actually like doing it for this book...... It has some really funny, sad, and just odd things in it. I mean who would have a pet goat as a kid? I am in Highschool and lots of my friends and teachers were all dying to read this book. I would sit in class and read bits and pieces and the kids around me would always want to hear more...it was weird! Stuff like having a boxing ring in the front yard, or ten sisters sleeping in one bed not knowing who wet the bed in the morning...for some reason that sparked their interest???? Then there was the sad stuff in the book that was described in detail. It really made me learn a lot more then I already knew about these ladies, it's like stepping into their shoes (although they didn't wear them too often) I really like the book, after I read it there were just soo many things to tell about it in the report I did for my sophmore English class that it ended up getting an "A"...which is odd for me! :) This book is great...there are just soo many things to like about it, so many stories. The part I really like about the book though was that sometimes the sisters had different view points about the story, it was kinda neat to see what each one said about certain things...if they remembered or included it. And living in Iowa, it was a big highlight of my life...not many things can do that here! thanx-AM

Courage comes at an early age... these women had it in 1942 and even today display that same courage. As I know each one of these women personnally, my review may be a bit biased...but anyone that reads this work will see that I am only telling the facts. Each sister is a remarkable work of art. This book is a true "Love story" about "Family" and the meaning it gives to our lives. "Divided" as a family at such an early age has given great meaning to "togetherness" as each sister worked their way from mid 20th Century to present day.... Their style of writing is free and bold as they tell of perceptions and feelings. Just to get ten sisters to sit down and author a book together is almost fiction. Yet again their spirit of "one for all" won out, and I, a reader won too. This book is "true LIFE" at its worst, and best

Scholars and critics say that Herr Wagner's talent was in synthesis. The negative critics, e.g., specialists in a field from which they feel Wagner has stolen, tend to discredit Wagner for that. The grail was not, alas, the cup used at the last supper, prior to the opera "Parsifal" anyway. What's more the Grail theme was plagiarized from Mendelssohn. The plot of the Ring was not, alas, the same plot as the German novel "The Nibelungenlied." Wagnerians like myself, rather, see that synthesis as a symptom of Wagner's genius. He was able to take a series of sources, stories, novels, epics, songs, and cement them into a supreme art form, Gesamptkunstwerk, better than the sum of all the parts.

Newman comments intellegently on all aspects of the operas. He includes musical themes--surely a necessity in the work of that expert user of the leitmotif!--and even the psychological dimensions of the music. (Before I saw "Tristan und Isolde," I attended a presentation of a musicologist who nearly broke into tears as to the depth of the music in that opera. His comments reminded me of those of Newman regarding the same piece, which reminds me of Jung, one, whom you might say, was a product of some of the same Germanic trends of the late 19th century. But, enough on that...)

I read each review before I see the opera to which it applies. I read them again periodically. They are magnificent, allow for reasonable criticism. But they also give the devil his due.

I cannot recommend the book more strongly for anyone interested in Wagner, especially if you plan to hear or see the operas. Then leave the volume next to your bed. It's well worth re-reading, learning all dimensions of the music of perhaps the best composer who ever lived.

Is that extreme? Perhaps. Was Wagner's genius extreme? Off the scale.

Read and enjoy it.

Ernest Newman's book remains the best introduction to Wagner's operas. He is astonishingly good on Wagner's sources, and on the draft processes Wagner went through as he transformed source material into his final forms. Other books deal with different aspects of individual operas in more depth, but this is still one of the books to start with. Everybody interested in Wagner should - well, the first thing to do might be to listen to excerpts from "Die Walku:re", "Tristan" or "Parsifal", say, and be awed by the music - but once you've heard the music, if you're still interested, you should get this book.

Laon

Nobody ever wrote more insighfully, brilliantly and accessibly about the titanic contribution of Richard Wagner to western culture than did E. Newman. This is a classic that should be read by all and anyone interested in what all the fuss is about. It's an old book but it's not dated. Take his translations seriously. Even though there are a lot of anachronisms (thou sayest...etc), they were anachronisms that RW intended when he wrote the poem. May I also recommend the Solti Recording of the Ring; the Furtwangler studio recording of Tristan; the Jochum Meistersinger and (gasp) the Levine Parsifal (the Knappertsbusch is sublime in so many special ways you may have to buy both. May I also recommend the Ring Interactive CD Rom. It is a blast.

This is the book I wish I had during the months we waited for our appointment with the specialist. Dr. Wagner leaves no stone unturned. In plain language she speaks to the many and complex concerns parents of children with OCD have -- always with this goal: to help minimize the impact of OCD on the child and family. The personal stories woven throughout the book help put a "face" on OCD that every family living with it will understand. I particularly appreciated Dr. Wagner's respectful and empathetic treatment of parents, also victims of this disorder, in the chapters "Parenting Challenges" and "Taking Care of Yourself." This is an empowering book; one that continues to offer hope and help to parents beginning with that first suspicion that something's "not quite right." I continue to use it as a valuable resource.

"What to Do When Your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" is an exhaustive, authoritative and yet highly readable examination of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in children. It is organized into two parts with the first part a thorough education in OCD. It examines what OCD is and what it is not, how it is diagnosed, causes of OCD, and various treatments. The second part provides just as thorough an education in how OCD affects your child's thoughts and behaviors. It examines the cycle of avoidance and how that cycle fuels OCD. Parenting challenges related to OCD are also discussed in detail. The text also includes an exhaustive examination of behavior therapy and how it is used to help the OCD child acquire the skills to overcome their disorder.

This is easily one of the most approachable and thorough books I have ever read on OCD. Don't forget the companion book "Up and Down the Worry Hill" that is specifically written for children with OCD to help them understand the disorder and what will happen in behavior therapy. "What to Do When Your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" is a highly recommended read for anyone wanting to understand OCD better.

This book is a must-have for parents AND clinicians alike. Dr. Wagner uses straightforward language to demystify both OCD in children and the ways cognitive-behavioral therapy works in treating this agonizing illness. She first helps to distinguish between rituals or obsessions that are developmentally normal vs. those that are disordered. Then she provides detailed, knowledgeable information on how to seek help, the types of therapies and medications that work, and what parents can do to assist their child in the recovery process. Most importantly, she gives an amazingly clear explanation of how the exposure and ritual prevention exercises of CBT work to dispel the rituals and reduce anxiety. And she provides compelling, and heartbreaking examples of the treatment in actual clients she has worked with. This book is clearly written by an expert clinician who exudes compassion, empathy and full understanding of the impact of OCD on the afflicted and their families. As a practicing psychologist, I routinely recommend this book (and the companion one for children, "Up and Down the Worry Hill") to all my clients -- including adult clients -- who are suffering from OCD and anxiety.

David Wagner's book What's Love Got to Do With It, provides the reader to an insightful perspective on American charity. Penetrating the veneer of "do-gooderism," Wagner exposes the abuses, distortions and deliberate social control mechaisms that have been a part of the American charitable entrprise since its inception. This book is a must read for anyone involved in philanthopy, social welfare service provision, or social work education.

"Wagner's book will be interesting reading for donors, policymakers and advocates for the poor...with charities' influence growing, the time is right to raise red flags -- and Wagner's (criticisms) are largely on target....His book attempts principally to raise questions in an unquestioning age."

"Wagner's concise and vivid chronicle of the rise of paternalistic American charity is a valuable handbook for anyone who wants to challenge the duplicitous nostrums that the vapid stars of both political parties have lately offered up on everything from welfare to the widening class gap to the impoverishment of public education to the more and more degraded public-health system"

The book has many complete examples, so it is easy to read and use. As its name indicates, it does not go into the more advanced features. All in all, it's quite suitable for beginners.

I've now read 4 different books covering XSLT, and it wasn't until I read this one that it finally made sense to me. Nothing is taken for granted in this book; he teaches XSLT from the beginning and enables you to learn it from the ground up. I highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with XSLT that needs some solid, core instruction.

I have (and I will) read lots more books dealing with XSLT transformations for XML content, but there is something about the Dummies series that I find so helpful and/or reassuring. I don't like having my time wasted, but when they're done right Dummies books maintain a tone and scope that tells me just enough about everything I need to know in a topic. I read them and then I go on to O'Reillys (or whatever) with what feels like a pretty solid introductory knowledge. When they're good, I love the Dummies. I've been looking forward to this one for about a year and a half, and it has turned out to be just what I'd have hoped.

This is my favorite cross stitch book, I've used it for so long and so hard it has compleatly fallen apart! All of the angels are adorable. The charts are clear and easy to read and the patters are easy to adapt to other projects. I stitched my moms name, JOY, with the angels on letters pattern, did the small Raphael Cherub on 32 ct brown linen and compleated the Herb Angel, each project was spectacular!! I would never lend out this book, for fear it would not come home again! Happy stitching!

If you like angels, you will love this book. It has a variety of easy to complex projects, one includes ribbon embroidery. There are so many cute projects, you won't know which one to do first.

Some 80% of the Hebrew-Christian Bible consists of prophetic truth. By reading this book you would not think so.

The prophecies and Divine Eternal Promises relating to the People and the Land of Israel are plentiful, precise and explicit. The prophecies and Divine promises relating to the latter days/end times and where they appertain to the Church, the Jews & the nation of Israel are equally plentiful, precise and explicit.

Yet these elements of the Written Word are either misinterpreted or perhaps deliberately manipulated here in pursuit of an obvious agenda which is anti-Jew, anti-Israel and anti-Christian.

Yet again another book uses the 'Palestinian' as the tip of the spear in the war against the Jewish People/Nation. The terrible plight of the Palestinians suffering in the squalid condition of the refugee camps is used to 'point the finger' at Israel. It is ignored that the Arab world placed the Palestinians there to be used as just such a political and humanitarian weapon. It is also forgotten here that Israel has done more to relieve their plight than any single Arab nation. The context of Middle Eastern history in this work is incredibly selective, biased and inaccurate.

I feel incredibly sad at the mis-use of Scripture to promote such an obvious agenda as that portrayed in this work. The Jewish inheritance to the Land promised throughout Scripture beginning in Genesis and the prophecies relating to their regathering and the end times are ridiculed.

The viewpoints of Evangelical Christians supportive of Israel such as myself are not a matter of religious 'brainwashing' or indoctrination but are based on a solid Biblical foundation. Their basis is there for all to see in the writings of the Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Zephaniah, Joel etc., not to mention the many references within the New Testament itself. Jesus Christ Himself is quite explicit in His own words. How this book can treat these factual writings with such contempt is beyond me.

The book appears to promote a philosophy that the God of the Bible should forsake his Promises and His Word for the sake of what the book describes as 'tolerance'. A tolerance of sin and an agenda which sets itself directly against the God of Israel Himself. That the Eternal Divine Promises relating to Israel & the Jewish people should be usurped by the man made issue of the 'Palestinians'.

The Bible clearly declares that God loves each nation and each individual. However when a nation or individual turns it's back on God the Bible is also quite explicit about the consequences. The history of the nation of Israel is a clear illustration of this with their dispersion throughout the nations being just one case in mention. The Hebrew-Christian Bible is also extremely explicit about what faces those who deliberately come against the Jewish People/Nation, what the Bible calls the "apple of God's Eye". This book and the nations supported by this book have done just that.

Might I respectfully suggest that those who would support the ideology behind this book all read "Islam Revealed" by Anis Shorrosh, a Palestinian Christian. Mighty I also suggest that they read any of the works on the Mid-East, Jerusalem & the Palestinian/Israeli issue by the learned Christian author Randall Price. Most of all, might I humbly and earnestly suggest that they get down on their knees, remove their anti-Israeli blinkers, pray to Almighty God for wisdom & insight and then study the Holy Hebrew-Christian Scriptures themselves with an open heart, paying attention to the Divine Promises, the Hebrew Prophets & the Words of Jesus Christ Himself.

I am sorry but I cannot in any way recommend this book. Thank you.

I could not write a better review than Robert L. Knetsch. This book is a must read for ALL people.

Don Wagner has written a captivating and fascinating account of his own transformation from a Christian who subscribes to the dispensationalist pro-Israeli stance heresy that festers within many evangelical churches today to a person who desires compassion and love for all people. This is what Christ came for - not to cause division over land, but to be the final fulfillment of all prophecy.

And it is prophecy that is the very problem, says Don Wagner, and hence the reason for the title of this book. Some say that God has blessed the Israelis in their ability to dominate over Arabs with such power (e.g., the six day war). But such a view is not completely accurate if we also see how many Christians who are "anxious for Armageddon", who want to "force" their view of biblical prophecy to occur, have been great supporters of the Israeli regime. And a regime it is. Palestinians to this day live in refugee camps and exist in a virtual apartheid.

The very prescient point of this book is not anti-Israeli, but an attack against pro-Rapture, dispensationalist Christians who use their skewed and incorrect view of prophecy to support the existence of Israel at all costs. This is not to say that Israel must not exist, but should it at the expense of the lives of Palestinian families?

Wagner presents these arguments with passion and love. It may be controversial, but it is hard to ignore.

Read and Enjoy!