I'd already read a lot about spiritual awareness but reading Tahkamenon's words caressed me and caused a profound shift in my own spiritual vibration. I felt a powerful and personal spiritual connection with Tahkamenon that I still don't fully understand. I feel I've shifted slightly to another dimension--one that I feel will be more fulfilling in my life's journey and will allow me to become better at discerning messages from Spirit. I'd recommend this book to everyone who is on a quest for inspiration. Tahkamenon's poetic words are filled with divine wonder and knowledge--words you'll want to savor with your heart and your spirit. Anyone who has read and felt the magic in the "Conversations With God" books by N. D. Walsch will probably also be moved by "Whispers from Our Soul." I read the last pages longing for more and I anxiously and hopefully look forward to hearing more from Tahkamenon. Until then, I'll be re-reading "Whispers from Our Soul."

Whispers from our Soul whispers gently into your heart to remind you of the love that is always there. The story of how the book came to be is magical in itself and was a pure delight to read. Valerie's candor, emotion and joy touched me deeply. The words from Takhemenon flowed with such love through Valerie and Russ so that those of us who read the book can be the beneficiary of those same gifts. Thank you, Valerie and Russ, for your courage to share your deepest selves and Takhemenon with our world.

Valerie Wilkinson and Russell Reed, friends and business associates, never intended to write a book. But the messages they received from an entity named Tahkamenon made it impossible not to. Whispers From Our Soul: The Voice Of Tahkamenon is both an account of Tahkamenon's very powerful message, and the effects it had on the authors.

Wilkinson, a CPA, is the president of a multi-million dollar health care company. Her job often requires political lobbying. Reed is also firmly grounded in the business world, currently operating his own successful consulting business. Tahkamenon contacted him while he was still a child. After Wilkinson told Reed about a "visit" from her recently-deceased father-in-law, he confided in her about Tahkamenon. Shortly after that, Tahkamenon established contact with Wilkinson.

Reed "hears" Tahkamenon, while Wilkinson is inspired to record his messages in the written word.

Tahkamenon brings a message of universal love and hope. His words are exceptionally lyrical and filled with the beauty of unfaltering love. He advises humans to tear down the "walls [of] color, race, religion, origin, and sex." To those with questions, he says "truth is eternal. Your soul is divine. The answers are within you if only you will allow yourself enough peace to hear the melody, to flow within the rhythm, to find comfort in the words."

Wilkinson concludes with the insight that "the world does not constrain you. Your walls do not constrain you. Only your fear can withhold you and then only with your permission and lack of faith."

Whispers From Our Soul is for all those seeking the "courage to act in accordance with your heart." Truth, beauty, light, divinity, and love are "all at your disposal if only you choose to reconnect with your soul." Through Wilkinson and Reed, Tahkamenon tells us in a beautiful and loving way how to find courage and make our reconnections.

Sandra I. Smith

This book had been recommended, I ordered it. From the first page of Miss Prines Diary I was hooked. I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Never a boring moment. Every entry in this Diary was instantly transformed into a fascinating novel. This is a quick read that covered all the elements needed to keep a reader interested in the evolving relationship of Sarah and Captain Jack. Life was hard and survival was obtained only through one's commitment to handle everything that life forces on us. Captain Jack's stoic nature was transformed from notable mention to the central focus of Sarah's life. All heroic adventures were humbly retold by a young proud capable woman. This diary painted a portrait of a young girl's desire to educate herself while enduring the hardship of life on the prarie. Insight into the perseverence of the 19th century when men were dirty, dusty and uneducated conveyed Sarah's strength and resignation to adapt and protect her family. Women were valued and prized for their refinement not their heart. Sarah never realized how wonderful she really was. This book brought out a reason for humanity and the will and all that this can accomplish. Love and integrity were the core throughout this story. Captain Jack was able to recognize and love all that is special in Sarah and wise enough to wait for and eventually be loved by Sarah Prine. This book is a winner.

When I began reading this book, I was, at first, annoyed by the prose. The author intentionally used misspelled words throughout the first few pages-- not to mention horrible grammar-- and I find that exhausting to read! However, after heroine Sarah Prine gets her hands on a newspaper and a wonderful young woman helps her learn to read and write a bit better, Sarah Prine's words become an adventurous, thrilling report of her life in the American West.

This book is loaded with adventure (Indian attacks, shooting contests, rape attempts, childbirth, and train robbery!!). I loved that the main character has a thirst for knowledge and love of books, too. She is easy to relate to, and impossible to dislike. I like Sarah because she is independent, sassy, and very real. Sarah's tongue is sharp, but her soul is so good, and it was exciting to read about her passion and lust for Jack and then watch their lives fall into place together.

This book was absolutely convincing as the diary of a young woman out West so many years ago. I found myself wondering about Sarah Prine as though she were a real person more than a few times... Also, as a Tucson resident, the parts about the erection of the university and the climate of the city back then were particularly interesting.

I could not put this book down. I stayed up three nights in a row, reading until 2 or 3 in the morning, just to find out what could possibly happen next. I laughed at the scrapes the characters found themselves in, and how they reacted to them, and I sobbed for half an hour as I turned the last few pages. To find out why, you will simply have to read this wonderful new piece of literature...

An excellent combination of history, one-person's (fictional) experience of it and her inner world as expressed in her private diary. This book really got me. I related to it on several different levels. My great-grandmother lived during this era and not far from these places; my grandmother (born in 1899, who died just this year) could have been one of Sarah's children. The different experiences Sarah and her family had while on the trail were at once historically fascinating, sometimes quite frightening and always personally riveting. The love story between Sarah and Jack -- while occasionally predictable -- was in total very real and touching. I found myself thinking of my own relationships, and learning from Sarah as she thought and wrote about hers. Sarah was a strong, competent, independent woman who did not deny her need for love and who honored her relationships with the women in her life. A good model for any of us.

I read this book in two sittings, staying up till 2 a.m. till finished - something I haven't done for a long, long time....I'm a single mom with three teens, a house and a busy career. My 11 year old daughter is reading it next!

I consider this the best book to start with if you are a woman wondering if you have depression and/or a companion illness, or a woman who has been diagnosed and is deciding which treatment to try. Depression (including premenstrual depression), anxiety disorder, OCD and sleep disturbances and available medication and non-medication options are explored thoroughly and clearly by Dr. Raskin.

What sets this book apart from other depression/medication books is that it addresses women's particular concerns, largely neglected by the others. Topics I am often asked about on my web site (and have not had good answers for) such as pregnancy/breastfeeding and medication and weight gain as a side effect of medication are discussed in a sympathetic, informative manner. Essential information about antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, including side-effects, usual dose ranges and pregnancy ratings round out "When Words Are Not Enough," making it a very complete resource for women.

I picked up this book and became emotionally attached to it from the first page. I am a social worker and a woman who suffers from depression and am already well versed in the illness of depression and its remedies. I thought I knew everything I could possibly know about this subject, yet this book provided guidance, support and encouragment in addition to clinical information. The end result was quite powerful. Most importantly, this book reminded me that I am not a failure for the way I feel. Despite all my knowledge and experience with this subject, while in the throes of depression, I felt like a failure. This book helped me to understand my experience in a different way and feel less alone.

I am also pregnant and this book was the first I found that provided information and guidance, without judgement, about pregnancy and depression and medication and nursing. It helped me to remember that dealing with my depression is another way of being a good mother.

I am very thankful for Valerie Raskin's book and the sensitivity and comfort she provided me at a difficult time. I plan to recommend this book to my own therapist and clients, as well.

This was the best book I have read to date dealing with issues specific to women who are depressed. It contains excellent information about the various medications and dealing with their side effects. I was so impressed that I recommended it to my therapist, who has since recommended it to many patients.

I love this book! It gave me so much insight on PPD and all the different ways I could help myself and get the professional help I needed. It also helped regain my relationship with my husband! I would reccommend this book to every woman who is pregnant. It's good to know what to look for as far as symptoms go, that way you can get help sooner. I was in denial for several months thinking I would "snap out of it". This IS an illness, and can be treated!! I still have bad days, but they are fewer and farther between. On the bad days I just pick up this book and go to one of the earmarked pages on self help therapy and within a few minutes (instead of hours of crying) I'm feeling better. If you even THINK you might have PPD this is the book to read! It's also great to give to someone who is in denial...they might not appreciate it at the time, but will love you for it later! Good luck to all those women out there going through PPD right now!!!!

This book literally saved me. Everyone kept telling me that it was just hormones (and they do play a big part in ppd) and that it would pass in time. But, after finally coming to the realization that is wasn't just the blues this book helped me begin to work through my depression. I can't say enough about how good this book is at describing ways to work through the problems you experience during ppd. Get this book - it will help and turn to someone you trust to help you get through this difficult period of mommyhood. It does pass - I can promise you that. It has a wonderful chapter for the husbands also. Short, but very helpful.

This book was a definite godsend. I agree with another reviewer that it will not help you to resolve severe PPD, but it will definitely let you know if you need professional help. The exercises are helpful in resolving issues that may be contributing to PPD and the explanations are comforting and supportive. This book let me know that I couldn't do it on my own, that it is not normal to be worried and crying all the time and that I deserve to be happier, which is easier said on this side of PPD. You will not regret buying this book.

Valerie Boyd's biography of Zora Neale Hurston is an important corrective to the many myths which have swirled around this major 20th century American writer since her death in 1960. Of course, the myths began in part because Hurston died in poverty and obscurity, all her books out of print, but Boyd has done the needed research to present a full picture of the writer's life, and it's a picture that will add immensely to Hurston's stature. A writer of enormous talent who wrote not only novels (Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937) but folklore (Mules and Men, 1935), Boyd shows how Hurston struggled against enormous odds. As an independent African-American woman, Hurston was constantly reinventing herself in order to overcome the racist and sexist limitations of her society. Boyd's biography will last a long time, and will help readers to rediscover the less familiar Hurston, both novels (Jonah's Gourd Vine, 1934, and Seraph on the Sewanee, 1948) and her autobiography (Dust Tracks on the Road, 1942).

Valerie Boyd has written an incredible biography of an amazing life. Before reading Wrapped in Rainbows, I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about Zora Neale Hurston. I had read Hurston's autobiography, Robert Hemenway's biography, several of Hurston's books, and various articles about her work. However, Boyd's book gave me a deeper understanding of Hurston than I would have thought possible. Boyd's meticulous research and insightful analysis bring the places and times of Hurston's life into detailed focus. This gives a rich backdrop to the events of Hurston's life and helps clarify her actions. This is the job of any good biographer.

What makes Boyd a great biographer is her ability to get inside Hurston's skin so that the reader experiences the complexities of her great life. Many people view Hurston's life as tragic. She was a wonderful writer and champion of the "folk," yet she died in poverty--with all of her books out of print--and was buried in an unmarked grave. Boyd skillfully takes us on the journey of Hurston's life--through her successes and failures, her accolades and obscurity, her dreams and realities. I felt the passion and conviction and courage Hurston must have called on to accomplish what she did despite the challenges she faced. When I finished the book, I cried--not because Hurston's life was tragic, but because of the wonder of the Wrapped in Rainbows experience. Boyd's poetic writing was a joy to read. The beauty of her writing was breathtaking at times. Perhaps more significantly, through it, I identified with Hurston more than I ever had before and felt the supreme contentment of a life well lived.

Wrapped In Rainbows is the biography of literary giant, Zora Neale Hurston and
chronicles her life from early childhood to her death in 1960. Valerie Boyd
does an excellent job with her subject and her extensive research is apparent.

Boyd paints a wonderful picture of Zora as a free spirit who has two loves,
writing and black folklore. Zora's years of researching the folk history of
black people is depicted as well as her burning desire to merge her two loves.
Animated and full of spunk, Zora's story is told through the eyes of people who
knew her and the back drop of American history.

The Harlem Renaissance is also featured in glorious detail interspersing Zora's
friendships and kinship with many of the writers and artists of that era and
with the white patrons of black art and literature. Zora loved Harlem and in
some of the descriptions in the book, the reader can almost see Zora strolling
the streets of "Harlem City" as she affectionately called it.

Fans of Zora Neale Hurston will thoroughly enjoy this account of her life and
those who are unfamiliar with her will long to read her work. Wrapped In
Rainbows is beautiful tribute to an awesome talent.

Reviewed by: Diane Marbury (HonestD)

I am never disappointed when I re-read this book every year. When I sit down to read it I know I will enjoy it each time. It seems to be a fairly authentic historical novel yet I am thoroughly involved with the characters who make this period in history come alive. If you like this book, try "Tradewind" by M.M.Kaye. I also read it over and over.

I first read this book when it was published in 1982 and never forgot it. I love the characters of Laura and Oliver. Characters who actually grow and change throughout the book. And the backdrop of Colonial India was superbly done. I really felt as though I was there and going through all that Laura did during the siege. I heartily agree with the person who said we should all urge the publishers to reprint this novel and with the person who said it would make a wonderful mini-series. If it's done properly!

This is my favorite book of all times. I have read this book every year since 1984. This book makes you feel like you are really in India. It's almost as if you can smell the smells, taste the foods, visualize the characters and see India -- both the good and the bad. This is simply an incredible book.

this is a really good book! it gives good insight on a teen girl's point of view on things. not only that, but it is fast paced! i got in bed to read at nine and stayed up until two to finish it! belive me, you will like this book!

Bronwyn Lewis is a sixteen-year-old girl who has just been forced to move to Ojala, California with her family. The year is 1960. Bron is a good student, and has always lived life by the rules. It doesn't take long for her to realize if she doesn't change herself, she will not fit in with the carefree, easygoing teens in town. A popular interest of these individuals is drag racing, something that Bron wrongly thought she would never experience herself. Soon she meets J.C., an extremely attractive racer, and Will, a down-to-earth, old-fashioned country guy. She gets caught between them, and some interesting things occur with both men. I guess you could say she has a lot of things on her mind, including her reckless friend Lanie, the legendary horrific fires of Ojala, the profits of her family business, and her life's turn for romance and adventure. Hobbs really brings Bron's story to life through her dense plot and rising action. There is an overwhelming mood this book gives you through Bron's interactions with other characters. I really started to enjoy the book as the number of friendships and relationships Bron aquires increased. The ending really left me thinking because there is a distinct mystery to it. The genre is a combination of coming-of-age, adventure, and romance; no single genre would be fit by itself in my opinion. I really felt like I knew the characters personally as the plot thickened. I would definatly recommend this book to anyone. If an adult were to read it, he or she would have a good idea of the aspects of American teenagers' lives.

I think this was a great book because it captured the life of a teen girl. Some thing she did reminded me of my friend who is exatly like Bron. I would recomend this book to everyone. I think adults should also read this book so they can get and understanding of a teens life. Some parents dont understand Teens. Eveyone but this book its worth reading.

I can't help it. I like the gossip, the scandals, all the fal-de-ral with Royal watching. Not just the Brits, but this quality little photo bio book piqued my interest. Just about 80 photos covering William's life from opulent birth through tragic adolescence in 1998, one year after the demise of his mum, Princess Diana. Pix of trips, sports, school, family and semi-private precious reflections cast deep into his sad eyes.

This is not just a *Tiger Beat* oooooo & ahhh, look at him book. Quite introspective as to what a royals life entails even at an early age. But, ok, he IS cute too! Authoress Valerie Garner interjects interesting factoids. Enjoyable addition to bio collections.

Prince William deserves ongoing mention as a photo-biography for all ages: it focuses on the young prince from birth to adolescence, and provides a visual display of the young man which will appeal to any with a special affection for England.

When I got this book, I figured it would be a teenybopper book that gushes about him and how hot and stoic he is. Well, I was off by a HUGE amount. This book has a lot of rare pictures and good information. I would recommend it to anyone interested in British royalty.

I have read Incidents in the Life of a Slave by Harriet Jacobs, twice! I enjoyed reading her book. Her book is full of rich vocabulary. Her writing skills and the description of events she used was impressive, i.e. the separation of mother and child being sold to slaveholders, I felt the pain. In her writings, she constantly humbled herself because of her circumstances of being a slave and how she felt incompetent to write her life story. I must say that Jacobs did a magnificent job, considering her life of chattel slavery. Besides being courageous, strong and enduring, she was a very wise person. I think Jacob's does not give herself credit for being wise. She was very wise because she had to plan various strategies to outwit her devil master's attempts to capture her. She was wise in not trusting Harriet Beecher Stowe. What was Stowe's purpose of forwarding Jacob's writings to Mrs. Willis, which included her sexual history? Jacobs was no fool. Finally, the most indelible impression on my mind was when she hid in her grandmother's house, above the storage room, for seven years! I was right there with her. Great job Harriet Jacobs!!

Intended to convince northerners -- particularly women -- of the rankness of Slavery, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl presents a powerful autobiography and convincing writing that reads like a gripping novel but is organized and argued like an essay.

Incidents follows the "true story" (its authenticity is doubted in some places) of Linda [Jacobs uses a pseudonym] who is born into the shackles of slavery and yearns for freedom. She lives with a depraved slave master who dehumanizes her, and a mistress who mistreats her. As the novel progresses, Linda becomes increasingly starved of freedom and resolves to escape, but Linda finds that even escaping presents its problems.

But Incidents is more than just a gripping narration of one woman's crusade for freedom, and is rather an organized attack on Slavery, intended to convince even the most apathetic of northerners. And in this too, Incidents succeeds. The writing is clear, and Jacobs' use of rhetorical strategy to preserve integrity is astonishing.

Well written, convincing, entertaining, Incidents is an amazing book.

This is without doubt one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. On a very touchy but ever pertinent subject, Harriet Ann Thomas' story of her life as a slave is a remarkable document of antebellum life in the US, both south and north. Unlike the patent attempt to play with the readers' emotions of fictional works like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself, is almost a graceful understatement. At the time it was apparently believed to be a work of fiction, but it lacks the florid style of the Nineteenth Century narrative.
I had expected to have problems reading the book. For one thing, I expected either a convoluted prose style or an offensive parody of slave dialect. I also anticipated a graphic description of the violence perpetrated on individuals considered chattel by their owners. Instead I found the work to have been clearly written. It is remarkable for the literacy of its author-Ms Thomas was taught to read and write by the first owner of her family-and the care with which it's editor, L. Maria Child, took to preserve the author's intentions. Dialect was introduced only where it furthered the narrative and where the individual was likely to have spoken in the manner described. Violence is described but not so graphically as to entirely put off the reader.
Instead of the sensationalism that might have been used to promote her cause, the author provides insight into the emotional losses, personal deprivations, and incredible uncertainty in the lives of the individuals enduring slavery. She emphasizes her point by demonstrating her willingness to undergo a seemingly unending imprisonment in an attic with only a tiny peep hole out onto the world rather than continue as a slave. The great sacrifices and risks that others assumed in order for her and others like her to escape to freedom in the north underscores the extent to which the vicissitudes of the institution created a network among those opposed to it and those oppressed by it. Most poignant is her description of New Years as being a time of great tribulation for the slave. Unlike the white members of southern society who looked forward to the new year with festivity and expectation, the slave family looked upon it as a tragedy waiting to happen. Rentals and sales of individuals on that day tore families apart, husbands from wives, children from parents, often never to be reunited or even heard of again, and no slave or slave family could ever feel they were entirely safe. Sadder still were those cases of slaves who had been promised their freedom by kinder owners, only to have these promises abrogated by the heirs or to discover that no actual paperwork had been put into motion prior to the death of the individual.
Ms Thomas also makes a strong case for the damage that slavery caused to white society as well. Just by relating her own experiences and those of people around her, she recreates the anger felt by white wives who discovered that their husbands had had children by slave women, the blunted feelings of white men who, no matter what their feelings for those children, were caught up in a society that punished them for "recognizing" any children by black mistresses, the poverty and anger of the average white wage earner caught in an economy where he had to compete with poorly maintained, unpaid labor in order to make a living, and so on. In short Ms Thomas makes it abundantly apparent that the institution of slavery dehumanized both the enslaver and the enslaved.
One thing especially of note is the author's observation that the north was hardly better. She was free, perhaps, but only free to be second class. While recognizing that slavery was incompatible with the institution of democracy, northerners were still, with rare exception, prejudiced against individuals of non-white background. I think a case could easily be made that it is the more silent prejudice of the north that has perpetuated the inequities that still plague the lives of non-white Americans today.

Dogs are said to be Man's Best Friend -- and with this book, it's easy to see why! The many moods and faces of dogs (ranging from comical, to cuddly, to downright cute) are chronicled in gorgeous sepia-toned photographs by Valerie Shaff. While Wegman dresses up his Weimaraners to elicit "human comedy gone to the dogs", Shaff shows the true nature of the beast through poignant and heartwarming pictures that allow the personalities of the dogs to really shine through. Each photo is

accompanied by incisively witty text by Roy Blount, one of America's best-known humourists. Whether you're a dog owner or not, this book will bring a smile to your face (and if it doesn't...well, then, you probably just haven't met the right dog yet!)

Never heard of "Doggeral"? Well, you will after you read this fascinating book. You will understand it, speak it and remember it. Canine lovers everywhere will be captivated by the beautiful photographs and witty verses. Here you will find dogs, dogs and more dogs of every description. As you turn the pages, the reader will be deeply touched with warmth, sadness, joy and wonder for each page tells a different story. This book is delightful to own, a pleasure to read, and makes an excellent coffee table book. One could not possibly look at a playfully wagging tail, a wet nose or huge sad eyes and not be overcome with emotion. After all, dogs are more than pets, they are our canine family to love, respect and care for - just like children.

This is a great gift-book idea, if you can manage to actually give it away. The photos are wonderfully done, featuring both "action" shots and natural, endearing portraits. These are real dogs, not models--no dangerously thin Italian greyhounds lounging on marble terraces here--and Shaff catches all their moods, movements, and expressions.

The accompanying poetry by Roy Blount is a delight as well. As others reviewers have pointed out, this isn't puppy-wuppy talk, but witty, funny, and perfectly suited to the photographs. I thought several times as I was reading that Blount must be a life-long dog owner. He knows those looks and what's going to happen next.

Altogether, a truly light-hearted book well worth having.