I feel that the novel Demian was a highly intellectual novel and very enlightening! It's like no other book I've read in which it's not your usual story of a boy growing up. It's about a boy growing up and questioning his faith with the help of a boy named Demian who is a classmate. Emil, the main character feels that Demian is the image in which he wants to be. He fantisizes about this image and will do anything to be it. Demian helps Emil to break from his contious mind and enter his subconcious. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend in to any philosophy fans, or anybody at all.

this is a fine ethnographic monograph on the Swazi. It covers a brief history and clever analysis by Hilda Kuper. It is from the fine series of case studies in cultural anthropology, edited by George & Louise Spindler, and is a fine additon for any anthropologists or africanists book shelf.

I really enjoyed this book about Hilda Louise. It makes you want to read more, to find out what happened to her parents in the Alps. To find out the ending, read the book!

Poems of angels and gems and fragrance and stars, all written on the downward slope of WWII. H.D. praises the life that survives, the mythic returns of Amen-Ra and Christ, which is also the first budding of spring. London joins in these poems with Karnak and St. John's second city, Paradise--a resurrection of "our earth before Adam," that "grain or seed/opened like a flower." Angels and Magi bring their usual good news, but the last word belongs to Mary Magdalene and the goddesses behind her, shifting from Isis to Venus to H.D. herself. The thick web of allusions reads at times like a parody of Modernist excess, but the impulse behind them (and these were written quickly, after a long dry spell) is more inspired than erudite. H.D. improvised a religion of her own that enfolded the War like a shell, tranforming its destruction to a promise of new life. "Trilogy" is a quiet testament to her faith in writing as redemption, the poet as witness and priest.

This is quite likely the worst book HRED has written. That said, there is still much of value. To find it though, one must wade through the author's agenda- she was in her One Great Goddess phase- and incomplete as well as unconnected examples of, well, sometimes one can't be quite sure just what she is trying to say or prove.

If your starting point is the premise that there was One Great Goddess, fine, you will love this book. If you want a scholarly evalution of Germanic goddesses, you will need to go elsewhere.

The tenor of this book is one of attempting to peer through centuries of Christian influence to show what the religion of the goddess may have been like. But in almost every of its presentations often is too loose in character to be truly fulfilling and abounds in conditional statements. It probably fails most in how it presents the subject in categories and then presents examples from the observations and works of others in an attempt to bring things to light. In doing so it tends to lose your appreciateion of variation in perceptions over time and place, which is understandable due to the scarcity of hard and sure information. But then it is this lack of certainty that makes it a book of possitbilites rather than information. However, if it were not for the obvious continuation of goddess worship into the Christian age with the Virgin Mary, I might doubt that there were any widespread goddess cults simply from the arguments this book provides.

It might have been better to have divided the book up by region, rather as History of Pagan Europe does. Instead the dearth of hard evidence is supplemented by comparisons to notions of goddess worship much further south of north. At best it is a collection of what can be said in a scholarly manner, but is rather too dull of a presentation to be an exceptional read.

Davidson has produced a useful book on Northern European Goddess history and tradition. She draws on early literature, legend, folk traditions (and records of now extinct folk traditions), and archaelogy to construct several categories of functioning for the Goddesses. She discovers Goddesses who are both nurturing and demanding, healing and destructive, revered and feared. Davidson includes Celtic, Norse, Finnish, and Latvian Goddesses, and frequently compares them to Mediterranean and Near Eastern Goddess roles.

She first considers the Goddess as Mistress of the animals, examining her roles as Hunting Goddess, Ruler of the Wild, Guardian of the diary [sic] herds, as Dog and Horse Goddess.

Next, she examines the Goddess as Mistress of the Grain, considering the most ancient roots associating Goddesses with fertility of the earth, the connection between Goddess and plough, the possibility of Goddess as Corn Spirit, and how the Grain Goddess of the North differed from Grain Goddesses of more temperate regions.

Davidson then takes up the Goddess as Mistress of the Distaff and Loom, looking both the context of Goddess and weaving in the ancient world as well as the differences in Northern Europe. She considers the Oseberg wall-hagnings, retrieved from a burial site, and illuminates Goddess figures found there. She also examines the interplay between weaving and destiny, the Goddess as Weaver of Fate.

In addition, she considers the domestic role of the Goddess as Mistress of the Household. She discusses Guardians of the home, the association between Goddess and fire and water, and the role of the Goddes in the birth and nurturing of children.

Finally, she examines the Goddess as Mistress of Life and Death, writing of her role as healer and in the realm of death. She also considers Northern European funeral rites and how they help us understand the roles of the Goddess.

Davidson points out that when we sentimentalize the Goddess, as so many white-light-bunny-fluff-goddess-of-the-week books do, we lose a great deal. She draws on Jung in her synthesis that the Goddess is both attractive and nurturing as well as repulsive and frightening. In her conclusion she points out that the Goddess was much more than simply the "Great Mother."

The book has a useful index and an excellent bibliography. It was poorly copy edited, however, with several typos. I also wish that Davidson had done a better job of separating out the layers of history through which she excavates. The meaning of stone-age evidence is poorly differentiated from the meanings of myths recorded in the middle ages or folk practices recorded in the 17th century. This is a significant problem which the book poorly addresses.

Five stars for depth and breadth, but knocked down to four stars for the failure to explicitly consider the impact of various historical contexts on the available evidence and on her interpetation of it.

(If you'd like to discuss this book or review, click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

I have read Ms Dams 3 Hilda J books now and I just don't get it.
Murder in Red, White & Blue was interesting UNTIL the solution.
Never, never have I had to try so hard to figure out the ending.

OK, I deserved it! After suffering through the first Hilda Johansson mystery, I should have learned my lesson. This main character is so wooden, so unlovable, so contrary...and the plot is so thin and undeveloped...it's not a rewarding read! Stick with the author's Dorothy Martin series...that's where she apparently puts her best efforts!

It's September 1901. The country is reeling from the news that President McKinley has been shot. But of even more concern to maid Hilda Johansson is the fact that the assassin had passed through South Bend, Indiana within the last few weeks. Had he met with any of her friends? But when two bodies are found, one covered with an American flag, things really heat up in town. Is this the work of anarchists out to destroy America? Or are immigrants being unfairly blamed? Add to that the secret the workers at the Studebaker plant are hiding, and Hilda has her hands full.

This book is a fascinating mixture of fact and fiction. I was drawn into the time and place completely while reading. I enjoyed the Hilda character, an independent woman struggling to live in her time and social place. The story itself was very good. With several different things going on at once, it was hard to know for sure what was happening and who to believe. And, while I did guess the solution, I completely overlooked the clues that pointed to the ending. My only complaint is that the author's note really belongs at the back of the book.

This was my introduction to the Hilda Johansson character. I'm hooked on this fun mix of fact and mystery and will be looking for the others in the series.

Having read the Dorothy Martin series, I was fully prepared to enjoy this book, but I didn't - not at all. Hilda, the protagonist, is impossible to like and, therefore, care much about. She prides herself on her ability as a liar, and her personality is harsh and domineering. Her little brother's an incorrigible brat, making it difficult to maintain any sympathy for him and his plight. The storyline is contrived and confusing. The cast of characters, except for the Irish swain, don't ring true; and the evocation of the historical period is the only saving grace. Back to Dorothy Martin, a heroine it's possible to like!

Jeanne M. Dams delivers a cozy mystery that could, should, but really doesn't, deliver. The setting and cast of characters is clever, with Hilda and family, the Swedish immigrants settled into the ethnically diverse city of South Bend. Hilda has a romantic interest in the ever so unacceptable Roman Catholic immigrant Patrick Cavanaugh; as well as a smitten police sergeant. Hilda works as a maid in the home of the Studebaker family, called Tippecanoe (look it up on the internet, a fascinating residence). While obviously well researched, the story gets muddled with entirely too much dashing about like the proverbial chicken, too many silly misunderstandings and plenty of lying. Erik, Hilda's completely out of control 12 year old brother, finds himself on the run from a child molester. Somehow Dams works in the historical Orphan Train and the itinerant small circuses. Many parts of this book just don't seem to ring true, and Hilda was rather unappealing as a nosy, know-it-all, busy body unconcerned with lying to her superiors. More history, more realism, and less silly dialogue and convoluted misunderstandings might have helped this book. Three stars, almost a worthwhile read.

It has been six years since Hilda, her brother and her sister left Sweden to come to America. Hilda, a maid for the Studebaker family in South Bend, Indiana and her siblings saved enough money to bring the rest of the family to America. Unfortunately, it has not been an easy adjustment for the Johansson brood.

Their apartment is too small and they don't want their Protestant daughter going out with Patrick, an Irish-American fireman. The youngest son Erik goes from one job to another never satisfied. When Erik witnesses a child's murder by a pediophile, his life is in danger. Patrick and Hilda, with the help of some hoboes, create a daring scheme to flush the murderer out into the open.

Jeanne M Dams' latest Hilda Johansson mystery is a nicely told tale. The protagonist is not afraid of breaking the rules of society or her employer when it comes to people she cares about. SILENCE IS GOLDEN is a fascinating who done it while Erik is adorable as the brave young man trying to overcome his fear to help catch a killer.

Harriet Klausner

I thought this book .... There are a great variety of braided hairstyles (long, short, pixie, nubian, cornrows, etc.) and this book only covers a couple of long styles and they were basically the same. I was so disappinted because my hair is short and I was looking for a short sassy braid style. I was expecting a big book with a lot of different styles and designs. I could have bought a [$$$] braid magazine and got my money's worth, however, I spent [money] on this one.

I am very upset, I thought about calling St. Croix to complain and I still may do just that. I can't express my disappointment enough!

I was really disappointed with cost of the book after reviewing the contents. The photos were nice, but I could have bought a braid magazine at the grocery store for one eight of the price. I feel that this book is over priced.

Exceptional! Cosmetologist from GA

It is my opinion as a cosmetologist that this is a book of exceptional quality. I paid special attention to the quality of work presented because this is my field.

Logically speaking, I didn't expect the book to include illustrations because I carefully read the book description that detailed Step-By-Step illustrations is available by special order. However, I am a board certified cosmetologist, and hair braiding is one of the services offered at the salon. The book is forty-seven pages as already indicated with lots of photographs, and various, unique but practical styles. There are short, long, cornrows, and french styles throughout the book. It includes instructions on how to perform a variety of curls on synthetic hair, and sealing the ends without burning the hair. This hair stylist braid ends really looks professional. The information is very helpful to me as a professional. The styles displayed are exceptional. I have seen many braid books throughout my career, and rarely do I come across such work of this caliber. This book is more than worth its value!!! I will be ordering a book for a friend that love and appreciate braids.

Compliments to the braid designer!

This book is cirriculum in religion, NOT general education.The title is very misleading.

This book was wonderful. I have a child with high functioning autism, and this was very appropriate for not only him, but my other children as well. I was able to teach all of them, ages 10, 6, 4 1/2 and 3. It was a lot of hands on, using props,telling different ways to do story telling, singing, and crafts. I love the other ones in the series too, and reccomend it to everyone, whether or not they have a disabled child or not. One of my children may also have ADD, and has a short attention span, at the least. He was able to get involeved and keep up with the lesson. The others said it wasn't "boring" either, someting we seem to be tackeling here at home. I give this book and the others in the series 5 STARS!!

I'm a fan of Jeanne Dams and her Dorothy Martin mysteries. I've read all those and looked forward to starting on another of her series featuring Swedish servant Hilda Johansen. The story takes place around the turn of the century and I was execting a lot of period detail. Well, there was but unfortunately not much else. The plot is rather contrived, the characters rather wooden and unappealing and the setting of South Bend, Indiana pretty dull (no offense to South Bend intended but it's not New York or Chicago)The character of Hilda is also a big problem. She's rather stilted and uninteresting,not a good thing when the plot develops around her. This book did not even begin to compare with Dams'work in her other mystery series. I really was disappointed in this book.

I loved Jeanne Dams' Dorothy Martin series and looked forward to reading about her new heroine Hilda Johansson. Unfortunately, I found Hilda an unsympathetic and unbelievable protagonist. The plot has Hilda, a Swedish servant in a well-to-do household, investigating the death of a relative of the prominent family next door. Hilda, with sixteen years of a Swedish upbringing and only three years in America (which according to my calculations makes her all of nineteen) is found entering into such wildly diverse activities as rescuing another immigrant wrongly accused of the murder, planting stories in the press, and of course outwitting the police, all while cleaning house. The book is well-researched in terms of the lives of the servant class in the year 1900 but I think Ms. Dams seems more in control of her material when writing about the middle years of her widowed and remarried expatriate Dorothy Martin.

This is the first of a series of mysteries involving Hilda Johannson, a young Swedish immigrant who works in the largest mansion in South Bend, Indiana. Her two sisters and a brother also work in the town and she is courted, somewhat reluctantly, by Patrick, a charming Irish fireman. Her employers are kind, though the butler Mr. Williams is a bit of a tyrant, and things are generally good until Hilda and Patrick discover a murdered woman near the mansion.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. Hilda is an intelligent young woman who manages to work successfully in an oppressive environment, but she also has character flaws, like a stubborn streak and a bad temper, and that makes her believable. Her friends and family are interesting, and Patrick is an admirable partner.

The mystery, however, was neither interesting nor explained well, though I trust other reviewers who like the author's work, and would give this series another try.