No one but Rene Girard could touch upon the deepest human drive and emotion as Girard does. This work is possibly his greatest thus far and is certainly destined to be a classic. The book is of imeasurable value to anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and theologans all at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone that seeks to understand this imporant aspect of human nature.

Those who read contemporary French criticism will understand where Kristeva and others culled their best insights. Girard shows how violence both generates and destroys cultural order. Religious attempts to curtail violence, and modern secularists remain more ignorant than ever of the "virus" of violence, which they displace onto the secondary realm of sexuality. Girard is most brilliant when revealing how myths occlude persecution, scapegoating, and surrogate victimization. Essential reading for feminists as Girard indirectly reveals that women (via Freud) have become the surrogate victims du jour of man's power to evade confronation with his own violence.

This book was an unexpected pleasure. Mythology and cultural anthropology have always been of interest to me, but Girard's scintillating and illuminating ideas, in my opinion, blast through the ubiquitious shadows which cling to and obscure our broader vision. I loved it -- not because of the often revolting realities of human nature which it illuminates, but because of it's unswerving quest for truth. Great!

Used this book exclusively on my recent "waterfall tour" of Oregon and Washington. I wanted to make the most of day hikes to areas that had waterfalls. This book allowed me to plan my day-to-day itineraries and cram the most into the trip. Invaluable for a true waterfall lover. Waterfalls listed by geographical areas. Descriptions of some trailheads hard to follow, but maps were good. Decribes the difficulty to reach each fall (easy to need to be a bushwacking expert).

My only disappointment is the newly built bridge near Elowah Falls that ruins the natural beauty of the falls... (not the author's fault).

Great book, we had never been in these areas and were able to find everything very easily.

This is an amazing book on locating the beautiful waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest. I own 2 of these books, 2nd and 3rd edition, and let me tell you, it has never let me down.

The book gives great detail and levels of the waterfalls quality, difficultly of the hike and much more. It even teaches you on how to determine the type of waterfall that you are viewing.

Mr. Plumb is the ultimate Mountaineer, and shows it through this amazing book. I call it my, "Waterfall Bible".

I highly recommend it for all your searches for waterfalls, and even some that you didn't know existed -- great for picinics, extremists, photographers, and for those just in awe of their beauty!

Don't pass this up, and at such a great price!

Feels a little like reading the news online about the latest airplane tragedy, but the author is dealing with the aftermath of an airplane crash some time back. Despite the time difference, the author's focus on the spiritual ways to deal with tragedies (whether the crash of an airplane, a car accident, a tornado, a divorce)seems very helpful and should spark some conversation among religious people and religious seekers. How do we find the answers to the mystery of tragedy? Clapper does not offer anything easy, though he writes in a way that is comprehensible. A book worth reading before the tragedy happens.

This book feels real. It talks about faith and spiritual resources in order to live in the aftermath of the disasters that happen. That simply happen. No one's fault. Just there. I've lived through tornadoes, hurricanes, divorce, deaths. Enough to ask the "Why" question, but that seemed like the stuff of a never-ending all-night conversation . This book assumes that the horrors happen and then it helps people receive the spiritual resources to live through the tragedies. That may sound easy, but the author is not a fundamentalist with pat and trite answers. Clapper shows his intelligence by insisting that we accept the Mystery--not passively quitting, but actively accepting and living with Mystery. That is not an answer I've seen very many church preachers give, but the author builds well on this premise.

Gregory Clapper was an Air National Guard chaplain in Iowa when United Airlines flight 232 crashed. Over one-hundred people. Clapper ministered to the families of the victims, those who survived, and even members of the various National Guard and governmental agencies involved in sifting the wreckage.

His book is not a thrill-seeking story. It is a thoughtful spiritual reflection on the crash. Clapper examines small interactions and relationships . In these reflections Clapper offers six resources for living with tragedy, something which we cannot escape. His resources range from embracing the essential mystery of life to releasing the tears to living with hope. This evocative book brings forth tears and joy and a sense of God's reign in the midst of imperfection.

Considering the numbers of tragic events (e.g., ethnic cleansing, high school and grade school shootings, natural disasters), this engrossing book is a must read.

This is one of my absolute favorite books from when I was a little girl. My dad used to read it to us at night, and then I reread it when I got older. Very hard to find but worth every penny, this book is BEAUTIFUL and I hope it goes back into print someday.

My mother would read this book to me and my sister before bed when we were about seven/eight yrs old. We both really loved this book and I think it helped our minds develop to a higher level of thinking and creativity. I read the book again in highschool and as an adult and got just as much enjoyment from it. I look forward to reading this book to my children. I would recomend this book for anyone :)

Although I read many books when I was a kid, there were only about four or five that I would return to year after year- ones that gave me a thrill no matter how many times I entered their worlds. This is one of those books. It is the tale of two spoiled and thoroughly modern American children who accidentally follow their caretaker and gardener on a journey back in time to ancient Ireland. Upon arrival they meet a boy named Finn MacCool, who will go on to become one of the greatest figures in Irish mythology. Lonely from being raised in isolation, he decides to take them on his quest to become a man and claim the leadership of the Fianna, the legendary defenders of Ireland. Besides, he needs someone to compose an epic poem about his travels, and the two children have a knack for rhyme. Tannen makes the heroes and monsters of Irish lore utterly fascinating, yet accessible to children. I would spend hours and hours imagining myself questing around the Emerald Isle after reading this book. You and your children will be enchanted.

I really have to agree with Donna, she seems to be a very intelligent lady. I am studying English at Cornell University,and was looking for a book to help me hone my writing skills. This book answers even the most nit-picky questions about grammar and sentence structure. A valuable resource to any writer.

Probably the most useful and organized revision manual that I have read, "The Writing and Revision Stylebook" is a must read for any writer from the high school level and beyond who wants to improve their writing. Areas covered include Grammer, Usage, Structure and Sense, Rhetorical Fallacies (try to find that in most revision books), Rhetorical Figures, Spelling, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Punctuation, Quotations, Citations, and Documentation. The book contains a thousand excercises and answers along with complete explanations for the correct answer. If you want to write immaculately, persuasively and with style then this is the best guide available to learn how to do just that. It takes a technical subject and makes it very user friendly, a highly recommended read.

The Stylebook is the only writing reference book you will need to own. Not only does it cover completely mechanics, punctuation, tricky spellings, and confusing word pairs, but also it covers the fine art of logical thinking, a skill absolutely necessary for cogent writing. It is easy to use. Exercises are amusing and interesting, and answers are explained clearly. I feel comfortable grabbing this book for a quick reference. Previous ponderous tomes inspired intimidation. The section on logical thinking is invaluable, and usually missing from other books I have used. What a treasure The Stylebook is!

Nice broad look at Data Mining. The book is simply a collection of academic papers on data mining, some better than others of course, but all academically rigorous (unlike some other data mining books i have read). As a whole, the book really whets your appetite for further reading in the subject and exposes you to specific problems and areas of interest in data mining.

I read a lot of papers from this book. And I read twice and twice a lot of them. This is a book to the professional and to the novice in data mining (d.m.). In it you take a general view from data mining and the particular one you pretend because you can see papers from "what is d.m.", "how to use d.m.", "d.m. techniques", "d.m. and visualization", "applications from d.m.", "d.m. tools", "advances in d.m.", "the future and d.m.".

After reading this book you'll want to "pack your suitcase and head out for the adventures that must be out there"

Oh, for a follow up.

Extremely amusing story about a typical midlife crisis that take you along with Charles Goodnight on a wild trip around the world.

This studyguide had so many wonderful activities that the students really enjoyed. A particularly useful section involved decoding the dialect of the novel. The last few questions of each section revolve around religious issues; however, I was able to use this guide in a public school by cutting off the last few questions before handing out copies to the class. Therefore, this guide may be easily used in a public school as well.

I have used this resource for the past two years in my high school American literature class. It has been invaluable. The "dig deeper" questions are thought provoking and meaningful. This resource helps the Christian teacher to look at this classic work of literature through the eyes of the Bible. Highly recommended.

It has been several months since I read this book. But it is one of those stories that stays with you forever. The hero character was so "dreamy". He was tough and rugged, but also sensitive and kind. One of the few good guys, Cal took my breath away so many times. I am not sure how they the reviewer could say the characters were stale as well as a the plot. I guess we didn't read the same book. Perhaps, the reviewer is one of the many who enjoy the man treating the woman with disrespect. I do not. Read this, and you won't regret it!

This was a wonderful book. Once I started to read it, I just couldn't put it down! I have only read 3 of Jill Gregory's books,and have enjoyed them all. "Always you" was full of Loyalty, Courage, and finding that One True Love. If you are looking for a GREAT western romance, read this book!!!!

*RECOMMENDED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE **CHOSEN BY SOUTHWEST PARKS & MONUMENTS ASSOC. ***SELECTED BY SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ****DISTRIBUTED BY MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO, MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS & CULTURES, MUSEUM OF NORTHERN ARIZONA, CHACO CANYON, BANDOLIER, PECOS, HUBBELS TRADING POST, LA FONDA HOTEL, ALBUQUERQUE AIRPORT & OTHER LOCATIONS.

If you're planning to travel through the American Southwest, Ancient Ancestors will guide you through 33 National Park sites. This book is unique in offering what Indian elders say about these places based on oral history tradition. Author Dr. Gregory Schaaf has served as tribal historian for over 15 years. Supported by scientific data, Ancient Ancestors offers an educational, yet fun way, to learn about Indian country in the American Southwest. Be dazzled by the color illustrations of award winning photographer Lewis Kemper. A great book for a great price.