Ghettonation: A Journey Into the Land of Bling and Home of the Shameless
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • (RAW Rating: 4.5) - A Mindset
  • A great book even though some readers miss the point!
  • 'Should be on Oprah's Book Club list
  • Finally, someone who articulates the problem!
  • Long on Examples, Short on Analysis
 Ghettonation: A Journey Into the Land of Bling and Home of the Shameless
Cora Daniels
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385516436
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

From the Introduction:

ghet-to n. (Merriam-Webster dictionary) Italian, from Venetian dialect ghèto island where Jews were forced to live; literally, foundry (located on the island), from ghetàr, to cast; from Latin jactare to throw
1: a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live
2: a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure
3a: an isolated group b: a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity

ghet-to adj. (twenty-first-century everyday parlance)
1a: behavior that makes you want to say “Huh?” b: actions that seem to go against basic home training and common sense
2: used to describe something with inferior status or limited opportunity. Usually used with “so.” ;
3: a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure.
4: common misusage: authentic, Black, keepin’ it real

As current and all-consuming as “ghetto” is in these days of gold teeth, weaves (blond and red), Pepsi-filled baby bottles, and babymamas, ghetto has a long history. The original ghetto was in the Jewish quarter of Venice, a Catholic city. Before it became the Jewish quarter, this area contained an iron foundry or ghèto, hence the name. These days, ghetto no longer refers to where you live, but to how you live. It is a mindset, and not limited to a class or a race. Some things are worth repeating: ghetto is not limited to a class or a race. Ghetto is found in the heart of the nation’s inner cities as well as the heart of the nation’s most cherished suburbs; among those too young to understand (we hope) and those old enough to know better; in little white houses, and all the way to the White House; in corporate corridors, Ivy League havens, and, of course, Hollywood. More devastating, ghetto is also packaged in the form of music, TV, books, and movies, and then sold around the world. Bottom line: ghetto is contagious, and no one is immune, no matter how much we like to suck our teeth and shake our heads at what we think is only happening someplace else…

From an award-winning journalist and cultural commentator comes a provocative examination of the impact of “ghetto” mores, attitudes, and lifestyles on urban communities and American culture in general.

Cora Daniels takes on one of the most explosive issues in our country today in this thoughtful critique of America’s embrace of a ghetto persona that demeans women, devalues education, celebrates the worst African American stereotypes, and contributes to the destruction of civil peace. Her investigation exposes the central role of corporate America in exploiting the idea of ghetto-ness as a hip cultural idiom, despite its disturbing ramifications, as a means of making money. She showcases Black rappers raised in privileged families who have taken on the ghetto persona and sold millions of albums, and non-Black celebrities, such as Paris Hilton, who have adopted ghetto attitudes and styles in pursuit of attention and notoriety. She explores, as well, her own relationship to the ghetto and the ways in which she is both part of and outside the Ghettonation.

Infused with humor and entertaining asides—including lists of events and people that the author nominates for the Ghetto Hall of Fame, and a short section written entirely in ghetto slang—Ghettonation is a timely and engrossing report on a controversial social phenomenon. Like Bill Cosby’s infamous, much-discussed comments about the problems within the Black community today, it is sure to trigger widespread interest and heated debate.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 4.5) - A Mindset.......2007-09-29

Author Cora Daniels gives us her take on what she believes is ghetto. She states that ghetto is a mindset and no one is immune from it be it, inner city or suburban residents. While this is not a critical analysis of the ghetto phenomenon, Daniels does site some sociological ills and possible blame. That in itself is cause for debate.

Often portrayed with humor, the author interviews an array of people on what their take is of the term ghetto; what ghetto is to one may not be ghetto to another, be it children or adults. She speaks with boys hanging on street corners, boys and girls who are doing well academically and have college set in their minds and those who have done well financially, but chose to stay in the inner city, further demonstrating that ghetto is a mindset and running to suburbia does not eliminate the ghetto mentality, nor the chance you may see not ghetto. While GHETTONATION by Cora Daniels can cause a serious debate, it is also a reality check for many.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

5 out of 5 stars A great book even though some readers miss the point!.......2007-08-29

A Great book that will have a broad appeal to people of all ages! To those of you who feel like the book didn't offer you enough, I think that you miss the point that this book is written not just for the highly educated but its also written in a style that is of interest to the young men and women on the street corner. BrotherMan on the corner is not interested in black socialism or a book about black culturalism. This book is a wake up call to all people in the sense that it's asking you to think about what it is that you do and why you do those things that are considered to be ghetto. On that note, Mrs Daniels hit the mark. Pass it on to those that are ghetto fabulous and see if you have something worthwhile to talk about! Peace!

5 out of 5 stars 'Should be on Oprah's Book Club list.......2007-08-25

Some weeks ago I watched as a mainstream television newscaster referred to the police as the "po po's," a term that is, at this moment used by inner city youth. It's obvious that when such language becomes "accepted" by the mainstream, the words are on their way out...or are they?

Author Cora Daniels would probably say that such usage is further indication of the ghettonization of America and she's more than likely correct. In her amusing and thought-provoking book, the writer exposes all the aspects of American society that reflects how the ghetto mentality flourishes. She sites the entertainment industry, Madison Avenue, professional sports, as well as the everyday instances wherein that which we once thought was only a part of the inner city has become commonplace.

As entertaining as the book is, she hits hard when she challenges readers to consider her words and take action in order to stop or, at least, slow down the spread of "ghettoism" in this nation.

This is a definite "must read" for all Americans that want to understand what's going, not just with the young people, but among us all as we fall further and further into the rationale of the street.

5 out of 5 stars Finally, someone who articulates the problem!.......2007-08-21

Suffering for sometime from the notion that the end is nigh for American civilization, being assaulted daily by the sights, sounds and stories of angry babbymammas and the gangstas who did 'em wrong, mysogynistic rap, the objectification of the female figure everywhere; girls as young as ten wearing t-shirts that read "If you surf I'm available" and crusted with bling, picking visible thongs out of their exposed cracks; young folk with the crazed look of meth/crack/coke in their eyes; fearless pedophiles defiant both about their sickness and civil rights; celebrities crashing and burning; and wondering who and where were the new role models, and where were our real poets and music makers -- and please don't tell me its Fall Out Boy, The White Stripes, or Pussy Cat Dolls or Beyonce or Timblaland or Timberlake-- I wearily picked this book up at my local library and began to read, and continued, and couldn't stop. In fact, I read Ghettonation in two readings, stopping only to pick up my kids from school and make a (rather ghetto) meal of hotdogs and canned beans. I had to rush back to this book.

I've been wrestling with American notions of class, race, identity, the decline of Western civilization, economic disparities, greed and respect, what constitutes illegal immigrants, education, environmental devastation, pitbulls, drugs, babymammas, and rap and hip hop music for a decade and more. I see how lowering the bar, for all of us, has resulted in a free fall for relationships, in parenting, manners, basic common sense, civility, charity, and even basic human discourse. In Ghettonation, Ms. Daniels finally articulated my inchoate thoughts and theories.

When Gwenyth Paltrow called her baby Apple that was a ghetto move. What a concept! This patrician looking, some would say Aryan, blonde with blue eyes doing something other than the classy she generally projects, but it's an absolute spot-on observation. An ah-hah moment, and this book has no shortage of other such examples to remind us all that ghetto isn't a class thing, it's not a race thing, it's simply about not being the best of what we can and should be.

The section on ghetto literature is terrifying. Proceed with caution. I had no idea these books were B. available and B. popular. I also had no idea that high profile music industry figures, such as Snoop Dogg (and more recently Dave Navarro) were getting involved in porn and doing well with it. Yes, we've come a long way from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and MoTown. Yes, we are much more morally bankrupt than we used to be, even compared to the anything goes 70s days of decadence.

This is an important book, it's a wake up call to all who care about the world and our human family, that we need to be smart, we need to be kinder, we need to take care of our children, our business, our schools, and our world. It's the only one we have.

Thanks, Ms. Daniels, for this eye opening and cogent analysis of the most urgent problem facing America today. You managed to walk the fine line without resorting to snobbery, elitism, and also without giving an inch.

Ghettonation is essential reading.

2 out of 5 stars Long on Examples, Short on Analysis.......2007-07-26

This book offers a blend of opinion, autobiography, and ethnography to ask why "ghetto" (and its adjectival uses, as in "That's sooo ghetto") has become an accepted "mind-set" in this country. Daniels does well to catalog the many ways in which ghetto culture is organized by "low expectations" and fosters carelessness, irresponsibility, and general unpleasantness. Her examples can be illuminating, including the website Gizoogle.com, which translates any webpage into "ghettospeak."

The problem with this book is its complete lack of organization and argumentative structure. I second one reviewer's claim that Daniels tends to substitute her own rambling musings for critical social analysis. Her back-and-forth rhetoric about "I'm ghetto, I'm not ghetto" typifies this problem: Daniels seems to think her examples are so self-evident that we should already know WHY she supposedly "is" or "isn't" ghetto. This sleight of hand is inexcusable for a book that means to delineate the properties of the "ghetto mind-set." We expect explanation here, not self-indulgent "you know it when you see it" joking.

The book also suffers from having an overly expansive definition of the ghetto mind-set. Daniels's examples are so wide-ranging and far-fetched (even referencing the heir to the throne of Monaco's philandering) that she loses sight of the specific (social, cultural, historical) reasons why "ghetto" has become fashionable among American youth. At times it seems Daniels interprets ghetto as signifying anything (or anyone) that thrives off "low expectations." Such an abstract definition means very little when applied to concrete examples.

In the end, I wanted more critical focus in this book. (A little less authorly self-indulgence would have helped.) The examples are sometimes illuminating, as I noted, but Daniels's basic theme is tackled more pointedly in black sociological criticism and black cultural studies.
Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Rome Sweet Home
  • Great read!
  • Stunning
  • Rome Sweet Home:Our Journey to Catholicism
  • 5 stars plus diamonds
 Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism
Scott Hahn , and Kimberly Hahn
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0898704782

Book Description

The well-known and very popular Catholic couple, Scott and Kimberly Hahn, have been constantly travelling and speaking all over North America for the last few years about their conversion to the Catholic Church. Now these two outstanding Catholic apologists tell in their own words about the incredible spiritual journey that led them to embrace Catholicism. Scott Hahn was a Presbyterian minister, the top student in his seminary class, a brilliant Scripture scholar, and militantly anti-Catholic ... until he reluctantly began to discover that his "enemy" had all the right answers. Kimberly, also a top-notch theology student in the seminary, is the daughter of a well-known Protestant minister, and went through a tremendous "dark night of the soul" after Scott converted to Catholicism.

Their conversion story and love for the Church has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of lukewarm Catholics and brought them back into an active participation in the Church. They have also influenced countless conversions to Catholicism among their friends and others who have heard their powerful testimony.

Written with simplicity, charity, grace and wit, the Hahns' deep love and knowledge of Christ and of Scripture is evident and contagious throughout their story. Their love of truth and of neighbor is equally evident, and their theological focus on the great importance of the family, both biological and spiritual, will be a source of inspiration for all readers.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Rome Sweet Home.......2007-09-07

This book is the Journey taken by Scott and Kimberly Hahn to the Catholic Church. They write from the bottom of their heart. You feel the pain they are experiencing during this time and you yearn to see this family united in their beliefs.
Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism
I cried with them and rejoiced with them as I read their compelling story. I feel renewed in my faith by their tumultuous journey.

5 out of 5 stars Great read!.......2007-08-28

After reading My Life On The Rock, by Jeff Cavins, I was dieing to know what his wife must have experienced during her husbands "coming home". It was great to be able to read about Scott's wife's experience. I think all Catholics should recommend this book to their non-catholic friends and family!

5 out of 5 stars Stunning.......2007-07-19

This book was amazing, I felt myself going through the ups and downs of the Hahns. Great primer for the more difficult apologetics books.

5 out of 5 stars Rome Sweet Home:Our Journey to Catholicism.......2007-06-10

Intensive and Honest about the Faith Journey Scott and Kimberly Hahn took on the road to the Catholic Church,it is an easy read and filled with life experiences that have made their Faith Shine.

5 out of 5 stars 5 stars plus diamonds.......2007-06-08

Reading this book is like opening my eyes that our home is FULL of HEAVENLY TREASURES, and it's FREE. I had never before so in love with CHRIST. Now I even love HIM more and more each day, knowing that HE is always at HOME, welcoming us.
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
 History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey Through the Middle East
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent "on the ground" account of the Middle East
  • Entertaining and educational
  • Its approach and presentation are winning.
  • Surprisingly Good Read
  • Travalog as Contrivance for US fForeign Policy
 Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey Through the Middle East
Benjamin Orbach
Manufacturer: AMACOM/American Management Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  4. The Rough Guide to Jordan - 3rd Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides) The Rough Guide to Jordan - 3rd Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
  5. The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank

ASIN: 0814474276

Book Description

One man's irreverent and insightful chronicle of his journey into the Arab World.

The deejay put on a James Brown remix, and the club went nuts again. Everyone started singing in English, and people climbed up on all the club's tables and chairs to shake their hipsÃ-On my way home at 4:00 a.m. (the club was still hopping when I left), I couldn't help thinking about all these wealthy Jordanians and Palestinians, dressed in American and European labels, dancing and singing to American music with such sheer joy. . . . As far as I know, there isn't a word in Arabic for "longing for America," but that is what this night, this scene, and this club seemed to be about.--from Live from Jordan

On the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 27-year old Pittsburgh native and grad student Benjamin Orbach traveled to Amman, Jordan, in search of answers. Young, confident, and optimistic, Orbach anointed himself America's secret diplomatic weapon. He was finishing a degree in Middle Eastern studies, had a working knowledge of Arabic, and possessed the determination to "negotiate a peace treaty."

He also had no place to live, little money, and no friends to speak of in Jordan. As Ben Orbach spent his first few days in the Middle East in search of a hot shower, the address of his new flat, and a decent haircut, he began to discover something much more important. In the cafes and salons, and on the buses and streets of Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Turkey, he found conflicted, curious, and multilayered people who had more to teach him than he ever imagined. From bustling bazaars to an underground brothel, Live from Jordan is the incredible story, told via his eloquent, compassionate, and irreverent letters home, of Orbach's 13-month journey through the Middle East.

Through Orbach's eyes, we begin to see a world where nothing is quite what it seems, a world that is more intricate than what is portrayed in 30-second sounds bites on American television. We meet people like Sundos, a Jordan University freshman who digs surfing the Internet, and Fadi, his sensitive, passionate Palestinian flatmate, who belts out the lyrics of Mariah Carey songs and decries the policies of George Bush. From the privileged young clubbers of Amman to the beleaguered workers who cram themselves into buses every day in search of a meager salary, we begin to see the Middle East as it really is.

As he travels from the throbbing streets of Cairo to the friendly living rooms of ordinary people in Jordan, Ben Orbach offers an honest, balanced portrait of a region in turmoil. Engaging, witty, and evocative, Live from Jordan is a myth-breaking book that transports us to a world that is more multifaceted, more beautiful, and more seductive than many of us have ever imagined.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent "on the ground" account of the Middle East.......2007-09-27

This book is an excellent account of everyday life in Jordan and Egypt, as well as an account of the history, politics and economics of the region. I visited Jordan before this book was published. I wish I would have had it before I went, especially for the perspectives of the Palestinians in Jordan. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars Entertaining and educational.......2007-09-16

I found Live from Jordan to be entertaining and educational. Orbach does an excellent job providing a first hand account of his experiences in the Middle East. He provides great insight into daily life in the region as well as the complex issues and nuances faced in his daily travels. Orbach's stories are well detailed and often humorous making for an enlightening and enjoyable read.

5 out of 5 stars Its approach and presentation are winning........2007-07-09

Any collection strong in modern Middle East issues and studies, whether it be at the college level for sociology courses or in public library holdings, will find LIVE FROM JORDAN: LETTERS HOME FROM MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST to be a winner. On the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq the Pittsburgh native and grad student Benjamin Orbach traveled to Amman, Jordan to finish a degree in Middle Eastern studies. He had no place to live, little money, and no friends in the region - and through his 13-month series of journeys he discovered a land and people not ordinarily presented through media reporter's eyes. Any who would really learn about the Middle East must have LIVE FROM JORDAN: its approach and presentation are winning.

5 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Read.......2007-07-05

Being half Arabic, I was skeptical before I picked up the book because I assumed it would be written with a tone in which I wouldn't agree. However, what I found was an insightful novel that was both funny and thought-provoking.

Mr. Orbach writes in a wonderful tone that brings his experiences to life while doing an amazing job explaining the perceptions surrounding the situation in the Middle East - from all sides.

I highly recommend this book as an enjoyable travel read and as a remarkably understandable historical and social account of events in the Middle East.

5 out of 5 stars Travalog as Contrivance for US fForeign Policy.......2007-06-24

Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey
Through the Middle East by Benjamin Orbach

My criteria for liking a book are to meld content
and style. I finally came upon a book that is ostensibly a travelogue but really is a very good discovery of the complexity of the peoples of Arabia, particularly the people of "the Arab street" in Damascus, Amman and Cairo. The peoples have differing cultures, language dialects and are still pulled by tribal instinct.

Mr. Orbach shows that the populations of these
countries are extremely variegated - to the extent
that US foreign policy decision-makers cannot make glib pronouncements on the basis of "truth, justice and the American way."

Victims of exploitative colonialism and greedy
dictators, the common people seem unremarkably passive, with a predilection for regime change if not for revolution. The internet, among other things, has brought: other visions to the common folk; experiences of freedom of thought; and the materialistic comforts as the result of their enterprise.

The spark to ignite the lethal explosive between them and the dictator seems not too far off. And yet, the common people may not have a palatable solution for the Israeli's or Jews. Indeed, the author feared identifying himself as a Jew, thinking it enough of a shock that an American was in their midst - who even spoke their own Arabic dialect.

We learn the living conditions, the oppressive work and the little time for "fun." It makes me wonder what will occur when nation building is accomplished. What type of government overthrow will occur and what role will the United State play in regime change, if any at all?

All in all, this book is well worth the read to
sensitize the Western reader that the "Arabs" are
not a monolithic body, all of whom are terrorists.



Art Finkle
Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A Spiritual Journey
  • A spell-binding read!
  • The Cure for the unnamed Problem
  • Inspirational!
  • Read all three, Please!!!!
 Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home
Sue Bender
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
InspirationalInspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
MeditationsMeditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Personal TransformationPersonal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0062512900

Amazon.com

When Sue Bender proudly announced to a friend that her first book, Plain and Simple had made it to the New York Times bestseller list, her friend immediately shot back, "But what number on the list are you?" Bender was shocked, realizing that nothing we accomplish seems like enough in our overly pressured world. In Everyday Sacred we follow Bender on her quest to make every moment enough. Cleaning a desk, sipping cappuccino, making computer connections, and appreciating freshly painted walls all become opportunities to satiate one's life with sacred encounters. The end product reads like an Amish quilt--simple vignettes sewn together to create a comfortable lifetime companion.

Book Description

Her struggle is one keenly felt in today's intensely pressured and time-starved world: how can we experience our lives fully in whatever we are doing at the moment—whether cleaning the kitchen, faced with a situation that frustrates us, or momentarily exhilarated by some new fortune that's befallen us. Inspired by the image of the empty `begging bowl' that Zen monks would start each day with to solicit enough food to nourish and sustain them, Bender discovers for herself—and shows us in the process—how to find that which is `just enough' to fill our lives each day. The lessons along Bender's path of `doubt and hope' reveal that each step is a place to learn and that `we can seek the sacred everywhere—in our homes, in our daily activities, and hardest to see, in ourselves'.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Journey.......2007-05-15

"Everyday Sacred; A Woman's Journey Home" by Sue Bender is a book about the author's spiritual journey while living amidst the Amish. Bender highlights that each day, and the 'everyday' within each day is sacred. There are many opportunities to experience sacred encounters in one's life, by focusing on appreciation of simplicity and the little things in life such as enjoying a warm cup of tea or noticing the beauty of flowers in your garden. All in all 'Everyday Sacred' offers clarity, optimism and hope amidst our modern world that is all too often hectic and stressful. What I enjoyed most about 'Everyday Sacred' is that reading the book really did take me on an experiental journey into the sacred; most remarkable! Congratulations Sue Bender on writing such an inspiring and successful book.

If you like 'Everyday Sacred' then you'll love NEXUS by Deborah Morrison and Arvind Singh, a successful, new age debut novel, an absorbing guide to the dazzling universe of spirituality in terms of life's joys and sorrows. NEXUS enriches our understanding of heart-centered, soulful living, enlightenment and compassion. All over the planet people of all faiths and backgrounds are suddenly experiencing an intense attraction for the wisdom and knowledge of NEXUS, a book that has already achieved top 100 status on several bestsellers lists! Nexus: A Neo Novel

5 out of 5 stars A spell-binding read!.......2006-10-06

After witnessing the recent horror (school massacre) inflicted upon the Amish community, "Everyday Sacred" is a timely reminder that they and the human spirit will endure.

It reminds us to ask not what we lack, but to appreciate, daily, what we already have. My favorite quote from the book is: "Don't try for perfection. Trying to be good enough will be plenty."

I am giving it my highest recommendation because it is more than good enough - it is a spell-binding read!

Reginald V. Johnson, Author, "How To Be Happy, Successful And Rich"

2 out of 5 stars The Cure for the unnamed Problem.......2006-06-01

It's a great description of the Spritual Cure.... but we never analyze what was wrong in the first place... it's a type of Narcissism which in her case comes into conflict with her religious values and forced her to develop her spritual walk as a cure.

And it's a good cure, often overlooked because we neglect to name the Beast thats at the core.So the spiritual cure goes untried.

5 out of 5 stars Inspirational!.......2006-03-01

This book fell into my lap at a time when I was "most ready" to hear it, so my review may be tainted. It was so inspirational to me, and I absolutely loved the analogies and word pictures that Sue Bender used. I refer to those illustrations in my mind nearly every day. I use this book as my nightstand "go to book" when I need a spiritual pick-me-up. It is beautiful, articulate, and powerful. I have sent copies to nearly everyone I know because I believe anyone and everyone, no matter what your spiritual beliefs are, can benefit from Ms Bender's eloquent writing.

5 out of 5 stars Read all three, Please!!!!.......2003-02-04

I bought all of her books at the same time and read them in
reverse order. No kidding! Each touched me and healed and
helped me. I am much more effective and sensitive to myself
now. I have slowed down, I have done what she suggests. I even
visited an AMish farm and bought chickens after reading this
and more deeply appreciated the experience after reading these
books. I can't tell you which taught me what, I just know they
are brilliant. I gave them to a treasured friend and encouraged
her to pass them on to other women seeking balance and enlightenment. I lived in Berkeley too...so it was fun to
revisit those memories!
Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Connection to the Land
  • An Insight into Place and Community.
  • Review of Bill McKibben's "Wandering Home"
  • Thin but worth reading
  • A dangerous book
 Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys)
Bill Mckibben
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Essays & TraveloguesEssays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | New York | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
AdirondacksAdirondacks | New York | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
VermontVermont | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0609610732
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Book Description

The acclaimed author of The End of Nature takes a three-week walk from his current home in Vermont to his former home in the Adirondacks and reflects on the deep hope he finds in the two landscapes.

Bill McKibben begins his journey atop Vermont’s Mt. Abraham, with a stunning view to the west that introduces us to the broad Champlain Valley of Vermont, the expanse of Lake Champlain, and behind it the towering wall of the Adirondacks. “In my experience,” McKibben tells us, “the world contains no finer blend of soil and rock and water and forest than that found in this scene laid out before me—a few just as fine, perhaps, but none finer. And no place where the essential human skills—cooperation, husbandry, restraint—offer more possibility for competent and graceful inhabitation, for working out the answers that the planet is posing in this age of ecological pinch and social fray.”

The region he traverses offers a fine contrast between diverse forms of human habitation and pure wilderness. On the Vermont side, he visits with old friends who are trying to sustain traditional ways of living on the land and to invent new ones, from wineries to biodiesel. After crossing the lake in a rowboat, he backpacks south for ten days through the vast Adirondack woods. As he walks, he contemplates the questions that he first began to raise in his groundbreaking meditation on climate change, The End of Nature: What constitutes the natural? How much human intervention can a place stand before it loses its essence? What does it mean for a place to be truly wild?

Wandering Home is a wise and hopeful book that enables us to better understand these questions and our place in the natural world. It also represents some of the best nature writing McKibben has ever done.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Connection to the Land.......2007-06-26

I have spent much of my recreational time in the two places Bill McKibben writes about in this book -- The Adirondacks of New York and the Champlain Valley of Vermont. They both offer some of the most beautiful, pastoral scenery in the US. From Lake Champlain itself you can see the Green Mountains of Vermont on one side and the Adirondack Mountains of New York on the other. As Mr. KcKibben points out, while they may look similar and proximate from afar, each is quite different from the other. The Champlain Valley is more pastoral, bucolic and New England-like. The Adirondacks are much more rugged, wilderness-like and rough around the edges. Both can call to you in a way that becomes a lifetime's pursuit.

This book is an easy and short read. It is engaging, paints wonderful pictures with words and gets you to think about the tension between a simpler life closer to the natural world and modern society and progress/development. He is fair in his assessment of the joys and the struggles associated with a simpler life closer to nature. I don't know who would enjoy this book more - the person who has enjoyed this simpler life or one who can only imagine it through books like this one. I highly recommend this book for people who love this part of the world or who have thought about getting closer to the land and living a simpler life.

4 out of 5 stars An Insight into Place and Community........2006-10-17

Bill McKibben describes a walk through place and community. The community is bound by a geographic region but the displaced reader is imperceptibly drawn into the mind-set of McKibben and his guests. You are introduced to a group who love the land on the Vermont/New York border and recognise it as one of the few "wild" places left in America. It is their passion to preserve and conserve that comes through and it is infectious. The book inspires the reader to analyse their relationship to place and modes of behaviour driven by place. The antithesis of economic consumption exists in all of us, however repressed. Bill brings it to the fore. The effect on the distant reader is such that you will join the community despite being so far way. Bravo Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 out of 5 stars Review of Bill McKibben's "Wandering Home".......2006-05-15

Bill McKibben walks for sixteen days through the Adirondack Mountains to share his love of the land with his readers but what makes the book so special are the people Bill introduces, walks with, and talks with (and about...) along his journey. I was a Travel Agent for five years and was lucky enough to be sent to some of the best, first class places in America and this journey that Bill McKibben takes us on with his words is more meaningful than many of those places I went to which include the Grand Canyon & Scottsdale, AZ; the San Francisco Bay Area; Paradise Island & Nassau, Bahamas; Manhattan; the Sierra-Nevada Mountains (by train); and New Orleans & Mississippi River Cruise!

Each authentic and real person that McKibben joins on his trek lends a hand in telling the story. The book is as much about the beauty of the people as it is of the land. I grew up twenty miles away from the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, and presently I am a steward and guardian of 400 acres of land in central PA with my husband, his uncle, and my husband's brother and I share and appreciate Bill McKibben's deep love for the power of nature, the wild, and the people. I found John Davis (owns a bicycle, no car) as one of the most interesting characters in the book. I also like the stories of Chris Shaw, who has the good sense of memorializing the people who have passed on but that once lived in the Adirondacks and give the book historical authenticity. My favorite stories in the book are from Donald Armstrong and especially Armstrong's memory he shares with McKibben (and us) about Don's wife, Velda and a fly-fishing event. I laughed so hard I cried! It is a funny moment, but this husband-wife story is so cute and sweet, and gives one a feeling of nostalgia. (The church steeple is a cool part, too.) This is a gem of a story and Wandering Home is a gem of a book.

I am a people person and for the first few chapters of Wandering Home I'm thinking that it is too bad Bill McKibben spends all this passion on the Adirondacks. I imagine what his passion could do to improve the lives of the infirm or impoverished people. Much to my chagrin, in the last few chapters McKibben admits this deficit with charm and honesty. He admits he should spend more time helping the less fortunate, and then justifies his love and preservation of the Adirondacks as his way of giving something back to people. And, I agree that he has. Furthermore, he explains that he tries not to be a drain on the planet. If only we could all think this way, maybe our global warming and environmental problems would vanish. For the first time in my life, I realize the full extent of the impact that people have had and still have on our surroundings and I am saddened and sickened by it. (I imagine a sunrise or a sunset over a mountain, or an ocean breeze I thank God there are still a few areas left in this world that man / woman hasn't been able to get his / her hands on.)

I do have one eco-criticism of Wandering Home. Bill writes that he and John Davis climb to the top of Owl's Head on page 93 of his book. Owl's Head is a considerable distance away from Bristol, and is not included in the path outlined on the inside covers of his book. But, every author has to create mystery in some way, right? Judging by the description of Owl's Head I can see why McKibben would include it in his "walk" since Owl's Head sounds like a stunning place with it's 390 degree view of the Adirondack mountains. On my map, Owl's Head is about sixty miles north of Lake Placid one way, as the crow flies.

Dr. Robert Bernard Hass (English Professor, poet, writer, and Robert Frost expert at Edinboro University) and I got into a discussion about hyper-individualism in class one day. Dr. Hass told me about his friend named Bill McKibben and how McKibben writes about hyper-individualism and that a good place to start on the subject would be Wandering Home. I am grateful that Hass recommended the book to me. It was a book that I was sad to see end, but a journey I will always remember in more ways than one. I was so inspired that I am planning on a short family vacation to the Adirondacks for this summer. I will do my best to demonstrate a sense of forest preservation and protection while I'm there, visiting the wild of the Adirondacks.

4 out of 5 stars Thin but worth reading.......2006-04-06

This book is thin. I mean literally. It is really just a somewhat longish essay. I was disappointed that there was not more depth, more history, more "more."

This is the story of McKibben's amble from Vermont to the central Adirondacks, with a crossing by row boat of Lake Champlain. McKibben is a good writer and he loves this landscape and is very concerned about it and its place in the global environment, but I could not help comparing him and this book to another Bill-namely Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is a much more energetic writer. In my opinion, he is funnier and deeper than McKibben. A Walk in the Woods is a great book, Wandering Home is light weight by comparison.

McKibben has some very good thoughts on environmental issues and expresses an admirable moderation in this book. He is especially sensitive to the complexity of many environmental issues and actively criticizes the "knee-jerk" environmentalists for over-simplifying the issues in many cases. On the other hand, McKibben is something of a romantic airhead. Often his ruminations are fatuous and patronizing; for example, his dogma that those simple Vermont farmers and old Adirondack loggers that he's met are more "authentic" than you or I (McKibben makes this claim more than once in Wandering Home).

Nevertheless, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. McKibben loves the Adirondacks and so do I. In this short book he's managed to capture something of the flavor of the hidden Adirondacks, that fortunately so few people know. The Adirondack Park of New York is the most beautiful sylvan landscape in the world. McKibben's book raises, but barely starts to answer, such questions as why and how to protect and preserve the Adirondacks and other similarly blessed places.

5 out of 5 stars A dangerous book.......2005-10-24

Bill McKibben is a thoughtful writer. Most of all, this book made me wish I could take a hike with him and meet the land he loves so much. Be warned that this book might make you homesick, even if you've never been to Vermont or the Adirondacks. But beyond that, the book has some serious points to make.

I'm a suburbanite trapped in the cycle of debt that has sucked in so many Americans (in my case, student loans and a mortgage). I work for the Department of Commerce. I have a husband. I have a child who is addicted to video games. I don't have the money or the freedom to move to the Adirondacks, or even take a trip there. This book is a reminder that Americans don't have to live the way we do. We might very well be happier if we got rid of a lot of our stuff and lived more lightly on the land. Of course, McKibben punctures that little bubble by pointing out that a lot of people have tried to do that in Vermont, with laughable results.

I believe that once the cheap oil is gone, life in America is going to be very different. Ordinary American life today puts so much emphasis on getting places quickly. In the not-so-distant future we're going to be staying much more in one spot, and only rarely going anywhere we can't reach on foot or bicycle. This book is a reminder that such a stationary life might not be so bad. There's more to a meaningful and happy existence than what cheap gasoline and Wal-Mart can bring. Maybe someday the science of economics will remember that.
Home Sweet Home: A Journey Through Mary's Dream Home
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Inspirational book: One of Mary's many beautiful homes!
  • Amazing Cottage Style...It's all in the details!
  • Home Sweet Home : A Journey Through Mary's Dream Home
  • A lovely look inside Mary's home!
  • Love, Love, Love
 Home Sweet Home: A Journey Through Mary's Dream Home
Mary Engelbreit
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

StyleStyle | Interior Design | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Mary EngelbreitMary Engelbreit | Expert Advice | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
DecoratingDecorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0740745123

Book Description

Mary Englebreit has "visited" readers' homes for years. Her charming and homey illustrations have graced millions of cookbooks, calendars, journals, home accents, and greeting cards. Home Sweet Home offers readers the chance to peek at the prolific artist's inspiration-her own home in St. Louis, Mo. Home Sweet Home is a beautifully photographed and lovingly narrated tour of the cozy home Mary was meant to live in.The tour offers a rare glimpse at Mary's vibrant kitchen (classic Mary: black and white and red all over) with its warm, rich hardwood floors, and the soft, buttery tones of her living room, which opens suddenly and dramatically into an airy space that almost seems to be outdoors.Countless nooks and crannies are peppered with Mary's many favorite collections-clearly the inspiration for her art.In addition to the hundreds of sumptuous photographs and plentiful practical decorating advice, Home Sweet Home explains the method behind Mary's decorating genius, dispels common decorating myths, and gives insight into Mary's fairy-tale world.Home Sweet Home will inspire even a novice decorator to create a home that is distinctly her own.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Inspirational book: One of Mary's many beautiful homes! .......2007-06-28


This book is larger than a person might think.
Even though the book is about just one home (ie: ONE of Mary's favorite homes), each page is filled with inspirational ideas. Page after page, the viewer of Mary's favorite dream home will be dazzled by the way in which Mary puts colors and collections (& garden ideas) together. Wow!

Interestingly enough, since this book was written, Mary has already re-decorated this home just recently! So if you want to see how Mary has transformed this dream home even further, you can see the new transformations in the latest iussue of Mary's HOME COMPANION MAGAZINE(Spring 2007 issue). It's fun to refer back to this book, and then to look inside the Spring 2007 magazine photos of Mary's creative ideas expressed once more in her "favorite dream home".



5 out of 5 stars Amazing Cottage Style...It's all in the details!.......2006-12-17

Absolutely STUNNING book. I have poured over this one MANY times. Something for everyone...whether you like Shabby Chic, classic ME cherries, beautiful English Garden, gorgeous book. So Cottagey and sweet. Very sentimental and collected....sort of a managed, organized, slightly tangled chaos of great stuff!

I was not dissapointed. I'm more of the shabby chic, cottage garden type and I loved it. There was also all the classic Mary stuff, so truly I think it would please most.

5 out of 5 stars Home Sweet Home : A Journey Through Mary's Dream Home.......2006-02-22

I think this book is fabulous. I would love even more pictures and details. I would love a floor plan to be able to get a better sense of scale. It left me wanting more and that is always good.

Karen Uda

5 out of 5 stars A lovely look inside Mary's home!.......2005-07-27

Do you ever drive by a great house and wish you could look inside? Well...that's what this book is like!

You get to see all the rooms in Mary's house in detail. It is wonderful to be able to really study the stunning pictures for the smallest ideas. Mary tells the story of how she bought the house and how she loved it for years before it became hers.

You are sure to enjoy this book. It is a visual delight!:)

5 out of 5 stars Love, Love, Love.......2005-05-19

As a collector of decorating books with beautifull photos, I loved this book! If you love full-page, bright photographs of rooms, this will not disappoint. Highly recommend!
Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Street of Dreams
 Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey
James Attlee
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Great Britain | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books
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  5. Be Near Me Be Near Me

ASIN: 0226030938

Book Description

Through the centuries, people from all walks of life have heard the siren call of a pilgrimage, the lure to journey away from the familiar in search of understanding. But is a pilgrimage even possible these days for city-dwellers enmeshed in the pressures of work and family life? Or is there a way to be a pilgrim without leaving one’s life behind? James Attlee answers these questions with Isolarion, a thoughtful, streetwise, and personal account of his pilgrimage to a place he thought he already knew—the Cowley Road in Oxford, right outside his door.

Isolarion takes its title from a type of fifteenth-century map that isolates an area in order to present it in detail, and that’s what Attlee, sharp-eyed and armed with tape recorder and notebook, provides for Cowley Road. The former site of a leper hospital, a workhouse, and a medieval well said to have miraculous healing powers, Cowley Road has little to do with the dreaming spires of the tourist’s or student’s Oxford. What Attlee presents instead is a thoroughly modern, impressively cosmopolitan, and utterly organic collection of shops, restaurants, pubs, and religious establishments teeming with life and reflecting the multicultural makeup of the surrounding neighborhood.

From a sojourn in a sensory-deprivation tank to a furtive visit to an unmarked pornography emporium, Attlee investigates every aspect of the Cowley Road’s appealingly eclectic culture, where halal shops jostle with craft jewelers and reggae clubs pulsate alongside quiet churchyards. But the very diversity that is, for Attlee, the essence of Cowley Road’s appeal is under attack from well-meaning city planners and predatory developers. His pilgrimage is thus invested with melancholy: will the messy glories of the Cowley Road be lost to creeping homogenization?

Drawing inspiration from sources ranging from Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy to contemporary art, Attlee is a charming and companionable guide who revels in the extraordinary embedded in the everyday. Isolarion is at once a road movie, a quixotic stand against uniformity, and a rousing hymn in praise of the complex, invigorating nature of the twenty-first-century city.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Street of Dreams.......2007-05-28

The author writes about his investigations arising from walks along a modern mixed-cultural and commercial street, Cowley Road, near both his home and Oxford University. Mr. Attlee, a talented writer, is best when allowing the shopkeepers and others with ties to the ancient street tell their own stories. However, the book, as it proceeds, slides into ever more of Mr. Attlee's thoughts on life (anti-automobile, anti-Iraq war, anti-big business) than on the more interesting and vibrant community that borders Cowley Road.
The Journey Home: A Kryon Parable, The Story of Michael Thomas and the Seven Angels
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • spiritual journey...
  • An Inspirational Tale
  • You'll be surprised!
  • The Journey Home: Akryon Parable, The Story of Michael Thomas and the Seven Angels
  • Home, Home where I wanted to go...and did.
 The Journey Home: A Kryon Parable, The Story of Michael Thomas and the Seven Angels
Lee Carroll
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ChannelingChanneling | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
SpiritualismSpiritualism | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Personal TransformationPersonal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1561705527

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars spiritual journey... .......2007-06-25

and the angel spoke to me and asked me, what is it that you really want? I answered something vague and the angel spoke again, no, what is it that you really want, again I said something what I thought I wanted and again, the angel spoke, you can not escape your true nature, what is it you really want? ...and in that instant I realized what it was I had been looking for all these years. The first time I met my future in-laws, my mother-in-law showed me her deceased sons old bedroom. On his bed was this book, it was the last book he was reading. I opened it up and the first page I read gave me a feeling of being exactly where I was supposed to be in my life at that moment. I got my own book and read it. It is a very spiritual book, what this book leaves with you is more important then how great the story or plot is. Take the journey.

4 out of 5 stars An Inspirational Tale.......2007-01-11

This fantasy novel is an easy read, but not really exciting or compelling. Written at about a 6th grade reading level, the story is somewhat simplistic, and the character development is really weak.

The strength of the novel is it's inspirational value. This is pretty typical of the Kryon material in general, which excels at inspiration, but is not exactly the rocket science of the new age.

The ending of this book is great, despite the fact that it ended exactly the way I expected it to.

Entertainment: 3 stars
Enlightenment: 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars

5 out of 5 stars You'll be surprised!.......2007-01-05

I was not expecting much out of this book but once I started to read it I fell in love with it. It is one of my favorite Kryon books. I found that it relates to life and if you are on a spiritual path this is the story for you.

5 out of 5 stars The Journey Home: Akryon Parable, The Story of Michael Thomas and the Seven Angels.......2005-07-07

This book came to me at a time when I had just lost my father. This story reminded me of how we choose our paths. The story of Michael Thomas and his struggle within and his faith in God.
Life is a lesson learned. This is truly a book to read with an open mind. It has humor, excitement and faith. It may even seem familiar to some. As if we have known certain things about the other side. My mother read this book, she is 74 years old, and this is her all time favorite story. I have given many people the gift of this book. I dont know one person who has not walked away changed, maybe in a small way, but a change will take place.

4 out of 5 stars Home, Home where I wanted to go...and did........2004-09-22

This tale by Kyron is quiet in its presentation yet mighty in subject matter. The title "The Journey Home" suggests that this book is about choosing purpose over aimlessness; hope over hopelessness; a story about the meaning of life and the real definition of "home". Most of us have had moments in our lives where we're pleading with the universe to assist us with getting out of our current life situation; we detest our present reality so much becuase we know something is missing but we don't know what or how to even begin healing our sadness. This book is avaiable to shed some light about our individual missions/contracts here on Earth and how we can come to terms with our overall purpose and still enjoy living our daliy lives as human BEINGS! I first read this this story about 5 years ago and I was easily fooled by it's "simplistic" format and really didn't get the beauty. Everything in this book is consciously written and symbolically presented. It speaks to you on a subconscious level if you have the intent to experience the book this way. My celluar structure responded to the information presented even when my conscious self was just enjoying the journey. The common theme of this tale is "Not everything is as it seems" and this can be applied to just even picking this book up on a whim and not taking it too seriously. Let yourself be open to experiencing this journey. It's a must! If you've gotten this far on the Amazon site and you're reading this review...I think it's about time you read this book! I have greatly benefitted from these words of wisdom and I have enjoyed feeling love along the way. This book reminds us that life is ours for the taking. We are here because we chose to be. Life is not random or meaningless. I know I play a part in the grand scheme of things. Not that I didn;t know this before I read this book, but when everywhere you look these days things seem bleak and black it's nice to spend your time in the positive realm. I just know that we all have our work to do in bringing more light to our lives. That's our only solution. This is our home and our lives. Thanks Kyron and Lee Carroll!
Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • An extraordinary journey, an extraordinary woman
  • Education of Women in the Third World
  • Deep, Intriguing Story
  • Jouney Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home
  • History distilled
 Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home
Veronica Li
Manufacturer: Homa & Sekey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ChineseChinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | China | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1931907439

Book Description

This is a true and touching story of one Chinese woman¡¦s search for home. It is also an inspiring book about human yearning for a better life. To escape poverty, Flora Li fought her way through the education system and became one of the few women to get into the prestigious Hong Kong University. When the Japanese invaded, she fled to unoccupied China, where she met her future husband, the son of China¡¦s finance minister (later deputy prime minister).

She thought she had found the ideal husband, but soon discovered that he suffered from emotional disorders caused by family conflicts and the wars he had grown up in. Whenever he had a breakdown, Flora would move the family to another city, from Shanghai to Nanking to Hong Kong to Bangkok to Taipei and finally across the four seas to the U.S. Throughout her migrations, Flora kept her sight on one goal¡Xproviding her children with the best possible education.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An extraordinary journey, an extraordinary woman.......2007-03-06

A book about a beautiful, determined, intelligent and well-educated Chinese woman, Flora Li, who overcomes all obstacles to ensure an education and a future for her children. She is focused and committed. She refuses to allow a difficult marriage, the frequent need to relocate her family, and the hardships of war stand in the way of her goals for her children. No matter what problems she encounters on her way, she can and will cope.

Her story is at times inspiring and at times harrowing, but there is humor here and the sometimes unexpected twist which surprises and delights. The language is lively and the story is full of cleverly-translated Chinese idioms that are colorful and exotic. The author has captured her mother's voice perfectly. By the end of the book, the reader knows Flora intimately, like a member of one's own family.

As a western reader, I was also fascinated by this glimpse into an unknown world -- that of women in China and the Far East in the decades before and after World War II. Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Education of Women in the Third World.......2007-03-02

At least three strands run through this book. One is of course embedded in the book title: The heroine, Flora's, search for home. A second strand is the Chinese Women's lib: how the attitude of women in China (in this case mostly Hong Kong)changed during Flora's life span from bound feet and near-slavery to full emancipation. But I find the third strand, education, particularly striking. It emerges first in the story of young Flora, an impoverished orphan, who against all odds manages to get herself into primary school, then secondary school, and finally into the prestigious Hong Kong Unversity. The education story re-surfaces during Flora's motherhood when she realizes that her children, particularly her oldest son, will have little or no chance of getting good education unless she transplants the family across the four seas in the USA. And that is what she does.
This is a powerful story of a determined woman who through sheer grit and determination rises from poverty and leaves her children with a solid educational foundation on which to build their lives. A must-read for people concerned with the importance of educating girls in the Third World.

Sverrir Sigurdsson,
Vienna,
Virginia

5 out of 5 stars Deep, Intriguing Story.......2007-02-28

This book was very difficult to put down. It's a fascinating story with many interesting characters that places the reader in a former world that not many know about. The one thing that got to me was the fact that this is plain and simple, a true story. It has the potential to make one more appreciative of life, knowing some of the hardships that Flora confronted as a young woman.

5 out of 5 stars Jouney Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home.......2007-02-27

Veronica Li surely has inherited her mother's gift of story telling. It made me feel like I was there in person to witness the events. This was a fascinating story of how one woman struggled and sacrificed for the betterment of her family. You will laugh and cry with Flora. You will learn about the customs and the way of life of Chinese people during World War II.

Do not read this book unless you have several hours to yourself. Once you have opened the book you will not want to put it down.

5 out of 5 stars History distilled.......2007-02-27

Veronica Li has gleaned the most meaningful aspects of her mother's experience during the great revolution of her prime, weaving it into a heartening story of a woman who recognizes her own strength by fearlessly wading through a life that is tumultuous on both political and personal fronts. Through the tale of one woman, undauntedly persistent in her pursuit of a better life for her children, Veronical Li has chronicled the epic of the Chinese American woman's rise to power.

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