The Phoenix Phenomenon: Rising from the Ashes of Grief

Book Description

A well-written and valuable resource for both grievers and the mental health professionals who help them, this book provides hope for transformational grief and the tools to forge that outcome.

Customer Reviews:

Warm, compassionate guidance.......2004-10-15

This book is like feeling the steady hand of a warm, compassionate friend who will walk with you through every step-all the way from surviving the agony of your loss, helping you cope, recover, be resilient, and eventually find positive new meaning and purpose in your life. Is especially valuable for families and close friends of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack, and those who have lost loved ones in the military.

a sudden loss is not the end.......2000-11-14

This layperson's textbook provides a structure from which a person can understand and evolve from loss in life's journey. The various stages of grief, as described by Dr. Jozefowski, can be traveled to and from. This process is validated within the pages, allowing the griever to realize that others have discovered similar reactions.

Having experienced a sudden traumatic loss of the central person of my life, my mother, only three years ago, the reading of this book greatly relieved my anxiety and angst. Knowing that others have been there, and how they reacted, helped to structure my own healing.

Thank you, Dr. Jozefowski, for providing help and reassurance in my greatest time of need and loss.

a very helpful book.......2000-05-26

My husband and I were given this book by the counselor we have seen since our daughter died. We both found it helpful. I do have to admit that I struggled with chapter 1 and was a bit lost for awhile. If you find yourself in the same predicament, continue reading and it becomes much clearer by chapter 2. Highly recommended for its advice on how to make some sense out of a tragedy.

A valuable guide.......1999-09-27

This book gave me new insights into death issues I've been dealing with for the past few years.

I highly recommend it.

POWERFUL and informative.......1999-09-19

Quite possibly THE only book that deals with the survivors of grief and how they honor their loved ones with their lives. Written for both the grievers and therapist who work with them, this book adds more to the subject of loss, grief and healing than any other. I am a bereaved father who also lost my father and brother - this has been the only book that has come anywhere close to helping me understand what not only I, but other survivors go through. Thank God someone finally made it OKAY for us to lose a loved one and go on living ourselves! I highly recommend it to anyone who has lost a loved one. It should be manadatory reading for all mental health workers.

Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

read better, read worse
Cinderella and a wounded Prince
Disappointing and Tedious
Cinderalla with a magical twist
On to the Wizard of London

Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, Book 3)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0756402727

Book Description

In this dark and atmospheric rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, an intelligent young Englishwoman is made into a virtual slave by her evil stepmother. Her only hope of rescue comes in the shape of a scarred World War I pilot of noble blood, whose own powers over the elements are about to be needed more than ever.

Customer Reviews:

read better, read worse.......2007-03-20

I've read most of Mercedes Lackey's books, and this one is "eh" it had it's moments of really good... but it was very predictable. I thought it actually would fit better with her works about the 500 kingdoms, because it was SO based on the fable of Cinderella. However, it was an interesting take on the cinderella story. The other books in the Elemental Masters Series all seem to be fairly unique plots, and I was hoping this would be the same. I found it disappointing.

Cinderella and a wounded Prince.......2007-02-16

A new way to tell Cinderella's tale, but still exhibiting the intelligence and humor that we appreciate in her Five Hundred Kingdom's series, Mercedes Lackey's tale of star-crossed elemental mages is good drama, good romance, and a good read. Poignant aspects of England's experience in World War I, well researched and sensitively presented, form a backdrop to the story. The protagonists are, one, an heiress forced to labor at the hearth by a darkside Earth Mage stepmother who cuts off the girl's finger to set a binding spell , and two, an anristocratic young Air Mage, a brilliant pilot, who nearly dies from war trauma and the special awarenesses of his kind when he is trapped in the hellish trenches of the WWI battle field. He has returned home, but is locked in a fight for his life and his sanity as the Cinderella-like heiress gradually learns her powers as a Fire Mage and fights her way to freedom. The two come together to defeat the dark mage in a very satisfying ending. Nice little romance, understated but satisfying.

Disappointing and Tedious.......2007-01-29

I normally love Mercedes' stories, but this one was tedious, repititious, and extremely predictable. I found myself skimming over many parts of the book, ie. a description of every person Reggie could not confide in. The very interesting Aunts were only in a few pages. She went on ad nauseum about war and the men who perpetuate them. I simply did not enjoy this book. I'm sticking with Valdemar.

Cinderalla with a magical twist.......2006-11-17

Eleanor Robinson is slave to her stepmother, Alison and two stepsisters after her father is killed in the Great War. Her stepmother binds her to the house they live in using her magic and forces her to be servant. For Eleanor's stepmother is an Elemental Master of the Earth.

Reggie Fenyx is a returning war hero but a torn and battered one. He too is an Elemental Master but of the Air which he used to help him hone his skills in battle in the skies. However, Reggie has lost his magic after witnessing the horrors of war. For he was buried in the trenches for a period of time before he is rescued. In the meantime his mind was invaded by the terror that is the Earth elementals, monsters and creatures controlled by the Earth Masters.

On his return from war to the village of Broom, Eleanor's stepmother, Alison's aim is to pursue Reggie for one of her daughters. For Reggie lives as Lord of the Manor of Broom. He is rich and titled and would elevate Alison's status in society. Alison concocts spells to make Reggie go insane and then become dependent on her daughters. However, her spells don't work on Reggie and neither do her daughter's charm.

In the meantime, Eleanor's godmother turns up on the doorstep and announces that Eleanor too has the making of an Elemental Master, a Master of Fire. Slowly, Eleanor learns the way of the Elements and plots to escape her stepmother's binding spells.

Can Reggie and Eleanor heal each other's wounds? Can they thwart Alison's plans? Can they escape her dark magic? This was a wonderful read and a page turner indeed. Reggie made for a real war torn hero and Eleanor was a strong heroine. The Elemental magic was intriguing to learn about and made for a wonderful fantasy element. A highly recommended read. I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

Lea Ling Tsang

On to the Wizard of London.......2006-06-25

Third in the Elemental Masters series, which began with The Serpent's Shadow and followed with The Gates of Sleep, this story is the modern day (WWI era) telling of Cinderella. I enjoyed the story and the imagination that Lackey uses in her theories and practice of magic. Of the four entries into this series, The Serpent's Shadow was my favorite, although I liked a lot of the fourth novel, as well. Eleanor Robinson is the daughter of a local businessman who is surprised one day by the arrival of a step-mother and two spoiled step-sisters. The war begins and her middle-aged father signs up and dies suddenly, leaving Eleanor at the mercy of her new family. Her wicked step-mother magically binds Eleanor to the hearth of the cottage, ensuring her obedience and servitude. Prince Charming is an Air Master who was a pilot in the war who was wounded in action. The two had grown up in the same area, and to overcome the major obstacles and injuries in their lives, they end up together and in love - but sometimes it takes more than love to conquer all - it takes magic!

Ashes to Ashes: The Phoenix Program and the Vietnam War (Issues in Low-Intensity Conflict Series)

Average customer rating:

A very good text for understanding Low Intensity Conflict.
A fair shake for the Phoenix program
An excellent book for a factual account of Project Phoenix

Ashes to Ashes: The Phoenix Program and the Vietnam War (Issues in Low-Intensity Conflict Series)
Dale Andrade
Manufacturer: Lexington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 066920014X

Customer Reviews:

A very good text for understanding Low Intensity Conflict........2004-10-10

This is an important read for those interested in understanding current world disorder, and the future of Low Intensity Conflict. An examination of the American experience in the Vietnam War, probably provides some of the best examples of the criteria necessary for success in Low Intensity Conflict, including but not limited to guerilla war and insurgency. Andradé identifies in Ashes to Ashes the criteria as articulation, accessibility, and accountability.

Articulation of specific goals and objectives must be clear and reasonable. Accessibility of the officials to the general populace must be systematic. The accountability of every member in an operation must be held to the highest standards. Finally, the combination of the above must achieve a synergistic effect; whereby, the ability to accomplish the mission is accompanied with the will and desire to sustain the effort for whatever duration it takes!

The Phoenix program was a response to a war whose objectives were never clearly stated, but were implemented incrementally, and largely ignored such basic elements as public support, a willing and competent host, and consideration of past experiences evaluated and analyzed by its intelligence community. The Vietnam syndrome is not dissimilar from either the Israeli/Palestine conflict, or current US/Iraqi war. The ultimate question is whether a democratic society burdened with occupation of another unwilling people can, despite its best intentions, sustain the rule of law long enough to achieve the peace.

A fair shake for the Phoenix program.......2003-08-20

If you want to read a fair and accurrate description of Vietnam's Phoenix Program and its scope and activities then this is the book for you.

Well researched and well written it is one of the few books that portrays Phoenix for what it was, a systematic program to counter the VC insurgency. Most books on Phoenix are content to waste space plathering on about mythic conspiracies by the CIA to assassinate and torture every living being within the country of Vietnam. Andrade's book tears away these myths and explains in full detail the situations leading up to the creation of Phoenix, its inception and planned scope, how it operated, and attempts to determine its overall effectiveness on the course of the war.

If you are looking for an anti-US government, or CIA/military/Presidential/feemasons/illuminati conspiracy book then don't even bother. But if you are genuinely interested in knowing more about the truth of the Phoenix program, this book is a MUST. An additional item is that in reading this book you may be able to deduce for yourself how such a program could help our current efforts in Iraq.

An excellent book for a factual account of Project Phoenix.......2001-04-18

A fine work that accurately and truthfully talks about and displays the truth about the Phoenix Program. The author obviously spent a great deal of time on thorough research with operatives who were actually there. This book shows Phoenix for what it was, an effective grass roots campaign to root out and capture the Viet Cong Infrastructure.

Most other books I've seen on the subject have largely been the delusional fantasies of wannabes who were never there. The types who clog VA centers claiming PTSD for top secret commando missions they were never on. This book only interviewed real Phoenix operatives.

Book Description

Haiti, Rising Flames from Burning Ashes is a brutally honest and precise historical analysis of Haiti and a discussion of how the political system can be reformed to promote democracy, a vibrant economy, and cultural integration. In contrast to traditional theory, Haiti, Rising Flames from Burning Ashes explores the distribution of powers rather than the separation of powers as a solution to Haiti's political and cultural chaos.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating book and easy to read.......2006-09-13

In February 2004 Haiti lived its 33rd bloody coup d'etat in 200 years and
its second one in less than 15 years. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the
constitutionally elected president was overthrown on February 29, 2004 by a
band of paramilitary thugs carrying US made M16 and supported by the United
Sates, France, Canada and the Haitian opposition. He was replaced by a
brutal puppet regime, led by a prime minister nominated by a council of
notables. The regime held on until June 2006, during which thousands of
Haitians were killed and hundreds opponents were jailed without receiving
any judgment.

Haiti is among the poorest and less politically stable countries of the
Western Hemisphere, ravaged by extreme unemployment, almost total
deforestation and many infectious diseases. On the other hand, Haiti has one
of the richest culture in the Americas and its diaspora is flourishing
everywhere in the world. This paradox deserves all our attention and
Hyppolite Pierre has done a great job in trying to make us understand it.

In the beginning of his book, Pierre talks about the historical failure of
compromise between political leaders. He explains that the death of
Toussaint who tried to compromise with the French" as he says, "was a
devastating blow to the spirit of compromise in the heart and soul of the
successive leaders after the revolution". He cites as modern examples, the
electoral controversy of eight Lavalas senators which would not resign in
May 2000 and the criminal stubbornness of the opposition which refused twice
the power sharing plan agreed by Aristide before the 2004 coup. But in the
case of Aristide it should be noted for instance that his government was one
of the most inclusive that Haiti had known. Aristide for instance accepted
in his government former political opponent Marc Bazin as minister of
planning, former Duvalier minister Stanley Theard as minister of industry as
well as many members of the mulatto elite such as Lilas Desquiron or Leslie
Voltaire. He was much criticised for this by part of the intellectual left
and some of his own party members.

The ideas and suggestions in Part III are very interesting, especially the
part on the executive branch where Pierre defends with conviction the
importance of stability in the political process. He argues that "a system
that can not allow a president to finish his term will not inspire
confidence and that the only way to end a presidence's term is through the
process of impeachment allowed by the constitution". Political stability is
key to stimulate developpement and investment and one can easily argue that
the last two years following the coup have been among the worses in all
Haiti's history. Realities in Haiti are often very confusing and people,
even well educated on paper, are trapped in trying to look only for quick
fixes.

Chapter 24 deals with the diaspora and is one of the more interesting and
hopeful for me. Pierre shows with strong evidence how the Haitian diaspora
has been neglected and how its resources have not been tapped constructively
for the best interest of Haiti. He argues that its members who pay each year
an average of twenty to thirty percent of their revenue in remittances
(total of one $ billion a year) to their family back in Haiti should be
fully included in Haiti's political life and shows how that could be done.

Although I did not agree with every of his critics against Aristide's last
government, his attempt to be constructive, honest and balance should be
applauded. Not much has been written recently in the press or in academia
that tries to go beyond partisan hatred. His book is fascinating and offers
glimpses of hope by telling us how the political system could be reformed to
promote peace democracy and economic prosperity in Haiti. Besides, he makes
us understand how Haiti's struggle for its identity is profoundly rooted
into its complicated and troubled past. I believe that the reasons for
Haiti's failures may lie mostly in the lack of historical knowledge of the
many politicians, commentators and international leaders who have been
involved in Haiti's decision making process. Hence, Pierre's book is
extremely useful and I would highly recommend it to schools, universities,
people working in politics, and anybody who wants to understand Haiti
and its complex and rich history.

[Nicolas Rossier - director of Aristide and the Endless Revolution..]

A Passionate Portrait of Haiti.......2006-07-25

Hyppolite Pierre has emerged as one of the most thoughtful and provocative young Haitian scholars in the United States who have been trying to advance to solutions to the plight of their home country. In his new book, Pierre investigates Haitian history to identify the origins of the country's current political situation. Not surprisingly, he argues that Haiti's development has been crippled by the embrace of predatory political traditions, and he offers fresh historical examples that Haitian leaders might follow.

Pierre's diagnosis of Haiti's political ailments is dead-on. This battered country has suffered from the repeated triumph of opportunism over pragmatism, resulting social and political mistrust, the reliance on violence as the ultimate problem-solver, and the centralization of power. But is Haiti really that unique? While Pierre's coverage of the political history is exhaustive and well-analyzed, his insistence on Haiti's historical uniqueness fails to explain why many now-successful post-colonial republics were also born in violent revolution and struggled through years of brutish, mistrustful, and corrupt politics.

Why does Haiti's history hang so heavily around its neck? What truly sets Haiti apart from much of the developing world isn't its frequent political upheaval, but rather its harrowing economic backslide and economic degradation over the last 200 years - exacerbated by the episodic intervention of the great powers in the affairs of this small state created by freed slaves. Throughout its history, the notion of Haitian sovereignty has been a notably flexible concept both within and outside Haiti. Pierre makes this link between the political and economic roots of violence when he writes that "the obsession with political power resulting from the weaknesses in the economy has always been so intense that vital questions are rarely explored."

Pierre's book was published just a few months before Rene Preval was inaugurated for a second time as Haiti's president, thus earning a second chance to become the most democratic and perhaps the most pragmatic head of state in modern Haiti. But in the absence of a new social contract or a viable political compromise, populist appeals will continue to resonate with the millions of Haitians who live on less then $2 a day, yet Haiti desperately needs a political pragmatist who can make peace with the country's fractious elites and win the confidence of the international community to maintain the flow of foreign aid. The electoral victory of René Preval may offer the chance for greater democratic stability, but it remains to be seen whether the U.S. and the international community can break the cycle of intervention and neglect and work effectively with the new Haitian leadership.

Pierre concludes his book by writing that "Haiti is like a Phoenix buried under her own ashes, barely visible and looking vile. But under these ashes hides a dim but brash, unyielding and consuming fire." Pierre means the metaphor as a symbol of hope, but it can be easily be seen as one of despair. Are the Haitian people doomed to choose between ashes and fire? The author closes the book by invoking the words of former Haitian leader Alexandre Pétion that "freedom means freedom." But Pétion's political career began with the assassination of Haiti's first leader, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, in 1806. As Pierre passionately argues in his new work, although more than two hundred years have passed since gaining independence, most Haitians can barely perceive their freedom in the midst of the lawlessness and deprivation that threatens to keep both democracy and development at bay.

Pierre Scores A Big One.......2006-07-01

Approaching this work from a direction other than scholarly, I found the book to be engaging from a historical perspective and certainly thought provoking on an overall basis. If one knew nothing about Haiti, other than "it's somewhere out there by Cuba," as did I and your only point of reference was Papa Doc Duvalier, who was certainly a newsmaker in his own right, after digesting this book your knowledge base will expand dramatically. This is not a light, or easy read; however, anyone that has any interest in history or politics should find this to be a fascinating book. Haiti seems to be a pot that has been just below the boiling point in one manner or another for a number of years. Pierre examines the reasons for unrest, political chicanery over the years and gross miscues on the part of other governments that have been involved in and with Haiti. This leaves the reader with a solid foundation of what was, what happened and what could be if Haiti develops along the lines of thought he weaves into the book. Highly recommended from a lay persons point of view; politically astute throughout and very thought provoking. I'll give it an "A."

Review of Hyppolite Pierre, Haiti: Rising Flames from Burning Ashes .......2006-06-15

I enjoyed reading this book from a former student. It is a great personal accomplishment and its argument timely and necessary. Pierre argues in clear and unequivocal terms that the Haitian government should be reformed into a rational, law-based system of checks and balances that both insures a level of independence for the judiciary and legislative branches from the executive branch and enables them to work together for the good of all citizens. He brings impressive historical knowledge to the task and deftly uses the context of Haitian independence, both its triumphs and failures, as a theoretical model for what is right and wrong in Haitian politics today. And he supplies a fascinating account of the post-colonial power structure dominated by traditional elites, whose French-identified class bias and racism continue to divide Haiti.

The author also shows admirable courage in taking on the orthodox Left by refusing the argument for revolution. Although I think he idealizes and portrays U.S. democracy uncritically in many places, Pierre's strategy of grounding his argument in the unfulfilled revolution of 1804 is insightful and wise. He stretches the historical analogy perhaps too far into the 20th century, but it works rhetorically and politically. His grasp of Haiti's long history also is strong and assuring, lending resonance and credibility to his account of the political failures of revolution in each generation. Being equally critical of traditional elites helps provide analytical balance and turns the argument into a model of rational and moderate negotiation between political extremes. The treatment of Aristide is exemplary in this regard and, while I think it would strengthen the argument to explain more fully and clearly how Aristide brought the masses into the political arena, I believe Pierre's insistence on building a stable civil society through rational, predictable, and enduring structures of governance is a mature and valuable addition to Haitian politics.

I found part I to be the most successful, especially chapters 2-5, which are very solid and launch the book nicely, setting the tone and establishing the credibility of the author's argument. His treatment of the post-independence power consolidation is sharp and makes a significant contribution to the period. Although the book could benefit from engaging, however critically, the classic arguments of C.L.R. James's Black Jacobins (l938), Pierre's account of the dynamic struggle between Christophe and Pétion and of Boyer's ultimately disastrous policies is worth consideration by scholars writing in the field of both Haitian and post-colonial studies.

Part II on the U.S. occupation is also good. It tells the truth about U.S. aggression and does not gloss over the responsibility of Haiti's elite and the people in general in provoking such action. But this part raises a key intellectual and political problem that the book does not adequately deal with: and that is the question of agency (in terms of the means of exerting power or influence). The issue is not easily explained or resolved. Even in the United States, Pierre's model democracy, it is questionable whether common citizens actually have power or the means to influence government. Although this question also emerges forcefully in part III on how to reform Haitian institutions, it appears starkly in relation to the occupation by the U.S., which may with France exert more economic and military power over Haitian politics than Pierre allows. But that is open to debate. What he does say in chapter 7 (particularly pp. 88-9) is that the U.S. stabilized the country while "failing to install a systemic backbone to ensure that Haiti would not again fall into the trap of its history" (89). How can an occupier install a system and that system be the historical exertion of the Haitian people? The question is doubly difficult to understand when the author does not state what were the strategic goals of the U.S. at the time. Pierre's treatment of Estimé and Papa Doc are very good and make the chapter strong, with excellent work on Lavalas and Aristide as they relate to Pierre's "all-or-nothing" thesis about Haiti's political culture. But the material on Baby Doc needs more analysis (110ff) in relation to the economics of U.S. intervention: since he suggests that the U.S. really was in control of the Haitian economy in the 1970s, which in turn structured the political behavior of Haiti's rulers, then he needs to lay out more clearly the nature and goal of U.S. overlordship in this period (and others) as well. Further, while this question of agency in relation to the United States would force Pierre to deepen and complicate his analysis of the U.S. as a model democratic society, the concluding paragraph to part II raises the issue purely within the Haitian context: who is in charge of the "carrot and stick" policy? Pierre says that "Reason" must be at the center of all political decisions, but how do you manifest such an abstraction, particularly since revolutionary change must be subordinated to a U.S model of pragmatism? This question makes part III of the book very important.

That Pierre understands the importance of a broad-based and comprehensive reformation of Haiti's institutions of governance is a credit to his foresight and courage in tackling the hard questions. It also shows a deep-seated and genuine love of his country. Having recognized its value, though, I think this is the least successful part of the book.

The ideas in Part III are encouraging but lack the requisite concreteness to be of pragmatic use. Who is to carry out these suggestions? More crucially, what obstacles must be faced? In terms of the military (whose reform would be instrumental in changing Haiti), what entrenched resistance might arise from traditional elites, rival factions, or U.S. and French interests? These considerations involve agency and who will inaugurate and guide the reforms, especially in terms of distributing power more widely than the three branches of government. The basic idea is good, to open up more political space for the media, interest groups, professional associations, and the like. But these chapters speak of organizing different interest groups under an "umbrella" and of establishing a "set of accepted legal structures" without saying who would carry out this activity (190). How do you institutionalize the two national parties? What would the CEP need to do to become more powerful? The author mentions "incentives" (223) without saying what they are or how the CEP would become more organized, powerful, and relevant. At this stage, he simply asserts that they should be so. The CEP's autonomy is important but how to engineer such independence, particularly in light of the majority party getting 4 members on the CEP (239)? What "smart, pointed, and relevant legislative decisions" does the author have in mind (256)? Perhaps the point is simply to get the idea out there, especially in view of the dominance of "egos" in the present system, but without some sense of the specifics of the proposed changes Pierre's argument remains abstract.

The executive branch chapter (21) is refreshing because the historical analogy returns to bolster the argument; but the next chapter on empowering the people needs to consider more fully, as I suggest above, what role Aristide's brand of populism would play in the reform of Haiti's institutions. Again, the question of agency is central to this concern and no single writer has all the answers to these questions. It is valuable that Pierre raises them. And he does so as a patriot in exile, which makes the chapter on the Diaspora (24) one of the best in the book: it benefits from the author's personal experience and knowledge and provides more grounded discussion than the chapters on state institutions. Finally, I think it would help the structure of the book to separate chapters 22-25 into a part IV, especially since part III is over-crowded.

My criticisms may appear to overshadow my praise for the book, but that is not my intent. Hyppolite Pierre has written an important and provocative book, one that should enhance his reputation as a voice to be reckoned with in Haitian political circles. While I believe the press was negligent in not ensuring a better scholarly presentation, and in producing typographic and allowing grammatical miscues, I was inspired by the book and look forward to his continuing contributions to the science of politics and to the improvement of his beloved Haiti.

Professor G.A. Rosso
Department of English
Southern Connecticut State University

From the Ashes Flies the Phoenix: Creating a Powerful Life After a Suicide

Average customer rating:

The Worst Self-Help Book I Have EVER Read!!!
A Topic That Must Not Be Shunned

From the Ashes Flies the Phoenix: Creating a Powerful Life After a Suicide
Gretta Krane
Manufacturer: Inspiring Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Mental & Spiritual Healing | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0977754308
Release Date: 2006-04-14

Book Description

A family, a dream, security, and happiness...in an instant it was gone and Gretta was thrust into a deep well of hopelessness and desolation. "From the Ashes Flies the Phoenix", details Gretta's journey out of the well. A journey that took Gretta from hopelessness to hope,from powerlessness to power, from stuck to unstuck. It will inspire you to find your own wings to fly and discover your dreams.

Customer Reviews:

The Worst Self-Help Book I Have EVER Read!!!.......2007-01-19

I came to find this book in Changing Hands book store and being a thirty-five year old woman (Yes I know it says Kid's Review, but I prefer to remain unknown for these types of things)who has had two friends commit suicide I thought it would be a good insight into someone elses struggle like mine and see how Gretta coped. Within the first fifty pages (which was about half the novel!) I realized that she could not have had a person who commited suicide. It is to distant. To insincere. There is little to no heart in it and is has a very bad writting style (not to mention the ten to twenty grammar and spelling errors that does not take an english teacher, which I am, to notice). Had an editor looked it over well they would have noticed some continuity errors too which really detracts from the story. If you are looking for a good read about suicide look for the book "Suicide" but not here. This was the biggest load of garbage I have for a book about this subject that I have ever read.

A Topic That Must Not Be Shunned.......2006-12-25

The National Center for Health Statistics for the year 2003 estimates that over 30,000 people die in the USA as a result of suicide.
It is the fourth leading cause in the USA of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65.

The reasons why people commit suicide have been pored over in countless books. Some suicide victims have suffered from mental illness that may have not been discovered in time by their physicians. Others who take their own lives have been confronted with such strong feelings as sadness, hopelessness, fear, and anger that they see very little options for resolving their frustrations except death. They may have even realized that something was wrong with them yet did nothing about it and refrained from seeking professional help.

From the Ashes Flies the Phoenix is author Gretta Krane's memoir of the personal details of how she was actually present when her husband fatally shot himself in the head and the physical and psychological consequences that followed.
Krane's brute honesty is quite in evidence as she paints a vivid description of her struggles with anger, guilt, shame, betrayal, abandonment, pain, grief and her eventual coming to terms with this horrendous tragedy. She is a deeply personal diarist who shares some painfully candid revelations as she narrates how she found herself in the bottom of a well for a long time and eventually discovering what was keeping her imprisoned in the well.
The narrative evenly glides between Krane's personal recollections and her survivor testimony that she hopes will serve as an inspiration for those who unfortunately have experienced a similar tragedy.

Today, I doubt if there are any worthy subjects that are not out there for discussion. However, the problem is how to present them in a way that they are not reduced to triviality. Suicide is a subject that needs to be talked about in the same manner as we have done with child abuse and domestic violence without stigmatization. What Krane offers is a gripping narrative that is crisp and honest offering some guidance to those who are faced with the same hopelessness that she experienced after the tragic suicide of her husband. Moreover, she has effectively connected her experience with her readers illustrating how it moved her, changed her, enlightened her and also terrified her.

From the Ashes Flies the Phoenix is a great debut by a promising author and given the delicate topic, the book manages to be serious without being self-pitying-no easy task, even for veteran authors.
It should be mentioned that the book at the end also contains some brief helpful resources as well as a short list of recommended books.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES - A Novel of the Starlost

Average customer rating:

PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES - A Novel of the Starlost
Edward; Ellison, Harlan (adapted from the script by Harlan Ellison) Bryant
Manufacturer: Gold Medal - Fawcett Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HL6ZH4

Average customer rating:

The Quality of Uniqueness
A Vinge collection

Phoenix in the Ashes
Joan D. Vinge
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Psion (Cat)

ASIN: 0812557131

Customer Reviews:

The Quality of Uniqueness.......2002-12-06

Phoenix in the Ashes is a collection of six stories. They are both a demonstration of the range of Joan Vinge's talent and an clear indication of the importance of characterization in her works. All the protaganists in these stories are alienated in some way from their culture and each must resolve their own eccentric problems.

The title story involves two individuals, each an outcast in their own society, who learn to fulfill each other's needs; it strongly reminds me of the Gift of the Magi in tone. Voices From the Dust has two scientists who detest each other, but find common ground when an alien presence seizes control of their minds. The Storm King is a tale of emotional growth, as a noble boy learns empathy. The Peddler's Apprentice also has a boy growing both emotionally and intellectually, finally gaining some measure of wisdom. Psiren has Cat coming to grips with his power and guilt. Mother and Child tells of an alien who develops a degree of affection and appreciation for humanity through his contact with a human woman and her child.

Each of these stories involves an individual who is in some way almost unique in their society, but these stories have a larger theme of the uniqueness of all persons. They seem to say, forget the averages and concentrate on the distinctly different aspects of each person.

The only problem I have with Joan D. Vinge is that she doesn't write enough. Of course, quantity doesn't replace quality. And Vinge exemplifies quality to me. Enjoy!

A Vinge collection.......2000-06-14

Phoenix in the Ashes is an amazing collection of Ms. Vinge's short stories. Each story has an afterword written by Ms. Vinge, which gives the reader insight, into what inspired that particular tale, which I found to be a very pleasant experience. This collection is something any fan of Ms. Vinge must get, unfortunately at this time it is out of print. One story in particular flashes back on Cat from the Catspaw, Psion, Dreamfall series, and is set in the time between Psion and Catspaw when our hero is recovering from the mental-psionic breakdown he suffered because of his time spent in the Telhassium mines of the Federation. This interlude in Cat's life is just one of six tales included in this collection. The other five range all the way from a desolate future Earth, where technology is considered to be part of the evil spirits (Phoenix in the Ashes), to a sort of world where humans who can see clearly or even hear are considered "blessed" or "gifted" and has an incredibly suprising plot(Mother and Child). All the stories in this collection have characters of depth and intriguing story lines, in spite of the short length. There is no way to sum up this collection as each story is an individual gem, of a different color and cut set in the ring of adaptation and survival

Average customer rating:

A Phoenix in the Ashes
John H. Mollenkopf
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Practical Politics | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0691078548

Book Description

In the years following its near-bankruptcy in 1976 until the end of the 1980s, New York City came to epitomize the debt-driven, deal-oriented, economic boom of the Reagan era. Exploring the interplay between social structural change and political power during this period, John Mollenkopf asks why a city with a large minority population and a long tradition of liberalism elected a conservative mayor who promoted real-estate development and belittled minority activists. Through a careful analysis of voting patterns, political strategies of various interest groups, and policy trends, he explains how Mayor Edward Koch created a powerful political coalition and why it ultimately failed. In the years following its near-bankruptcy in 1976 until the end of the 1980s, New York City came to epitomize the debt-driven, deal-oriented, economic boom of the Reagan era. Exploring the interplay between social structural change and political power during this period, John Mollenkopf asks why a city with a large minority population and a long tradition of liberalism elected a conservative mayor who promoted real-estate development and belittled minority activists. Through a careful analysis of voting patterns, political strategies of various interest groups, and policy trends, he explains how Mayor Edward Koch created a powerful political coalition and why it ultimately failed.

Average customer rating:

Orphans of the Sky Retread anyone???
i normally don't like collaborations, BUT . . .!
A book that leaves you waiting for next weeks episode!

Phoenix Without Ashes
Harlan Ellison , and Edward Bryant
Manufacturer: Savoy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Orphans of the Sky Retread anyone???.......2002-09-21

This is obviously, to put it politely, "inspired by" a Heinlein novel called Orphans of the Sky... a good short novel, by the way. Ellison has essentially lifted the idea and expanded upon it, but really shouldn't get a lot of credit for the idea. Not original at all.

i normally don't like collaborations, BUT . . .!.......2001-02-27

Read this book, and see why Harlan Ellison, the best short story writer ever, also got an award for best screenplay. The book is the screenplay in novel format, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! The basic storyline is this (I got to tell you something because only one other person has commented on this book, which is really sad.): In outer space there is a spaceship consisting of tons of biospheres. Each biosphere contains a culture, but these cultures have no contact amongst themselves. In fact, they've been in space so long that they don't even know they're in space! They think that the biosphere is the world! Anyway, in this one biosphere, an exiled man is driven away for his heretical preachings. A large man-hunt takes place . . . and that's when things REALLY get interesting and you finish this book in one sitting. The writing is excellently done. The chapters end with bangs, the characters act and do things that actually bring out all sorts of emotions in you. When you finish this book, all you can say is WOW! I've read it once, but I KNOW I'm going to read it again . . . and again, etc. This book deserves more than four stars, even more than five. All Harlan fans must read this.

A book that leaves you waiting for next weeks episode!.......1999-02-15

Phoenix Without Ashes is the novelization of Harlan Ellison's ill fated TV venture from the early 1970's. If you missed the short lived science fiction series from Canada you might want to pick up this book. The novel is not written from the television show script, but rather from Mr. Ellison's award winning teleplay. Be warned this book ends with you wanting more, and as a first book in a series this would be superb, but there are no others. Much better than catching an old rerun of the Starlost!

The Phoenix Factor: Rising from the Ashes of Abuse

Average customer rating:

A strong and powerfully moving account

The Phoenix Factor: Rising from the Ashes of Abuse
Phoenix Palmer , and Lucy Durfee
Manufacturer: Langmarc Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1880292858

Book Description

Phoenix shares an honest account of her innermost thoughts and fears, her failures and successes, and her dreams for a future of service and joy. This nonfiction book will provide encouragement to those readers who have lived or are liviing in an abusive relationship and will assist readers in better understanding family members and friends who are trapped in abusive situations. Short essays, observations about controlling personalities, and helpful suggestions for charting possibilities for a better future are woven throughout the book.

Customer Reviews:

A strong and powerfully moving account.......2003-09-21

Written by a lay person who followed the difficult road from pain to healing, Phoenix Palmer's The Phoenix Factor: Rising From The Ashes Of Abuse presents her personal life in brief, riveting bursts of short essays and cogent observations, showing the tell-tale signs of an abusive relation that ultimately manifested in the relentless stalking, terrorizing, and abusive behavior of her ex-husband -- as well as her on-going struggle to cope with the trauma and transcend the bitterness of. A strong and powerfully moving account, The Phoenix Factor is highly recommended reading for anyone caught up in (or seeking to recover from) abusive personal relationships. It is a sad commentary on the world today, but The Phoenix Factor should be strongly considered for inclusion into community library collections in order to make it as widely available to the general public as possible.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books