Book Description
In an engaging memoir, award-winning educator, Resa Steindel Brown is drawn to the astonishing discovery that all children are born brilliant. With insightful commentary, she recalls her own trials as a student and teacher in our industrial, one-size-fits-all educational system. Then she encounters the needs of her young son. Finding a fit is like trying to stuff an odd-shaped child into a square hole. The love for her child propels her on a journey that sweeps her own children, and the children around her, into a learning environment driven by joy, exuberance and passion instead of heartbreak and defeat.
Unable to read until ages nine and ten, they entered college at eleven and twelve, became systems administrators, chief technology officers, trained with the Berlin Opera and Hamburg Ballet, created digital images used in the film "Lord of the Rings," presented software solutions to TRW, Pac Bell, Industrial Light & Magic, NSA, Sony, and more, all before the ages of eighteen.
The Call to Brilliance shows parents and educators how to redirect children's challenges into strengths, discover children's interests, fuel their interests into passions, and their passions into brilliance.
Customer Reviews:
The next great evolutionary leap in learning and human development.......2007-06-16
In Resa Brown's new book, The Call to Brilliance, Resa articulates with outstanding clarity, the next great evolutionary leap in learning and human development, which requires that the content of the educational curriculum must spring anew in each moment from the purpose and passion within the heart and spirit of both child and teacher. This book provides profound insights on the future of learning and human development and on personal transformation.
This process of helping children, through the focused spiritual discernment of teachers, children, and parents, to discover and follow their unique passion for learning is totally congruent with what Joe Pearce identified in 1977 in his breakthrough book Magical Child Magical Child (Plume). Pearce said:
"The child is designed to structure knowledge only to develop the tools of intelligence and logic, the ability to interact. What he interacts with is never so important as the knowledge of, or ability for, interaction he gains from that encounter. The biological plan is a drive for knowledge as ability, not knowledge as information. Information is of value only as it enhances the ability to interact. Once this ability develops, the information through which the development took place is incidental, and no longer of value." Pearce adds:
"In a universe in which everything must move and flow in order to exist, only the ability to interact with that flow is of value. This is what the child intuitively knows and strives to maintain." (Magical Child, pp. 112-113)
Tobin Hart, Director of ChildSpirit Institute has added the following insight: The Secret Spiritual World of Children: The Breakthrough Discovery that Profoundly Alters Our Conventional View of Children's Mystical Experiences As Hart describes:
"Our interests, passions, and the direction of our play may reveal a sense of our character and calling. Psychologist James Hillman takes up this question in his exploration of the lives of many famous individuals....Their genius pushed itself into embodiment as they found themselves driven to perform, or to help others, or whatever the deep impulse was." (The Secret Spiritual World of Children, p. 165)
It is this deep impulse leading to genius that author Resa Brown has observed in all of her children, once they are able to return to their experience of "a universe in which everything must move and flow in order to exist", and where "only the ability to interact with that flow is of value".
Our passion to learn is the response of the child or adult to the desire of the soul and spirit for fulfillment of life at its highest. This passion for learning guides us to the specific learning and development that is needed in each moment to further our innate intent to unfold that which we are in the process of becoming.
What is this magnificent passionate process for unfolding our innate capacities and building a deep and personal understanding of our world as it truly is? It is play, and the desire for play arises in the soul's intent to allow us to become that which we are intended to be.
As we play in this passionate way, our mastery of what we are learning and our awareness of our success allows us to increase our awareness of our personal power to be and become in the world. As children follow their passion, they come to trust that these innate responses to life will guide them safely forward through all of the stages of their development."
Most prescriptions for improving the world focus on getting others to be different - to start doing what they are not doing and stop doing what they are doing. These fail because there is no internal motivation provided to these "others", and so the "others" spend most of their time resisting - within their own mind and spirit -- the attempt to make them different from who they truly are.
This, unfortunately, is true of most schools and educational systems around the planet.
Alternatively, as Resa Brown has discovered, when we follow our passion, we follow our inner call to the purpose for which we were born. Our passion is related to the special and magnificent uniqueness of each of us.
As we begin to discover this purpose, our passion for achieving it begins to awaken. As our passion awakens, the personal energy, vision, creativity, and determination to achieve grow stronger within us. This is the process described by Resa Brown that can lead our children to the brilliance that is their birthright.
We must never make the mistake of assuming that The Call to Brilliance provides a prescription for what "others" must do. This process can never be advanced through government programs or in the usual institutional setting of our schools or other social, political, or economic institutions. It is not a political solution but an intensely personal one.
The Call to Brilliance process leads to rapid and profound learning and development - far beyond what is normally believed to be possible - for the child and also for their teachers and parents.
Read and understand.
Thinking outside the schoolhouse.......2007-06-09
For too long in our schools, "different" has been another word for "wrong." Yet, as we learned in school, some of the world's greatest thinkers and artists were different--didn't "succeed" in traditional schools and often were kicked out or dropped out. As Resa beautifully explains, the problem is not that children are being 'left behind.' The problem is a reluctance to leave behind an educational system that often crushes passion and medicates creativity. This book calls us as parents to reawaken our own brilliance, reminds us how to see brilliance in our children, and shows us how to keep that brilliant light shining and expanding. You will see yourself, your school, and your child differently after reading it.
A book for every.......2007-04-11
"The Call to Brilliance" authored by Resa Steindel Brown will make any parent or future parent reconsider how they measure intelligence in their own children and even in themselves. The message of this wonderful book is that ALL children are born with brilliance. The question is whether current modern educational systems are able to nurture and assist in growing this brilliance. Resa Steindel Brown has raised 3 children through a unique home schooling system that has successfully enabled every child in the program to discover their true talents through self motivation, inspiration and freedom. Each child has a natural curiosity that has guided them toward their passion and life's work. Their journey is wonderful to read about but the most amazing discovery is that this can be true for millions of children across our nation and around the world. When a child has a purpose that evokes his/her own passion, he/she will be happier. Happy people are more peaceful and tend to be more giving and grateful. We need these characteristics in our country and in our world. We need to make changes in how we teach the children in our nation. Resa Steindel Brown has incredible insights about how to make these changes. Her life story is inspiring and motivating.
An inspiring call to action.......2007-04-02
A deeply inspiring personal account of a mother's evolution as she openly and sensitively responds to the particular needs and abilities of her three children--and comes to search for alternatives to the labelling and stifling effects of our present mass educational system. I found this book to be one of those rare few that really make one stop in one's tracks and question all the assumptions one has gone along with up till then. I highly recommend it to any parent or educator-- and particularly to those whose children have seemed worn down or defeated by their school experiences.
Take this Brilliant Call as a Parent or Educator.......2007-03-19
I so hope this mother and educator's inspirational book finds its way into mainstream America. Although not all parents could and would choose the dedicated method these parents have chosen for their three miraculous children, any parent or teacher could model key elements to encourage passion and organic intelligence in the children they touch.
Facing retirement from teaching, I now look forward to nurturing the lives of my grandnephew and nieces. Two are home schooled because of their commitment to gymnastics; the two younger ones are heading into finding their individual bliss. Both sets of parents are loving, aware, and conscious, so I have faith that these precious little ones can be directed to find their own paths. To help encourage their full potential, I will be gently echoing the principles layered in this transformational labor of love.
Barbara Outland Baker, McKinney, Texas
Average customer rating:
- "I Had Been Claimed by Both Sides of my Ancestry..."
- Brillance of the Moon ( Tales of the Otori)
- Good, not great -- bit rushed
- Unbelievably crass ending.
- A Decent but Unmagical Conclusion
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Brilliance of the Moon: Tales of the Otori, Book Three (Tales of the Otori, Book 3)
Lian Hearn
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1594480869 |
Amazon.com
Lian Hearn's third installment in the Tales of the Otori series Brilliance of the Moon brings a mystical and violent conclusion to the saga of Takeo Otori as he fulfills his destiny to reclaim the Otori lands. At the climax of Grass for his Pillow, Takeo's passion for his beloved Kaede was finally realized with their secret and forbidden wedding. As spring approaches, Takeo and Kaede prepare for war and embark on a campaign to reclaim their respective realms. But just when victory seems certain, Hearn characteristically uproots her characters with unseen treachery and the two lovers are again separated. Takeo must summon courage from his conflicted heritage as he marches towards his destiny. The fates of other Otori characters are also determined in a succinct and magical finale.
This third chapter in the Otori saga lives up its predecessors. Hearn's mythical ancient Japan is again brought to storybook life. Although the novel's climax comes suddenly and almost unexpectedly, the afterword hints at another tale to be told by the heirs of Kaede and Takeo's legendary rise. --Jeremy Pugh
Book Description
A beautiful, haunting evocation of the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, this thrilling follow-up to Grass for His Pillow and Across the Nightingale Floor delves deeper into the complex loyalties that bind its characters from birth. Filled with adventure and surprising twists of plot and fortune, this final volume travels beyond the Three Countries, to the outside influences that threaten to intrude upon this isolated realm.
Customer Reviews:
"I Had Been Claimed by Both Sides of my Ancestry...".......2007-07-29
This is the third and final book in the "Tales of the Otori" trilogy, in that it wraps up the main plot of the previous novels, Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1) and Grass for His Pillow (Tales of the Otori, Book 2). However, there is a forth installment that is set fifteen years after the conclusion of this book, that deals with a couple of plot-threads that were left dangling here (namely, the prophesy that claims Takeo will die at the hands of his own son). However, for all intents and purposes, this is the grand finale of the story that has been gradually building up throughout the previous books, and Lian Hearn brings the semi-epic tale to a satisfactory and bittersweet conclusion.
Being the third novel, there is a huge amount of back-story and intrigue already set up, and so it seems pointless to summarize it here. Let's just say that there's no way you can understand this story without already having read the previous novels, so if you're thinking about buying, you need to backtrack a little bit. Basically, our main character Otori Takeo is a young warrior with allegiances to three opposing factions in the Japanese-inspired world of the Three Countries. Attempting to negotiate his ties with all three of them (both within himself and in the world itself) makes up the crux of his character, as he is torn between the honourable Otori Clan (into which he was adopted), the pacifist Hidden people (who bear a resemblance to Christians) and the devious Tribe, a secretive and devious faction who instigate their near-supernatural abilities in the art of spy-craft and assassination. Told in first-person narrative, Takeo's story is suspenseful and poignant, as the young man is called upon to make some *very* difficult decisions throughout the course of the tale. The saying that there can be no peace without war is especially apt here, as Takeo deals with a range of betrayals, alliances, intrigues, enmities and battles that threaten his attempts to secure peace. Several times I found myself asking: "What would I do in that situation?" Hearn doesn't hesitate to make his protagonist undertake some very dubious activities, which adds to the richness of the story itself.
In the final chapter of "Grass for his Pillow", Takeo was wed to his beloved Shirakawa Kaede, something I felt was a surprise move on Hearn's part (usually weddings are postpones till the *end* of a story). Unfortunately, I never felt that the romance between them was handled particularly well, but having a married couple as a story's main protagonists is an interesting change. As in the previous books, Kaede's chapters are told in third-person narrative, although she has a lesser part to play here. Hearn seems to have lost interest in her slightly, as Kaede's development from a timid young girl into an independent and powerful woman is undercut in this installment when she becomes a prisoner of a malevolent lord - remaining there for most of the book's length.
However, one cannot say the same thing about Takeo, who has fully embraced his role as a war-leader and all the responsibilities that come with it. Hearn captures the burden of leadership perfectly, as Takeo struggles to maintain power whilst placating those that answer to him, seeking out allegiances whilst knowing he can trust no one, kill those oppose him whilst suppressing his own distaste for violence. Hearn handles the action sequences and the atmosphere of war extremely well, and though we don't fear for Takeo himself, be certain that all of his friends and comrades are up for grabs. Takeo has grown convincingly from boy to man throughout the course of the three books, capable of both compassionate and merciless actions, something that finally makes him a fully three-dimensional character (being rather distant in the previous books). He struggles, he doubts, he succeeds and fails, and although I would have liked a bit more commentary on Takeo's internal thoughts (often I wasn't sure whether many of the events were due to his own upbringing, or part of the Japanese culture itself - such as the many "honour suicides" that take place, something completely foreign to Western thinking).
Although the violence and randomness of war is captured almost-perfectly, I felt that the final confrontation with the Otori was rather abrupt and anti-climactic. Perhaps this was simply because it was building for so long, but it seemed to be over quickly, with very little effort on Takeo's part. However, though I have not yet read the forth book The Harsh Cry of the Heron: The Last Tale of the Otori (Tales of the Otori, Book 4), this is certainly the best book of the trilogy, with action, suspense, intrigue, revenge and a good wrap-up to what has gone before.
Brillance of the Moon ( Tales of the Otori).......2007-04-15
I like this book( and the series) because it was not predictable.
Good, not great -- bit rushed.......2006-06-10
Like many other reviewers, I found this third book rushed in comparison to its predecessors. Also, it was one battle after another with very little time to catch breath; after a while, everything started to blur together. I've read that the author wrote all three books one after the other, as one giant tale, and think that might have contributed to the weakness of this one -- after all, if the rushed aspect and battles of this one are set against the slow pace of the previous too, it all may balance out. Could have done with some editorial advice, though.
I'm interested that this is being presented as a fantasy, since the only fastastic element is the Tribe's ability to "go invisible." If you know Japanese history, everything else is clearly drawn from that: the Hidden are the Japanese Christians, who were in fact known as "Hidden Christians," the Tribe are ninjas, the "Enlightened One" is Buddha etc. Thought selling it like this was a bit odd, and die-hard fantasy buffs might be disappointed.
There were some trite, too-obvious deus ex machina elements in the ending of this volume, but that may be unavoidable if you consider that these are supposedly Young Adult books. Also, historical reality intruded a bit unpleasantly at the end of this one in a way I thought was a bit of a cop-out in an otherwise good book.
Overall, though, a pleasant series. I look forward to the resolution, due out in September, though I'll definitely wait for it in paperback!
Unbelievably crass ending........2006-06-01
After blazing through the first two volumes, and halfway into the conclusion, my reading, and enjoyment of the series came to screeching halt.
Somewhere between the first page and 200 of the finale, Takeo and Kaede had became bumbling, inept and whining caracatures of themselves. WHAT happened to the strength and insight of the caracters I had learned to love? Their simpering and laughable "decisions" are a gross insult to the series...
Damn, and I was SO enjoying it too!
A Decent but Unmagical Conclusion.......2006-05-28
Whatever magic the first two books had, "Brilliance of the Moon" was mostly lacking. It was more of a pure action kind of story, with a much faster plot. Unfortunately, Hearn does not seem particularly skilled at writing exciting action. It did not have the quiet, contemplative moments of beauty that the first two volumes of the trilogy did, nor the epic feel. Still, there was a lot of good character development and resolution, especially with Kaede, who has really matured.
I was disappointed, but not devastated. The ending was fine, but left me neither sad or happy. I think my expectations were just too high, after "Across the Nightingale Floor" and "Grass For His Pillow", which are some of the best works of fantasy I have read. I hope that Hearn will continue to write in the genre, and I look forward to her future books. If you have read the first two "Tales of the Otori" books, you should read "Brilliance of the Moon" to see how it ends. If you haven't, start with "Across the Nightingale Floor". You are in for a treat.
Book Description
Body Brilliance is a compassionate and deeply personal guide to waking the spirit within the body. It seeks to engage what author Alan Davidson calls the "five essential intelligences"--Physical, Mental, Emotional, Moral, and Spiritual. Body Brilliance tells the inspiring stories of people who have exemplified peak development in each of these essential areas: Olympians Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph for physical intelligence; Albert Einstein for mental intelligence; and Rumi and his teacher Shams for spiritual intelligence. It provides powerful yet simple ways to fully engage each level and pay attention to our bodies' unique patterns, achieving the benefits of expressing our full potential. Body Brilliance is full of practical exercises to awaken each level, and to encourage us to find our personal peak expression in that domain. Davidson demonstrates that when we wake up fully in our bodies and harmonize all five layers, we discover a result that is more than the sum of the parts: We fall deeply in love with being alive and fully present.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2007-03-13
This is a beautiful book. Alan Davidson writes with rich insight, and the book contains a huge number of practical exercises. Highly recommended.
Awesome!.......2007-03-05
A great addition to your library, if you're on the road to self-improvement. Very well-written, and engaging. A must-read.
Great book!!!.......2007-03-05
Well-written, well-researched! I find it both inspirational and motivational. A great read for anyone interested in self-improvement and self-realization.
Book Description
Natural Brilliance helps the reader release their genius- their Natural Brilliance- and use it to overcome barriers that have blocked the reader in the past. It frees the reader to move in the direction accomplishing their hopes and dreams.
Customer Reviews:
Utter Nonsense.......2004-06-09
I'd like to see the empirical evidence of all the geniuses created using this approach-- apparently the author was not one of them. Nothing of substance, just attempts to use the power of suggestion and "preconscious processing" to magically allow people to think themselves into being smarter-- with minimum effort. As ridiculous as the same author's Photo-Reading system which claims to allow people to "unconsciously" read up to 25,000 words per minute. I'd like to see proof of these claims in a double-blind study-- not just a bunch of worthless anecdotes and quotes from unreliable sources. This kind of rehashed snake oil is both damaging and insulting. Save your money, save your time.
Eh.......2003-06-24
This book is highly repetative. It says nothing lots of times. I wouldnt buy it if I were you.
Excellent ideas, but perhaps a little much.......2003-04-30
One idea that's not explained in Natural Brilliance is the evolution of the book itself. Originally, the book was a guide to using Direct Learning, outlined in chapter 11. Because Direct Learning involves relying on implicit memory, rather than conscious recollection, the four-step process of Release-Notice-Respond-Witness is a way to manifest the skills downloaded by Direct Learning. The biggest problem with this book, and the only problem I have found with it, is the pure amount of ideas and information the book throws at the reader in its 200 pages. It mentions the basics of just about everything out there that might aid in any part of the Natural Brilliance process. It's up to the reader to integrate as much, or as little, of this information as they can.
The Natural Brilliance audio course does offer assistance to the overwhelmed, but it doesn't cover the core behind Natural Brilliance: Direct Learning.
Effective Book.......2001-12-26
Using the techniques in the book, it is possible for effective change in your life. Follow his easy steping to break through in any area you feel stuck. It has worked well for me! To enrich the application of Natural Brilliance you may need some additional suppliments; however, any reasonably intelligient persistent person can easily reap great rewards from reading this book. I also highly recommend The Photoreading Whole Mind System written by Paul Scheele.
Ho hum ..........2001-04-22
This book reminds me of a diet pill. You know the common pitch, "if you take this vitamin, PLUS reduce your intake below maintenance calories and workout five times a week, the pill will magically cause you to lose weight." Scheele promises to increase natural brilliance. If you follow his steps, PLUS calm down and think seeking solutions, you will amazingly find more solutions to try. For my time and money, I was disappointed in his approach. Enough said.
Average customer rating:
- Not Her Best, Not Very Believable
- Gripping and Suspenseful - Even if Unlikely
- Putting strangers in mortal danger
- Beginning Good, Mid and End Awful
- GOOD READ
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Obsession (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc)
Karen Robards
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1423328248
Release Date: 2007-04-10 |
Book Description
Katharine Lawrence has no idea what hit her. The attack came out of nowhere. Only hours earlier she had been enjoying a girls-only weekend with an old college friend. Now she finds herself lying bound and gagged on her kitchen floor, staring with terrified eyes at her friend Lisa while two masked gunmen search her house for - what? She doesn't know. She knows only that, unless they can escape, whatever it is they are searching for could end up getting both her and Lisa killed.
But Katharine's nightmare is just beginning. When she awakens in the hospital, her nose crushed, her body battered, her brain tells her that things aren't right - and it's not the attack that's disorienting her. She doesn't recognize herself when she looks in the mirror: her slim body, her manicured hands, her blond bob. And the smiling, handsome doctor at her bedside - Dr. Dan Howard - is familiar, but in a totally unfamiliar way. Perhaps the trauma of the attempt on her life has given her some kind of weird amnesia. She's twenty-nine, the special assistant to the head of the CIA, and she's lucky to be alive. She also knows she can trust no one.
Acting on instinct, Katharine runs for her life, with Dan, her newfound protector, at her side. By turns grateful and unnerved by his presence, and unable to shake a feeling of profound dread, she allows him to spirit her to a secluded safe house. Instead of finding a haven, they stumble into a tangled web of government conspiracy, and Katharine is left confused, frightened, and desperate to uncover the truth. As the pair is drawn further into this shadowy world where almost nothing is as it seems, as fear gives way to a firestorm of attraction, the cat-and-mouse game grows more deadly, and soon both their lives are at stake.
Customer Reviews:
Not Her Best, Not Very Believable.......2007-09-03
I'm a little disappointed in Karen Robards here. The plot is pretty convoluted and utterly unbelievable. How anyone can be brainwashed to believe she's someone else's girlfriend and worse, the boyfriend accepts her is asking too much of the reader. If you can get beyond this, the rest is classic Karen Robards and even a page turner as we get involved in the plot and how circumstances is ever going to resolve itself. The bottom line: this is good reading of an unfathomable plot.
Gripping and Suspenseful - Even if Unlikely.......2007-08-31
If you're looking for a book with a lot of action and suspense, you'll probably enjoy this one. The book starts out with a break-in and attack that was descriptively gripping enough to make me skittish afterward (honestly, I've got to stop reading these books but can't seem to help myself).
While I can't say that the plot was believable, it does keep you interested and the book really moves quickly. Altogether, I found it an enjoyable and even riveting book. Perhaps due to the amount of action within the book, the conclusion was almost anti-climatic.
The bottom line is the implausible premise of the story is overcome by the author's talent for writing suspense and action.
Putting strangers in mortal danger.......2007-08-24
Even the title makes no sense. There is no obsession in this book.
It was just was so so to me until he removes the tracking device. I thought of how to get rid of it and came up with the same idea he did, but instantly dismissed it as unconscionable to send those vicious people after innocent strangers.
He congratulated himself on his cleverness and she agreed with him.
That was it for me. They were only marginally interesting characters at best, and at that point I didn't care what happened to them, though of course I assume they prevailed. I'm still wondering about the hapless passengers in the other car.
I read the reviews and seriously doubt the reviewers even read the book. Kathy???? No one ever called or referred to her as Kathy. I always prefer the customer reviews, even though they vary widely. At least they're honest.
Beginning Good, Mid and End Awful.......2007-08-22
At first I was captured by the story but that soon fell away and I was like WHAT??? FBI agents using civilians to work undercover for the agency?
The heroine's body sustained so much traum all within a few days and the author failed to empasize the effects of that. I guess she had to make sure the sexual relationship wouldn't be affected.
Who know's this whole book was a jumble of craziness.
GOOD READ.......2007-08-21
I ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IT KEPT ME GUESSING UNTIL THE END. I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED A LITTLE MORE ROMANCE THOUGH. ALL IN ALL IT WAS A VERY GOOD BOOK.
Average customer rating:
- Reeks of Southern California
- Entertaining reading
- California Girl
- Excellent novel for those readers who want something more than a quick read
- A GOOD READ
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California Girl (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc)
T. Jefferson Parker
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
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ASIN: 1590869737
Release Date: 2004-09-28 |
Book Description
A different world then, a different world now…California in the 1960s, and the winds of change are raging. Orange groves uprooted for tract houses, people flooding into Orange County, and strange new ideas in the air about war, music, sex, and drugs, and new influences including Richard Nixon and Timothy Leary.
But for the Becker brothers, the past is always present and it comes crashing back when the body of the lovely and mysterious Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned orange packinghouse. The Beckers and Vonns have a history, beginning years ago in high school with a rumble between the brothers of each clan.
But boys grow up. Now one Becker brother is a cop on his first homicide case. One's a minister yearning to perform just one miracle. One is a reporter drunk with ambition. And all three are about to collide with the changing world of 1968 as each brother, in his own special way, tries to find Janelle's killer.
As the suspects multiply and secrets are exposed, the Becker brothers are all drawn further into the case, deeper into the past, and closer to the danger.
Download Description
"
The times, they are a-changin' . . .
The Orange County, California, that the Becker brothers knew as boys is no more -- unrecognizably altered since the afternoon in 1954 when Nick, Clay, David, and Andy rumbled with the lowlife Vonns, while five-year-old Janelle Vonn watched from the sidelines. The new decade has brought about the end of the orange groves and the birth of suburban sprawl. It is the era of Johnson, hippies, John Birchers, and LSD. Clay becomes a casualty of a far-off jungle war. Nick becomes a cop, Andy a reporter, David a minister. And the decapitated corpse of teenage beauty queen Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned warehouse.
A hideous crime has touched the Beckers in ways that none of them could have anticipated, setting three brothers on a dangerous collision course that will change their family -- and their world -- forever.
And no one will emerge from the wreckage unscathed.
"
Customer Reviews:
Reeks of Southern California.......2007-08-13
Worth a read. A tale of brothers and families and a grisly crime. Lots of red herrings. The Southern California atmosphere is captured well. The second book by this author that I have read and i will read more.
Entertaining reading.......2007-06-21
It is quite good mystery novel, it definitely keeps you going, I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anybody who is looking for entertaining read. It might be a little bit slow in the beginning, but then it picks up and keeps going.
California Girl.......2007-05-15
California Girl is a period piece wrapped in a detective novel. It takes place in Orange County (Tustin and Laguna) starting the late 1950s and ending at the close of the century. The bulk of the story is in the 1960s at a time when Orange county was losing its orange groves, America was at war in Viet Nam, LSD and marijuana were drugs of choice and baby boomers were practicing free love.
Some reviewers on Amazon have complained that the book has too many white characters and the Civil Rights movement is never mentioned. In Parker's defense that area was predominantly white and was until recently. That the characters never discuss the Civil Rights movement is in keeping with the character of the area.
Another comment I saw on Amazon was the repeated mentioning of modern forensic tools. I didn't mind them because they drew attention to just how difficult solving a crime can be and to the possibility that the wrong person can be convicted on inconclusive evidence. The story was more interesting that the typical who-done-it where the evidence lines up like a perfect trail to the criminal.
There is just one problem with the story; the identity of the actual criminal. The person behind the murder of Janelle Vonn is the most obvious person. Although with the recent scandals among various Republican lawmakers, I had to chuckle at life almost imitating art.
Excellent novel for those readers who want something more than a quick read.......2007-03-24
Atmosphere, characters, mood, setting(remarkable: the reader becomes fully engaged in the time and place of the novel), and an excellent plot combine to create Parker's second Edgar winner in three years. Most writers, often very popular, never win an Edgar, or they win one for their first novels.
As I state in my title, this novel is not for those who want to rush through the formulaic plots of most mystery/suspense writers. This is a thoughtful story which adds something meaningful to the responsive reader's life. It reads smoothly and can be read quickly, but the reader loses a lot if he rushes through it as if he were reading James Patterson.
I have read all of Parker's novels, and he is inconsistent, but his best work is the best. Read Silent Joe, the other Parker Edgar winner, certainly one of the top ten mystery novels in the past 20 or 30 years (close to being #1).
A GOOD READ.......2007-03-08
I liked this book. It's about a teen beauty queen found murdered in an old building. It dragged a bit in parts but I liked the story though. It's also about two families growing up in California starting in the 50s.
Average customer rating:
- The Best Book Koontz Ever Wrote
- Review by Author of Everyday Miracles
- Just a book for dog lovers
- Severely overrated, but still enjoyable.
- Dean Koontz's BEST work
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Watchers (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc)
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
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Lightning
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Whispers
ASIN: 1593553307
Release Date: 2004-04-10 |
Book Description
From a top secret government laboratory come two genetically altered life forms. One is a magnificent dog of astonishing intelligence. The other, a hybrid monster of a brutally violent nature. And both are on the loose...
Bestselling author Dean Koontz presents his most terrifying, dramatic and moving novel: The explosive story of a man and a woman, caught in a relentless storm of mankind's darkest creation...
Customer Reviews:
The Best Book Koontz Ever Wrote.......2007-09-05
I have read this book 4 times since it was written and now having heard the audio version, I am more in love with it than ever. This is the best book he has ever written. He is the greatest author, I would not miss one.
Review by Author of Everyday Miracles.......2007-08-23
A breath taking and gripping novel that fills the reader with new and exciting experiences. A combination of pulse racing excitement and cold fear, affection ,and disgust for no-good characters. A special love for Einstein the adorable Labrador. I enjoyed the combination of adventure, romance and thrilling experiences of the characters. Dean Koontz, introduced characters of varied personalities from the executive staff, to Medical practitioners, Salesmen to assassins ,to name a few. Intriguing, Gripping, revealing, this is by far the best novel I have read.
Everyday Miracles: Stories That Touch Your Heart
Just a book for dog lovers.......2007-08-19
I love dean koontz, but this was a real dissapointment. The whole book is about the compainionship of a dog and the climax it works toward is a 1 page ending without delivering. Unless you are a dog lover, STAY AWAY.
Severely overrated, but still enjoyable........2007-08-07
After reading the reviews for this book, I was expecting to be blown away. While I enjoyed the book, I wouldn't call it one of Koontz's best. It had good characters, an interesting plot and it was well paced. Here are a few things that I didn't like:
**SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!!**
+ Nora progessed socially way to fast, and then didn't even show a hint of regression at any point. The fast progession is much more acceptable than the lack of regression. Honestly, I would have been happy if, even for just a paragraph, Nora slipped into her old hermit-like ways and needed to be brought out of her shell again.
+ Lem and Cliff (I think those were their names). That whole side story bored me to tears. I know it was an important element in the story, but it just didn't do it for me.
+ Einstein should have done more with the Scrabble pieces! "Can I have some hamburger? Or three Weenies?" and "Home is where the weenies are." were classic and hysterical lines. I wish Koontz had stuck in a few more lines like that.
+ I thought Vince's death was anticlimactic. As I came to the end of the novel, I was hoping for one of two things with Vince. I was hoping that either he would somehow be linked to The Outsider, or I was hoping that The Outsider would kill him. Honestly, Vince had been hunting Nora and Travis for the entire book, and when he finally gets to them, he's dead maybe fifteen, twenty minutes later. I was expecting a bit more.
So that this review isn't all negative, here are a few things I loved about the book:
+ Einstein and the Scrabble pieces. Although I did state earlier that I wish he had done more with them, what's written is classic.
+ Nora's backstory, Travis' backstory and how the two met.
+ The Outsider. Although part of me wishes that we had seen him and gotten to know him more, the fact that we never really understand him makes him a more mysterious and scary character.
+ I loved the relationship established between Jim Keene and the main characters.
+ Garrison Dilworth. What a wonderful, exciting character.
And so, to sum it all up, I wouldn't call this book "amazing" or "excellent". I'd probably put it a touch above "good". In my opinion, it's definately worth reading.
Dean Koontz's BEST work.......2007-08-02
This is the book that got me hooked on this amazing author.
For those finding the book a bit stale, I'd check to see if you have an imagination.
This book really tests the boundary between real and sci-fi. However, you will fall in love with the main character, the dog. I won't say much more other than the fact that he has super human intellect.
My Recommendation:
If you are new to Dean Koontz, then this is probably the one you should read first.
Book Description
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, after the shock of Elvis Presley and before the Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion, fourteen gifted young songwriters huddled in midtown Manhattan's legendary Brill Building and a warren of offices a bit farther uptown and composed some of the most beguiling and enduring entries in the Great American Songbook. Always Magic in the Air is the first thorough history of these renowned songwriters—tunesmiths who melded black, white, and Latino sounds, integrated audiences before America desegregated its schools, and brought a new social consciousness to pop music.
Customer Reviews:
Very detailed account of early rock music.......2007-07-06
The amount of detail in this book is amazing. Not for the casual music listener, but great for those of us who grew up in the golden age of rock and roll. This book fills in many of the blanks for us hard core music fans who want to know the stories behind the songs.
Good Book About The Era.......2007-06-16
Just a couple of things to add to the other comments here:
Writer must have a grudge against Steve Lawrence/Eydie Gorme as he insults them every 10 pages.
Very little is said about the actual musicians in the book, only the songwriters.
But a couple of incredible nuggets, that several Bacharach-David tunes had drummers using one stick and one brush. And that "A House Is Not A Home" refers to a bordello.
In the coda, book makes a brief note about Carole King's Tapestry, which is still one of the biggest selling records of all time. Carol, more than anyone besides Sedaka, bridged gap between songwriter and performer.
Back in the Day.......2007-05-12
This "just the facts ma'am" book chronicles a fascinating time when songwriting made the leap from tin pan alley sentimentality to sophisticated pop (hard to believe they called it rock and roll!) with many fascinating personalities and future pop stars. If early rock and roll history is your bag, dude, then this is fun, well researched book.
Briefly, a hit.......2007-01-21
The other reviews are so long, I thought I'd sum them up. They're right.
If you think you'd like this, you will. You're guaranteed to pick up some interesting new details, while getting a context for the creation of many of rock n' roll's most enduring songs.
Great read - that music will never sound the same again.......2006-07-14
I didn't know what to think - a serious book about the fluff and and the writers of pre-Beatles Rock 'n Roll!
Well, this is a great one. Well written, and an easy read, it is chock full of stories about the songs I grew up on in the 60's. It has given me a new appreciation and respect for that music and its' creators. The author qualifies this book with a comment about it not being comprehensive or encyclopedic. No apologies necessary. He does justice to the material covered, and does not pretend to cover it all, just an important part of the New York music scene of its' day. I will be reading it again in a few months. I can't wait to re-read those stories about how these songs came to be written and recorded.
Average customer rating:
- Brilliance of the Moon, Episode 1: Battle for Maruyama
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Brilliance of the Moon, Episode 1: Battle for Maruyama (Tales of the Otori, Book 3)
Lian Hearn
Manufacturer: Puffin
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Brilliance of the Moon, Episode 2: Scars of Victory (Tales of the Otori, Book 3)
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Grass For His Pillow, Episode 1: Lord Fujiwara's Treasures (Tales of the Otori, Book 2)
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ASIN: 0142406236 |
Book Description
Peace comes at the price of bloodshed—five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose. At the temple of Terayama, the words of the blind sage's prophecy continue to haunt Takeo as he readies his armies for battle. Determined to avenge Shigeru's death and claim his rightful inheritance, Takeo and Kaede, together with Takeo's forces, fight their way to the domain of Maruyama. But then they must separate. Takeo makes plans for a battle by the sea, and Kaede returns to her family's home at Shirakawa. Will they see each other again?
Customer Reviews:
Brilliance of the Moon, Episode 1: Battle for Maruyama.......2007-01-30
Enjoyable series of books. Delivery was timely.
Average customer rating:
- Terrific!
- un-be-lievable!
- more miles of iles
- MUST READ!
- Great Read
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Blood Memory (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc)
Greg Iles
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
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Mortal Fear
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Turning Angel: A Novel
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The Footprints of God
ASIN: 1590866002
Release Date: 2005-02-15 |
Book Description
Catherine “Cat” Ferry is a forensic odontologist, a specialist in bite marks and the clues they provide. But while Cat's colleagues know her as a world-class scientist, she secretly attempts to manage her fragile psyche with alcohol, delving into the minds of rapists and murderers yet never allowing her own frightening past to creep into the foreground.
Cat's latest case involves a disturbing murder in New Orleans. Banishing her personal demons, she focuses on the potential killer, until one morning she's paralyzed by a panic attack at a grisly murder scene. Praying the attack is a onetime event, she continues her job as a consultant to the New Orleans Police Department, but when another victim dies in the same shocking way - raising fears that a serial killer is at large - Cat blacks out over the victim's mutilated corpse.
Suspended from the FBI task force, plagued by nightmares, and at odds with her married lover - a homicide detective - Cat finally reaches her breaking point. In a desperate effort to regain control over a life spiraling out of control, Cat retreats to her hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. But her family's secluded antebellum estate provides no sanctuary.
When some of Cat's forensic chemicals are spilled in her childhood bedroom, two bloody footprints are revealed. This sight shocks her more than any corpse she has seen in her career. Cat's father was murdered when she was eight years old, but she always believed the crime occurred in the garden outside their home. The bloody footprints suggest otherwise.
Driven by this fragment of her past, Cat attempts a forensic reconstruction of the decades-old crime, even as developments with the New Orleans task force pull her back into the case she left behind. Plagued by troubling nightmares, Cat pieces together the horrifying events she has been shielded from all her life. Soon, both she and the FBI realize that the murders occurring now in New Orleans are intimately bound up with Cat's family and her past.
Can Cat trust her own memories? Or has the truth been so distorted that she can never know her family's real history? Finding a solution to these intertwined murders means more than stopping a remorseless killer - it may be the only way to save Cat Ferry's sanity . . . and her life.
Greg Iles is a masterful storyteller. In this dramatic novel of suspense he deftly probes the relationship between good and evil, and the unique power of human memory to reconstruct - or completely reinvent - the past.
Download Description
Forensic expert "Cat" Ferry has a stellar reputation until a panic attack paralyzes her at a New Orleans murder scene. Praying the attack is a one-time event, she continues working, but when the same killer strikes again -- raising fears that a serial killer is at large -- Cat blacks out over the victim's mutilated corpse. Suspended from the FBI task force, Cat returns to her hometown to regroup. Though her colleagues know her as a world-class forensic odontologist, Cat lives a secret life. Plagued by nightmares, and deeply involved with a married homicide detective, Cat holds herself together with iron nerves and alcohol, using her work as a substitute for life. When some of Cat's forensic chemicals are spilled in her childhood bedroom, two bloody footprints are revealed. This discovery sets in motion a quest to piece together Cat's past -- buried memories that could tie her father's murder to the grisly deaths occurring in New Orleans in the present. For only by finding this remorseless killer can Cat save her sanity -- and her life.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific!.......2007-10-10
This tops my list of Greg's stuff. I enjoyed the story so much and could not find a good place to stop ever. I think I zipped through this one in about 4 or 5 days and it's pretty long.
un-be-lievable!.......2007-06-17
What a waste of paper. You can read this book quickly just by reading five, then skipping ten all the way through the book. The premise is shaky. The heroine kooky. The deaths so numerous that you really won't miss anything by not reading all of it. And the teeth gimmick doesn't work at all.
Oh, and we get a "romance" thrown in.
The book is a literary dumpster.
more miles of iles.......2007-05-07
See Turning Angel review. Greg Iles can write. Boy can he write.
MUST READ!.......2007-04-14
This is the first Greg Isles book that I have read, and I plan on buying every one! He is a wonderful author. I could not put this book down! It is one of the best books that I have read in a LONG TIME!!!
Great Read.......2007-03-11
This was my 1st impulse buy, now I am a new fan, I liked this book and could not stop reading. This is a great buy. Page turner bite the nails.
I just started to buy all of Giles's books but so far I haven't gone wrong with any.
Books:
- The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs
- The Dark Tower Boxed Set (Books 1-4)
- The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients
- The Fragrance of God
- The Gardener's Year
- The Last Season
- The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family
- The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook
- The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to the Design and Maintenance of the Water Garden
- The Mini Zen Gardening Kit (Miniature Editions)
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