Book Description
THE ANGELS WITHIN US shows how to pinpoint your own trouble spots, discover which angel waits beyond reach, and ask it for guidance. In a step-by-step process that includes meditations, practical exercises, and examples of angelic conversations experienced by the author and others, you will meet the Angel of Unconditional Love and Freedom, catalyst of all angels. You will then learn about the twenty-one other angels whose energies are attuned to such realms as: Illusion and Reality; Creative Wisdom; Abundance; Power and Authority, and more.
THE ANGELS WITHIN US guides you to that exalted and natural existence where you can be as cosmically whole, vibrant, strong, and free as you were created to be.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book.......2007-09-05
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in contacting their angels or archetypes. It has been extremely helpful for me.
A TRUE angel book of Substance.......2007-05-15
This is one of the first, and still among the best, of the angel books I've read over the past 3 decades. John Randolph Price has a true grasp on spirituality, and has a way of presenting a subject once ridiculed as "new-aged mumbo-jumbo" with authority, finesse, believability, and an honest understanding. This is a great book for anyone that believes in the presence of angels. I give it a 7+! As propritor of an angel store, and author of Blessings in the Mire I have had access to any title of so called new aged literature for many years, have read more books than I can ever count on the subject of angels. Truly, John Randolph Price is one of the best voices of the many singing praises to the angels.
Angels Within Us.......2006-08-06
Angels Within Us is a profound book to develop englightenment for every reader. I use it to develop Angel NUMEROLOGY for what your soul wanted to learn on this trip to Earth. John Randolph Price provides strategies for your SOUL to evolve and to achieve its Divine purpose in this lifetime. A must read for everyone on their Spiritual Path.
Saved my life.......2004-02-26
I was going through, what at the time was the toughest episode of my life. I was at a book store waiting on a friend. I was walking up and down the isles full of anxiety and stress, when this book caught my eye. Without thinking, I picked it up and started reading, I haven't put the book down sense. It is worn and old now. It has changed my way of thinking like I have never thought possible and opened up my life to a new more joyful experience. Thank you Mr. Randolph Price. The Angels in your book saved me from making a left turn instead of a right one at a very critical point in my life. At the time I had no job, two small children and was afraid I was about to lose everything and was drowning into a depression. I am now aware of the angels company and their service. I now have a wonderful career and new tools for dealing with new challenges., I make great money and bought a new beautiful home for my beautiful children. I always credit this book for saving me. For being the tool that God used when I wasn't able to listen to her any other way.
This is a powerful book.. . ........2003-07-17
It isn't often that I am so strongly "led" to a book, but I kid you not - I felt 'wings' fluttering, couldn't get the title image out of my mind, and saw a colorful light emerging from this book when I opened the cover almost seven years ago. I still actively work with this book today. This is a powerful teaching book based on esoteric traditions throughout the ages. Each angel is introduced as a timeless vortex of energy with corresponding archetypes from the tarot and ancient mythology, and the author guides you through the process of meeting each angel with a meditation. Manly P. Hall is qoted, as is the Bible, which would normally turn me off. However the amazing energy shifts that can occur by using the meditations in this book speak for themselves. Any description of this book really can't do the experiential results justice. If you feel drawn to this title, go for it. The vibrations are very esoteric and can feel alien to your everyday mind, but just EASE into it, and you will learn exciting techniques for altering your consciousness (for the better) and working with powerful angelic energies. And oh yeah, it added an amazing new dimension to my tarot readings, too.
Book Description
From 1967 to 1979 Joanne Fleisher led a happy life in the suburbs, a mother of two and the wife of a successful lawyer. Then she fell in love with a female friend and everything changed. Her experiences, as well as those of the women who write to her advice column Ask Joanne (www.lavendervisions.com), inspired her to write Living Two Lives, a guide for women grappling with the difficult process of coming out while being married to a man. Now a licensed clinical social worker, Fleisher has conducted married women's support groups, weekend conferences, individual therapy sessions, and national and international phone consultations for women in this situation. She now brings her wealth of insight to this guide to help married women navigate the stages of coming out: initial feelings of same-sex attraction, telling husbands and children, managing a roller coaster of emotions (grief at the end of a marriage, confusion and anger at the loss of heterosexual privilege, guilt, anxiety, depression), developing a support system, executing the awkward phases of dating, and, finally, moving into a new chapter of life. In addition, Living Two Lives provides resources on organizations for married women, suggested reading, and helpful websites. Married women are a huge but invisible part of the lesbian population, often falling between the cracks of available resources. This book is a welcome tool to guide them out of isolation and into rich, rewarding lives.
Joanne Fleisher is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Simmons College and of the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She and her partner of 25 years co-parented her daughters with her ex-husband, and she recently became a grandmother.
Customer Reviews:
Understanding the Situation.......2007-05-21
Women who feel like they're alone in this situation will find guidance and assurance that they are not alone.
Married to a Man And in Love With a Woman.......2007-05-10
Great book. Very insightful.
A realistic and beneficial guide to women .......2007-04-11
The author approaches the subject matter in a sensitive and proactive manner. The book provides a lot of supportive information for women that may feel they are all alone or the only one that has or is going through this process. The author really addresses the stages and situations that are part of the process providing mulitple scenarios, suggestions, and rationale without judgment. An excellent book for all parties going through this life transition.
***** Love is a Four-Letter Word That We Can't Live Without *****.......2007-03-07
As a psychotherapist, I can say that the topic of this book is timely and a most welcome addition to the literature on it. For despite the untold depth of despair that our sexual-orientation causes in ourselves, partners, family, friends, and society-at-large, we have not seen anything yet, as we say, nor do we see the upside to this revolution. In fact, the primary task for each of us is to STOP the blame-game; this is a no-fault biological upgrade downloading into our genetic programming. That is, it is as organic, natural as mom, apple pie, and Chevrolet. For my own research, and visions, into the future reveals an increase in gay and lesbian relationships that will far exceed those of the heterosexual community. So, first and foremost, let's drop the guilt-trip and the judgments of each other's role in the self-healing cycle of Mother Earth. In short, as a "straight" male, married to a straight female for the past 37-years, parents to 3 adult children, 8 grandchildren, we are a dying breed, and I for one am glad of it! For our confusion is linked to the origins of mankind in the Garden of Eden, the role the twisted-pair DNA "serpent" had in bringing us the knowledge of co-creation initially. Yet our blind-spot still does lie in the role we play as members of the oppostie sex. Sex has to do with "power," raw energy that we use to attract and repel people around us. Up until now, it has been mismanaged badly with tragic consequences. However, because we are at the critical phase of our spiritual evolution where we are to "make the two one again," as it states in the Gospel of Thomas, there is hope, finally. Specifically, as I've learned from my myriad interviews with men and women having a near-death experience over the past 15-years, the future human being will be androgynous. Indeed, what we are witnessing today is the maturation of our species into self-empowered shamans by using the sexual life-force energy wisely to rebalance civilization in the process. In blunt terms, we are restoring the natural order to the planet where the "magnetic" feminine rules the roost, so to speak, from the boardroom to the bedroom. So the more we can help everybody seek and find their "soul mate" the closer we come to peace on Earth. Thank God that finally we can perhaps begin to heal our toxic planet from its near fatal overdose of testosterone poisoning!
Dr. John Jay Harper is author of Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century
A Gentle, Practical, Extremely Valuable Book Handling a Sensitive Subject.......2006-10-15
*****
This is a gentle and honest book for self-inquiry for those women who are married and questioning their sexual identity. It helps you to sort out the myriad of complex feelings that ensue when you are in love with another woman, wish you were in love with another woman, wonder if what's wrong with your marriage is that you really belong with a woman, and more. In this sorting out, the author is kind and non-judgmental of diverse beliefs, and does not have an agenda---feminist or otherwise---in the courses of action that would be best for the reader; instead she helps you to find the answers that are right for you.
The book facilitates this self-searching by a terrific format. It is organized into chapters by topic, including: questioning, finding your sexual identity, examining your marriage, husbands' responses, managing the roller coaster, girlfriends, helping your children, and support. The chapters are full of gentle questioning and supportive ways of dealing with what is inevitably a difficult time in a woman's life, no matter what the outcome.
Then, at the end of each chapter, there is a section called "What You Can Do Now"---simple actions that you really can do, even if you're uncertain and up-in-the-air about so much else. Each of these action sections is broken up into several parts like:
"Remind yourself..." (with good things to remind yourself of---for example, "Self-understanding is not a linear process. I may take one step backward for every two steps forward."),
"Ask yourself this question..." (a thought-provoking question related to the chapter topic---for example, "What messages about sexuality, direct or covert, did I get from my parents, teachers, clergy, friends? And which do I continue to hold inside me?"),
"Practice this technique for handling your feelings..." (a do-able and helpful coping technique---for example, keeping your focus on staying in the present), and
"Take one step..." (a concrete action step that you can take, as opposed to one that you are unsure about---for example, making a timeline of the key sexual events in your life and how they shaped your thoughts about your sexuality).
These action sections help you on what is a lengthy and patient journey.
The book helps you to realize that you are not alone, that other women have been where you are. It does not sugar-coat the process of exploring your sexual identity, however. It is realistic and presents the difficulties and potential costs as well as the benefits of such a journey. The biggest gift this book gave me is that it helped me to not feel so scared---as do most women when thinking about huge life changes. It helped me to see that I would be okay no matter what choices my future held.
It is also an excellent book to be read not only by the woman who is questioning her sexuality, but by the woman's husband, girlfriend, adult children, or those who simply wish to understand this difficult process that is so seldom written about in such a sensitive way. Highly recommended.
*****
Book Description
Is there really such a thing as a “good divorce”? Determined to uncover the truth, Elizabeth Marquardt—herself a child of divorce—conducted, with Professor Norval Glenn, a pioneering national study of children of divorce, surveying 1,500 young adults from both divorced and intact families between 2001 and 2003. In Between Two Worlds, she weaves the findings of that study together with powerful, unsentimental stories of the childhoods of young people from divorced families.
The hard truth, she says, is that while divorce is sometimes necessary, even amicable divorces sow lasting inner conflict in the lives of children. When a family breaks in two, children who stay in touch with both parents must travel between two worlds, trying alone to reconcile their parents’ often strikingly different beliefs, values, and ways of living. Authoritative, beautifully written, and alive with the voices of men and women whose lives were changed by divorce, Marquardt’s book is essential reading for anyone who grew up “between two worlds.”
“Makes a persuasive case against the culture of casual divorce.”
—Washington Post
“A poignant narrative of her own experience . . . Marquardt says she and other young adults who grew up in the divorce explosion of the 1970s and 1980s are still dealing with wounds that they could never talk about with their parents.”—Chicago Tribune
Customer Reviews:
What the heck are we doing to our children?.......2007-04-30
In "Between Two Worlds" Marquardt, explores the consequences of divorce for children. Marquardt herself was the child of divorce, and it left her caught between two houses and feeling safe nowhere.
The statistics show the changes over the last 50 years. A huge increase in divorce and single parenthood is matched by a huge increase in drug abuse, sexual abuse, school difficulties, and emotional problems for our children.
And yet for 50 years, there have been cheery idiot articles and books about how to manage a "good" divorce. But as Marquardt shows, there are no good divorces for children.
Worse, there doesn't seem to be any easy way to repair the damage. Remarriage, statistically,is tied to an even higher number of problems than mere divorce. It does not replace the first marriage. A raft of grim statistics show just how badly most children fare in blended families. Very few ever feel attached to the new parent, very few ever do well in school again, very few go on to lead happy lives. And the statistics on those who are sexually and emotionally abused in blended families is incredible.
We have harmed our children and therefore we have harmed the future.
The damning legacy of divorce.......2007-04-19
Since the 1960s, the Western world has embarked upon a novel and large scale social experiment: the demolition of marriage and the elevation of divorce. Never before in the West have so many marriages ended in divorce, and so many children been forced to endure the horrors of parental separation.
This seismic shift in marriage is as new as it is far-reaching. And because it is so recent, it has only been in the past few years that an entire generation of kids who have lived through divorce have grown up and are able to give their version of events.
And that story is uniformly damning: divorce hurts children, and it hurts them deeply and in a myriad of ways. And that hurt continues throughout adult life. Another clear message coming from the these children is that there is no such thing as a "good divorce".
Sure, in some cases divorce is the only option. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, divorce need not have been the option, and children of divorce desperately wished it did not happen. In truth, children of divorce "typically experience painful loses, moral confusion, spiritual suffering, strained or broken relationships, and higher rates of all kinds of social problems". Their world, in other words, is turned upside-down.
Marquardt argues that while divorce is a way for adults to cope with their problems, it is not in the best interests of the child in most cases. Allowing for certain obvious exceptions, most difficult marriages can be remedied if the parents are willing to work at it. Indeed, most marriages that end in divorce - two-thirds of them - are low-conflict. Children do not benefit from parental divorce. Indeed, "the best possible outcome for children is to live in one home with their mother and father".
And Marquardt has double reason to make these claims. One, she is herself the child of a divorce. And two, she has based her conclusions on a pioneering study of 1,500 young adults from both intact and divorced families. The study, conducted by her and sociologist Norval Glenn, have simply verified what most people know by common sense: divorce has numerous negative consequences for children, and many of those consequences stay with them for the rest of their lives.
This book examines in detail these findings. The actual facts and figures are there, but so too are numerous personal testimonies of those involved in the study. They put a human face on to the statistical data. And the face seen is a sad one indeed. Divorce impacts children profoundly, and the stories told here are tragic and moving.
The three year study made many disturbing discoveries. Meaty chapters explore the various negative outcomes for children of divorce. Consider just one area: the divided self of the child of divorce. The child is ripped out of a cohesive and unified environment (even where conflict takes place) and "suddenly inherits two distinct worlds in which to grow up".
Says Marquardt, every marriage experiences conflict, but there is an underlying cohesion and solidarity to the marriage which is radically destroyed by divorce. In marriage two individuals "become one flesh," but in divorce the parents are separated and become two people again. And the child - quite unprepared - is forced to deal with this new reality.
Adds Marquardt, "after a divorce the task that once belonged to the parents - to make sense of their different worlds - becomes the child's. The grown-ups can no longer manage the challenge, so the child is asked to try." But that is an adult responsibility which young children just cannot carry, a burden they cannot - and should not - bear.
As a result, children of divorce are much more likely than children of intact families to experience "confusion, isolation, and suffering". They are forced to become little adults. Their childhood is ripped away from them, and they are forced to grow up way too soon.
In an intact family, the children are the centre, the nucleus, and the parents work to protect them and nurture them. But after divorce, the two parents themselves become the centre, and children are left to fend for themselves.
In effect, adults start acting like children while the child is forced to act like an adult. That is an intolerable weight for any child to have to carry. And on it goes for the child of divorce. One painful chapter after another highlights the tremendous pressures and strains foisted upon the child of divorce, and the long-term wounds they cause.
Marquardt makes it clear that not every divorce is bad, and that she is not trying to argue that divorced parents are bad people. But she does insist that divorce is primarily about adults and their needs, and almost never about children and their needs. Very few have asked how divorce impacts the children involved.
This book makes it quite clear that children are overwhelmingly losers in divorce. There is very little good at all that children receive from parental divorce. The radical restructuring of a child's world after divorce should be our main consideration. But in most cases it is not.
Our world has been transformed from being a marriage-culture to a divorce-culture. Perhaps it is time that we became a child-friendly-culture. As Marquardt says, "we need to make sweeping changes to our thinking about marriage". And this book is a great place to begin with such a rethink.
Dead on accurate.......2007-04-17
As a child of the "ideal" divorce I think anyone considering a divorce should read this book first. This dose of reality will hopefully motivate them to seriously overhaul their broken relationships with their spouses and avoid spreading the misery. If that is impossible, as in cases of adultery or abuse, it will at least help them understand what their children are really experiencing.
Without turning this into a therapy session, I will say I was that kid. My parents divorced for legitimate reasons when my brother was a toddler and I was an infant. After the divorce both camps were genuinely cooperative and positive about each other. At 33 years old I still experience the ripple effect.
My husband is the only person I ever discussed my parents' divorce with. He read a review and a few quotes from this book and he said it was eerie how the author said almost word for word things I have said to him. He suggested I get it and read it.
Between Two Worlds is dead on accurate. I was stunned reading a book that a total stranger seemed to have written about my inner life. I have never ever in the first 20 years of my life spoken of any of it aloud, and yet my heart and mind were there in black and white right in front of me. It felt almost surreal.
Be warned children of divorce-this is not a book to read in a low place in your life or just before the holidays. When you do read it, loan it someone who loves you and can hear difficult and uncomfortable things from you without trying to tell you how you should feel. That's part of the problem. We've been told how to feel for so long by society that society may not know how to hear us.
Spouses of children of divorce would really benefit from reading this book. So many different issues are covered so thoroughly in ways a child of divorce just can't or won't articulate.
There is little discussion of the legacy of divorce in the marriages of adult children of divorce and none of how being a child of divorce affects you as a parent, but being a mom, I suspect we would find some patterns if we looked. The focus is primarily on the childhood years.
Maybe the ripple effect will be explored in the next book by the author.
The only gap in this book is probably because of the age difference between the author and her sibling. I have noticed that in some cases sibling bonds tighten after divorce in ways that other sibling relationships don't. My brother and I have that experience. That wasn't explored in this book.
A valuable resource.......2007-04-12
The important thing his book addresses is the idea of values. What values do our children acquire in a divorce? Afterward, they live in different houses, with different rules, different patterns, and pick up different values. Ms. Marquardt compares and contrasts life in an intact home and a divorced home through that lens. In an intact family, if the parents disagree about a choice of action, the kids see the disagreement and reasoning behind the choices, but there is only one course of action. Parents resolve the issue and from that choice, kids learn a value. In the two divorced homes, each parent chooses to do whatever they want to do. Kids are forced to evaluate all of the information, much like adults do, with little guidance. As a result, they don't learn values that are based on morals, they learn to get by.
It is unfair to children to push them into handling things like adults when they don't have the life experience that will help them figure things out.
Ms. Marquardt also makes clear that the mantra "a good divorce" is only good for the adults who are now free to pursue whatever they wish: a new lover, a new job, a new life. It is not good for kids. Kids end up acting the way they think parents want them to act. Many kids internalize the split and are guilty about it. No matter how much we tell them that they didn't cause the split, they still miss having two parents and internalize that.
I bought this book for my ex, a child of divorce, and she said that both she and her new husband, also a child of divorce, could identify with the behavior patterns Ms. Marquardt lays out. Here's to hoping that I can keep my kids from repeating the patterns of their mother.
Powerful and challenging - must read for parents and children of divorce.......2007-01-16
What a powerful and poignant book about the effects of divorce on children. In a culture that has bought the lie that divorce doesn't have significant adverse effects on children, Marquardt begs to differ; and not only with the facts of her own personal experience, but based on her cutting-edge research of the subject. Marquardt begins the book stating what is obvious to all children of divorce, but is often overlooked by so many others - that while divorce is perceived by most to be an ending (the end of a marriage relationship), from the child's perspective, it is the beginning of a life-long struggle for security, meaning, identity and wholeness. Even in the so-called "good divorces" where there is little conflict between the parents and the child is able to remain in contact with both parents following the divorce, Marquardt raises several powerful concerns from the child's perspective. Regardless of the proverbial "good" or "bad" divorce, every child is faced with a new reality - two parents, two homes, two different and often conflicting worlds. And the child, most often, is left to deal with their feelings, with their anger, with their questions alone.
Building on the revolutionary research of Judith Wallerstein (The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Landmark Study), Marquardt echoes the concerns that divorce has far more significant and lasting effects on children than previously realized or recognized. While in college, I actually took a course based on the research of Wallerstein and this issue has been very interesting to me and became much more real when, at age 26, my parents divorced. Working with students today, I can see so many of the powerful and damaging effects of divorce on their lives. As Marquardt points out in her book, children of divorce are often lonely, confused, angry, and tired of having to live two completely different lives to survive in two separate worlds created by each parent. Marquardt also notes, and from personal experience I can echo her words, that children deal with the effects of divorce long after the actual incident - it affects their own marriage, their vacations and holidays, and their sense of wholeness and security long into their adult lives.
While Marquardt is clear that her intent is not to make divorced parents feel burdened, this is a heavy and profound book for every parent who is divorced (and might be good medicine for any parent thinking about divorce). But while that secondary effect may or may not exist, the book is aimed at the children of divorce themselves and the divorce-permissive culture in which they live. Marquardt shares her heart and experiences to give strength and wisdom to others, like her, caught between the two worlds created by divorce. And she challenges the culture at large to honestly examine the concept of marriage and the handling of divorce considering the perspective of what might be best for the interests of the children, not just the rights of the parents.
Between Two Worlds is a powerful book and would be an excellent read for anyone, but will be especially meaningful for those who are children of a divorced family or the parents themselves. The lie that children are resilient and will easily adapt to the new realities created by divorce are not found in the research and are definitely not born out in the personal testimonies and experiences of Marquardt and others she studied. Divorced parents would be wise to read this book and change their approach to the parenting of their children.
Book Description
On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the United States 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer. Both were men of aggression and supreme courage. Both became leaders in their societies at very early ages; both were stripped of power, in disgrace, and worked to earn back the respect of their people. And to both of them, the unspoiled grandeur of the Great Plains of North America was an irresistible challenge. Their parallel lives would pave the way, in a manner unknown to either, for an inevitable clash between two nations fighting for possession of the open prairie.
Customer Reviews:
A new perspective.......2007-08-23
I have been a big fan of Ambrose and have read most of his books. I grew up in Montana and was aware of "Custer's Battlefield". The name was changed from Custer's Last Stand to the Battle of the Bighorn. Very appropriate.
Ambrose opened my eyes to the policy of the government as it related to the "Indian Wars". He does a great job in positioning both Custer and Crazy Horse throughout their lives and how they were destined to meet in SE Montana.
This book helps me understand how the Native Americans were treated and mistreated during the opening of the west.
If you are a history fan, I encourage you to read Stephen Ambose's works. His details allow you to put yourself in the shoes of an observer to history. Check out Undaunted Courage if you want to see the world through the eyes of Lewis and Clark.
Great introduction to 2 somewhat parallel lives.......2007-06-10
I went into this book primariliy interested in crazy horse, yet by about half way through i was captivated with custer. Many of Mr. Ambrose's detractors say he stretches the facts. This could easily be true, i am in no way an expert on either crazy horse nor custer. Yet when i walk away from this book i dont remember many facts but more so feel as though i have a sense of who these two individuals were and how they operated in their respective worlds. If i was writing a dissertation on the topic i probably wouldnt cite this as a source, at the same time i think this is a great introduction book to crazy horse, custer, and the indian wars. Overall its a captiviating and fun read, enjoy!
Crazy Horse and Custer.......2007-01-09
Excellent book-goes into depth about both of their lives and the parallels between them.
Death in Battle - Death in Peace.......2006-08-30
They are books like those written by Stephen Ambrose which keep the flame of my interest in reading of times and events of long ago burning. Some have accused Ambrose of taking too many liberties with the facts. To those I would say, Bah Humbug! This book is well written and worthy of the readers time, unless, of course, you are a "fact-checker", in which case the original sources, to the extent they even exist, might be more to your liking. For Orginary Joe's, like me, Mr. Ambrose has provided a good deal of reading entertainment and information. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be transported in time and place to the high plains during the Indian Wars.
Interesting.......2006-08-04
Great study of two complex personalities. I never realized what a mysterious figure Crazy Horse was, and his integral role at the Little Big Horn. Ambrose, as usual, does phenomenal research and his gift of prose make this book a pleasure.
Average customer rating:
- Two Lives - really such a good read?
- An expansive story...
- Another good book from Vikram Seth
- A remarkable work
- Coping with loss
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Two Lives: A Memoir
Vikram Seth
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
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ASIN: 0060599677
Release Date: 2006-06-13 |
Book Description
Widely acclaimed as one of the world's greatest living writers, Vikram Seth -- author of the international bestseller A Suitable Boy -- tells the heartrending true story of a friendship, a marriage, and a century. Weaving together the strands of two extraordinary lives -- Shanti Behari Seth, an immigrant from India who came to Berlin to study in the 1930s, and Helga Gerda Caro, the young German Jewish woman he befriended and later married -- Two Lives is both a history of a violent era seen through the eyes of two survivors and an intimate, unforgettable portrait of a complex, abiding love.
Customer Reviews:
Two Lives - really such a good read?.......2007-09-18
The book was recommended to me and after reading a review about it, I was really keen to finally read it. The first two parts of the book were coming up to my expectations, but I found it difficult to follow the events and persons of part III. Reading all those letters is exhausting and finally boring. All those introductions and ends of letters carry so much unnecessary information, it fills the pages of this book, but in fact interrupts the flow of the story. Even if the rest of the book makes up for some of the draw-backs of the letter-dominated part, all in all I was rather disappointed.
An expansive story..........2007-01-21
told through amazingly good writing. I had never read anything by Vikram Seth, but thought this story sounded interesting, which indeed it is. The other posters have really summed up the brilliance and the breadth of the story of Shanti Uncle and Henny Caro in their reviews. There's really nothing to add.
Another good book from Vikram Seth.......2007-01-11
After reading A Suitable Boy, I was hooked on Vikram Seth.
I found this book interesting and informative. It was a personal look at the way WWII shaped the lives of two very different people. I also enjoyed the autobiographical information on Seth. He is an excellent writer and a bright guy. I find his observations are insightful.
A remarkable work.......2006-12-17
This deeply researched and often highly moving memoir traces two small private lives, and in the course of this reveals to us an important chapter in world- history. Indian born writer Vikram Seth at the age of seventeen was sent to London to study. He stayed at the house of his dentist uncle Shanti, and Shanti's wife German- Jewish refugee Henny. Seth brilliantly and warmly relates the story of that time, of how he with the aid of his aunt Henny learned German, and how he later came to investigate their lives. To my mind the most interesting part of the book is the letters of his aunt to her friends and family in German, and later in various parts of the world. Part of the story here is the loss of Henny's family, the death of her mother in Thereseinstadt and the murder of her sister in Auschwitz.
Seth also tells the story of the courting and relationship of Shanti and Heddy. He speaks of a love which was not outwardly romantic, but based on mutual respect and consideration. The couple courted for seven years before marrying when they both were forty- three. They did not have children and clearly when Seth lived there he was a kind of substitute- child. He rewarded their dedication to him an affection with an affection and dedication of his own in writing their story.
Seth conncects their stories not only with their own extended family's stories but with the history of their time and even this time.
I was very much impressed by the great care Seth takes in exploring even minor aspects of their character and story. One of the consequences of his research was that he in a sense knew more about them after their lives than in their lifetime. And surprisingly he may have known more about them than each in some ways knew of the other.
I do have one strong objection to the work based on one page in it. In that Seth shows a misunderstanding of the whole enterprise of modern Israel. Because he dealt exclusively with assimilated and assimilating Jews in this work, including Hetty he did not have a real understanding of the centrality of return to Israel in Jewish historical experience. I would too have expected him who so closely, carefully documented stories of the Holocaust to understand that Israel exists in the mind of many Jews as the one place in the world where they could at least ideally be wholly at home and protected. This when the whole world rejected the overwhelming majority of Jews who would have escaped from Nazism and the death- chambers.
Nonetheless I wish to repeat that this is a remarkable work and highly recommended. It gives much on many different levels, most of which I have not been able to indicate in this small review. It is a master work and I am sure that each and every one of its readers will be humanly enriched by it.
Coping with loss.......2006-10-21
The Two Lives of the title are those of the author's great-uncle, the Indian-born Shanti and of his Jewish German-born wife Henny, both born in 1908. They were living in London when 17-year-old Vikram arrived there in 1969 from Calcutta to go to school at Tonbridge; and they remained his base in England until their deaths in 1998 and 1989 respectively, for they were like parents to him, rejoicing in his academic and authorial achievements, and he loved them dearly. Most of the first 50 pages of the book give a charming account of their intimate relationship.
After Henny's death in 1989, Vikram took up the idea of writing the biography of Shanti. He interviewed the then 85 year old for this purpose in eleven lengthy sessions during 1994. Henny had never wanted to talk about the past - even to Shanti she never referred to the deaths of her mother and sister in Nazi camps - , and Vikram knew never to ask her about it; but in 1995 there was found, tucked away in a corner of Shanti's attic, a cabin trunk which Henny had brought with her when she left Germany in 1939. It contained a mass of papers and photographs from which Vikram was able to reconstruct her earlier life and her first few years in England in as much detail as he he had gleaned in the interviews with Shanti about his early years; and that enabled him to expand his book into a dual biography. Even Shanti did not know of the trunk or of much that it revealed of his wife's earlier life and thoughts.
Financed by an elder brother from India, Shanti had come to Europe in 1931 to study dentistry. These studies were too expensive in London, so he had gone to Berlin, having at that time no German at all. One of his landladies there was Ella Caro, Henny's mother. He qualified with distinction in 1936, but then found that as a foreigner he was not allowed to practise as a dentist in Nazi Germany. (He does not otherwise seem to have felt much affected by the atmosphere there since 1933). So he left for Edinburgh, where he had to re-qualify. After that he began to practise in London.
Back in Berlin, the Caro family was suffering all the discrimination that the Nazis unleashed against the Jews. A month before the outbreak of war, Henny was able to come to England, sponsored by the distinguished Arab scholar Arthur J. Arberry. She had to leave her mother, her sister and her half-Jewish fiancé behind.
When the war broke out, Shanti joined the Army Dental Corps. The correspondence between him and Henny is now very loving, especially on his side: his letters suggest that he may already have proposed to her, and that she had neither rejected or accepted him. She had already learnt that her fiancé had become engaged to a Christian girl.
In 1944 he found himself in Italy at Monte Cassino, where a shell hit him and he lost his right fore-arm. After the war, back in England, he was able, remarkably, to continue practising as a dentist.
Henny in the meantime had had to come to terms with the news she received after the war that her mother and sister had died (the mother in Theresienstadt, the sister in Auschwitz-Birkenau). Her former fiancé was trying to resume contact with her; but she had been told (probably falsely) that he had professed enthusiasm for Hitler. She brusquely rejected further correspondence, as she rejected similar efforts from other former friends who had behaved badly during the war. But she sent Care parcels to those of her now needy friends in devastated Germany of whose faithfulness she felt sure. Yet even in those cases, she had struggles with herself when she came to learn of compromising incidents of omission or commission: her very best friend, for instance, was married to a former member of the Nazi Party even if he may not have been, as one letter had told her, a Storm Trooper.
The correspondence between Henny (she kept carbon copies of many of her letters) and her friends in Germany is fascinating. It paints such vivid pictures of the moral dilemmas just described, both for Henny and for her friends, and also of the terrible conditions in the immediate post-war years in Germany, in the Western as well as in the Soviet-controlled Eastern Zones.
Shanti and Henny had been what we now call `an item' for a whole five years after Shanti had returned to England before he proposed to her, and another two years before they actually married in 1951, both aged 43. As a work of art, the book ought perhaps to have stopped there; and I found the last 130 pages or so something of an anti-climax. For after that time, there were no more dramatic or exotic aspects to their lives. They no longer interacted with world events or with different cultures. Though Vikram continues to explore their personalities and the nature of their relationship to each other, the account is less interesting than that of their earlier lives. Their declining years of ill health are then described in considerable detail and - Shanti's especially, which was accompanied with mental senility - at great length. Like some senile people, Shanti used the one power that was left to him to sow family discord with his Will - a rather sordid story told, in my opinion, at excessive length at practically the end of the book. A pity, that.
Customer Reviews:
Einhard gives some real insight into the man........2007-09-16
When I first read Lewis Thorpe's translations of Charlemagne's biographies by Einhard and Notker the Stammerer, I realised that these were of varying value in assessing the man, king, and emperor. Einhard, who was a monk and in effect Charlemagne's private secretary and thus close to the Frankish king, gives a lucid, fairly-detailed, and down-to-earth description of Charlemagne as man, ruler, and father. Even allowing for the fact that he was writing about his late lord and may have indulged in a little licence in praising the late emperor-king, the reader does get some genuine and valuable insights into Charlemagne as a man and ruler and the times in which he lived. He covers all the great events of Charlemagne's reign, such as the 32-year war against the Saxons; and on occasion, he could be mildly critical of his late lord, such as when he wrote that Charlemagne tended to dote on and be over-protective of his daughters. On the other hand, Notker's life of Charlemagne is not a real account of Charlemagne's life but more fanciful and inclined to mediaeval myth and legend; however for all that, the stammering Notker's life of the great man is still enjoyable to read. I would recommend to anyone to read Lewis Thorpe's eminently-readable translations of the two lives, especially Einhard's, as they do give some real insight and understanding of one of the great historical figures of mediaeval and Western history.
Not all books are novels (or even fiction, for that matter).......2007-08-23
The title of this book (i.e., "Two Lives") is not at all misleading if you understand the translators' understanding of the word "life" -- it's the medieval use (from the Latin, "vita", as suggested by the title of one of the "lives," Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni, or the Life of Charles the Great). Although Notker chose to write the Gesta Karoli (or "Acts of Charles"), the idea of it being a chronicle of Charlemagne's life is basically the same as Einhard's. The main difference is that a Vita is frequently written about a saint, whereas gesta are reserved for secular subjects; a little-known fact is that Charlemagne was canonized because of the efforts of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England, in the 12th century. In any event, the vita can be construed as "fiction" in a modern understanding of history, but certainly not in a modern expectation of a novel... if you're looking for some salacious fluff, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for insight into Charlemagne's life and/or the late-8th or early-9th centuries, then this will be an ideal choice.
Einhard and Notker the Stammerer .......2007-08-09
The pairing of these vastly different accounts of the life and deeds of Charlemagne presents the reader with information about change of perception of the great emperor overtime. Charlemagne, in the many centuries after his death in 814, changes from a historical person into a legendary King Arthur-esque figure, a model chivalric knight and one of the Nine Worthies (a Medieval list of the most chivalric knights of all time), his paladins analogous to Arthur's Knights, and the subject of the first chansons de geste.
The first source, commissioned the request of Louis the Pious one of Charlemagne's successors, was written by Einhard, a monk, historian, and a dedicated servant of Charlemagne. His Life of Charlemagne, written between 817-830 is clearly in the vein of the famous Roman historian Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars (a text that existed at the monastery where the author worked). The work is brief, to the point, and for the most part does not include tangential information, and is biased. The bias is completely understandable and the introduction to the text points out where and why. His chronicle was written to make Louis the Pious' famous father look good. For example, one of the morally stained aspects of the Charlemagne's reign were the actions of his unmoral daughters, which Einhard carefully does not tell us about. Einhard, in short, sometimes deliberately obscures the truth. However, what is so appealing about Einhard's text is the fact that his most of his information was based off of 26 years as a servant of Charlemagne and his court, and information that he includes of actions before Charlemagne's reign most likely was gathered from sources and documents which he had access to. Lastly, Einhard's attempt at stringently following the model of Suetonius Twelve Caesars makes him connect the characteristics of great emperors such as Augustus to Charlemagne, obscuring Charlemagne's actual habits, personality etc...
The next chronicle, written 70 years later by a self described lazy, toothless, stammering, monk who could be either, Notker the Stammerer, or the Monk of Saint Gall, or both in one person, is completely different. The introduction states immediately what most reader's minds will skip. I quote "Our first danger is that when we put De Carolo Magno side by side with Vita Caroli we may be comparing it with something quite dissimilar; and our second that we may be criticizing both Einhard and the Monk of Saint Gall for failing to achieve what they did not set out to do." Einhard, wanted Charlemagne to look good, this monk wants to give his fellow monks fables, stories, semi-historical events, moral tales concerning bishops and churchman, that are all connected merely by the presence of Charlemagne in each. Moral tales are the most predominate. This is illustrated by these chapter headings: the bishop who bought a stuffed mouse, the bishop who gave Charlemagne cheese to eat on Friday, the bishop who thought himself divine, the bishop who dreamed he had sex etc... In the section where the monk talks about Charlemagne's extensive military adventures he is more concerned again, with short tidbit tales that have nothing to do with the military campaigns: the two illegitimate children who fought bravely for Charlemagne, the two brave soldiers, etc... Charlemagne has begun his journey to the realm of legend a mere 70 years after his death. Notker the Stammerer is writing for the entertainment of his fellow monks and in so doing explains the perception of Charlemagne over time.
The introduction is extensive and to the point, it does not merely summarize but explains. The notes do not merely present trifling material but ADD extensively to the text. The two vastly different texts do not rehash the same material but rather explain the same person in vastly different ways for vastly different purposes: one, using historical fact, the other using semi-historical stories and anecdotes concerning the moral behavior of bishops. These are very good sources for research and for the casual historian.
1,200 years old.......2006-07-17
Looking at the three 'one-star' reviews this book has received, I would point out they are all written in the same style, are close in date and look suspiciously like they were all written by the same person.
Yes, this is a wonderful primary source.
With Einhard's story you are actually reading the work of a person who knew Charlemagne (who lived approx. 742-814AD).
Prior to Charlemagne there basically was no Germanic literature. Charlemagne encouraged book learning and the writing of what had before then been either purely oral or simply not remembered. We are looking at the birth of Germanic Literature and also the birth of Germanic recorded history. Before this, (apart from a few glosses in the 7th Century) there is only the archaeological record and the writings of neighbouring literate cultures like the Romans about their Germanic neighbours to turn to for illumination.
These glimpses into the minds of people whose culture and outlook on the world are both so different to our own but also has so profoundly impacted the development of our modern day life are fascinating.
Charlemagne after all followed in the footsteps of the Roman Caesars in his attempt to create a great and literate civilisation and by doing so deeply influenced the Anglo-Saxons in England. Some of the earliest Saxon writings were commissioned by Charlemagne and his son, Louis the Pious. Alfred the Great was deeply influenced by his example. It was Alfred the Greats encouragement of Anglo-Saxon literature that established sound foundations for later developments in English literature.
I preferred Einhard as I think he succeeded in showing Charlemagne the man to a greater degree than Notker writing a hundred years later. Already with Notker the 'legendising' of Charlemagne made him more one dimensional and also as you can see in the foot notes more inaccuracies creep into Notker's text. There is also something more primitive and 'mystical' about Einhard. Mystical, mind you when one of Charlemagne's rivals 'mysteriously' dies. ;) But this is not really a criticism of Notker as he gives a feel for the development both of Germanic culture one hundred years further on and also some insight into the making of the legend of Charlemagne.
An excellent source on the early middle ages.......2006-01-30
As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a "source document" - that is to say, it is history written by those who witnessed the event (or in this case, personally knew the person of whom they were writing about.) As with any eye-witness, their accounts need to be taken with a dose of skepticism. With that said, _Two Lives of Charlemagne_ provides an insightful and (for the time period) a relatively complete picture of one of the most influential figures in European history. Einhard's biography provides detail about Charlemagne as king: the political challenges he faced, and the numerous reforms he made. The second account (Notker's) details the religious life of Charlemagne, placing him in an almost "saintly" light.
While the veracity of events presented here may be questionable (the purpose of "history" and "biography" in the present is very different from 1300 years ago), they do provide an excellent sense of Charlemagne's time - which is why I give it 5 stars.
Book Description
An elegant translation of one of the most popular novels of its time.
Rousseau's great epistolary novel, Julie, or the New Heloise, has been virtually unavailable in English since 1810. In it, Rousseau reconceptualized the relationship of the individual to the collective and articulated a new moral paradigm. The story follows the fates and smoldering passions of Julie d'Etange and St. Preux, a one-time lover who re-enters Julie's life at the invitation of her unsuspecting husband, M. de Wolmar.
The complex tones of this work made it a commercial success and a continental sensation when it first appeared in 1761, and its embodiment of Rousseau's system of thought, in which feelings and intellect are intertwined, redefined the function and form of fiction for decades. As the characters negotiate a complex maze of passion and virtue, their purity of soul and honest morality reveal, as Rousseau writes in his preface, "the subtleties of heart of which this work is full."
A comprehensive introduction and careful annotations make this novel accessible to contemporary readers, both as an embodiment of Rousseau's philosophy and as a portrayal of the tension and power inherent in domestic life.
Customer Reviews:
A Superb Story.......2003-07-07
It is a pity that Julie, or the New Heloise is neither better known nor more widely read. It is one of the great novels. Rousseau may be most famous as a philosopher and Julie includes many philosophical passages, discussing issues such as education, virtue and religion, but he shows in this novel that he was both a fine writer and an able storyteller. The ideas he puts into the mouths of his characters are interesting, the debates they engage in are continually fascinating, but it is the story he tells which is truly memorable for it is deeply moving.
The novel consists of a series of letters some quite short, some extending to many pages. The main characters are Julie d'Étange, a young Swiss girl of noble birth and her tutor who has the pseudonym St. Preux. They begin an affair and fall deeply in love. It is this initial relationship of pupil to teacher, developing into passion, which is supposed to remind the reader of the medieval lovers Abelard and Heloise. Moreover both pairs of lovers face difficulties and opposition from family. They experience the joys of love and suffer because of it. These parallels however, should not be overestimated, Rousseau is not retelling an old story and Julie's life is quite different from that of Heloise. The story has numerous twists and turns and many surprises along the way. Other characters interact with the young lovers write letters to them and to each other. Gradually over the course of a long novel one begins to care about these people. It is here that Rousseau's skill as a writer is most evident. I found myself emotionally involved in the story of Julie and St. Preux in a way which was quite unexpected. By the end I had felt much joy and not a little sorrow and had been touched by a novel that can bring forth tears.
The epistolary form works very well, and is used cleverly, even if sometimes a letter is so large it could scarcely fit into an envelope. It has to be said however, that this novel is difficult. It has to be read carefully as it continually refers itself back to previous letters, which means that one is constantly re-reading previous passages. Sometimes it is necessary to read a paragraph over again in order to fully understand it. This is not a novel that can be skimmed, but must be savoured and read over a period of weeks. This fact should not discourage anyone from reading Julie, for it is as rewarding as it is challenging. If it is hard, it is also a pleasure.
The edition of Julie published by the University Press of New England is scholarly and a stunning achievement. The translation of Philip Steward and Jean Vaché is the first full translation into English since the 18th century. It reads well and seems both accurate and fluent. There are over seventy pages of notes, which I found both essential for my understanding of the novel and interesting in the way they expand and explain the various obscure references in the text. Stewart writes a relatively short introduction, which is clear and comprehensible. It is neither overly academic nor dry. My only wish is that it were somewhat longer. Spread throughout the novel are twelve beautiful illustrations depicting scenes from the novel. Finally this edition includes a summary of each letter and a chronology of the events in the novel. I found these very useful as a means of finding my way through what can be a dense and complex correspondence. Julie, or the New Heloise is a truly great novel and this edition does it justice.
Amazon.com
In 1977, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington became entwined in a single punch that would change not only their lives, but how professional basketball is played today. Because the punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull and nearly destroyed both men's careers, the scuffle never settled as a dusty bit of NBA trivia. Instead, it nearly superseded both men's notable achievements. The history of that punch (it could not, by any standards, be considered a fight) and the fate of the two men are the subjects of John Feinstein's The Punch.
In the early days of the NBA, teams had their stars and their "enforcers." Enforcers such as Washington protected star players on the court with their willingness to mix it up. With concise prose, Feinstein reports on this era, following strings of trades, drafts, and personal relationships to their nexus. Those who do not think about basketball on a statistical level may occasionally find themselves lost, but Feinstein, ever conscious of his subject, ties the tangents neatly to the core of the scuffle that led to the infamous punch.
Thorough and thoughtful, Feinstein does not make any excuses, nor does he vilify. He simply traces the web of both men's lives back to their adolescent years when it was not about the NBA, nor the punch, but about the game. Anyone who has ever wondered about these two men, or the history of the NBA, will want to read this book. --Karin Rosman
Book Description
When a fight broke out between the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers one night in 1977, All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich raced to break it up. Unfortunately for Rudy, he ran into Kermit Washington, a good player with a great reputation, and one of the most ferocious punches ever seen in sports.
The punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull, and he was never the same player after. Now he's head coach for the Rockets and coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 2000. In the years since the fight, every team in the NBA has turned Washington away.
With his unique insight, style, and bone-deep knowledge of basketball, John Feinstein finally reveals the truth of that night and all the years after. Through this one cataclysmic event he casts a light on the NBA's darkest secrets, exploring race, conspiracy, violence, and how one mistake has haunted two good men for 25 years.
Download Description
When a fight broke out between the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers one night in 1977, All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich raced to break it up. He was met by Kermit Washington's fist, which delivered one of the most ferocious punches ever seen in sports. The punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull, and required years of surgeries and therapy to get him back to normal. He was never the same again. Washington was an average player for the Lakers, 6 foot 8, and one of six athletes in the history of the NCAA to be both an academic all-American and a basketball all-American. By all accounts he was an exemplary man, but the split second in which he threw his fist toward Tomjanovich devastated his reputation. Every team in the NBA has refused to hire him in any coaching capacity. Tomjanovich, on the other hand, is a star: head coach of the two-time world championship Rockets, and coach of the 2000 gold medal US Olympic team.With his unique insight, style, and bone-deep knowledge of basketball, John Feinstein finally reveals the truth of that night, and how it changed basketball forever. Through this one cataclysmic event he casts a light on the NBA's darkest secrets, exploring race, violence, and how one mistake has haunted two good men for 25 years.
Customer Reviews:
Two victims: one sympathetic.......2006-12-15
Everyone has a moment in their live's that has significant consequences. A time where everything changes, often as the result of a split-second or rash action. Kermit Washington, then of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Rudy Tomjanovich, of the Houston Rockets, on one night in 1977 in the midst of an NBA Game had such a moment. In an instant, Tomjanovich was almost killed by a punch which had connected with extreme force and velocity, and Kermit Washington was foreever defined by that aberrant act of violence.
Feinstein writes well and describes a fascinating world of professional athletics in the 1970's. He describes each of the protagonists' lives and the perspectives and effects of the incident to all whom it affected. Some great characters of sport past are here: Pete Newell, Red Auerbach, Bill Walton, Rick Barry, Chick Hearn, Larry O'Brien, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc. The writing is smooth and entertaining and keeps you from turning away.
There are some problems with the book, however. Editing is poor. Episodes recounted in one chapter are repeated in another. More importantly, Feinstein tries so hard to be objective that he distances himself from the reader. One cannot read this book and not come to the unmistakably conclusion that the reason why the event still affects Kermit Washington is because Washington has never come to grips with his own conduct.
The book relates how never really apologized or took accountability and that his failure to do so, when contrasted with Tomjanovich's ability to overcome in life and basketball, turns him into a self-inflicted victim. Now, Feinstein implies such and uses the words of others to reach this conclusion, but it would've been nice if he would break free from the sympathetic shoulder and challenge some of Washington's self-serving statements. This lack of journalistic integrity is particularly distressing in light of the clear implication that Washington, in an attempt to avoid personal responsibility, has dragged the reputation of another player and his family (Kevin Kunnert) through the mud. Inasmuch as Feinstein wants you to feel for Washington, this book fails to conform to the facts.
Still, an entertaining read and a fascinating look at sport in a different time and different place.
Feinstein delivers.......2006-01-30
The punch. This was a horrible sports moment which affected so many lives. I still get shivers when I think of that event. As a teenager, it changed some of my views on sports, life and the two individuals involved. Feinstein had the incredible challenge of revisiting this event with the Rudy and Kermit and with the reader.
Feinstein delicately, but straightforwardly, tackles this subject, bringing out a wide range of emotions from himself, the particpants, the onlookers and the reader. He succeeds in showing that both men are truly victims of this unfortunate event. Rudy T is not the hero, nor Kermit the villian, although each will begrudgingly play that role on and off for years.
For the first time ever, the incident is studied in painstaking detail. It is poked and probed from many angles. For the first time ever, Kermit and Rudy both have a say about the event. Hopefully, this experience will help both men help. I know this book certainly opened my eyes to the men and the challenges both faced in the aftermath.
" The Punch".......2005-10-31
"The Punch" was an important event in the history of basketball. The author, John Feinstein did an okay job writing this book, but he kind of lost my interest after he started to repeat statements. "The Punch" is worth reading, because it told the event that changed the sport forever. If you are interested in basketball I recommend reading this book.
Quota to fill?.......2005-10-17
This book is a complete ripoff. Feinstein must have a quota to reach because this book is just unbelievably poorily and laziliy written and edited. The repetition is so severe a 5th grade teacher would have given the writer an "F". Hopefully, this is an aberration for Feinstein but after reading this book I came away believing he's sold out = write a book, collect a check. Well, he won't be getting any of my $s anymore.
A great read.......2005-05-31
When i first looked at getting this book, i noticed it didnt rate highly as far as the star rating was concerned. Yes, the book can be repetitive in stages, but i have to say that i found myself enjoying this book immensely and glad i purchased it.....then again, anything to do with basketball and i take to it eagerly. Give the book a chance, under it all it paints a story of two lives and the different paths they took after one misfortunate punch. I am a big fan of John Feinstein anyway, so maybe im not one to properly critique the book and point out its inconsistancies, but personally, i enjoyed it and can only go by that.
Average customer rating:
- the two lives of a hero
- The spark that ignited the world
- An inspring read for Scouters and non-Scouters alike
- Excellent history of Boy Scouts and the Scouting Movement
- very detailed account using family letters and interviews
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Baden-Powell : The Two Lives of a Hero
William Hillcourt
Manufacturer: Gilwellian Press d/b/a/ Scouter's Journal Magazine
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0963432001 |
Customer Reviews:
the two lives of a hero.......2007-08-24
Robert S. S. Baden-Powell was a great man "out in the field". He was a
military genius of the British army in his time, and he brought his
ingenuity and experiences together at home for the boys of England
and founded the Boy Scouts. He is respectively referred to today as
the "Chief Scout of the World". This book tells you everything you
need to know about this particular"Hero"! Philip Loving
The spark that ignited the world.......2002-10-02
Having gone through almost the entire scouting program (from cub scouts, boy scouts, venture scouts, order of the arrow, and on to my eagle scout rank, philmont, national jamboree, and woodbadge leader training WE3-27-00) I never heard the whole story of Lord Baden-Powell. While attending woodbadge I was told of this book that was written by William Hillcourt (a.k.a. green bar bill)with the help of Olave, Lady Baden-Powell(his wife also founder of the girl scouts)and His mother. Green bar bill (Gbb) also wrote from knowing Lord Baden-Powell (B-P) and B-P own writting from his pamphlets, books, and notes. So in using first hand knowledge it was not weighed down with the fog that contimporary writers will place on their own books. I found it to be very delightful to read. B-P is the only person that I know of to be a true ledgend in his own time. B-P was not only a scouter but a spy, a british general, a writer,an artist among other things. He also knew famous people like Cecil Rhodes and Winston Churchill before their own fame. B-P really did live more than one life and he is certainly a hero.
An inspring read for Scouters and non-Scouters alike.......1999-07-28
Who would have thought that a general, who in his time achieved the same stature that Eisenhower did after World War II, would turn his attention when he was in his 50s to a completely new journey - and create a system to engage boys in purposeful fun at a time when so many were being offered only the mean streets of turn-of-the-century industrial England! Having recently returned from a trip to Kenya, where we visited Paxtu, B-P's last home, and his gravesite, we experienced a pilgrimage fulfilled. To see how this great man and his wife (who herself led the worldwide Girl Scout movement) lived in such simple, humble accommodations there, surrounded by their version of wealth - nature - provides a stark contrast to our end-of-the-century obsession with material wealth. This is about as good a read as it gets - whether you're involved in Scouting or not. I've used it as a gift for members of my Wood Badge patrol. The purchase price is worth every cent. Enjoy!
Excellent history of Boy Scouts and the Scouting Movement.......1999-07-21
A thorough discussion of the history of the man that started the Scouting movement in Britain, which spread throughout the World. This book gives the background on the man and his morals, and inspires us all to do better in all we do.
very detailed account using family letters and interviews.......1999-01-07
I was thoroughly enchanted with this book as it added details to stories I already had read about. Having read just about everything about the man, it was nice to see a large volume like this. Written by someone who had first hand knowledge of B.P., it is somewhat less than objective in parts, however, any fan of this incredible hero will undoubtedly love it. It is a fairly easy read and one which holds a special place in my Scouting library.
Scouter Mike Reid Montreal, Canada
Books:
- Annapurna
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
- Assata: An Autobiography (Lawrence Hill & Co.)
- Autobiography of George Muller
- Belushi
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill: On Liberty, the Subjection of Women and Utilitarianism
- History: Fiction or Science
- After the New Economy: The Binge and the Hangover That Won't Go Away
- Broadcast News Handbook: Writing, Reporting, and Producing
- Foundations of International Macroeconomics
- Indigenous Mestizos: The Politics of Race and Culture in Cuzco, Peru, 1919-1991
- Government Bond Market Development: A Post-Crisis Financial Agenda in Asia
- A Corporate Set to Accompany Financial Accounting
- Business Opportunities in Myanmar
- North american wildlife: trees and nonflowering plants field guide
Angel Energy: How to Harness the Power of Angels in Your Everyday Life
The Abundance Book
Superbeings
The Jesus Code
Empowerment: You Can Do, Be, and Have All Things!
