Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life

Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life
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Great Book!

Does he know me?

Very Helpful

Excellent

great read, very helpful

Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life
Thomas J. Harbin
Manufacturer: Marlowe & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 1569246211

Book Description

Men tend to express their anger differently than women do. Research shows men are often more violent and less willing to confront and deal with their emotions than women. Written by a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of male rage, Beyond Anger shows the angry - and miserable - man how to change his life and relationships for the better. This book helps men understand their anger by explaining what the specific symptoms of chronic anger are and by showing angry men how their actions negatively affect family, friends, and coworkers. It helps men control violent feelings by using simple exercises - developed especially for men - to identify when and why anger occurs and by helping them form new habits to prevent anger before it starts. Women, too, will learn essential strategies for understanding and helping the angry men in their lives. Beyond Anger is honest, tough, and real.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-09-10

My husband found this book so informative and easy to read he read the book in 2 sessions. He could not put it down and he doesn't like to read books. Gave him a lot to think about and work on. I really think this book will be a turning point in his life. This book is great for anyone to read about the man in their life wheither father, son, husband etc.

Does he know me?.......2007-08-23

Very relatible...it blows my mind how much I can relate to it. A very good tool for men with anger issues. Enjoyed it.

Very Helpful.......2007-03-16

If you need a place to start - this is a great place!

Excellent.......2007-01-04

This book was written by a Psychologist in my home town which I had the pleasure of his councel in relation to my ex-husband who was a very angry man. This book nor the counceling saved my marriage but it helped my ex see that the problems in his life were due to constant anger boiling below the surface that would quickly with little provocation erupt into rage. The major obstacle is getting "your loved one" to begin reading. Once that is achieved they will relate on many levels with the information in this book. My ex's exact words were, "THIS IS ME .... " He found out the whole world wasn't wrong, just his perception of it.

great read, very helpful.......2006-07-03

I bought the book for my husband and so far he is very impressed by it. He said it hits many valid points about anger in men, and he highly recommends it for any man with an anger problem.

The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher

Average customer rating:

29 Brief Essays on Biology; Very Entertaining; Very Witty
The humane scientist Modern Montaigne with Microscope
Very Interesting
Why did I never have to read this in high school Biology?
Incredible depth in such a small book

The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher
Lewis Thomas
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140243194

Customer Reviews:

29 Brief Essays on Biology; Very Entertaining; Very Witty.......2006-12-02

This is quite simply one of the best written books on biology that you'll ever read. If you are in the camp which believes that scientists use one side of their brain, and that writers use the other, be prepared for a big surprise. If you've read Bill Bryson, you may already realize that there are a gifted few who possess both talents. This is a collection of 29 very brief essays (they average only 6 pages each). Prepare to be thoroughly amazed by Dr. Lewis Thomas' descriptions of the most remarkable features of our natural world. The title story serves to illustrate his literary technique.

This essay is a mere four and a half pages. The protagonists are a sea slug and a jellyfish, which Dr. Thomas re-christens with artistic license. The lead sentence is "We've never been so self-conscious as we seem to be these days." Then follows some three pages about how lower animals (coral polyps, for example) have some, yet undiscovered method of discriminating between their own species (self) and others which may be extremely close. Then, as if to prove the general rule with a startling exception, Dr. Thomas shows how a particular medusa and snail in the Sea of Naples appear to be confused about their molecular configuration and fuse into a single organism. The jellyfish (medusa) is affixed to the mouth of the slug (snail), and when the slug produces larvae, one becomes entrapped in the tentacles of the tiny jellyfish. At first it looks like the parasite is the predator. But no. The slug larvae eats away at the jellyfish from the inside and as the jellyfish shrinks, the slug grows, until a new equilibrium is reached in adulthood. Lewis finishes by saying that this cycle is so bizarre, so thoroughly unexpected, and so confusing that "I cannot get my mind to stay still and think it through."

Now you have twenty-eight essays to go, and I assure you that your mind will not be able to stay still through any of them.

One of my favorites isn't about science at all, but about punctuation. Yes, literally, punctuation. In writing about the uses, and misuses, of parentheses, commas, semicolons, exclamation points, quote marks, and dashes, Dr. Thomas employs them in the relevant paragraph in such a way as to draw the readers' attention. Take for instance the comma:

"The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after doing a paragraph and stick them in the various spots that tempt you you will discover that they tend to swarm like minnows into all sorts of crevices whose existence you hadn't realized and before you know it the whole long sentence becomes immobilized and lashes up squirming in commas. Better to use them sparingly, and with affection, precisely when the need for each one arises, nicely, by itself."

If Dr. Thomas carries a dominant theme throughout the book, it is that a liberal education is critically important, even for a very dedicated scientist.

The humane scientist Modern Montaigne with Microscope.......2006-09-17

Lewis Thomas' essays draw on his wide knowledge and experience as doctor and research scientist. They also draw on his humane perception , and Montaigne- like desire to think and inquire about all which is human. He can clarify the most complex issues in a few brief paragraphs. I have read much on the subject of human cloning but I do not believe I have read anything which analyzes the subject in such a clear and convincing way as Thomas in this following paragrah.

"Cloning is the most dismaying of prospects, mandating as it does the elimination of sex with only a metaphoric elimination of death as compensation. It is almost no comfort to know that one's cloned, identical surrogate lives on, especially when the living will very likely involve edging one's real, now aging self off to side, sooner or later. It is hard to imagine anything like filial affection or respect for a single, unmated nucleus: harder still to think of one's new, self- generated self anything, but an absolute, desolate orphan. Not to mentrion the complex interpersonal relationship involved in raising one's self from infancy , teaching the language, enforcing discipline, instilling good manners and the like. How would you feel if you became an incorrigible juvenile dilenquent at the age of fifty- five"

Aside from cloning Thomas writes in this collection about the symbiotic relation of medusa and snail, of the meaning of 'self' in relation to being outside, and other, about the heatlh- care system and its costs, about 'warts' about humanity as the worrying species, about the meaning of 'disease' The closing essay is a brief history of medical practice.
There are also two small but wonderful essays on Montaigne's way of thinking.
Thomas while deeply aware of humanity's capacity for grandiose error is a hope-filled and hope- giving writer. Here is the way he writes about the worrying animal, a passage which is a sample of his elegant etymologically informed prose.

"But security is the last thing we feel entitled to feel. We are, perhaps uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing gthe future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still. We deserve a better press, in my view. We have always had a strong hunch about our origin, which does us credit; from the oldest language we know, the Indo-European tongue, we took the word for earth- Dhghem- and turned it into 'humus' and 'human' ; 'humble' too which does us more credit ; We are by all odds the most persistently and obsessively social of all species, more dependent on each other than the famous social insects, and really when you look at us, infinitely more imaginative and deft at social living. We are good at this; it is the way we have built our cultures and the literature of our civilizations. We have high expectations and set high standards for our social behavior , and when we fail at it and endanger the species- as we have done several times in this century- the strongest words we can find to condemn ourselves are the telling words 'inhuman' and' inhumane'.
There is nothing at all absurd about the human condition. We matter. It seems to me a good guess, hazarded by a good many people who have thought about it, that we may be engaged in the formation of something like a mind for the life of this planet.If this is so we are still at the most primitive stage., still fumbling with language and thinking, but infinitely capacitated for the future. It is remarkable that we've come so far as we have in so short a period , really no time at all as geologists measure time. We are the newest, the youngest and the brightest thing around."

What a wonderful hope- giving human being wrote this book.

Very Interesting.......2006-05-04

Lewis Thomas takes a simple observation, like the report on pollution, and changes the reader's perception. In one of his essays, he chastises the reader on his or her selfishness with a fiery passion. Thomas convinces the reader of the ideas inferred with his scientific observations, the theme of this book being the major human fault: striving to reach perfection. The essays are short, abrupt but leave you to ponder your own interactions in life, nature.

Why did I never have to read this in high school Biology?.......2005-09-23

While I sat through boring lectures and starch staining labs, this book sat on a shelf somewhere waiting for me to read it. At that time, I believed all science not just biology were just boring fact-finding and number recording. Given this book earlier, I may have had a different life. A hobby that I enjoy now may have been a fulfilling career.

Lewis will show you that biology is about more than dissection and grainy movies from the early eighties. His essays touch on a wide variety of subjects. However, all contain a sense of wonder that is sadly lacking in our schools, at least when I was there. Read this if you would like to find or rekindle your love of science.

Incredible depth in such a small book.......2005-02-25

This collection of essays or thoughts or whatever it is classified as is wonderfully honest and simple. Thomas brings a certain wit and charm to some complex and taboo subjects such as dying, disease, warts, etc that allows you to totally disconnect and look at the big picture. For college folk out there the section on 'premeds' is especially funny.

Seeking the Face of God: The Path to a More Intimate Relationship with Him

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Life Changing Book
A Spiritual Feast for the Famished Soul
Penetrating! Humbling!
This is an EXCELLENT book!
A well written, thought provoking book

Seeking the Face of God: The Path to a More Intimate Relationship with Him
Gary L. Thomas
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0736900195

Book Description

All Christians face struggles, doubts, and temptations. In this passionate call to a deeper walk, Gary Thomas reveals his own spiritual journey and shares the wisdom he has gained from believers of the past. The result is encouraging, challenging, and intimate.

Customer Reviews:

Life Changing Book.......2007-06-27

Gary Thomas has done an outstanding job communicating truths many of us have but find difficult to express or know how to address. While reading this book I realized that many others have struggled with some of the same aspects of the spiritual walk, yet at the same time, I was challenged that I could have a greater intimacy with the Lord.

While Gary made difficult concepts easy to understand, do not be mislead that this book is a quick read that requires little thinking. On the contrary, it will cause you to stop and meditate on things most of us spend little time contemplating. Yet I could hardly put it down! Finally, I read the book through and now I am reading it again even slower and meditating even more! This book will change you by causing you to draw closer to Christ and desiring Him more, thus changing you from inside out!

A Spiritual Feast for the Famished Soul.......2000-07-15

This book is a spiritual feast for the famished soul. Gary Thomas delivers a thoughtful and provocative study of Christian spirituality through the eyes of the Christian mystics (Pascal, Fenelon, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis De Sales, John Climacus, William Law, and others). It is a fresh book - not just a rehash of some other excellent books on the disciplines. Thomas offers fresh insight on basic areas of the spiritual quest - such as: spiritual goals, holiness, humility, simplicity, the remembrance of death, surrender, the seasons of the soul, and spiritual direction (mentors). The book is laced with excellent quotations from the authors listed above and many others. In fact, if someone wanted to glean the best thinking of the mystics, while avoiding the sacramentalism that crept into many of their writings, this would be a great place for it. But more than a great survey of old literature, this book presents old truths in such a way that all seekers of God will find benefit.

Penetrating! Humbling!.......2000-04-06

Seeking the Face of God is the first book I have read by author Gary L. Thomas. I don't read many books twice without some time [months or years]in between readings, but this book is an exception. I am reading it this time with the use of a highlighter. If you want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, then read what the ancients had to say. Gary's research of the Christian classics is evident. Read, meditate, grow.

This is an EXCELLENT book!.......1999-10-14

This book does and excellent job of exploring the spirtual journey as experienced by the classic authors of the christian faith, and relating it to your own journey. I have learned a great deal from reading this book, and have recommended it to many friends.

A well written, thought provoking book.......1999-08-29

This book is one of my favorite devotional books. It brings balance into your theology, while provoking you to a greater relationship with God. His chapter on death is especially excellent.

This author has gone to the early "fathers" of the church to use as a point of stimulation, but his applications are focused on the issues we face (or need to face) daily.

Amazon.com

The Life of Thomas More is Peter Ackroyd's biography--from baptism to beheading--of the lawyer who became a saint. More, a noted humanist whose friendship with Erasmus and authorship of Utopia earned him great fame in Europe, succeeded Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of London at the time of the English Reformation. In 1535, More was martyred for his refusal to support Henry VIII's divorce and break with Rome. Ackroyd's biography is a masterpiece in several senses. Perhaps most importantly, he corrects the mistaken impression that Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons has given two generations of theater and film audiences: More was not, as Bolt's drama would have us believe, a civil disobedient who put his conscience above the law. Ackroyd explains that "conscience was not for More an individual matter." Instead, it was derived from "the laws of God and of reason." If the greatest justice in this book is analytic, however, its greatest joys are descriptive. Ackroyd brings 16th-century London to life for his readers--an exotic world where all of life is enveloped by the church: "As the young More made his way along the lanes and thoroughfares, there was the continual sound of bells." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a magnificent reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More was a renowned statesman, the author of a political fantasy that gave a name to a genre and a worldview (Utopia), and, most famously, a Catholic martyr, who paid with his life when he refused to follow his sovereign, King Henry VIII, in severing England's ties with the Catholic Church.

Born into the professional classes, Thomas More (1478-1535) rose by dint of formidable intellect and well-placed connections to become the most powerful man in England after the king. An exponent of what was called in his day "the mixed life," More combined medieval piety with worldly mastery of legal argument and the art of negotiation. Ackroyd dramatically shows how the clouds of Lutheran reformation that swarmed over the continent unleashed the storm of the early modern period that swept away More's world and took his life. He clarifies the whirl of dynastic, religious, and mercantile politics that brought the autocratic Henry VIII and the devout More into their fateful conflict. And he narrates the unrelenting drama of More's final days--his detention, trial, and execution--with a novelist's mastery of suspense.

In Ackroyd's hands, this renowned "man for all seasons" emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity; we see the unexpected side of his character (a preference for bawdy humor) as well as his indisputable moral courage. Acclaimed for his magisterial biographies (T. S. Eliot, Dickens, Blake), Peter Ackroyd has once again scored a triumph.

Customer Reviews:

Sir Thomas More.......2005-12-14

Thomas More lived an exemplary life during hard times. His faith in the Catholic Church was put to the test by his king, and though he failed his king and paid the price on the scaffold, he served his God and was rewarded with martyrdom and sainthood. Peter Ackroyd's book is a brilliant and dramatic telling of More's life.

Thomas More was born in London in 1478. He was educated at Oxford where upon his father's insistence he studied law. But he was also interested in theology and thought for a while of becoming a monk. Famously he wore a hair shirt his entire life. Instead of taking vows, however, he took a wife and had four children. He made sure his daughters received as rigorous an education as his sons. (His wife died in 1511 and he married Alice Middleton and adopted her daughter.)

The law was More's lifelong profession where he represented various groups in the courts and helped settle trade disputes abroad. He wrote a history of King Richard III, wherein he portrayed Richard as a cruel, even criminal, ruler. In 1516, he published his most famous book, UTOPIA, which described an ideal community governed totally by reason. When Cardinal Wolsey failed to secure an annulment of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he was replaced by More as lord chancellor. He worked diligently in this position and became a friend to the king. But troubles were already visible in the horizon.

When Henry, through the Act of Supremacy, declared himself the head of the Church of England, More was in opposition to him: he refused to take an oath of allegiance to Henry that would deny papal supremacy of the church. He was tried, found guilty, and beheaded five days later.

Ackroyd is especially good in relating the dramatic events during these last few years in More's life. He narrates this with the power and skill of a novelist; indeed, it's almost impossible to put the book down during the last 100 pages. Anyone in want of moral uplift need only read these last pages for complete satisfaction. More went to the scaffold bravely, even telling the executioner to stay calm and aim true. He joked after stumbling on the scaffold steps and received help: "When I come down again let me shift for myself as well as I can." Then "he died the King's good servant but God's first," which is his life in a nutshell. Ackroyd writes with authority and tremendous style, but it's the drama that he infuses in his account that truly sets this book apart. Highly recommended.

Intimate Encounter with a Larger-Than-Life Historical Figure.......2005-05-25

The moment I finished Peter Ackroyd's "Life of Thomas More," my strongest impulse was to close it, open it up to the first page again, and start -- immediately -- reading it all over again, word by word, page by page.

I hung on every word of this text. I wanted to understand Thomas More.

I wanted to understand a man whose misogyny was obvious in his many derogatory statements about women. For example, when asked why he liked short women, he said that it was best to choose the lesser of evils.

When a mature man, More married a mere girl and got her pregnant so many times in such rapid succession that she lived only a few short years after marrying him.

More married his second wife, as the saying goes, while still in mourning clothes for his first. He mocked that second wife, Dame Alice, publicly. He wrote texts that associated women exclusively with sex and disgusting bodily functions like vomiting and diarrhea.

And, yet, More was exceptional for his time in educating his beloved daughter, the one great passion of his life, Margaret More Roper.

More persecuted his countrymen who deviated from the Catholic faith, and published vile condemnations of Luther, and eventually, knowingly, and humbly, sacrificed his own life to his own interpretation of that faith.

More rose, through obediance, flattery, and dogged labor, from relatively humble circumstances to being Henry the VIII's chancellor, and a wealthy man, and then tossed away his considerable worldly goods and power to die an ignominious death.

You want to understand a man who could encompass so many passionate apparent contradictions.

And, so, I hung on every word of Ackroyd's detailed and yet economical text.

My attention was amply rewarded. Ackroyd marshalls the kind of authentic, telling details of the Medieval life that More lived that can make an era, and its inhabitants, come alive. Even so, Ackroyd is never wordy. When he has said enough, he simply stops.

Along the way, Ackroyd brings to light the life and impact of a woman he says has been nearly forgotten: Elizabeth Barton, a seeress and nun in Kent. Barton spoke against Henry VIII's divorce of his wife, Catherine of Aragon.

Her voice was considered so important that Henry himself visited her.

For her trouble, Barton and her priestly followers were tortured to death.

As I read, I could not help but reflect: in our own age of "celebrity," we know too many details about non-entities we don't care about at all -- the Britney Spears and Paris Hiltons enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame. We can view film footage of their most intimate moments on the internet; hear their every thought in televised interviews.

Thomas More lived five hundred years ago. We can't ask him to reconcile for us his hateful diatribes against women and his love of Margaret, his ant-like accumulation of worldly goods and his sacrifice for his beliefs.

The records just don't exist.

And, yet ... even though the More in these pages has to remain something of a cypher, even though More, as was the norm in his time, wrote with extreme caution in ambiguous, tradition-bound, unspontaneous and sometimes flowery prose, I felt I had an encounter, through Ackroyd's book, with a remarkable human being. I was in tears throughout the final passages leading up to More's death.

A final word: I am a fan of "A Man for all Seasons." Again and again, reviewers pit Ackroyd's book against the Robert Bolt play and subsequent movie.

One does not necessarily cancel out the other...both the film and this book work, for me, from what I know about More, as explorations of his life and impact, and his famous final choice.

I never saw Paul Scofield's More as a Thoreau-like figure, as some reviewers have said; he was not depicted as living in a house in the woods, after all, and he did base his decision on adherence to a greater principle than personal conscience, i.e., the law, just as Ackroyd's More does.

So, yes, do see the movie, and do read this book.

Fantastic, but non-intellectuals beware!.......2005-04-21

Gosh, golly gee, crikey - the superlatives could go on all day. This is a superb, densely textured biography. Ackroyd revels in the complex psychology and sociology of his subject, e.g., his devotion to duty, his father fixation, etc. He also places Thomas More firmly in the London of his time and in his historical moment - the Reformation - especially through More's own writings.

It has been remarked that the chapters amount to a series of vignettes. That's true, and the amount of knowledge retailed in each glimpse of More and his world is staggering.

To give but a few examples:
Chap. 3 - St. Anthony's Pigs: we follow young More through the streets of Tudor London to his school and get insight into the Renaissance education system.

Ch 4 - Cough Not, Nor Spit: Thomas' early career as a page to Archbishop (of Canterbury) Morton, Henry VII's notorious "enforcer". This relationship illuminates More's later dealings with Cardinal Wolsey.

Ch 8 - We Talk Of Letters: sketches of Grocyn, Linacre, Lily, Colet, More - the "London humanists", or More's intellectual circle.

And so on. The book continues in the same fascinating vein. It is a hard slog to read, and I'm sorry that Peter Ackroyd did not give a glossary of A) Latin and Greek expressions, and B) even some of his more obscure English words. I also regret that there's no map to illustrate Ackroyd's loving depiction of the London where More learned, lived, worked and suffered.

More's story is well known and often told. Ackroyd has given a fully-rounded portrayal of the man, his background, career, family and friends.

What a pleasure to read.

A Character Study.......2004-12-21

I enjoyed this book, but I do think that as a narrative history it is perhaps slightly flawed. The main strength (and problem) I have with this book is that the character study is so dominant that is completely ignores the larger historical picture that More lived within and, at times the dominant philosophy, that may have allowed a deeper understanding of More.

The gnawing problem I have with this book is the main currents that More struggled against and the ideas he fought for are little outlined. The church that he so selflessly defended is little described beyond its social context in which More was raised. The central point of More was that the sublimation of the time honoured traditions (though admittedly flawed) could not be merely circumvented by mans personal appeal to God. Direct dialougue with God allowed a virtual pandora's box of interpretation and clash of beliefs that could only lead to mass bloodshed --- and he was right! This belief is left unexplored and the historical events, such as the peasants revolt in Germany that More abhored and used in his polemical tracts against Luther (a thoroughly scatologically unsavoury character) is not described. In addition Charles V sack of Rome and its influence on the relations with Henry VII are not considered relevant.

So I feel dissatified because I am not getting a wide historical narrative. Although I understand the texture of the stones that he worshipped upon and the feel of the robes he wore, I have little feeling of the times that surrounded him. For the first-time reader of More, this may appear disconcerting.

I realise that my critique cuts another way: if Ackroyd did write the larger historical narrative I wanted, he may have digressed into the narrative historical self-abuse of the 1000 page biography (only acceptable in the most exceptional of circumstances).

I also get no sense of a building dennoument in the encounter with Henry. There is a annoying blase telling of the story with some bright moments -- the book gets better as one goes through it -- it is dense and quite frankly, a little boring in the beginning.

ALso the Olde Englysh translations do detract from the flow of the narrative. Although it is easily understood ones reading flow slows from 700 words per minute, to 50 words per minute in the old English translations. He should revise it from the 16th Century vernacular to modern spelling.

In final analysis I feel that I really did not understand the man. I feel that I need to get a hold of a better biography of the man. So if Ackroyd succeeded in doing this, then it was worth the read.

The best contempory text on the life of St. Thomas More!.......2004-04-04

Peter Ackroyd is a master of drawing the reader into the experience of Thomas More. He provides a well researched and eloquent work that justly portrays the man and saint. Even though Sir Thomas More was emersed in the difficulties of state politics, economics, and law, Peter Ackroyd never loses sight of More's deep Catholic faith: "[The Mass] was the single most important aspect of his life, and the source from which much of his earnestness and his irony, his gravity and his playfulness, springs" (112).

THE UTOPIA OF SIR THOMAS MOORE INCLUD. ROPER'S LIFE OF MORE AND LETERS OF MORE AND HIS DAUGHTER MARGARET

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THE UTOPIA OF SIR THOMAS MOORE INCLUD. ROPER'S LIFE OF MORE AND LETERS OF MORE AND HIS DAUGHTER MARGARET

Manufacturer: Walter J. Black
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H1CRDU

The King's Good Servant but God's First : The Life and Writings of Saint Thomas More

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...those who would lose their life for my sake will find it.
A Fantastic Overview of a Great Saint
Outstanding - can't put it down!
"A Fine Exposition of More's Life and Writings"
A very nice overview of More's writings...

The King's Good Servant but God's First : The Life and Writings of Saint Thomas More
James Monti
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

The Life of Thomas More
Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage
A Thomas More Source Book
A Man for All Seasons (Special Edition)
The Sadness of Christ (Yale University Press Translation)

ASIN: 0898706254

Customer Reviews:

...those who would lose their life for my sake will find it........2003-08-12

This is an excellent biography of a courageous saint whose faith in God was stronger than his fear of death. While the book provides sufficient historical detail and background, its narrative structure is unique in that the author places events within the context of More's faith. Thankfully, Monti avoids a posthumous psychoanalysis of his subject (as many biographers are wont to do). Instead, he illuminates the saint's inner life by tapping into More's own thoughts, as revealed in his published works and correspondence. The result is a rich portrait of a man whose warmth and courage derived directly from his faith in God and the Catholic Church.

Monti synthesizes More's apologetical writings in response to the Reformation, revealing More's keen theological acumen. What impressed me the most, however, was discovering the depth and richness of More's spirituality and faith. More's insight into Christ's agony in the garden of Gethseme and during His passion were particularly moving. It becomes clear that More's understanding and appreciation of Christ's suffering strenthened his faith when he needed it most.

I would especially recommend this inspirational book to young people, who could choose no better role model than Saint Thomas More. He stands as a beacon of light in today's culture of moral relativism.

A Fantastic Overview of a Great Saint.......2003-03-12

The author has presented a very well balanced survey of the life of St. Thomas More. In this work of history, one can find an excellent survey of the literary work of St. Thomas More. Additionally, you will find an excellent synopsis of St. Thomas More's relationship with his friend and humanist, Erasmus.

The author writes in a style which captures the reader. This will not be one of those histories that you may only read piecemeal. Rather, St. Thomas More takes life and captivates the reader because of his holiness and goodness.

This work looks into the saint's devotional practices, his great faith, his love of God and man, and his relationship with his family. To state that this is an excellent starting point for any person wishing to learn more about this man is an understatement.

The characters of the reformation (i.e., Luther, Henry VIII) are given a balanced treatment in that their beliefs or writings are not misconstrued or embellished. St. Thomas More was a defender of the Father, and to that extent, his writing of the defense of the faith are given equal treatment.

This book is most highly recommended.

Outstanding - can't put it down!.......2003-02-21

I am about halfway through this book, despite purchasing it only a few days ago. It is such a terrific read, I can't put it down. I even bring it to work with me to read whenever I have a few spare minutes!
For those of you who might find history boring, this is still the text for you. Monti's style of writing is outstanding and easy to follow. This book is one of my all-time favorites.

Most importantly, it provides a fair and objective portrayal of Saint Thomas More. Many books have a bias, one way or the other, when writing about More or 16th century England yet it's tough to find one in this book. Furthermore, Monti doesn't focus simply on More, but gives the reader a fair portrayal of the Reformation during this crucial period in European history.

More's life is simply fascinating - it reads like a novel. His genius and profound morality is clear. Upon reading this book, More is the type of man one would want to know, and the kind we wish (!) there were more of in modern-day society. It is an extremely inspirational book.

"A Fine Exposition of More's Life and Writings".......2002-08-05

James Monti's work, "The Kings Good Servant But God's First," provides an excellent overview St Thomas More's life and writings; but a much greater focus is based upon his writings. Monti's treatment of More's oeuvre is skillfully researched, comprehensive, informative, and pleasing to read. St Thomas More's defense of Church unity and the Sacraments against Tyndale and the rising tide of the Reformation, is finely commented upon in a clear and concise fashion. His devotional writings and correspondence with family in the waning days of his life on earth, are given an exceptional touch of intimacy, which will no doubt compel readers to seek out works such as the "Treatise upon the Passion" and the "Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation" (as one of our fellow reviews has pointed out as well). As for More's life, Monti pays particular attention to his early years and his final days, with brief expositions in between on his rise in the King's court and his later relations with Henry VIII as tensions began to swell between the English monarch and the Papacy. Overall, Monti presents a noble sketch of the Christian scholar and family man, graced with charm and good humor, conscientiousness and candor, who was devoted to his friends and family, and to the salvation of souls and Christ's Church. This book offers much material for in-depth study and further reading, and it is a definite recommendation.

A very nice overview of More's writings..........2001-03-22

In our heroless age it is invigorating to read the words of one man of another age who refused to sacrifice his conscience for the convenience of the state. This book adeptly weaves Thomas More's life with his writings, so that one can see the progress of his thoughts as the events of the final years of his life overtook him. It left me wanting to read the original works, most especially A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. I believe this book is invaluable for anyone wanting to really know more about this saint or about that period in English History.

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!

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CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.

A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation

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One of More's Last Works

A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation
Thomas, Sir, Saint More , and Mary Gottschalk
Manufacturer: Scepter Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Four Last Things: The Supplication of Souls: A Dialogue on Conscience
The Sadness of Christ (Yale University Press Translation)
Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage
The King's Good Servant but God's First : The Life and Writings of Saint Thomas More
The Last Letters of Thomas More

ASIN: 1889334138

Book Description

Awaiting execution in 1535 for refusing to betray his faith, Thomas More opens the door on his own interior life by creating a fictional dialogue. It takes place in 16th century Hungary between a young man, Vincent, and his dying but wise old uncle, Anthony. Vincent is paralyzed by fear of an impending, Turkish invasion which could force him to betray his faith or die a martyr. As he pours out his fears, Anthony responds as only the calm and clear-headed More could do: on the comfort of God in difficulties, the benefits of suffering, atonement for evil acts, faintheartedness and the temptation to suicide, and scrupulosity. Anthony thus summarizes his purpose: ''I will supply you ahead of time with a store of comfort, of spiritual strengthening and consolation, that you can have ready at hand, that you can resort to and lay up in your heart as an antidote against the poison of despairing dread..."

Put into modern English and edited by Mary Gottschalk, Dialogue... is introduced by Gerard B. Wegemer, author of the spiritual biography, Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage, (Scepter, 1995) and editor of another of More's spiritual works, The Sadness of Christ. (1999)

Customer Reviews:

One of More's Last Works.......2000-04-03

Among More's last works, "A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation" is one of his most important. There are scholarly editions, from Yale and the University of Indiana Press, and there are popular editions from Everyman and Septer that are available. More wrote this book in the Tower of London as he awaited execution, but the style is not the raging virtupretive one he used when confuting Tyndale. There are "merry tales" such as the one about the German who was never satiate his own praise, in Book Three Chapter 10, but most of the book is given over to meditation on death. More has two characters, Anthony a young man, and Vincent, his aged Uncle. They are placed in Budapest and they are fearful of an impending invasion by the Turks. More's story has been read as thinly veiled alagory of his own situation. Anthony standing in for More's son-in-law William Roper, and Vincent for More himself. That may be putting it too simplistically, but it is a good starting point. Unlike More's best known work "Utopia," "A Dialogue of Comfort" was not written in Latin, but in English. I doubt one in a thousand readers have read More's classic in the original Latin, but everyone who reads English can read More's "Dialogue of Comfort" without the aid of translation. This is a spiritual book. In this book More asks where shall comfort come from. More answers his own question: "For God is and must be your comfort, and not I."

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No Island Is an Island
Carlo Ginzburg
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Wooden Eyes: Nine Reflections on Distance
Clues, Myths, and the Historical Method
History, Rhetoric, and Proof (Menachem Stern Lectures)
The Enigma of Piero: Piero Della Francesca
Cheese and the Worms

ASIN: 0231116284

Book Description

In No Island Is an Island an internationally renowned historian approaches four works of English literature from unexpected angles. Following in the footsteps of a sixteenth-century Spanish bishop we gain a fresh view of Thomas More's Utopia. Comparing Bayle's Dictionary with Tristram Shandy we suddenly enter into Laurence Sterne's mind. A seemingly narrow dispute among Elizabethan critics for and against rhyme turns into an early debate on English national identity. Robert Louis Stevenson's story "The Bottle Imp" throws a new light on Bronislaw Malinowsky's attempts to discover meaning in the "kula" trading system among the Trobriand Islanders. Throughout, Ginzburg's inquiry is informed by his unique microhistorical sensibility, his attention to minute detail, and his extraordinary synthesizing imagination.

Getting Biodiversity Projects to Work: Towards More Effective Conservation and Development (Biology and Resource Management Series)

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Getting Biodiversity Projects to Work: Towards More Effective Conservation and Development (Biology and Resource Management Series)

Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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The Science of Sustainable Development: Local Livelihoods and the Global Environment (Biological Conservation, Restoration, & Sustainability)
Parks in Transition: Biodiversity, Rural Development and the Bottom Line
Managing Natural Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods: Uniting Science and Participation
Making Parks Work: Strategies For Preserving Tropical Nature
Biodiversity, Sustainability and Human Communities: Protecting Beyond the Protected

ASIN: 0231127650

Book Description

Parks and reserves are on the front line in the campaign to conserve biodiversity on our planet. It is increasingly clear that these protected areas have limited future prospects without the cooperation and support of local people, especially in developing countries. Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) set out to reconcile park management with local needs and aspirations -- by emphasizing social and economic development among local communities -- and have managed to attract the lion's share of the funding for biodiversity. But so far the results have been disappointing. Important unanswered questions remain, and there is little consensus on when or where an ICDP approach to protected area management is appropriate and likely to be effective. Some conservationists argue that the ICDP focus on development dilutes biodiversity conservation goals, whereas others argue that the inward-looking protectionist alternative is doomed to failure.

As the struggle to balance conservation and development continues, the need to evaluate what works and what doesn't becomes increasingly important. This book draws on the lessons from the ICDP experience to inform the next generation of biodiversity conservation programs, including those concerned with the alleviation of poverty as well as those working at landscape scale. The contributors explore the theoretical and practical challenges to better inform conservationists and decision makers of the role that conservation and development approaches can and should play in conserving biodiversity.

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