Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife

Book Description

Why can't you remember where you put your keys? Or the title of the movie you saw last week? Or the name of your favorite restaurant?

Acclaimed journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin takes readers on a lively journey to explain what happens to memory and attention in middle age. Along the way, she turns up fresh scientific findings, explores the dark regions of the human brain, and hears the intimate confessions of high-functioning midlife adults who—like you—want to understand exactly what's going on upstairs.

Anyone older than forty knows that forgetfulness can be unnerving, frustrating, and sometimes terrifying. With compassion and humor, Jakobson Ramin sets out to discover what midlife forgetfulness is all about—from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, and sociology. Relentless in her search for answers to questions about her own unreliable memory, she explores the factors that determine how well—or poorly—one's brain will age. She consults experts in the fields of sleep, stress, traumatic brain injury, hormones, genetics, and dementia, as well as specialists in nutrition, cognitive psychology, and the burgeoning field of drug-based cognitive enhancement. The landscape of the midlife brain is not what you might think, and to understand its strengths and weaknesses turns out to be the best way to cope.

Jakobson Ramin's reporting of the stories of a wide array of midlife men and women will resonate with readers. Her audience will glean spectacular insight into how to elicit the very best performance from a middle-aged brain. A groundbreaking work that represents the best of narrative nonfiction, this is a timely, highly readable, and much-needed book for anyone whose memory is not what it used to be.

Customer Reviews:

A Lifeline for the Hopelessly Forgetful.......2007-10-10

Author has substantially done her research. This book is extremely informative in an easy to read format. She approaches this subject with ease and humor and tackles it head on. Anyone who has reached a point in their life where they question their forgetfulness and memory will find comfort in the knowledge and insight shared by her. It is a subject not commonly addressed but is a concern to many, especially as the "boomer" generation has approached midlife, perhaps fearing dementia or Alzheimer's.

I found the answer to my health problems.......2007-09-19

I read "Carved in Sand" book looking for answers to my frequent "young-senior" moments. This book is easy to read and full of information about the different issues related to memory loss. It is so interesting that you want keep reading it until reach the end. Cathryn Jakobson Ramin did extensive research with many scientists, physicians and mental health professionals bringing to light the reasons why some people lose memory when they reach mid-life.

Thanks to this book I found the answer to my other health problems that I have suffered with since I was 39 years old and the solution to helping me feel better. It was a light bulb moment for me. I recommend this book to everybody.

Friends Lined Up.......2007-09-18

This book speaks to a fear many boomers silently suffer with--memory loss. We sort of expect the elderly to have memory problems, but its not supposed to bother the late middle-aged!!. As I told my friends about Ramin's exploration and her journey into the many experiences with and causes of faltering memory in middle age, my friends lined up for me to finish the book and loan it to them. This is a topic that is largely hidden and dealt with in silence. A welcome contribution to this field.

At least I'm not alone.......2007-09-14

Entertaining and informative. packed with medical details, yet written in an entertaining and understandable way. It answered a lot of questions and cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about Alzheimers. I also requested for a prescrition change.

Highly recommended.......2007-09-07

The big question for all of us in the middle age bracket is this: When we draw a blank when searching for a word or a person's name--is this normal forgetfulness or are we suffering from something much scarier? In this well-researched book, Cathryn Jakobson Ramin does an excellent job of presenting possible reasons for memory lapses and ways to deal with them.

In addition to having her brain and body tested for what might be the cause of her own memory lapses, the author interviewed many people and performed extensive research on the topic. She found that how you treat your brain in middle age will make a difference later. Midlife is the time to act: to make good decisions on diet, stress management, sleeping habits, and exercise.

She writes that today's world is an especially difficult time to reach middle age as we are "smack in the middle of a technological revolution." We can be overwhelmed by the amount of information available and the endless stream of interruptions, multitasking, and over stimulation.

In very readable prose, she explains how our minds are affected by the foods we consume, our hormones, the drugs we take, the chemicals in the environment, our sleep patterns, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and the amount of exercise that we get. Since we need to build up our cognitive reserve to keep mentally active, she gives tips on how to perform these "intellectual push-ups."

In spite of the seriousness of the subject, this book is a pleasure to read and even funny at times.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

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

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

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

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

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

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

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

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

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

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

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

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

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

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

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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The Hobo Philosopher
Too bad I bought this book.
The strength of Chaucer's verse shines through....
Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You?
Tall Tales Live Forever

The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics)
Geoffrey Chaucer
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140424385
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

With their astonishing diversity of tone and subject matter, The Canterbury Tales have become one of the touchstones of medieval literature.

Translated here into modern English, these tales of a motley crowd of pilgrims drawn from all walks of life-from knight to nun, miller to monk-reveal a picture of English life in the fourteenth century that is as robust as it is representative.

Translated by Nevill Coghill

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-30

I suppose that any freshman college student has read some of these Tales. I had a professor who read a few of them to us in the Olde English. It was really fun and you really got a grasp of where the English language was coming from - and poetry.
I went on from my English class and read the whole works. They are good, classic short stories. You are really going back to the basics here. The stories are all easy to read and are about the everyday type people and their everyday lives. You get classic English literature, history, short story writing techniques, and the roots of the English language all in one medium sized book. Can't beat it. It's a bargain.

Too bad I bought this book........2007-07-03

I find it very unfortunate that I wasted my money on this book when I could have read the entire story on the Internet. Of course, the story is out of copyright, and you'll find it all over the Internet, in complete.

Don't waste your money like I did. Even worse, I never even read the book.

My rating is only on the size of the book, because like I said, I never read it, and I am forced to issue a rating (I only wanted to enter a comment).

The strength of Chaucer's verse shines through...........2007-06-29

Chaucer was a master story teller. He was a master poet. He was a master writer. He was just blessed, gifted... there aren't enough words to express the depth of Chaucer's talent... his gift.

This collection reminds me why I fell in love with Chaucer's work back in college. It's one of the more complete collections and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I will read it a thousand times in my life and will undoubtedly love it more with each reading!

Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You? .......2007-04-28

Over some period I have read several translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. My first experience, selections in a high school text, was not promising. (Possibly, I was not yet ready for Chaucer.) Translating poetry from one language to another is difficult and often unsuccessful. Translating Chaucer from Middle English is not much easier. English has changed dramatically in the last 600 years, to the point that Middle English is nearly indecipherable. For example, we read Chaucer's description of the Knight's appearance:

Of fustian he wered a gipoun (Of coarse cloth he wore a doublet)
Al bismotered with his habergeoun (All rust-spotted by his coat-of-mail)

A glossary, persistence, and considerable time are required for reading the original Chaucer. If you choose to do so, the Riverside Chaucer edition (edited by L. Benson) and the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Olson and Kolve) are highly recommended. The Signet Classic paperback (edited by D. R. Howard) modernizes the spelling a bit, but still largely adheres to the original Chaucer.

Although your instructor will most likely assign a particular edition of Canterbury Tales, it can be exceedingly helpful to pick-up an additional version or two. A slightly different translation may entirely surprise you, may even resonate with you, making Chaucer much more enjoyable. I suggest that you look for these versions:

Canterbury Tales, Penguin edition, translated by Nevill Coghill, is an excellent poetic translation. It is a complete collection arranged by Group A thru H. It also includes The Parson's Prologue, The Parson's Tale in synopsis, and Chaucer's Retractions. Coghill's translation remains my favorite.

Selected Canterbury Tales, Dover Thrift edition - provides a poetic, rather than literal interpretation, and is quite readable. The collection of tales is fairly small, however.

The Canterbury Tales, Bantam Classic paperback edited by Hieatt, uses the "facing page" format with the original Chaucer on the left and a modern literal translation on the right page. I found the literal translation a little wooden, but this edition can be quite helpful if you need some help with Middle English. (A guide to phonetics, grammar, spellings, and a glossary is provided.)

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Barrons Educational Series) uses an "Interlinear Translation" format in which each line of Middle English is followed by a modern translation (literal to make the comparison easier). I rather like this approach.

Canterbury Tales, John Murray Publishers, London is hard to find, but provides a partial translation to modern English, maintaining as much as possible of the Middle English. This rather clever approach is somewhat risky, but the translator H. L. Hitchins pulls it off. With some effort I could follow the text without continually referring to a glossary and in a limited way I was "reading Middle English".

Canterbury Tales, Pocket Books, prose translation by R. M. Lumiansky, is easy to read, but while this prose format adheres to the storyline, it is only a shadow of the poetic Chaucer. However, it can be helpful if you are not comfortable with poetry.

Tall Tales Live Forever.......2007-02-12

Chaucer was ahead of his times in many ways and the Canterbury Tales reveal it. Human nature has not changed since the Middle Ages and these Tales take a modern day reader into himself/herself as well as into the past. A wonderful companion book to the Canterbury Tales is Walking to Canterbury by Jerry Ellis. This author--he also wrote Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, nominated for a Pulitzer--walked the route of the Canterbury Tales to explore contemporary life in England and interweave it with the history and traditions of Chaucer's times to make for a wonderful adventure.

Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World

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Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World by Chris Scarre
From Trilobites to Kremlin Cathedrals
Interesting but incomplete
This Book Is Rockin'!!
Fantastic for teaching an integrated approch to Histroy

Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World
Chris Scarre
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1564583058

Book Description

Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World offers a new perspective, providing a unique view of developments across the world-from the origins of life and the emergence of civilizations, all the way up to AD 1500. Highly visual timecharts trace the unfolding of the human story and allow you to see what was happening simultaneously in different parts of the world, from the dawn of prehistory to the Renaissance. By drawing on the latest techniques of archaeology and the brilliant detective work that has helped to unravel the mysteries of the past, Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World reveals the challenges that faced people living in different periods, societies, and environments, and the solutions that they devised for improving their lives. Look up any region of the world at any period and discover what people ate and their methods of gathering and growing food. You will learn how they exploited local materials to construct everything from mammoth-bone shelters to elaborate temple-pyramids. You can follow the pivotal developments of technology, from the first fashioning of stone tools to the introduction of navigational equipment. You can trace the birth and death of empires and dynasties and witness the emergence of the major religions of the world. Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World is illustrated with characteristic artifacts of each period and region, ranging from some of the world's oldest stone tools to exquisitely crafted Japanese pottery. In addition, Smithsonian Timelines contains hundreds of specially commissioned drawings that reconstruct original buildings and sites. Many of the Americas artifacts come from the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC; photos of many of these objects have never been published before. The effect is one of stunning immediacy and diversity. In each time period, a key topic is explored in closer detail. You can learn about the origins of hominids in East Africa more than one million years ago, the art of classical Greece, or life in a pueblo village of the southwestern region of North America. You can contrast the beautiful bronzework of the Shang State in China with the fine bronze craftsmanship of Dinin (in what is now Nigeria). You can compare the engineering feats of the Incas high in the Andes with the network of desert roads that radiate from Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Featuring more than 1,700 photographs, maps, and drawings, and written by an international team of eminent historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists, Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World is an invaluable family reference book. This spectacular tapestry of time serves as a lasting treatment to human ingenuity and resourcefulness.

Customer Reviews:

Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World by Chris Scarre.......2004-03-01

This is a beautiful BIG book - so much more than an illustrated history book. It is a Trip through Time.
Before starting, you are instructed how to 'travel' through the many colorful pages, researching human origins or choosing to just wander back and forth enjoying human progress around the globe. You will be acquainted at a glance with how people lived, what they ate and their cultures. Their creative art and the advance of the technology of the time.
The team of Smithsonians have put together a wonderful collection of interesting material on a number of major civilizations stimulating readers of all ages to want to search for more as our human history unfolds.

From Trilobites to Kremlin Cathedrals.......2001-05-05

My father recently brought me back a trilobite from Russia, which is a trilobite dalmanite which crawled along the sea bed early in the history of the earth. I remember my father reading the story about the trilobites when I was very young and when he saw the fossil in Russia, he remembered the story and brought it home for me. There is a picture on page 21.

While I don't believe in evolution (and this book begins with that theory), this book is still extremely valuable for all the information it contains and the pictures are amazing. The fact that someone had to organize all these details is mind boggling in itself.

Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World offers a new perspective on the past and provides a unique view of our developing world. It spans from the origins of life to the emergence of civilizations up to AD 1500. This book is richly illustrated and shows artifacts of each time period and region. Many of the artifacts come from the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The photos of many items have never been published before.

This is a Millennium Classic Limited Edition Collectable. The silver cover makes this a perfect coffee table book. It is not a book you just put away and forget about, yet you will feel spoiled owning it. You can look up any region of the world at any period and discover what people ate or how they used local materials to construct shelters and temple-pyramids. The pivotal developments of technology from the fashioning of stone tools, to the introduction of navigational equipment is shown in detail.

If you want to know about the art of classical Greece, or how the Incas lived in the Andes, you can find it all in one concise collection of knowledge. There are more than 50 large-scale visual time charts, 1600 photographs and 100 specially commissioned maps.

I present to you a book produced under the expert guidance of eminent archaeologists, anthropologists, prehistorians and paleontologists from around the world. Chris Scarre, PhD, is a specialist in the prehistory of Europe and the Mediterranean. He was also the editor of Past Worlds: The Times Atlas of Archaeology (1988).

An invaluable reference book that presents a spectacular tapestry of time and culture.

Interesting but incomplete.......1999-09-17

This book has a large amount of very interesting information but, oddly, gives scant treatment to major Hebrew and Christian figures of ancient times and Jewish/Christian history while significant coverage is given to the birth of Buddhism, Confucian morality, the rise of Islam, the Koran, Hinduism, ancient Egyptian religious practices and even the gods of the ancient Mesopotamians. The establishment of the great Jewish and Christian religions should have been included on par with these other religions, especially as the book is published by a major U.S. tax-supported institution, the Smithsonian, and the vast majority of the Americans who support the Smithsonian are either Jewish or Christian. The Jewish and Christian religions have had a significant impact on world history and so a book of this type is incomplete if they are not covered.

This Book Is Rockin'!!.......1999-05-09

I am a student of Washington Middle School, and my teacher gave us an assignment of getting 20 trade timeline entries and 20 agricultural entries, and with this book, I got all but seven of my agriculture entries, and all my trade entries in two periods. This book may cost alot to buy, but if you go to your library and check it out, you can find out tons of stuff about the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa, about weapons, farming, art, etc... like I said, This book is rockin'!!

Fantastic for teaching an integrated approch to Histroy.......1999-04-23

I use this reference book in the classroom to provide a global perspective for students. The book helps to show students that history and civilization are global not only continental and western.

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Medieval Worlds
Jo Ann Hoeppner Moran Cruz , and Richard A. Gerberding
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 039556087X

Book Description

This text, designed for use in one- and two-term medieval history courses, is based on a political framework that includes social and cultural history. It emphasizes both high and popular culture, exploring what life was like in the court, the city, the countryside, and academia.

The narrative emphasizes two underlying themes: the gradual development of ideas of freedom and individuality, and the slow change from an oral culture to a literate society. The text primarily focuses on Europe, but also gives extensive attention to the areas that affected Europe, such as Byzantium and the Islamic world.

"Medieval Voices" features present excerpts from sources of the period.
"Medieval People" features include brief biographies of significant historical figures of the period.
The text features an extensive map and illustration program.

Catherine of Siena : The Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)

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The Dialogue, by Catherine of Siena
Austere and Awesome
A Non-denominational Christian Pastor Reviews "Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)"
Most Inspirational book aside from the Bible
Enjoyable and Encouraging to Read!

Catherine of Siena : The Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)
Suzanne Noffke , and Guiliana Cavallini
Manufacturer: Paulist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0809122332

Book Description

This is the crowning spiritual work of the only woman other than Teresa of Avila to be granted the title of Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church. This volume was simply called "my book" by the fourteenth-century Italian saint. The aim of her book (one of the first books to see print in Spain, Germany, Italy, and England), says Dr. Noffke in her Foreword, was "the instruction and encouragement of all those whose spiritual welfare was her concern." Catherine was "a mystic whose plunge into God plunged her deep into the affairs of society, Church and the souls who came under her influence." Professor Noffke goes on to call The Dialogue "a great tapestry to which Catherine adds stitch upon stitch until she is satisfied that she has communicated all she can of what she has learned of the way of God." In this, the sixth centenary of the great Dominican's death, we live in a time so badly in need of her sense of institutional reform as flowing from Divine truth, love and charity. Dr. Noffke says: "In the opening pages of The Dialogue Catherine presents a series of questions or petitions to God the Father each of which receives a response and amplification. There is the magnificent symbolic portrayal of Christ as the bridge. There are specific discussions of discernment, tears (true and false spiritual emotion), truth, the sacramental heart ('mystic body') of the Church, divine providence, obedience…. It is not so much a treatise to be read as it is a conversation to be entered into with earnest leisure and leisurely earnest."

Customer Reviews:

The Dialogue, by Catherine of Siena.......2007-01-04

The book arrived in good time and is in excellent condition. I am enjoying it.

Austere and Awesome.......2006-07-14

This is one of the most important volumes in the Classics of Western Spirituality series. More is commonly known of the life of this young saint than her writings; she is the patron of many American parishes. Her example and directions to high churchmen were an important corrective in a pivotal moment of Church history. But one feels that the importance of her writings is only now becoming clear. Few are familiar enough with them.

Be warned: this twenty-something seer was austere. The transcriptions of her locutions, done by her confreres, are not prettied up, as they should not be. They convey a plain authenticity. Sentences and paragraphs run on and are often difficult to untangle. It can be very slow going; any of these dialogues can make for a wearying sitting. And the claim is absolute: God talking directly to Catherine in her ecstatic state, she as the mere transmitter, the confreres getting it down as best they can.

Of all the mysteries explicated here, however, the pinnacle and the unique aspect is the discussion of the mechanism of the Mystical Body of Christ. While a key and unique aspect of Catholicism that was there from the beginning, only in century 20 was it beginning to be more fully explicated by the likes of Bishop Sheen and Pius 12. The closest thing in Protestantism to it is the concept of Christian fellowship, but the Mystical Body is both more active and more exact than that. Many, including surprisingly Catholics, will reject this teaching in the radical and awesome form stated here. Of course, the writings and visions of saints are not matters of faith, except to the extent they track definitive dogmatic statements. But one would be challenged to explain how an untutored youth outside any formal religious house could have uttered a theology of this loftiness, depth, and sophistication. One thing is guaranteed: the Mystical Body theology set out in Catherine's locutions will never leave you -- the Divine Plan working itself out through the multiplicity of human gifts, randomly distributed, by a God who is most pleased when individual faithful share and exchange them toward Divine ends.

Many persons in and out of the Church are seeking spiritual experience of one sort or another, as if pinching themselves to know that they are real. They would be better off reading Dialogues nos. 6, 7, and 8, and meditating on them for a year to the exclusion of anything else.

A Non-denominational Christian Pastor Reviews "Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)".......2005-10-02

It is indeed an honor to give a review of "Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue". Catherine was able to ask questions of Almighty God and receive answers for the betterment of mankind. Very few people are able to do this. Being that I also have a prophetic ministry, my ministers and I are accustomed to being able to receive information from Heaven. But, many people are not so fortunate. Catherine walked in the presence of Almighty God and lived a life of purity. She was, indeed, a mighty and humble servant of God. Her obedience to Almighty God enables us somewhat today to receive wisdom, comprehension and understanding as to why we, as mere mortals, suffer many of the hardships, etc. in daily life which we are experiencing. This book was a "breath of fresh air" and extremely enlightening, as to why we suffer while on the earth, and what pupose that suffering accomplishes. The book totally changed my personal perspective as to why we suffer and for what purpose. Therefore, my personal ministry has been somewhat changed because of this wonderful, wonderful book. I would personally recommend this book to everyone, particularly during the current times in which we are living.

Most Inspirational book aside from the Bible.......2005-01-21

I highly recommend this book to any person seeking to be inspired to improve their lives, not through fear of chatisement, but due to being motivated by love. This is the first book that I have ever read, where I wanted to write the author, or in this case it would be the interpretor, and to thank her for the wisdom and insight that her work gave me. Just reflecting on the book gives me a warm feeling.

Catherine of Siena was a mystic who claimed to receive advice from God, and who also worked miracles in her time. This book relates the advice in an incredibly accessiblt tone. She writes about issues related to every aspect of life, our association with one another, and how to please God. Her advice is helpful to people from all walks of life, the lay person and religious as well.

Central to her message is the great love that God has for us all. That God loved us before we knew and loved Him, and the onyl way to give likewise such love to strangers who know not and possibly will not love us. She writes too about one of the greatest ways that we can offend God is by not believing that he has sufficient mercy to forgive us our sins, if we are contrite and ask him for forgiveness, because this belief contradicts the notion that God's mercy and love for us is great. She writes that sin is horrible becuase it ofends God's goodness, and it harms our neighbor.

She cites many biblical sources that reflect the advice that she has recieved. It seems cliche to hail a book as life-changing but this book greatly transformed me and my relationship with God for the better. It is an inspiring and uplifting read, and may be particularly useful to those experiencing spiritual dryness.

Enjoyable and Encouraging to Read!.......2004-11-16

This classic of Catholic spirituality is for all sorts of people. There are many gems in the pages of this book just waiting to be discovered. I found it to be a beautiful book.

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Global cooling
Good, not great
Sorry to have finished it
An Epic of 14th Century Greenland
Haunting and unforgettable.

Greenlanders, The
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394551206
Release Date: 1988-03-12

Book Description

"HAUNTING."
--The New York Times Book Review
Jane Smiley, the Pultizer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, gives us a magnificent novel of fourteenth-century Greenland. Rich with fascinating detail about the day-to-day joys and innumerable hardships of remarkable people, The Greenlanders is also the compelling story of one family--proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passionate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the compelling center of this unforgettable book. Echoing the simple power of the old Norse sagas, here is a novel that brings a remote civilization to life and shows how it was very like our own.
"TOTALLY COMPELLING . . . FASCINATING . . . In the manner of the big books of the nineteenth century, in which complex family and community matters unravel--Dickens, Dumas, Tolstoy--The Greenlanders sweeps the reader along. . . . Jane Smiley is a true storyteller."
--The Washington Post
"A POWERFUL, MOVING STUDY OF HUMAN FRAILTY AND THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF COURAGE AND LOVE."
--USA Today
"WONDERFUL . . . A HISTORICAL NOVEL WITH THE NEARNESS OF CONTEMPORARY FICTION."
--The New Republic
"[AN] EPIC MASTERPIECE . . . SPELLBINDING."
--Newsday

Customer Reviews:

Global cooling.......2007-08-25

Today I read a news article about Greenland entitled "Climate Change Is a Mixed Bag for Inuit." I had to smile at that since I have just finished reading Smiley's book, which recreates the society of Greenland at the end of the 1300's when the problem was global COOLING. Nowadays, the fjords are ice free by April or May (instead of July): that contrasts with the ice and hard winters coming earlier and earlier for the ancient Greenlanders. Then, farms were abandoned, people died of disease and starvation, the Inuit had to come further south to hunt. And Smiley even contrasts this to the hardy folk and explorations of Erik the Red's time. Who knows? Maybe as our own century proceeds, we will see farmers again in Greenland!!
This extraordinary novel spins out many of the conflicts of the time: between and within families, between the Church and the old Nordic laws represented by the dwindling number of lawsayers, between the old culture of "riches" and the rapidly approaching destitution, between the settlers and the Inuit. The book is so rich in theme and character; the reader will find many more conflicts to mull over. Most of all, in the lives of these people, we see ourselves in all of life's cycles. Smiley's style evokes the way these people thought and talked, with a predominance of the old Anglo-Saxon lexicon that is our heritage as English speakers.
This eloquent book is in the great tradition of "Kristin Lavransdatter" by Sigrid Undset (the translation by Charles Archer had me mesmerized) and "Giants in the Earth" by Rolvaag.

Good, not great.......2007-05-28

I'm a huge fan of hers. There were a few things that I didn't like about this one:
1) Too long and repetitive. 1/4 could have been pruned
2) Weak character development
3) Confusing at parts

Sorry to have finished it.......2007-05-01

A really good read. This spare and yet rich tale spun out over generations had me longing for a loom and a trencher of dried reindeer meat. As I turned the last page, I ruefully left my paperback time-travel machine and returned to the time of packaged foods and incandescent lighting.

An Epic of 14th Century Greenland.......2007-01-14

This book reads and is written as an epic, a sprawling novel, illustrating the customs, weather, beliefs, habits, and lifestyle of the people of Greenland in the Middle Ages. There is a lot of detail, about hunting parties, shoes, tiny beds built into walls, imaginary creatures, and most importantly the relationships of the people.

Haunting and unforgettable. .......2006-07-16

I first read this book soon after it came out in 1988 or `89, and its magic has never left me even after having reread it more than once since. The story, written in spare but illuminating saga style and historically accurate as far as it's known, vividly fleshes out a time and place, a society struggling to survive while being virtually forgotten by the outside world, a society of which many today are unaware that it ever existed. The novel spans generations, set during the latter half of the 1300s to early 1400s (some evidence indicates that the last Greenland Norse remnants in the Eastern Settlement may have held on into the early 1500s). Although its two widely separated settled areas never numbered more than a total of perhaps five thousand persons at the max, to ask why it disappeared is, in a real sense, to put the cart before the horse. As the late geographer Carl O. Sauer reminded us in his 1968 book "Northern Mists," the first thing to be asked -- the obverse, the first side of the question of why Norse Greenland failed -- is how it survived for five hundred years. This remarkable medieval people endured over a span as long as that of the Roman Empire and a century longer than the American culture has yet done since the first permanent English settlements of the early 1600s with far more support from overseas. With a sure hand Smiley portrays a distinctive slice of humanity in all its strengths, weaknesses, capacity for good and evil, fallability, wisdom, and stoic acceptance of its own mortality. Unlike some more recent writing of hers I've seen, the author essentially "tells it like it is," and in the manner of a true saga lets the chips fall where they may -- thus allowing the reader to make one's own judgments. This book is a masterpiece.

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Glorious mystic poetry
Grating
Loud
Can't read Rumi all the time
A spiritual but earthy sound

Rumi: Voice of Longing
Jalal Al-Din Rumi , and Coleman Barks
Manufacturer: Sounds True
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1564558320

Book Description

In the seven centuries since the death of Jelaluddin Rumi in 1273, the world has come to know and thrill to his sacred poetry. In concert with the tabla and sitar, his writing is part of a religious tradition that is believed to excite "spiritual heroism," embracing the holiness of love, lamentation, battle, and the longing for God. RUMI: VOICE OF LONGING collects nearly one hundred of Rumi's most memorable quatrains, presented here on two superbly remastered CD recordings for the first time ever.

Translated and performed by the Rumi scholar Coleman Barks, these works echo with a spiritual complexity that defies their outward simplicity. As Sufism acknowledges the truth of other religions, so does Rumi's poetry reflect universal themes: the search for the highest truth, the mystery of surrender, the longing to overcome ego imprisonment. RUMI: VOICE OF LONGING captures the silence, the love, and the playfulness that make each experience with this work one of sacred wonder.

With musical accompaniment by Marcus Wise on tablas and David Whetstone on sitar. Special appearance by Robert Bly.

Customer Reviews:

Glorious mystic poetry.......2007-07-24

Wonderful Rumi poetry as read by Coleman Barks who is my special favourite Rumi translator. Words to open the heart and make the spirit sing.

Grating.......2007-05-26

It gets two stars for unintentional hilarity (refer to some of the more embarrasing moments in the career of one Robert Goulet). Cast somewhere between the imploring musings of Deepak Chopra and his collaborations with 'celebs' like Demi Moore professing 'transcendence, if only one would aspire', the dictor here, is infused with a monotonous Southern accent that unfortunately renders Rumi as prosaic humdrum.

Loud.......2007-05-20

Coleman Barks is my favorite translator of Rumi but this CD is not. Maybe it will work for the seasoned Rumi lover but for a new person I found Coleman having to rush to speak over the music. I couldn't enjoy the poetry because of the drums and fast paced music. I have no relationship yet with Rumi's poetry and just could not enjoy all the distractions. If you already know the poems the loud music may suit you. I was glad when it ended which is not what I was looking for. It didn't let me pace through the poetry, the loud drums and sitar were too forceful.

Can't read Rumi all the time.......2005-10-03

Though I agree Coleman Barks Southern accent and voice are a out of place for me when reading Rumi myself, his passion for Rumi more than makes up for it. I am in my car a lot, so this set allows me to enjoy the poetry. It's relaxing, the music is perfect.

A spiritual but earthy sound.......2005-08-08

On this lovely recital of Jelaludin Rumi's poetry, the voice of Coleman Barks is accompanied by Marcus Wise on sitar and David Whetstone on sitar. There is a flute too, but nobody is credited. The 2-CD set contains translations of poems from the following books of translations by Barks: Birdsong, Say I Am You, One-Handed, Open Secret, We Are Three, This Longing, These Branching Moments and Delicious Laughter. The insert lists the first lines of the all the poems recited.

Disc One: 1. Birdsong brings relief 2. This is how I would die 3. Soul of the world 4. Again, the violet bows to the lily 5. Intricate sounds, not words, I catch 6. You said, "Who's at the door?" 7. The soul must suffer secrets 8. I saw grief drinking a cup of sorrow 9. In this river the soul is a waterwheel.

Disc Two: A sufi was wandering the world 2. Love comes with a knife, not some shy question 3. Someone may be clairvoyant, able to see 4. Last night my teacher told me the lesson of poverty 5. On Resurrection Day your body testifies against you 6. Someone says, sanai is dead 7. Those full of fear are not really on the way 8. We tremble, thinking we're about to dissolve 9. Before Muhammed appeared in physical form 10. I, you, he, she, we 11. There is no prison so dark and small 12. Moses heard a shepherd on the road praying.

The combination of devotional playing and the deep voice of Barks create a type of spiritual ambience that is more earthy than ethereal. I find the sound most relaxing and enjoyable, a fitting vehicle for the inspiring words of Rumi.

Total running time for Disc 1 is 70:08 and for Disc 2, 77:33.

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Very light verse
The joys and tribulations of aging set to rhyme
Gentle Poetic Humor of Nostalgia and Reassurance

Forever Fifty
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684832372

Book Description

Her bestselling verse has unerringly captured our follies and our foibles over the decades. Now Judith Viorst, in a witty and beautifuUy illustrated book of poems, looks at what it's like to be (gulp) fifty.

Judith Viorst's poetry collections, which include When Did I Stop Being Twenty..., It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty..., and How Did I Get to Be Forty..., have articulated our growing pains from single life to midlife, and have continued to delight millions of readers worldwide. Writing with the warmth and authenticity that have become her trademarks, Viorst once again demonstrates her uncanny ability to transform our daily realities into poems that make us laugh with recognition. Whether her subject is the decline of the body ("It's hard to be devil-may-care/When there are pleats in your derrière") or future aspirations ("Before I go, I'd like to have high cheekbones./I'd like to talk less like New Jersey, and more like Claire Bloom"), she always speaks directly to our condition. Her funny, compassionate poems shed a reassuring light on the fine art of aging, and will delight anyone who is now (or forever) fifty.

Customer Reviews:

Very light verse .......2007-05-24

This small book of verses contains Judith Viorst's reflections on herself and her world as she turns fifty. The book is advertised as 'poetry' but if poetry we mean "the deepest expression of feeling in words" this is not poetry at all.
These are mild thoughts grouped into little stanzas centering usually on a single theme. One most interesting one centers on ' what happened to the children' and simply states the very varied and idiosyncratic career and love choices made by what I suspect are not only her children but those of her friends and neighbors. Another , the opening poem focuses on the whole business of being asked how old one is, and the hidden intentions behind the question. Another poem is about the ' second marriage' and the calculations and considerations involved in it of a friend. The final poem which truly epitomizes the spirit of the whole book is called " The Pleasures of Ordinary Life" and focuses on the consolations of good health , and small pleasures when one reaches an age when the big violent passionate dramas of life are no longer there.
These verses are often light and can be mildly amusing. They are not profound, deep and moving as the best poetry ordinarily is.

The joys and tribulations of aging set to rhyme.......2004-03-18

Judith Viorst has become the poet of aging with books of poetry dedicated to her lyrical and funny perceptions of each decade of life from the 20s to the 60s. With Forever Fifty And Other Negotiations she explores with insight and humor the joys and fears of being in your fifties. The book contains 24 one-page poems that are accompanied by full page graphic illustrations in green ink on a rich cream paper. The 24 graphics are reproduced on the end papers. The attention to design makes this a wonderful gift for a quinquagenarian friend.

The poems are funny and sentimental yet bittersweet. In some poems we see a person who is struggling to accept the limitations of middle age (where running wild is to go for a walk without sunscreen and memory can't be relied upon). In others she seeks the joys that come with the wisdom of years as when she says "We're quicker to laugh, and not so eager to blame." In yet others, she makes affirmations to live life "as a sexy old lady" and lists the things she'd like to do before she goes.
There are poems that take humorous looks at adult children, long-term marriage partners, and young doctors.

Overall, a wonderful but light look at the aging process of the 50s. It is a book you will enjoy, but one that will not burn into your soul.

Gentle Poetic Humor of Nostalgia and Reassurance.......2000-07-15

This is the fourth of Judith Viorst's books of poetry about crossing decades in one's life. Perhaps this one will become one of her most popular in the next 10 years as record numbers of baby boomers turn 50 every day. Although both women and men will find plenty that speaks to them, the book is very much in a woman's voice and will resonate more powerfully with many female readers.

Each poem deserves its own comment, but I would exceed my word quota if I did that.

Let me see if I can group them a bit for you. Some of the poems focus on how things have changed with age. "Wild Thing" is a good example, which lists a lot of things the author does when she's feeling wild -- like "I didn't bother flossing before bedtime." "Second Marriage" is the tale of a widow and widower whose family situations keep them from following their hearts. "To a Middle-Aged Friend Considering Adultery" advises the woman in question to give up the idea of a young male lover. It won't last and it's not worth it.

She also finds plenty to be pleased about in being 50. In "Exercising Options," she skips all of the strenuous exercises in favor of floating on her back in a pool. In "Happiness," many simple blessings like good health turn out to be the most enduring sources of happiness.

Children are never far out of the picture. The brief joy of the empty nest quickly evaporates as they all return to stay (some with spouse or children in tow) in "They're Back." "How Can People Want to Bring Children into This Terrible World" is a poetic discussion with a daughter-in-law about the author's desire to have a grandchild. There's always an edge of unsettled concern in these. For example, in "You Say You Want to Know How the Children Are Doing" is a litany of superficial updates on great numbers of children ending in the lament, "But what does it mean?" She has advice for her son in how to answer his wife's question about does he love her in "Some Advice from a Mother to Her Married Son."

Other poems are filled with hope and are forward looking. In "Before I Go," she tells how she'd "like to make things better." She aspires to be a "Sexy Old Lady" in the poem by that name at 80 with "my sexy old husband nestled beside me in bed."

The book's tone is perhaps best captured by "Pleasures of an Ordinary Life" in which she praises having "a long history and connections" with other people.

Judith Viorst is as gentle a guide as you can find into the land of the 50s. You'll enjoy your birthday and the decade more if you read and draw upon her wit and wisdom. It'll help you overcome your misconception stalls about what's next.

Book Description

Gives quick access to medieval England
This valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in medieval England-art, architecture, law, literature, kings, commoners, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare, religion, and many others. It takes as its scope English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century. To make it even more useful to information seekers, the Encyclopedia also traces England's ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, to the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent, to the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea, and to the world of medieval Christendom. The result is a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and their key historical events, personages, and cultural contexts.

Authoritative, wide-ranging, informative
Multidisciplinary articles bring together a rich variety of scholarly perspectives and individual viewpoints found in no other comparable reference work. More than 700 entries by over 300 international scholars discuss topics ranging from Sedulius to Skelton, from Wulfstan of York to Reginald Pecock, from Pictish art to Gothic sculpture, from the Vikings to the Black Death, from musical instruments to weapons, from Beowulf to The Book of Margery Kempe, from comic tales to religious allegory, from saints to lawyers, from courtly love to prostitution, from mills to monasteries, from Alfred the Great to Geoffrey Chaucer.

Makes further inquiry simple and easy
A subject and name index makes it easy to locate information. Bibliographies direct users to essential primary and secondary sources and recent scholarship. Where possible, bibliographic references have been selected with an eye to accessibility for nonspecialists, although more advanced essential works are also included. Priority has been given to scholarship in English, books and journals likely to be available in university libraries, and general studies that provide good bibliographic and methodological guidance for further study.

Special features
The first comprehensive survey of England in the Middle Ages-in one authoritative volume; Accessible to students and useful to scholars; More than 300 expert contributors provide a stimulating diversity of interpretations and opinions; Explains how English history, literature, arts, and culture developed during the Middle Ages; Devotes substantial coverage to medieval art and architecture; Offers different viewpoints on related or overlapping topics, illuminating the complexities of modern scholarly inquiry; Over 150 illustrations

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