One of the great poems in the English language--and certainly a top contender for the greatest narrative poem. A retelling of the Alfred the Great's defeat of Guthrum and the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune (or the victory of the true power of Christianity over the inherent weakness of paganism), written to be read aloud or to oneself (but please do read it aloud). A ranking of ten stars would be more accurate. [This review refers to the first edition.]

The greatest poem ever written! Read it and it will lead you into a high and heroic world and change your life forever!

The greatest poem of the century. The100-page saga of King Alfred the Great's apparently hopeless war against the Vikings is all one dreams poetry might be - stirring the heart and soul, filled with beauty, wisdom and excitement. A timeless message of hope and wonder. A few passages stumble, as is inevitable in a work of this length, but these can be overlooked. Read this wonderful poem and it will lighten and change the world for you. The greatest antidote to depression and despair that I know!

Diane Dean White has given us so much in her current volume, "Beach Walks." Even though I know her youngest son, Brian, I've never met her in person. Yet, after reading "Beach Walks" it's as though I grew up in the same neighborhood with her children, and maybe even near her during those wonderful childhood years.

Her recollections of the family neighborhood(s), the trips to Florida to visit her grandparents, and the creativity of both parents is really heart-warming. Maybe a family like this one really does exist. Of course it does...Diane grew up in it!

Her poignant illustrations, life applications, and gems of wisdom have made me laugh, have brought tears to my eyes, and have stirred a desire to be closer to those who mean so much in my life.

Her retelling of the children's first dog, "General Lee" was about as funny and as sensitively captivating as any story I've read in a very long time. Her passion for people, for God, and for life is contagious.

This is a volume suitable for just about every occasion. I plan to buy several for gifts.

Do the same. It is money well spent.

I love how Diane mixes her stories to bring out smiles, frowns, laughs, tears and everything in between. She has a way of telling her experiences growing that puts you there with her. The stories are funny, sad, and put God very much a part of her life.
--brother Bill

Reminisce with Diane, and trigger some of your own joyous memories.
Her stories will make you laugh, others will make you cry. They show that God is always with us.
Receive an inspiring perspective on the beauty of her childhood days in Michigan. Enjoy her vivid description of memories that span from Michigan to South Carolina.
Old and young alike, will enjoy this book. It will lift your spirit!

I love this book and refer to it constantly. Everyone should own a copy to understand neighbors, friends, coworkers, the media, etc. It gives background information on many religions and religious customs in clear, easy-to-read language. My only suggestion is that the next edition should be more comprehensive, including Unitarian/Universalists (if it included U/U's, I would buy 50, since I am tired of explaining it to people and would give them as gifts). I would be happy to pay more for more information. Thanks for making the book available!

America's spiritual complexion is changing so quickly - thecombined result of immigration, intermarriage, transience and"seekers" choosing new faiths - that one often needs a religious score card to tell the players at home or at work. Gayle Colquitt White offers just such a score card in Believers and Beliefs :A Practical Guide to Religious Etiquette for Business and Social Occasions (Berkley, New York).

Each chapter of Believers and Beliefs offers a brief history of the faith or denomination, along with the essentials of theology and doctrine and selected passages from sacred writings of each faith or denomination. There are also quick guides to holidays, dress, dietary laws, individual and community worship, the place of men and women. White includes information on conversion, a suggested reading list and material on births, weddings and funerals, which she calls "milestones."

Mark I. Pinsky Orlando Sentinel The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Ms. White has written a handy help for those who want to do the right thing in our multibelief world. Her guidebook covers the practices - social and sacramental - of 14 world religions and 14 Christian groups. She offers tips on etiquette in every chapter. So at the next back-yard barbecue, not only will you know not to pass the plate of pork ribs to your Jewish and Muslim guests, but you'll know, too, not to offer your Sikh friend a platter of kosher. He won't eat anything that has been prepared according to Jewish or Muslim religious law. - T.K.

The Dallas Morning News

Most Americans today live out their faith in a mulicultural - indeed, a multifaith -world. Understanding other groups' holidays, traditions, beliefs and practice is becoming more and more important.

Believers and Beliefs : A Practical Guide to Religious Etiquette for Business and Social Occasions (Berkley Books) provides an in-depth look at a cross-section of faiths. Written by Atlanta Journal-Constitution religion writer Gayle Colquitt White, the book is like a survival guide to the world of religion.

The way the book is organized, each chapter covers a specific group to enable readers to increase their awareness and sensitivity to other beliefs. With this volume, you'll never be at a loss - whether you're one of a handful of nonfamily members invited to a Shintowedding or sharing a table with Seventh-day Adventists and wondering about their dietary laws.

CECILE S. HOLMES, Houston Chronicle Religion Editor Houston Chronicle

Another useful and unusual businessbook is " Believers and Beliefs" (Berkley Books), by Gayle Colquitt White, religion writer for The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

White got the idea for the book from her experience as a religion writer. When readers, friends and co-workers had etiquette/religion questions, she was the obvious source: My Jewish boss's father just died. Should I take food to his family? Can I take Communion at my friend's Catholic wedding? If you call a male Episcopal priest Father, what do you call a female priest?

Since her goal is understanding and practical knowledge, White focuses on everyday situations, such as religious holidays, weddings and funerals, addressing such issues as dress, conversation, roles of men and women and dietary laws.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune

How can these disconnected parents talk to their children about Christmas, Hanukkah and the other religious holidays that intersect in December? If you're looking for something that gives an overview of a variety of religious traditions, take a look at "Believers and Beliefs ." It was written by Gayle White, religion writer for The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, after eight years of getting asked questions by readers about other faiths.

SANDI DOLBEE The San Diego Union-Tribune

It began when a woman telephoned religion writer Gayle White to see if it was proper to take food to the home of her Jewish boss who had just died. Next, a neighbour stopped White to ask if she would be expected to take communion at her cousin's Catholic wedding. Then a co-worker dropped by her desk to see if she could explain why a Jehovah's Witness at his child's elementary school wouldn't come to class parties. White was used to answering the occasional religious question. But these came over a period of a few days and they all seemed to be etiquette-related.

It didn't take her long to see a pattern. Thus was born Believers And Beliefs : A Practical Guide To Religious Etiquette For Business And Social Occasions (Berkeley).

The book offers an overview of more than 25 religious faiths and includes etiquette tips. At the end of each chapter is a reference list for delving deeper.

Olivia Fortson, The Charlotte Observer The Toronto Star The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

those practical, live-with-and-love-your-neighbor questions are not found in the library reference texts. Until now.

White interviewed denominational leaders and professors. But she also went to the people in the pews to find out their good neighbor customs, especially for weddings and funerals. While she outlines each faith and Christian denomination's history, beliefs , practices and holidays, it's the good neighbor practices-that are most helpful.

Patricia Rice Post-Dispatch Religion Writer St. Louis Post-Dispatch

This is far more than just an etiquette book. White does a great job of providing an overview of all the world's major religions without requiring you to earn a degree in comparative religion. She gives a information about doctrinal beliefs, sacred texts, worship, dietary and dress restrictions, the role of women and children in the faith, etc. Next time someone you know of a different faith celebrates a life milestone (birth, marriage, death), you'll know how to respond. I was also happy to find a book that discussed the differences among the various denominations of Christianity. This is the first such book I've found in more than 2 years of searching. A very well-written, well-researched book that is easy to read and use. I highly recommend it!

The Book of White Trash made me laugh out loud. I took it to work, and everyone loved it! Very funny material, and the illustrations are great. We all have a bit of "white trash" in us (no matter what color we are) which makes it just that much more funny. Makes a great gift, too!

Too funny, the best $ I ever spent.This book makes you laugh and then laugh some more. Very true to White Trash, and southern folk in general. Page 34 says it all. The illustrations are incredible !!!

This book finds a little "White Trash" in all of us. Fun to sit & read until you're finished, and this can be accomplished in just a few hours! The illustrations are equally amusing! Enjoyed the artistists renditions of each and every definition of "White Trash". Jeff Foxworthy has nothing compared to these hilarious women!

When I saw this book I was blown away by the range and quality of the work in it. As soon as I was back at my computer, I purchased a copy for my sister who does botanical illustration. She too was very impressed with it. You cannot go wrong buying this book if you enjoy a) art; b) botanical illustration, or; c) all things beautiful.

Have recommended this book to other botanical artists and every one who sees it has purchased it. Full of exquisitely rendered specimens in many different styles of botanical painting. Gives some background on each of the artists, but the real feature is the large reproductions of the art work. An excellent reference book for painters and a beautiful book to display. Don't miss this one!

This is a book of dazzling beauty. The first time that I read it I had to keep trying to remember to breath! This is not a how-to book but a WOW! book. The range and quality of the illustrations is astounding, particularly in view of the large number of pictures and the comparatively low price

I loved this book about the brave women who fought in world war 2. Not many people had known that women flew in combat so long ago. This book will make the readers see what it was like when everybody had to fight. These women are heroines. I like the photos of the women in their old age with all their medals. They look like anybodies Grandmother! I would be proud to know them. This book makes me feel like I do.

In this excellent book, surviving Soviet veterans of World War ll are interviewed about their service in the Red Air Force. Not only pilots and navigators, but gunners and ground crew also, relate their experiences of what is commemorated in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Ms. Noggles'recent photos (taken in the early 1990's) contrast poignantly with the black-and-white photos, taken over half a century ago, of the young airwomen in uniform. I highly recommend this book. Read about the courage and sacrifice of these aviators, and the horrific circumstances and conditions which they endured, and remember that these were perfectly ordinary young Soviet women. Some had personally experienced Stalinist oppression, but when their country's existence was threatened, they all voluntarily joined in her defense.

A superlative book..action packed! I was astonished at their courage and patriotism. (Who would actually go out on nightly bombing attacks in a PO-2? They did!) Their continual struggle against the Nazis was made so much more burdensome under the unjust tyranical yoke of Communism. What fine women and what a great "eye-opener".

Just finished reading " Deep In Our Hearts", a book I'd like to strongly recommend. It captures on a very personal level, the spirit of the Civil Rights era, from the perspective of nine different white women who were deeply involved in the struggle to bring about more racial justice. It is a moving tribute to all the heroes of that very difficult time. To all who were involved at the time or those who are the least bit curious of "what went down", you cannot fail to admire the stories of these brave women. This is history (herstory) as it should be related-from the participants.

Imagine leaving your comfortable world as you knew it in the erly 1960's. Young white women; some from the north, some from the south. Rural and urban, college kids, middle class, working class and just plain poor. Heading to a dangerous world and joining the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. Leaving behind the scorn, disdain, and ridicule of family and friends. Walking into a climate of hate and bigotry, and joining in civil disobedience against segregation. Walking in the picket lines, sometimes fearing for your life; organizing, and joining in singing hymns of freedom. Going from tears of frustration to smiles of great joy, while hitching a ride on that freedom train and holding on for dear life.
One recent eveing at Northern Lights Book Store and Cafe in St. Johnsbury, Vt., 70 people heard two local women who participated passionately in that movement. The authors read from their book, Deep In Our Hearts: Nine White Women in the Freedom Movement.
The book is an eloquent and powerful one that takes us back to one of the most tumultuous periods in American history; the erly days of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Freedom Summer, voter registrations, lunch counter sit-ins and the rise of Black Power and the women's movement. Deep In Our Hearts is a collection of essays, that take us into the lives of a group of young women who were transformed by the Civil Rights Movement.
The audience listened as Penny Patch looked back and read softly. "I understand well that what was between us will never be again, but still, that experience remains at the core of who I am. The fact that some of us had deep friendships that crossed all racial lines is simply a miracle. For short periods of time, in those early yers, we leaped over all the history and all of the minefields between us."
Perched on a stool and sipping warm tea to sooth a sore throat, Theresa Del Pozzo read from the book. "My involement with the movement began as a moral reaction to the blatant injustice of segregation and the denial of basic human rights of African-Americans. Along the way I got an education in the intricate patterns of racism and began to experience what I think as the small-c culture of the African_American community: the wisdom, dignity, strength, humor, gentleness and creativeness of its everyday life and people. The experience of living within the black world changed forever the person I was to become and the way I live my adult life."
Listening to the authors as they told their stories one could not help but admire their courage and admire this courageous book. They stand as powerful testaments to a time when the goal of universal justice was truly in sight and to the hope that a new generation of blacks and whites will take up the challenge to make the world a better place.

Marvin Minkler of the North Star Monthly

This collection of stories, detailing the lives of nine white women active in the fight to end racial segregation and discrimination in this country, is sure to touch your heart. It is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights movement of the sixties. I couldn't put it down.

The absolutely facinating lives of two women who devoted their lives to serving the presidents and their families. It's not exactly a weekend read, but well worth your time. I mean, how else would you find out one of our distiinguished presidents got stuck in the bathtub? Wish the television mini-series was available on video or DVD.

This book is a fascinating look at the people who are a integral part of the White House-- the staff and the occupants. Based on the lives of Lilian Rogers Parks and her daughter, it presents the everyday happenings in this historical house from the viewpoint of the staff. This historical novel is filled with personal memories, touching stories, humorous quips, and some sad moments. After enjoying it, the reader will feel as if they have spent time in the White House themselves.

I have read this book many times. The historical content never ceases to amaze me. It is almost like being there. I never tire of reading this intimate picture of Maggie and Lillian's years at the White House. Wish there was a sequel.

Anyone interested in the history of surfing will be thrilled to look at this assortment of great shots. All are sepia toned, and don't expect crisp, high resolution reproductions here. What counts is the subject matter, and that's all here in spades. We got the Duke, Tom Blake, interestng beach goings-on at San Onofre circa the '40's, Billy Hamilton, Greg Noll and others. The price is a little stiff, but all are suitable for framing and, looking at it that way, what you are really purchasing is art. If you like surfing, you'll get a kick out of these.

Although it was hard to part with [money] for a portfolio of pictures, this is really a bargain. Everyone of the pictures is breathtaking. Added to the fact that it's a limited edition...

If you like surfing, or even classic American photography, this is for you.

not much to add to the other review. this is the best photos pre Beach Boys. there is no better.

I never really thought about what it would be like to not trust anyone you have known for years. in the book cold white fury Beth Amos shows not only the fear of being alone, but the despair of being double crossed and used by close friends. The book also keeps you in suspense right up the very end, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Beth's books.

This is the first book I have read by Beth Amos and now I'm a big fan. I was on the edge of my seat from page one. This is a story about a widow and her son. A freak accident killed Jennifer's husband and lodged a metal fragment in her 6 month old son's head. Several years later, her son is talking to her dead husband and knowing things that no else knows. In a mad dash to save her son and herself she must find out the truth before it's too late. In a plot with many twists and turns you try to figure out who you can trust. This book is a winner

I first read this book when I was a senior in high school. Since then I have read it three more times. It's just a great book and Beth Amos has a way of drawing you in to the story. Her other books, EYES OF NIGHT and SECOND SIGHT are also great novels. She has definitely become my favorite author.