Dr. Carson gives us the road map for success and explains to us that the journey is not always easy. However, if you want something bad enough and you work hard for that particular goal it will be obtainable with prayer. Dr. Carson's book is something remarkable and the things that I noticed that set him apart from all of the rest was reading for knowledge and personal enjoyment. Reading opens up a world of knowledge that cannot be obtained just through life and its experiences. Reading can shape your future into something so bright and wonderful because books contain so much knowledge.

The spiritual side of what Dr. Carson talks about is very important so that we keep ourselves grounded. And last of all possessing good ethics professionally and personally, because the same people you meet on your way up are the same individuals you will encounter on your way back down.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is lost and looking for a way out of a world of ignorance.

I was very pleased with Dr. Carson's first book, "Gifted Hands" and found his moving story of childhood turnaround, through the influences of his Mother, reading and God to provide refreshing proof that we can positively influence lives.

Taking the time to read and understand Dr. Carson will demonstrate that he is an ordinary man like you and I, problems and all. He deals with problems and mistakes with the following philoshopy of living:

T - Talents/time
H - Hope
I - Insight
N - Nice

K - Knowledge

B - Books
I - In-Depth
G - God

Do not judge this to be simplistic and trite...Dr. Carson explains with vivid examples how he utilizes this philosophy not only to live by, but to spread hope to those, like him that once had no hope in life.

I highly recommend this book, not only as an inspirational story about a current day medical hero, but as a book that can provide the framework to live your life or develop strong, positvie traits in your children.

Note: this book stands on its own merits and does not require previous reading from Dr. Carson's first book, "Gifted Hands". I read "Gifted Hands" shortly after reading "Think Big".

The life of Ben Carson should not have ended up as it has. His early life represented the classic characteristics of all too many of young black males. Yet, Ben and his brother achieved great things because of very special people who touched their lives. Those special people included a wonderful mother who had the courage to raise her children in a manner which would guarantee success (her definition would not be embraced by Wall Street). There were other special influences including many teachers who had the compassion to teach from the heart. There are many, many wonderful lessons to be learned from this autobiography, and any adult or young person would be blessed to read about this special man from a special family.

"Autobiography of Red" is the story of Geryon, a young boy with red skin and large wings, who grows into a young man. He is in love with Herakles, a young man who seems to return Geryon's affection, but is actually quite cruel in his fickleness. The two encounter each other on and off over the years, Geryon seeking love, Herakles seeking adventure. Their paths eventually cross in Buenos Aires, of all places, where Herakles is with another young man, Ancash, recording the sounds of various volcanos. The three venture through South America together, the tension between the three of them almost palpable, at least to the more sensitive two of the group, Ancash and Geryon. It is here that the three must decide on the nature of their friendship, and Geryon on the nature of his life.

This book is written in poetic free verse, and Ann Carson's style is nothing less than magical. It might seem difficult for readers accustomed to straightforward prose, but if one lets the words wash over them, their meaning will all be clear soon enough, and their beauty alone will convince the reader of their merit. The story is based on Greek myth, but rather than Herakles killing Geryon the monster literally, he "kills" by breaking his heart. Ultimately, the book's message seems to be that Geryon must learn to love himself first. The book is beautifully written, and cannot be recommended highly enough, to any reader who wants to read a delicate story in a challenging format.

This is poetry, in that it is beautiful and uses words ever-so carefully, but this is prose, in that it reads as easily as a novel and tells an engaging story. Geryon is a wonderfully-precise protagonist, going through his adventures with a quiet endurance and an energetic attachment to them. He has something of the quality of a Franz Kafka, a Michael Stipe, or an Angela Chase, but he's not so broodingly self-absorbed; rather, he's observant and thoughtful about the world around him. If the early-90s alternative rock movement had been more attentive and less despairing, it would have sounded something like this book, and would have taken a bigger audience.

The framing prose, inventing some poetic fragments of an ancient Greek poet, asks us to look at the story-telling, as a parable of history-making, and makes us sensitive to the way the book uses language. If the book made me think about its construction as a book, though, it didn't keep me from reading it as a great story.

This book completely fascinated me. I can understand the frustration of some readers, for the book doesn't fit easily into any defined category of genre or style. But I was captivated by its commitment to the imagination, by its fresh play with the traditions of poetry and narrative. The poems which make up the "story" of Geryon are witty and wry; they are also stunning (literally) and deeply poignant. I've read many books in my life, but this one is truly brilliant...and unforgetable.

The book Dave at Night, by Gail Carson Levine, starts out in 1926 as Dale learns that his dad has died, and his stepmother has decided not to keep him. His life is turned around when he is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys, an orphanage run by the abusive Mr. Bloom.
He quickly makes friends with the other eleven year olds who live in the same room as him. He however hates the teachers and administrators. His only reasons for staying at the House, and not running away, is that he likes the other kids and Mr. Bloom has taken his treasured carving. He does sneak away at night however, and on the first of these adventures he meets Solly, an old "gonif" or fortuneteller.
Dave breaks into Mr. Bloom's office and steals his sentimental carving back. However, on his way out Mr. Bloom finds him and starts to beat him up. Dave manages to slip away and runs to his aunts house. After a series of events, Solly makes plan so that Dave can live at the HHB without having to worry. You should to read this book to find out his plan.
When I read the book Dave at NIght, I had many different opinions about it, but in general I liked it. Although when I chose this book I thought it wouldnt have very much ation, it had a very interesting plot full of action. When Dave sneaks out at night, you never know whether he will get caught. This novel had many different types of personalities, from violent abusivee Mr. Bloom(a.k.a. Mr. Doom) to Mike, the quiet violin drawer. The people he met at night with Solly, including Irma Lee, also added a whole new perspective to this book. Overall, I would not say that this book was my favorite, but it is a good book to read.

Jessica Zipin
1/11/01
If you are looking for a good book to read, I would sugest Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine. This story takes place in 1926, and is about a boy named Dave Caros whose mother died from complications of his birth, and his father was a carpenter who fell of a roof he was working on leaving Dave and his older brother Gideon orphans. Gideon went to live with their uncle Jack, but no one wanted mischeif maker Dave. He goes to live at the HHB, Hebrew Home for Boys. Dave finds buddies and bullies at the HHB. This was a really funny book. I liked it a lot, and you probably will too.

A Gail Carson Levine success! This book is a compelling read and will have you finish it quickly. Dave Caros is a Jewish rascal living in New York city with his father, Abraham Caros, his brother, Gideon, and his father's wife ,Ida, who doesn't care beans about Gideon or Dave. Out of the blue one day Abraham Caros breaks his neck when he is out. After the funeral processing Ida begins to complain and make relatives have sympathy for her by saying out loud, "How can I raise these 2 kids. I can't take them. Somebody take them." Gideon is lucky and his uncle takes him, but no one claims Dave. Dave is instead sent to HHB Hebrew Home For Boys also known as Hell Hole for Brats. Dave takes a special carving that his father gave him with him and it is taken away by Mr.Meltzer, the mean, money lover, who takes care of the elevens. Dave doesn't hesitate on plans to get his carving and run away. During this book Dave finds friends who are loyal to death, a lovely girl who he becomes friends with, a mad superintendent who will even kill students for all he cares if they insult him, and how to forgive relatives who should have been forgiven a while back. This is a good read.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King is inspiring and well written. One thing that I thought would be a downfall of the book was that it wasn't as "autobiographical" as the title insinuates with the editor doing 70-80% of the writing. However, as I became engrossed in the text, the editor Clayborne Carson's style captivated me. In fact, it soon came to the point that when MLK's words were used (italicized), they seemed drab and out dated. Through Carson's more modern approach, the book was made more interesting to a young reader like myself. Though you can tell the difference between Carson and King's words even without the italics, Carson did a respectable job in essentially becoming Dr. King. I feel he suceeded in accuratley telling the story through MLK's eyes, though maybe not in his words. Through it all, the book was by far the best on King that I've ever read. This is because of it's depth. Since Carson's words were used so much, letters, speeches and college papers written by Dr. King were used very much throughout the book. I liked this because it gave insight into Kin'g personal life and writing style, which other books I've read on the leader fail to do. In addition, the format of the book (I, us, we) makes you feel like it is a truly personal and accurate account, even though it is the editor talking. In closing, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. was an excellent book that I feel every American should read.

I personally do not like to read any sort of autobiographies or biographies but this book was different. This book is supposed to be the autobiography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Clayborne Carson, who did a extensive amount of research. I was very pleased that he included alot of original and personal documents of Dr. King. This book lets the readers put on Dr. King's mask and see for themselves what it might have been for him on a more personal level. I found this book very interestingly touching and I recommend it to anyone intrested in Dr. King's life, his works or his philosophy.

The book "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr." is Stanford University historian Clayborne Carson's amazing account of one of the most impressive leaders to have ever lived.

This is an outstanding biography and it accounts for the full story of Dr. King, literally from cradle to grave. Martin Luther King Jr. at university, when he met his wife Coretta, their children being born, the movement begins, fights and struggles, getting arrested etc. etc. Carson does an absolutely amazing job transporting the reader into Dr. King's thoughts, ideas and feelings. I have only read a couple of other biographies that I rank as high as I rank this one. The other two are Che Guevara and Malcolm X's biographies.

Few people are given strength, means and opportunity to make a real and great impact in the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was not only given such opportunity; he seized upon his opportunity as well. His fights and sacrifices made life better not only for millions of black people in America - his fight made the world a better place to be for all of us.

The author uses Dr. King's letters, college papers, and speeches; such as the "I have a dream" speech from 1963, and the Nobel Peace Prize speech from 1964 when telling his story. I had never read the whole "I have a dream" speech, so I greatly enjoyed that.

Carson has done a great jobs combining his own research with Dr. King's own speeches and writings and this is all masterfully woven together into a unique biography. Dr. King had a huge impact on the Civil Right movement, and he made his way into American history as one of its greatest, most charismatic leaders ever.

My recommendation is given for two reasons. Firstly, Dr. King is an extraordinary interesting subject, but also because of Carson's excellent job writing this biography.

Great read - highly recommended!

D.A. Carson has done a great job of labeling and categorizing each and every common exegetical fallacy. I recommend this book for that specific reason. You must be careful however as you go through, because in a near funny (it would be downright hilarious if it weren't so tragic) method, Carson uses many of his own fallacies to bash exegetes that he doesn't like. There is one exegete that he continually bashes that I have in mind but won't mention because I think you'll find it obvious if you look for it. I don't know why he would harp on the importance of context in the Bible and then completely ignore context in extra-biblical literature (and even misquote someone!!). This being said, get this book, read the exegetical fallacies he lists along with their definitions and be aware of them in your own studies and in works of those theologians and exegetes you like or don't like. But don't by any means just take his word for who does what fallacy. Carson is too theologically biased to be objective in this area.

As others have said, this book is short, but Exegetical Fallacies is well worth your effort to learn how to properly exegete scripture. Written in a systematic way, I appreciate the work Carson has done. He is obviously a scholar and makes great points, especially on those texts that preachers massacre to make them say something that they really don't. I appreciated the fact that Carson was not only critical with others' interpretations but some of his own as well. I thought that this was admirable.

My criticism of this book (why it loses a star) is that there are times Carson could have been so much simpler while still saying the same thing. Several times I had to read and then reread his writing, and still I came away confused. No, it wasn't the use of the original languages that gave me problems, but rather just his manner of using awkward works or saying too much without properly expounding. (Could this have been because he was condensing? Probably.) One example is on pages 51ff regarding the use of agapao and phleo in John 21. I understand his point on page 53, but he (at least in my opinion) was most difficult to follow in these pages. (I'm still scratching my head.) While I'm no scholar, I believe that many average and even above average readers could have been serviced better with a clearer presentation in several parts of the book. But still, the book is worth fighting through, so don't let that discourage you.

Carson designed this work to be a textbook for seminarians and to serve as an introduction for budding exegetes. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the Bible and the biblical languages has probably found himself wincing on Sunday morning as a deacon or Sunday School teacher, or even the pastor, takes a verse out of context or mangles the original intent of the author. Such mistakes are simply inexcusable, for teachers of the Word ought to take utmost care in handling the text. Souls are in the balance. Carson's Exegetical Fallacies, though only 150 pages long, fires a powerful volley in the battle against exegetical imprecision.

Carson covers word-study fallacies, grammatical fallacies, logical fallacies, and presuppositional fallacies, giving examples of each and demonstrating the errors of each.

This book serves its purpose well and is excellent for both trained ministers and laymen. Read it and you will never listen to a sermon in the same way again.

The tales of King Arthur and of the knights of the Round Table are well-known and have been the subject of many books, poems (Tennyson), at least two musical works (Purcell's "King Arthur", and the famous Broadway musical, "Camelot"), and films ("Camelot", based on the musical, and "Excalibur"). The most famous English-language book version of these tales is this version by Sir Thomas Malory, yet this is not easily readable, even in modern prose. The modern English rendition by Keith Baines is excellent, for it allows those of us who do not have Ph.D's in English literature to get an idea of what the original was like, but the book itself is tedious in its very nature.

What you should expect with this book is a very good beginning and ending, and a "will it ever end ?" middle. Arthur himself cannot be called the central character, for he is virtually absent, except in the first tale of the book, which deals with his coming to power, and the last one, about his death. The rest of this book is concerned with jousting and tournaments, so much that in the end one gets bored with this never-ending succession of fights with knights whose names you'll only read once and which have no consequence on what is supposed to be the larger plot (such as the quest for the Holy Grail, or the famous Tristram and Iseult tale). Of course, the better-known knights of the Round Table, such as Launcelot, Tristram, and Percivale, are present, but only from time to time, and narration often shifts from one to the other for no reason.

What this book lacks most is continuity. Apart from the first and last tales, everything in between is not in chronological order, which gets confusing. In one tale one character is dead and another is well-known; in the next tale the first character is living and the second one is unknown (just take the example of King Pellinore and Sir Percivale). All tales were obviously separate ones, and the reader, at some point, will simply stop trying to understand how Malory ever came up with such an order for his tales. If Malory (or his original publishers) had any idea in mind when they chose this setup of the tales, it will appear unclear to most readers.

One of the few good points of this book is that, since it was written in the late Middle Ages, it avoids to a certain extent the over-romanticization of the Middle Ages, which is what later authors, such as Sir Walter Scott, did to such an extent that even today we cannot think of the Middle Ages without having in mind the picture-perfect version of it (which I will not delve into -- I'm sure you know what I have in mind). Even though chivalry as described in the book has some romantic elements attached to it, it is never fully exploited, and "Le Morte d'Arthur" certainly does not fit the requirements to be classified into the romantic genre (which was not fully described until the nineteenth century). This book therefore does not use romanticism as we now know it. But this good point may also be one of the book's weaknesses, because the topic is a legend, and not fact. Because this subject is not historically accurate (and some parts of the book are hilariously improbable), Malory could not use realism to replace romanticism, and I believe that if he had used more romanticism in his book it would only have made it better. In the end, Malory used neither style, and this makes his writing style very dry. His characters are mere fighting machines with no emotional depth, his narration is action, action, and action: no description, either of his own characters or of the scenery (a castle is a castle, nothing more). The scenes he depicts cannot be located, for the setting is never described. Malory, above all, was an awful storyteller. He could only describe his characters jousting and fighting, and since this had nothing to do with the larger plot, this only lengthens the book for no reason. (If you want a modern comparison, just think of a public orator who just tells personal anecdotes that are not related to his topic.)

Furthermore, anyone interested in the Middle Ages has nothing to gain from reading this book. It holds no historical interest (apart from a study of the English language, but then I would not go for this modern rendition) for the reason that its subject is not based on fact and its description of society in the early Middle Ages is simplistic. This book is certainly no "Canterbury Tales", in which a lot can be learned about what was life during the Middle Ages. So if you are mainly interested in history I'd skip "Le Morte d'Arthur" and I'd go for "The Canterbury Tales" instead.

In conclusion, "Le Morte d'Arthur" is worth reading only if you have the patience to go through it, for this book is overlong and repetitive. Keith Baines's rendition makes this task easier, and his appendix on the main characters is very helpful if you intend to skip parts (which you should not do because the whole is chronologically inaccurate).

I don't read a lot. In fact, the only time I do read is when I am required to do so by a class. Such is the case with The Tales of King Arthur. But although I would never have read the book were it not for my fascinating English teacher, I must say that I have never read anything as intriguing as the Tales of King Arthur.

Getting used to the language isn't as difficult as some other reviewers are saying... At least it wasn't for me (and I'm an eighteen year-old high school student). You'll struggle through the first few pages but once you've got an ear for it the language comes natural (somewhat like reading Shakespeare - it takes time to adjust). I found nothing tedious about the book other than the somewhat unfocussed book of the Sangrail.

The characters are awesome, the language is awesome, the plots and emotions are awesome. If you read this from beginning to end you'll walk away with a sincere compassion for the characters and the inevitable death of the times.

I can't imagine bothering with a modernized version - the classic text is just so sweet.

This review applies to the abridged audiocassette version. I have not read the book, but I will, after hearing this wonderful reading by Derek Jacobi. His immaculate British accent truly brings to life this epic tale of King Arthur and his knights' adventures. I highly recommend this version and also: 'Excalibur' the movie, T. H. Whites' 'The Once and Future King', and also Carl Orffs' 'Carmina Burana - Empress of the World' - music which was featured in 'Excalibur'. These four put together can give you a truly grand starting experience of the Arthurian Legends.

The Princess Test, by Gail Carson Levine, was a well thought-out and carefully expounded version of Hans Christian Anderson's The Princess and the Pea. It made a good read, but was rather short, giving slight room for those important 'little' details such as character development. Levine told her tale in true Anderson style, much like the original story, but with Levine's humor and clever twists to the plot. Those who have enjoyed Levine's previous book Ella Enchanted will finish The Princess Test and clamor for more, but if you are not familiar with Levine, you may wonder what all the fuss is about.

THis is a great book. But all of Levine's books are good. This one is a retelling of the Princess and The Pea. Lorelei, a farmgirl, cannot do anything. For example, if she washes the dishes she'll get a rash, so all she can do is embroider things on the linen and clothing. One day the prince comes by and sees her. They fall in love, but the prince can only marry a princess. So the queen decides to have a test. They have to pick out the weed in the bouquet and stuff like that. It's a great book. READ IT!

Wonderful version of the classic The Princess and the Pea. It is a story about a young girl whose name is Lorelei. She is the daughter of a local blacksmith. The only problem is, is that she is so spoiled that she is the only child in in the village to have satin sheets and so on. Also she can not wash dishes without getting a rash and when she tried spinning she pricked her finger and could have bled to death. In fact the only house chores Lorelei is good at is making beds and hanging clothes. But there is one thing Lorelei is very good at it is embroidery, she embroiders the clothes and the linen. One day she meets a prince and they fall in love. That would have been perfect for each other except there is one problem. The prince has to marry a real princess. The queen makes a test for the princesses that come and Lorelei gets wound up in it by mistake. Will the pince get to marry her or not? Read the book to find out. It is a totally thrilling book although I found it was too short. Also I would recommend the book The Fairy's Mistake.

Part of Gail Carson Levine's new "Princess Tales" series, this title in the series is just as much about the prince. Cinderellis, boy inventor, is lonely because his brothers have bonded and exclude and discredit him at every turn, while Princess Marigold confides to her cat how lonely she is, because her father is always off on quests. Their stories are told in alternating chapters as the years pass. On the year the king is determined to quest for a son-in-law, he is cursed by an imp and the suitors must come to the palace. Cinderellis, who has captured 3 magnificent horses that conveniently come with a suit of armor, enters the contest to climb a glass hill to get to get the Princess.
The story is charming, and Levine's unique blend of humor (in one scene, the king quests for a goose that lays golden eggs, but returns with a turkey that lays tin ones) and practicality (Cinderellis' horse treats contain horse chestnuts, among other things) make a powerful invention.
The volume is attractively packaged in a slim petite butter yellow library bound book, with delicate scrollwork decorating the cover. The cover picture looks too "Disney" for my taste, and the prince inside is a Leonardo DiCaprio look alike.
Readers familiar with fairy tales will get the most out of Levine's twisting of common fairy tale elements. Although not as stellar as her awarding-winning Ella Enchanted, this is a fun book that will find an audience in fans of fractured fairy tales.

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine is a great book to read. This book is about a guy named Ellis who sleeps in a shed, and one night he captured three horses, and uses them in a contest. The contest took place in an enchanted field. He had to climb a glass hill on his horse, and the first one to make it up there, gets to marry the princess. The author, Gail Carson Levine, has many styles. She writes long and short sentences, and touches you imagination. I think everyone should read this book. I gave this book five stars because it is a great book that touches your imagination.

I must agree with Anthony Burgarino that Cinderellis and the Glass Hill does not compare with Ella Enchanted--IT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE COMPARED WITH IT! It should be compared with the other three Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine. While all were lovely, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill was THE BEST! They are not supposed to have depth--they are supposed to be fun (and they are incredible when read aloud!). My daughters would love to have Gail Carson Levine write more fairy tails like Ella Enchanted that let you get to know the characters better, but for now we can be happy with wonderful short hillarious stories!

After reading all these 5 star reviews i wondered whether i read the same book. Although this isn't a reading book at all. Maybe it's more suited to typographers or font design, but i found it to be page after page of much the same stuff. Don't get me wrong, i think he has a unique and dramatic design style, but after a few pages it all gets a bit boring. If you're looking for inspiration for graphic or web design, look somewhere else.

I thought the book was very inspirational, with many many many examples of Carson's rule-breaking design. Definately a must own for those with a fresh and adventurous take on design. However, this book is not for designers who cling to 'the grid' like a baby blanket or those who tremble at the idea of pushing the limits of visual communication.

I cant tell you how many times I return to this book for idea generation. "Dirty" design at its best. This book is better than the sequel but both are worth the investment.

I agree with the first review for this book, "A GOOD SHORT READ". It is better than "The Princess Test" because Rosella doesn't get so lucky with her prince like Laurelei (the heroine of "Princess Test"). I don't think Rosella lets people walk all over her. She's just nice, and has a kind heart. And she DOES stand up for herself in the end. If you like funny, twisted fairy tales, when the bad guys REALLY get what they deserve, read this book.

Do you never read? I think that if you read "The Fairy's Mistake" you'll see reading in a whole new light. For all you people who do read it's also an amazing fantasy book. To find out the gist of the book read on.
In "The Fairy's Mistake" the Fairy Ethelinda rewards one of the Widow Pickering's daughters, Rosella so that whenever she speaks jewels come out. Her twin sister, Myrtle is punished so that whenever she talks slimy bugs, snakes, and spiders come out. When Rosella marries a greedy prince and Myrtle uses her voice to buy things they have to work together to make the prince listen.
I hope that you purchase (or read) this book because the plot and the authors writing style really drew me in. If you like fantasy books this book is a must-have. I hope that you have great sucess with this book. I know I did.

Rosella is a girl that has a twin sister named Myrtle who makes Rosella do all the work. One day while Rosella is getting some water, a fairy spots her and decides to tranform herself into an old woman. When Rosella saw her, she gave the woman some water to drink. When the fairy discovers the kindness of Rosella she decides to cast a spell on her. The spell makes jewels come out of Rosella's mouth when she talks. This spell soon creates a few conflits. I thought this was a great book because there are lots of funny parts and I was really surprised at the end.