James M. Houston's book is not your ordinary book on creation. It is a literary, but theologically conservative masterpiece that breaks through the conventional creation/evolution debate with new insights into old doctrines. You will discover something of the deeper Biblical meaning of creation that will re-orient your thinking in a helpful way. Note -- some of the literary commentary (such as on Pirsig's Zen book) is rather dated now. This does not detract from the book's timeless insights.

This is kind of a joyful, thoughtful, updated FAREWELL TO MANZANAR, a modern journey around the Pacific Basin to see the context of our oneness as a people, the future of how we will coexist as Americans and Asians and Amerasians. Examines in a playful way the similarities we share as peoples, and the lessons we learn from each other about our cultures--our histories, and our shared humanity. Important lessons for the future as the boundaries fall away. Highly recommended

For a work of little more than 100 pages Sterling Houston's imaginative and provocative novella, "Le Griffon: A True Tale of Supernatural Love," is many things. On the surface, it's a blood-curdling monster tale modeled after "Frankenstein." But imbued with the social commentary that typifies much of the work of the San Antonio playwright. "Le Griffon" is also a meditation on isolation, unriquited love and lust, memory, the misuse of science, human cruelty and the senelessness and cynical nature of violence.

But more than anything else, this is a work about race and identity and the burden that history places on each of us.

The novella is set in New Orleans in the early 19th century. So out of place is Francois Le Favorite, the young white son of an undertaker, that not only does he not believe in the inherent superiority of whites but also he believes it is blacks who are superior.

In his quest to create the perfect man, Le Favorite uses the body parts of free and enslaved black men who have been murdered or have died suddenly and mysteriously. The head (as well as the right shoulder and upper hand) belongs to a slave named Baptiste, lynched after he rejected the overtures of his master's son.

Le Favorite's creation/creature is a giant made up of the many-hued parts of men who died because they were strangers in a strange land. Called "Le Griffon" after the griffin of Greek mythology, he becomes the strangest and most feared being of all.

Cursed-or blessed-with the memory of Baptiste and what was done to him, the creature seeks revenge on his former master as well as the son. He becomes the walking embodiment of rumored slave insurrections that cost slaveholders many a sleepless night: the incarnation of an angry Mother Africa crying for her stolen children.

The remainder of the killings, save one, are committed by the Griffon when he's threatened or attacked. The one exception is when he accidentally smothers the fiancee of Le Favorite to keep her from screaming. This accidental killing mirrors the one committed by Bigger Thomas in Richard Wright's classic, "Native Son."

Bigger, the literary antecedent of the Griffon, lived in a 20th -century America in which he was seen and treated as a beast. Bigger also was a creation of forces larger than he, a confused monster created not by a mad scientist but by the mad pseudo-science of racism.

If the Griffon is an unusual amalgamation of body parts, he is no less "pure" and of one source than the many multiracial characters Houston paints into his literary landscape. In many ways, the Griffon-a man of many men-is the most America of beings, someone made up of that came before him.

What Houston wisely leaves for the reader to ponder is this: At what point do we become the individuals we are and not just the sum of our many parts?

The language with which Houston writes is a spare and poetic lyricism.

The questions he asks are powerful and profound.

Yes, they haunt.

This book brought everything that David Robbins has to offer. You get action, laughs, and even a little bit of romance coming from an unsuspecting source ( Houston Run/Lynx ). Both Houston run and Liberty run give you yours of reading excitement.

This book really pulls at your heart strings!
Very sensative, and gives you food for thought. It provides a look inside the home of a child whom is going through the healing process of abuse and how the childs abuse touches the ones closest to them. Much has been written about child abuse, but this is a different approach,very informative and enlightening. This book will provide a support network for family and caregivers,something they can refer to, if they are taking care of a child that has been abused.

For all those who want to learn about the position of Max Ernst within Surrealism this is an essential book. Scholarly essays by Werner Spies (arguably the foremost authority on Max Ernst) and William Camfield, who writes in fascinating detail about the transition period when the artist moved from Dada into Surrealism. The period comes alive with rare photographs and anecdotes about the struggles of Max Ernst to survive in Germany after the first world war and his efforts to reach Paris, the promised land. Max Ernst, a true pioneer of many of the art techniques taught nowadays in artschools, such as frottage and collage, is celebrated in this book with not only almost 200 colour plates of many of his masterpieces, but also many lesser known works which show how he constructed his collages. Added to this are inumerable black and white illustrations of the sources for many of his most famous paintings. As Max Ernst never wrote an autobiography,a book such as this is a must for all those who desire to know something more about the artist who is quoted on page 28 as saying "A painter is lost when he finds himself." An artist difficult to know, but this book goes a long way in bridging that gap.

Spirituality has become such a buzzword that it has lost much of its meaning. But Dr. Houston returns it to its root, a life shaped by the Spirit of God.

Similarly, with spiritual directors crowding in alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and other "paid friends," Houston holds up the Christian mentor and spiritual friend as the more substantial aid to Christian living.

Not an easy book to read, Houston draws widely and deeply from a lifetime of reading the great writers in spiritual theology throughout all of church history (not just the spiritually impoverished last couple centuries). Reading someone like Houston, who has taken in so much and has actually digested it, requires many readings and lots of patience. But the result is well worth the effort.

This is the definitive biography of an astonishing Mexican-American. 4 time LULAC president Felix Tijerina was born in Mexico, and came to Houston speaking no English. After he built a Tex-Mex restaurant empire, he turned his attention to the plight of his fellow Mexican-Americans. Spanish-speaking kids failed out of school in huge numbers at the time. Tijerina thought if they had a few words of English, they might do better. So he spent his own money to hire tutors to teach kids 400 words of English before they entered kindergarten. LBJ adopted his "little schools of 400" and made them the model for the Headstart Program--one of the most successful Federal programs in history.
Kreneck's dedication to an accurate telling of Mexican-American history has been an inspiration to me.

The story is set in the Appalacian backwoods.After,eleven years of an arranged loveless marriage to an aldulterous alcoholic and brutally insensitive man.Maggie has to choose between her affections and life threatening struggle with her husbands axe killing murderer.For three days she has gratefully connected her feelings to a man (Bastion) who has freed her horrific husband but proves to be even more severely abusive also by holding her hostage in her home.The killer demands that her children along with her to replace the family he lost because of her husband's affair with his wife.It's a compelling fiction action drama of a womens freedom and independence from the brutal men of her past.The author Robert Houston does an excellent job of illustrating this in his book.Also,the movie a"A Killing Affair"1986 starring Peter Weller and Kathy Baker was based on this novel!!

Of the numerous persons to write books about Lyndon Johnson there is probably none as qualified to do so as Sam Houston Johnson. Sam Houston was LBJ's only brother. He lived with and worked for Johnson off and on for decades. In spite of the author's great admiration for LBJ, he is still willing to write critically of his brother. So this book combines knowledge of its subject matter with objectivity. This combined with a very readable writing style makes this book well worth reading.

This book was written in 1969, the year LBJ left office. According to author Booth Mooney, Johnson viewed this book as a huge betrayal by his younger brother. So much so that LBJ apparently quit talking to Sam Houston. That it caused such a rift is surprising since the book is basically favorable to LBJ. According to Mooney, the two brothers never reconciled before President Johnson's death in 1973.

In this book we see Sam Houston as the easy going prankster. This stands in contrast to the serious Lyndon. Not only did the author live with Lyndon and Lady Bird periodically during the 1940's and 50's but he also lived with them in the White House during much of the Johnson Presidency. So the author can speak authoritatively about not only his brother but many other politicians of that time.

Sam Houston Johnson shows that his brother was a loyal Vice President to John F. Kennedy. Both in public and in private LBJ defended Kennedy in spite of the bad treatment he received from Kennedy's men. And according to the author it was Lyndon who convinced Kennedy to send men to the moon.

The author contends that Secretary of Defense McNamara was two-faced and disloyal. He believes that if Johnson would have dumped McNamara sooner the Vietnam War might have ended much sooner. And LBJ would have been easily reelected in 1968.

The author also criticizes President Nixon. He states that as a candidate Nixon was irresponsible and opportunistic in his comments against Johnson.