This book was excellent. I loved every single minute of it. Even though I am not a big sports fan, this book was engrossing with it's facinating detail to the game of baseball. It gave me a new appreciation of sports, and what it means to the people involved in it. The characters were precious, and I truly felt like I knew them. Several days later, I still remember them well. THAT's the sign of a great book!

Since I reluctantly read Hometown Legend and was blown away, I've been looking at Jerry Jenkins' other books, and it's been fantastic. This is a wonderful book, and if you're a sports fan like me, you'll appreciate the incredible attention to detail and obvious sports knowledge Jerry has. However, if you're not a sports fan, like my wife, you'll still love it like she did because of the precious characters and terrific dialogue.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

Engrossing! Captivating! I was intrigued by the main character's minute attention to every detail in the game of baseball. He used all of his senses to micro-analyze every aspect of hitting and fielding to become a great player. Like with other books, I kept waiting for the fatal flaw in Elgin, but was very pleased that he turned out to be a moral person as well as an excellent athlete. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

You will find O'Brien's to be one of the very best commentaries on Philippians, but you will get more out of it if you are familiar with New Testament Greek. The author writes from a theologically conservative viewpoint, but is always prepared to evaluate other views, while also clearly articulating his own.

The long section on Philippians 2:5-11 has been painstakingly researched. It is thorough and magnificent.

If you read commentaries to help you to understand the text, so that you can better serve Jesus Christ, you will really appreciate this one, as well as the author's commentaries on Colossians and Ephesians.

Highly recommended.

I have used this commentary on Philippians for several years now in my classes. The students enjoy its balance between scholarship and devotion. It contains a wealth of insights into and applications of the text. It also shows an awareness of those discourse features of New Testament Greek that can make a real difference in interpretation. Highly recommended!

This is an outstanding commentary. It is obviously intended for pastors and students who know their Greek well. The commentary is very challenging and extremely exhausting, but it richly rewards those persistent enough to read it with many exegetical and theological insights.

This is a great book. I loved Kali O'Brien and found the secondary characters, including the angry, closed-mouth man she's defending, fascinating. There is some courtroom stuff, but not a lot. The plot twists are unexpected and clever, yet entirely believable. I read the first book in the series, Shadow of Doubt, and liked it as well. Can't wait for the next one.

I enjoyed this book so much that I e-mailed the author (her address is in the back of the book) and she responded with a very nice note. I thought this was much better than Sue Grafton's latest. She has good characterizations and the story really holds your attention. If you like Karen Kijewski (sp?) or Sue Grafton, try Jonnie Jacobs! Can't wait until the next in this series!

This is the second in a series, and even better than the first (which was excellent.) Kali O'Brien in a complex, but likable, character. The story captured my interest from the beginning and moved swiftly toward a surprising conclusion. Wes Harding is accused of murdering a woman and her five-year-old daughter. He's the town trouble-maker and someone Kali knew when she was in high school. He's unwilling to cooperate in his own defense and is clearly hiding something. The unfolding of Wes's story is as interesting as the solution to the murder. I found all of the characters (including the minor ones) well-drawn, interesting and believable. This is a first rate legal mystery.

This is the travel guide for those whose preferences include food, beverage and the social order of eating with others. No hotel listings or must sees for the ordinary tourist. Though centered in New Orleans, the book also includes valuable food resources throughout the cajun country of Southern Louisiana. Great photos make this a nice souvenir or even a gift for the armchair tourist. It also has great maps and sense of the local vernacular. It's small size makes it easy to stash in a pocket or purse for the traveller afoot.

Pableaux is my cousin. As I read through my copy, I jumped to the 'Biscuit Torture', 'Keeper of the Nog', and my grandmother's quiet relishing of a homegrown tomato and a 'pinch' of salt. It was like going back in time and savoring it all over again. I'm not writing because he's my cousin, I'm writing because this book is a great read. I have purchased it for nine friends in the Chicago area. It is informative and concise as well. Great job paul...

This is a travel guide for people whose priorities are food, beverage and the social order of eating out. Though centered in New Orleans, it also lists valuable food resources throughout the cajun country of Southern Louisiana. The book is well laid out, features excellent maps and gives the reader a wonderful feel for the local vernacular. Most pages feature great color photographs. Best of all for the traveler afoot, its small size allows you to slip it into a jacket pocket or purse.

As a movie lover, I was intrigued with the theme of this book -- how movies have shaped our culture, our thinking -- and was prepared for a heavy, textbook-like reading. As I read, though, I was overwhelmed with O'Briens style, his sterling craftsmanship in describing the feelings and emotions of the movies. I would literally stop after every few lines and shake my head in amazement. As a writer, I am jealous of his skill. As a reader, I am eager to read it again.

Steve Martin said (in L.A. STORY) that "a kiss may not be the truth, but it's what we wish was the truth." I do not know if O'Brien's book is THE truth about movies in the modern mind but, oh, how I hope that it is.

Don't be alarmed, just go to the movies. O'Brien, in this unforgettable, beautifully written book, has come up with an idea and a work so original and startling that it is difficult to describe. Essentially, he sees how movies [and he's seen hundreds of all kinds] have helped create the pyschology of the century. In one chapter, for example, he uses the melodramatic chestnut "The Four Feathers" to show how the movies displayed the customs and manners of a class and society different than ourselves, and thus taught us how to live in certain ways. And that's just scratching the surface of a book that seems to have a new and astonishing idea on every page. Neal Gabler published on this topic recently, but to a much inferior extent. Skip that and buy this. You will never, ever go to the movies the same way again.

This book is the most chillingly relevant commentary on our modern society of the spectacle that I have ever read. Although at times slightly alarmist in its portrayal of the totalitarian tendencies of contemporary cinema in forging the substance of our thoughts, these claims can not be taken lightly. O'Brien is convincing by virtue of the fact that he writes mostly in the second person. "You believed....You were shocked....You this...You that"...making the reader truly believe the shocking reality before him: That the overmind of the cinema is becoming the only reality in the 20th century. His memories are its memories and everyone else's too. O'Brien does a great service to point this out even if its too late to change it.

For nearly 30 years I have carried this book with me virtually everywhere. No, it's not "an easy read" - but it is worth buying (owning)and treasuring - if only for the FOURTH LETTER (to a German Friend)- it is the most moving argument/declaration for humanity and choosing it that I have ever seen anywhere.

Some (like Sartre?) might call it a "rationalization". But even those who have resigned themselves to the religions of cynicism and despair - could find a remnant of fight and even "goodness" (yikes!) inside themselves. Camus' words remind us that resignation and the inevitable indifference and inhumanity that follow are the ultimate betrayals of life.

While there is nothing "cheerful" or even optimistic about these writings - you'd have to be cold-blooded, heartless and completely beyond repair or redemption not to be inspired by the wistful aspirations that Camus exudes from his admittedly battered heart and soul.

I disagree with the reviewer (who did praise this precious book) Sartre is smart - but so is Camus - and Camus exudes the humanity that Sartre can't even see or imagine.

Sartre would tell us that we always have the freedom to at least rattle our chains (at least theoretically) - but Camus has the power to inspire us to want to.

"I step onto the podium only when forced to by the pressure of circumstances and by my conception of my function as a writer." (p. 132) From the circumstances of Fascist Spain and Nazi occupied France, to the circumstances of the Hungarian and Algerian struggles for freedom, Camus' essays demand involvement, require action in the face of hopelessness. He never offers a moment's peace for couch-potato complacency. "Freedom is not made up principally of privileges; it is made up especially of duties." (p. 96)

To read these essays is to step into the world of a man who said to Christians "I share with you the same revulsion from evil. But I do not share your hope, and I continue to struggle against this universe in which children suffer and die." (p. 71) And "Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are tortured. But we can reduce the number of tortured children." (p. 73)

Camus is recalled to the podium, in a day when children are tortured and die in Chiapas while most turn a blind eye and complain that sitcoms just aren't what they used to be. These essays, possibly his most accessible work, demand an active response from the modern reader. Our struggle today, although not against Nazi minions, still must echo his "There are means that cannot be excused. I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice." (p. 5) [See Jamal's Live from Death Row and Peltier's Prison Writings, elsewhere on Amazon.]

Camus is outspoken about capital punishment, too. "It is obviously no less repulsive than the crime, and this new murder, far from making amends for the harm done to the social body, adds a new blot to the first one." (p. 176) His "Reflections on the Guillotine" is the longest essay in book. He views capital punishment, even in "free" societies, as an act of totalitarianism.

Camus proclaims the call to justice and the struggle for freedom found in the Old Testament, especially in the minor prophets. But he does so in a modern context, where God is silent and man is the maker of his own destiny. Although he sees no messianic age, he proclims the hope that by continuous effort evil can be diminished and freedom and justice may become more prevalent.

Five stars for courage, five stars for clarity, five stars for consistency. After the abortion of democracy on December 9, 2000, every freedom and justice seeking American needs to read this book.

(If you would like to respond to this review, click on the "about me" link above & send me email. Thanks!)

Camus' essays are obviously more difficult to read than hisstories, and quite possibly more difficult to read than his philosophical investigations as well. Should they be read? Of course. In them, he speaks of similar topics (i.e. what to do in the face of absurditiy, human moral dilemmas, etc.) as he does in the other books, though in a more precise, more direct fashion. His views on the death penalty shaped my own almost completely.

What you get in this book are coherent arguments by a coherent, nuainced thinker. Is Sartre smarter than Camus? Camus knew enough to fear most -isms and -ologies where Sartre did not... (not that I recommend ignoring Sartre either! )

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Father Theophane. I'd enjoyed this book, and I'd already given several copies to friends. But, I had assumed the some monks banded together and made up Theophane. There is such a whimsical and free feeling about these stories that a pretend author seemed not only possible but likely. It surprises me that one person could come up with all these different perspectives. But, Father Theophane himself is surprising! He first strikes you as a sort of reprobate monk - a bit wild in appearance and manner. Except, when he says Mass, all that personality and charisma are companioned by Theophane's deep reverence. He's an exceptional character. This book helped me know God better and know myself better. I highly recommend it.

Theophane the Monk's book is absolutely wonderful. Tiny stories (like Zen koans) will bring your soul right to the door of heaven. I believe that if we spent enough time on even ONE of the stories, we would learn all we need to learn to find God.

TALES OF A MAGIC MONASTERY inspired me so much that I set twelve of the tales to music. I wrote to Theophane the Monk to ask his permission to use the stories, and he (being a monk, I suppose) did not answer my letter -- whereupon I wrote a second letter and said, "If you remain silent, I will take this as my permission to use your stories." Silence prevailed, so I finished the little operas, and we performed them. This was in 1985! Now I am revising the score and will be selling it over the web along with many other liturgical and other opera scores.

I've given away more than fifty copies of Magic Monastery since it was first published, each with a note that: "it takes seven years to REALLY read this book." Each reading peels the onion for a deeper insight into Theophane's revelation of mystery.

This is a very attractive book that covers a lot of ground in Chinese astrology. It's based on the familiar twelve animals, of course, but it makes a point of noting that the cycle actually continues for 60 years rather than 12, with each animal being linked in turn with one of the five Chinese elements--you may know that you were born in the Year of the Ram, but are you a Prosperous Ram, a Lonely Ram or a Ram Respected by Others?

The book also includes information on your birth hour, birth day and birth month (by the Chinese lunar calendar)--there's information in here on how your month interacts with your year, making Chinese astrology more dynamic than it sometimes is presented. Various combination of hour, month and year give you such interesting sidelights as your Career Star, your Animal Bone Fortune and your Yearly God.

There's not much about the theory or philosophy behind Chinese astrology, which may be good or bad depending on your point of view. I took off a star from my rating because there are a couple of typos in the charts that make them a bit confusing--you can figure out what they're supposed to say, but hopefully these will be caught in later editions. Still, I recommend this book as a good introduction to the subject, and an excellent gift choice.

This book will take anyone through the process of creating a horoscope in the Chinese Zodiac. No outside information is needed - everything is in the book!

I didn't really know what to expect when I picked up this book, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Not only does it provide you with all the information you want to know about the twelve animal signs and animal compatibility, but it also provides you with additional more specific readings related to the month and hour of your birth, your life's path according to the sixty-year cycle, and other interesting things like the "noble good fortune stars", "yearly gods" and "career stars" (indicating where your natural talent lies in terms of work). It may seem a bit overwhelming with all the charts, but if you patiently follow the instructions, which are very clear, you can easily find the relevant information and reading for your horoscope. I was surprised how accurate my reading was.

What a surprise this book was for me. I rarely read essays, usually preferring books that offer more color and action. Although I live in California, Upper Turkeyfoot and Jeff O'Brien kept me totally involved with his life in the mountians of Pennsylvania. Something about his writting seems to keep you totally involved. I even identified with the mice that live in his typewriter. I highly recomend this book a an absoring read and look forward to more works by this author.

I read his book many times. He relates to people and their own experiences. His nature pieces place his reader in our home and the fields and the woods we so love!

I've been meaning to write for a while now to say how much I'm enjoying this book. I laughed out loud at the "Soup" piece. But, mostly, it's just nice to have the company of a truly sane person in this crazy world. I love all of his meditations and I wish I had written most of them!

Stehle's Door begins with the demise of old man Stehle--and then proceeds to tell you how and why it happened.

This novel combines authentic Civil War history with a present-day setting in Galveston, Texas, with loads of real-life landmarks, helping to give the fictional story a true-to-life feel.

The main characters are teenagers, so this book might appeal to that age group, as well as to adults. Mr. O'Brien has a very readable style of writing, which enables the reader to move at a steady pace through the novel without bogging down.

The climax has an interesting twist--not all is as it seems to be. Enjoy.

I'm usually not a fan of horror novels, but this one was very enjoyable. After I would read a few chapters, the slightest sound would make me jump. That is how scared I was. My english teacher is an excellent writer.

I did not put this book down until I was so scared that I couldn't take anymore. This is an exceptional novel and will capture your attention until the final sentence. This is one of the best novels I have ever read. I finished the book three days ago and am still scared to sleep. I can't wait for another novel by O'Brien.