I am 17 years old and almost every page of that book brought me to tears. How anyone even a child could commit such a murder is beyond me. In the beginning of the book the Author recounts all the killings throughout Europes history that were committed by Children and I never thought such things were possible. That book made me want to become a Lawyer so that I could put people like that away. When you are 10 years old you know what your doing you just act innocent and pretend you dont-believe me I know. The last thing I could find on the killers was an article in 1999 about how they had an "unfair" trial because it was public and if they are released they will be given new names,new identities,new social security numbers, and so on, in my opinion that is WRONG. It's wrong to the family of James Bulgar and it's wrong to the people of Europe...

In Australia, this book was tiled "The Sleep Of Reason," and yes, that is what reason did on the fateful afternoon of 12 February 1993 - it slept, and it slept very soundly indeed, leaving us profoundly disturbed and scratching our heads and asking the perennial "Why? questions that can never be answered. Are, or were these boys evil? Nobody can answer that for sure. Surely a child of 10 knows that when you throw a brick at someone and it hits them, it will hurt. Surely they knew that when you beat someone, blood will be shed. And surely they must realise that when you attack someone and cause them to sustain the grievous injuries sustained by little James Bulger, a likely outcome is death? So, my personal analysis leads me to the conclusion of evil, but that fact is really only for the sociologists and Sigmund Freuds among us to debate.

Totally unbiased, this is reporting at its highest level. Smith describes the atmosphere in which the offenders were bred, their lives before they committed the crime, and the fatal cynergism between them which resulted in a brutal death for a 3 year old boy and a lifetime of grief for his anguished parents.

This is one of the saddest books I have ever read.I don't know of anyone who could read it and not cry for poor little Jamie and his family.I hope the murderers themselves get all the help they need,they are after all only children.A very graphic account of a very sad event.Keep your tissues handy.

I've read this excellent book twice now. The personal narratives in this fine collection are sometimes wistful, sometimes amusing, but always compelling. Zsa Zsa Gershick's expert interviewing skills and sense of humor keep these interviews clipping along. Even though some of these pieces are quite sad in places, ultimately they are inspiring: Many of these women have been to hell and back, but they are all stronger for the wear. This is must-reading for younger generations of lesbians--and anyone who's interested in a good story. Pick up this book: You won't be able to put it down.

Gay Old Girls by Zsa Zsa Gershic is a gift not only for the lesbian and gay community, but for anyone who dares to peek at its bold, moving, and frank stories. Zsa Zsa Gershic interviewed nine amazing women ranging in ages from 60 to 85 who opened up and shared what it was like to come out and love women in the 1920's-1960's. The stories are full of the exhilaration and wounds that come with love, and the pains and joys of courageously rejecting heterosexuality. The stories are about the power of the closet, leaping out to the world (and arms) that awaited these women, and the need for gay establishments which provided a (sometimes) safe respite from the often hostile outside world of churches, work, the military, and more. Like many "good women" who followed the societal rules of the time, many of these women had husbands and children before coming out (e.g.reminding us of Adrienne Rich's article entitled "Compulsory Heterosexuality"), yet there were also those who never dated a man. There were classic stories of boisterous butches with hair slicked back and fashionable femmes who waited to be asked to dance at the bar, but there were also those who wrote steamy lesbian novels and never stepped foot into the "scene." One woman found the love of her life one day during a gynecology exam--others traded love away after years of being together. Some didn't meet anyone for a long time and had a simple light bulb go off as to their sexuality as they did their hair one day in the mirror. A few women seemed to slide through life untouched by the difficulties that life can easily amass, while others struggled immensely with their loved ones moving, having surgery or cancer, leaving them for other women or men, or even killing themselves. But all of the women have something in common--they all display a remarkable resilience and hope, coupled with a profound integrity to be themselves. These lives reveal lesbian history in an up close and touching way that is a refreshing departure from thick historical or academic texts. It is filled with wisdom, humor, tears, and humanity. Go ahead--pick it up and allow these Gay Old Girls to tell you their stories--you won't be able to put it down.

"Again, there was no place to go but the bars."

It is a clear, sunny day in Los Angeles. My steaming cup of coffee, prepared by the dyke behind the counter, waits on her next lesbian customer as I move past the crowd to a small table outside this lesbian-owned coffeehouse in West Hollywood. The book before me, Zsa Zsa Gershick's "Gay Old Girls," seems to underscore the distinction between lesbian lives of the past and the one I am living today. Not only were bars the only venues where lesbians could meet in the not too distant past, but finding these bars required determination and a particular longing to be among one's own.

The elderly women whose stories come alive on the pages of "Gay Old Girls" are humorous and sad, poignant yet titillating, tragic but true. From informant Margaret Kennedy's personal account about the dearth of lesbians in San Francisco in 1940 (she could not find a single one!), to the bawdy tales told by some others about P-Town through the 1950s, we learn about growing up lesbian in the 20th century beginning around the 1930s.

Gershick, a lesbian journalist, provides her readers with an intimate account of the challenges faced by the nine lesbians she interviews in the twilight of their golden years. One by one we discover how each of these women came to embrace their sexuality, despite and in spite of the myriad of obstacles laid before them. At the tender age of 14, Murial W. read 1940s psychology books seeking confirmation about her strong feelings for girls. Rather than corroboration however, she finds that not only was homosexuality considered inherently sinister, but thought of as a male-only domain.

In the spirit of Audre Lorde's "Zami," whose biomythography highlights the bars scenes intrinsic to lesbian city life, the women in "Gay Old Girls" describe for us the ways in they came to recognize each other. Pinky rings and jade wedding bands were clues to whether a straight-looking female was in the life or not. Since the heterosexual community served as the only role-model for how couples related to one another, femme/butch roles became the norm in lesbian relationships.

The ladies in this book came out as lesbian through the post-Freudian decades when same-sex relations between women were suspect. Before Freud, according to historian Carol Smith-Rosenberg, lesbians engaged in "Boston Marriages," where professional women in the Victorian period could love and care for each other in peace. After all, the experts claimed, what could be the harm in two old maids sharing living expenses and companionship? Freud's ruminations about lesbians brought a halt to these safe arrangements and "single" women became targets for straight people's fear of homosexuality. Informant Trudy Genovese tells chilling stories about the "street sweeps" in New York during the 1950s where "anybody who looked different" were swept off the streets by police officers and remanded to jail for unspecified crimes. Trudy, beaten and raped by a female guard, said that the violence against her body "didn't cure me," and philosophically examines the guard's cruel behavior as a "power thing."

Many of the women who spoke with Gershick reminisced about their sense of community and commonality that they eventually found in their lives. In some ways they begrudge the women's liberation movement for ostracizing lesbians, and the subsequent exclusion by lesbians toward women of any sexual orientation seeking shelter from the storms of the patriarchy. One informant, Valerie Taylor, castigates both NOW's exclusionary rhetoric, as well as the separatist attitudes of her lesbian sisters.

Gershick's sample of interviewees is small, making it difficult to make broad generalizations about lesbian life through the 1960s. Still, we ought to examine why so few stories appear in this book. As Gershick explains, and as becomes evident in the stories, too many dykes in these decades remained hidden from the mainstream -- they "passed" in the straight world only to return home to the arms of their female lovers. For some, the aging process has not been enough to loosen the shackles of the fear of being discoverd. Now, as elders of our community, these women maintain their silence, as most of them still live among uninformed or ignorant heterosexuals. This particular aspect of their lives is a call to action for us "younger" lesbians (my 40-year-old self included) to work toward the restructuring of the institutions that house these senior citizens.

Although Gershick's transcriptions give voice to a group of heroes heretofore silenced, I would have enjoyed the book more if she wrapped their stories around a broader historical framework. We catch glimpses here and there of historical moments and people, but my training as an historian longed for a critical perspective of the social and cultural events of the decades. My other critique is that the stories are far too short! Since Gershick's interviews take place over a ten-year period, a postscript about these elderly lesbians would have tied up some loose ends. While I'm positive Gershick had more material than she could use, I'm also sure that fiscal and space constraints by the independent press limited the scope of the work. Nonetheless, Zsa Zsa Gershick does honor to the women in her book and "Gay Old Girls" should hold a special place on our bookshelves. After all, we too will be gay old girls one day ourselves.

This book was an answer to prayer! Dr. Beechick looks at Genesis with such extraordinary depth, yet the book is clearly readable ( I found my 8 year old son reading it when it wasn't even assigned!) Excellent home school resource or unit of study for the family of faith.

Dr. Beechick has a no-nonsense way of explaining things that I'd previously wondered about. This book is a history book, the true early history of man, unashamed to read the Bible in a literal manner. And, if you want to know more, she includes an extensive annotated bibliography. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to teach ancient history from a Biblical perspective.

Ruth Beechick is an excellent writer. She has the insights of an academic in this book (as well as others), but is capable of writing to the young student as well as the adult. Highly recommended for unit study on ancient history or Bible study. Also a beautiful book, full of color photographs/graphics/fine art, and it is laid out well for the teacher.

I used this book as a key reference when preparing a sermon on the life of Abraham. Brueggmann provides plenty of fascinating insight and details that can help make the biblical story come to life, touching the heart as well as the mind.

I am a lay Sunday school teacher of adult classes, and I was searching for a commentary that was balanced yet understandable. This book met my needs and helped me convey some of the difficult passages to a diverse audience. One of the best elements of the book is the structural overview of each major section of Genesis and the increasingly more focused analysis thereafter. All in all this was a great guide on my spiritual journey.

If you are searching for a commentary on the book of Genesis to help in private study, or for preparation of teaching, then you have probably been frustrated by the blizzard of books on the subject which are either too lightweight, too evangelical, or too technical. Dr. Brueggemann's learned book delivers where the others fail. His prose is lively with penetrating insights into the text of Genesis that make you sit up, and say "Oh yeah! I never thought of that before!" The author is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities on the Old Testament, so you don't have to worry about buying a book with bad scholorship. And thankfully, the good professor keeps the lay audience in mind and does not indulge the academic penchant of catalogueing each verse as being composed by one of the "JEPD" schools. In summary, this is a very good book (although the section on Joseph is a little weak on insight) for the person who is seeking a readable, enjoyable, and illuminating commentary designed to help the layperson apply the book of Genesis to their own lives, and to prepare lessons in that regard.

This is one of the best books I've read in recent years. The characters are so well-delveloped and they are memorable, warm, and real. The relationships among the friends in this story curled the tips of my toes. It is suspenseful, humorous in the right places, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and totally worth the read from page one all the way to the last sentence on the last page. I found myself thinking about these characters as if they were real, even weeks after I finished the book. My only regret was that the story had to end. I highly recommend this book if you want an excellent read that makes you feel warm way down deep inside.

This was an exciting, heartwarming mystery that kept my attention throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I kept reading with anticipation until the end. It was a nice mixture of the love and friendship between characters.

The Ghosts of Old Bay Road is a very heartwarming mystery that I found hard to put down. The author captures your interest in the character of Shayna McDuffy from current day back through her past to develop the mystery of her life. There were just enough characters involved in the story so as not to confuse or bore you. I couldn't wait to get to the end of the story to find out the mystery but when I did finish I was disappointed it was over. I wanted it to go on and on. Very easy and enjoyable reading. Highly recommended.

This was a great memoir about a "typical" southern boy's childhood. I wish Willie Morris had not died so young because I found his work so enjoyable, and it would have been wonderful to read even more of his writing.

I would not put Mr. Morris up on the same level as Mark Twain (and he probably would not want it either), but this book reminds me in a lot of ways of Tom Sawyer--a young boy's life on the Mississippi Delta. Everyone should experience these memories, whether in real time or vicariously.

He tells of his childhood in Yazoo City, Mississippi, with all his childhood friends, including Spit McGee (the forty's Huckleberry Finn). He recalls their baseball games, football games, hunting on the Delta with his father, practical jokes played on anyone and everyone. He recounts the story of the Witch of Yazoo and the broken chain. One of the best and most humorous of his stories is the tale of the haunted house and what the boys found in it one dark and stormy night.

I best remember in this book the chapters of a typical day in the life of a boy his age in Yazoo City--a day in the summer and a day in the fall. These are great vignettes and very poignant pulling in the reader to want to recall his or her own childhood memories.

This is a great memoir and can be enjoyed by all.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read.Mr. Morrishas a beautiful writing style, and captures the beauty of the southperfectly.

This was a great book ... I am from MS and Good Ol' Boy really makes you feel what it could have been like growing up in the Delta. If you dig Southern Lit, you won't be disappointed.

This collection of 5 papers was compiled from a conference considering if Egyptian evidence for the biblical exodus exists. Immediately in the intro it is stated "the traditional approach has given large weight to the assertions of the biblical narrative even when it provided acknowledged ambiguities and even seeming contradictions". Unfortunately no examples are given. While there is no doubt truth in the statement that "those who continue to affirm the historicity of the Exodus will lean heavily on a presumed positive relation between the artifact/graphic Egyptian evidence and the bible text," it likewise true that a predisposed attitude that the exodus story can never be anything more than folktale or myth, despite any evidence which may lend to the contrary, will also never allow arrival at what is reality. An example is found in statements such as "the Egyptian material may serve as analogy to the biblical account and in part even as indirect proof" or "we do possess several significant indirect sources, a sort of circumstantial evidence that lends greater authority to the biblical account" and such evidence is amply reviewed, yet the papers usually conclude with such statements as "there is not a word in a text or an archaeological artifact that lends credence to the biblical narrative. From the Egyptian view, the O.T. narrative records a series of earth shaking episodes that never happened." Such conclusions stand in stark contradiction to other statements made in the papers such as why a biblical editor would mention the city of Ramesses when it no longer existed and had not for centuries if the exodus was entirely a folktale fabricated in a post-exilic period. Thus as I read it, all the reviews, although some more than others, reflected a bias against the bible account being supported in any way by the Egyptian evidence as even possibly being a historic event in their conclusions despite statements in their context to the contrary.

This is an excellent book. A number of scholars discuss the evidence (archaeological and historical) for the exodus. There is little or nothing in the direct records for this event, but that is not surprising. The ancient Egyptians did not record their defeats, and the exodus would have represented a setback.

The evidence is indirect, for example, mention in the Bible of the names of two towns (Ramses and Pithom) that actually existed, or the inscription on the "Israel stela" which mentions the Israelites without adding the symbol for a settlement, which is added to the names of the peoples conquered by Pharaoh Merneptah (successor to Ramses II), suggesting that the Israelites at that time were a (wandering) people, not a place.

However, it is impossible that the Israelites numbered 600,000 men (not counting families), which is the Biblical figure. The total population of Egypt at that time was unlikely to have exceeded 2-3 million. Probably the tale of the exodus lost nothing in the (re)telling, and if it did occur, in the sense of the Israelites being freed to leave Egypt, it involved a very, very much smaller number of persons. This would square with its not being remarked upon in Egyptian records or in the documents of other kingdoms in the region.

The book consists of a number of papers read by professional scholars at a symposium to discuss what evidence exists for an Exodus from an Egyptian perspective. Some scholars are Bible Scholars, others are Egyptologists. All are well versed in the various arguments for and against the Exodus. Some thought the Exodus did occur, others not, each presented their arguments in support of their views. It was helpful to see how each interpreted the Egyptian data, e.g., ancient annals or records and archaeological data in support of, or in denial of, an Exodus. The reader is left to decide for himself, the merits of the Pros and Cons brought out in the papers. Those desiring to pursue in greater depth the "pros" and "cons" for the Exodus are invited to visit my website,...and navigating to the OT menu, peruse my articles on the Exodus utilizing archaeological evidence assembled by scholars like Israel Finkelstein and Burton MacDonald, who are published on the subject.

Current US international policy shows just how brilliant and enduring Frederick Turner's Frontier Thesis really is.

The basic idea is that after the initial explorations by Spain, England, etc., the real colonisation of America was a flight from conditions in Europe (including Ireland and Britain) which led to a European-style culture and settlement of the East Coast.

This led to a second flight from European-like influences into the interior - which simply pulled European-style culture further west. And so it continued until Europe finally reached the West Coast.

There are numerous ramifications of the thesis, including the "force majeur" (might=right) attitude of the settlers towards the Native Americans - with its ominous overtones on the eve of war in the Middle-East.

As far as I understand it, for all the "warts", Turner was looking to UNDERSTAND the American mentality/culture, as shaped by by historical experience, and the Frontier Thesis is a critique, NOT a criticism.

Read this book and gain a whole new, or at least greatly expanded, view of what it means to be an "American".

Current US international policy shows just how brilliant and enduring Frederick Turner's Frontier Thesis really is.

The basic idea is that after the initial explorations by Spain, England, etc., the real colonisation of America was a flight from conditions in Europe (including Ireland and Britain) which led to a European-style culture and settlement of the East Coast.

This led to a second flight from European-like influences into the interior - which simply pulled European-style culture further west. And so it continued until Europe finally reached the West Coast.

There are numerous ramifications of the thesis, including the "force majeur" (might=right) attitude of the settlers towards the Native Americans - with its ominous overtones on the eve of war in the Middle-East.

As far as I understand it, for all the "warts", Turner was looking to UNDERSTAND the American mentality/culture, as shaped by by historical experience, and the Frontier Thesis is a critique, NOT a criticism.

Read this book and gain a whole new, or at least greatly expanded, view of what it means to be an "American".

Mr. Turner ingeniously express's who we are and the reasons why. This work produced last century harbors a number of ideas on what made this country the greatest nation in the world. Mr. Turner correctly weaves his thesis on the frontier in a very short span.

By reading this work you will realize what separates the United States from every other land. All other works on the history of this special place we call home are details and footnotes on the events that have taken place over our brief span of time.

The Old South and particularly the Plantation homes is a subject that always interested me. This particular book is the best I have ever seen. Some of Mr. Laughlin's comments are a bit flowery, but for the most part, he captures the spirit of this time in history. I think it is wonderful that people have restored some of these homes back to their original splendor, but the pictures and the history of the homes that have long since been destroyed are the most interesting and are truly the "Ghosts Along the Mississippi".

This book contains heart breaking photos of mostly Louisiana Plantations, some Beautifully restored but most are tragic beauties gone for ever, it is the only source for most of these homes to still exist, many of these photos are the only images of these magnificent homes ever taken, read the book front to back and you will agree, it reads like a novel of the tragic queens of the old south.

Laughlin's work is truly inspiring of the imagination; definite piece for the book lover of art and architecture.

The only problem I had with this book was that it seemed to brush over some big ideas. Things would be stated that the author seemed to assume the reader would agree with without delving further into it. But I would still reccomend this book, because it's a great example of the many meanings that can be found in the Torah -- even in just one verse!

The title of this book, 'God was in the Place, & I, i Did not Know', may seem a bit cumbersome (and even, to some, looks like it has a typographical error. However, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner draws this title from the Torah, the book of Genesis to be precise. It is the exclamation of Jacob who, upon waking from his dream about the ladder connecting heaven and earth, makes a startling realisation about the reality of the seemingly mundane and ordinary place where he had stopped for the night.

In the prologue, Kushner develops an exegesis and hermeneutic of Genesis 28:16 more fully, and in so doing, illustrates many of the problems we regularly encounter, both in reading scripture as well as in interpreting daily life experience. He places this story in strong connection with the ordinary, even relating the angels on the ladder to common humanity:

'There is another, even more obvious interpretation. The angels did not reside in heaven at all. They lived on earth. They were ordinary human beings. And, like ordinary human beings, they shuttled back and forth between heaven and earth. The trick is to remember, after you descend, what you understood when you were high on the ladder.'

Kushner examines the way in which sages have interpreted this passage, and provides insights into history, psychology, philosophy, and scriptural study in the process. Each interpretation has had what one might call a personal conversation and experience with Jacob. In fact, each of these interpreters is portrayed as being on the ladder, rising and descending. The text is structured in this way. The interpreters are:

+Rashi
Schelomo ben Yitzhaki, Rashi
The key word for this interpretation is awareness. This is very important for making the kind of realisation that Jacob made. It is very important for us as we perceive the presence of God in our own lives.
If I had known God was here, I wouldn't have gone to sleep.

+Kotzk
Menachem Mendl of Kotzk
The key concept here is egotism. Only by stripping away the ego can one begin to understand the presence and the personality of God.
God was here because I was able to subdue my ego.

+Ludomir
Hannah Rachel Werbermacher, the Maid of Ludomir
A remarkable woman, a teacher of the Hasidim (who listened to her teaching through a half-open door, so as to preserve distance, and perhaps preserve a fiction that they were not in fact being taught by a woman), whose insight gave her access to the other side, or the many other sides, of stories being considered.
God is present, even in the midst of evil.

+Mezritch
Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezritch
The word Maggid means 'storyteller'. Through the stories, here the key is self-reflection, to find meaning in the innermost being, to find that still, small voice that can only speak in silence and the absence of our own activity.
God was here because I stopped being aware of myself.

+Nachmani
Shmuel bar Machmani
Who was Jacob, and why should he know this? Who is God, and why should God do this? These are questions that are historical as much as theological or psychological, and it is in our history and God's history that we find meaning and identity.
I could have climbed this ladder of history.

+De Leon
Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon
A remarkable book, lost for a time, whose existence was denied even by Moses de Leon's widow, the Zohar, gives astonishing insight into the interior of God, reality, and our selves, and how to find a deep connection that is always present and never finished. Attributed to another author, Shimon bar Yohai, Kushner speculates that perhaps they shared the same soul. The completeness of the self of the universe connects through Jacob's story here.
I is the Lord your God

+Ostropol
Shimshon ben Pesach Ostropoler
Beyond the question and awareness of the self of God and the self of the universe is the self, basic and simple, complex and intricate. Rabbi Shimshon put names to the kelipot, the broken shards of creation. We are all a part of a whole, a broken piece in and of ourselves. Our awareness of this helps begin the process of reunion.
I didn't know that my name was part of God's name

Each interpreter's chapter stands on its own merits, but each is connected to the other, and to a wider body of interpretation and scholarship, by the use of side notes and references done in (what I would describe as being) a proto-talmudic structure. The Talmud has been described by some as one of the world's first hypertexts, with cross-links and chains that lead through the text -- this book does similar linking.

Rabbi Kushner concludes by linking all the stories to the reader:

'Each person has a Torah, unique to that person, his or her innermost teaching. Some seem to know their Torahs very early in life and speak and sing them in a myriad of ways. Others spend their whole lives stammering, shaping and rehearsing them. Some are long, some are short. Some are intricate and poetic, others are only a few words, and still others can only be spoken through gesture and example. But every soul has a Torah.'

The relative place of self (both as an I and as an i) in God's life and universe becomes more apparent through these stories. Human beings are important, yet who can be important in relation to God? Yet, who is not important in relation to God? May this work help you discern where God is in your life, and what you are called to be.

As you have gathered from the main review, this book focuses on the meaning of just one verse in Genesis, when Jacob awoke from the ladder dream. Usually Rabbis pick up on a verse just a couple verses back where "the Angels of God were going up and down the ladder". The focus is that they start on Earth and go to Heaven - not the other way around.

This book is great because it is like there is a dialog accross the space-time continuumn with 7 Rabbis in different locations and centuries arguing about their 7 different interpretations.

One interpretation based on the fact that there are two "I's" in the verse spelled differently in Hebrew. It is that my Godlike "I" did not know God was present because my ego "i" was in the way. Jacob's chance to experience God was diminished because the ego "i" was ragiling off its commentary. This concept is similar to Buddism.

Kushner adds an 8th interpretaion in his prolouge - which I won't spoil by going into detail. I heard Kushner talk at a Synagouge in Austin, Texas and he summarized his interpretation by finishing, "Hold up your hands before your eyes. You are looking at the hands of God."

A great book on modern Jewish mystism.