This is a story of a family during the span of a fulfilling, yet harrowing few years as New England missionaries in Central China before and during the time of the Chinese Revolution. It is a story of family strength and devotion, unmitigated faith, and human loyalty and courage.

The sequence of events is reconstructed from a series of letters, and the author's own formative experiences in her early life. No doubt family oral history contributes as well. Where memories of events would fade without a written account, the letters provide the details, not only of the larger events, but also of the smaller events that were committed to paper because they resonated with symbolism at the time--they become even more so with recounting. The language is richly descriptive and gives the reader a solid sense of location.

The story begins in New England in 1946, as a young minister, Alfred Starratt and his wife Anne, set out on a journey to China, a journey that is to lead them to a life of meaningful work with students and families at a university and mission compound. But times are desperate in post-war China and civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communists for political control eventually sweeps over the lives of all at the mission.

Duffy skillfully sets the historical stage so that we feel, with Alfred, the longing for political stability and social equity together with a unified recovery following the atrocities visited by the Japanese. We feel with him the frustration at the discord that reigns and feel sympathy for the political activity of the students. We share the disbelief that the loyal missionaries would be suspended from their humanitarian work. So it is that we are led to the same sense of betrayal that Alfred feels when the red army marches in and dashes hopes of continuing work under revolutionary change in an array of special rules and restrictions. We share the implicit protest that his loyalty to the Chinese people should place him as an enemy. It is at this point in the book that our own knowledge of history intrudes as we remember the extreme devastation that was the result of the new economic and social order. With this knowledge, our hopes fade and we fear for Alfred's life.

It is the Starratts' profound belief in the essential goodness of human nature that fosters hope for organized change. This belief does not die and is vindicated in the profound acts of heroism and kindness that is shown by ordinary people during the events that follow them from Wuchang to Stockbridge. These acts loom large against the background of the local situation and even larger against the backdrop of our knowledge of history.

As a result, we fully share in the emotional relief and joy at the generosity of the citizens of Stockbridge when the family returns home. The reader is taken to a new state of appreciation and a celebration of human nature even with the safe knowledge of a setting where individual freedoms are cherished and protected, where reprisals for kindness are absent. Throughout the story, a thread of providence, expressed by way of human and natural events, gives a spiritual dimension that lends depth to the narrative.

There is no analysis of the events as they are recounted and this reader was left with some sense of incongruence that, in a world of idealism and faith, acts of kindness are attributed to individual goodness and to an awareness of a loving God, while acts of violence, senselessness and cruelty are, indirectly, attributed to distant political machines and powerful militaries. There is no historical emphasis on the complicity that individuals share in the generation of these entities.

Yet it is the idealism that urged Alfred and his wife to China in the first place and made it possible for them to enact the life that spoke to their deepest desires of charity and human commitment. The strength of the family, and of Anne Starratt, especially, shines through as they make a stable and loving home wherever they find themselves. The intense experiences with the Chinese students, the teachers and missionary families that worked with them in a setting of material simplicity and hardship, cultivated an experiential knowledge of the transcendence that human beings can attain in an environment of enquiry and study, fellowship and faith.

It takes no more than a few hours to read this short volume, but it carries the reader through an intense and emotionally gripping account. We are left with the hope that worldly failures, disasters, and miseries can be more than matched by human love and loyalty.

If your belief in the goodness of mankind has become a little battered recently, then you simply must read Dr. Duffy's book. I read it through cover-to-cover in one sitting and gave it to my husband who was likewise absorbed. It is the wonderful story of Dr. Duffy's parents, who were living in China during the Revolution while Rev. Starratt taught at Huachung University in Central China. The Starratts were separated by the war, and through their letters and the family stories Dr. Duffy recalls, we learn of their bravery, their sense of purpose in the world, their selflessness and their love for one another, their children and China. It is a story to warm your heart and lift your spirits!

Penelope Duffy has written a sweet tale, the story of her parents' time as Anglican missionary workers in China in the late 1940s, when the Communist revolution occured. The account is liberally sprinkled with quotations from her father's letters to her mother when they were separated, she safe in Hong Kong with three very young daughters, he at the mission. Duffy's tone is never preachy or overly pious, but the essential goodness of her parents, dedicated to a life of service, shines through strongly. So does their love for one another. Duffy's book is an antidote to despairing thoughts about our world, which has always been troubled, but where people like her parents look beyond themselves to exercise faith, hope, and charity toward all.

In a world that is completely inundated with so many Norman Rockwell books, I thought that i would never buy another one. I'm an artist and fan of Rockwell's but quite frankly there are so many other great illustrators out there, at times i wish that fewer books were written about Rockwell and more attention was given to other less known American artists like James Montgomery Flagg, F.R. Gruger, J.C. Leyendecker, Howard Pyle and Harvey Dunn, among many others. Then this book came along. I told myself I didn't want to buy it, I already have four books on Rockwell, I certainly don't need another. Then I opened the book and saw that the quality of the prints in this book are outstanding (the best I've seen) and the text is really informative. Now I'm telling myself THIS will be the last book I buy on Rockwell. This book will give you a new appreciation for Rockwell's skill as a painter and a colorist. After seeing these painting in person for the show that this book was written for, I can say that this book does justice to Rockwell's amazing talent.

This book is comprised of articles about Norman Rockwell and his career as an illustrator with the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell remains a controversial figure in the art world. Although his illustrations were enjoyed by millions of Americans, they were dismissed by art critics and academia as amateurish.

Rockwell portrayed Americans in their daily, mundane activities. He believed that there is beauty in the ordinary. He depicted for example, a couple obtaining a marriage license, a family going and returning from a vacation, and a barbershop quartet.

Rockwell's illustrations did intersect with the world of politics. Because the Saturday Evening Post had a large circulation, he was able to influence public opinion. He designed several covers during World War II, including Rosie the Riveter and the Four Freedoms, to honor the contributions of civilians and to remind Americans of the reason for the war.

Rockwell did not shy from controversy. As America became engulfed in the Civil Rights Movement, Rockwell depicted the ongoing legacy of racial tension. His most famous illustration in the area of civil rights is The Problem We All Live With, which depicts the traumatic effects of desegregation on whites and blacks.

In summary, Norman Rockwell must be include as a figure in American art. Although his works were harshly criticized by those in the art world, they were admired by the general public. Today, scholars have begun to acknowledge Rockwell as being an important artist.

I received Pictures for the American People as a Christmas gift and was delighted at the exquisite art as the pages unfolded. I collect all sorts of Rockwell works and this is truly the best I've seen. It explores not only the paintings, but what is behind them, the man himself. I felt as though I was being introduced to Mr. Rockwell through this masterpiece. It is a MUST BUY book! Even if you have never experienced one of his books or paintings, you will want to open this book again and again. The images are displayed in such detail and the stories behind them tell so much. You will be captured by the different aspects of art once you have seen what is inside. I will not spoil all this book has to offer, so if you haven't already purchased a copy, do so....or put it on your Wish List. You'll be happy that you did!

This effort may not appeal to everyone...certainly not as a coffee table book....but for those of us who follow Kent, his writings, his art and his life story, it is a commendable compliment to the study of his art. This book drove me nuts, so much so that I travelled to Greenland to see the Arctic light and shadows for myself. Kent captured the light and images of a unique land and this book provides a worthwhile reference to many of his Greenland landscapes. I sure would like to see one of his original landscapes hanging on my wall at home:-)

This is a terrific photo essay of the history of Historic Wallace Idaho and surrounding areas. Diefinately a must have for anyone who is local to the area

The SPIDER fights bad guys. Real bad guys. No had-a-difficult-childhood bad guys. No want-to-steal-lots-of-dough-and-live-on-easy-street bad guys. He fights guys like th Living Pharoah, who comes up with a plan to recruit an army of lepers, and have them invade a fashionable Fifth Avenue department store and infect hundreds of innocent women shoppers with the dread disease, thus bringing New York City to its knees.

This is the fourth and final installment of the original "mini-series", but like the previous stories, it well stands on its own (and it is NOT a let-down, despite what buzz you may have heard). Just pure action-adventure, with The SPIDER saving the day.

Included are the ordiginal cover, the original interior illustrations, and the original stories from the back of the old pulp; the type has been reset for clarity.

Things look bad for Richard Wentworth. The Living Pharaoh, Tang-akhmut, controls the police force. Wentworth's millions are gone, his best friend is accused of murder, his trusted servant is tortured, his girl friend is kidnapped, and there's a $100,000 dead-or-alive price on his head. The SPIDER is about as popular in New York City as John Rocker.

But this is just a normal day at the office for Richard Wentworth. As the SPIDER, he naturally rises magnificently to the occasion. He struggles mightily, and with the help of some unlikely allies, saves the day. In a pulp series known for slam-bang action, this story stands out -- the entire adventure takes place in a single "dreadful" night.

"City of Dreadful Night" is part of the SPIDER "Living Pharaoh" mini-series, and it marks the SPIDER debut of author Emile C. Tepperman, who took over writing the series in mid-cliffhanger.

This is the series that raised the bar for pulp fiction reprints -- a quality bound publication, with the original cover, interior art, and pulp short stories featured in the November, 1936 issue of THE SPIDER.

The SPIDER'S normal practice is to ensure he gets credit for his bodycount of criminals by marking them with a vermillion seal of a spider upon their recently deceased foreheads. But, incredibly, a number of these evil-doers have seemingly returned from the grave, to form a veritable Council of Evil, dedicated to destroying The SPIDER. Almost as an afterthought, they want to pull off the biggest robbery in the history of the world, destroying much of New York City to ensure their safe getaway.

This is pure slam-bang pulp action at a mile-a-minute pace. It is the actual story for the October, 1940 pulp issue of THE SPIDEr magazine, with the type re-set for easy reading, the original cover, the original interior illustrations, the original rear-of-the-magazine filler story, and an "interview" with the author. This issue is introduced by one of the last writers to have appeared in the original pulps -- best-selling author John Jakes.

Pure slam-bang pulp adventure action here. THE SPIDER fights bad guys all across the country. The action is everywhere -- in the sky, in the capital, in the deep mines of Colorado. From a start-in-the-middle-of-the-action opening scene, until the very last page, the pace of pulp action never stops!

No, it's not the UK basketball team, it's a collection of giant wildmen, under the control of a vicious master criminal, bent on -- Well, it's never exactly clear what they're bent on, but clear plots have never been part of THE SPIDER, nor are they that important. The important thing, as always, is slam-bang action. This has somew of the most intense action of any SPIDER story. Particularly impressive are Richard Wentworth's run through the mountains to spread the news about the wild-men, and his hand to hand battle at the farmhouse.

First they destroy his good name. Then they turn his friends against him. Then they take the millions. Then they kidnap his girl. They even take the penthouse apartment. But all this doesn't make THE SPIDER mad. Because THE SPIDER doesn't get mad; he gets even. Weather Forecast: Bad Times for Bad Guys!