I happened to be up early this morning and turned on C-Span's "booknotes" to hear David Anderson. When he was finished speaking, I knew I had to buy this book. Even though I have not yet read it, the message that Mr. Anderson shared about commitment, respect, sincerity and acceptance and his evident faith and alignment with his Christian beliefs were so incredibly powerful, that I knew I needed to place an order immediately.
I can't honestly offer a "star" rating as yet, but since I had to make a choice, I feel my rating is justified based on what I've seen so far.

Anderson and Zuercher should be applauded for their courage to tackle the ongoing subject of Racism in America. I found the book very informative and encouraging, especially when Mr. Zuercher admitted to thoughts he did not realized he harbored against Blacks. I found the book informative as Mr. Anderson set an example for all us, on how to deal with persons who hate just because of something they see on the outside (skin color, religion style, etc.) This book is for anyone wanting to grow in their relationships with others.

I attend Bridgeway Community Church on a regular basis. I have attended this church for about 5 years now. I know David Anderson personally, and I am very proud of him and his many achievements since I have known him.

Mr. Boldman has skillfully created a readable, well-researched text that will benefit both clinical professional and lay readers who are interested in learning more about the near-death experience and its impact on the individual. He offers hope and assurance via authentic case studies and research sources. He utilizes story telling techniques that address basic human doubts and fears and in this way reveals the possibility of a pathway to becoming based on love. In my many years of hospice work, I have wished for such a work to share with frightened patients and their families, particularly when they could no longer remain in denial of a terminal diagnosis. There is no doubt that this book will stimulate thought and for many bring comfort as it sharpens their awareness on the journey to knowing. By looking at death, the author brings us full circle to the study of life.

Diane Longeway, LMSW, Hospice Team Leader, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Stephen and Odrea Levine, authors of WHO DIES?

From the long, slow laboratory of the true heart, Sacred Life, Holy Death offers clarity and insight for healing into death that extends our life all the way to God.

Kenneth Ring, author of HEADING TOWARD OMEGA

Mr. Boldman has written one of the most profound discourses on the spiritual meaning of the near-death experience I've yet seen. His book brims with important new insights into this phenomenon, and I recommend it to all who would seek to extract the deepest wisdom that the near-death experience has to teach us.

If you want a book to help you decide whether you are "rightly dividing the truth" on popular issues, or simply being belligerent, pick up this book! It offers great insight into seven topics commonly causing disagreement among Christians. In addition to tackling contemporary issues, he offers a framework for dealing with all disagreements in a biblical way. Butkins helps us understand when to take an uncompromising stand on divisive issues.

Butkins begins his book by getting back to the basics. He believes you can't understand what issues threaten Christianity until you understand its foundational beliefs. He lists four "Pillars of Faith" which comprise the primary tenets of Christianity. When a stand on a particular subject begins to undercut these elements, then it is time to take a stand. The rest of chapter one is a quick course on how to study the Bible, a necessary skill in understanding what the Bible says on a particular topic. Butkins explains the process in a manner even new Christians will find easy to understand.

Each subsequent chapter is devoted to a single, controversial topic: Catholicism and Christianity; the word-faith movement; old earth vs. young earth; homosexuality and the Church; Christian music; Christian counseling; and marketing the message. Butkins does a good job of laying out each argument and looking at each side in light of the Bible. He also brings in historical and scientific data when relevant. Each argument is examined thoroughly, but in terms simple enough for people to understand who haven't previously examined these topics.

The seven topics Butkins addresses are currently hotly debated in Christian circles. But how can we make biblical judgments on future issues? Butkins takes up this point in his final chapter. To determine whether to get embroiled in an argument on a subject Butkins suggests asking the following questions: is it a foundation of the Faith? what does the Bible really say? Finally, we should evaluate the fruit of a ministry and evaluate ourselves.

While Butkins encourages us to defend Scripture, he reminds us to submit ourselves to the Lord and not allow our personal feelings to cloud our judgment. This is an easy to understand book that will be appreciated by anyone trying to sincerely understand how to take a biblical stand on popular cultural topics.

That Which Divides Us is a must-have library addition for every believer who wants to know how to defend his or her faith in this age of bickering, confusion and mixed messages. Based on a lifetime of personal experience, and a heart burdened for those who need to know the truth, the author presents well-researched information and a balanced perspective on several of the major concerns of our day, using language anyone can understand. Beyond the scope of current issues, That Which Divides Us equips readers to deal with any false doctrine in our midst.

This is a fantastic book. Some of these issues are considered so taboo by Christians that they are never discussed in an open and respectful manner. Typically, the only ones who get airtime on these issues, are the most outspoken and divisive of the bunch.

Well, Bob Butkins does an admirable job at presenting these controversial matters with a non-threatening and compelling style that makes you want to get involved in discussing these issues again. Bob is about heart first, information second, and position third.

Christians can't back down on truth. But we can discuss truth in a gentle and respectful way. This is exactly what Bob Butkins does -- a very refreshing book for Christians and seekers alike.

This is the type of book that you need five or ten copies in your trunk. When one of these issues comes up at church, at dinner, or in the workplace, you can now say, "I have something great for you to read about that!"

Meeting a grizzly on the trail is terrifying. So is battling cancer. Scott Bischke's creative mind connected these two fears and the result is the cleverly interwoven story Crossing Divides. This true-life tale recounts the trials and triumphs of Kate's (Scott's wife) battle and eventual victory over cancer. Their celebration takes them home to the Continental Divide for an adventurous traverse across their home state of Montana. The challenges of each journey show us the power of attitude in all endeavors. Crossing Divides is a riveting read that does not gloss over the tough parts of life - it infuses them with the hope and strength to persevere.

Crossing Divides is a beautiful love story of a young couple's successful struggle through the wilderness of cancer.

Kate and Scott were a young, athletic, married couple in the prime of their lives when Kate received the diagnosis of cervical cancer. It immediately became "their" cancer.

Their love of wilderness and their desire to return to nature became the focal point of their healing process. Kate and Scott take us along on their post-treatment hike though the beauty of Montana's section of the Continental Divide while relating the story of their cancer ordeal.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an insight into cancer and everything that relates to it. I especially liked the story because they won.

This book gives hope to anyone who has had to deal with cancer. Katie and Scott fought a tremendous battle against "their recurrent cancer" and came out as the victors by always staying in control of their choices in treatment and caregivers. They researched all their options completly and came up with a plan that would work best for them in beating the odds. I say "their cancer", because Scott was there through each and every step, supporting Katie, so she was never alone. This is a love story between a couple who have great strength and determination, as shown by the parallels of their battle with cancer and the journey they took on the Continental Divide trail of Montana soon after Katie's treatments. It is also a great book for any outdoor enthusiast who loves nature and a happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This collection of poems piques the reader's senses and maintains interest throughout. The narrative with compelling characterizations keeps the reader moving along and even identifying with the mysterious Chinese aunt and her family in the United States. It is one of those rare books of poetry which you want to read to the very end without putting it down, and yet to enjoy stopping and mulling over individual poems. The encounters between Buddhist, Christian, and Confucian elements lend universal significance. This is the best poetry on today's literary scene.

This book is the winner of the May Swenson Poetry Award for 2000. While not a narrative poem, the story of the author's aunt that married a "Chinaman" and left her family only to return when she was dying, is as close as one can get. The poems tell of the author's need for connections and a sense of family and humanity that are inspiring and eternal. The bridge over all that divides us is, after all, built on hope and caring and sharing. A Marvelous collection.

Having been raised near the Continental Divide and spending summer vacations on Red Rock Pass and the CD, the photos in this book bring a flood of memories. Leland stood where I rode horses and hiked as a child and where summer vacations are spent as an adult. Having stood on the same hillside Leland took the magnificient sunset photograph of Montana's Centennial Valley for the book's cover page, I have truely seen in life the magnificient colors and majestic scenery presented by Leland Howard's photography. The written text by Lynna Howard is as well done with thorough detail of all the areas they hiked and all her special humor especially telling about hiking and camping in a "Grizzly Bear Recovery Area" and the humorous tales sprinkled through several pages about two Llamas Popeye and Pogo. Hiking on to the Lemhi Range and viewing Borah Peak the highest peak in Idaho in the Lost River Range was a view more than fifty miles. Lemhi Pass brings lots of Lewis and Clark history and the Sacajawea Memorial Camp. Through Chief Joseph Pass there are tales of snow in July, a vanashing CD trail, and Lynna's tough job of modeling at Little Lake. By early October there is snowfall and ice on Twin Lakes. Lynna gives a short history lesson about Big Hole National Battlefield and the Nez Perce Chief Joseph, how he fought to save his people from the U.S. Army, after he, Chief Joseph had so helped guide Lewis and Clark. The glacier carved peaks are truely rugged, nearly inaccessable areas in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness Area. The reader learns about "Trodes" and proposed routes for the CDT, and the discomforts and dangers of Hypothermia. And then there are the dangers of Lynna hiking off by herself and finding lots of bear scat and a wolf mistaken for Leland's pet dog Tempest. Rogers Pass to Marias Pass brings humor of grizzly stories, camping in Bear Creek Corridor, and the depth of description of scenery and surroundings near Bighorn Lake. The Bob Marshall Wilderness is an area of grizzlies, deep sucking bogs, Ruffed Grouse, deer, mountain goats, coyotes, and extreme geological formations with thorough explainations by Lynna of what has happened the last 175 million years. The hikers are assisted by mule trains, cowboys, and there is a lost soul found. On to the Canadian Border--what can I say--simply God's Country, glaciers, water falls, more grizzlies. By late September it can be snowy and bitter cold in Glacier with the park service trail crews removing seasonial bridges from waterways. Always most welcome along the CDT was the support crew and "Mom's Mobile Wilderness Cafe". "Along Montana and Idaho Continental Divide Trail" is a magnificient publication of Photographic Art for the dedicated hikers like Leland and Lynna as well as arm chair hikers who simply want to dream.

This wonderful book by Lynna and Leland Howard is a far cry from the usual coffee table photography book. The humorous, personable writing style of the author had me laughing all the way through the trail hiking story, which is woven amongst the incredible photographs. As magestic and awe-inspiring as the Divide Trail is, Lynna and Leland bring it within reach and touch upon the realism of the hike. The mountainside conifers under snow and the miles of wildflowers that stretch along the ranges will make you sigh with wonder, while the stories of Pogo the llama, and the list of clever bear tips will split your seams. You will savor every photograph and read every word. Highly recommended!

My 9 year old had always loved math but this year we moved and neither of us liked the math curriculum the new school used. She began hating math! We began homeschool (there were other problems too) BUT she continued fighting with the math work. I purchased this book and after only 4 lessons she's hooked on math again! She loves the tricks and VOLUNTARILY makes up her own problems to solve! She's already seeing how the "tricks" help her in her "normal" math work.

I plan on using this book to enhance my students mental math abilities. This book is a great way to do the mental math and focus on that higher order thinking. This book is organized well, and is well-suited for classroom use. There were many tricks that I didn't even know existed and everything is still based on basic math. This can work from the slowest to the most advanced learner.

I was given this book by a friend. It was a surprise from the beginning to the end. I can't recommend this book enough. I live in the Rocky Mountains and see what is happening all around me in the "Last Best Place." I expected the environmental writer from the LA Times to write this book with a prejudiced point of view and?probably my own point of view. Instead it was so insightful, to so many different walks of life and belief systems that I was amazed in every chapter. I work for the park service and read the chapter on "Action Jackson" with great interest and know about the conflicts of that situation and still Mr. Clifford amazed me with his sensitivity to the people involved. This book, for the first time made me see the way people of many different backgrounds from mine view the wilderness, not necessarily all bad, not necessarily all destructive, just different. The author is a teacher of tolerance and we all need more of that in this time and in this world. I cannot recommend this book any more highly. I will buy it and give it to many people. I was inspired to not give up the fight to save the American west. Thankyou Frank Clifford.

I like a book that takes my assumptions about something and turns most of them upside down, and this book did that. To begin with, even though I had heard most of a radio interview with the author, I was expecting a book mostly about hiking the Rocky Mountains. Instead "Backbone of the World" is about a series of encounters with people who live and work along the Continental Divide. And Clifford uses these encounters to discuss the competing points of view of those with an interest in what's left of America's wilderness areas -- environmentalists, housing developers, ranchers, cowboys, sheep herders, national park service rangers, wildlife preservationists, back country outfitters, hunters, Native Americans, game wardens, hangers on in dying company towns, and the owners and employees of the mining, logging, and energy industries.

As a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Clifford has his preferences about the fate of the wilderness, but he allows his subjects to speak for themselves without passing judgment on them. To that extent, the book is not a polemic but an array of human opinions nearly as sweeping as the mountain and desert vistas that are the subject of this book. He goes on horseback into the mountains of northern Montana with Blackfeet Indians. He spends time with a sheep herder in Colorado, who is barely scraping by. He is the guest of two ranch owners, riding along on a cattle drive in Wyoming and helping with a round-up in New Mexico, in the arid high country along the Mexican border. He goes coyote hunting with an ailing and broken former uranium mining worker in Wyoming. He visits a park ranger in Yellowstone, who spends his days busting illegal hunters. And he accompanies an environmental activist as they pony trek into the mountains of Alberta.

And as the people he interviews speak, you learn of the impact of humans on the wilderness -- overgrazing, destruction of habitat, the invasion of roads and all-terrain vehicles, the decimation of wildlife populations, the spread of urban sprawl, the expansion of the recreation industry, the hunting camps where big city executives can shoot game that have been lured off public lands with conveniently located salt licks. And over and again, there is the theme of a ravaged landscape, diminished by clear-cutting, exhausted mines, and aggressive drilling for oil and gas. At this level, the book is a quiet litany for the destruction of everything wild, pristine, and beautiful.

All this may sound like a depressing read, but I enjoyed Clifford's accounts of encounters with the people who inhabit this region. He puts a human face on the economic, environmentalist, and conservationist forces in contention over the fate of what once was a vast wilderness. The 8-page bibliography at the end of the book is evidence of his long and thoughtful study of his subject. And his writing is that of an observant journalist. The people and places he describes come alive, and like viewing an excellent documentary film, you come away with an appreciation for the complexity of the issues, a sense of having witnessed them firsthand, and your own assumptions turned upside down.

This superb book presents a compelling and at times moving description of close friendships between black and white Americans. Kathleen Odell Korgen's study of how close black-white friendships form despite social and historical obstacles is a welcome contribution to our understanding of race relations. The author explores many interesting questions, including: How does the development of cross-racial friendships compare with same-race friendships? How do black/white friends deal with issues of race? How does a black-white friendship influence each friend's view on race? Korgen's engaging interviews as well as her lucid analysis provide in-depth answers to such questions. The book concludes with an informative discussion of the potential benefits to society of bridging the divide between white and black Americans and provides examples of successful efforts to bridge the racial divide in the U.S. Korgen has written a sensitive, detailed, and important book that fills a gap in studies of race. It is essential reading for those interested in contemporary race relations.

Race relations in the US is a difficult topic, given far more to misinformation and polemics than meaningful analysis. Korgen, however, has not only sifted through all of the confusion to present a clear picture of contemporary attitudes and beliefs about race, but she has captured the effects of these patterns on the experiences of people who maintain friendships across racial lines. This book is eminently readable, enjoyable, and timely.

This is an excellent book. In it, John Perazzo examines, chapter by chapter, some of the common myths and sociological fables that continue to separate parts of the US populace today. Perhaps his most valuable contribution is showing how so-called leaders such as Jackson and Sharpton have twisted reality to suit their own ends. To me, the most compelling and honest part of the book looked at the myth of race in the United States. US blacks are clearly the most privileged people on earth, yet vicious racists such as Kwesei Mfume, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Carol Moseley-Brown continue to perpetuate groundless black grievance, hatred, and jealousy towards our larger society. This stands in direct contradiction to the tremendous achievements of many, many blacks, who are now predominantly members of the US middle-class. Perazzo correctly and explicitly points out (in Chapters 3 - 7) that a comparative handful of vicious racial hypocrites (Jackson, Sharpton, et al) distort and hinder (the "myths" in the title of the book) what ought to be an honest, helpful conversation on society in America today. As a black man, I feel privileged to live in the United States, and don't understand why anyone could possibly complain about how we've been treated here when we compare it to the horrid, brutal life common throughout Africa these days. Perazzo has authored an impressive appeal for us all to set aside the people who wish to gain by anger and bitterness, and he wants us all to work together for a common good. This is a great book - I'd highly recommend it. His extensive foot-noting and meticulous research make it a valuable text for those of us who want to help all Americans move forward peacefully and with our due intelligence. Buy it today at Amazon.com and pass it on to a friend.

This was one of the most upsetting books I've ever read. There were chapters that moved me to tears. Truth can be bitter but it really does set you free. I learned more about Africa from Mr.Perazo's book than I did from 4 years of Black Studies in college. The majority of the book contends that race relations are as bad as they are because certain people profit by keeping us divided. It was a powerfull book and it left me with much to think about. It's not for kids but it ought to be a required text for college students.

This book is a welcome addition to the mountain of expository evidence, which depicts the cupidity and disingenuousness in which the civil rights industry is awash.

This book is surely one giant step toward the inevitable awakening of America. An awakening that will cause the entire world to condemn the narrow-mindedness and self-interest of all race hustlers, particularly the well known intellectual Lilliputians: Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The author points out the double standards of the civil rights industry whose very existence depends on pointing out racism everywhere, even when it isn't there. Perazzo exposes the hypocites with well researched facts and statistics illustrated with anecdotes.

This book harmonizes with Jared Taylor's books: "The Real American Dilemma" and "Paved With Good Intentions" et al, as isolated voices become a chorus demanding truth and reason in discussions of race.

This book should be read by everyone concerned with the future of America.

This book should be read twice, twice by everyone in Academe and in the media.