Marge Piercy's poems are made of the substance and stuff of life. The taste of a fresh peach, the joy of picking the first garden tomato, become sources and places of contact with the mystery of creation and the Creator! However,it takes a disciplined eye that has time to pay attention to the detail of ordinary daily events to see something eternally extraordinary. !!Piercy's has the eyes to see , the mind to imagine and the skill to tell us where, and how to look!

Among the many blessings to be found in American literature and poetry are the works of American-Jewish writers. Jewish-American poets have been celebrated in two recent anthologies: Telling and Remembring edited by Rubin and Jewish-American Poetry edited by Barron and Sellinger. Ever since Emma Lazarus, writing in the late 19th Century, the poetry written by American Jewish women have played a large part in this literature.

Marge Piercy may well be the best of the Jewish-American poets writing today. Her work is featured prominently in both the Rubin and the Barron and Sellinger anthologies with the latter collection including an essay as well. Both anthologies draw heavily from Ms. Piercy's "The Art of Blessing the Day" which prompted me to explore the entire volume.

The book as written, the dedication states, "for all who may find here poems that speak to their identity, their history, their desire for ritual -- ritual that may work for them". The collection is, indeed, specifically Jewish but its themes transcend any particular religious commitment and reach out to those who seek themselves in a spiritual path. The broad theme of the book is announced in the title poem (from which I have taken the title of this review) as "to taste/each moment, the bitter, the sour, the sweet/ and the salty, and be glad for what does not hurt." Again "Bless whatever you can/with eyes and hands and tongue. If you/can't bless it, get ready to make it new."

I was struck by the unity of the collection. Unlike most books of poetry where the reader may pick and choose among poems, this collection is best read as an integral whole from beginning to end. The unity of the collection is particularly impressive because many of the poems had been published earlier in a variety of places.

The book is divided into six sections with themes running cross-currently. The opening section, "Family" describes the poets difficult relationship with her mother and her loving relationship with her old-world grandmother. The section on her marriage was for me the most beautiful of the book with its celebration of erotic, physical and spiritual love. My favorite poem in the third section, "repair of the world" is the poem "to be of use" which celebrates the value of the world of work. (too infrequently praised). The next section is titled "Of history and Interpretation", explores women's issues and the Holocaust, as seen from the eyes of an American, among other themes. The final two sections "Prayer" and "The Year" are based respectively on the daily liturgy used in Judaism and on the yearly cycle of the Jewish holidays including the New Year, the Day of Atonement and Passover. Her versions of the traditional prayers I found insightful and eloquent.

Ms Piercy writes beautifully, with elegance and understatement. Her poetry, with its reflections on the past and on nature and on her surroundings is informed by love rather than anger and by an effort to understand. It is a book that may be turned to repeatedly and thought about over time.

Poetry is an underappreciated art in America, even though many of our writers have shown high achievement. This book is one woman's contribution to the form.

Since there are already some long reviews of this book, I will just make one specific comment. On reading about the book, a person could get the idea that these are poems for Jews & Jews alone. The publisher leads one to think that. However, even though the poems are thoroughly Jewish, they can be enjoyed by people of any religious background, including athiests such as myself. Marge Piercy transends the genre her publisher tries to confine her in, being a brilliant poet of incredible depth & talent.

In Be Generous, David Morell makes poetry a meditation and meditation a poem. It is taught that meditation is a surrender of all effort; enjoying David's poetry is effortless. His poignant poems speak directly to the heart through the body (breathe). Laughter bubbles up from the depths and a sigh of understanding and relief will surfaces.

In exploring the simple acts of everyday existence and the most powerful life events, David Morell's poetry transforms our experiences. Doing the dishes, driving to the dump, waiting in a traffic jam, battling the phone company, growing older, and coping with loss will never be the same after reading David's poems for now I'm more likely to remember to BREATHE and laugh.

This little compendium of personal reflections treats matters pedestrian (e.g. road rage) to cosmic and is able to maintain its relevence to our daily lives over the entire range of its topics. Some of the selections will make you smile or laugh, often self-directed, while others will prompt serene and contemplative thinking. While you may want to refer back to some meditations, others will just come back to you spontaneously as they speak to situations encountered during the course of one's daily activities.This small paperback is an eminently easy way to give yourself or your friend a repeatable treat.

Despite its size, this is a great book. With all the madness in the world today, it's nice to find an author who approaches spirituality with calmness, compassion, and humor. His meditations are full of 21st century zen with a zinger. Marell can be simultaneously silly and profound, wise and wily. I recommend this book highly. Now breathe.

I bought this book for my little boy who is 3 1/2. We live near the coast and one of his favorite things to do is go to the beach. He loves the pictures of all the beachy fun in this book and can actually "read" it to me now! This one gets read over and over and over...

This book is the cutest childrens book i have ever read. I hope to see more from the author. It is soo much fun to read.

This short book with lively text and perfect, colorful illustrations describes a toddler's day at the beach. The writing is in quick, energetic rhymes that will capture the imagination of all kids. It would be a wonderful book to look at with a child just before starting out on a trip to the beach. Alternately, reading this book at bedtime would help children relive their own great times by the water. An additional asset is that the vocabulary is perfect for first or second graders who want to read on their own.

In Beyond The Blues: Treating Depression One Day At A Time, Edward Haas provides offers 365 daily meditations to engender fresh insights helping to resolve the states of chronic condition so often a part of clinical depression. Haas brings to bear his own sixteen year battle against self-defeating, self-destructive behaviors arising from his own diagnosed clinical depression and now spends his time sharing a message of hope, unity, and faith with others in the battle for good mental health. These vigorous, conscientious, and highly recommended reflections will nurture the reader's self-esteem and strengthen resolve to maintain a daily reprieve from a state persistent, chronic, clinical depression.

Like many of us who suffer from clinical depression, I tried self-medication with alcohol and landed in a recovery program. I never found a meditation book that truly addressed the issues of those of us who find ourselves doubly affected not only by our depression, but the addictions and self-destructive behavior that depression brings on.

Ed Haas has "been there, done that" and his meditation book is full of the eloquence and passion of someone who has found the way out of the funhouse and wants to show others the way, too. I have found it very helpful and comforting and I am sure you will too.

I have found "Beyond The Blues" to be an invaluable tool in my recovery from depression and also in my recovery from substance abuse. It is written loosely in the format of what it was like, what happened, and what it's like today. It is very down to earth because the author has been to the "black hole" himself many times, and hasn't just heard about it from a book or classroom. It is very useful in that it offers solutions on how to get out of a depression once you are in one. What astounds me is the number of professional people who work in the field who have seen my copy and bought one or more copies themselves. I cannot use enough superlatives about this book. It thoroughly amazes me each and every time I read it.

Anne Geddes is talented at photographing babies in cute and unique ways. You will like this book if you like babies. The book goes through the 12 days of Christmas-each page tells what day and what the true love gave and a picture-for example-on the fifth day the true love gave 5 gold rings--there are babies each laying on a big yellow cloth ring. All of the pictures are darling and some of them have humorous elements to them.

This book is great! It's pictures take an old song and brings it to life! It is a great book for little kids. My niece loves this book! She loves to look at the pictures and she laughs at all the silly babies. I will buy this book for all my future nieces and nephews. It is sure to be a classic.

It has colorful pictures and it is full of cute babies. Anne Geddes always manages to capture the babies in it's best position. I recommend this book because it is, like I said before, beautiful. -Kate

Overall, this was an excellent book. It does not differ much from the english version, and it is, as is the english, wonderfully illustrated. It is not perfect, however. I thought that it was well translated into spanish, however, the words are not as easily read and understood as the english version. Also, it was very disappointing to me that the character's names are the traditional, english names, and were not translated into their spanish cognates. That detracts from any feelings of non-ethnicity and partiality that good literature nees.

This is a great book for those of us who want to raise our children bilingually and equally wonderful for Spanish-speakers. The Spanish is fun--I also love the repetition of "el día terrible, horrible..." The fact that the names are not translated is fine--not all English names have a Spanish translation and vice-versa. I believe it keeps the integrity of the original version and the Alexander character.

Qué dice un niño al que TODO le sale mal ? "Me voy a Australia !". Los dibujos - en blanco y negro - están espléndidamente ilustrados, la cara de Alexander es indescriptible por su picardía. Un libro para leer y ver con los hijos a la hora de dormir. Un libro alentador, especial para aquellos niños "difíciles"

If you are interested in missionary work at all, especially in South America, this is a "must-read". I sat in awe of the simple faith that inspired such an amazing story. This book is the American missionary side of the FANTASTIC book, "Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman's Story" by Mark Andrew Ritchie. Today, most of us wait until the exact right time with the exact right funding and support and all the common sense we can muster before we move. The Dawsons show us that when God calls, moving in faith is more important that moving in logic. Highly recommended!

From time to time a book comes into ones life and moves both heart and soul. I too was there, I too saw those people that I came to love and admire, saw their difficulties and triumphs. If ever I doubted you (this goes for both Joe & Millie Dawson and my own amazing parents), if I ever doubted your heart and devotion for these people and for your Lord, well I don't any longer. You have inspired me again; you have moved my spirit in a way that I thought would never be again. Truly these "ordinary people" were and still are quite remarkable. Read this book and have your heart and soul touched like it has never been touched before...

As I read the story I couldn't help but remember so many of the things Mom was talking about. As child # 10 I wasn't there for all of them but even so, most of the stories in the book were told to me from the time I was a small child. It was wonderful to hear about all the times God reached down and worked miracles, and then, as I got older, to see then first hand. I am truely blessed to have such a family.

Like de Toqueville before her, Simone de Beauvoir analyzes America, its present state and future promise, as only an outsider can, objectively, without influence or taint from the very values and phenomena under examination. If that makes _America Day by Day_ sound like something other than a travel book, good, because it is much, much more.

It is an insightful essay on the very things that define us as a nation: our optimism, our work ethic, our *color line,* and our politics. Offered to us episodically, in the pages of her travel journal, her thoughts on American society are so accurate and penetrating that her conclusions remain relevant today.

And her main conclusion is this: "...America is one of the pivotal points of the world, where the future of man is being played out. To 'like' America, to 'dislike' it -- these words have no meaning. It is a battlefield, and you can only become passionate about the battle it is waging with itself, in which stakes are beyond measure." Everyone should read this book to discover why we are a "pivotal point" and what that means for us and the rest of the nations of the world.

I never met Simone but the visit to America that resulted in this book ended the day I was born and we knew people in common, including Nelson Algren. This book is fun. We think of Simone as the woman who initiated the second wave of feminism with her book, "The Second Sex;" as the companion of Jean-Paul Sartre, a man plagued by lobsters and his own sense of self; as the globe-trotting political activist. Some may know her as the author of the frightening novel, "She Came To Stay." The Simone who wrote this book was the best part of Simone de Beauvoir. The book is a snapshot of America, entering the center stage of world power, taken by a native of a country whose time of leadership has passed. It is also the story of a middle-aged woman falling in love. This book was unavailable for many years but it is important both as a view of America in mid-century and as an insight into one of the most important women of the 20th century.

An excellent place to begin seeing America through critical eyes. A companion piece to this is Henry Miller's "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare."

Help! This book made me into the class "know it all". I'm in school starting my second career and I need to know anatomy. I was suppose to learn it for my first career but it never stuck. After reading Dr. Dimon's book I'm finding I know more than I thought I could know and it has been so easy. I'm begining to understand the intelligence of our design and the names of all the bones and muscles just flow out or me, (and I haven't even made an effort to memorized them).

In "Anatomy of the Moving Body," Theodore Dimon, Jr. approaches his subject from a unique and focused perspective. By presenting anatomy in terms of function and evolutionary development and limiting his exploration to the neuromuscular system, Dimon has produced a book that is both user-friendly and fascinating. He manages the neat trick of lending clarity to this majestic subject while avoiding the pitfall of oversimplification. Of special interest in this regard is the light beam he shines into the murky shadows of intimidating anatomical terminology, showing the reader that there's nothing there to fear.

The subtitle of the book is "A Basic Course For Movement Educators. This provides the book with an organizing principle, but fails to convey the book's potentially broad appeal. It could be read with pleasure by all homo sapiens who wish to gain an enhanced understanding and appreciation of their evolutionary inheritance.

Dr. Dimon has written a clear and concise book demystifying anatomy--I especially enjoyed learning the meanings of the Latin terms. A must for anyone interested in how we are designed for moving.

This book covers what should be the most important Issue to all people in the human-rat race. It's an attempt to make people realize how fast we are using up our natural resourses.
I can only hope that this book makes it to the top 10 best sellers list, so that it gets read by a large segment of the population. It's a vary important message and it's easy to read in a short amount of time, and once you read it it would be wise to give it to a friend and have them read it and pass it on to someone else.
Why can't an American president stand up, and run on smaller population and less consumption? Humans will gain less and less with over-population.

"Beyond Earth Day" gives an amazingly thorough look at the state of our planet, then and now. Discussions of issues are well-referenced and Gaylord Nelson courageously presents honest solutions to problems that many people take pains to ignore. He offers history, wisdom, and guidance in an age when "environment" is an important issue to Americans, yet many are unaware of the seriousness of the issues our water, air, soils and biodiversity face. An America united by the knowledge offered by Senator Nelson has the capability to change the course of catastrophic events involving the very elements needed for life. Share the intelligence of this important book with everyone you know.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson holds no punches in this book. He brings the question of the ability of the planet to sustain today's consumption-driven American lifestyle into clear focus in "Beyond Earth Day". His report card on the planet is dire but believable.

The book provides a strong case that more dire consequences are up ahead for all of us, unless the current political leadership in Washington abandons its "business as usual" mentality regarding the environment and begins to recognize the urgency and gravity of the situation we are getting into with regard to air, water, land and climate.

"It is time for the president and Congress to reach an agreement that sustainability is the challenge of our time and design a plan of action for the future... There is no room, nor time, for partisanship. The president and Congress should face this issue in a unified and cooperative way and should persist until we reach the goal", laments Nelson.

Nelson recommends that the president of the United States deliver a "State of the Environment" speech to the American public and the world which outlines environmental challenges meriting the nation and the world's immediate attention, and the challenges that lay on the horizon. Such an address, Nelson says, is what is needed "to start public dialogue on the serious environmental problems facing the country and world today". People everywhere need to realize that maintaining the environmental sustainability of the planet is the most important responsibility we all have, because all life on Earth is interrelated, and because our economy is inherently dependent on the environment's "underlying resource base of forests, water, air, soil, and minerals".