Leif Zurmuhlen's intimate and artistic photographs reveal the spirit and vivacity of women over forty. Patricia Martin's text allows the reader to delve into the personalities of these women, who come from all over the country and all walks of life. This book is inspirational and interesting. Women and men will enjoy this excellent work. I keep mine out on the coffee table and it has sparked many intriguing discussions. When is the next book coming?

the right side is definately inspiring!!i am one of the women in the book and found myself inspired by reading about and meeting some of the other women as well as patty and leif!!it should give anyone dreading turning forty an incentive to know that life just begins!!

Leif Zurmuhlen's photographic study of women over forty is as effective an exploration of his artistry as it is a celebration of the lives of these fascinating individuals. Of particular interest is Zurmuhlen's art direction. Working alone, he is able to create complex and multifaceted compositions that intrigue, amuse, captivate. This is an extremely enjoyable collection of images. Check it out.

Home sweet home: a place of love, refuge, and memories. For Helen Martin's it was also her life, her work and her Mecca. In the play "The Road to Mecca" Athol Fugard explores the question: Should we leave our Mecca, our spiritual fountainhead, when we can no longer take care of ourselves? The conflict between the three strong willed characters Helen, Elsa and Pastor Marius explores the question in the light of different religions, cultures, genders, ages and environments. Fugard said the play was suggested by the life and work of Helen Martins of New Bathesda, South Africa. The real Helen from age 50 to 75 transformed her house into a personal universe that enters the realm of archetype, symbol and metaphor. The house, furniture, windows and walls became a kaleidoscope of colored glass. In her garden she constructed over 200 figures: owls, Biblical figures, Buddhas, and ancient gods and goddesses. One South African scholar described her work as one of the most stirring experiences of his life and another called her one of South Africa's artistic geniuses. Fugard in his play shows Helen's creations as a glorious, makeshift oasis of creativity and life force and Elsa, his character, sees Helen as an example of freedom and transcendence. One powerful scene is when Helen, seated in her Mecca with dozens of candles playing off glittered walls and mirrors, tells Pastor Marius "I can't reduce my world to a few ornaments in a small room in an old-age home." The effect is stunning. The play is thought provoking and gives few answers. Helen is alive when it ends. Sadly, in 1975, the real Helen committed suicide. She drank caustic soda and died after three days I solitary agony. Her will included complex instructions listing in detail the ritual disposal of each of her sculptures. But today her home, known as "The Owl House" has been proclaimed a national monument and is a mecca for artists and tourists.

A reclusive elderly widow (based on the late Helen Martins, whose South African home is now a museum) has created her own "Mecca" by decorating the inside of her home with candles and mirrors and by surrounding the house with an assortment of personally-sculpted mermaids, wisemen, peacocks and pyramids. Although her neighbors view Miss Helen as a crazy old woman, she has made friends with Elsa Barlow, a young teacher who has returned for a surprise visit. On that same day, clergyman Marius Byleveld has come to help Helen apply to a nursing home. Marius is fond of Helen and fears for her safety. Elsa is in opposition to a move as it would take Helen away from her art.

I was originally concerned that a drama focusing on an old woman's artwork would not translate well to a listening experience. How could I care as deeply about Miss Helen if I was not able to see the oddball sculptures she had created? Surely the vision of "a city of light and color more splendid than anything I had ever imagined" could not be adequately transmitted through the speakers of my tape player. I need not have worried. One of my favorite parts of the entirely wonderful listen remains the moment when Helen lights her room with candles -- music comes up and there is absolutely no problem seeing a room aglow in a growing light of imagination and art. Adding to the experience is a superb cast performing a well-written examination of what it means to be an artist, what it means to be older, and what it means to be shunned. Fabulous!

Excellent recording quality, an interesting listen.

My five year old son and I just love this book. I found it especially nice as the mother and daughter so close--with mother nurturing and caring and daughter wanting to be like mom. Also I love that they showed the Mom nursing her baby.

My daughter loves this book. She will ask for this book a couple times a week and we have had it well over a year! A very sweet story that my 3 year old can't live without!

Rosie's Babies draws us into the 'pretend' world of the little girl Rosie and her teddy and rabbit - her 'babies', as she tries to keep her mother's attention during the bathing, feeding and putting to bed of their new baby. Both the mother and the daughter are warm, caring and nurturing and Rosie's reports of how she looks after her babies are very touching. My (then) two-year-old son loved this book as we awaited the arrival of his new baby brother, and now, a year and a half later, it's a firm favorite on the bookshelf. The 'punchline' of the story reminds us what it's really all about ' 'Don't forget me, Mommy!'

In our society, mental instability is looked at as taboo; something to hide behind and definitely not to address with your family and friends, much less seeing a therapist. It is because of these views that many women don't get the guidance and/or support they need when faced with the frailties of the human psyche. In an entertaining, yet informative approach, Dr. Marilyn Martin gives us SAVING OUR LAST NERVE: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN'S PATH TO MENTAL HEALTH.

Combined with exercises, diagrams, case studies, and statistics, SAVING OUR LAST NERVE is a wonderful resource! It helps us to realize that there are numerous resources out there that can help improve our emotional lives. In addition, it shows how to remove and minimize stress in your life in order to live more peacefully. Not only did I like Dr. Martin's teachings, I also enjoyed that she opened each chapter with an African Proverb. This book will definitely come in handy for all those who have ever told someone... "you're working my last nerve" and even for those who want to know how to keep from getting to that point.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Saving Our Last Nerve: The African American Woman`s Path to Mental Health, by Marilyn Martin, M.D., M.P.H.

Rating: 5 Stars

Wow, what a great great great and needed piece of work. African American women are busier than ever, faced with more and more responsibilities and challenges. Our stress level has risen tremendously.

Dr. Marilyn Martin has put together a resourceful mental health book. The book is filled with stories (which people can relate to), charts, diagrams, medical terminology, and exercise. She keeps the readers involved and grab their attention while taking the journey through her mental health guide.

This guide shows the African American woman how to cope with their stress, without suppressing it and ignoring it. Marilyn Martin also let's the reader know when it's beyond self and the person need to utilize outside professionals, such as counselors and physicians.

If you have not purchased this guide and you know or are an African American woman, you should do so today. This book can be entertaining as well. Yes, we can learn while entertained and I truly believe Dr. Martin has done this. When you first get the book, you may not intend to read a lot in one sitting, however you will find yourself getting wrapped up in the pages and becoming hungry for more. This is something you need to keep by your bedside to refer to at least once a week.

To Dr Marilyn Martin, M.D., M.P.H. what a job well done.

Tonya Howard, SisterDivas.org

This is an extremely helpful book in understanding mental health issues and appropriate treatment resources for Black women. Anyone who is a Black woman, works with or has relationships with Black women, or wishes to better understand the psyches of Black women will find this book illuminating.

Dr. Martin's language is simple (a compliment) and straightforward and her case illustrations easily remind us of ourselves or women we have known. She is direct yet gentle in describing the resistances of Black women to treatment, the need for treatment, and how to best use treatment (even if the mental health professional is not Black--only 2% of all psychiatrists inthis country are Black), p124

Dr. Martin brings to this book an optimism that life can be better, that "saving that last nerve, requires struggle by both spirit and mind. Simplifying that journey is what this book is all about." (p1) And she accomplishes this goal with simple but accurate descriptions of mental disorders and the internal stresses thus imposed on external stresses.

However, Dr. Martin has a holistic approach to Black women, recognizing not only the stresses and strengths in terms of emotional functioning, but also in terms of physical well-being and enhancing physical well-being).

This book fills an important void in presenting mental health information about Black women and can easily be utilized for both personal and professional purposes.

A very special bonus in this book are the lists of books (fiction as well as non-fiction) and movies assembled by Dr. Martin.

Father Martin describes the events of the World Trade Center tragedy of 9/11 in gently vivid, reader-kind prose. I felt I had a true, but down-to-earth description of how it must have been to have actually been on site following this terrible disaster, but without all the "must-sell" hype of news writers and television broadcasters. The scene described by Fr. Martin was descriptive without being gory or graphic. The whole experience of reading about the tragedy and its heros through the author's "eyes" was as a prayer. I want to give this book to all my friends and family, and recommend it highly. cbm/Atlanta, GA

As Sister Helen Prejean said on the back jacket, this is not just another 9/11 book. It is much more than that. Father Martin speaks of course about the heroism and charity of the rescue workers at the World Trade Center, but with this book he also gives the reader a profound meditation on the way that God can work during times of suffering. It is a deeply moving (and beautifully written) book.

For the most part, Jim Martin was just like any other American on September 11th--desperate to do "something." But he had what most of us don't--a Roman collar and the knowledge that God's word would be needed the most in that place of unparallelled evil. A policeman escorts him to Ground Zero, and Father Martin is sure he has entered hell.

Frightened by the carnage around him, Father Martin struggles to minister to the firefighters, cops and paramedics frantically digging by hand to reach buddies and strangers alike. But in the end he finds that he does not need to reveal God to these heartbroken rescuers--instead, God's grace is revealed to the world by their tireless sacrifice.

Father Martin gives us a glimpse into the unseen world of Ground Zero in the weeks following the September 11th attacks--it is a story of horror and, surprisingly, of hope and grace. For anyone whose faith was sorely tested by September 11th (and whose wasn't?), this book offers inspiration and solace.

In the secret life of Mary Anne Spier sh spends so much on her father's credit card. Mr.Spier told Mary Anne that she would even have to pay interest just like he does.Mary Anne takes a job at the mall and meets this girl Angela and their family helped Angela by inviting them to stay for Christmas.

I liked it! Mary Anne's kind, tender heart gets her into trouble, but I admire how she takes responsibility for her mistake and willingly takes the elf job to pay for it! Also touching is how Mary Anne feels so sorry for Angela, the homeless girl, that she cries quietly under her elf head. Her tender heart is endearing; and her strong sense of responsibility is to be commended. It's hilarious how she goes to extremes to hide her secret job from her friends and boyfriend because she's so easily embarrassed!

Mary Anne gets to use her father's credit card to do her Christmas shopping! But she goes overboard buying her family and friends. And when her father tells her she has to pay interest to the credit card bill she gets a little worried so she adds the prices of the gift and it turns out she spent 3 TIMES the money she saves. So she has to earn a ton of money in only 2 WEEKS. She baby-sits and then she does something a tiny bit extreme.

This sophisticated novel is an engaging, well written, page-turner. It was enjoyable to read and left the reader with much to think about.

This book was a real page turner. It's a well written and sophisticated book that keeps the reader engaged.

Martin J. Girdon's The Severed Wing is a fascinating novel of set in a parallel-universe history. Teddy Roosevelt was elected a third term and America entered World War I sooner, and neither WW II nor the Holocaust ever occurred. In the present day, bizarre events start happening - people and places with a Jewish connection begin to mysteriously disappear, and the protagonist Janusz, keeps receiving mail that attempts to assign him a "credit card number", is confronted with an eerie and harrowing mystery to solve before time runs out. The Severed Wing is highly recommended as a literate, engaging, science fiction page-turner.

This book hooked me from the first page. It's a terrific page turner. Do yourself a favor and order Time Release at the same time because when you finish this, you'll want to read more by Martin J. Smith.

Martin J. Smith has penned a second book that tops his explosive debut TIME RELEASE. Psychologist Jim Christiansen, a memory expert, is called in to help investigate the attempted murder of a powerful grande dame of a wealthy political family who has Alzheimer's. She has been shoved off a cliff but survived the fall. Now he must sift through the shattered pieces of her memory to find the truth -- as her son runs for office in state government. An intriguing, gripping tale of murder that works on many levels, and has an explosive, satisfying ending.

In Pittsburgh, police are investigating the apparent unsuccessful suicide attempt of an Alzheimer's patient, Floss Underhill, a member of a prominent political family. Because of physical evidence and an eyewitness statement, law enforcement officials are looking into possible foul play by Floss' husband and primary caregiver, former Gov. Vincent Underhill. The family hires highly regarded defense attorney Brenna Kennedy to provide them legal protection, advice, and a defense, if necessary.

Brenna's mate is psychologist Jim Christensen, who is studying how Alzheimer's patients communicate through drawings. Jim and Brenna work closely together to insure that the Underhills have the best legal (and medical) defense possible even as the team has private doubts about what is actually the truth.

SHADOW IMAGE is a great mixing of elements from the legal thriller with that from medical novels (a la Cook), a blend that makes this work one of the best books of the year. The characters are all top rate with their motives very obvious, especially the lead protagonists and the Underhills. However, it is the premise of the story line -- that our legal system is built around the faulty memories of the victims -- that is brilliantly portrayed. This reviewer strongly recommends this novel and Smith's previous work, TIME RELEASE, for some mind-boggling stories.

SILVIE is more than a testament to the human spirit and its will to survive against all odds. It is more than the story of a beautiful and talented young woman on the brink of life and love, caught up in the unspeakable horror of Hitler's war against the Jews. Silvia Grohs-Martin, in her brilliantly absorbing autobiography, engages the reader's wide range of emotions; laughter, tears, chills, thrills, outrage, compassion and love, all within the context of a single chapter; at times, a single paragraph. A compelling read from start to finish, Ms. Grohs-Martin's acute sense of detail, her innate joie de vivre, and her delicious sense of humor combine to tell her true story of enormous courage, hope and, yes, romance against a background of modern history's most devastating and shameful period. Never self-indulgent or self-pitying, always taut and engrossing, SILVIE reads like a Steven Spielberg screenplay, complete with bigger-than-life heroine whose youthful exhuberance turns to heroic defiance in the face of her formidable enemy, one she cannot conquer on her own, but one she can survive. It was perhaps her youthful zest, her determination to live out a full, rich life that gave this enchanting young woman the strength and the ability to carry her through to personal victory, despite the treacherous traps she encountered at every turn. From her youth as an aspiring actress in Vienna to her years as an ingenue at Amsterdam's legendary Hollandsche Schouwburg (Dutch Theater,) to its transformation into a Nazi-controlled deportation center for the Jews, to her numerous encounters with Nazi officials, and her uncanny capacity to escape their clutches, SILVIE not only prevails, she soars. Ultimately, SILVIE's extraordinary account of survival teaches us all that although we may not always be able to control our external circumstances, we can always control our reaction to them. A completely exhilerating read! I love SILVIE -- the book and the woman!

"Silvie" is a testament to the spirit and love for life that is possible and should be celebrated. Silvia Gros-Martin shares with her readers a most incredible example of such strength. With a beautiful, yet haunting, style we follow her back into the bleakest time in our world's history. But as we look through her eyes, we see the world that she loved, the life that she lived with such vigor and passion, and the people that impacted her life, from her childhood in Austria, to her beautiful theatre in Amsterdam, to the Nazi death camps that she survived. The good times and the violently hellish times she endured are depicted with such vivid clarity and honesty that I felt as if I were there with her, sharing her laughter and witnessing her bravery. Taking this journey with Silvie will give the reader a look at this dark period in our history which cannot be found in a textbook. At moments we are joyous, at moments we are horrified by the reality of man's ability to hate and perform unspeakable acts of violence. Silvie's memoir provides a memorable and enlightening journey. I believe it should be read by everyone, for her story will inspire us never to forget or repeat the horrors that she survived. And, it will indeed remind us of our potential to love and embrace life, no matter how uncertain or rigorous that journey may be.

SILVI, by Silvia Grohs-Martin is a compelling, affecting and, at times, racking study of the persistance of life in a near void of humanity. Her four years during WWII in German concentation camps -- the longest at the infamous Auschwitz -- are presented not so much as appalling nightmares but as comparative portraits of the unbelievable tenacity of the human will to exist. Just when one feels overwhelmed with the vast array of Holocaust literature and media, SILVI belies the myth that we've "heard it all." The book reads almost like a spy thriller. A teenage girl, already a known singer and entertainer in Europe -- leaps from country to country, one step ahead of the invading Nazis. Surrounded in The Netherlands, with no hope of escape, Silvi finds work in the sole venue open to Jews under the Nazi occupation -- the celebrated Hollandsche Schouwburg Theatre in Amsterdam. While most Americans know of Anne Frank's ordeal at the time, the Schouwburg and it's role as the city's only permitted Jewish theatre/gathering place/art gallery/coffee house and even marriage facility, will come as a surprising revelation. The vast number of Jewish and non-Jewish citizens whose lives were affected by this venerable landmark of the arts is inestimable. When the Nazi's finally close the Theatre, Silvi and her fellow actors are forced to guard their former audience as citizens are hauled to the Theatre and held for deportation. Working secretly in the Dutch Resistance, Silvi is able to convey a number of Jewish children to safety in the countryside. Finally, as she is about to be deported herself, she escapes in a desperate attempt to reach Switzerland. Captured in Belgium she spends the next fours years as a "guest" of the Gestapo regime. Told with a keen narrator's skill of observation and attention to detail, SILVI is at times sad, humorous, appalling, enraging, unthinkable and always, always engrossing. You will not put it down!

This book is nothing more or less than a series of reprints of what the author deems "important" comics. Each comic story faithfully reprinted, with the page emulating newsprint. (The entire comic is not reproduced, only the highlighted strip.) There is a little one or two page introduction giving a little history about each comic.

What makes this book such a standout, is that the author's taste is singular, and not limited by a single company or genre. Characters from several different companies happily exist side-by-side in this excellent hardcover. The author has a confessed predisposition for "funny" comics, and these take up a large percentage of the book.

This predisposition allows for several comics to be reprinted that are not normally available. There are numerous reprints of Action Comics #1 (The first Superman comic) and Detective Comics #27 (The first Bat-man Comic) but how many other collections include All-American Comics #20 with the first appearence of Ma Hunkle, the original Red Tornado?

A list of comics included: Action Comics #1 (First appearance of Superman); Detective Comics #29 (Origin of Bat-man); All-American Comics #20-#14 (First appearance of the Red Tornado, and other Red Tornado stories); Police Comics #1 and #13 (First appearance of Plastic Man, and Woozy Winks); Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (Captain Marvel Battles the Plot Against the Universe); Sub-Mariner #4 (Dr. Dimwit by Basil Wolverton); Tessie the Typist #8 (Powerhouse Pepper by Basil Wolverton); Jingle Jangle Comics #5, 24#, (The Pie-faced Prince by George Carlson); Little Lulu Four Color 74 and Little Lulu #38, #40, #80; Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #1 (Donald Duck Christmas story by Carl Barks); Animal Comics #1, Pogo Possum #3, #8 (Pogo the Possum and Gang by Walt Kelly); The Spirit supplements August 10, 1941, September 5, 1948, September 11, 1949 (Great Spirit stories by Will Eisner); The EC Collection (Frontline Combat No. #4, Two-Fisted Tales #25, Mad #4 (Superduperman vs. Captain Marbles), Mad # 18, Impact #1)

This book is nothing more or less than a series of reprints of what the author deems "important" comics. Each comic story faithfully reprinted, with the page emulating newsprint. (The entire comic is not reproduced, only the highlighted strip.) There is a little one or two page introduction giving a little history about each comic.

What makes this book such a standout, is that the author's taste is singular, and not limited by a single company or genre. Characters from several different companies happily exist side-by-side in this excellent hardcover. The author has a confessed predisposition for "funny" comics, and these take up a large percentage of the book.

This predisposition allows for several comics to be reprinted that are not normally available. There are numerous reprints of Action Comics #1 (The first Superman comic) and Detective Comics #27 (The first Bat-man Comic) but how many other collections include All-American Comics #20 with the first appearence of Ma Hunkle, the original Red Tornado?

A list of comics included: Action Comics #1 (First appearance of Superman); Detective Comics #29 (Origin of Bat-man); All-American Comics #20-#14 (First appearance of the Red Tornado, and other Red Tornado stories); Police Comics #1 and #13 (First appearance of Plastic Man, and Woozy Winks); Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (Captain Marvel Battles the Plot Against the Universe); Sub-Mariner #4 (Dr. Dimwit by Basil Wolverton); Tessie the Typist #8 (Powerhouse Pepper by Basil Wolverton); Jingle Jangle Comics #5, 24#, (The Pie-faced Prince by George Carlson); Little Lulu Four Color 74 and Little Lulu #38, #40, #80; Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #1 (Donald Duck Christmas story by Carl Barks); Animal Comics #1, Pogo Possum #3, #8 (Pogo the Possum and Gang by Walt Kelly); The Spirit supplements August 10, 1941, September 5, 1948, September 11, 1949 (Great Spirit stories by Will Eisner); The EC Collection (Frontline Combat No. #4, Two-Fisted Tales #25, Mad #4 (Superduperman vs. Captain Marbles), Mad # 18, Impact #1)

I love comic books and books about comic books. I have a collection of comic books in my room in a box. I have alot of iron man comics. I have some fantastic four comics too. My favorite comics and superheroes are Plastic Man, the Fantastic Four, and Iron Man. I love the Smithsonian Book of comic-book comics!