Here is a pure spirit who knew no bounds as she grew mentally & physically and at the same time continued reaching out to those who turned their backs on her & her family. Her devoted love for her son makes a mother feel proud yet she keeps within the framework of a True Christian. She battles family, church, townspeople, school & government. She soars above hate & bigotry to stand tall yet finds enough love and strength within her to reach out to love and aid others. She has most certainly inspired me. Hats off!

This was recommended to me by P-FLAG and it was a great read. I bought it for my parents. Ms. Murray summarizes her message beautifully in chapter 12 of the book... "I'm certain, many in the audience that day were seeing gay people as genuine human beings for the very first time. Presenting gays and lesbians as the real people they truly are is the key to dispelling stereotype-based images of lewd, immoral, subhuman sexual predators so important to the success of the antigay propaganda being churned out by religious and political extremists." I hope she enjoys a long prolific life!

"A Journey to Moriah" is unequivocally the finest book I've ever read by the mother of a gay child. This is a story of a mother who takes responsibility for her own feelings, faces her demons, and grows as a woman. Too often parents of gay children project their own fears onto their children. Rhea Murray is clear from the start that she loves her son unconditionally and any demons she faces are her own demons - not her son's. Her turmoil over facing the church, facing family, facing her son's school, facing her small suburban community in Indiana, is her "own" turmoil - not her son's. To watch Rhea unfold as a human being as she faces these demons, is to watch a woman with a capital "W" come into her own strength and wisdom. The book's title refers to the biblical story of Abraham who was tested by God with the command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. Rhea realizes that she can have the approval of her church and the parishioners she has called "friends," if she sacrifices her son - if she turns her back to him as they have. "I will not sacrifice my son for the approval of a few people," she says. Rhea knows from the beginning that she will not sacrifice her son to church,school, family, or community - not to anyone. She honors her power and her ability to think for herself. Rhea faces her fears of public speaking, speaking out as the mother of a gay son, and facing authority. One of the most powerful moments in the book comes when she stands up to the school principal who is doing nothing to protect her son. At that moment she blossoms into a full and powerful woman. "A Journey to Moriah" is the story of a mother's fierce love for her son. It is a woman's journey to finding her own truth, facing her fears, finding her own power and strength, and growing as a human being. Rhea's story is a lesson to us all that the love for our children should not be compromised by any external forces and that finding our truth will unleash our power as human beings.

As a parent of an Autistic child, I purchased this book when my son was first diagnosed. It has a wealth of information and helped me better understand the few treatments available and the state of research on the disorder. It is a technical book, and not for all parents, but it is dog-eared in many sections from my use. I hope there is an update in the near future.

Neither cheap nor a light read, but just what it says - a definitive summary of the state-of-the-art in knowledge about autism and the other pervasive developmental disorders. Everything you need to know is in here.

Second book I read when trying to figure out whether my son had autism/PDD. Not for the parent who is faint of heart, but excellent, balanced, and objective resource for the parent who wants a deeper understanding of the research literature. Depending on your educational background, some chapters may be incomprehensible (e.g., the chapter on neurochemicals), but almost all are accessible to the well-educated and attentive layperson.

This is an evidence-based pocket wonder. Mark Graber, M.D., et. al. do an amazing job of packing the relevant practical facts needed in a daily practice or ER in a small space. The emergency care chapters particularly provide the kind of memory jogging details of care that one needs while on the job.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one family practice book, this should be it. (But wouldn't you take a good novel instead?) It covers the waterfront with details of diagnosis and treatment of all of the common and most of the uncommon disorders without the clutter of the rare. Good for students and residents in my estimation.

Excellent pocket reference. I'm a 3rd year FP resident and have found it helpful in the office and in the hospital. Just wish there was a new version -last one was in 1997.

Very good book I really enjoyed it. can't wait for the next one

What an imagination the author has. Great story. I recommend this book to people who love fantacy.

This book holds your interest each and every page. I couldn't put it down. A fun read. Action packed. I recommend it highly.

This book is a strong resource for any clinician dealing with language disorders. It clearly outlines intervention, assessment, different disorders etc. It covers a lot of material, but manages not to feel dense. It also provides tons of ideas for therapy... lists of children's books categorized by what therapy goal addresses (e.g. pronouns)... sample activities etc. Paul does a nice job of summarizing the current research and its implications for the clinician. I honestly don't know how I would have survived my first preschool placement without this book. Whenever I was stumped, this is where I turned. This is the type of book that you never get around to putting back on the shelf for you are always using it. Plus, as an added bonus it reads very well, more like a story than a text.

This is a must read book, especially for student who have clinical practice. This book covers most of the important aspects in language intervention. Many useful examples are list, so that you can easily apply the knowledge into your real cases!

After repeatedly checking this book out from the library, I bought my own copy. I found the organization of assessment and treatment by age group to be helpful, and the wealth of non-standardized testing methods both appropriate and easy to implement. As the author says, it is designed for the beginning clinician and provides a worthwhile resource for anyone working with children. Though it does provide theoretical discussion, it is primarily a "hands-on" book. I would recommend this book as a primary test, a supplemental text, or a resource for SLPs who are updating their knowledge and practice in child language.

This is one of my favourite historical fictions. Nickel is always detailed in her historical fictions such as The Nine Days Queen. Nannerl's dreams and sibling underappreciation is realistic. I enjoyed the historical details in the dreams and the occasional use of german. To top it off, further reading on the Mozart family, Nickel includes a Bibliography with good ressources. Inspiring for the young reader.

This is the story of the motzart that no one heard about even though she was just as talented.it is inspiring emotional book that almost any one can realte to.In that it is about feeling(and being)unappriciated,and the frustration that comes with it.Every one should read this book.It is truly inspiring.

A fantastic tale of the younger sister of the great Mozart. This young girl while on tour with her brother has a dream that will remove her from her older sibling's shadow. Great plot,beautiful writing and ripe with social commentary. Great for mature, young readers.

This book has been a joy for me. It is amazing how Rhonda Rhea can have insight into my life. What a comforting feeling to know that as a Mom, I am not alone, that we all experience great triumphs and the occasional sorrow. That life doesn't always flow as we think it should but Mrs. Rhea reminds us that it is God's way...not our's that matters. Within every life experience is a spiritual lesson and blessing. She helps us find humor in our daily journeys through motherhood. I find myself rereading sections...as a reminder...God is Good and has a sense of humor, so we must too.

Now here's a book with a sense of humor. But I found that after I got through laughing, I reflected on the blessings I have with my own family and the opportunities I have to make a difference in the world by making a difference in my home.

This is an excellent study of what must be one of the most horrific among Civil War battles. Though one reviewer's comments about sloppy notation are well taken, Rhea's scholarship overall seems solid, and he uses quotes to great effect to make the fighting come alive.

Not only Spotsylvania but the tragic cavalry battle at Yellow Tavern are covered here. Relevant to this, no other study I have seen, not even bios of Stuart, brings out Stuart and his troopers' role in initially forming the crucial defensive line on Laurel Hill and then deploying the infantry in ideal positions. Little known, but perhaps one of Stuart's finest hours.

Rhea seems even-handed ideologically speaking, and his criticisms of Grant and Sheridan seem well supported by the facts. I would recommend this book not only to scholars but to amateurs who want to know why the Civil War was a horrible conflict. This is not light reading. It is a story of appalling human suffering, courage, and unbelievable sheer endurance.

With the year only four-and-a-half months young, it would still be a safe bet to put your money on Gordon C. Rhea's "The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern-May 7-12, 1864" for "Best Civil War Book of 1997". Rhea, who gave us his "Battle of the Wilderness" in 1994, has only improved upon that award-winning volume with his latest effort. "The Battles for Spotsylvania" covers the vicious and nearly-disastrous engagement between Grant and Lee during the middle weeks of May, 1864. Here, near this sleepy little village southwest of Fredericksburg, Grant's bluecoats met Lee's butternuts in a mortal maelstrom of some of the most bloody fighting the Old Dominion had yet seen. Long neglected by Civil War writers, this pivotal and oft-confusing series of continuous combats was brought to the modern Civil War buff's attention by William Matter's fine "If It Takes All Summer" in 1988. Rhea, however, takes the torch from here and weaves a masterful narrative, both highly-detailed and smooth flowing at once, to give us, perhaps, the best coverage of this engagement we shall ever have. How so, one might ask? First, Rhea adds to the records and histories, a plethora of unpublished accounts from diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers, and the like to give this book the comprehensive personal side of battle. Yet, the strategic and tactical concerns of the fighting do not suffer at all. To be sure, the author, once again, has found that special touch in blending the larger and smaller "pictures" into one without detracting from either. Nearly every imaginable aspect of the battle is covered in deft fashion, always maintaining the easy-reading flow in the text. Especially inviting to buffs and important to historians is Rhea's coverage of the concurrent cavalry operations between Phil Sheridan and JEB Stuart, including a riveting account of "Little Phil's" Richmond Raid and Stuart's subsequent death at Yellow Tavern. From the initial fighting at Laurel Hill, through Upton's heroic charge and the battering assaults against the "Bloody Angle", the reader will find and feel that they are seemingly in the midst of the battle itself. I just got my copy and read it in two days--you will find this one very hard to put down! Theodore C. Mahr Dayton, Ohio ------------------------------------------------ Former Seasonal Historian Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania Natl. Military Park Author: "The Battle of Cedar Creek: Showdown in the Shenandoah, October 1-30, 1864"[1992]

Gordon C. Rhea has done it again. Mr. Rhea wrote a compelling battle narrative on the desperate fighting in the Wilderness that appeared on the book shelves in 1994. After I read that history, I wondered to myself, how in the heck would he follow up on his excellent treatment on the Battle of the Wilderness. With his latest volume on the Battle of Spotsylvania, he has certainly done that. Rhea, with this latest book has established himself as one of the finest historians writing about the war today. He has brought all of the elements together...Bravery, tragedy, incompetence, and yes, humor in a narrative that truly describes the horrors Americans went through during those awful days in early May, 1864. Mr. Rhea's description of the events on May 12, 1864 are harrowing, unbelievable, and heartbreaking. The struggle for the Bloody Angle becomes all too real for the reader. The unbelievable, heroic combat for those earthworks on the hallowed ground of the Spotsylvania Battlefield makes me proud of both sides as they fought during that rainy day. Each side gave their all....and they showed what Americans are all about. Special thanks for the maps of George Skoch. Mr. Skoch's work really helps the reader understand the campaign. A must for all students of the Civil War....Rhea has written a classic!

I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend and it started to help us immediately. We had to move a year ago and our kids (5 & 8) were a mess. This time we did ceremonies for moving, saying goodbye to the old house and hello to the new, and saying hello to our new neighborhood and neighbors. This move was a breeze for our kids. They loved what we did and so did we. My wife and I would never have thought about doing these ceremonies on our own. We would have braced ourselves for another horrible experience with our son and daughter. This book would be a great gift to any parents whether they have adopted kids or not. We consider it one of the best gifts we ever gave our family.

As an adoptive parent, I was feeling hopeless about one of our sons. A social worker recommended this book and we started to use it. We were awkward at first but it has helped us through some rough times. I wish we had bought this book two years ago. Do yourself a favor and buy this book. It may be the best investment you ever make. It was for us.

A friend told me how helpful this book was and I decided to buy it. I have 3 children -- none of them adopted. The ceremonies have been EXTREMELY HELPFUL to me and my family. Even my husband likes them. We have used their ideas to help with nightmeres, death of a pet, anger, feelings, and tricky transitions. This book is very practical and has helped us be more creative and less frustrated with our children. Buy this for your family and your friends. It is a great gift for anyone with kids. I wish we had purchased it sooner.

Kyle Preston brought joy to numerous kids' lives during the Christmas season. He loved the job of Santa but he definitely wasn't prepared for a precocious little girl to ask him for a daddy and a present for her mother in the form of a husband to help around the house. Yet luck had it's way when Kristen's mom forgot to turn off the headlights before going Christmas shopping. And who better to come to the rescue? Why Santa, of course. Kristen's mom, Lauren Alexander, was a single parent who had survived years on her own caring for the two of them without the help of her parents. Although she wanted contact, it was out of the question. So when a man decided he wanted to make them a part of his life, Lauren did the only thing acceptable. She pushed him away. Would she see reason when her parents enter the picture? Or will their relationship be totally destroyed? Christmas is a special time of year. One of renewing old friendships and finding some new. Ms. Mondello has created a moving tale destined to brighten the Christmas spirit in everyone who reads All I Want For Christmas Is You.

When she waddled across the stage to receive her diploma, Lauren Alexander's family was mortified by her pregnancy. Arranging for an adoption, her family hopes Lauren can attend college and survive the family scandal. However, the young mother could not bring herself to sign those adoption papers, leaving town with only her savings and her daughter cradled in her arms. Now Kristen is six, and Lauren struggles to provide all the things her daughter needs. Unfortunately, there's not much left for things like Christmas.

Kyle Preston remembers standing in court at the age of twelve when his father gave him to the state. Foster homes didn't seem to want the boy as much as the check, until his adoptive parents gave him the love he needed. Now Kyle is an affluent real estate developer playing Santa Claus in his own mall. When little Kristen gives her a letter, his heart can't help being touched. Rather than doll houses or easy-bake ovens, little Kristen only wants a daddy to help her momma. With Christmas three weeks away, Kyle finds himself sidestepping the promise.

But Christmas is the time of magic, touching hearts and bringing them together. Perhaps a dead battery can be a blessing if two hearts can be led to find one another. And author Lisa Mondello certainly knows how to bring magic together with love. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS proves a charming novel whether the time be Christmas or summer. With warm characters, a enduring child, and house full of wonderful secondary characters, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS comes highly recommended.

All I Want for Christmas Is You is a gem of a book. Kristen wants a daddy for christmas and she's picked Kyle. While Kyle struggles to convince Lauren that he is the answer to her hearts dreams, he must also come to terms with ghosts of his own. Lauren can't give into to anything less than true love, it wouldn't be fair to her daughter or her heart. Can Kristen's Santa Claus come through with the daddy she wants, the man her mother wants and the family Kyle wants? From the moment Kristen sits on Santa's lap until she gets her Christmas wish, theis book is one page after another of emotion, love, and good clean fun. Lisa Mondello has made her debut a sparkling one. All I Wnat For Christmas Is You is not to be missed, no matter what time of year it is.