The author, Cameron Chambers, deals with a very extraordinary set of factors. Canon Carter, the main character, is part mystic, part loving husband, and part faithful member of a very tragic family. He sorts through the difficulties in his life and emerges triumphant in the end. His is a story of spiritual and familial duty, a life of good serving others, and the story of a brave man and how he became who he is. The author's style is very engrossing. I felt compelled to read this book from the first paragraph.

A magician in a garden of words, the author depicts a troubled life in a difficult set of circumstances. It is easy to get wrapped up in this novel. The storyline pulls you in right from the beginning. I immediately felt like the events were happening to me. I highly recommend this book; it is a thought provoking novel and very unusual.

I started to read this book one evening and had a hard time putting it down. The author really has an interesting take on life and successfully draws you into the storyline. If you'd like to have a thought-provoking book in your collection, I'd recommend this one.

After reading Chambers' word daily for the previous three years, I had already been changed by the man's insights into the God's Word and the disciple's walk. As Richard Halverson (former Chaplain of the United States Senate) said of My Utmost for His Highest, "No book except the Bible has influenced my walk with Christ at such deep and maturing levels."

When I began to read what I thought would simply be a pleasantly uplifting and inspiring life story of a man I already admired, I did not imagine how much McCasland's biography would enrich my appreciation of Chambers' words and life. The book is quite well written, and was most certainly enjoyable, but it provided far more enriching rewards. The details of Chambers' life and thinking that McCasland's work painted became a context which greatly deepens the significance of Chambers' writing - especially My Utmost for His Highest. Provided with Chambers' background, upbrinning, struggles, failings, loves, sacrifices, ambitions, convictions, conversations, correspondences and more, his own writing has led me to even deeper appreciation and understanding of the walk of a faithful servant of Christ. I am still astounded that he died at my own age - how could such a young man come to know the Lord and the yoke of service so well in such a short time?! I am grateful that McCasland went on to relate the story of Biddy, Oswald's widow, and her incredible faithfulness to the work that Oswald was unable to continue.

I have already purchased and given away several copies of Abandoned to God, and will continue to recommend and share it. McCasland has done more than simply told the story of a man, he has revealed and shared a noble life with us. In summation, I must say that this book has become my favorite biography, and has probably made more difference in my life than any other I have read. Thank you, David McCasland!

As a reader of Oswald Chambers work, I was anxious to read more about the man. This book was life-changing, spiritually challenging and inspiring. Although an "easy" read in many respects, it's content was not easy to digest. I found it thought provoking and a time of self-examination. It's difficult to identify any current day lives so devoted not to "what God does, but who God is", as Oswald Chambers refers to early in the book. It's a book one would recommend without hesitancy.

This book was easy to read, very informative, and showed the very human side of a most spiritually minded man. I loved the little details that built the overall picture of who Oswald Chambers was as a man. It showed that he was flawed and weak just as we all are, but showed his sincerity and integrity before God. His life resembles in so many ways that great King David, who is known in the Scriptures as "a man after Gods own heart."

After reading his inspired "My Utmost For His Highest" daily for over 20 years, it was so rewarding to read of the man behind one of the most loved devotional books ever written.

I read the other reviews on this page, and I thought I should add something: this novel is unbelievably beautifully written, and the english translation is absolutely superb.

You cannot find any better example of novel-writing skill in any language.

I've read all parts of The Story of the Stone. It starts and ends in a mystical fashion; coming full circle in a traditional ying/yang way. Wonderful five volume story about two wealthy families closely connected to the throne. Although there's not much known about the true author, I suspect that it was written by a maid. There is incredible detail from the perspective of the servents working for their sometimes nutty employers. The family actually built a garden at one point in honor of a visit from a daughter who had been chosen to be a royal concubine. If you want to immerse yourself in the ups and downs, daily life, (warts and all) of 1750's Chinese culture don't miss The Story of the Stone et al.

This book was written one year before the French Revolution, in 1788, in Beijing, China by a riches-to -rags nobleman called Cao Xue Quin. It is viewed by many as the greatest classical Chinese romantic novel ever written.

I read the original Chinese version of this book when I was in high school, many years ago. At that time, my impression was that it was a Chinese Romeo and Juliet type tragic love story, in which the main characters Bao-yu and his cousin Dai-yu (Black Jade) suffered the fate of unfulfilled love, and no ever after. There was more to it than that, but I could not figure out what.

Recently, I re-read the book (the current trans- lated version). This time it sounded like the Adven- tures of Tom Jones, in which the teen-aged playboy Bao-yu was dallying in the ranks of the female members of his household (his cousins and maids), longing after many but only truly loving Dai-yu.

It was also a bit similar to Upstairs Downstairs -- a big noble clan with all its ladies, young misses and maids, and their lives of adventures and tears. But something was still missing. There was a theme, a message, which draws me and others to this great work of literature.

I finally figured it out: Almost all the WOMEN in this book were described as elegant, sophisticated, intelligent, graceful, excellent decision makers, and above all, beautiful. Most MEN, however, were described as fools, red-necks, unfaithful, heart-breakers, nogooders, users of prostitutes and abusers of power!

What I am looking at is a book (or one-MAN crusade) of Early Feminism. It is all the more remarkable because in feudal China, women did not have equal status. "marrying for love" seldom existed. It was more like "married by parental arrangement". Poor girls were sold as maids into rich households, or worse, they were sold as second wives or concubines.

The confirmation of my theory came from the author Cao himself. In his introductory book review, he said, "Thus begins this book ... I have hidden the real events and substituted them with fiction ... There were real persons in the inner-chambers, and their stories must be told ..." (Modern translation: I have real women in my household).

This message would make this a truly revolutionary work, not only in feudal China, but even to-day.

Should have first read the book review by the author.

This is truely the best reference book on the spanish language that I have been able to find. As a student of the language it is a must have for me. The authors have done a great job creating an easy to use format that will enhance the skills of beginners to native speakers.

This is more than an diccionary is the best book in the spanish lenguage. truly a MASTER PIECE

This is a classic. You've to have it. It is also an interesting way to learn spanish.

I had the chance to compare the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology with the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, and I have to say that although both books are way ahead of the competition, for me, the Oxford seemed to go into greater depth.

Admittedly, I did not have the time to compare a lot of entries, but the few words I did look up showed a pattern that was hard to dismiss. In all of the cases that I saw, the Oxford dictionary included much more of the history of the word and often went back to the Latin root as well as proposing possible alternate developments of the word. The Chambers dictionary, on the other hand, tended to trace a more linear path and often only went as far back as the Old English or Old French root.

While the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology is a very clear and concise work, I feel the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology has a slight advantage in precision and depth. I must add that although the Oxford beats out the Chambers dictionary in regard to etymology, Chambers has the advantage when it comes to quotations. I find that the Chambers Dictionary of Quotations is better than Oxford's equivalent work.

This volume is a "must-have" for readers, scholars, and absolutely any person interested in words and their origins/history. The book is rather heavy and thick but is otherwise extremely user-friendly and a great "browser" as well as an essential companion to any ordinary dictionary.

I should note that this edition, although a British re-publication of its famous US version, retains American spelling and keeps its focus on American sources while utilizing the best of all English references, regardless of country of origin.

Regarding physical quality, the book has a signature-sewn binding, meaning that it is not merely held together by glue but that its pages are actually sewn with real thread... quite a treat in today's disposable society. Thus, with reasonable care, this tome should last a lifetime and beyond!

This reference views the English language from an American perspective (as opposed to the classic OED) and presents its 25,000-30,000 entries accordingly.

The book is a supreme value and you can't go wrong. This is one for scholars and browsers alike.

I recommend this book in the highest possible sense.

If you're starting to learn playing jazz, this is *not* the book. There are plenty of others like Amadie's and Ferrara's that are more immediately helpful in this regard.

With that out of the way: "Improvising Jazz" is an excellent source of unique perspective, advice, and experience from a noted jazz educator, Jerry Coker. Coker focuses not only on how to play but, on another level, how to learn and how to develop further. You will want this book in your collection to gain further depth and pespective on the subject.

There is advice on how to approach your first jam session, developing the ear, combining intellect with spontaneity. The later chapters on analysis of melody and functional harmony, first written in 1964, were probably the one of the first systematic attempts to "organize" jazz theory. You definitely get the sense that this is a major source material for reference books such as "Modern Jazz Piano" by Brian Waite.

I had the first edition of this book when I was learning to play jazz piano in the early 1960s. It's a classic that every jazz musician should own, even if it has been superseded by more comprehensive works. It's a little short on piano voicings, and the language is definitely aimed at beginners. But it's a fun read for musicians at any level.

And in the back of the book ...

To avoid paying royalties, Coker prints scores of standard tunes with only the chord changes -- no titles or melodies. It's great fun figuring out what the tunes are. Some of them still have me stumped ...

I started improvising Jazz back in the early 70's. Back then every serious player I knew owned a copy of Jerry Coker's "Patterns for Jazz". Somehow, I missed owning a copy of "Improvising Jazz" until just a week ago. This book, published in 1964, is awesome. It's packed with insight and applicable techniques regarding improvisation that are as fresh today as they were nearly 40 years ago.

If you already own Pattern's for Jazz, this book is totally different. "Patterns" is a 99% music whereas "Improvising" is 90% discussion and application with the music used to illustrate the discussion.

My favorite passage is an excerpt the author takes from Richmond Browne on what makes a solo interesting to various listeners. Find this on page 15!

It's a small book to be sure. However, this just means that it can be read over and over and physically kept in your case. Think of it as a "Strunk & White" for jazz.

As usual with Dummies books, this one is a good foundation for using the subject matter, and fun to read. However, too much time is spent on the differences between MAC OS whatever and OS X. Some of us didn't have a MAC before OS X and we don't care about the differences. We are coming from Windows and we want to know all we can about the MAC OS X and the UNIX underpinnings. That is what makes OS X exciting. I like this book, and found it very useful for specific questions that were not too complex, but there is too much about programs out there that cost too much that you can buy as add ons. I want to know how to use the OS and the features it came with more than what to spend even more money purchasing. Still, this book is very good and easier for many people than some of the other books out there.

This book is perfect for every Mac owner who wants guidance with the Mac's Jaguar OS. The authors keep things light, even entertaining and there's nothing missing. Check out the index pages and you'll see what I mean.

Make sure you try out the tips, they're the best part of the book!

I think this book will answer the questions and dole out the tips that anyone needs when they first run Jaguar. Read it from end to end like I did and the gurus might even learn a thing or 2. At last I am enjoying the iLife programs that I got with my system and things are running just like I like them in preferences. Invest the time to read it all and you'll appreciate this book like I do.

The only fault of the book is that, at times, it dissipates into exaggeration. It still comes recommended.

This book has been a big hit with local old time baseball fans as I have loaned it many times.

Not only fascinating are these stories, but what I find intriguing is a look into a segment of American History of which I know next to nothing.

To say that Paganini was ahead of his time is an impossible understatement: we still haven't caught up with him 200 years later. He broke all the rules: parallel octaves, chromaticism, major/minor modulations seemingly at random, etc. etc. This book does a great job of transcribing these amazingly difficult passages. They're HARD, and there's no substitute for practice. Get to work!

If, you are looking for a better performance in your bowing, and all the color in your violin, adquire this Book. The level is high and you need to be patient and practice to raise the correct level. I like the book, because has a good presentation, some notes about how perform some passages and the best of all, are three books on one book, The 24 Caprices, The E'cole Moderne(Wieniawski), and 8 Wieniawski Etudes.

Caprices and Etudes for Solo Violin by Nicolo Paganini, Henryk Wieniawski

The title of this book, Having It All, ends in a question mark. A deliberate choice of punctuation, that question mark implies that some level of discourse, some debate will follow in order to answer the question of the title. But although it seemed Ms. Chambers truly wanted to answer it, there was too much murkiness involved in the premise - not least of which was the lack of a definition for the "It All" referred to in the title. The word 'success' (as in 'successful Black women') is similarly glossed over, but from the descriptions that follow, it seems to refer to women earning, or being born into, a lot of money.

The confusion begins with the first line of the introduction: "Thank God for Clair Huxtable," or more specifically, the fictional 'Cosby Show' character's introduction to mainstream America. Invoking the memory of a tv character who, by Ms. Chambers' own admission, broke the needle on the "Let's be real!" meter would have been a less glaring misstep if any one of the women chronicled in her book had come close to mirroring the character's over-achieving, stress-free lifestyle. Thankfully, they do not; the women are real, well-rounded, insightful, gratifyingly imperfect. Their stories are what make the book worth reading, but Ms. Chambers zig-zags between telling them and marveling over the fact that such women (Black women with enough disposable income to afford beautiful homes, designer clothes, plush vacations and disrespectful servants) even exist. The stories don't really match the cheerleading, self-congratulatory tone of the book. These women clearly don't have 'it all'(thus answering the question of the title), but they do have rich, interesting lives that seem to fulfill them, ups-and-downs notwithstanding. Should we, as Black women, just be pleased that there are so many more Black women of means out there, or should we be discouraged by the price we're likely to pay (racial isolation, the dearth of desirable mates) by joining their ranks? Ms. Chambers doesn't know either, and you won't be any closer to an answer after reading this book.

As a reader, I was initially thrilled by the subject matter and ultimately disappointed by the book's lack of focus. Overall, though, I would recommend this book, if only for Ms. Chambers' exhaustive research and for the brave, candid disclosures of the women involved.

Journalist Veronica Chambers has attempted to give readers a panoramic view of the successful Black woman's journey amongst a sea of self-help and other nonfiction books on similar subjects in Having it All. Drawing upon historical context along with interviews with an assortment of African American women, it appears she has favorably portrayed them in this text. Recent articles such as the Newsweek article about successful Black women's strides and challenges juxtaposed against the reported dismal picture of African American men's accomplishments give a short synopsis of the obstacles, fears and triumphs of having it all. This book digs further into the psyche of Black women, who Zora Neale Hurston has called " the mules of the world". But we have come a long way baby, as evidenced in the changing face of Aunt Jemima who has gone from an overweight, handkerchief wearing mammy to a perfectly coifed, smartly dressed intelligent woman that entertainment stylist B. Smith would be proud to honor.

Can Black women have it all? Over a five-year period Chambers spoke with such high profile women as Janet Hill, Starr Jones, and Donna Auguste along with others not as well known who struggle with the same doubts and concerns as their White counterparts but with the added burden of race. What is interesting is how each of these women define success. Some count having it all as having successful careers along with the financial rewards along with a satisfying marriage and children. Still others women measure their success by their careers strides only and do not feel the need to marry and/ or have children. But more times than not, they all find themselves straddling the line between the Black and White worlds. Some of these women are first generation college graduates from working-class backgrounds, others have parents who were the first to partake of the benefits of the civil rights movements, and still others come from affluent backgrounds of several generations.

Thelma Golden, former curator at the Whitney Museum and now a director at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks about having a sense of entitlement, never allowing race to be a stumbling block. Robin Nelson-Rice, who has traveled and lived abroad in her career, talks of being worlds apart economically and education-wise from her family, and the author herself talks about constantly being asked for financial assistance by her extended family. Susan Fales-Hill, who is a legacy of affluence, regularly appears in Vogue and Vanity Fair society pages and cautions Black women to keep their options open when choosing a mate. Still another young woman who was raised by parents in the Black Power movement despairs of finding a Black man with which to grow old.

This was very well researched and written and like other exposes in the same vein including "Our Kind of People" by Lawrence Otis Graham, overdue. Chambers, who has been a staff editor at Newsweek and other publications, continually stresses that the women we see in these pages are not exceptions, but the norm, women we know and see everyday. I don't know if this book is so much about women who want or have it all as about women who have come into their own and have learned to negotiate their lives on their own terms. I would recommend it if only to reassure us that, yes we can have it all.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub

This book should be read by everyone! Its depth, humor, intelligence and sensitivity reflect the predicament of resilient African-American strivers. But, its real value and appeal lie in the complex, universal humanity conveyed by the interviewees. Whether you're the object of the the issues so expertly handled by Chambers, friends, loved-ones, or allies in addressing them, or interested newcomers, you will benefit from this affirming work.