Not long after her birth in 1820, Fanny Crosby was blinded by the improper treatment of an eye infection by a supposed doctor. Yet despite the distress this caused her family, little did they suspect the paths which this disability would lead their remarkable child down. Fanny Crosby would surpass her obstacle of blindness and become a prolific poet and a compassionate servant of the Gospel of Jesus. From her early schooling in a newly established school for the blind she amazed people all around her with her surprising knack for writing poems, earning her fame and the nickname "The Blind Poetess."

A devout Christian throughout her life, she eventually put her poetic talent toward hymn writing. Throughout her life she composed over 9,000 hymns, although as the author points out, due to this massive output, many of the lyrics were of lower quality and sentimental. Nonetheless, many of her better hymns were very popular in the churches of that day, and reportedly many of them led to the conversions of people who were touched by their message. I would have enjoyed it if the author had included more of the hymn lyrics in the book, as I am unfamiliar with most of the hymns mentioned. Of the ones included some did seem a little "fluffy" and overly sentimental, yet she still had a great impact on many people both through her hymn-writing and her caring and generous behavior. Altogether it was a pretty interesting look into the life of a Christian woman who overcame her physical limitations to be a shining witness of the Gospel.

In the work the author takes the reader through the life of Aunt Fanny. He talks about the Puritan town she grew up in, and her first poem at 8 when she talks about the blessing of being blind. The Author gives great background into the many people that shaped her life, and the lifes that she touched. It is amazing to know that the author found her 204 pen names, and many of her 9,000 hymns. A great work about the Amazing Faith of a Sweet Little Woman. I suggest this as reading for any Christian, Musician, Poet or Teacher.

This book, by Tanya Anne Crosby, was as usual a very enjoyable read. I haven't disliked any book written by her so far, and I don't think I ever will. The Viking's Prize, perhaps, just wasn't for me because I've never read a Viking story before. I just did not like how Alarik constantly bullied Elienor, it seemed that way to me. He did not give her options in any matter at all and basically bullied her into doing things his way - conciously or not or its just because he's a Viking warrior. Elienor herself was a mass of contradictions and it got a little irritating after awhile. Other than that it is an enjoyable story, I read it in a few hours. If you want to read something better by Tanya Anne Crosby, IMHO, read "Once Upon A Kiss" or "The MacKinnon's Bride".

Viking's Prize was the first romance novel for me. I loved it! I found it had a touch of humor, passion and love. If you love romance and like the Viking history.. grab this book!

This book gives reviews from several scholars on the topics of environmental Photocatalysis and aquatic Photochemistry. Detailed experiments and results were outlined. Information was complete and specific.

If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to go into a battlefield without a gun, read this book. If you ever wanted to know how it would feel to provide confort and counsel to men in a seemingly godless world of hate and destruction, read this book. If you are a Catholic and would like to read about some modern day "angels" doing God's work under very difficult curcumstances, read this book. If you enjoy studying the "little stories" in WWII, read this book. Don Crosby spent a great deal of time interviewing these chaplins who are literally dying off as you read this. But their captivating stories live on in this important historical chronicle. The book is an easy read and one you will fondly remember for a long time.

This book is a great read for all those interested in Bing Crosby. It states a truthful but fair opinion of the crooners life, works, personality, and his family life. It is also easy to read and enjoyable too. The pictures in it are also great and soom I have never seen before. I t is truly a great buy!

This is a moving novel about an aging lawyer and Pittsburgh native, Daly "Right" Racklin, who struggles to understand and live up to the legacy of his late father Boyce Racklin, a champion of the underdog and fellow Pittsburgh attorney. The first page of the novel paints a pretty bleak picture, as Daly is told by his doctor his heart is failing and that nothing can be done to extend his life beyond a year. Daly proceeds to try and get his life in order, all the while continuing to give of himself to family, friends, and relatives of deceased buddies who never seem to take advantage of his kindness and betray him. All of this takes place during the turbulent summer of 1968, after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King.

Daly comes off as almost Saint-like, especially early in the novel, where he exudes a sense of calm patience when the world seems to come apart around him. He cares for a family that steals from him, because he knew their deceased father and knew he would've done the same had Daly died young and left a widow with children. Daly carries on a friendship with a blind divorcee, Jessie, and then gets involved in an unlikely, whirlwind romance with a mystical woman (Gloria Scone) that he meets at a wake. All the while, Daly is frequently visited by visions of Pretty Boy Floyd, and we learn one of the most vivid memories of his childhood was a visit to the grass field where Floyd was gunned down.

Overall, I thought this was a very moving novel, with the characters of Daly and Jessie drawn exceptionally well. The scenes in Oakland (a working class Pittsburgh neighborhood) pubs were excellent, as bartenders reminisced with Daly about his working class hero dad, the original "Right" Racklin. The author notes that it was difficult for Daly to live up the reputation of a good father. I also loved the road trip by Daly and his friends to NYC, to attend the funeral of RFK. Some of the plot twists seemed a little forced, ( I thought the whole Gloria Scone interlude was a little abrupt and unrealistic, and detracted from the novel), but overall it was an engaging read and a moving glimpse at a time and place that is infrequently visited.

My kid's 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 love this book. It is also a great book for my 6 1/2 yr old to read to us now.

Using literary studies on feminist spirituality such as Carol Christ's Diving Deep and Surfacing: Women Writers on Spiritual Quest (1980) as a springboard, author Janice C. Crosby successfully delves deeper into issues of spirituality in American women's fiction in her examination of literary critics and feminist spirituality theorists in Cauldron of Changes: Feminist Spirituality in Fantastic Fiction. Analysis of these hypertextual inquiries is necessary, according to Crosby, if we are to develop a better understanding of the nature of spirituality in feminist fiction versus the spirituality of non-feminist fiction. Through considering thematic patterns and, to a degree, character analysis as well, Crosby further looks at the uniquely visceral components of feminist fantastic fiction. Her special attention to popular fiction, which include texts by Alice Walker, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, helps to illuminate her argument that feminist spirituality is a visible and important component of popular culture, and its influences are therefore more important than theorists of fantastic fiction have previously believed. Janice C. Crosby has eloquently brought the contributions of less-examined writers who have until now been dismissed because of their feminist elements, and she has brought them into the larger realm of discourse on fantastic fiction and into positions of literary importance within that realm that they deserve. The above review was originally written for "Women's Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal," a publication of the Claremont Colleges.

Cropsey must have done 4 or 5 times the research customary. As a result he can make a date come alive with many diverse points, all creating a vivid impression of what he has in mind. It's the literary equivalent of High Density TV. During a wild period in Chicago's history a couple of Crosby cousins immigrate from Cape Cod and add a cultural dimension where none had existed in Chicago's history. It;s a great story that just happens to be authentic!

Some song will float in your head for many minutes after it is done. When you hear the first several bars of music - at first you may not know the name of the song (or who sang it), but some where from deep inside of you the words come to your mouth and you sing along with the radio. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is one of those groups that had songs you will find yourself doing just that.