From Lane's perspective on pornography, he should have surfed more porn and read fewer Time Magazines. Although he provides a very useful and entertaining history of porn in America, he lacks a real "insider's" experience. This could have come with more actual interviews with porn business pornographers other than over-publicised Danni Ashe.

This is not to say the book is bad. We all know the state of porn - or atleast you would if you're interested in reading this book. For what I required, Lane's book was almost perfect. He organized time, theme and place well, offered may other online sources and had a good chronology of events. If you're writing a TV pop documentary on the porn industry, it's a great resource. Lane's book ain't too heavy -but it's a good source for ideas.

Well, here's the scoop. I met Fred twice at Conventions. The first time was immediately after he closed the hardcover version of the book. The second, while he was reseraching for the paperback update. Now, I don't know how to say this without being arrogant, but Fred missed it. You see, I am the Inventor of the Virtual Sex Machine, the worlds first interactive sexual simulation system for use with a computer. When fred was doing his research for each of the books, he missed us the first time, despite the fact that we are very public (virtualsexmachine.com) and have been since early 1996. Had he done even a cursury search, he would have found us. We have been covered by all the major news sources (ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Playboy, Hustler, Gear, and others.)He talks of Entrpreneurs in the Cyberage, not just the adult industry. We are most definately Front and center and were not included. I could have MAYBE understood not being included in the original Hardcover as just missing us. But we met with him twice since then, and there is NO excuse for not even a mention in the update. I bought both books expecting to see something and was very disspointed. As far as I know, we are the ONLY adult company that has Patents pending on new technologies in this industry. A search of any of the normal research areas would have turned this up. We supplied him with full coverage and contact information regarding the product, and he interviewed us twice. You may say it's sour grapes for not being included, but the fact is, we are a company in this industry with the newest and most advanced technology, and it should have been included. Maybe he'll get it right in the next book. To Fred: I'm sorry Fred, but you have really dissapointed me with your research abilities. Despite that, I still have to reccomend the book, because it is well done for the coverage that it does deal with. I just think Fred doesn't quite "get it" beyond a pure dry research approach. The book is a slow read, and is very much technical. Written more like a textbook. (With some of the best and exciting parts missing)

This is an excellent book, written with a lawyer's research habits and a computer scientist's discipline. For anyone interested in the most profitable industry segment of the new economy, this is required reading material. It is interesting, entertaining, and informative. Pick it up, but know the following. Money doesn't mean power. It means freedom.

"After looking deep into her eyes just before we departed that day, I knew right there and then that she was the one that had captured me. That feeling cannot be placed into words and I would never attempt to try."

Charles Marshall is in love with a beautiful girl named Cindy Beck. He knows he has to write her and tell her how he feels, but he is rather shy. After overcoming his shyness he writes her a simple note. Soon the two meet and fall madly in love. This story follows their lives through high school and then up their engagement.

Then the unthinkable occurs.

This is book will be interesting to anyone who is considering joining the military or who is experiencing a separation from the one they love. It also gives some insight into the thoughts of a person in pain. The way in which Charles is not able to connect emotionally shows how hurt he was. He probably broke a lot of hearts on his journey to find the love of his life. That first love he lost. How could anyone compare?

Before I left, we kissed one last time to finish a memorable night. She whispered into my ear, "Never forget our promise. I will always love you."

A sad story of everlasting love that wasn't meant to last. This book is written from Charles' perspective and is his memory of the woman he loved.

This book is just incredible. It told a beautiful story while offering sound insights on what life holds while demonstrating young love through the eyes of Charles. Cindy was one fortune lady in the book to have had a wonderful boyfriend like Charles. It makes me want to relive my high school days again. I can't wait for this author's next book. I recommend it for young people who can learn a lot on what life has to offer and I think everyone who enjoy touching stories will be grateful in reading this one.

"Unforgettable" lives up to its name, and then some. This poignant love story is told from the point of view of a shy young man named Charles, who tells the tale of how he met and fell in love with his high school sweetheart, Cindy. While growing up in a small town in Arizona has both good and bad points, it lends a very special atmosphere to this exceptionally sweet love story. Charles helps Cindy train for the "Miss Rodeo Queen" contest, and overcomes his shyness to join her on stage at school to sing a duet. Cindy and Charles also share special time together on picnics, parties, dances, and camping as their love for one another deepens in their idyllic high school years.

Unexpected twists and turns of fate cause emotional and physical upheaval in Cindy and Charles' lives following graduation from high school. Even so, the romance shared by these two young lovers eventually proves its power for transcending all obstacles -- even death. "Unforgettable" may well have you crying tears of release by the end of the book, as it did for me. This book will help restore your faith in the power of love, and will bring you a greater sense of what really matters in life -- making it unforgettable.

I find myself referring to this book again and again. I always recommend it as an introduction to the Alexander technique. It assisted me greatly when I was first taking Alexander lessons. It is still valuable years later as I refresh and review. Easy to read, entertaining, cogent, and reflective. It reads almost as though you were having conversation with Mr. Gelb. If I had to use one book to introduce a new person to the Alexander technique, theory and understanding, this would be the one.

I am a music major, and I am now in my third semester studying the Alexander Technique. This study has been the most important event in my musical life, and thankfully, it carries over into every other aspect of my life, as well. This book is the required reading for the course. Not that we get a grade on it. It's just immensely helpful. It's not a substitute for a trained Alexander teacher, but it provides another view point, a new way of putting things, of phrasing things, and can help the early AT student grasp the concept of it all a little better. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about the Alexander Technique, and improving the quality of your life.

The other intro book at this level is Chris Stevens' "Alexander Technique."

I used to rank Stevens ahead of Gelb, but the new edition of Body Learning has expanded coverage on practical matters like finding teachers and the nature and purpose of lessons. The two books are dead even now.

Some readers may be frustrated because the book (and its subject) are so radically different from the usual self-help dreck. One of the best new passages is one where Gelb explains that, at his publishers insistance, he will include a do-it-yourself Alexander 'exercise.' The exercise consists of picking up the telephone and scheduling a lesson!

Deciding to study the Alexander Technique may be one of the smartest decisions you ever make. The clear explanations in this book should help you before and after this decision.

I read this book after reading Christine Sparks' novel, "The Elephant Man", which is based on the movie based on the true-life story of Merrick. Reading Montagu's book helped me realize which parts of the story were from Merrick's actual life and which were artistic creations. Montagu includes a number of primary documentation in presenting the history of Merrick (including Treves' memoirs, Merrick's autobiography, Carr-Gomm's letters to the Times, etc.), as well as what later researchers have found out about Merrick's history and a description of the disorder he was inflicted with, neurofibromatosis.

After presenting this information, Montagu continues by explaining the moral lessons that come from the story of Merrick. This is where Montagu's book starts to reveals its dated-ness. Though the lesson of the importance of loving a child will never be outdated, Montagu insists on the special role of the mother, whereas modern anthropologists have conclude that fathers can nurture children as well as mothers (men are not as inclined to participate, but do have the ability). In the 70's when this book was written, child rearing was still looked upon as being the sole domain of the woman. Mother-love should be read parental-love.

The second complaint I have is Montagu's actual writing style. Though he has good thoughts and ideas, he has little skill in expressing them and has a tendency to rehash the same thought over and over again. His writing is not well organized (beyond being divided into chapters) and his presentation of moral truths comes off more like pleading rather than as a well-presented argument. The language is simple and easy for children to understand so it is a great book for young readers, but the adult reader will feel the book lacking.

I am glad I purchased this book, and I recommend it for people who want to know more about the life of Joseph Merrick, but the rest of the content must be read with a grain of salt - realize that the writing is poor and the analysis is somewhat outdated. I could not give it 4 or 5 stars because of these faults.

Well researched, and well written. A shining example of an attitude towards life that all can learn from. A "must read."

I really liked reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone. It is about the life of Joseph Merrick. It shows people how that it is what is inside a person that counts. What is in their heart that counts, and not how they look. It's one of the best books I've ever read.

Eternal Hostility is a rousing appeal for freedom of conscience in an age of capitulation to fundamentalism. If you are going to read only one book about the Christian right, this is the one.

This book like no other clearly identifies the theocratic ideologies and institutions that drive the modern Christian right, and describes the threat to democratic pluralism, reproductive freedom and constitutional democracy itself.

Frederick Clarkson is a veteran journalist and a skillful writer who places a corrective lens on the lazy eye of the conventional wisdom -- which periodically declares the religious right dead, even as it quietly gains strength. Here you will fine he has distilled and updated his well known work on the likes of Pat Robertson, the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon, the Christian Reconstructionist movement, and the Promise Keepers. Although Eternal Hostility has been out for a few years it remains both a refreshing read and a standard reference. Students and faculty will appreciate the careful documentation and indexing that distinguishes this book from so many on all sides.

In a field filled with hyperbole and propaganda, this book stands out as a clear voice of reason.

So-called social conservatives are given a pretty free ride on TV news programs, don't you think?

Have you ever heard a TV journalist use the word "theocracy" or "theocrat" when discussing the Christian Right? If they had read Eternal Hostility, they would know that the word theocrat is not an epithet, its a religious and political point of view held by many -- but certainly not all on the Christian Right.

Wouldn't it be helpful if Americans who think democracy and pluralism are good things, were informed that there are totalitarians in our midst and that they play important roles in influencing public life? Frederick Clarkson thinks so, and his very readable book is an excellent primer for the otherwise politically literate.

I was so glad to see that ABC's 20/20 recently had the good sense to feature his expertise in a segment about antiabortion terrorism. I hope we will hear more from him in the media.

I also I hope you will buy and read Eternal Hostility. If you do,you will never look at politics and political reporting the same way.

Eternal Hostility is an important book for advocates and defenders of reproductive freedom. Clarkson shows that the proponents and practitioners of antiabortion violence see abortion and homosexuality as symptoms of larger problems -- constitutional democracy, religious pluralism and separation of church and state. Most leaders of the Christian Right share this view -- but they are shrewd enough not to endorse the bombing of clinics and the assasination of doctors by the Army of God. If you read Eternal Hostility, you may come to the same conclusion as this reader: they are silent partners, comlicit in the violence.

Clarkson demonstrates that there is a low level guerilla war going on the the U.S., and that the war of attrition waged by these well armed zealots has a twenty year history and a long future. These are theocratic revolutionaries hell bent on detablizing constitutional democracy. Clinics and doctors are but strategic targets in the campaign for a rightwing Christian theocracy. Far-fetched as such goals may seem, that does not alter the fact that there is a small but growing network of determined men and women who see it as their life's work. The short term targets of the violence are abortion providers. Who will be next?

"On the Road With the Archangel: A Novel" by Frederick Buechner is a small book; yet it contains a HUGE message...God is bigger, greater, deeper, more incomprehensible and loving than we can ever even begin to imagine. The mortal characters of the story are eloquent representations of misconceptions of God that a lot of us share with them:

Some of us are like Sarah and her Father--we have a hard time trusting the God who, though ever present, sometimes seems quite hidden.

Some of us are a lot like Tobit--God is, for us, an all-too-ever-present scorekeeper who likes to stick his nose into all our actions and motivations in order to cast judgment upon us.

A lot of us are like Tobias--We simply ignore God in the midst of our busyness. The greatness of "On the Road With the Archangel" is that it acknowledges just how prevalent these human misperceptions are; and then moves on to a truer picture of God.

The story is told by the Archangel Raphael. Raphael gets involved in the lives of the human characters in order to answer a couple of their prayers. Raphael finds great humor in the humanity's misconceptions of God. A he narrates the story, he contrasts the mortals misperceptions of God with his experience of being in God's presence. In end, "On the Road With the Archangel" teaches us the same lesson that Tobit learns. We must come to the point (as Tobit finally does after his blinding and the events that follow it) where we stop relying on what we think of as our vision in order to truly see

This retelling of the apocryphal story of Tobit is both humorous and touching. Reading it is like a going to a spiritual optometrist. It helps us to see just how skewed our own vision of God is.

I give "On the Road With the Archangel" my full recommendation.

...and Frederick Buechner does the job gracefully and with a gentle humor worthy of some of our most revered writers (Mark Twain comes to mind, for one). Buechner's story is based on the apocryphal Book of Tobit, and tells the tale of two families brought together -- by fate or by subtle miracles, you be the judge.

A Presbyterian minister and the author of many works of fiction and non-fiction as well, Beuchner's style flows effortlessly along. Where others -- particularly those of a ministerial vocation -- might be rempted to let their narrative become 'preachy', Beuchner never makes that mistake. After reading just this one book, I get the strong impression that it would not be in his nature to allow that to happen.

The story is told from the perspective of the Archangel Raphael, who comes to earth and assumes human form -- not wishing to reveal his true identity -- in order to accompany young Tobias, son of Tobit, on a journey from Niniveh to Media and back again. He is being sent there by his father to retrieve a treasure left in the care of a former associate -- a treasure that will hopefully support Tobias and his mother for the rest of their lives. Tobit is blind and, weary of feeling useless to his family, has prayed to God that he might die soon.

In Media lives another family, considerably more well-off than that of Tobit. The one child of the family, a daughter, Sarah, has entered into a regretful contract with a demon to discourage any suitors that may approach her -- she loves her father Raguel dearly, and dreads being parted from him. Unfortunately, the demon falls in love with her, and his 'discouragement' takes the form of killing any man she marries on their wedding night. After seven such deaths, her reputation -- and that of her family -- has begun to suffer a bit, to say the least.

Buechner's novel brings these two threads together into a rich tapestry -- his characters are fleshed out perfectly, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and often humorous foibles. The wry observations of Raphael -- along with his kind and loving nature -- add immeasurably to the enjoyment of this book. Also, the author's characterization of the love of God -- voiced through Raphael's comments as well as throughout the meat of the story itself -- is one that should appeal to all but the most rigid fundamentalists in the Judeo-Christian world.

This is a book that made me feel good -- and it also caused me to reflect on my own beliefs. It's a beautiful story, well-told -- by no means a piece of fluff. This is an artful creation that speaks to the way we live our lives, the way we interact with and treat our fellow human beings. It's an uplifting and enlightening experience.

"On the Road With the Archangel", is in my opinion, one of Frederick Buechners best books. It is based on the Book of Tobit, which in the Catholic Bible is one of the deuterocanonicals and to the Protestants is one of the apocryphal books. Though Buechner is not Catholic, he treats the Book of Tobit with a reverence that is greatly appreciated, and he shows for Protestants that even though they do not recognize these books, that valuable lessons can be learned from them. Frederick Buechner, like he did with the "Son of Laughter", fleshes out the characters like only he can do. After a few minutes one can already begin to relate to the characters, and as with every good book, when it is over, you'll feel as if a good, close friend has moved away. Not only has Buechner transformed the Book of Tobit into an easy to read storyline, he takes us to an ancient time and has us instantly recognize the problems the characters face as problems we encounter as well. Not satisfied with just a simple story, Buechner takes us into a soul-searching journey along with Tobias (the main character) and forces us to analyze our own relationship with God. Do we realize our relationship with God in the proper light, do we recognize His love for us and how He views His creation in a proper light? I think Buechner does an excellent job of shining a light on the answers to these questions.

Definitely a great book to sit down with and enjoy. I would recommend it to any Christian.

The other reviewers have it right--a very good book. There is a slow start when we learn about his youth, and he masters the family business of horses. The story really picks up when he joins the Canadian military and then the Royal Flying Corps in France. Frederick Libby is not a deep thinker--he believes in friendship and loyality--he doesn't spend much time worrying about the why of war. He is spontaneous in his response to situations rather than thinking things through. His clear writing gives us a sense of what life was like, but I do not understand why he survived and most of the aviators did not. If I liked this book, then why did I give it only 3-stars? The book has been over-edited and has a feel as though a lot of the life has been rewritten out of it. I want to know more about Libby's experiences, and I feel a bit cheated. Another reason for 3-stars is that the story starts slow, peaks in the middle, and goes back to a slow and finally a disjointed end when he returns to the United States and health problems end his military career. Libby lives for another 50 years, and we are given a very simplified version by his granddaughter which grabs my interest but doesn't deliver more than generalities. A search of the internet does not find any more information about Libby's life. This book whets your appetite for more knowledge about this time when aviators believed they were knights, and the internet has a huge amount of information on this subject.

This story is not about horses, or flying. It's about one thing: character. In Frederick Libby's autobiography the reader sees the story of a young man born in Colorado before the turn of the last century. He grows up learning the family business, mainly horse breaking and cattle ranching. The early chapters are a bit juvenile in their telling but this is only a reflection of his retelling of childhood events. The narration becomes more sophisticated as he recounts later years, but always maintains a simple frontier charm.

While a young man traveling through Canada in 1914 he volunteers for the Canadian army when war breaks out in Europe. He joins as a truck driver even though he has never driven a car before. He ships out to france and spends a cold wet year ferrying supplies to the frontlines. But through it all he maintains a positive outlook and high admiration of the boys in the trenches. After a year of driving he volunteers for the Royal Flying Corps as a observer (gunner). So this American who volunteered with the Canadians ends up with British flying as an observer/gunner/photographer against the deadly German flyers. He later earns his pilot rating and ends up as a squad leader. The desciptions of battles, some of the only first person accounts of the flying war, are intense but not sensationalized. He never glorifies war and tries to give some account of the hardship experienced by the men in the trenches.

The entire narrative shows Captain Libby as a man devoted to those he works with. Whether it is cattle hands in the American west or the officers of the RFC he shows that once he is committed to something he stays with it. The fact that he was barely twenty years old when this started shows how the youth of the time rose to the challenge of the day. Several time during the book He says that he does not know what they are fighting for. However, a man who gives his word to a group of men and sees it through to the end knows exactly what he is fighting for.

Since my brother noticed my review on the last book he sent me, a true story of submarine espionage during The Cold War, "Blind Mans Bluff", I guess he figured to warm up my library with another real life adventure--"Horses Don't Fly". As I opened his package, I admit, I sighed. However, this book is enthralling and compelling as any fictional novel I have ever read.

Frederick Libby wrote his impactful memoir in 1961. He passed away in 1970. There are so many questions I want to ask him. His marvelous capacity for recalling specific details on his life as first a cow puncher out West to his becoming the first American to down five enemy planes during WWI is fascinating indeed. I truly think of him as being the first Marlboro Man. Not in a negative tobacco way, as a rugged, adventurous, spirited man who can capture your attention as fast as he learned to be a pilot and use a machine gun. Which was one day!

Some of my favorite parts of Libby's experiences are during his stand with the Canadian army. Through sensitivity, detail, and even humor, he recreated scenes of comraderie with fellow pilots I shall not soon forget. Friends lost in combat, poignant depictions of wartime London, even playful pranks.

Libby was a true hero. With medals to prove it. Yet, his writing reveals he was just a cowboy who learned how to fly. He tangled with the Red Barron and won, but does not flaunt his ego. In this day of techno wars and seeking singular positive influences--this man amazes me.

A superb true to life memoir of a flying Ace in WWI.

--CDS--

When Frederick Taylor wrote his paper in 1911, "The Principles of Scientific Management," it would appear to be the way to go in managing and motivating people. At least, that would be lessons taught in our education system, thus his rhetoric would echo the halls of many of our business schools as the gospel of economics.

I would learn otherwise, once I got out into the real world and would be handed the responsibility of managing personnel. I would learn very quickly that 'Taylorism' is not the answer; the principles of management taught by the late Dr. Edwards Deming is 'the only way to go.'

Taylor spoke about rewarding good men (employees). This bit of mandate called for scoring and ranking workers. Now, how can one "compare" someone who is really good at a given task against someone who is good at another task? These two individuals may well be very good at what they do; however, it quite often requires a mix of these talents to produce a quality product or service.

To deal with those who slack off, you hire the best and set a high-standard pass-fail system. I've been on teams where I was considered to be the best and if I had slacked off, I would have been thrown off the team (and essentially let go). It takes a lot of management know how by people who'd worked the production floor for years to implement this team leadership.

Another problem with grading is that it becomes a popularity contest. If a teacher or supervisor likes you, they grade easy on you; otherwise, you're out of luck. So much for totem-pole integrity.

So there's a time and place for everything. In order for you as an entity to compete in the marketplace, you must have your employees collaborating to present the best solutions. To enhance the rewarding effects of teamwork, provide the workforce a form of profit/loss share such as stock options. Should everyone do their part and it leads to a successful business, everyone wins.

As depicted in the movie "Hoosiers," Coach Normal Dale stripped the super-egos of the high school basketball squad down to nothing and rebuilt it as a team. He said it twice in the film: "Team. Team. Team. No one is more important than the other." Based on a true story, the small-town team would win the Indiana Championship in 1951.

Yes, as perpetuated by the late Dr. Deming, it's a rich blend of individualism (those who are challenged by team mates to excel to all heights) and teamwork (those who can take their rich talent and make it function as a competitive unit). That to me is sheer capitalism in its finest hour.

For Mr. Taylor, his paper would become a 20th century boondoggle. Already, reports by economists suggest that developing nations are looking to Deming as the real only way to go. We either get on the bandwagon, or be left behind in the new economic dust.

F.W. Taylor is where the serious student of scientific management begins. I believe that it's one of the best books on the subject that I've ever read - and it was an academic paper presented by Taylor almost 100 years ago. It's funny at times (and probably not meant to be), written in the academic style of the early 20th century. His movements back and forth between the theory and real life examples prove that he was one of the better economists of his day.

Taylor had humble beginnings (he was a shop laborer early in his career), and later he switched to consulting for various types of manufacturers. Peter F. Drucker and other scientific management gurus owe Taylor a debt of gratitude, which I'm sure they would readily acknowledge. All of us owe a debt to him as well. How can a firm reach greater efficiencies? Taylor suggested that firms do it in ways that even today are resisted and misunderstood by management. Increase workers' pay. Give them mandatory breaks throughout the day. Timing rest breaks between heavy lifting optimizes productivity. Please don't ignore these examples in the information age - Taylor was ahead of his time and perhaps even ahead of ours. Today's intelligent manager can still discover many useful ideas in this book.

It's not a terribly long work, and it's fun to read. I'm surprised that I was able to earn a BSBA without being required to read it, or parts of it. It's invaluable for firms and workers in any country, developed or undeveloped, and the firms that dare to utilize the ideas will be quite happy with the result: increased productivity, and therefore, increased profits. econ

Taylor's Principles of Scientific Management is unsurpassed by any other in its' understanding of the job of management and the worker. Taylor's book shows what good quality critical thinking applied to industry can accomplish. Taylor placed the burden of management totally on management and not the worker unlike so much of the worker incentive and innovation crap that we hear today. Taylor's manager really knew what he was doing and was not just a slave-driver as was common in his day and our day. Taylor had been a worker as well as manager and understood what motivated the first-class worker so as to get top performance out of him. Hint: It's not goofy awards or kudos or gain sharing or profit sharing. This book should be required reading for all managers and workers.

The author is very good in leading the reader through how money and its avaliability play an important role in determining the economy of any country.
The banking industry and its role are covered as well - starting from a historical perspective to the present day. Our class was doing a chapter on the various reforms in the banking industry when the Enron-Anderson scandal happened. We had some very though-provoking discussions in the class based on the material in the text.
While I am not a complete stranger to economics, I took home a lot of valuable information by the time I was done with this course and this text book. I only wish the publishers had included a CD ROM of real-world exercises / problems that stimulate thought on issues to consider when determining monetary policy.

Highly recommended for both dummies and people familiar with economics. The author presents an unbiased, unpartisan, clear introduction to numerous aspects of monetary policy, financial institutions, and financial markets. Along with factual material the author presents important and profound generalizations and principles.

For once, there is an economist with a passion to teach and communicate well. Although it is supposed to be an introductory text in monetary economics, I return to it again and again to check my basic understanding of this subject.

Buechner's latest has left me feeling like this novel was rather lackluster. The characters and their relations to one another became confusing over time, and far too much time was spent developing them, only to have them do basically nothing. Buechner seems to try too hard in this novel to make his characters "unusual," giving them odd quirks that, over time, make them unbelievable. Also, there is virtually no movement of the plot -- the entire 200-page book is spent developing characters, only to have them radically change, reconciling past differences, suddenly in the last few pages. For all the plot development in this novel, it perhaps would have served better as a short story or novella, rather than a full-blown novel. Buechner is a gifted writer, whose work I have enjoyed in the past; this novel, however, left me feeling like I was reading about selfish characters who did nothing, and whom I cared little about.

Forgiveness. Reconciliation. These are very up-front themes in this story. The main character, Kenzie is in need of both... and he, in turn, needs to demonstrate both of these towards his brother Dalton. But even above this, I think that The Storm has much to say about the power of "belonging" and the lessons learned while rebuilding one's life after an experience of profound loss and disgrace. Kenzie comes closest to a realization of BELONGING through his relationship with Willow, but according to Kenzie, the world is not famous for happy endings... his is a sort of morose character who is quietly seeking his sense of "home". Does he ever really find it?

Sometimes it may take a real storm (some sort of mutually experienced calamity) to make us aware of the importance of living in community, the need to live "grace"fully, the need for brotherly love to be freely given as much as it is possible. It is remarkable how Buechner's book has left me with a sense of the importance of "family". This is a worthwhile read!

I believe that The Storm is a story of a completely dysfunctional family, but hope, faith and caring shine through despite so many histories and challenges. Buechner's novel examines his familiar themes about sin, grace, miracle, and reconciliation. This is a short novel. It makes no crashing pronouncement about human destiny. Instead, it reminds us of the struggle for meaning, recognition and connection with others that all of us are involved in, to find out where we belong. Our lives may not be as extreme as these characters, but what they feel and long for is universal.
From my point of view Miss Sickert does partially redeem at the end of the novel. I believe she finds a hope and peace in her life, which persuades her to go on. She understands the true meaning of life as well as recognizing the faith.