SURVIVING THE SILENCE is an informative book that emphasizes the need to tell of one's pains, sorrows, and experiences to other people who care and can help in the healing process. Through this book, Charlotte Pierce-Baker affirms that no one is an island and that people should tell the truth to those who can help them. Rape is not just presented as a criminal act that hurts only the women, but Pierce-Baker shows that it affects everyone the woman holds dear such as husband, children, parents, and friends. Anyone who is concerned about helping and comforting other people should read this book.

This book has helped me in ways too numerous to count. I have purchased copies for friends and recommended it highly to others. As African-American women we have the dual burden of sexual and racial violation. Our African-American men are suppose to protect us - not rape us! White men and society has been raping us for years and justifying it. Charlotte Pierce-Baker and the other survivors have laid the foundation of healing. From each of the stories I found Strength. I learned that I was not 'going crazy.' I learned that this inner turmoil of racial responsiblity, societial perceptions and the deeply embedded history of rape toward African American Women was not an uncommon pandemonium of thoughts. I listened and felt the pain and suffering. I discovered that the death of my former self 'REALLY DID HAPPEN' and this new Woman I have become must once again discover her strength. My strength. As my 1 year anniversary approaches, I am re-experiencing the symptoms. Yes, I am dealing with this unbearable pain, once again. But the worst part is over, because I survived! Loud and clear. I SURVIVED!

Also recommended: Can I get a Witness, Black Women and Depression; Yesterday, I Cried; Too Blessed to be Stressed; After the Silence;

It is incredibly powerful and intense. The end of each chapter, where Pierce-Baker responds to the survivors draws the stories together in a meaningful way. Also, this is the first book I have ever seen that gives voice to the men who support survivors of sexual violence. I read it in two days, despite work and classes, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the effects of sexual violence.

By following the principles outlined in this book, you'll not only motivate yourself and the people around you, you'll also reach goals that you never thought you could set or reach for yourself!!

I read this book, and I began to look at life in a whole new way. This book is the bomb!

This book is an eye opener. Once you have read it, use it as a reference tool . This is a great way to keep yourself in check and not to get stuck in a rut. This book is also very practicle and easy to read.

This five-star debut über-novel, a sequence of short stories, takes the reader across oceans of time to Sydney and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Pierce risks sentimentality on his poignant journey - and comes up with something like a prose poem I could not put away until I reached its last intense page. Other readers have praised the novel's plot and characters. I'd like to extol its poweful nostalgia, its longing for what Proust called les temps perdu. The Australia Stories creates an almost mythical aura about its setting and characters; it is exponentially more radiant than any travel guide. The wonder of the author of this book is that, rather than living like an aesthete in a cork-lined room, Pierce has performed an enormous service to all writers by maintaining a stellar Web site about literary agents. He is both at home in the fictive world he creates in The Australia Stories - and alive and well in his generosity and tirelessness as a member of the workaday literary community. Cozy up to Pierce's pocket-sized The Australia Stories and let it take you to a magical Down Under!

"The Australia Stories" is a beautifully written, captivating novel. Pierce's amazingly clean, crisp writing creates wonderful images that transport the reader to the time and place of each story. The stories would appeal to anyone, young, old, male or female. Each individual story is masterfully woven as a part of the larger story, and the end pulls them all together in an unexpected, but perfect, way. I could not put the book down and, when I finished, I wished there was more!

Pierce, whose short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals, shapes his first novel as a series of interlocking stories, each exploring different forms of love and loss, from familial to puppy love to the blood's connection to place. The 30-year-old narrator, Sam Browne, spent a year in Australia as a boy, living with his mother who had left his American father to return to her native land. Here he fell in love for the first time, an experience he deftly describes, remembering how, "I felt older, as though my presence filled more of the world than it had just that morning." From his adult perspective he recalls how it distanced him from his mother, "neither of us understanding we had arrived at a crossroads, a place where our paths would slowly move apart, mine leading more toward school and women, hers bringing her more deeply into the country she again called home."

As Sam enjoys the first pangs of love, his mother turns to the past, attempting to understand her own mother through her unpublished writings, essays on life and nature she wrote in the years she lived alone in Australia's Blue Mountains after leaving her husband, a man who had always yearned for England. It was only after his grandmother's death - a "walkabout" into the mountains from which she never returned - that Sam's mother returns to Australia and assembles her mother's papers for publication, becoming so absorbed and intrigued that she follows - too literally - in her mother's footsteps.

Sam's short marriage disintegrates painfully and inevitably. He too, immerses himself in his grandmother's writings, plumbing his own Australian roots as, more vulnerable, but wiser, he grows into a new love, finds new hope.

Pierce has a lot going on - first love, mature love, the emotional resonance of place in self-identity, the difficulty of knowing those closest to us, particularly family. Sam is an introspective, tentative character who makes more effort than most to understand the people in his life. Pierce's writing is nuanced, reflective and assured, with an atmospheric sense of place. A fine debut.

I just received this book as a gift and have read most of it. The sugggestions are so simple and "do-able". I have a 15 month old and I was having trouble knowing what I could be doing to instill the Catholic faith at such a young age. Turns out there are many things, such as showing her how to kiss the crucifix at the beginning and end of each day, make the sign of the cross, etc. Wonderful sections on prayer, holy seasons, tv and the media, and even secular holidays. Highly recommended!!

This was one of the first books I read after the birth of our first child, and I am so glad I stumbled across it! The author gives concrete examples and a myriad of suggestions on ways to incorporate our faith into our everyday moments with our little ones. My oldest is now 4, and she and her two younger siblings still recite the prayers every night that this book suggested. I give this inexpensive book as a gift to new mothers, and I would urge other Catholic moms of small chidren to keep this on the bedside table for repeated reference.

This book is full of ideas for bringing up our precious little ones in the Faith. I definitely recommend this book for everyone.

Elaine's writing makes you laugh and cry and wish you were sitting with her in the park! I had to put the book down so I wouldn't finish the whole book the first day!

"My Peaceful Forest" is hilarious! Give yourself a treat and turn off that computer and cell phone for an hour, and I guarantee you will smile all the way through this refreshing book. If we all viewed life through the eyes of this author, society would be stress-free indeed! It's easy to relate to the lighthearted memoirs of this REAL family. Elaine Breen epitomizes the phrase, "stop and smell the roses".

I could not put My Peaceful Forest by Elaine Breen down until I had read the entire book! Whether you're a resident of Pacific Grove, California, or not, Elaine's insight and humor will keep you turning the pages. My Peaceful Forest will make you smile, will tug at your heart a little but mainly is a simple tale of life and it's ups and downs from a Mother's, Grandmother's, and Wife's perspective.

Mr. Pierce has spent a long time in Africa among the people. I have spent a long time in Africa among the people also. His book is brutally honest in its approach. it is fictionalized truth, written in a manner which explores the souls of men and the inanity of tribalism. Pierce draws the reader into the barbarous depths of the human heart in its abysmal quest for power. More books about AFRICANS in Africa should be written. Bravo! I could not put it down.

Mr. Pierce has lived in Africa a long time among the people. I have lived in Africa a long time among the people "Speak Rwanda" is brutally honest in its approach. It is fictionalized truth, written in a manner which explores the souls of men and the inanity of tribalism.

Pierce draws the reader into the barbarous depths of the human heart on its lustful quest for power. Bravo! I could not put it down.

Bonita Evans

When the rest of the world finally realized what had happened in Rwanda we reacted as if they, both Hutus and Tutsis, were sub-human, a form of life that we could not relate to. We did not bother to try to understand the conflicts that existed between the tribes for centuries. Pierce introduces characters who do not rationalize the tragedy, rather they take us on their journey and we begin to learn from them.

This book totally changed my life! It is not just motivating, it is informative, giving realistic, practical steps for achieving the life goals recommended in the book. This book clearly illustrates that it is possible to live the life of your dreams and the dreams of your life and actually spells out step-by-step just how it's all possible. An absolute must read for women and men!!!!

THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR THOSE BUSY SINGLE PARENTS, LIKE MYSELF. THIS BOOK HAS MOTIVATED ME TO REALLY TAKE TIME OUT FOR MYSELF. THIS IS HARD TO DO WITH THE FUSS AND RUSH OF LIFE. I LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF SPENDING QUIET, QUALITY TIME IN SOLITUDE AND HOW THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED IN MY ABILITY TO BECOME A MORE EFFECTIVE, AFFECTIONATE PARENT TO MY CHILDREN.

The Author is gifted in the area of helping you keep your life balanced, and on track. Easy reading.

I can vividly remember how Pierce Brosnan grew up as a child and can only imagine how hard it must have been. The death of his wife Cassandra Harris and all her determination, fight, and powerful quotes about beating cancer really touched me. Also, he is such a great actor and the best James Bond. It is very detailed, and well done. I remember clearly how he felt when he met Cassandra, and how much he meant to her, and how depressed he must have been when she died. He sure had a beautiful heart for what he did. His "long and winding" road to fame, was hard, I can tell by his words. He seems to have a nice family- beautiful people, who are also frequently mentioned (Charlotte, Sean, Christopher, girlfriend Keely, Dylan Thomas (son with Keely.) This is definetly a must read, must see. It is for any Pierce fan!

After I finished the first couple of chapters I was amazed at what I read. I never thought that could happen to anybody. You have to find out for yourself. Just read it, and you will see!

I was recommended this book by a very good friend and even though I can honestly say that I cannot stand Brosnan as Bond, I thought at least I'd do a little background reading on the man. What a delightful surprise. A witty, urbane, wonderfully researched book on a greatly misunderstood character actor. I thought York Membery's painfully funny description of the death of Brosnan's dog in chapter 2 was the highight for me. I'll look more kindly on Brosnan's future roles in future. I thought some of the photographs were particularly good. I just wish the book could have been longer. I didn't want it to end.

"Rain Line" examines the process of grief and recovery with an unflinching eye. The novel is a complex look at a young life haunted by many ghosts; her dead lover, her eccentric family, and the memories of her neglectful childhood. But, most importantly, Leo has to wrestle with the ghost of who she is to become. A realistic and haunting look at the painfull process of recovery and reinvention.

RAIN LINE is an exceptionally fine and elegant first novel by Anne Whitney Pierce.
On the way home from a party fueled by alcohol, the car carrying Leonarda Baye, a musician, and her boyfriend, Harvard hockey star, Danny McPhee, plunges into the depths of the Charles River.
What follows in this beautifully written and moving novel is an exploration of death and the affirmation of life, mental illness and class struggles.
Pierce skillfully weaves themes of self-esteem, survivor's guilt, physical and mental abuse, and single parenthood all into one satisfying and haunting story with beautiful prose and a deep understanding and empathy for her characters.
While RAIN LINE may never receive the kind of attention that books on a best-seller's list will, it should definitely not escape the attention of any reader of fine, literary fiction.

This novel has lots of dips and turns, and despite all the hardships the main character Leo goes through, I really felt like her mental progression in addressing (or avoiding) the matters in her life were believable. One sign of the best of fiction is whether or not at the completion of the book you think the story could have been true. With the combonation of progresses and setbacks Leo experiences I found her completely understandable and I therefore thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I've been saying this Novena for almost 20 years. It has been a source of comfort and strength to me and anyone I have recommended it to. The only place I've been able to find this book in recent years is at Amazon!

This book is a wonderful way to increase our awareness of the power of prayer and to help us realize that Our Blessed Mother always listens to us. I am glad I could finally get another copy!

This is a long Novena. It is 27 days of asking and 27 days of Thanksgiving. My mother has been saying this Novena for years. Not until I was over 30 did I borrow hers. I believe in this Novena. It is very powerful. As the book states, "A laborious Novena, but a Novena of Love. You who are sincere will not find it too difficult, if you really wish to obtain your request."