I'm turning 20 tomorrow and this book has helped me a lot on guys, dating, parents, friends, and my own personal, typical teen probs. I highly rec'd this book to any MOM, Dad, anyone with a son or daughter. I felt like sometimes I don't know everything about the real world, so I used this book. MOM doesn't tell me everything. But the Lord has help me dealt with the personal probs of making my life easier to overcoming obstacles.

This book was both informative and drawn out. Petry uses a blunt style of writing, and she's not afraid to tell it how it is. Many parts of this book, however, seemed to draw out. Petry uses many descriptive facts, often down to the everyday meals they eat. Though in some parts of the book this can add to the environment, often the irrelavent details clutter up the point she is trying to make, or situation she is trying to explain. However, the layout of this book makes up for that. Petry uses a different approach, building each character up by allowing the reader to be submerged into their mind, from the pretty stable casino singer to the psychotic 'cellar man'. Overall, this book has given me a very real sense of what it was like growing up black in the 1940's, and i think that any young person still in their impressionable years should read this to get a better understanding of the history behind the black culture.

Ann Petry's novel The Street was a good book in my opinion. There were many good things about the way it was written. I really liked the storyline the book was supposed to follow, but at times The Street seemed very lengthy on subjects that didn't do much to add to it. The most prominent example of these would be the flashbacks used throughout the novel. Granted, they give the reader useful information about what's happened to some of the characters in the past, they seem to come at some of the worst possible moments. Honestly, I liked the book and enjoyed learning about life for the lower classes in the 1940's, but if I hadn't been asked to read this book for class I would have put it down before it ever got a chance to get my attention. It just took too long to actually get me to want to keep reading. It wasn't until almost halfway through it that I actually got into the story. The Street is a good novel and worth reading, but I wouldn't put it too high on your reading list.

The Steet by Ann Petry is an emotionaly powerful book that was much ahead of its time. Her writing is in a sort of vernacular style, but with very vivid descriptions. Though worded relatively simply, Petry is able to describe details in a way as to give the reader a constant mental image and understanding of all of the story's events. She effectively engages the reader by shifting the perspective to include the feelings of all the main characters. This book was ahead of its time in that Petry is able to describe in great detail the power that situational factors have on different people. This is something of an accomplishment considering that social psychology was, at the time that this book was written, a new science. Overall, this novel is a timeless classic that should be enjoyed for many years to come.

This book is interesting for the first hundred pages or so. In my opinion the narration then becomes bogged down, and the story moves at a snails pace. Mundy spends a inordinate amount of time in some scenarios, which are repititious and lost my interest as a reader. After a really good beginning this book really disappointed me greatly because I really wanted to enjoy this book.

My copy had a series of questions in the back of it, as if the author thought his Civil War tome deserved to be some sort of literary classic studied in schools. I think it would be a good manuscript to be torn apart at a writers workshop. How to lose a reader's interest? How to develop paper thin characters and situations that are not fully resolved?

Two years have passed since fourteen-year old Mundy McDowell observed the rape and subsequent murder of his parents. Since that brutal day on March 23, 1862, Mundy has silently wandered the Virginia battlefield, believing he is invisible. Mundy sees the first hand horror of war accompanied by a "spirit dog, a ghost of a deceased slave, and "baby Jesus". The war forces the teen to grow up fast as rape, sex, and pedophilia occurs almost as much as death.

The concept behind THE SILENT is absolutely brilliant. Seeing the Civil War from the mind of a battered teen is unique and refreshing. However, in spite of Jack Dann's obvious writing skills, he packs too many sub-plots into the novel. The mysticism is too mystical for this reviewer to ken and the too numerous rape scenes slow down the book. This novel remains a good story for Civil War buffs that do not mind seeing their heroes exposed (literally and figuratively).

Harriet Klausner

This book shows a different perspective of the Civil War. How would a child react to all the horrors of a war? Probably much like the way Mundy did...with fear, confusion, fantasy, feverish dreams.....not knowing whom to trust...guilt for not helping his parents (and others), when actually there was nothing he could have done to help. This was an accurate portrayal of a child thrown into the midst of the most horrible of conditions, and how he copes (or doesn't cope) with the madness around him. This book was very good, and I highly recommend it.

I bought his book thinking that it would contain a basic summary of each of the popular religions (I didn't read any of the reviews before buying it). The author obviously spent a great deal of time studying many religions, unfortunately, his very bias comments that are interspersed within the text make the book impossible to read. Please Mr McDowell just give us the facts of the religions and not your opionion. This book should of been titled "why my religion is right and yours is wrong".

Concerning his arguments for his chosen religion, what can I say other then they make him look like a fool. His logic to identify an occult religion would surely apply to own religion, but he simply doesn't see it. Its quite sad to think about his state of mind

McDowell's and Stewart's *Handbook of Today's Religions* is a compilation of their series on the cults, world religions and secular religions, under one title. The work provides a systematic survey of the core beliefs, philosophical characteristics and significant writers within each religious viewpoint, and offers a critique from the foundation of a historic, Biblical Christian worldview.

The book is copiously documented from the primary sources and significant secondary materials, and is clearly written in a friendly and personable style. The documentation contained in this book alone is worth the price of the book. The religious views treated, while held to be in error by the authors, are treated with an irenic tone and intelligent manner.

This book has four major sections: Understanding the Cults, Understanding the Occult, Understanding Non-Christian Religions, and Understanding Secular Religions. It closes with an article by Norman Anderson on "A Christian Approach to Comparative Religions."

I read this book years ago when I first became a Christian. It helped to settle in my mind the uniqueness of true Christianity. It also helped to answer lingering questions I had about other belief systems. So it helped to solidify my belief that the Christian faith was true and that other belief systems were false.

In the first section on cults the authors first discuss "What is a Cult?" They then present the basic characteristics of cults and the beliefs of orthodox Christianity. The beliefs are present via quotes from important Christian creeds, with supporting Biblical references. It's not a thorough Biblical study of such doctrines, but adequate for presenting the orthodox view. For a more thorough study on the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, see my "Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible."

The first section of this book then looks at individual groups like JWs and Mormons. For each group it presents a very short history of the group. For a more detailed history of each group, one would have to consult books like Walter Martin's "Kingdom of the Cults" or Ruth Tucker's "Another Gospel."

But what this book does provide is a detailed Biblical discussion of each group's teachings. The book first documents the group's doctrines through extended quotes from it's own literature. The authors then provide extensive Biblical refutations of these doctrines.

The tone of the book is one of presenting an exegesis of the relevant Scriptures. It is not strongly judgmental, just strongly Biblical. And my "Scripture Workbook" provides additional Biblical refutations of claims of groups discussed in this book.

The second section of this book gets into an area that I find rather uncomfortable to study: the occult. I never was attracted to the occult, and it just gives me the creeps studying about it. But the Bible does say not be ignorant of Satan's devices, so at least a cursory knowledge of occult practices can be helpful.

This sections looks at occult practices like astrology, fortune telling, and parapsychology. For each practice, a basic explanation is provided, then a logical and/ or Biblical refutation.

The third section looks at non-Christian religions like Hinduism and Islam. When I first read this book I found this section particularly interesting. I had never really considered becoming a Mormon or JW, but before becoming a Christian I did investigate other world religions. And again, this book confirmed my previous studies that Christianity was to be preferred over these other religions.

The discussions in this section are similar to the ones in the section on cults. A very short history of the religion is presented and then a much more in-depth discussion and Biblical refutation of its teachings.

The last section looks at atheism and related belief systems. Again, a basic history is provided of each system, then logical refutations of their teachings. The authors are smart enough to focus on logical arguments as Biblical arguments would hardly hold much sway with atheists.

So overall, this is a very helpful book due to the breadth of belief systems it covers. But with such a variety of views discussed, it doesn't provide as much detail on each group as some other books might. But for someone who was in the position I was of still having questions about competing worldviews to Christianity, this book can be very helpful. And it will provide the Christian with a basic knowledge of each of the systems discussed along with providing much material for Biblical studies. And for more Biblical study on many of the topics discussed in this book, see my "Scripture Workbook."

It's evident that Kube-McDowell cut his literary teeth watching nebbish tv shows and mediocre movies. The plot structure carries the story as well as can be expected, but the language and characters are pedestrian at best. Where Kube-McDowell strives for passion, he loses control and becomes hackneyed. If the author can't truly care for his characters, why should I? Not recommended.

Emprise is a novel that feels more like three novellas flying in loose formation. The first is an intimate tale about a group of scientists trying to make sense of a message from an alien civilization. The second is a sprawling story about the political intrigue that follows once they figure it out. The third is a classic "first contact" story, with a twist that sets up the two books to follow.

Oddly enough, this structure works in the book's favor: Each of the three stories works well at 100 pages or so, and none of them (I think) could carry a full-length novel. The interwoven characters and contrasting textures add interest--it is (for you fellow SF fans in the audience) a little like reading condensed versions of _The Andromeda Strain_, _Foundation_, and _Childhood's End_ in rapid succession. Kube-McDowell keeps the ideas flowing thick and fast . . . fast enough, for the most part, to cover the flatness of most of the major characters. I kept reading less because I cared about the people than because I wanted to see what rabbit was coming out of the hat next.

_Emprise_, at its best, is good enough to stand next to middle-of-the-pack novels by Arthur C. Clarke (say, _The Fountains of Paradise_ and _Imperial Earth_). It's worth a try for SF fans who like Clarke's austere, idea-heavy, emotion-light style of storytelling. [Kube-McDowell, by the way, improved markedly in later works: his _The Quiet Pools_ is as good as Clarke's best.]

I've never cared for the political or religious ideas that Kube-McDowell appears to favor. His characters portray attitudes toward their fellow humans that I believe are unfortunately typical of most politicians: they are the only ones capable of rational thought--the rest of us need to be controlled for our own good. Even more unfortunately they are sometimes right. One of the hallmarks of a great writer is that he can present characters and situations that I would normally find distasteful, but pull me in regardless. Emprise is a great story. I've read it three times now....

This is the story of some scientists who stumble on a discovery that renders explosives useless. The development of this technology, called the Trigger, into a public anti-gun/bomb shield is the basic plot of the book. The book follows the deployment of the devices and the resistance it creates in the US. There is more social commentary than science, but it's an intriguing idea and an engrossing story of how idealistic scientists and politicians battle the gun lobby and society's fear of change.

This book focusses mostly on the political side of events in the US - the court cases and debates (both public and private) between those in favour of the Trigger and those opposed. The balance is heavily weighted on the Trigger side and against the NRA-types. Although I am personally a proponent of gun control, I know that the majority of the gun lobby are not rabid militarists, as they seem to be portrayed in this book. It comes across sounding preachy at times. Another problem is that the narrative seems to run out of steam - the last 100 pages could be cut.

I enjoyed this book immensely - it's entertaining, engrossing, thought provoking, and difficult to put down. Only the slightly preachy tone and 2-dimensional portrayal of the gun lobby robbed it of its 5th star.

For those who enjoy stretching their knowledge of science to the limits, here's some serious mind expansion from the all time SF guru, Arthur C. Clarke. "Trigger" is built around wave physics and how much more can happen in that field - someday, sometime.

The non-scientifically inclined reader will also enjoy the book's extensive examination of the issues around gun control and ownership - the prime target of the authors. Using the Columbine High shootings as a case in point, they repeatedly engage with the many arguments put forward by proponents of the 2nd Amendment to prevent arms control initiatives.

But the scientific jewels hidden along the way are what make this a real delight. First, there is the Trigger - a wave-emitting device that automatically detonates any kind of explosive material, rendering any conventional arms and munitions more dangerous to the user than to their intended victims. The resulting reversion of security forces to pre-gunpowder weapons such as crossbows and maces may sound amusing, but certainly worth more than a passing thought.

Then comes the intellectual high point of the book - the concept that everything can be defined in terms of energy and information. This is totally mind blowing - if you take the concept of zooming in and out for more or less detail on a subject and couple it with the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle, that's what the guru is postulating. To quote " Information organizes and differentiates energy". The kick is in the converse - if you can remove information from a subject, you destabilize it - it ceases to exist! From this exquisitely neat hypothesis arises the Jammer - the antithesis of the Trigger - instead of blowing up arms and ammunition, it simply makes them cease to exist!

Just these alone would have been more than enough for any Arthur C. Clarke fan - but the authors leave the reader salivating for more right at the end - the discovery of a biological Trigger that can zero in on any specific DNA pattern and vaporise it - the Killer.

Overall, a taut thriller-class read with some elegant physics for those so inclined - what more can one ask for ?

If you're looking for Clarke-style sci-fi because Clarke's name is on it, you'll be disappointed. If you're a hardcore physics buff, you'll probably be disappointed as well (the science part of things in this book is quite wishy-washy). However, this book is as superb a social commentary as you'll read, and a thought-provoking piece on the nature of science and scientific discovery, although considerably less so than the social aspect.

The basic premise is that a group of scientists accidentally discovers a way to disable all conventional explosives. Even though the gun lobby has been portrayed fairly negatively and the gun debate is a little lopsided as a result, people with an open mind and any intelligence whatsoever should be able to appreciate the brilliance of the way in which the debate has been presented and to see both sides of the coin equally well. It is a mind-expanding discussion indeed. Of course, because of the strongly political nature of the debate, your reaction to the book might vary from disgust to ecstasy, but it is nevertheless a great book. The ending is classic Clarke: brilliant and open-ended. And again very mind-expanding.

I am a Christian myself, but this book didn't offer me much in the way of logical arguments. Serious topics are skimmed over simplistically and unconvincingly, and it is occasionally embarrassing, with them insisting that evolution must be wrong because it violates the second law of thermodynamics! ! I also disagree with many of their views, and found that the answers they gave would hardly convince many skeptics. It would be quite useful as a first apologetics book for people who aren't well-versed in philosophy or deeper dealings with subjects, though I don't recommend it.

This book is a simpler version of many other Josh McDowell books, like "Evidence that Demands a Verdict." I first read this book after going to church for ten years, but finding myself wanting the have faith in my heart but not in my mind. This book did a nice job of convincing me to open my eyes and look further. Certainly, Mr. McDowell does a nice job of presenting his arguments clearly and concisely, but overall the book lacks depth and completeness. He tends to justify faith through the use of the Bible, which could be a problem to a skeptic looking for persuasive arguments. A beginning Christian will find a lot of interesting material to support and extend their faith, but a strong skeptic will at best only be persuaded to look at more evidence. This book might be ideal for a younger Christian or skeptic, who wants to understand the basis for certain beliefs. Overall, I would recommend this because it is a quick read, but don't expect it to be a complete reference guide.

Looking for a powerful yet 'readable in one sitting' answer to many of your Bible questions? Need an inexpensive witnessing tool for your church or personal outreach? There is no finer resource at this price to get into the hands of people you meet who have sincere questions about Christianity. Not intended to be exhaustive, but a great door opener for the serious seeker. If every church in America could order a case of these for its members to first read then pass along to a friend, imagine the impact for eternity! Every church member should be acquainted with the issues covered in this book to be better equipped to handle the questions they are too often asked. Must reading!

I have read through ETDAV two times so far, and have found it so refreshing!! In an age where people rely on "feelings" and subjective relativism, this book aids in helping you find for yourself that the Bible, in fact, is true beyond any reasonable doubt. I have had ongoing debates with infidels, and have found that much of the information used in their arguments lacks "truth," or verifiable evidences. Those who don't dig deeper into the claims or statements find themselves swamped. This book helps clear the air tremendously, and though presented in a logical, thoughtful format, I for one would "curl up beside the fire" and read through it AS WELL AS use it as a reference. "My heart cannot rejoice in what my mind rejects as false," and I cannot recommend this unslanted book highly enough!!!!!! In closing, I would like to also mention that I have indeed visited the "infidel" web-site, and found it to be "illogical pre-determined agenda" cloaked in the disquise of "truth-seeking." His review of this book is anything but honest seeking of the truth, and his first several arguments against it were undoubtedly characteristic of the horrible rest. Evidence That Demands A Verdict is honest. It is built upon facts. I also firmly believe that it is a case built upon honest seeking for the truth, as evidenced by the author's difficult conversion to Christianity. An excellent work!!! (Also remember that Jesus taught Christians to honestly tell truth and explore it honestly, and to represent things fairly. Josh McDowell exemplifies that virtue in this book. Infidels have no higher authority, and though some are sincere, they don't have the preset conviction to explore things honestly at any cost.) That is why I am a Christian. The pain of the truth when believing a lie has set me free. Read this book!!

This book (formerly called MORE EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT) is heavier reading than MORE EVIDENCE, Vol. 1, and is more amenable to using as a resource, for selective perusal of topics, rather than reading it all the way through. (You can read it cover to cover, but it's not easy.) This second volume addresses things like archaeology, form criticism, literary criticism, and historical research into the claims of the Bible. Volume I deals more with the life of Christ and New Testament events.

As a Christian, I found this book very interesting to read, and I learned a lot of things I had never realized before. I will address some of the criticisms I have read of it.

Some people write that the "evidence" it presents consists of Bible quotes and support from Christian scholars. It does use the Bible extensively to give the reader background on the events written about -- AFTER spending several chapters discussing the reasons why the Bible is the most authentic historical document ever written, and pointing out that with so many eye-witnesses still alive at the time the Gospels were published, they couldn't have gotten away with misrepresenting even minor details of the events or of Jesus's words. Furthermore, McDowell's arguments DO NOT rely solely on Biblical evidence, but on common sense. An example is the story circulated by the soldiers guarding Jesus's tomb -- they claimed that the disciples stole Jesus's body while they slept. McDowell asks, If the soldiers were asleep, how could they know who stole the body? The soldiers' story is clearly false; McDowell goes on to tell the reader such things as why the soldiers would not have been sleeping in the first place, and why they would not have stayed asleep while the stone was rolled away.

McDowell does fill a lot of space with selected quotes from scholars and writers who agree with his point of view, but I see these as simply different ways of looking at it. His arguments DO NOT rely on this support.

His arguments do, however, rely on the reader to approach the subject with an open mind; in other words, if the reader has already decided that the miraculous events of the Bible are impossible, then there is nothing that will convince him/her that they are possible and did, in fact, happen.

I was raised in a conservative Christian life as a child and young adult, inundated with influences like McDowell. If you are a parent, do yourself a favor and educate yourself first. If you are a teenager or young adult, do the same. I regret to say that people like McDowell implant false notions like "the world hates you" and makes you think the world is non-Christians who are totally against all the "Christians". Please do yourself a favor and get a well-rounded education. These types of books breed fear and misunderstanding of other people and beliefs, and subtly enforce the notion Christians should assume some sort of power or overbearing influence in American society. That kind of attitude is indeed scary, but unfortunately typical in fundamentally-inclined circles like McDowell's.

In the same way that it would be GREAT to hear an American liberal speak out against abortion as an infringement of human rights, so it would be great to hear an American conservative speak out against capital punishment for the same reason. For us non-Americans there is only despair at the cliched positions of liberals and conservatives in the US. This book simply reinforces this. Homosexuality has killed a lot less people than the American Govt's use of the electric chair/lethal injections, yet McDowell's character doesn't seemed concerned abut this, even given that his Lord, Jesus Christ, was the innocent victim of a state execution.

It is time for US Christians to see that what they often espouse as "Christain" views on social issues is really just "American Conservatism" with a few bible verses thrown in. One suspects that 150 years ago these same people would have supported slavery.

This book is about the polarization of American society as well as a "divorce" among Christians, beautifully symbolized by the estrangment of the two lead characters: Stephanie and Jon Van Horn. Stephanie is working to secure the election of a "family values" candidate who would drive the coffin nail into ills such as assisted suicide, gay rights, and abortion.

Jon Van Horn is working at chaning the heart, by staying rooted in his inner-city school where he can make a difference, by demonstarting God's compassion and love with action and not by legislative mandates.

The thrust of the book is it takes both- Compassion and Justice-to make a difference.

And with all due respect to the previous reviewer, Josh McDowell is no enemy to intellectualism. His book MORE THAN A CARPENDER is point in hand. Examine the claims Christ carefully before passing judgement.

Josh McDowell is not a heavey hitting apologist and a number of his arguments are only skin deep. However, for his general audience the information is useful. The reader just needs to keep in mind that many of his points do NOT end the debate for most subjects, especially in regards to the deity of Jesus.
No doubt Catholics will easilly scoffe at his presentation of the sola scripture subject. But still, it's helpful in areas such as archaeology, etc.


If you want to read an indepth discussion on the arguments both for and against the deity of Christ, see the book "Jesus-God or the Son of God?", available here at Amazon.com

As a member of the top 2% IQ(for those who insist on keeping track of such things - by the way the scores fluctuate, rendering them meaningless in practice), I can honestly say this book is work purchasing. Some readers have taken issue with the use of so many resources, referencing their conclusions only. In the academic world, we call these citations. Referencing anything but is what we call plagarism. Some have accused McDowell of circular reasoning, but this doesn't hold as he often provides more than one argument for a given point(the point of canonicity is actually a quote from a church father, not his own argument). McDowell also provides tons of historical evidences to provide historical corrobaration, such as ancient coins, which in turn builds the trustworthiness of the text (standard historical practice). Also, McDowell avoids discussing topics of no importance, such as the centurion guard (do you know what happened with Kennedy's SS Men? No. Why? They're not important.), using the space to cover the topic of discussion. Further, McDowell uses history and fact to make his arguments for him, rather than relying on emotionally tinged logic (such as Christ's death, which is the best documented death in history - even if you throw out all the Bibles, there still remains plenty of documentation - even without things that didn't exist like autopsy photos...). In short, I whole-heartedly recommend this text for those willing and able to follow a logical argument to the only logical conclusion (not meaning to spoil the ending, but it points to Christ).

If a skeptic reads this book with the determination to not believe any of it, then of course he's not going to learn anything. Skeptics enjoy accusing Christians of circular reasoning and pre-conceived biases, but what do you call the following?-- "I don't believe that there's a God, therefore the Bible must be ficticious literature, therefore Josh McDowell's entire book is poppycock." That, my friend, is circular reasoning and pre-conceived bias.

For those of you who think there must be a God out there-- the beauty of nature speaks to you, the complexity of the human body amazes you, inexplicable "coincidences" stump you... this book is for you. For those of you who think that part of the Bible is true, but you're not sure if you can swallow Creation or the Great Flood as being anything but cute stories... this book is for you.

The outline format allows you to cover the presented information at your own pace, and with the Bible at your side to reference any quotes. You will learn about many astounding examples of modern science backing it all up. McDowell's language is very readable... it's neither "inimidating" nor "childish" (as elsewhere asserted). And the collaborators of this book ARE experts in science and historical writings, as well as in theology. That was their whole purpose of writing this book, for crying out loud.

For those who are looking for the truth, you will learn much from Evidence That Demands A Verdict. It will help you explain and defend your faith to those who are curious about it. This book has helped lead many skeptics to salvation. However, always keep in mind that it will never convert those who flatly refuse to listen.