Karla Faye Tucker first became known to the world when she was convicted of the brutal pickax murder of two people in 1984. A brief rundown of her childhood history reveals how Karla found herself on such a violent path, which led her to Death Row and no hope or future. But her story doesn't die there...it is only the beginning. The Karla who was executed on February 3, 1998 was in no way the same woman who entered Death Row 14 years before. She was transformed by God's Spirit shortly after entering prison. This is her story of redemption, hope, faith, grace, and the power of God in a life wholly yielded to Him. I actually found myself jealous of this pickax murderer on Death Row because of the consuming peace, joy, and hope, which filled her life. She even renamed her unit from Death Row to Life Row.

The author Linda Strom was Karla Faye Tucker's spiritual advisor and dear friend. Linda tells not only Karla's story, but she also tells her own story and the testimonies of many of Karla's fellow Life Row Mates. These testimonies overwhelmed me and revealed that without question, the Spirit of God is able to bring sheer joy out of any person yielded to Him, no matter what their circumstance. It portrays the power of forgiveness...not just the forgiveness of others who have sinned against us, but perhaps even more difficult for some, forgiving ourselves of our own sins and accepting God's forgiveness as well. And these testimonies show vividly that there is nowhere we can go where God is not able to use us. If we are willing, God can and will use us powerfully to change lives and encourage our fellow believers. This is an incredibly joyful, life-changing book, which every believer should read!

Linda Strom's book convicted my spirit as a believer and reiterated the message of forgiveness in a way I never thought of before. This book is not about the Death Penalty but a message of hope to all people. God wants us to be set free from the bondage of unforgiveness so that we can be right with Him and to experience true peace and joy. Karla Faye's life was an excellent example of that. Regardless of where you have come from, this book will be a blessing to anyone!

Linda Strom tells the story of Karla Faye Tucker in an uplifting, life affirming way. While you cannot avoid the tears while reading her story, you also cannot avoid the joy which fills your heart. This book so clearly affirms the life changing force of Christ's forgiveness.

I have read this book twice and it is great. This is the first devotion book I have actullay finished. It focuses on the problems that teenagers face and how they can turn to Christ durning thier daily tribulations. I would reccommend this book to all of my friends and anyone who is looking for a book that doesn't pressure you to stick to a schedule.

It is a great book for teenagers. Highly recomend.

Finally, a book for teenagers that is actually about things teenagers deal with. I highly recommend this read for any teenager looking to improve their daily quiet time.

I read this story to my six year old daughter and she
loved it. She loved it so much that we HAD to buy a book
for her first grade class. I went to a book signing in
Indianapolis and both Jennifer and Jordan were very sweet.
I know my daughter as well as myself would welcome any
books that this team produces.

After reading Little Pumpkin to my son, our visit to pick out our pumpkins at the patch was more like a Hallmark moment. After looking at all of the pumpkins, my son brought me one of the smallest ones he could find. When I asked him why he picked such a small pumpkin, he looked at me and said, "Daddy, if I do not take this one home, what if no one does? Then he will be all alone for Halloween!"

Read this story and you will understand how my little boy felt. What a great lesson on self esteem as well.

This book is beautifully illustrated and written. The theme of doing good things for others may reward you when you least expect it is one that I have been teaching my preschooler. But moreover that if you help others with a genuine heart, that is reason enough to help those who need it, that is the true reward. I never knew that a pumpkin with no facial features could be drawn with such emotion as Little Pumpkin and his pumpkin patch co-horts were. I met both the author and illustrator at a book signing and they were so sweet to my son. They took the time to talk with him and tell him how happy they were that he loved their book. I hope this is the first of many books for this duo!

This text is a comprehensive presentation of the knowledge and skills needed by an RN to effectively managed a patient before, during, and after delivery. Tucker has provided all aspects of the procedure in an easy to read, straight forward format. The book includes chapters on maternal and fetal physiology and FHT instrumentation and technology. Of particular note, are chapters on uterine activity monitoring, baseline fetal heart rate changes, and interpretation of reassuring and non reassuring FHT patterns. Interventions and obligations are discussed. A quick method for assessing FHT is given. A standard of care for FHT monitoring and care of the intrapartum and postpartum patient is also included. Nursing diagoses are listed for the intrapartum and postpartum period. Culterally sensitive care is discussed as well. Documentation, risk reduction, and education are discussed. Appendixes add information on risk factors, Leopold's maneuvers, protocals of cervical ripending, care of patients in preterm labor with information on tocolytics, and sample tracings are given. This book is an excellent guide and may be used for reference after its initial reading.

A book to be welcomed by all involved in the profession of bringing new life into the world. Intelligently written for the Nurse,Midwife,OB Interns and Residents. Follows the accepted protocols. A MUST HAVE FOR TRAINEES!

A book to be welcomed by all in the profession of bringing new life into the world. Intelligently written for the Nurse, Midwife, Intern, Resident, Attending. Follows the accepted protocols. A MUST HAVE FOR TRAINEES!

As a liberal democrat, I am likely somewhat more conservative when paired against Mr. Tucker's own evidently admitted political ideologies, but I found this essay collection well researched, thoughful, and useful for a final course project on American Queer political theory.

The exact subjects of the essays varry by topic, but an overall theme examines how the late 20th century GLBT political movement undersold it's own radical roots for political expidency, and a chance to sit at the proverbial policy making table with some people who would altogether pretend they not exist.

Obvious and easy to only launch attacks (however well-deserved) at the religious right, whose various campaigns against GLBT Americans all come back to bigotry and intolerance, he also takes on allies who mince words and confuse policy making's inherent requirements with the right to sell out all of one's principles.

Intra-community criticism is never easy (especially in the middle of various social movement struggles) but a neccessary pre-condition to ensure policy innovations continue to impact the dominant society while keeping the social movement relevant.

"The author, a gay health activist and journalist, offers a progressive vision of democracy as an experiment, a process in need of constant renewal, as seen through the lens of the gay rights movement. The essays cover such topics as the right to privacy vs. the right to live openly in the world, the need to redefine the family to include the true nature of relations in modern society, feminism and gay porn, and the reinvigoration of what the author views as an all too moribund social democratic agenda now abandoned by the traditional left wing in the United States. Tucker has an effective, almost relentless gift for pushing the envelope of an argument, taking nothing for granted and questioning every position, including his own. This challenging, often provocative work by a distinctive voice of a newer, more radicalized left is highly recommended." Library Journal, Nov. 1, 1977

"From time immemorial," Emma Goldman declared in 1913, "the wise and practical have denounced every heroic spirit... idealists and visionaries, foolish enough to throw caution to the winds, have advanced mankind." Scott Tucker belongs to the second category. He dares to call himself not only queer but non-monogamous, and - horror of horrors - a democratic socialist. Tucker reminds us that Oscar Wilde shared all three stances, which is not immodesty, but a salutary reminder that queer liberation can and must be linked with social and economic liberation. For Tucker, freedom is indivisible, a position which leads him into witty polemics against his fellow gay activists, not to mention the current President of the United States.
The real achievement of The Queer Question (South End Press, $30 hardcover/$18 paper) is Tucker's linkage of queer consciousness with class: "For many people in this country, including queers, the social climate is only tolerable at best, and sometimes murderous at worst." His idealism consists in connecting the oppression queers feel to sexism, classism and the horrors of "the corporate state."
Tucker refers to Wilhelm Reich, the Freudian heretic who made these same connections over 60 years ago, but to his credit, The Queer Question (unique among books of its sort) advances no Theory and shills for no Discourse. Indeed, the essay on Foucault brilliantly criticizes him as a "materialist mystic" whose bravura philosophizing blinds his readers to social fact.
Most of the essays are, however, more topical, centering especially on the culture wars of the past 10 years with special reference to the queers' "battered wife" relationship to Bill Clinton. Tucker makes the point, so obvious that almost nobody else seems to get it, that a President who ends welfare and backs the Defense of Marriage Act was never a "friend" of gays and lesbians, merely a shrewd opportunist. One wishes that Tucker can find the time for an essay devoted purely to the growing literature about Clinton and his queer "allies," like David Mixner's memoir.
If The Queer Question has a weakness, it's precisely this topicality. I suspect that in 10 or 20 years, the book will need footnotes to explain who are half of Tucker's targets - a hazard of all political writing. But right now, right here, the book should inspire any Left radical with hope and canny tactical advice.
Although he doesn't write much about ACT UP, Tucker's commitment to the group evidently taught him many of the bitter lessons he recounts here: lessons in the uselessness of "liberals," in the importance of connecting queer struggles with anti-racist and anti-sexist battles, in the indivisibility of freedom. One might guess that Tucker's vision of socialism stems at least partly from ACT UP's freewheeling style. But since he lays out no program for American socialism different from, say, Michael Harrington, he probably intends his book as (to quote Emerson) provocation, not instruction.
And Tucker is provocative! Camille Paglia is "the Rush Limbaugh of post-feminism." Larry Kramer displays "the anarchism of the arrogant." And - an insight worth the price of admission - "Liberalism is class-consciousness with a bad conscience." With jabs like these, Tucker forces you to think (even while you gasp and laugh) and rethink your own positions. The essayist who comes to mind is Gore Vidal, and since Vidal may be the best around, that's a compliment to Tucker's wit.
The other great virtue of The Queer Question is its historical perspective. An essay on the Netherlands reminds on that persecuting queers didn't start with Jesse Helms, and throughout the book Tucker puts into context 1997's struggles by referring to the ugly traditions of intolerance against queers and all sexual "deviants." Yet Tucker reads history in a more hopeful light as well, very much in the socialist tradition of Marx and Gramsci - as the forward movement of the struggle for freedom. To that extent, he's an idealist, the very trait he deplores in Foucault. He does seem to believe that queers' struggles to belong to some unfolding, historical design. Let's hope Tucker has that one right. Certainly the closet doors of America can't be nailed shut just because the Falwells and the Buchanans want them sealed. The Queer Question reminds one that, however disgusting this moment in American life may be, there is a revolutionary tradition we can connect with, and also the certainty that even bigotry may yet be forced to yield.
Book Review by Lawrence Richette
Courtesy of Au Courant:

Jennifer LaBrecque's Jingle Bell Bride had me laughing outloud when I read it on the plane. This is the first romance novel I've read in years but as long as Ms. LaBrecque is writng, it won't be the last. Dilly is a heroine to whom we can all relate. The entire novel moved quickly and although the premise was a little wacky, the human interactions rang very true. I hope the next book will be longer!

A Rosey Little Christmas's heroine, Rosey O'Leary, has a thing for...butts. Nicely shaped, perfectly contoured male posteriors. And it just so happens Daniel Sullivan's is one of the finest she's ever seen. It also happens that he's the man trying to take her family home away from her and build a new development. One small car crash, and it's Rosey and Dan's day in court. Hopefully the verdict will be everlasting love!

Bonnie Tucker once again delights readers with her offbeat, hysterical writing style. This is just the Christmas treat you should indulge in!

Dilly Fitzgerald is not your typical heroine. A bit overweight with frequently limp hair, she can outrope, outride and outcuss even a seasoned ranch hand. When she learns that her father bought her a husband will bull semen, Dilly walks out of the church minutes before the ceremony. She perceives the exchange as a betrayal; her ex-fiancé and father consider it a business deal. She can't believe her fiancé was going to marry her for bull semen and grazing rights. And her beautiful Christmas wedding had been arranged around tax breaks. Never again will she settle for no less than breathless grand passion that makes her toes curl.

Mick MacDougal takes over driving his brother's limousine as a favor when his sister-in-law goes into labor early. Things are slow at his ranch anyway, so he welcomes the diversion. The sacrifice of three hard years of work and his marriage have left the ranch in better shape, but they aren't in the black yet. All he'll need to do for his brother is pick the happy couple up at the church and drive them to their honeymoon destination. Sounds easy, until the big, blond, bodacious bride exits the church alone and offers to pay him extra if he'll take her to the planned honeymoon retreat and drive her all week. She doesn't know her father's offered to pay in bull semen for Mick to look after his little girl until she comes home.

Mick puts responsibility to his ranch and his help above his personal life. Securing bull semen will ensure stock that will keep his people employed and paid. But when Dilly discovers her sexy driver is no better than her ex-fiancé, she's going to be (angry). Mick quickly finds himself falling for this story woman full of beauty and fury. As for Dilly, she figures its pretty bad when one kiss with limo driver in a burger joint eclipses every bit of her previous sexual experience.

Author Jennifer LaBrecque creates a delightfully capricious romance in JINGLE BELL BRIDE? This unusual cast of characters, including a convention of nuns, a best friend who's enrolled in an internet assertiveness support group, and an ex-fiancé accompanied by a mariachi band add captivating spice to this outrageous story. Underlying the humor is an irrational, wanton attraction between hero and heroine that will make the reader's toes curl. JINGLE BELL BRIDE? comes highly recommended.

When I was 12 years old our family went on vacation to Folly Island South Carolina. I had been a shell enthusiast since I was in diapers and we got to stay in a beach house owned by my uncle. I was in heaven! I grew up in the northeast and had never seen any of the shells that seemed to be common place there. Unfortunately, up to then I had never owned a book on shells and knew little about them or even what to call most of them. On my second day there my aunt gave me a little book with shells on the cover. I opened it up and it opened a whole new world for me. I was mesmerized. I now had a source of information about my favorite pastime. I looked up and found each and every shell I had found and even learned how to clean and take care of them like a professional. That book was Seashells of the World. Thirty years later I now have thousands of shells and hundreds of books on shells, many of them quite advanced but to this day that little book is my favorite by far. I have worn out my tenth copy and never go anywhere without a copy. It is perfect for all ages from toddler to adult.

As a teacher I used this book for the first time with Elementary school children. Who love it and find it easy to use. They actually get excited about Seashells! I am going to buy more copies for each child in my class! I always wondered about the names and classifications of many of the shells that I have found along the Florida Coast, and now I know!!!

As one of the illustrators (Marita), I would like to point out that I produced many of these illustrations from black and white photographs of perfectly shaped shells which were then colored according to the colors and patterns on recently acquired shells...the illustrations therefore are quite special in that they are the prototypes for their classification.

This book gives a great insight into the creative minds of some of the best songwriters around! It's better than meeting them yourself, because the author also thought of all the right questions to ask AND you can read through the answers over-and-over again! An insider's view of creativity, inspiration, and effort!

"The Soul Of A Writer" is not only thought-provoking, it delivers inspiration in the face of adversity. To begin the journey, is to start with the soul, and that is exactly what these authors accomplished. There are no right or wrong answers, just the true and human insights from those who write the songs. How powerful is the human voice and how ever-present is the writer who gives life to it! Truly a world of revelations , habits, and human ancedotes fill the pages of this book. It is a rare find for those looking to identify their thoughts and feelings with other songwriters. Whether you are a writer in full blown success or a writer still in search of that "first:" hit, I highly recommend settling down in your most comfortable spot and jumping right in. It may be remarkable what you discover in the "soul of a writer."

The format for this book is truly unique! Instead of focusing on one writer at a time, the issues of the creative process are the subject. Each contributor songwriter then provides their thoughts and experiences in that area. Great to read cover to cover or to pick up and thumb through for inspiration and ideas! Highly recommended!

for a heck of a ride. Margaret and John are at each other's throats - they're enemies, not a thing in common. Then, their boss tells them they're engaged - and the sparks fly yet again. Except maybe this time the sparks are of another sort . . . maybe it's love?

I found Bonnie Tucker's first book, Hannah's Hunks and knew I'd added a must-buy author to my list. And Stay Tuned: Wedding at 11:00 just proved I have good taste! She has the abilty to tickle your funny bone while she's pulling at your heart strings.

What a great book! From page one on I was smiling. Hennessy and Megs are a great couple, ala Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard. They keep the one liners going and the sexual tension high. Fans of romantic comedy will be *very* pleased.

with Stay Tuned: Wedding at Eleven! Bonnie Tucker once again takes us to Sugarland, Texas and introduces us to two people who are meant for each other --- only they don't know it yet. Margaret and John are coanchors who spend their broadcasts at each other's throat. Suddenly they're engaged and the ratings are soaring - the only problem is that neither of them did the asking, it's the station manager's idea. The story will leave you dizzy with laughter as John and Margaret look for their own Happily-Ever-After.

Bonnie Tucker's first book, Hannah's Hunks was such a delight I knew I was hooked by a prime catch - a romance writer who understands how to tickle your funny bone even as she touches your heart.

I received this book as a promotional gift from a publisher two days ago. I'd planned to read it "some time during the winter"... in other words, putting it off. Then I just kind of thumbed through it... and lo and behold, I couldn't lay it down. I read it twice since it came in the mail a couple of days back. It's a GREAT book, I can totally recommend it.

I read this book several months ago, before it was available here. I must say, questions that I've had all of my life... about God, about the Universe, why we're here, etc. etc. ... were all answered within a few hours in the reading of this book. This book has turned my life around! Definitely recommended.

This is an amazing work of art and teaching. The author writes in a fascinating and interesting style, easy to understand, yet exciting enough that you can't put it down. She talks about every possible question someone might have in regards to metaphysics and interjects her own experiences in an entertaining fashion. Definitely a MUST to read and have.