This is not an easy book to read, and you may often find yourself having to put the book down once in awhile simply to get away from the horror and reality of child abuse. Silverman is more than a survivor, she is an inspiration to victims who have experienced the savage, psychological, and inhuman terrors of child abuse. In Silverman's case, it tears the reader's heart to the very core to read of the abuse suffered at the hands of the one person who should have provided love and protection - her own father. What goes on behind the closed doors of a prominent, respected family will validate that child abuse knows no barriers or limitations when it comes to social standing. Silverman takes the reader through a nightmarish journey which will make the staunchest of characters break down and weap, not only for Silverman but for all the other innocent children whose childhood is being stolen from them at the hands of an abuser. The scars of child abuse remain forever, but through Silverman's story, she shows a light at the end of the tunnel, and an inner personal strength in reaching out to others that can only truly be understood by someone who has walked in her shoes.

This is one book I sincerely wish did not have to be written or published, not because it happened, but because I wish something like this never had to happen. I had not heard of Sue William Silverman before picking up her memoir, and the second I closed the covers together I wished that she did not have to live the life she was forced to live. To have survived years of torment and terror, of which Williamson has her own definitions, is truly a testament to the author's will to maintain a normal life beyond the circle of abuse.

Written to read like a novel, Because I Remember Terror is a gripping history of abuse and power, and of the subsequent healing and forgiveness. People with weak stomachs should be warned that Silverman does not sugar-coat her childhood--her language, though vibrant and flowing, is quite raw. Those fortunate to have never been sexually abused should read this as an account of a terror that needs to be extinguished. Those who have been abused will look to this book as representation of one woman's survival.

Sue Silverman's award-winning book is truly a work of art. The language is simple and powerful, like perfect poetry. Her story is personal, but as more and more similar stories of childhood sexual abuse are revealed, this book has a universal tone that is frightening because of its ordinariness. I could only read a few pages as a time, but I literally couldn't put it down and, after devoted the better part of two days to the effort, allowed myself to be moved to tears by the story and by the fine writing.

Through his discerning eyes Roger's penetrating photographs reveal the richness of nature along the Carmel, Big Sur and Monterey Coasts and opens our eyes to our own backyards. A photographer who shows the soul of rocks, trees, leaves, caves, ocean, sand and sky. Bill's words call the soul of the world, drawing us into a fullness of life's emotions, triggering our own losses and hope and wonder...then reminds us of the gift of each moment through sound, sight and feelings. A poet with the courage to bare his soul and in so doing awakens our. These photographs and poetry bring the universe to our doorsteps. A treasure book.

Art should provoke response, should inspire action in kind. This book delivers a moving example of just that: photographer inspiring poet, poet guiding the artist's eye. Moore's captivating images are, on one level, a beautiful rendering of Monterey's allure. But like Sechrest, I see something else, something profoundly emotional, which Moore achieves straightforwardly, without artifice or manipulation. Be sure to share this book with your most insightful friends and enjoy their responses.

TIP: as the book's designer, I happen to know Moore will be publishing another remarkable book of southern Russian images in the near feature. Keep a lookout - Moore is definitely on a roll.

Roger Moore's photographic style is exquisitely unique, truly a fine-art master, and his choice of subject matter can't be beat. These elements combined along with Sechrest's magical and moving poetry take the reader on a virtual fantasy vacation to one of the world's most beautiful and unforgettable areas. The fusing of the artistry of both the photographer and poet gift the viewer/reader with the stirring of all of the senses and emotions. One feels as if they've stepped into the photograph, smelled the ocean, looked up at the trees, felt the feelings, loved as Moore and Sechrest have loved.

Despite the author being a minister and this being a "spiritual biography," there is no beating of the religious drum here (thank God, for that was my fear, inspite of the fact that I was interested and intrigued in the idea of a "spiritual biography.) Nor is there any Pollyanna-ish writing. I agree with other reviewers in that Steed makes an astounding and perfectly convincing case for Duke Ellington's spirituality and its presense in and influence on his music. Her breezy yet scholarly approach is direct and simple and this biography makes an interesting addition to the still ever growing (and glutted) literature on Ellington. Adding to the book's appeal are the several side bars--a couple involve interesting profiles, and a couple others and of particular interest, are a close look at the several films featuring Ellington and his orchestra and Ellington's role in shaping these films. The book is always engaging, well-crafted and original. "Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography" should find a very wide audience and is a welcome primer for those new to Ellington, and regardless of spiritual inclination.

Although the book traces all the larger well-known facts of Ellington's life (which any biography must, necessarily, do), the author offers many new and original insights, which makes this book well worth the buy and read. Duke Ellington's music and life would seem to imply that historical stylistic boundaries can be breached--that music, in effect, ought to aspire to a place beyond style, or to use the words which Duke used to describe himself-- "beyond category." Steed's treatment of Ellington as a complex--and spiritual man is compelling--and without every sounding preachy, and without romanicization, despite the author's clear sympathy with her subject. Steed's careful and extensive research and colorful storytelling result in an impressive and dynamic new side of this great man of jazz. The author's prose style is down-to-earth as she offers readers an intriguing glimpse behind Ellington's long-maintained veil of privacy and public mask. Steed does not exploit Ellington's more gossipy or sensational story (though nor does she deny it), but instead, she deftly weaves her story of Duke's spirituality into a detailed, respectful and ultimately fuller and truer portrait. Steed delivers a far more poignant account than the scores of other biographies on the Duke. I especially and highly recommend this book for new initiates to this great king of Jazz.

That's a fair question and I'm sure I'm not the first to ask it. But Steed very convincingly argues and proves that indeed there is: Ellington's spirituality and his sacred music and sacred concerts. I highly recommend this book, especially for those new to Duke Ellington but also to those interested in his later music.

A precious gem. If you are looking for a book that approaches Islam in an intellectually-stimulating yet heart-warming manner, this is the book for you. It is difficult to get hold of a book on Islam written by a Western academician. Lang handled the challenge of writing such a book with brilliance. He wrote with sensitivity, honesty and open-mindedness on spiritual issues that beguile most non-Muslims as well as Muslims alike. May Allah reward him for his efforts in conveying Islam to humankind.

This was a pleasure to read; Lang shows that he can really seperate the culture of some Eastern societies from the religion of Islam. He also displays how many Muslims fail to live up to the ideals of their religion, while showing that beyond a doubt, the religion is one of great dynamic peace. Further questions on Islam can be directed to me at any time.

Jeffrey Lang has presented the mercy and compassion of Allah, in particular, so persuasively that I, another former atheist, have followed him to Islam -- I was interested in learning about the religion but had not thought I would actually convert. For other potential converts it might be the way he describes the logic and intelligence of the Qur'an which would do it, or his obvious sincerity and honesty in telling why and how he converted, with many of the emotional components of his experience.

In my opinion this book is better than his other book, Struggling to Surrender, and I'm glad I read this one first. I wonder if those who have been Muslims all their lives have any idea how many converts this book is likely to produce. It is too bad it is not better known.

I last read this book two years ago and plan to read it again soon. I honestly could not put it down! It is a true story of Simon Kenton who as a teenager became one of the bravest and most skilled frontiersmen of the late 1700s. He became a friend of Daniel Boone and in fact saved his life in a daring rescue at Boonsboro. The book includes many detailed facts gathered from diaries, memoirs, historical records and many other sources and each is carefully footnoted. Many references are made to geographical locations of events so that you can actually drive up to the place where these historical events occurred. It is history turned into a novel and is very enjoyable reading.

I love this book! Eckert's classic tale of Simon Kenton and settlement of the Ohio Valley is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the United States. This book was recommended to me after reading Eckert's "Dark and Bloody River". It is exciting, highly engaging, and historically detailed. The notes at the end of the book are a novel by themselves. The story of Kenton, Boone, and the Kentucky settlers is truly amazing. It has often been said that this should be required reading in high school and I can't help but agree. Eckert's books take place in a time and place nearly forgotten by modern Americans. Children raised on the old "Cowboys and Indians" westerns never learn that there was a whole other "West" on the Eastern frontier and the Northwest Territory. I grew up in Ohio, and I never learned about many of the events that happened in my own back yeard until I began reading Eckert! Many people are surprised to learn that there were a number of very bloody and significant battles during the Revolutionary War west of the Appalaichans, right here in Ohio in fact. A whole chapter of our history is being forgotten, but luckily, Eckert's books help to prevent that.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! I highly recommend it to everyone. This book kept me spellbound. If you had trouble getting interested in history before, you won't while you are reading this. Why can't they teach history like this in school?

Allan Eckert spent 7 years researching this book. It is a true story of history. He tells the truth about the frontier as it was for real people. I am so glad a friend recommended this book to me. I plan to re-read this book and check out some of Eckert's other books.

THIS BOOK WAS A VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND, VERY PLEASANT TO READ OVER-VIEW OF THE CASH FLOW INDUSTRY AND ITS POTENTIAL TO EARN MONEY. ITS WRITTEN IN LANGUAGE THAT ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND, AND BE ABLE TO APPLY IN THE REAL WORLD. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE BOOK IS ACCURATE, COHESIVE, AND WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY AS TO BE ENJOYABLE. TIME WELL SPENT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE SEEKING A VIABLE, LUCRATIVE CAREER IN THE MONEY BUSINESS, OR ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE ALREADY IN THE BUSINESS WHO WANT TO REFRESH THEMSELVES AND EXPAND THEIR POTENTIAL. A MUST READ!!!

I have read and followed financial, investment and business books for close to 30 years. Many are informative and some are brilliant. This book is one of the latter ones. I've been watching the cash flow industry develop for 10 years now, but this is the first time the entire industry is explained in one book by the founder of it. It's an added bonus that the book is thorough, entertaining, and easy to read.

Cash In On Cash Flow is one of the most clearly written and well organized books that I have ever read on business opportunities or investing. Mr. Pino presents an excellent overview of the entire cash flow industry. At the same time, he explains the initial step-by-step actions required for one to profit from brokering and/or investing in each type of cash flow. This book was written by someone who has learned his subject through practical experience. Mr. Pino also possesses, a sometimes rare gift among authors, the ability to teach others. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the cash flow and discounted paper businesses.

When reading literature on the American Revolution, it is rare to find a book placed in the southeast during that time period. Even more rare is a book dealing with a mixed race family of the time. Ann Rinaldi covers both topics well in her book Cast Two Shadows. The protagonist, Caroline, is a girl of both African and white descent, with a slave mother and white father. Her father's white family embraces Caroline as a daughter when her slave mother disappears, under strange circumstances.

When Caroline is fourteen, the Revolutionary War comes to the South. Her family's home is invaded by British soldiers, and Caroline, her mother, and her sister are put under house arrest. Her brother Johnny and father are away, fighting on opposite sides of the revolution. Johnny is Loyalist, the father, a Patriot. Word reaches the household that Johnny has been wounded. Caroline is released from house arrest to "fetch her brother home." Accompanying Caroline on her journey is her slave grandmother Miss Melindy. Caroline rarely speaks to her grandmother and has no idea how to deal with being in the woman's presence. On the course of the journey, her grandmother begins to tell her stoires, and Caroline learns about her heritage, her family, and why her slave mother disappeared. When Caroline returns home, many thigs have changed, and she is not the same person who started the journey. The book deals with the subject of mixed slave/white families very well. The Revolution is also covered well, with the focus on how the British soldiers treated families in the souhteastern part of the country and what resulted from the invasion. This is a great book to read for an unusual look at the American Rwvolution, and a side of the war that is often overlooked in history books.

Cast Two Shadows is an amazing book, quite possibly Ann Rinaldi's best. The story of the American Revolution in the south, this book is a definitely not a dull example of war fiction. Where many books are set in New England, and the characters all face similar problems, Rinaldi has created a unique novel about a young girl's inner conflict as well as the one in the world around her. You will be drawn in by the unique characters, and the vivid descriptions of a South Carolina plantation. Some of Rinaldi's books are tough to follow, as she attempts to explain events that, without prior knowledge, are hard to understand. Cast Two Shadows, however, portrays historical events with ease. The plot moves swiftly, without a boring moment, as you follow fourteen year old Caroline's struggle to understand the war, her family, and herself. 282 pages of adventure and heart-felt emotions, Cast Two Shadows is a historical novel everyone should read.

"Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South" was another great novel by Ann Rinaldi, and a very good novel on the Revolutionary War!

Caroline, 14, lives with her mixed Patriot/Loyalist family in South Carolina around 1780. Her life begins to change drastically then; her friend, Kit, is hanged for trying to attack Cornwallis, her father is in jail for being a Patriot, her brother, who was at war, needs her to help him, Loyalists are taking over her home, her sister is getting to be friends - very good friends - with a British soldier, and she's also beginning to know her slave grandmother.

This book told a good story, with quite a bit of truth in it, about the interesting times of the Revolutionary War. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone ages 12 and up wanting an exciting read! I'd also recommend "A Wolf by the Ears" and "Time Enough for Drums", two other novels by Rinaldi, and definitely the movie "The Patriot" as it is about some of these very places, people, and events mentioned in this book.

I'm somewhat of a new Doors fan, particularly of Jim Morrison. The hair and the pout drew me in first, then the music followed. When I found this book, I knew I had to own it. I was not at all disappointed. Sugerman has done a fantastic job of compiling the hundereds of pictures and newspaper/magazine articles from over the years into this informative collection. The progression over the years of Morrison's rise to fame and eventual downfall into drugs and self-desctruction is adeptly demonstrated. A must-have for any Doors fan.

I absolutely love this book. The introduction and the photographs are worth the price alone. This book has the lyrics to all your favorite Doors songs plus poetry (lyrics) from Jim Morrisons' spoken word album "An American Prayer." It has also got interviews and a behind the scenes look at what went on during some of the recording sessions as well as definitions as to just what Jim meant in some of their songs. The discussion about the meaning of The End is great. This book is a must for Doors fans from the most ardent to the just curious. The book is not one that will be looked at once or twice and put on a shelf. It is a facinating read no matter how many times you read it. The Doors: The Complete Lyrics increased my respect and admiration for the band, and Jim in particular, 1000 fold.

"The Doors: The Illustrated History" is the best photographic, visual book record of the band. Compiled by Doors manager Danny Sugerman, it is a fascinating, visually rich and enjoyable display of a band that changed rock music and the amount of praise (and criticsm) they inspired. The pictures are great, they are clear, close and informative and clearly show how Jim Morrison created the theatrical aspects we so see so often in today's rock music. We also get different shots of the man, as the wild, leather-clad Lizard King and as a lonely, quiet poet. The articles and reviews are fascinating because they take us back to a time and place, but they are also surprising to read when compared to what is written today about certain rock artists. In one article dealing with the New Haven arrest where Morrison became the first rock performer to be arrested at a concert, the writer calls the music of The Doors "satanic, sensual and demented." A sign of what was to come with artists like Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper and many others. Some of the reviews are especially well-written, like one where the writer says the Doors music evokes images like the eye-ball slashing in Luis Bunuel's "Un Chien Andalou." Like the music, the images are timeless, and evoke a poetic, deep persona who's presence is ever so strong in rock. Like The Beatles, The Doors are an unforgettable force, you hear them once and never forget. The foreward by Jerry Hopkins, who wrote "No One Here Gets Out Alive," is also informative and has interesting things to say about the resurgence of Doors music. This is a must for any Doors fanatic and anyone who has ever been touched by the music and words.

A thoroughly charming read. Was sold on this one by Marcia Brown's "Strings Attached" story on the sneak preview. She must have a colorful family indeed! Also enjoyed the Mandela piece. Great fun, even if you're not a gardener!

Thanks to Cliff Hunter for his great review of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul". Please note, however, that the story "A Son's Harvest" was written by Lee May, not Henry Boye, as Cliff states. (It's a wonderful story, no matter who wrote it, but Lee should get the credit!) Thanks--Carol Sturgulewski, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul

A truly good book evokes cozy images and sensations from the past. And this is a very good book, one that teaches us to stop and consider how wisely we spend on this earth.

Among my personal favorites was Nona's Garden by Paul Silici. I could almost smell the delectably heavy garlic, beef and tomatoes slowly steaming in my grandmother's kitchen, and felt a tug on my heartstrings when she shared the story of her grandmother's lessions in life. Planting Day filled me with hope for the younger generation when I saw that sixteen-year-old Beth Pollack had written such an insightful essay. It was good to learn in Pat Stone's A Bedside Story that I'm not the only person who talks to their plants.

There's something for everyone in CS for the Gardener's Soul.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in entering a medical profession. This book will give the reader an intimate view into the reality of working in a hospital where life and death decisions are made. I'm in nursing school, and reading this book has affirmed my decision to become a nurse.

Her style is a bit melodramatic, and she does tend to romanticize certain events. Such as the boy who comes in to say good-bye to his grandfather--she describes how much he looked up to him, etc, when in reality she knows nothing of their relationship, or even what the man was like in life. But it's easy to overlook these (if you want!), because the meat of the book is about what it's like to take care of people in crisis. I look forward to reading more of her books.

What can I say....I laughed, I cried, I read from cover to cover. I first read Echo Heron while a first year nursing student. But I became a nurse anyway.

This book, along with her other non-novels should be required reading for all aspiring nurses. If you still want to be one afterwards you really need therapy. All "non nurses" should read her books just to see what we have to put up with and why we turn out the way we do!

This book is true life. I have been a nurse for many years and have seen so many of the same things. It touched my heart and warmed my soul. Reminded me of myself and why I became a nurse! A must read for all nurses new and seasoned!!