5 comments about VISIONSEEKER: Shared Wisdom from the Place of Refuge.

1. Title: Very disappointed

   ...

   I hoped the books would shed light, from Dr. Hank's perspective as well as from his descendant Nainoa's perspective(supposedly 5000 years in the future), on how human society got to where it is in Nainoa's time. Specifically, I wanted to know:
   (1) How is Dr. Hank sure it's the year 7000 AD (or so)? Does Nainoa have some kind of written history? If so, why wasn't it shared with the reader?
   (2) What happened to Earth (and when) that turned California into an equatorial tropical jungle, complete with tropical animals? Obviously some kind of pole shift/planetary displacement.
   (3) What is happening in the rest of the world at 7000 AD? The California coastline is now an Hawaiian chiefdom (apparently deserted before they arrived in canoes) and the Nevada area is now sparsely populated by hunter-gatherer type tribes (the Ennu) of unknown descent, possibly Eskimo and/or French-Canadian. What about the rest of the world? And what happened to wipe out most of the population (assuming the rest of the Earth is as sparsely populated as these areas)?

   Dr. Hank rants and raves about global warming and overpopulation leading to civilization's downfall ... but then he turns around and says that humans are reaching a critical mass of spiritual enlightenment (just look at all the shaman training centers, like his, after all), hinting that everything will be all right if we all just become enlightened like him. So, what happened then? It can't be both ways, can it? Or maybe there was something else that took the earth down (when?) ... a nuclear war, an asteroid hit, a near-miss by Planet X/Niburu?

   I was also hoping that Dr. Hank, being the anthropologist he is and working where he is (African Rift Valley, the apparent "birthplace of intelligent humans"), with or without Nainoa, might shed some light on prehistoric human life. No such luck. All we get are brief glimpses into the far past ... a hairy arm at one point and some pre-human-type primates sleeping in a tree at another.

   Then there were the parts of the books that just plain annoyed me:

   Nainoa had married a woman in the Ennu tribe, then he travels back to his Hawaiian-culture land and marries another woman (and even thinks about someday marrying a third) ... I guess there isn't any commitments, faithfulness, or jealousy in the future. Polygamy and promiscuous sex is the natural deal ... after all, we are in "repopulate-the-earth-mode."

   Dr. Hank, in all three books, includes many, many (many) sexual encounters, between him and wife Jill, as well as between Nainoa and his wives, in extensive, too-intimate, minute descriptive detail. What's the point? Titillate the reader some? Sell books? This isn't a steamy romance novel, is it? So what if you have a hot, randy sex life ... so what if the glories of your orgasms often lead to trance experiences ... it felt like exhibitionism and bragging. It disturbed me and I didn't think it was necessary to the subject matter of the books.

   In summary, if Dr. Hank indeed has the powers he has, I wish he would tackle some of the important questions I have (above) for the benefit of all mankind, instead of just using his shamanic visions to eavesdrop on a man in the future, to create his own private paradise (secret garden), and to fly into the Source and poke the eye of God, living to tell about it. It felt like an advertisement: Look at all the cool stuff I can do and you can do it too ... just sign up for my next "Be a Shaman" class.




2. All other considerations aside, Visionseeker--like Spiritwalker and Medicinemaker--is a good story. By the way, if you haven't read any yet--READ THEM IN ORDER! It's interesting to consider what a possible future might look like. I like to hear about Wesselman's shamanic/visionary encounters and lessons with Nainoa. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't read this with a particular agenda and specific questions I needed to have answered. If a pressing question came up, I think I'd just write to Dr. Wesselman and ask. I read on to book three because I enjoyed the other two and find the "characters" to be multi-dimensional, aware and very human. Their consciousness is expanding with each visit. Some of their epiphanies help to clarify my own thinking--things I've been turning over in my own mind. The author has a gift for articulating hard-to-define concepts, particularly regarding the nature of the soul. I have a stake now in knowing what happens to these characters, and how they continue to learn and make sense of their uncommon relationship.

   Wesselman is not painting of picture of 21st century life, culture and morality when he visits Nainoa. It's a foreign point of view in most respects. Nor do I think the author is omniscient when it comes to life in that time and place. He is learning as he goes and gathering information and understanding. Readers have to be aware of these things. Personally, I read the books with a curiosity about the possibility of a spiritual connection across time. If you believe in the possibility of reincarnation, his narrative is intriguing. What if he and Nainoa share a portion of an enduring soul? I don't think he is asking us to believe what he is saying beyond a shadow of a doubt; we didn't experience what he did, so how can we? But I respect his experience/his beliefs about them--and I think they contain something of value for us.

   One of the things I liked best about this particular text was that he goes into specifics about his shamanic practices. As he begins to develop some control over his visionary states, he is also able to share the knowledge he's gained more clearly. He discusses the energy/levels of soul and seems to be honing in on what connects him and his ancestor in these visionary states. I haven't had a conscious experience quite like his, but I've had enough powerful visions in dreaming and other moments to give me an open mind about it.

   With regard to the sexuality that a few have taken issue with...if it's part of the overall experience and story, why should it be filtered out? Some might think it's overdone--I hear similar complaints about Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series--but sexuality and intimate partnerships are part of life. I found them to be tastefully and lovingly captured, though a few could make you blush.... For some who follow a more mystical path, I have heard that you CAN launch some journeying via sexual buildup and release. I can't confirm or deny it myself, though I have spoken to people who claim it happens and I've read about it more than once. You might think it's new age mumbo jumbo--that's your prerogative, but as far as I'm concerned Mr. Wesselman is the author and he gets to choose what goes in and what he feels is important or worthwhile to share. Seems rather courageous to me to lay bare the details of one's life so openly. It's also inspiring to read about couples who love and respect each other with passion and tenderness, though it might not always be comfortable to read coming from our cultural framework.

   At any rate, author/mythologist Joseph Campbell cautions that when the hero comes back after his transformational journey with gifts for his/her community, a lot of times those gifts turn to ashes in his hands, because the the community is often not ready/able to understand and receive those gifts--yet.

   Keep the stories coming, Dr. Wesselman! We'll embrace whatever gifts we are ready for.




3. "Visionseeker" is the third book in a series concerning the author's amazing, beautiful, and insightful connection with his future ancestor (Nainoa), as well as his awesome journeys into various transcendent experiences. In this book he continues to share a great amount of "ancient wisdom" that is helpful for us to learn/remember today.
   
   Hank Wesselman's writing style is such that he is able to pull the reader into his experiences - so much so that there were times when I could actually see/feel/hear/sense that which he was describing. In this way, Mr. Wesselman takes the reader on a journey as well - an awesome & powerful journey to be sure!
   
   Overall, I would highly recommend "Visionseeker" to anyone interested in spirituality in general, &/or shaminism in particular. This book has much to offer!



4. Hank has been there, done that. He allows you to join his ecstacy as he receives vital information for humankind's growth and survival. Don't miss it.



5. Visionseeker is the final of three books. The first two being "Spiritwalker," then "Medicinmaker."
   
   In Visionseeker, Hank Wesselman continues to beautifully illustrate his extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.
   
   The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.
   
   I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.

5 comments about A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney.

1. First of all, I am a Mormon. I did not have a desire to vote for a Mormon candidate for president simply because I shared his faith. I was interested to read about Governor Romney's life, and what would qualify him to lead our country in what promises to be a very challenging time in our history. I found that his ethics and his life experiences uniquely qualify him for this position.This book is very informative, and is written by a non-Mormon in an honest and candid manner. It WILL clear up misconceptions you may have about Governonr Romney.



2. Author Hugh Hewitt has produced an appealing pro-Mitt Romney book that highlights the former Massachusetts Governor's political and business career and gives cogent reasons why he should not be discriminated against because of his Mormon faith.
   
   Romney alone of all the candidates has had to overcome the 'religious problem'to a greater extent than past Catholic contenders, Al Smith (1928), JFK in 1960, and another JFK in 2004. His Mormon religion was used against him by a member of the Kennedy clan when Romney ran against Ted Kennedy in the 1994 senate race and more recently, and importantly, by Mike Huckabee in trying to cement his lead in the Iowa Caucus race due in early 2008. While I am a lot closer to Huckabee in a religious sense than I am to Romney that attack, by the now front-runner in Iowa, was a low cheap shot and Huckabee deserves censure where it counts -by the American voters.
   
   America is the Great Republic precisely because it stands for across-the-board-freedoms and tolerance and Hewitt rightly warns that those Christians who wish to make Romney's faith a matter for intense debate and clause-by-clause scrutiny should be aware that they are opening a pandora's box for future attacks, by secularists, a cynical media and rabid atheists, against candidates of faith of a more orthodox persuasion.
   For those who may doubt that then the news today (23 december 2007), about former British PM Tony Blair announcing his conversion to Roman Catholicism, is instructive. Mr Blair said he was never able to discuss his religion in public in the UK, unlike politicians in the US, for fear of being seen as a 'nutter.' Thus far has the public square detioriated in the UK and if Romney is subjected to a barrage of criticism and derision for his faith then it will establish the same pattern for the future in the US- namely politicians of faith will be fair game and intimidated into surrendering the public square to the haters of religion.
   
   Like any other candidate for office Hewitt believes that Romney should be judged on his policy positions and for conservatives there is a lot to appreciate about Mitt: from his defence of traditional marriage as a Republican Governor in the bluest of liberal Democratic states, his strong defence and national border credentials, low tax policies, school choice, and a pledge to continue to appoint judges, as he did in Mass., that interpret the law instead of trying to make the law.
   
   As for Romney's pro-life change, Hewitt effectively catalogues some of the leading Democrats who changed the other way (to pro-choice) but somehow they don't receive the same attention from the secular mainstream media. Also what some might call Mitt's 'flip-flopping' can be described by others as him becoming more consistently conservative. Didn't a chap called Ronald Reagan move from being a liberal-abortion law governor to a consistently pro-life president? Come to think of it wasn't the Gipper once a Democrat? As Hewitt implies, being accused of being a flip-flopper is a very politically loaded term and frankly at times just plain silly as it it takes no account of a considered re-evaluation and changes of circumstances.
   
   Hugh Hewitt has written a timely book for all Americans to consider about a central character in a fascinating struggle for the Republican Party presidential nomination.
   
   In writing this review on my 29th wedding anniversary I am reminded that Mitt Romney is the standout family man of all the candidates- devoted to his wife and children and with no hint of scandal- and given the tumultuous history of the Mormon Church in the 19th century, plus some of those less faithful who seek to denigrate him today, you have to say politics can be an amusing business.



3. PAY LAY ALE!
   
   Romney uttered these words in the presence of "angles" and witnesses in a temple of the Mormon church. Google it for yourself. Learn about the ridiculous church of Joseph Smith (of which I used to be a part of) and see if you want a man who chanted "Pay Lay Ale" while lowering his arms three times while wearing a Chef Boyardee hat to run the United States of America.



4. I finished reading this book last night and after hearing that Mitt Romney had suspended his campaign. I believe he lost in the South because the voters there preferred another good candidate that just happened to be an Southern Baptist. Mitt Romney's resume is very impressive and his Mormon family values should make him a very desirable candidate to most Americans. They just need to get to know him and his faith better.
   I believe this book will return in the future as an updated paperback and there will be a Mormon in the White House in 2012.



5. If more people would have researched the candidates thoroughly (and read this book), Mitt Romney would be taking the oath of office in January 09. Those of you who are Christians and have said: "I won't vote for a Mormon" should realize that you're participating in your own demise. The liberal media and the secularists know that if they can divide Christians by encouraging some of them to be bigots, their side wins. We need to look at how the candidates live their lives and what they stand for. Christians should look in the mirror before they judge others. Romney is one of the smartest men who has ever been "dumb enough" to run for president.
   I would love to see how his analytical mind, backed by all the data his "team" would have gathered, would have changed the entitlement programs, for example. Now conservatives have to choose between liberal leaning candidates on both sides of the aisle. BIG MISTAKE IN 08!

1 comments about Spirit of the Wilderness.

1. Way back when I was in high school, I read a book by John Muir and enjoyed it. This audiobook covers some of the same material - Muir climbing a tree during a storm to experience it's wild swinging movements, clambering behind a waterfall and other exciting wilderness experiences. Some of them seem pretty reckless. But Muir loved the mountains and was instrumental in founding Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club.
   
   Actor Lee Stetson selected his material well; it is entertaining. His accent surprised me: very proper and from the British Isles. Possibly Muir spoke like that; he spent his early years in Scotland. I did find that the volume level of the narrative sometimes dropped down to where I could hardly hear it. (I was listening to the cassettes in the car.)
   
   The audiobook plays for 2 and a half hours. The listing says that it is "by John Muir" but it is technically by Muir and Stetson. It is based on the writings of John Muir, and many of the words are his. Lee Stetson added to the narrative here and there, no doubt in order to make it satisfying as a performance.

5 comments about A Prison Diary.

1. Absolute drivel, poorly written by an angry ego driven con. The only thing that does come out of this is the state of our prison system, Kudos to our Lordship for at least using his celebratory status to raise this issue. However, come on, if you are going to write about being in prison at least let us know that you were scared to death. He never really talks about what was running through his mind all those hours in lock up. If any of these men, including Fletch, had sat next to him at the theatre he would have called security.



2. Incredible writing, totally expected of Jeffrey Archer.
   He brings his artisary in fiction into this non-fiction giving you great insight in the lives of prisoners who we all love to think of as bad guys.
   At the end of the book, the inmates are no longer bad guys but regular people who just want to get by with their lives living it as best as they can.
   A definite must read for all lovers of a good book.



3. I actually originally read Volume III Heaven before finding a copy of Volume I Hell and have to say I think Heaven was a lot higher in quality than this book. Heaven is also a lot thicker with a lot more pages. In Volume I Archer shows more of himself through his writing than in the final volume which to be honest makes him a little bit less likeable and harder to relate to. In Heaven you assume he is an average guy (I mean you know he is a rich author and politician) but in Hell he portrays his upper class upbringing and lifestyle and comes across rather snobby at times when talking about his fellow inmates backgrounds or describing his conditions. He will only drink bottled water, can't eat the everyday prison food served at meal times even though there's a menu of three alternatives, had never even heard of let alone eaten Coco Pops (these as the same as Coco Puffs for North Americans) before getting them in a multipack of cereal, and in his opinion they weren't as good as Cornflakes. How he was amazed that drugs can get smuggled in obviously means he had never watched normal TV before in his life.
   
   I found that the empathy I had for Archer in Volume III Heaven I just did not have reading Volume I Hell. Surely he also got some of his friends into trouble and a loss of their privileges or another 28 days added onto their sentences by revealing stuff like one of them who worked in the canteen stole him a bottle of water and passed it through the wire. Even if he uses fake names it is not going to be that hard for prison authorities to work out who it was from the dates in his diary. I'm glad he also got rid of the cricket score updates by the trilogy finale as these were pretty boring.
   
   Saying all that though I still found the first volume of the Prison Diaries an entertaining read and an insightful look into the Class A prisons of Britain which I imagine would have many similarities to ones in Australia, North America and elsewhere. I'm just glad that he improved the diaries by the third volume and I will definitely be checking out Volume II Purgatory.



4. What a shock to the system,but what a good read this was as well.To go from the very top to the bottom in one easy lesson!
   Loryn Potroz



5. Prison Diary is, by far, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. While some believe that Archer is egocentric (he does talk about himself quite a bit), I believe this adds importance to the story. Archer was part of the political system, yet he had no idea how horribly the prisons were run. He is now experiencing day to day life in the highest security prison in England. For a first-time offender, that has to be extremely overwhelming! He may complain about his conditions and the ordeals of his daily life, but wouldn't you if you were given a four year sentence for something that should have only gotten community service? His stories of the drug dealings, the prisoners inside the "lifers" wing, and the problems the guards face bring a new insight into prison life. Because Archer was not the "typical" con, everyone felt as if they could talk to him, thus, making this a well-rounded novel on the system. Overall, this is a well-written novel sure to shake things up a bit.

No comments about Yeager: An Autobiography/Audio Cassette.

5 comments about Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters.

1. The old adage "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is usually a good one, but the fact that the art director of GODFORSAKEN SEA actually used the exact same cover photo as Pete Goss's CLOSE TO THE WIND is an indication of what a supernumerary book this really is.
   
   Derek Lundy is an (Anglo?-) Canadian attorney-turned-sailor-turned-author. He has some recreational blue water cruising experience. He is the most rabid Francophile I have ever come across (frankly, that alone would cost him a star with most reviewers). He describes GODFORSAKEN SEA as "the story of the Vendee Globe and Gerry Roufs" but it isn't. That's one of the problems with GODFORSAKEN SEA: Lundy isn't ever quite certain what this book is about, and so he hopscotches from one topic to another and back again like a frantic capuchin monkey.
   
   If it were the story of Gerry Roufs (the only Canadian entrant in the 1996-97 Globe Vendee, and the only sailor to lose his life), GODFORSAKEN SEA would be a fine book. Lundy clearly identifies with Roufs, a (French-) Canadian attorney-turned sailor, rather like himself. Still, we find out relatively little about Roufs, his life, or his boat. Roufs may have disappeared in a gale, but he was a human being, never a cypher; he had a full life, which Lundy does poorly in reporting, and it's a shame, because GODFORSAKEN SEA could have been a fine memorial to the man.
   
   Lundy's attempts to draw parallels between the squalls he's sailed through and the hundred foot waves and hurricane winds of the Southern Ocean are sincere attempts to identify with the solo circumnavigators of the Vendee on some level. They may seem silly but they're forgivable.
   
   What isn't forgivable is Lundy's chaotic approach to the story. One minute he is mourning Gerry Roufs, the next he is singing the praises of each of the French entrants, then afterward he warns us perseveratively about the nasty conditions of the Southern Ocean. He takes a breath to discuss racing yacht design, and then he is reminiscing about his sailing experiences. A few asides are thrown in about the entrants' earlier sailing experiences, and he's back to weatherfax technology, Bordeaux wine or straightforward (but incomplete) race reportage: All this, over and over and over.
   
   GODFORSAKEN SEA is in desperate need of an editor, but editing probably would have reduced this book to a third of it's 272 pages, making it less marketable. As it stands, GODFORSAKEN SEA isn't quite Godforsaken; but it sure could use a prayer or two. Pete Goss's CLOSE TO THE WIND is a better written book about the same Globe Vendee, and if it focuses on Goss more exclusively, at least it isn't suffering from literary Attention Deficit Disorder.
   
   TWO AND A HALF STARS: All based on the innate quality of the story of the 1996-97 Globe Vendee.



2. However disjointed, this story still excites and intrigues. I found myself staying up late to finish chapters and search the internet for more about the Vendee Globe boats and racers. I was fascinated by the racers' skill and courage as they faced life-and-death situations. Like another reviewer, I think I saw the method to the author's style, which provided narrative to create interest mixed with backstory and more technical data to give the narrative context. Although not seamless, I think the it works pretty well. Also, the story would not have been as compelling without that context.



3. This book hovers between the thrill of reading an exciting story about life and death situations during solo sailing on the open ocean and the tedium of absorbing a barrage of information about the world of sail racing. Still, Derek Lundy manages this balance with reasonable skill. The story is well researched and the writing is competent, if at times a bit heavy. My only real complaint is that the flow of information could have been better organized to make it easier for the reader to keep track of the characters and their constantly changing status during the race. Well worth the read if you have any interest in stories about people who risk their comfort and their lives to endure and survive earth's most challenging environments.



4. Godforsaken Sea is one of the best books I have ever read, particularly as I have sailed in the storm that wrecked the Fastnet race in 1995 so have some idea of what the single handed commpetors sailing round the Antartic endured.They were surfing down waves 30 meters high under full sail at 40 knots and if this was not enough had to gibe a 200 square Meter spinnaker at night without any help. Moreover it was not safe on deck so this is a stupendous feat.They could lose a rudder from flotsam and had to do all repairs to rigging alone.It is a pity that the paper-back edition does not have the photographs



5. I'm sure this title has been taken already for a review, but you need to be warned.
   
   I acquired the book because I have a budding interest in sailing, and was looking for some sort of inspiration.
   
   This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time.
   It may even be the worst book I have ever read--period.
   
   If I ever hear another word about "Autessier" or "Moitessier" for as long as I shall live, I shall vomit.
   These men may be greater sailors than I will ever be, but this book singlehandedly destroyed my perception of them. I never wish to hear another word about them again.
   
   This books was one endless worshiping drone about "great" (so we are told over and over) yachtsmen and the sea sprinkled in between with bits of the event the book is supposed to be about (what was that again?). On and on he quotes extensively from one Frenchman to the next lavishing ever more sickening fawning adjectives to describe how superhuman he believed these individuals were.
   
   ("When you are alone with the sea, that is the measure of a man. You and the sea--alone. A man must face his fear with the sea, and come to grips with them. The sea is not for boys, but for exceptional men. Moitessier understood this unlike any other man since Slocum. He faced the sea alone and conquered..." On and on he goes like this for chapter after chapter after chapter!)
   
   It is when he mentioned that he was atheist or agnostic that it became "clear" why. The author has abandoned the worship of a God to worship other human beings. Some may find this offensive, but the book is that bad. It badly needed some sort of explanation.
   
   I must admit, that for my own sanity I had to skip large tracts of this book.

5 comments about Red Sky In Mourning: The True Story of a Woman's Courage and Survival at Sea.

1. What a wonderful book, by a courageous woman. As I read the book, I felt that I was there with her during her struggles and triumphs. And the ending is very positive and doesn't leave the reader hanging. She's overcome a great deal in life at a young age, and has gone on to become a very solid and interesting wife and mother, I suspect. Yes, the book describes a real tragedy, the kind of thing that a sailor prays to avoid. However, there are real lessons to be found, such as equipment and design flaws aboard her boat, as well as the 'human factors' which she discusses openly. I've made purchases and upgrades to my boat (I liveaboard and cruise fulltime) based on her book and her lecture at the Annapolis sailboat show. Just buy the book, and you won't be sorry!



2. Tami lost her boyfriend and the rigging of the boat they were delivering from the South Pacific to San Diego, during a hurricane they tried to avoid.
   
   Her story is of profound love, desperation, madness and survival, told like only that lived through it can.
   
   Beautifully written, entertaining and a few lessons for the rest of us sailors.
   
   On top of the entertaining and poetical value (has both) it has important information on what to do (and avoid) on a similar situation. More importantly, how to avoid being in one on the first place!
   
   Capt. Pablo Vitaver



3. You will not be able to put this book down! I learned so much about sailing from reading this book and the other reviews make it clear that even experienced sailors have as well.
   One reviewer who really enjoyed the book criticized the fact Tami and Richard were so much in love they were not afraid to show it in the way they spoke with each other. I find nothing at all odd about calling each other "Love". It is similar to using the nickname "Sweetheart". Absolutely and totally believable in my opinion.
   
   As I read this book the descriptions of the places and the story was such that I found myself back in time, caught up in their beautiful world 22 years ago. Tami if you ever come to New England to speak I would love to attend! Now more than ever I would love to sail. Tami and Richard shared moments which many people will never experience in an entire lifetime.
   
   I recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds. This is a story which even those who live far from the sea can relate to. The freedom and exuberance of youth and love, the excitement of an adventure, the loss of one we haved love with all our heart, tragedy, despair, hope, courage, survival....and once again living and loving.
   
   This book held me spellbound. I was surprised when I found myself reaching for the kleenex as I finished the book. Perhaps I had finished the journey with Tami as I read the book. The fate of the Mayaluga was probably the final incident which started the tears for me. I will not ruin the ending for all of you. We all know what Richard would have chosen for the Mayaluga and it would be great to have an update on this.
   The photographs were so nice to have included in the book and I only wish there had been more photographs of the places they had visited! Purchase this book and you will treasure it!



4. It's really more a love story than a survival story. I have read good 'lost at sea' non-fiction such as 'The Raft' and excerpts from the Adrenaline series by Listen and Live audio. However this book really does not come close to the near death experiences by crew who are lost at sea without food and water. But it is a good love story, so for that reason I give it 4 stars.



5. This book is great. I fell in love with the characters, and my heart was broken. This book reads very easily and if you are a traveler type you will relate to the general sense of adventure that runs seamlessly through this book. If you like ocean adventure books you almost can't go wrong with this. I also recommend "North to the night" and "Desperate voyage".

5 comments about Timebends: A Life.

1. In an interview conducted before he wrote this book, Miller said, "I think memoirs, autobiography...can help to translate chaos into something that is a useable past. Give an image where there was only a blur." He suggests the kind of autobiography he would be interested in writing would be more about the time he was living rather than his life, so a reader would "come away from it somehow a little heavier than he went into it." In all of this, TIMEBENDS succeeds wonderfully. I learned a great deal more about the textures, realities and signficance of the 1930s, 40s and 50s through his observations and images than through any linear professional histories. A bonus for those who enjoy seeing and reading Miller's plays is his deliberate selection of significant events and people in his life that show up in the plays in one way or another. And he does have great stories and observations about famous people--Olivier, Clark Gable, etc.-- that are the more conventional pleasures of show biz autobios. Even if he wasn't among the most important American dramatists of our time--perhaps the most important--this book would be a significant literary accomplishment. Miller is a careful writer, so readers perhaps unused to tact and understatement in memoirs are advised to look beyond their expectations to what he actually says. Yet his chapters on Marilyn Monroe were vivid and gave me more of an impression of her as a person than anything else I've read. Miller's voice brings all of this varied material together, and so the reader might approach this book as if listening to a great storyteller. This is a book full of heart, humor, wisdom and perspectives not found elsewhere. It is a treasure and a gift.



2. This is a very detailed autobiography. I think the very best parts of it relate to the period of Miller's life when he was a young and eager playwright. The whole story of the first stagings of ' Death of a Salesman'is a truly fascinating one. One of the major problems of the work for me however was that Miller could supply tremendous detail and also insight about people without really probing inwardly very deeply . I also believe he held back a lot of punches, a lot of bitter truth in writing about people closest to him.
   A great playwright it turns out may be a very good, but not a great autobiographer.



3. I see there's a few used copies of this one selling for a penny - and rightly so in my opinion. Keeping in mind that I am NOT fanatical about Miller, I say with no doubt that this is quite possibly the most boring book I have ever read - and I love to read. I had to read it for a class, and it was utter torture - so long and drawn out. Beyond boring.
   
   On the other hand, if you ARE a fan of Miller, you'll likely love the book. He wrote 600+ pages on himself, so it's all pretty much in there and in fine detail. And he does deserve respect as a writer.



4. This was going to be a 5-star review. But I have learned this week while reading "Timebends" for the first time -- twenty years after its first publication -- that Arthur Miller and his third wife, Inge Morath, had a son, Daniel, who was born with Down syndrome in 1966. Daniel's name does not appear in the text or index of "Timebends." According to an article in the September 2007 issue of Vanity Fair, Miller had Daniel banished to a state institution almost immediately after birth, and that he thereafter completely excised Daniel from his life. It's heartbreaking. According to Vanity Fair, Daniel, who is now 41, is relatively high-functioning and a very happy, content and spirited person. But when Daniel's mother, Inge, (who was well-known in her own right) died in 2002 and the New York Times called Miller for information about his family, he again omitted the name of his youngest son. Inge visited Daniel regularly until her death, and celebrated holidays with him. I wonder how much friction her refusal to simply throw him away caused in the Miller household? Not enough to divide the couple, it seems. They were married 40 years.
   
   In my view, to have denied his son's existence is an unforgivable blind spot for an artist so widely revered and admired for his empathy and his brave stances as a moral force for justice and compassion. As the VF article points out, shame, selfishness and fear could all have been motivators for Arthur Miller's decision. Still, after reading more than 500 pages of musings and meditations by a truly masterful writer -- a man all too aware of his own humanity; both of his talents and his limitations, I feel betrayed.
   
   Much of "Timebends" just drips with elegant prose; Miller spins elegiac meditations on life during the Depression, his first exposure to unfair labor practices on New York city docks and the difficulties he always had writing (the gestation period for his plays was sometimes years). He humbly describes his refusal to "name names" during the 1950s Red Scare, and tells of the pain he felt at having to sever his friendship with director Elia Kazan for many years for having given the House Un-American Activities Committee everything it wanted.
   
   If his first marriage and children never seem to elbow their way to the forefront of Miller's monologue, it's because he devotes so much time to describing the American theater in one of its Golden Ages -- the late 1940s and early 1950s. Miller seems to have known everyone -- not only in the theater but in all realms of arts and letters and politics, but he never sounds like he's name-dropping. And he wisely uses restraint in describing his works in full and in quoting shamelessly from their reviews. Miller also bites his tongue while discussing the failed and rancorous attempts to bring about a National Theater in the 1960s.
   
   And then we come to the chapters everyone was dying to read when the book first came out -- the chapters on Marilyn Monroe. Miller had never spoken publicly about her before "Timebends" was first published in 1987. I don't doubt for an instant that he truly loved Marilyn, nor she him. Hers was obviously an extraordinarily appealing personality, and her beauty allowed him to forgive her neediness and desperation for respect and love for many years. Miller says she was never happier than when they went to visit his parents in New York. There Marilyn was treated like an ordinary daughter-in-law, and she loved it. Miller notes her native intelligence -- which was tremendous -- and her desperate sadness and endless quest for normalcy. He met her in 1951, before she became bigger than life, and he followed her trajectory almost all the way to the bottom. They were married for five years, from 1956-1961. In 1960, making the film "The Misfits," which Miller wrote expressly for Monroe, nearly killed them both. This is a fascinating portrait of Marilyn which was shrouded until Miller decided to unveil it. It's the eulogy he never got to deliver. It's beautiful, tender, and rueful, speaking as it does of untold grief on both their parts. It seems as though Miller regretted to the end of his days his inability to save Marilyn, although there were many others who found they were not up to the task, either.
   
   Tragically, after the heroic efforts to save Marilyn from herself, Miller's well ran dry, and there seems to have been no more compassion or sensitivity to show to his own son. Miller married Inge Morath in 1962, a few months before Marilyn died. Morath was a photographer from Magnum Photos sent out to capture pictures on the set of "The Misfits." Miller and Morath remained married until her death in 2002, fifteen years after "Timebends" ends. And frankly, I got no further than their marriage and birth of daughter Rebecca once I learned of the missing son of Arthur Miller. As Miller did to Daniel, so I, too, turned away from the rest of what had been the story of a deeply compelling and moving life.



5. For such a well regarded playwright, I found the writing tedious. Miller's comments on the times added nothing that one familiar with the post-WWI period would not already know.
   
   I had hoped to learn more about the author's character and inner thoughts, but was disappointed. At times, what came across as irrelevant commentary or details seemed intended almost to obscure rather than reveal.
   
   By 50 pages, I was exasperated and starting to skim, shaking my head in wonderment at those with the patience to wade through all 600 pages of this.
   
   About the only interesting parts were Miller's comments on his plays and some of their underlying themes or motivations.

5 comments about Were It Not for Grace: Stories from Women After God's Own Heart.

1. I met author Leslie Montgomery at the CBA/International Christian Bookseller's Convention where she was signing copies of the book. I got in line because I like collecting autographed books by authors. I had no idea the treasure I'd found. I put the book in my purse so on the flight back to Miami I'd have something to read - I couldn't put the book down; I cried so much as I read the story about the couple who lost their son Matthew, but I was encouraged by their faith in God. I lost my son two years ago. I know what it is like. Thank you for sharing your story and thank the author for writing it down. I'm buying copies for my book store immediately. I highly reccomend this book to anyone going through a hard time. I pray that the author keeps writing books like this. Thanks.



2. These women are hardly worth a look into faith. Try someone worthy and readable without laughing...or puking.



3. I think a couple billion people could think of other people to tell stories about. Not these.



4. I was really encouraged by all the many stories of triumph in this book. Women I look up to who have had difficultly in life. I see them and I think they have had an easy life and that's why they're leaders and influencial, but they haven't. They've overcome through their faith and it gives me hope that I can too. I keep my copy in my bathroom and rarely a person who uses it doesn't come out commenting on one of the stories. It would be a great book to give as a gift for any occassion or to someone who is struggling with one of the twelve issues the author covers.



5. The very idea of these airheads expressing their "faith in God" is vile enough. But the idea of including Laura "Gas Pedal" Bush is really too much. Why didn't she care when she ran over her boyfriend 25 times, the whole time shrieking about revenge? I don't consider that very holy.
   
   Why are we not a Christian nation again?

5 comments about The Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th.

1. From childhood in the 1940s to 2001 two men's military experiences in colonial battles in Africa, Vietnam, and events leading to 9/11 provide a chronical of military temperment and commitment. This chronology includes their training, fears, heroics, loves , and being drawn into the mechanisms of terrorism before a terroristic event sets the stage for a final act of heroism demonstrated by one of these men.



2. I just finished this book a few days ago and cannot believe he was a real person-he truly was a Kipling or Hemingway type of character. To be brave so many times in your life, and just trying to do the right thing is refresing to see, and we need to see more of it. His friendship with Dan is very close, and not always seen among men due to homophobia. What was most uncanny was how they knew 9/11 was coming and tried their best to prevent it. Unfortunatly it ends badly when Rick does one more heroic act, but he was a good example how to be a good, if somewhat flawed person. Needs to be made into a movie.



3. I had finished We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, and I was very interested in knowing more about Cyril 'Rick' Rescorla, one of the soldiers who had been in the Ia Drang valley. I googled his name and was thrilled that this book had been written about him. After everything he survived in Vietnam to die while making sure others got to safety on 9/11, I was stunned. I have read many books about Vietnam and this is by far the best. Wow what a story. I will keep this book forever, and when I need a refresher on humanity, I will reread this magnificent story. The book is a very riveting war story, so well written I couldn't put it down. Even my friends who aren't interested in wars of the past are reading it.



4. this book chronicle's one man journey through the 20th century. His journey spans two devastating periods in America's history and is narrated through the eyes of the everyday man.



5. This book is what our current life is really about in the Post 911 era. We visit two soldiers who live life together in Africa and then in Vietnam. It (at the end of the book) debunks our police frame work and the cover-ups of the Bush and Clinton Administrations. These two soldiers warn us of the impending Air Strikes against the Twin Towers years in advance. There can be no second guessing the correct warning they gave the NYPD,The FBI, and others. This book should be made into a film. Give this book a buy and pass it around to all you know and care for. And yes I was there on top of the towers in 1989 and felt the tremor of impending doom awaiting us in the future. Every American should be proud of these soldiers and applaud them.