No comments about Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Part 2 - (Audiobook on 12 Cassettes).

No comments about Mencken: A Life (Unabridged 15-tape Audiobook).

5 comments about The World As I See It.

1. The book could have been structured a little better, but noone can argue with the words of Einstein. Several of the quotes in the book are about random and old-time topics that were lost on me, only being 23. However, this is still an amazing glipse into the man that changed the 20th Centery.



2. I had a v.old copy of this book which was falling apart so I replaced it with a less inspired production but still the same inspiring content. I like AE's view of the world, the greater power, truth and beauty -- it is written by a scientist with heart.



3. This is a short collection of various speeches, letters, and other writings on Einstein's thoughts on various subjects. Delves into matters such as his thoughts on war, religion, and a few other subjects. A very quick read and recommended for anyone who enjoys Einstein's brilliant insights into matters beyond Physics.



4. einstein's essay was a good readbut the rest of the letters didnt really get to me



5. To most of us the name Albert Einstein is synonymous with the formula E = MC-squared. Because the formula is such a simple statement of a complex idea, the public tends to see Einstein as both a simple and complex man. Like a god of sorts, he is omniscient, omnipotent, unknowable, and incomprehensible all at the same time.
   
   The World as I See It presents a clear and coherent picture of Einstein. It contains numerous Einstein's non-technical writings organized in four major parts: The World as I See It, Politics and Pacifism, Germany 1933, and The Jews. My favorite part is by far the first. This part is packed with pure wisdom on a variety of topics. I enjoyed reading things like: "To be sure, it is not the fruits of scientific research that elevate a man and enrich his nature, but the urge to understand, the intellectual work, creative or receptive" (p. 7). Such insights glue the entire book together.
   
   The reader will see in this book Einstein, the scientist, and Einstein the person, both in one unit. Einstein the person was very encouraging to others and thankful to people and things in the world. His letters to a college freshman, to an Arab admirer, to Japanese schoolchildren and so on, all have the same calmness of purpose to them as his messages to VIPs like Lorentz, Berliner, Katzenstein, and others.
   
   In these writings, Einstein distinguishes religion from science. It is clear for instance that he did not believe in God at the time of his writing. Even so, there is no evidence that he sought to dehumanize and ridicule believers, only to defend science and humanity. And defending it he did in Germany, Italy, everywhere. His defense was based on the notion that "There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair" (p.29).
   
   It is clear that Einstein loved science. It is not hard to understand from the writings in this book how he was a pacifist. He believed in democracy as an ideal, and not surprisingly, he declared in "Germany 1933" that "As long as I have any choice, I will only stay in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all its citizens before the law are the rule" (p. 81).
   
   This is a great book - highly recommended.
   
   Amavilah, Author
   Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
   ISBN: 1600210465

No comments about Never Die Easy.

No comments about Jesus His Life.

No comments about Best of Newt Gingrich's Bedtime Stories for Orphans.

5 comments about Thirteen Senses: A Memoir.

1. I am an avid reader. There are few books that can lead me into a matrix of wisdom and forever change my world. Villasenor has a universe of wisdom to share through his captivating stories. I have read Rain of Gold which is superb and now Thirteen Senses which is every bit as marvelous. I just found out about Wild Steps of Heaven and
   plan on partaking in yet another masterpiece. Everyone I have loaned one of his books to has become a true fan. I would highly reccommend Thirteen Senses! For that matter you can't go wrong with any of his books.



2. I would suggest reading "Rain of Gold" first as it lays the background for Thirteen Senses and I, personally, thought Rain of Gold was the better story which pointed out the meaning of LOVE in a myriad of ways that was better than most other descriptions I have ever read.

   The weakness of this story is the overuse of the Almighty's powers and Salvador's mother's retelling her philosophy of life page after page after page. If 50 to 75 pages of this type dissertation was edited out, it would be a much better story. The religious nature of both primary familys' is very important to the story, however, it is overdone. While reading I was comparing the American Indian's religious beliefs (which I love) along with the Mexican Indian's outlook. Quite the same in many ways, particularly when actually changing from human to animal form and then back to human. Fascinating.

   I read this book out loud to my wife and she also enjoyed it and would most certainly recommend this being a fine reading experience, however, she also agrees there is too much philosophy given by Dona Guadalupe, Salvador's mother. Her meanderings are important to the story, but you can pass by many paragraphs when she gets too wound up.




3. I think the sequence where Lupe is talking with her mother-in-law an Idigeneous Mexican Indian was very moving. Finished the book on our way to San Francisco were we visited our daughter-in-love" and our son and grandchild. Have been struggleing with the "Thirteenth Sense" all my life, and if I can't make it on a beautiful barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico, with my husband of 37 years, there is no hope for the rest of us. Buying the book for Christmas gifts to give all the people who give meaning to my life. Beautifully written and with such sensitivity it makes you want to invite Victor for dinner.



4. I was truly excited to hear Villasenor had written a continuation to Rain of Gold! I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of Thirteen Senses, and I'm so happy I did. Rain of Gold did so much to change my perspective on the Mexican experience in this century, and I felt a longing to know what happened to Lupe and Salvadore after their marriage ceremony. This story really came through, showing their growth as a couple along with their individual spiritual growth. This story is about growing into real adulthood and loosing our childish self centeredness. It's about discovering how incredible a person can be, and how far limits can be pushed.



5. Started out a little slow, but became one of my favorites by the end. The second time I read it, it was much better. It is definately on the top of my recomindation list.

5 comments about Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (Radio Theatre).

1. Dietrich Bonhöffer was a man who found that he had to choose between his conscience and convenience. That he is a true hero is proven by his choice.

   At at time when most of the German church knuckled under Nazi threats and stayed silent or even acted in complicity with the Holocaust, he courageously joined the Confessing Church to oppose Nazism, and later pretended to cooperate with the Nazis so that he could help smuggle Jews to safety.

   Bonhöffer's courageous struggle against a storm of religious intolerance and racial hatred maintains its relevance today.

   This is an excellent audio dramatization of his life. Both exciting and inspiring, it captures the drama and conviction of this man's life.

   It also won the prestigious Peabody Award in 1997. (This award recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by radio and television networks, stations, producing organizations, cable television organizations and individuals and is administered by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.)




2. No doubt this outstanding drama has brought the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at least as much attention as all of his books have combined. This excellent radio drama won the Peabody Award for good reason: it is an incredible radio play of the highest quality. From start to finish, this amazing work has all the essential elements of good fiction- - but it is historically true ! Drama, suspense, action, intrigue, romance, sacrifice, faith, and hope for the future all shine brightly in this stirring performance of a man who fought against the Nazi Machine. This unique and fresh look at the life of a German who plotted against Adolph Hitler "from the inside" needs to be heard by anyone with an interest in history. So many of the history books today tells us that Christians did nothing to help the Jews against the Nazi machine. This fine drama dispells this mistaken belief with a sincere dignity and open appeal that is both inspiring and enriching. Definitely a "must listen to" for any high school or college history student.



3. It's an excellent dramatization of the life of Bonhoeffer. I'd never heard of him until I heard this drama. It's historical, and masterfully done by the crew at Radio Theater and Focus on the Family. Definitely worth listening to.

   For the parents: I'd definitely suggest you listen along with younger children...in the beginning as a precursor to the drama, and then in the end, in the actual drama, Bonhoeffer is led to the execution, read his sentence, and then, as you hear Dietrich's panicked breathing, the trapdoor falls, the rope goes taunt, and you can hear the weight of a body swinging back and forth from the gallows. An intense scene for youngsters. But history is history, and that's what happened.

   Very dramatic, very worth listening to.




4. Listening to this series inspired me and made me look at my life in a new Christian perspective. The characters are so real as are the emotions and settings. I listened to part one four times. I never knew about Dietrich Bonhoeffer until this broadcast I am very grateful for this series. I promise that who ever listens to this will be inspired. There are good people in the world who speak up when things are wrong.Unfortunately, they have to die because of other's sin. A good true story!



5. 
   
   i find that this audio was a good example about faith
   and i find that everybody needs alot more faith for jesus is alive and well

No comments about Karstens Way Audio Cassette.

5 comments about Homesick: A Memoir.

1. This book is truely amazing. I cannot express all of my feelings towards it. To flip through the pages of Homesick and read of all of Sela's discoveries, embarkments, and life alterments was none other than exciting. I had known "of" Sela from "Once and Again" and from some of her movies but this book showed me more. It is probably hard to really describe one's life in a book, including describing one's own life, but Sela tackled the task and completed it. It's a book that no one, who is a fan of Sela, could skip reading, let alone put down for a second, while reading. I never stopped. True essence at heart.



2. The memoir of a beautiful woman who went to NY City and then
   Hollywood but longed to go home again.
   A person can never really go home again, as another Southerner,
   Thomas Wolfe wrote, but Sela Ward tried very hard to duplicate
   her upbringing,when she married and had two chidren.
   This is a book of a woman who developed in Meridian,Miss-
   issippi;during the 1960's and 1970's.Her family isn't perfect
   but they are good people.
   A younger Sela neede more in her life to express her ambitions so she moved away.What she also found was she also needed
   stability and family.
   Unable to have a realistic family life in Hollywood-she
   and her husband Howard Sherman set about building a new family home back in Meridan, Mississippi.Here they are surrounded by Sela's close relatives and their children are
   able to lead a more rustic life.As often as possible they
   reside in comfort and live here.
   This is unlike any Hollywood story.People respect each
   other and help one another.
   It is refreshing to read about a Hollywood star, who is just like other ordinary folks.Her lovely Southern charm comes
   through in the telling of her Family's customs.



3. Go down south with Mississippi born actress Sela Ward. Homesick is a refreshing look at the everyday life of a young girl as she moves from small town life to young adulthood in New York and then settles in Hollywood.

   Sela shares the story of her family stating, "The Wards have always walked a fine line between conviction and orneriness..." She admires her father and her mother. She talks much of the way she grew up as a southern girl, the south's traditions and the legacies, girl talk sessions, cliques, church, the family restaurant, charm school and even hanging at the local Quik Stop. It's rather refreshing that the book focuses on the positives of life.

   Sela speaks of her own life, though not with Hollywood spectacles on. She shares her climb to success but does not allow it to take over the entire telling of her story. Her claim to fame is only part of her. Her family, her history, her place of birth are so much more.

   Homesick also touches on issues such as racism in the South, the tragedy of September 11, overindulged children and drugs. The book also details Sela's mother's death and the hardship on the family.

   The book is generously sprinkled with photographs which tell a story themselves. You'll see the young Sela, the model, the actress, but mostly you'll see the real Sela Ward, the one who stood at her mother's knee and listened to the stories of her family.




4. homesick is an awsome book. her life is interesting to read about!!!buy it!!!!its the best



5. At least the book was accurately titled. It was definitely more memoir than autobiography. I always hate to give bad reviews to books that a person seems to have put so much effort into, but this was just boring. I am a big fan of biographies and this one falls short. Being a proper southern lady, Sela does not go into detail about what seems to have been an interesting life. Instead she spends lots of time talking about her thoughts and feelings. It all seemed forced.
   
   She speaks in detail about how great life is in Mississippi, yet she raises her kids in LA, of all places. She seems to be a good mother, but yet her children have spent hours in the care of nannies as she goes to work in the wee hours of the morning and returns long after they are put to bed.
   
   Quite the confusing and contrary mishmash, but I understand her need for putting something down on paper. Losing a mother does that to a person. Perhaps she should have just kept it for herself, family and friends. They would not have found it boring I'm sure.