4 comments about More Than I Could Ever Ask The Story Of A Woman, Broken And Defeated, Who Found That Dreams Really Do Come True.

1. This book makes you laugh and cry in the same chapters. It is a real story that will relate to many, many people. It is a must read for those who like to read about real life romance a fairy tale come true. A story of what happens behind the headlines even down to her wedding night with Jim Bakker. This book will give hope to the hopless.



2. This book is a must read for any woman who has suffered through a bad marriage, bad men, phyiscal abuse, or had an abortion. Lori offers a rare insight into the pain so many women live with --with some real answers. The book has it all -- it is at times funny, other times heart-breaking, inspiring, and down to earth. Its an easy read ...but leaves the reader with much to consider.



3. Lori captures the essence of growing up (too fast) in Phoenix and living life in the fast lane. One chapter leaves you crying, another laughing and yet another pondering. I couldn't put it down!



4. I originally bought this book only because of my infatuation with the whole Jim & Tammy/PTL/Heritage USA saga. Being a devoted supporter of the Bakkers, I was somewhat skeptical of "Jim's new wife". However, I must confess that I now have great respect for Lori. Her story is thoughtful and moving and really shows just how powerful the forgiveness and love of Jesus Christ is. Her ministry to post-abortion sufferers is so deperately needed in today's society. She is a woman of great faith and courage and a true inspiration to all who love Christ above all else. This book should be read by all priests and ministers who will ultimately deal with this kind of emotional pain in their ministries.

4 comments about A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau.

1. The research and details in this book are incredible. Dates, names, addresses - this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the life of Marie Laveau, or just New Orleans history. I'm taking the book on my next trip to the Crescent city to visit some of the places Long mentions in her book. Very well documented and extremely readable.



2. Carolyn Morrow Long's portrait of the elusive but everpresent Marie Laveau is an awesome feat of detective work, a painstaking investigation of all the available church, court, government, and anecdotal records. In conveying her very thorough research in a clear, orderly, and graceful style, Long has produced as comprehensive a picture of this fabled woman as we are likely to get. Her account is definitive, and is likely to remain so for years to come.
   
   --Stanford Pritchard, Middlebury, VT



3. I appreciate the fact that there is a lot of legend and reality to sort through when trying to write an academic book about Marie Laveau. Unfortunately, once Long was done sorting through the legend and the reality, there doesn't appear to have been a lot to work with in terms of unraveling the legend/myth of Marie Laveau. The book is largely speculation on who Marie Laveau may have been, what she may have done, and questions if she really did it or not.
   
   During the course of the book, while attempting to construct a coherent picture of the reality of Marie Laveau, Long interjects elements of prior works on Marie Laveau that make certain claims, such as Zora Neale Hurston's work on "hoodoo" and Jewell Rhodes' "Voodoo Dreams" in order to debunk the mythology that they promote. This is admirable and necessary in the work of a true historian, but unfortunately they're awkwardly placed and without prior knowledge of the content of either of these books, it is difficult for the reader to appreciate Long's argument.
   
   Further to the literary criticism, the book spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on the social dynamic of 19th century New Orleans which is very interesting and necessary to a discussion of Marie Laveau and the voodoo culture, but not necessarily to the extent that it was utilized in this work.
   
   The book was interesting for the nuggets of information on Marie Laveau that do emerge from Long's work, but it doesn't represent any substantial scholarship. Sometimes there just isn't enough information to write a coherent, cohesive work on a subject. In that case, it's best to reduce it to an article or a monograph as opposed to padding the work to such an extent that the actual claimed subject of the work takes up a minimal part of the whole body of work.



4. Carolyn Long's latest work, like her earlier Spiritual Merchants, is an fascinating piece of historical detective work. Sifting through the legends that surround Marie Laveau--and briefly Voodoo in general--she has produced a readable, highly-accurate biography. Those who are hoping to find titillating accounts of midnight Voodoo orgies within its pages will be disappointed. Instead, what readers will discover are the facts behind a woman who has been alternately vilified and lionized by the American public. Voudou Priestess demystifies Laveau and gives future scholars as well as general readers a firm foundation upon which to base their understandings of Voudou and its ministers.

1 comments about The Last Letters of Thomas More.

1. Here is the man in his own words in letters to his daughter, his king and his friends. Much from A Man for All Seasons is taken from these letters. Wonderful!

5 comments about The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family.

1. This was a great book to read and a very interesting story about one of banking's oldest and greatest families. It was wonderfully written and has numerous insights on what it takes to be a success. Ron Chernow seems to have an eye for picking out the important little details as well as giving the reader a great sense of the big picture. Also some great history lessons about WWII. It gave me a view of the war which I hadn't seen before from Jews who were at the top of the economic scale. The history lesson was worth the entry fee. Highly recomended!



2. They were minor Court Jews. Money-lending was created by anti-semitic barriers. Court Jews identified with authority figures. Ancestors moved to Altona, an area under Danish rule. It was near Hamburg. In 1773 a Warburg moved to Hamburg.
   
   The Warburgs were nearly incestuous in an attempt to keep the banking riches in the family. They suffered from manic-depression and schizophrenia. The Warburgs engaged in empire building by courtship. The Hamburg ethos was sombre and middle class. The Warburgs and Schiffs made a matrimonial alliance in 1895. The Warburgs were strategic, as it turned out, but they did not engage in arranged marriages.
   
   Paul Warburg, the husband of Nina Loeb, was never at home on Wall Street. He became a great theoretician of central banking. Felix Warburg, to the consternation of his father-in-law, Jacob Schiff, built a Gothic mansion on Fifth Avenue. Lillian Wald's settlement house on Henry Street was founded by the Schiffs and the Loebs.
   
   Aby Warburg of Hamburg, a private scholar, established the Warburg Library. Aby was a pioneer of interdisciplinary study. Paul Warburg, located in America, worked after the crash of 1907 for banking reform with Nelson Aldrich. The Aldrich Plan of 1911 called for a National Reserve scheme. Many of the ideas survived in the Federal Reserve Act. In 1914 Paul Warburg began to serve on the Federal Reserve Board. Felix Warburg headed the Joint Distribution Committee for Jewish charities.
   
   After the First World War Aby experienced periods of madness and luciditiy. Max Warburg traveled to America to meet with government leaders to explain the need for the reduction of reparations and the hyper-inflation troubling Germany. Erwin Panofsky and Ernst Cassirer were professors at the university in Hamburg that Aby and his brothers helped to found. Aby was treated at the clinic of Ludwig Binswanger. Freud took a personal interest in Aby's case. Aby left Kreuzlingen, the clinic, for good in 1924. His breakdown had dated from 1918. Aby died in 1929. His associates Gertrud Bing and Fritz Saxl brought out the first two volumes of his collected writings in 1932. Kenneth Clark has stressed his importance to art scholarship.
   
   Felix supported Jewish farm settlements in Soviet Russia until they were taken over by the state in 1930. Paul Warburg had never believed in perpetual prosperity. Paul's advice had cushioned the Warburgs in the crash, (they had moved out of stocks). Paul issued public warnings in March 1929 foreseeing the crash and the Depression.
   
   In Germany Max, in Hamburg, treated the fortunes of Felix and Paul as bank reserves. Paul lost his fortune upholding the Warburg honor. Max had been tempted to overextend by his imaginary safety net. THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY published Jimmy Warburg's poetry. He was Paul's son. Paul had tended to be straitlaced. Paul died in 1932. The Warburgs did not believe they would be driven from Hamburg. In 1933 the Warburg Library was moved to England. Kristallnacht ending Max's stay in Germany. He and his family ended up in the United States. His brother Fritz was detained and his passport was revoked. Finally he and his wife were permitted to leave for Sweden. Max's daughter Lola was one of the people in England devising the Kinder Transport program.
   
   Eric Warburg, Max's son, saw Hamburg again in 1945. It had been half destroyed by saturation bombing. Eric and his son Max did resume banking careers in Hamburg. Unconnected institutions under the influence of other members of the Warburg family existed in London and New York. The book is fabulous. It is a family saga describing an array of interesting and very brave people.



3. This great novel-like biography makes one almost feel like a member of the Warburg family (which Chernow correctly determined was a family worth reading about). On the side, this book also provides a nice history of Zionism and gives a seemingly accurate flavor of the early twentieth century experience of German Jews (and more generally of accomplished immigrants to America around the turn to that century). Chernow's verbal precision makes his writing a pleasure to read, but also limits the pace - so set aside a lot of time and enjoy!



4. Setting aside the technical aspects of the research and the depth of this book, it alters how you feel about the German Jewish experience. Even though most of us will never experience the kind of wealth and privilege that accompany the Warburg family - it is expertly portrayed in this book - you're feelings about the German Jewish experience will change. The book is about a family and their achievements and tragedies that are dramatically effected by the events of the 20th century. For everyone interested in connecting with the feelings of your ancestry and understanding a piece of the financial history of modern America, this is a compelling book. It will help you take on depth, compassion, understanding and an abiding sense of sadness and tragedy at what happened to the Jewish families in Germany. It also leaves you with a sense of wonder at the durability of this family and their accomplishments.



5. I couldn't put down this book. An amazing study of an equally amazing family. To Chernow's credit, the book reveals the multiple facets of the Warburg clan in such an even-handed manner, I never felt the need to gloss over praise or polemics. I enjoyed this book so much, I am now reading his biography of Alexander Hamilton.

1 comments about The Confession of Augustine (Cultural Memory in the Present).

1. This is an essential reading for those interested in the confessions. Wonderful.

5 comments about China Cry: The Nora Lam Story.

1. I read this book some years ago. I've also viewed the film. However, the book brings out more details that reach deeper than the film. I enjoyed reading how the Lord saved & delivered Nora Lam and her family. I was also very encouraged by Nora's faith in what God would do for her and her family. She had tremendous faith! This is a very touching story that I would recommend to anyone. It is an excellent book that doesn't take long to read. God Bless! Happy reading! You'll be glad you did. :)



2. I received this book into my collection when my father passed away a few months ago. A few days ago I picked it up and decided to read it. Am I glad I did. It's falling apart now, but I plan to use some hot glue to hold the pages in the binding so I can read it again later. This book can give a person a lot of insight into the workings of God in our world today. People who think God is dead need to read this book. He is alive and well and ready to come to our aid when and where we call on Him. Christians need to read this book. Sinners need to read it. People who are luke-warm need to read it. It has really inspired me to do all I can for God in 2004.



3. This is the incredible story of Nora Lam, a woman whose unwavering faith in God has seen her through more upheavals in her life than most people ever experience.
   
   Her story spans decades and takes the reader through the invasion of China by the Japanese. The daughter of a western educated doctor, Nora saw her comfortable upper middle class life end in 1939, when at the age of seven she was forced by the Japanese to flee her home on the outskirts of Shanghai with her parents and seek refuge at the home of her step-grandmother's house in the French section of Shanghai. There they would remain for three miserable years, during which Norma was to have the first of a number of visions of a guardian angel, appearing in the guise of an old man. This guardian angel would sustain her and advise her in her hour of need throughout her life.
   
   At the age of ten, she and her parents once again fled. This time they were to travel to Chungking, in free China, where her grandfather lived. Only after a perilous journey through Japanese occupied China and after being beset by robbers along the way, were they to cross the heavily guarded border and arrive safely at their destination. In the primitive city of Chungking, which was subject to continual bombing by the Japanese, Nora was to learn many life lessons that were to hold her in good stead.
   
   Nearly four years later, in 1945, having survived the invasion of Shanghai by the Japanese and their heavy bombing of Chungking, Nora returned to Shanghai after the Japanese surrendered. There, Nora was to continue her education at a boarding school for girls. Now an impressionable fourteen years old, it was there that Nora renewed her interest in Christianity. Then, in 1949, the peace of life in Shanghai was once again disrupted for now seventeen year old Nora, when the Communist Army entered within its confines and Red Army soldiers were suddenly everywhere. The Cultural Revolution had only just begun.
   
   Nora studied hard at the university in hopes of becoming a lawyer for the state. There she met and fell in love with Lam Cheng Shen, a handsome and young legal scholar. Some time after graduation, in 1955, when she realized that she was pregnant, Nora and Cheng Shen got married. Shortly after, she and her husband were subjected to interrogations by Communist officials, as they were deemed to be suspicious because of their family connections and because of that fact that Nora had, at one time, held Christian beliefs. Moreover, as Nora's independent spirit began to chafe under the repressive and oppressive party line, she found herself in conflict with the state and sentenced to death. Her moment of truth arrived when the pregnant Nora was brought before the firing squad.
   
   What happened next is sure to make one believe in miracles. It is at that miraculous moment that life really began for Nora. She goes on to live a life that is nearly incredible in terms of its experiential breadth. It is a secular life ultimately lived in the service of God in all parts of the world. It is amazing what this young woman would go on to achieve and accomplish in her life. Notwithstanding the fact that some of her story strains credulity, hers is, indeed, an inspirational story that will make one believe in a higher power, if one does not already do so. It is surely a story worth telling.
   
   Nora Lam has gone on to establish the Nora Lam Ministries, which is based in California, and she leads evangelical crusades in China and the United States. A movie, based upon this book and having the same name, has also been made.



4. I ordered a used copy of"China Cry" and was very pleased with the product. It arrived in excellent shape and in a timely manner. I ordered Dec. 11 and received the book Dec. 20. I did not know what to expect since this was the first time I had ever ordered a used book. Due to this experience I will definitely consider ordering used items in the future. Thank you for retaining my trust in Internet shopping.



5. Lam Sung Neng Yee's story is marvelously told in this book. The communist don't play. Her story is both remarkable and insturctional.

2 comments about Charles Colson: A Story of Power, Corruption, and Redemption.

1. I have always professed that Chuck Colson is one of my living heroes of the faith. Now I remember why.

   John Perry does an excellent job of revisiting Watergate through the eyes of the guy who supposedly would run over his own grandma to get Richard Nixon elected. Like the previous statement there is much we think we know of Colson which is actually the stuff of mythology. For instance, he was convicted of Watergate-related crimes, right? You are wrong Bebe Rebozo breath!!! (Read the book and find out about his actual self-inflicted conviction.)

   Perry's research is thorough and his storytelling and pace compelling. He caused me to do something I have never done before. I picked up the book at 8 PM on a Saturday night and didn't put it down until I was finished at 4:30 AM. The next morning my pastor wanted to know why I was yawning during his sermon... offered fresh perspective and riveting detail to the still unfolding story that is Chuck Colson's legacy as a man and as a Christian.




2. Hagiographies were, historically, written for the edification of the faithful. That describes this disappointing work rather well: for those who wish to hear only the positive, and the classic story of repentance and redemption, the basic story is competently told, and it will, perhaps, serve its purpose. But it offers little or nothing to the thinking Christian (or non-) reader: there is little or no critical evaluation of Colson and his story and (disappointing to this reader) little too on the remarkable movement that he has been so involved in creating and leading, Prison Fellowship. Colson's is an inspiring story, but little or no purpose is served by setting him up as a plaster saint. There is a fascinating tale to be told, and real Christians still struggle today with the moral ambiguities and compromises of life in the world's centres of power. Sadly, this book is not the one for them.

2 comments about Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America.

1. Kudos to Lenore Friedman for recognizing the birth of Buddhism among American women twenty years ago - and for keeping us up to date in this revision. She introduced us to Toni Packer, to Pema Chodron, to Joko Beck. This book is an important contribution for women (for all) spritual seekers. With her meticulous insights and her obvious devotion to the material, one imagines that meeting Ms. Friedman would be remarkable, too.



2. This is a biographical book on American Women Buddhist teachers: 10 have individual chapters (with photos); 7 share 3 chapters; & quite a few have short vignettes in the Epilogue including many Zen, a fair number of Theravada, & some Vajrayana bios. The larger bios often include interviews with students. Some of the teachers are well known & included in books by Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Martine Batchelor, Sandy Boucher, Ellen Sidor, & Thubten Chodron (e.g. Ayya Khema, Jiyu Kennet, Ann Klein, Maurine Freedgood Stuart, Ruth Denison, Tsering Everest, Jacqueline Mandell, Gesshin Prabhasa Dharma, Pema & Thubten Chödron). This book includes significant teachings: a learning experience for both readers & its psychotherapist author, who has a great talent in biography.
   
   Her main thesis is ADAPTATION: p. 24: "As Buddhism moved from country to country, its methods & character changed considerably...the most skillful views in one culture are not necessarily the most skillful means in another. As time went on, each country developed a distinctive form of Buddhism with its own flavor & particularities." Her Introduction seems feminist, but p. 26: "Most of the women teachers described in this book do not technically consider themselves feminists," pp. 89-90: Maurine Stuart says "One of the frightening things I see sometimes is that people are destroying differences. What a pity. To reduce everything to a sameness in the cause of equality is foolish. Exploring our diversity, our differences together, we go beyond our differences & come to understand & show concern for one another. We go beyond our differences to our deepest level of communication, which is not merely communication, but communion," (but also p. 91: Maurine Stuart-"Those texts which say it's so difficult for a woman to become enlightened, well that was some man who wrote that!") & p. 303: "She [Jacqueline Mandell] made it clear that she didn't believe men repress women or that a system represses anyone. `Everyone is doing it together,' she said. And all aspects of conditioning have to be looked at."
   
   The interviews well support her sub-thesis that American Women Buddhist teachers are active in ADAPTING BUDDHISM TO THE WEST: pp. 97-8: "Maurine's particular genius seems to lie in creating a setting, a medium in which practice flourishes, hearts open, & differences among people become spices, not thorns. It is safe to be whatever one is-crazy, strong, critical, confused. There is room for everything." Ruth Denison:--"When there is strong awareness, one can be creative. A new approach is no problem." p. 280-2: To make the Dharma accessible to more people, Gesshin Prabhasa Dharma introduced family retreats, variable intensities of practice, "bicycle sesshin," etc. Gesshin also introduced these students to "laughing Zen."
   
   More specifically, she addresses THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY for Western Buddhists:
   p. 146: Elizabeth Hamilton-"In all the approximately 1,700 traditional koans, there are almost none dealing with emotions or self-centered & inaccurate thinking-the things that are running the lives of most of us (including some so-called advanced Zen practitioners, myself included)." p. 154: "Sitting in the traditional way is not enough for dealing with neuroses, trips & daydreams, she [Ruth Denison] believes." p. 294: "Yvonne [Rand] wants to know `How do those of us in teaching positions get others to shed light on our shadow side so that we ourselves can see it?' She's been encouraging students to do this recently, but that's not enough, she feels. It needs to be done with peers as well." p. 349: "Lama Palden is also a trained psychotherapist & believes strongly that for spiritual practice to thrive, psychological issues often need addressing. Instead of `just striving' against all odds toward an elusive goal (so common in other spiritual settings), she encourages students to work with themselves on all levels: spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, & physically." But, pp. 318-9: quoting Leigh Brasington, "She [Ayya Khema] wasn't the least bit interested in our psychological processes...She was tired of our [U.S.] preoccupation with our own psychological processes." See books by Jeffrey Rubin, John Suler, etc.
   
   SOCIAL CONTEXTS/ACTIVISM & CULTURAL DIFFERENCES esp. for Western Buddhist teachers: p. 127: Charlotte Joko Beck-"People like to project their power onto someone else...bowing down to another human being as though he or she were vastly superior is bad for people. I'm trying to take the teacher out of the superman role. The teacher is a guide not some magical or heroic figure." p. 342: "Her [Maylie Scott] profound integration of spiritual practice & social change work has been an inspiration to many...she's taught meditation...in jails & prisons...& plans to do post-release work." p. 352: "Maylie Scott told me that `social engagement is now usually regarded as an aspect of practice. Some of us feel it is the most important practice edge: how do you express what you have learned on the cushion? There is internal practice & external practice. The Dalai Lama said you need both."
   
   And there are quite a few beautiful, enlightening, inspiring, PROFOUND MESSAGES, such as:
   p. 97: Maurine Stuart-"Summer has come & the birds sing all by themselves." p. 186: Jiyu Kennett Roshi-"Everyone possesses Buddha nature (or, as the Christians call it, the soul). It is only hidden from our view because of our opinions of ourselves." p. 315: Ayya Khema-"The holy life cannot work without joy. It's as if it were the yeast in bread. Without joy the holy life cannot rise to its full height."
   
   There do seem to be a few FLIES IN THE OINTMENT, however. The author seems well versed in Zen & reasonably in Theravada (which she refers to as vipassana), but not with Vajrayana (stating regret on not including more Vajrayana teachers). Vipassana could be construed as Southern Buddhism since it's in Pali, but its Sanskrit equivalent, Vipashyana, is also part of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana also includes Japanese Shingon). She seems to equate vipassana with mindfulness meditation which differs from Tibetan practice/terminology. Most authors use "Theravada" to signify the Buddhism of Burma/Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc. though Theravada is only one school of several in the Pali tradition. I'd prefer Southern Buddhism or, perhaps, Pali Buddhism-since Mahayana & Vajrayana Buddhists usually use Sanskrit terms. More importantly (regarding her theses), adaptation requires informed judgment of what is to be kept, deleted, or changed. An extreme approach such as pp. 353-4: Wendy Egyoku Nakao, abbot at the Zen Center of L. A.-"People say, `Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.' And I say, `What's the baby? What's the bath water?' Throw it all out & let's see what arises from the vast unknowing'" would probably not be accepted by most of the interviewees. In the spirit of Western freedom & the free market, teachers individually determine what to teach & how & practitioners vote with their feet-which itself is a major factor in the adaptation of Buddhism to the West. It is regrettable that some of the finest teachers in this book are now deceased.

No comments about Do You Hear What I Hear?: An Unreligious Writer Investigates Religious Calling.

5 comments about Mrs. Robert E. Lee: The Lady of Arlington.

1. I always find it interesting to read about famous people's lives, but especially about the people who have been behind the scenes so to speak and little is told about them. That is why I found this book so interesting. Robert E. Lee is well known as the civil war general who surrendered and the war ended, of course, but to read more about his wife and get an insight to his family life made it hard to put the book down. There are some basic history rehashed somewhat in this book, but over all I found the book very personable and engaging in letting me know something about this woman whom I had never really heard of before. It also will show readers that no matter how famous a person may be, all people have their troubles and sorrows- and a lot of how life turns out to affect you depends on your reaction to what has happened in one's life. If you enjoy anything about the Civil War, this book would be a definite must !



2. This books give the reader a facinating insight into a woman who is too often over looked in history. It is the story of a woman, who's family members were on the front lines of America's early history, and who was a loving and supportive wife to the famous Robert E. Lee. History is full of stories of his life, especially during the Civil War, but the reader of this book will find that his wife was courageous in her own right, and worthy of historical note.
   After reading this wonderful book, I found two other books which were just and wonderful and insightful about the Lee Family. They were "Growing up in the 1850's", the jouranl of Agnes Lee, and "The Lee Girls".



3. I read this book in three days as it was very well written, but did not, in my opinion give a very favorable view of Mary Lee. It portrayed her as self-centered, and like her father, more obsessed with the Washington connection than with the Lee connection. It pictures him as madly in love with her, I just cannot figure out why? I think it is very telling that none of their daughters chose to marry. Already a huge fan of his, the book only reinforced my good opinion of him.



4. THE BOOK WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN.MADE ME THINK I WAS LIVING IN THE TIME. I COULD NOT LAY THE BOOK DOWN,I EVEN GOT ON THE ARLINGTON SITE AND LOOKED AT SOME GREAT PICTURES OF ARLINGTON AS I WAS READING THE BOOK AND THIS MADE THE BOOK ALL THE MORE INTERESTING. GREAT AUTHOR.



5. In this outstanding biography, Mr. Perry introduces the reader to Mary Custis Lee, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and the wife of Robert E. Lee. She was a well-educated, strong, loving, caring woman, who, during the Civil War, lost her home, kept her family together, and supported her husband. Through his extensive research, Mr. Perry has been able to disprove many of the rumors and myths about Mrs. Lee. Once you start this book,you won't be able to put it down. It is a must read for anyone who is interested in the personal stories of this critical time in American history. Bob and Cherie Allen-Authors A "Guest" of the Confederacy The Civil War Letters and Diaries of Alonzo M. Keeler, Captain, Company B, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry