5 comments about Dharma Punx: A Memoir.

1. First off, I am an American ex punk-rock "thug" drug addict. The author is not. He gives real ex drug addict thugs a bad name. The book is aimed at middle class liberals filled with "white guilt."
   He is just another spoiled suburban white kid who thinks the world revolves around him. He doesn't need spirituality, he needs to do ten years in prison without any help from his daddy.
   Don't waste your money on this book. You'll just be enabling a spoiled brat.



2. I received this book as a gift and return trip reading from a funeral. I read it, re read it and now have ordered something like 5 copies to give to friends. It tells of faith, discipline, and truth. It does so genuinely. Noah Levine's writing style is approachable; and good tattoo stories can't be beat.



3. If you are looking for an in depth discussion on Buddhism this isn't the book for you. If you are looking for an interesting biography that describes recovery and hope then you've found the right book.
   
   I'm not in a 12 step program and I consider myself damn lucky that I've never needed one. The book provided an interesting view into addiction and recovery while being reader friendly. The witting is honest enough that I have shared it with my child in hope that he'll avoid some of the mistakes that Noah made.
   
   In his book Noah explains that Buddhism is the path that worked for him but that it's not the only path that leads to happiness. He discusses Hinduism, Sufism and even Christianity (to a lesser extent).
   
   His experience with Matthew serves as a great lesson to all of us how we can find ourselves mislead by people that may try too hard.
   
   The biggest plus to me though was encountering somebody besides myself that follows Buddhist teachings but doesn't think everybody has to walk around smiling all of the time. Noah shows that it's possible to be Buddhist and a normal guy in today's world.



4. I have to say that I think this is THE WORST BOOK I'VE EVER READ. The guy comes off as a total jerk. He is the son of a famous spiritual author, and towards the end of the book he even says that Ram Dass was "like an uncle" to him...which makes it hard to think of him as anything other than an ungrateful brat while reading about him living on the "hard streets" of Santa Cruz (give me a break). The first half of the book is mainly stories of him joining any trend that he thought looked cool and rebellious (from punker to greaser to pretentious straight edger, etc.) while starting and then kicking what sounds like a rather banal drug habit/phase. The second half is him patting himself on the back regarding his "spiritual growth", which seems to have mostly taken shape through several trips to Asia (wish I had the cash for one of those!) to visit famous ashrams, shrines and resorts, as well as mediation retreats with his dad's famous new age friends (again, wish I had the cash, free time and connections- those retreats aren't cheap!). Meanwhile, I was almost embarrassed for him because of his descriptions of how poorly he treats his friends and the main female/romantic interest in the book. Those stories are all in the post-recovery part of the book, and he seems to be oblivious as to how big of a jerk he was being even then. In the most un-Buddhist way imaginable, he confuses symbols with reality by assuming that asking for forgiveness and "working the steps" is any replacement for actually changing your self centered behavior. Meanwhile, tossing around phrases like "inner and outer spiritual rebellion" and "meditate and destroy" comes off as childlike and pathetic. I mean come on..."true spiritual rebellion"...? IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT DOES NOT THINK THIS SOUNDS STUPID? Not only does it sound stupid...it, and the rest of what little "philosophy" you can get from this book, is really about as far away from the concepts of Buddhism as you can possibly get.



5. In this book Noah Levine tells us his journey from being a drug-addicted, alcoholic, violent punk to being a Buddhist punk. He does not stop enjoying punk music, and he even talks about continuing to slam in a pit. He does talk about the positive aspects of punk music. It is a very readable book.

4 comments about Ambition and Arrogance: Cardinal William O'Connell of Boston and the American Catholic Church.

1. Ambition & Arrogance by Douglas Slawson is an excellent read for anyone interested in the politics of the church. Cardinal O'Connell's impact on the Boston church and beyond is exacting and thoroughly documented. Slawson has detailed the life of this rogue with utmost fairness. This book is a "must read" or history will repeat itself.



2. Never let it be said my Church hasn;t played with fire for generations in this country. The pedofile fiasco was merely a tran wreck waiting to happen. Rome's reluctance to exert control has seemed to be an on again, off again affair. Well, better let each to his/her own and read the book! It is fascinating in the ways Cardinal O'Connor embarrassed the Church and exploited power and influence.



3. Before the scandalous Cardinal Bernard Law, Boston had the scandalous Cardinal William O'Connell. The O'Connell scandals were hushed up by the Vatican, but the records remain, and National University historian Douglas Slawson has dug them up.
   
   O'Connell was not only a cardinal at a time when there were only three American cardinals, he was the senior U.S. prince of the church. He lived like one, too.
   
   As presented by Slawson, he makes a contradictory personality: devoid of personal faith or spirituality (he seldom offered Mass, never confessed), he was yet a fanatical believer in the supremacy of Rome: in Catholic European terms, an ultramontane ranged against Gallicans, who in America were called Americanists.
   
   Ultramontanism was obscurantist (not mentioned by Slawson), antidemocratic, supremacist and anti-education. No such doctrine was going to thrive in America, much less Catholicize a Protestant country although it was official policy of the Church to convert the country. But it had a good run -- a longer run than Slawson thinks. The Roman Catholic schools I attended in the `50s and `60s taught a thoroughly ultramontane ecclesiology, although ordinary Catholics paid it less and less attention. By that time, O'Connell, the last of the big bugs among the ultramontanists, had been dead for 10 or 20 years, and had been out of influence for 20 or 30 years.
   
   In a word, O'Connell was enamored of Fuhrerprinzep, but he saw himself not as Hitler but as Goering. His Hitler was the pope, especially the antimodernist Pius X (whose name graced, if that is the word, my high school).
   
   O'Connell was actually more scandalous to Catholics than to non-Catholics. Several of his sins were purely churchly. He was a simoniac. Probably an active homosexual (Slawson thinks he was but says the proof is lacking). He connived with the two priests in his household (one a nephew) to overlook their marriages. As sex scandals go, this is pretty funny. Only Catholics can make a man's relations with his wife a sexual sin.
   
   O'Connell, who was fertile in wrongdoing, did transgress secular law. He embezzled and extorted and stole. He fiddled charitable funds, which probably was not indictable around 1918 but would be today.
   
   And everybody who was anybody knew it. The district attorney was after him. U.S. senators wanted his scalp. His own suffragans plotted to have him called to Rome where, it was thought, he could do less harm. Some of the leaders of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy -- men whose names are still remembered like Austin Dowling -- wanted him out. Almost none of the hundred American bishops trusted him and most despised him. But they couldn't nail him. O'Connell had friends at court.
   
   It is a story that could be slotted easily into the Italian Quattrocento and even people with no interest in Catholic intramural politics can be amused by Slawson's careful recitation of the schemes and counter schemes. "Ambition and Arrogance" is not light reading, however.
   
   Slawson's reasons for resurrecting this forgotten episode are hortatory, not merely academic: "Had lessons been learned from O'Connell's 'Boston tragedy and comedy' and had measures like these [several steps of internal church discipline that Slawson recommends] been put in place as a result, the church might have been spared subsequent scandals."
   
   Although I admire Slawson's book, I cannot agree. The only scandals he mentions are the child-rape scandals which the church failed to cover up as well as it did O'Connell's robberies.
   
   First, the child-rape scandals were an entirely different category from O'Connell's sins, which were mere peccadilloes by comparison. The O'Connell sex scandals were among adults; few people would even count them scandalous these days. Even the thefts are hard to distinguish from normal church practice over the centuries. The extortions in particular would have been hard to prove in court.
   
   Second, Slawson -- typically for an American Catholic (which I presume him to be) -- has a too-domestic perspective. In between O'Connell's ultimate failure in church politics and America's child-rape scandals, the Roman church committed far, far worse sins. Its complicity with Hitlerism and active participation in the Holocaust make O'Connell look like a choirboy.
   
   Third, now that churchly power is more attenuated that it was early in the 20th century, scandals are harder to cover up. Even setting aside the mass murder of Jews -- which many Catholics still refuse to accept that Pius XII had a hand in, although he provably did -- there have been banking scandals and sex scandals outside the United States that have been exposed to all. Neither those nor the child-rape scandals have caused any appreciable numbers of adherents to ditch the religion. There is no sign whatever that the Roman Catholic Church has corrected its practices. It is incorrigible.
   
   Fourth, Slawson's recommendations stop at church discipline. If the church is to shed its status as a continuing criminal enterprise, bishops and archbishops need to be sentenced to prison for their crimes, not just to penitential prayers.



4. The book is about one individual who wants power and missuses it to the point where he is hated by everyone including his equals.

5 comments about Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination.

1. As you might expect from such a great person, the Pope's book provides few insights into the Pope himself. He does show how our own lives can influence others, especially in a cumulative way, as the he tells of all of those who influenced his entering the priesthood. He cites the religiosity of his father; the holiness of Jan Tyranowski; the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Louis Marie de Montfort; the devotions in his parish, to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and of the brown scapular. The reader can't help but wonder if there is a link between the lack of devotions today and the lack of vocations today.

   A priest's life is challenging. He must be attentive and sympathetic; critical and watchful with regard to historical developments; a giver of Christ; a spiritual father -- especially in the Confessional; holy; constantly training, studying and updating; promoting the family; defending mankind; in dialog with the youth; in dialog with the culture; intellectual and scholarly; and living the Gospel.

   But a priest's life is most rewarding. The priest is "a steward of the mysteries of God." An essential part of his mission is fulfilled in the Confessional. The priest is an essential being in the only suitable offering that man can make to God, the offering of God-made-man, an offering made at every Mass. The priest is so united to Christ at Mass that he is "in the person of Christ." What a beautiful reflection on the Mass is offered by the Pope!

   The challenge of the priesthood seems overwhelming. It would be without God. It is "a mystery of divine election."

   Every parent of a potential priest should read this book.




2. The words of Pope John Paul II have always captivated me, however, this particular book is very touching because we see first hand his humbleness for the people that shaped him into the priest he became. A man of such global stature writes thoughtfully about the individuals that helped lead him into the priesthood, protect him from the Nazis, and urge his following of Christ. This is a great read for Christians and non-Christians, or even students that are doing a report. John Paul was one of the most inspiring human beings to ever live, and continues to inspire even after his death. His books and thoughts are highly reccommended...it helps any reader to better understand this complex and delicate soul.



3. His Holiness Pope John II Spoke to me. This book is insprational and wonerful.



4. This book serves as a companion to Rise Let us be on Our Way, but it also stands quite well on its own. In it JPII discusses various phases of his priestly journey, various challenges he faced, and various influences that supported him along the way. John Paul had a true gift for beautiful and clear writing, and it shines through in this book. The only drawback I found were about twenty of what looked like charcoal drawings in the middle of the book. They were allright I suppose, but I could have done without them.



5. Pope John Paul II will be regarded by history as one of the great Popes in the modern history of the Church. This book is a translation of his "testimony to his priestly vocation" on the occasion of the golden jubilee of this ordination as a priest in Poland in 1946. To me, this was a powerful testimony of the walk of faith of a man who has left a lasting and postive imprint on the face of our Church.
   
   I was most moved by the influence of his father that how his deeds, not his words affected him. As a father of two young children myself, this anecdote from the Pope certainly will influence further and provide more incentive to raise my daughters in the faith and that through my actions (prayer and striving to live a holy life), I can make the same impression on my children as John Paul's father had on him.
   
   This also has the history of John Paul's religious education and how the Second World War affected his education and shaped it. The man we knew as Pope John Paul II was certainly shaped by those events. They apparently made him a better man.
   
   Pope John Paul the Second is an inspiration to millions around the world, both to Catholics like myself as well as to non-Catholics. The combination of wisdom, intellect and faith possesed by the late Pope is matched by few in the history of the world. This work shows just a small portion of all three. While it is a pretty easy read, it is most certainly worthwhile. Reading about the great men of the faith is as vital to the ongoing catechizing process that all adult Catholics must constantly engage in to grow in knowledge of the faith.

2 comments about Phineas F. Bresee.

1. I first read this book as a required text as an undergrad. I didn't like it much. In seminary, I took a second look at it and found that this book is more than just a biography of Bresee. This book is JAM-PACKED with information regarding Bresee's roots in Methodism and his role in uniting holiness churches. It is a go-to book for my history of the Church of the Nazarene because of Bangs' excellent detail. I give this book four stars instead of five for the following reason: Bangs is too concise. Normally people like that, right? I wanted Bangs to say more in each paragraph precisely because some great historical information got lost in ambiguity--thus a student's need for secondary sources. It left me with the feeling that this book was rushed to the presses.



2. I purchased this for a class that I am taking to make a paper on. I found it fulfilling and spoke the root of Phineas F. Bresee.

5 comments about Times Square Rabbi: Finding the Hope in Lost Kids' Lives.

1. The message Yehudah Fine brings to parents and teens in his book is that even when a teenager's life is in crisis, caring can produce profound transformation. The author's unique street experiences opened up a window into the world of disconnected teens. Fine's message should resonate in every home.



2. I never thought I would read a heart pounding thriller based on a real life rabbi and gripping inspirational tales from the street. Want to learn about life after midnight in NYC, then read this book.It reads like a novel and yet is a true tale of NYC street life. Why this book is not a bestseller is beyond me. This is a powerful book that features true to life stories of teens caught in the web of drugs, prostitution, family violence and world that does not care. In that world walks Yehudah Fine, a real time hero whose human side is so real and vivid you feel after reading the stories in his book that you know him and the kids who he loves and cares about.This is a one of a kind read that will give you hope springing from the darkness forever. It will inspire you and make you cry.



3. Special News: For all of you who have enjoyed reading Yehudah's book, Times Square Rabbi-Finding The Hope In Lost Kids' Lives (Hazelden) there is some exciting news. Yehudah just signed a movie/tv rights contract for his book. Pamela Hayden, one of the voice stars of the TV show, the Simpsons, purchased the rights to his book.



4. "Religion is for people who wish to avoid going to hell. Spirituality is for people who have been there." So wrote Abraham Twerski, founder of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, in his cover blub for Yehudah Fine's book, "Time Square Rabbi." Rabbi Fine (who prefers to be called "Yehudah") has that rare balance of religion and spirituality, combined with a down-to-earth love of sports, music, and life itself, that enables him to reach lost teenagers on the mean streets of New York.

   His writing style is clear and poignant, combining good descriptive details with well-written dialogues. Each story illustrates one of the 8 steps in a recovery program that Yehudah has developed, based on the writings of Maimonides. Although the characters and stories are composites (to protect the kids' privacy), they are so well done that they virtually leap off the page.

   Every parent should read this book. Yehudah pulls no punches about how these kids ended up on the streets. For many, it was an escape from unbearable home situations. In other cases, the parents kicked their kids out of the house with no idea what would happen to them out there. In still other cases, kids from "good homes" set out with high hopes and unrealistic fantasies, only to be victimized by the predators that roam "The Way Beyond." That's Yehudah's name for the street culture that exists in the same physical space as up-scale Manhattan, but in a different world entirely. Like real life, some of these stories have happy endings, others do not. But all of them will make you think. As the subtitle says, this is a book about finding hope.




5. Had I not fallen, I would not have risen
   had I not sat in darkness,
   God would not have been a light for me.
   ~Midrash Tehillim Socher Tov, Psalm 5
   
   Yehudah Fine is The Times Square Rabbi who can now be found spreading his message of hope on radio shows and in nationwide seminars. He works as a family therapist and lecturer and continues to share his wisdom with parents and teens across the country.
   
   Finding the Hope in Lost Kids' Lives is the story of eight kids involved in the street culture in New York City's Times Square. Through the example of eight lives, he explores eight steps towards spiritual renewal. These stories can be read by anyone to encourage their own awakening and to give a pathway to hope for anyone trying to climb out of their own painful situation.
   
   "While change at a profound level is rare on the street, nevertheless it does happen. And when you witness such a change, first was darkness and then came the light." ~pg. 4
   
   You don't need to live on the street to hit an all time low in your life but the gritty lifestyles these kids lead exposes them to a world of danger and vulnerability. The first step in this book begins when the pain of life has become unbearable. An analysis of action follows along with a renewal in self-esteem. As the stories progress we witness a separation from an old way of living in order to embrace a new life. There are sad and happy endings, but all have a profound message of love and compassion.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

5 comments about It's Like That: A Spiritual Memoir.

1. I found this book to be a very accurate and down-to-earth account of Rev. Run's life. I have always been a big fan of Run D.M.C.'s music, and I was always curious about the man behind the music. Although Rev. Run seems to have fallen on hard times, his faith in God and how he shares it with us in this book should be applauded and shows that God will bring you back from anywhere. I also found that the self-help tips keep it real. I believe this book is a hip-hop jewel.



2. I thought this book was a great book to read. I myself have been a Run DMC fan since i was like 8. Im 18 now. They influenced me so much and They should be on the walk of fame not to mention on the next grammys to except alot off awards for the work they have done. As far as the book. I thought it told it all. Its a very good book and i give it five stars.



3. RUN-DMC were truly the movers and shakers of the rap industry during the 1980's. Then suddenly, their fame slipped through the hands like grains of sand. Joseph Simmons (RUN) was a victim of his own fame and success. Thank goodness he was able to find help by way of religion and now see himself as a spiritual to help other young artist see through his mistakes.



4. I could not put this extraordinary book down because it is filled with Universal Laws to improve the quality of life. I did not know what to expect when I selected this book, but I have been pleasantly reminded by someone whose career and life has gone through life's changes about God's goodness. Rev. Run did an excellent job of putting these spiritual truths in a manner that can be followed easily to change the tides of one's fortunes.

   This was an excellent piece that won't be soon forgotten.




5. I didn't know much about Run until reading this memoir. He let's you know that all your dreams can come true, and that you have to help God help you. He tells how the group was up one day and down the next, and that you should always have a backup plan. This book is for anyone who needs encouragement through any circumstances.

No comments about Queenship and Sanctity: The Lives of Mathilda and the Epitaph of Adelheid (Medieval Texts in Translation).

No comments about Radiance: A Spiritual Memoir by Evelyn Underhill.

3 comments about J. Hudson Taylor: A Man In Christ (Missionary Life Stories).

1. I read this book with tears. Sometimes, the emotional impact was so much that I had to stop reading and pull myself out of it. James Hudson Taylor was one of the first missionaries who were willing to identify themselves with Chinese people, just as Jesus identify Himself with human. The author described honestly about Mr. Taylor's stregths and weaknesses, successes and mistakes, and his spiritual journey with God. A worth to ready biography.



2. I thank God for having allowed me to read this book and strongly urge you to read it as well! Many times I remember tears gently flowing out of my eyes as I could see God through this wonderful testimony which exhorted me, encouraged me, and led me. I strongly believe that it was God's seal of approval upon this man's life that made such a book be printed. I am praying to translate this book into Spanish as I hope many more will also have the opportunity of reading such LIFE of the Gospel.
   
   In Christ, J. Hernandez mussio2@hotmail.com



3. An exciting biography of how God can work in the life of a committed person. It will certainly redefine the word sacrifice for you.

2 comments about Mission Legacies: Biographical Studies of Leaders of the Modern Missionary Movement (American Society of Missiology Series).

1. Mission Legacies is an attractive, durable hardback book of missionary biographical articles published by the American Society of Missiology through Orbis Books. It is divided into several major divisions: "Promoters and Interpreters," "Theologians and Historians,""Theorists and Strategists," and "Administrators." The chapters of this book first appeared as articles in the "International Bulletin of Missionary Research" beginning in 1977. Chapter assignments were made in a "serendipitous fashion over a period of about twenty years", as editors chose well-known contemporary church historians to write the biographical profiles.

   Some of the famous 75 names are from the late 1700's, but most are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They were chosen without regard for disciplinary, national, or denominational backgrounds, though there are only six women and six representatives of the two-thirds world among them. This will no doubt be different if a later edition is published.

   Though the articles are scholarly, they are very readable and interesting. This will serve primarily as a reference book, but lovers of world missions and biography will find themselves often dipping into it for information and inspiration. I was pleased to find such diversity as Pius XI and William Carey, such educators and promoters as A.J. Gordon, John R. Mott and W.O. Carver, and such famous missionaries as David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor and Lottie Moon. I was glad to see historians like Kenneth Scott Latoureette and Stephen Neill, such innovative missionaries as Frank Laubach and E. Stanley Jones and such missions strategists as John Nevius, Roland Allen, D.T. Niles and Donald McGavran. In these pages, students of world Christianity "can gain insight into the spiritual and human dynamics that produced the modern Christian missionary movement". This book, now in its fourth printing, should be of interest to all students of World Christianity and Mission.




2. This is an excellent resource for those interested in the development of modern Mission theory. The book is produced in a concise dictionary format, with articles on over 70 prominent figures from a variety of traditions. Each article provides a biographical overview of the subject personality, a summary of their main contributions to Mission, and a discussion of their central writings. Articles conclude with a select bibliography of foundational sources that provides the reader with an excellent starting point for further reading and research.

   Because the book focuses upon those in Mission who have left a literary record, there are few women who are examined in these pages. Women missionaries (generally) tended not to write treatises on mission theory and practice. So, even though they were central to Christian Mission during the time period covered, they are virtually absent from this volume. This should not be counted as a fault, however. Rather, the reader should keep in mind the limits of what the book covers.

   This book should be in the library of anyone interested in Christian Mission. Excellent.