4 comments about Deborah, Golda, and Me.

1. This book, which was a bestseller, is certainly one of the most important books in both women's studies and Jewish studies. Written with love, with force, seamlessly incorporating meticulous research with the author's insightful wisdom, it is a book that will be read for many years to come. I bought 6 copies of this book for friends, and all agreed it was probably the best book of this ilk that they had read. Ms Progebin is an extraordinary writer, with a great heart, and the abilty to weave love into the most hardened or bitter of facts. To all women, and most especially to all Jewsish women, READ IT! You will be greatly helped.



2. This book was eye opening. As an Orthodox Jew and a feminist, there were many aspects of the this book I found hard to deal with. However, I have found that overall I was very impressed with the content of the book.

   The author spends a lot of time reflecting on her own experience as a Jewish Woman in America, which was often very different from my own. However, when she got down to the nitty-gritty of being a Jewish woman, and the problems and issues therein, she hit the mark. I found myself reading excerpts in discussions with both male and female friends about the way women are treated in Judaism, especially in Orthodox circles.

   As a mother, I found this book especially important as I raise my daughter to become a, G-d willing, enlightened Orthodox Feminist Jew.




3. I enjoyed much of this book--particularly the parts about her family and their effect on her and her Judaism. The parts about Palestinians go on a bit long, and they were hard to read in light of more recent developments. A lot has happened in the last 10 years, and I wonder what she would have to say about this topic now.



4. Letty Cotton Pogrebin was born in 1939 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She was raised in an observant Jewish home, and studied Torah and Talmud. When she was fifteen, her beloved mother died of cancer, and Ms. Pogrebin, because she was female, could not be counted to form the necessary "minyan" to say the traditional mourner's Kaddish, (prayer), for her own mother. Her father, who never seemed, or apparently cared, to understand how marginal and rejected she felt, called the synagogue and had another man sent to their home, where they were sitting shiva. Time has brought change to the Jewish religion. Today a woman can form a minyon, the group of ten Jews necessary to recite formal prayers, in Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Movements. But these changes did not happen in time for Letty. A few years later, while she was still in college, her issues with her father, and with the male dominated Jewish religion, became intertwined. Her feelings about her "father and her faith merged." She writes, "I also cut off my formal affiliation with Judaism. Merge the Jewish patriarch with patriarchal Judiasm, and when you leave one, you leave them both."

   "Deborah, Golda, And Me," is Letty Cottin Pogrebin's story of her struggle to reconcile her feminism with her Jewish faith. She writes with intelligence, passion, honesty, and eloquence about her determination to fight against being a marginal person in her religion, and in her life. This book, in a sense is a record of many of the battles waged in her war for personal and political power.

   She was active early on in the women's movement and was the founding editor of Ms. Magazine. When she reflects on the broad purview of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, she cannot explain why she felt no curiosity about the status of Jewish women or the problems of Jewish girls in less hospitable environments then those in which she grew up. "I don't know why I wasn't motivated to investigate religious sexism, or to integrate some of my private spiritual insights into my general feminist framework. Even if I did not choose to act as a Jew in the Women's Movement, why didn't I at least act as a feminist among Jews? Why didn't I join forces with Jewish women who were fighting for gender equality in the synagogue, where I was aware of the gender inequities?"

   She fought for equal rights for women, all over the world, and against anti-Semitism. In 1975, at the first of three United Nations "International Women's Decade" Conferences, the delegates passed a resolution that effectively identified all Jews as racists. The "Zionism is racism" resolution - called the Declaration of Mexico, (the conference was held in Mexico City), took Letty by surprise. "I could not believe that supposed feminists who had been entrusted with the inauguration of a ten-year commitment to improving the status of all the world's women - and who were pledged to address the monumental problems of female infanticide, illiteracy, high mortality rates, abject poverty, involuntary pregnancies, domestic violence, and so on - could allow their agenda to be hijacked on behalf of this unspeakable PLO slogan."

   This is a deeply personal account, told with much love. I especially appreciate Letty's anecdotes of Jewish holiday celebrations with family, while her mother was still alive. Ms. Pogrebin also demonstrates her knowledge in Torah and discusses worthy Biblical women from the Tanakh. As she grew older, she, along with women friends, began to create Jewish rituals around life cycle events meaningful to women.

   Letty Cottin Pogrebin continues to struggle for the rights of women in society. She was always a woman who I admired. Now that I have read "Deborah, Golda And Me," I am truly a fan!

4 comments about Beyond the Steps and Stares.

1. Raina Futrell wrote a heartfelt story of her journey with her son, Cody, who has spina bifida. As I read this story, I felt I was right there with their family, experiencing every joy and sorrow, every up and down.
   
   This well-written story was one of those books that once you started reading it, you couldn't put it down. Since my daughter has spina bifida like Cody, I really related to the entire book.



2. Wow! What an excellent book. This is a great heart warming story that will have you laughing and crying. It is full of emotion and makes you appreciate everything that you have. The author does an excellent job of telling the story. Highly recommended!!!



3. In this book, Raina Futrell tells the story of her son, who has spina bifida. The successes that Cody has are inspiring. Mrs. Futrell's book is excellently written.



4. I went to high school over 30 years ago with the author. I do not have a handicapped child, but she sent this book to me as I have recently been diagnosed with cancer and she thought that I would find it uplifting. I don't even know who told her I was ill or where she found my email-as I live in another state. But I loved this book. I could not put it down. It is very easy to read and I read it in two days. I am ordering it now for other friends that are teachers and nurses. It is very inspiring and funny and heartfelt. As I read it, I could hear her voice from high school saying many of the same expressions. Great Book!

4 comments about The Longing for Home: Reflections at Midlife.

1. Buechner's style so lends itself to the hesitant believer, the everyman-doubter, but brings so much hope and inspiration....who can read this and not relate?



2. Much of Buechner's non-fiction consists of memoirs in which he explores the presence of God in the everyday moments and journeys of his own life. Buechner's books are compelling first because he is a superb writer, and second because his life, were it reduced to a resume, is really not all that exceptional; not that different from yours or mine. That combination is Buechner's genius. He reminds us that there there is no ordinary life, and succeeds superbly in getting us each to listen for God's action in the lives each of us live.

   This book is a collection of essays. It partly rewinds through experiences and events in memoirs Buechner has already published (including The Sacred Journey, Now and Then, and Telling Secrets). But it focuses on the theme of home and its theological overtones. Many characters, places and events from Buechner's life will be familiar to the Buechner reader. I don't find the writing to have the crispness and punch of his earlier memoirs. Maybe the mine of Buechner's experience is not yielding the quality of ore that it did earlier, or maybe the writing just doesn't refine it as well. This is certainly a book all Buechner fans will want to read. But if you are new to Buechner's non-fiction, start with the first three memoirs I mention above.




3. I agree 100% with the Thorburn review directly below mine... it's a great and accurate review. I agree especially with the comment that one should start with Buechner's excellent memoir-trilogy (listed there) before venturing into this one. And if you're still interested in Buechner, by all means, The Longing For Home will be meaningful for you at many points. Don't get me wrong, I am convinced that anything Buechner writes is definitely worth reading, it's just that this book seemed a trifle esoteric, even for a Buechnerite like myself.

   I usually try to avoid subjective comments like the one I'm about to make, but I found the poetry section a bit too "on the inside" (obscure?) for me, as with the chapter entitled "Rinkitink in Oz"... I can only imagine these slices of the book as being of interest to an extremely select minority of readers. They are not "generally" appealing. But then, the chapter "Of Whipples and Wheels" had me actually consulting a map of Vermont, trying to locate the places Buechner is discussing. It was very interesting stuff (incidentally, I never did find the locations). And there are A+ insightful theological homilies in the latter chapters.

   I have enjoyed all of F.B.'s writing over the years, however, this particular volume is definitely one for only the initiated and highly interested.




4. Another deeply revealing, intelligent, inspiring memoir from the writer (not just "religious" writer) who best addresses spiritual matters in a way that is meaningful to me. He shares his personal experiences in a way that is comforting and helps me ponder the mystery of life. I never tire of reading Frederick Buechner.

5 comments about Field of Hope: An Inspiring Autobiography of a Lifetime of Overcoming Odds.

1. If you're looking for an inspiring story, this is a great one. It shows what grit and determination can do in a life. It is also a wonderful book for the Christian, thought-provoking and a fine example of the way Christ can guide you through even the most terrible of situations.



2. "Hope" is an inspiring story of a man who was told in his early life he wouldn't make it in baseball. Mr. Butler proved that hard work and determination does indeed payoff. He is refreshingly honest about his shortcomings and his belief in Jesus Christ. His wife, Eveline, narrates a good portion of the book giving her views on their life together, with the trials and tribulations that goes with any marriage. Another title for this book could have been, "Winners never Quit". They are both just that, winners, only they're winning in the game of life.



3. An inspiring, touching story. I followed Brett's career ever since I first saw him play in Atlanta in 1982. His story is a glowing example of the power of our living God. Hopefully this book will bless you the way it has blessed me. I've read it four times now, and still enjoy it every time. Oh, I have the honor of saying a letter I wrote the day he was diagnosed is on page 218 of this book. God bless you, Brett.



4. I enjoyed reading Brett Butler's autobiography and have read it quite a few times. It's a wonderful read about love for God and overcoming odds and tragedies. (I love the chapter of his first encounters with his future wife Eveline. It made me laugh out loud.)



5. Brett Butler has led a life of overcoming the odds. In his youth Brett was told he was too small to make it in pro baseball. Brett kept fighting and he finally made it. Once in the majors, Brett was told he would never be a star. Again he kept fighting and he made the All-Star team. When Brett found out he had cancer, he decided to fight once again. Once again he won.
   Butler reveals his thoughts throughout all of his triumphs and disappointments. He discusses his Christianity without coming across as preachy. He is a man of faith and love and he proudly expresses this.
   The book is very uplifting. It is a real inspirational story from truly one of the good guys!

5 comments about THE WALK.

1. Reading the truth of how God does work in each of our lives is there in that book...is like being six years old and playing dress up and standing in shoes 10x's your size! It's simply your future...but you're not there yet! You will have to grow into it. But they are the right shoes. This is the response of a friend I lent the book to. I agree wholeheartedly it just that she put it better than I ever could. Michael Card's work always leaves me with a closer taste of the Lord.



2. "I want to show you how a Christian man dies." This is what Dr. Bill Lane told Michael Card when Bill discovered he had a terminal illness. If you are led to believe this is a book about death, you are mistaken. It is a book about life, Bill Lane's life and Michael Card's life. If you were as fortunate as Michael was, and knew Bill, you will hear his voice and feel his presence on every page. If you enjoy Michael's music and wonder where his Christian maturity and spiritual insight comes from, in meeting Bill Lane you will have discovered the answer. If you have never heard of either of them, after reading the book you will discover what a "walk" with Jesus Christ can mean to you in life and in what the world calls "death".



3. I found this book in a discount store and could not pass it up because of my interest in discipleship. I could not put this little book down! I has several ah-ha moments as I read through Card's thoughts. Here are a few that have stuck with me: 1)God embodies truth in people. God sent truth into the world through Jesus, who is the truth. In the same way, a discipler is one who embodies aspects of truth. This thought is not emphasized in the book, but it has stuck with me and made me think of how to disciple someone. 2)Sonship is established in the wilderness. Through trial we find how much we need Jesus. We notice he is close to us. Card writes profoundly as one who has suffered and learned from it. He ties in discipleship by talking about his mentor's role during the tough times of his life.
   In the end, Card writes with a clear knowledge of Scripture. Several times while reading the book, I wanted to put it down and become more familiar with my Bible, not because I doubted the truth of his comments but because the Word is eternally interesting, satisfying, and freeing. Card's love for truth and the person of Christ is contagious. Don't miss out on this book!



4. Sharply designed new soft cover edition of this book takes Tuesdays WIth Morrie to a spiritual place. Best reason to buy this edition is the inclusion of a CD of Michael Card and his mentor Bill Lane taken from a Moody Radio broadcast before Dr. Bill Lane's death. The book creates a holy hunger in the reader for pursuing relationships such as Card and Lane have known. While you always have a sense of Michael Card's humanity in his books and Bible studies - this one pulls back the curtain on the heart of an author who learned to love well.



5. Michael Card wrote a good book about him and his friend Dr. Bill Lane which I think is good but the Lord took him and Michael Card's Nephew which is amazing quickly the Lord will come back and get us unto him the Bible tells us that he will com back for his people soon which he took Michael's Nephew so early and I ordered some of Michael Card's Music I can't wait to receive it an the mail hear it for the first time I hope he will write a another book soon I really like how he writes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 comments about Spiritual Childhood: The Spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux.

1. This book is essential to anyone seeking to follow Christ's call to be like "little children." Vernon Johnson, a convert from the Anglican church, magnificently distills Therese's sublime insights without distorting her.

   One cannot read this book without coming away with a greater understanding of what being a child of God means. Yet, this is not a book about the intellect but rather a book about the heart. It will certainly inspire every reader to want to love God like Therese did.




2. St. Therese of Lisieux is one of my favorite saints. You will love reading about her life. She is truly inspiring.



3. Vernon Johnson is today one of the least well known of a fabulously gifted circle of English Catholic writers of the 1920s through the 1940s which included G.K. Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc, Ronald Knox, and Abbot Vonier. Johnson was not as prolific as any of those men, but what he did write is choice.
   
   "Spiritual Childhood" is the product of some 20 years of meditation on the subject of St. Therese of Lisieux, whose spiritual legacy inspired Johnson's conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism (as chronicled in his wonderful book One Lord, One Faith, recently reissued by Ignatius Press).
   
   Written in a beautifully lucid and simple style, "Spiritual Childhood" reflects the distilled wisdom gathered over a lifetime by a faithful priest and pastor of souls. Where the book is most helpful and profound is on the question of suffering. Not everyone suffers to the same extent. But some have been given to know all too well what Jeremiah meant when he wrote: "The Lord our God has doomed us; He has made us drink a bitter draft... we looked for relief, but instead there is terror" (9:14-23). Or the words of the Psalmist: "You have crushed us in a place of sorrows, and covered us with the shadow of death... Why do you hide your face and forget our oppression and misery?" (43:20, 25).
   
   To taste of this is to know how crushing, how soul-shattering suffering can be -- and how inviting the option of despair becomes, and how tempting the dark alternative encompassed in Hamlet's question.
   
   It is very hard to find spiritual writing that can provide consolation in the midst of the spiritual desolation brought on by profound suffering... but "Spiritual Childhood" is one such book. Ultimately, the logic of despair can only be escaped by dint of a new perspective. But the power of despair lies in its capacity to destroy such alternative perspectives, to see through them, with a kind of demonic ingenuity, as meaningless charades or sophistry. For the heart, too, turns hard and cold, bitter both towards grace and the Savior who would bring it. One may hear a knocking, but the response is: Go away. Leave me alone. Or worse.
   
   I do not know what Johnson experienced in his life, but this book reflects a very deep and sympathetic understanding of the problem of suffering, and with it a capacity to offer a fresh perspective that can allow one to see one's suffering in a new light, like the sun rising in the darkness. And too, there is some special grace associated with Therese of Lisieux, and her doctrine of spiritual childhood, that has a way of penetrating the heart, even the heart embittered by despair, and allowing grace to enter in.
   
   There is much wisdom in this book for all Christians -- it is very fine, and should be more widely known. Any Catholic book reader will find much to cherish on these pages.
   
   But "Spiritual Childhood" has a special value for those who may happen to be in a state of intense suffering or despair -- for such souls, I truly believe that reading this book can be a form of spiritual therapy, a real channel of healing grace -- a living embodiment of Fr. Johnson's kind, wise, and generous priestly ministry.

No comments about Paul's Call: How Saul Became a Christian.

2 comments about Discovering Saint Patrick.

1. Written by a theology lecturer at the University of Wales, Lampeter, Discovering Saint Patrick is a religious and biographical study of Saint Patrick, that strives to understand as much as possible about his life, his impact on history, how he influenced the development of Irish Catholicism, and much more. Thoroughly researched, drawing heavily on original sources as well as directly from scripture, Discovering Saint Patrick approaches the life and times of the famous saint with a scholarly eye for detail and as much corroboration and verification as reasonably possible. A welcome contribution to church libraries and biographical collections of holy figures, and a "must-read" for anyone who is curious to understand what St. Patrick's Day is really all about.



2. The perfect place to start if you want to learn about St. Patrick or early Irish Christianity. O'Loughlin is the best scholar in the world on this subject, but his books are easy to read.

2 comments about Memories of the Branch Davidians: The Autobiography of David Koresh's Mother.

1. It is not that often that a woman freely admits to being of such loose moral character that she was having sex at 14 and giving birth to a monster later known as David Koresh. In the book we learn that David Koresh suffered from a Psychiatric Disorder known as Religious Mania from an early age. As he grew older he began impregating girls as young as 14. Perhaps he had learned this via his mother's example or perhaps it was because he was on the same Intellectual Level as them. David Koresh grew up to be a child raping, cop killing, tax evading, retarded, wife stealing con artist. Thankfully he is now fertilizing the ground instead of 10 year old girls and doing a pretty good impression of an overdone steak. I give this book 5 stars because Ms. Handle Any Man thinks that "Denial" is a river in Eypt.



2. There are plenty of books on the market with dry presentations of facts and figures about the tragedy that has come to be known simply as "Waco." This book shows the people and the lives that were touched by the tragedy. It is both informative, and heartbreaking.

2 comments about The Motley Crew: Monastic Lives.

1. In this delightful book we see the infinite variety of the colorful characters out of monastic history - The Motley Crew. "We are not saints," Brother Benet declares. Story after story shows the mysterious mix of saint-and-sinner in the life of every monastic, indeed of every human being. Far from being just a humorous, enjoyable, and accurate romp through monastic history, this book is a compassionate and paradoxically hopeful rendering of human imperfections and virtues in age after age.
   
   The Motley Crew is divided into 38 short spicy chapters each averaging three pages in length. Each chapter portrays the lives of monastics and the times in which they lived. The chapters gallop chronologically through history, yet often we are transported in a flash back to the present as Benet splices in current tales from his vast repertoire of monastic adventures. Throughout the book the author also weaves in guidelines from the Rule of St. Benedict, so that we get a good look at the monastic ideal. Refreshingly, Br. Benet is not at all hesitant to poke a little fun at everyone and everything - himself and his fellow monks included. Yet out of this quagmire of human foibles, Benet gently leads us to the humor, compassion, hope, and light cast by fifteen centuries of Benedictine monastics who are heroic in their quiet unassuming day-to-day lives. As Benet notes, "Ours is a joyful and somewhat messy history, not unlike the history of all people striving to draw closer to God."
   
   The colorful stories are of very human saints and include details that you'll never find in glossed-over legends and hagiographies. Portrayed are every imaginable human weakness along with all the virtues. We meet gluttons, drunkards, gossips, adulterers, and murderers amidst those of deep faith, hope, and love. We see abuses of authority ranging from hair-pulling and name-calling to sexual indiscretions. We see monks playing tennis in the village when they should be in church, monks "seeking too much solace in a nearby tavern owned by the monastery," and we see altogether too much monastic wealth and comfort at different times in history. Benet readily admits that at times "things really werern't up to snuff."
   
   We observe the sad and cyclical decline of monasteries: abbeys in ruins turned to cow pastures, refectories used for bowling alleys, a holy-water fountain used for a kitchen sink, tombstones from the monks' cemetery used for a sidewalk. We hear of the current shrinkage and even closure of European and North American monasteries.
   
   The startling thing about this book is that there is so much hope amidst the dross, with its subtly joyful, optimistic, and compassionate rendition of history in spite of tragedies, disasters, and the gamut of human weaknesses. One meets cycle after cycle of decline and resurrection, despair and triumph - where "triumph" is often a simple quiet continuance of the everyday life of Benedictine ideals.
   
   Br. Benet ponders over the future of monasticism as numbers of monks steadily decline. He finds hope for the future: "Benedictines are like weeds. We keep cropping up, even in the most surprusing places" - and notes the current rise of monasticism in Third World countries. He points out that following on the heels of every epoch of monastic decline we see solid reform movements with return to the simplicity, moderation, and discipline of the guiding Rule of St. Benedict.
   
   As Br. Benet notes: "[Saint] Benedict's vision was one of hope and light, even though he lived in a time of darkness and despair." The same can be said of Brother Benet, as evidenced by this book. Bless Benet for the hope and light that he brings to our world with The Motley Crew. His book is a tribute to the generations of monastics who sought God, found God, and passed on the torch of monasticism which continues to burn brightly today in spite of dwindling numbers. This book is a must-read for Benedictine oblates, and for anyone interested in monastic life and/or studies in human nature.



2. I was drawn to this book by reading other works of this author.
   Also, Kathleen Norris. I was sure it would be about a group of people, but truly enjoy the arrangement of the groups and single subjects.
   The chapters allowed for an easy read and were useful as part of a daily devotional program.
   I liked the author's style of wording sentences and his humor.
   Bro Benet likes his subjects and he was very at ease with the material.
   I was unfamiliar with many of the subjects, but I always found them interesting and oh so very human.
   I would recommend this for anyone who is interested in religion and church history.