5 comments about Muhammad, Prophet of God.

1. Daniel Peterson's biography of Muhammad is an ideal introduction to the life of this crucial figure in world history. This balanced biography provides insights into the foundations of Islam, and its impact on the Muslim world today. Highly recommended.



2. I found myself wishing I had known the Prophet; Professor Peterson presents a very human picture of Muhammad, his locale and times. His early history includes the known material, without additional speculation.
   Because Peterson has also produced scholarly translations of classic Arabic texts, I was prepared for a dry or difficult text, however the author's style is warm and comfortable.
   Clearly he enjoys his subject and people.
   The separation between well documented events and those possibly or probably added by adherents at a later time is usually clear.
   That Muhammad's teachings and more importantly his actions were magnanimous is repeatedly illustrated.
   The history and examples of his relationships, and wars, with Jews and Christians was very revealing. He clearly saw them as 'believers', cousins if you will, to the thoughts and patterns of his heart.
   What his followers did with those teachings after his death is only briefly recounted. This is not a study in Islamic thought and historical course, it is limited to Muhammad.
   The Qur'an is the main reference quoted in the text.
   I highly recommend this book, you will enjoy reading it and you will feel much better about Muhammad and Islam.



3. My previous review was removed.
   Please Do not limit FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
   
   This author has made many serious, non-scholarly , most likely deliberate mistakes, errors and accusations in his book.
   
   I have contacted the Author of the Foreword, and found out that Islamic Scholar Khaleel Mohammad was tricked into writing of his foreword and has not even read the Blueprint before the publication of this deceiving work.
   
   Some laughable mistakes...
   
   He claims Qur'an's style is most definitely likely of the Arab Poetry.
   (This is why so many Arabs embraced Islam, Qur'an was so different and higher standard that it reformed and standardized Arabic. This is a baseless attack, the miracle of the Qur'an was its unique style, that can and has been demonstrated by scholars multiple times)
   
   He claims Early Qur'an wasn't truly monotheistic, neither the Prophet.
   (This is comical, THE VERSE OF MONOTHEISM, Al-Ikhlas is an early Sura, and all Suras are inherently unmistakably monotheistic, That's Islam, That's Muhammad (sas))
   
   He says this was a "later" development. (Clear Deception)
   
   He claims Qur'an verses depict Jesus(as) God Incarnate. (LOL)
   (There is not a single verse he can produce for this claim)
   
   He tries to claim that Qur'an borrowed from Christian and Jewish
   sources.
   (This is an old school deception that's been discussed and refuted many times, this can not be established, nor can be proven. The Qur'an itself states it has come to be a guardian of the Scriptures, meaning to restore the truth and correct the mistakes and that's just what it does.)
   
   Overall, the author's image he's trying to give is an Objective, Loving Scholar is a hoax and this book is nothing but a desperate attack upon the Religion of Islam and Beloved Prophet Muhammad(sas), If BYU wants any respect from the Muslim community, it is their duty to pull this Deceptive Book of Lies off publication.
   
   Thank you.



4. This book is truly a wonderful introduction into the life of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam. It is well-written and concise, never going into any more detail than is needed for such an introduction. It is an excellent starting point for anyone just getting started in learning the history of Muhammad and Islam.



5. I, like most westerners, have a very shallow understanding of the story of Muhammad. I've read chapters of him in textbooks, and have picked up bits and pieces of his life and influence through various channels. I wanted to learn a bit more, so I picked up this book based on some recommendations.
   
   Peterson has done a great job is this short biography explaining the background and major events in the life of Muhammad. He highlights the many strengths of this great man and puts what we westerners would consider weaknesses into the context of the times. It would be hard to find other leaders of the time that made such a positive impact on society. Peterson didn't highlight the aftermath of his life, but Muslim culture far outshone western culture for hundreds of years.
   
   Is Muhammad a true prophet? Peterson rightly leaves that for others to answer. Was he an honest and sincere man? It appears that most scholars agree that he was.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone seeking to understand more about Muhammad. I have a much clearer picture of his history now that I have read this book.

No comments about The Souls of Purgatory: The Spiritual Diary of a Seventeenth-Century Afro-Peruvian Mystic, Ursula de Jesús (Dialogos Series).

2 comments about The Moral Vision of Cesar Chavez.

1. Frederick John Dalton is to be congratulated for this beautifully written and spiritually inspiring study of the moral vision that underlay Cesar Chavez's activism. Following in the tradition of Jesus, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, and the Berrigan brothers, Chavez's orientation was biblical to the core. He preached and practiced nonviolent resistance, personal and group sacrifice, the transformative power of love and forgiveness, and individual prayer and meditation as essential tools in working for peace and justice. Unlike so many activists then and now, Chavez wasn't concerned with protesting and demonstrating just to say "No." More fundamentally, he was interested in working for social and economic conditions that would affirm people with a resounding "Yes!" Chavez's deep faith in God and the Gospel of justice and peace grounded that "Yes" and made it truly prophetic. As he himself said, "What keeps me going? Well, it's like a fire--a consuming, nagging everyday and every-moment demand of my soul to just do it. It's difficult to explain. I like to think it's the good Spirit asking me to do it. I hope so...If you really want something, you have to sacrifice. Because of my faith the concept of sacrifice is understood" (p. 162).

   This is a must-read for anyone who yearns to integrate a passion for social justice with a deep, mystical faith in God. Cesar showed us, as all genuine mystics do, that the two are not only incompatible but necessarily conjoined. Dalton's sensitive and well-written study has done Chavez proud.




2. Cesar Chavez has been likened to the American Gandhi, using the powerful tools of nonviolence, including fasting with prayer and mass mobilizations, to affect political change, labor rights and human rights for his people, our people, for Americans now again forgotten, rejected, despised, blockaded, dispossessed. We need him now. We need him again. Read this book. Be him now.
   
   Published by the excellent Catholic printing house Orbis Books, this biography was written by a professor of moral theology at Holy Rosary College in San Jose who briefly and intermittently volunteered for the UFW after the death of Cesar Chavez, whom he had seen once deliver a speech.
   
   I met Mr. Chavez a few times nearly twenty five years ago at Mass in the tiny chapel of the Maryknoll House in Manhattan, as he was visiting during conferences in New York. Mr. Chavez was ever a faithful and a profoundly practicing Catholic, inspired by our Faith to work for peace and justice and labor and human rights for the most poor and despised, just as Our Holy Father His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI recently exhorts us in Sacramentum Caritatis: el Sacramento de la Caridad: una Exhortacion Apostolica Postsinodal that the Eucharist in itself compels us to alter the unjust economic structures which entrap so many of us in desparate poverty.
   
   Ceasr Chavez therefore inspires and guides all Americans and all Catholics in the true realization of living our Faith integrally. Professor of Moral Theology Dalton here examines deeply the life of Mr. Chavez, exploring his moral vision and his true path in Faith.
   
   Briefly the professor sums up this intense and real moral vision thusly:
   
   "Cesar's moral vision centered on sacrificial service, solidarity through voluntary poverty, nonviolent confrontation, and faith in God and others. These virtues shaped the identity and character of the union community just as they shaped Cesar's own identity and character. These characteristics were from Cesar's perspective, non-negotiable (p. 152)."
   
   I fonud the references to the great Bishops Connelly and Curtis of Connecticut tantalizing yet welcome. Despite the revised Code of Canon Law's bias which might throw cold water on such faith necessities, they performed truly Catholic work in line with Pope Leo the Great's famous encyclical Rerum Novarum, a courageous labor which may be studied more fully and thus usefully at Cesar Chavez, the Catholic Bishops, and the Farmworkers' Struggle for Social Justice. We need them and their truly Catholic hierarchical witness and orthopraxis and deeply moral vision and integral living of our Faith now more than ever.

5 comments about Out Of the Silence.

1. "God never does anything without having a purpose" the author tells us in the preface. This book is the story of how he, as one who makes his living communicating, lost his voice, and how he was healed by the Lord Jesus Christ. During his time of testing, his faith was being stretched. He describes various situations such as financial difficulties facing his college-age daughters. His wife told them, "Girls, I don't understand what God is doing right now, but this one thing I do know; He did not bring us into the desert to kill us. He will make a way for us. Stay in school" (p. 53).
   On faith during such times, the author writes "At times, it may take more faith for us to maintain the right attitude through an anonymous trial than to preach to fifty thousand people in a superdome" (p. 61).
   On receiving God's guidance:
   "Quit looking for the grandiose and look for the routine...trust Him to lead you into His will for your life" (p. 64).
   On Christian cliches:
   "When I minister to people today, I am very slow to offer empty platitudes...Instead of platitudes, I've learned the power of silence and touch" (p. 95).
   We're reminded that tests don't last forever. He describes the miracle he received from God and adds "The miracle didn't just bless me. It blessed thousands of people" (p. 140).
   This is a faith-building book which I highly recommend.



2. The book came VERY fast and was exactly as described. Very Happy and will do business again.



3. I can't promise this story will touch you the way it touched me, but it will impact your life. It is beautifully written, surprisingly honest, remarkably poignant, and for me, very, very personal. In fact, I am weeping as I write this.
   
   You see, I am currently experiencing the things he writes about. I had a terrific broadcasting career and an extremely rare voice that I lost to a paralyzed vocal chord. That, combined with the loss of the only woman I've ever loved, was devastating. I experienced the same loss of identity, feelings of worthlessness, financial devastation, hopelessness, and the desire to put a gun in my mouth to escape the pain, that Duane did.
   
   In fact, I'm still in the storm, but this book gave me hope and built my faith! I know there's a purpose for all of this and that God hasn't abandoned me. If you, like me, sometimes struggle to trust or believe in a God who seems to have left you all alone, please get this book. It makes no difference if you have working vocal chords or not - anyone who has known great pain will relate to this story.
   
   And whatever you do, be sure to get the companion tape so you can hear Duane's miracle for yourself. Although only six minutes long, it is very, very powerful!



4. I could not believe my ears when I heard Mr. Miller's testimony. I believe that miracles are for today and that God is still doing a mighty work for people if we will just turn our hearts to Him.
   
   I could not help but believe the man. He had 200 witnesses, not to mention doctor after doctor examine his condition. He saw specialists that examined famous singers and other voice talent. They determined his voice was degrading with time.
   
   No medical explanation could accurately describe what happened to this man, except for the fact that God touched his life and healed his voice.
   
   There is no sensationalism prior to Mr. Miller's healing. There is no one hopping pews or handling snakes. This is just a faithful servant of God who was saved by a God who loves him and each and every one of us.
   
   There is no coincidence in this. 3 years to the day of his last sermon, while talking about how God rescues and heals those He loves, this man is healed. God should receive all glory for what He has done. Amazing!



5. _Out of the Silence_ shows us the downward spiral of three years without being able to speak, not knowing what God was doing. It must have been as difficult and discouraging as Joseph's years before he was exalted as a leader in Egypt and later saved his family. Duane teaches us much about learning from God in difficult times.

5 comments about Ocean Star: A Memoir.

1. Ocean Star will open the eyes of PARENTS and reemphasize the importance of kind, encouraging, loving words to their children.It will make every CHILD learn that there is a way out, that they don't have to make bad choices to make themselves feel better, and that it is not their fault. It will let every ADULT who has been physicall, mentally, or sexually abused by family members learn how to process that life to be able to move on and realize the undying importance of not repeating past behaviors. It will let every FRIEND realize the importance they have in each others lives. And for those of you who were lucky enough to be born into a family with good, loving parents, you can learn how to be a light to those children who only see the darkness. You will learn how to teach those children how to see the good in themselves, how to teach them it is not their faullt, and how to extend your hand so they have something to hold onto while they ride the storm. You can learn how to be a pearl to someone who needs you.



2. What an amazing book this is! Christina's story, in and of itself, is truly astounding. But the message is truly powerful! For me, personally, I gained a new sense of having "hopeful expectations from the Lord". It inspired me to remember the power in "asking" Him to "show up" and to provide His wisdom, direction, and literal road signs in life! I have a renewed sense of hope when it comes to praying about things and looking expectantly for His answers.
   
   In addition, Christina does a terrific job of explaining "how" she experienced coming to know Jesus and what it is to have faith in a living God.
   
   I am inspired to pass this book on to several friends who do not know Jesus, yet!
   
   * Read it on a beach for an even greater impact. :)



3. Christina DiMari's OCEAN STAR, a memoir of overcoming a dark childhood of violence, abuse and substance addictions to find faith, love and the creative life, offers hope and encouragement to anyone who has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges.
   
   DiMari was raised in an Italian family in California that loosely belonged to the Catholic church, but didn't practice faith at home. "I had always believed in God, but I really didn't understand how believing in him made all that much difference to us while we lived on earth," she writes. "...We simply didn't really know how believing in him could make our life any different in the day-to-day stuff."
   
   Regularly beaten by her mother, who was otherwise mostly absent, DiMari grew up feeling she was her father's favorite. Yet, as the violence between mom and dad escalated, her parents separated and she lost touch with her father. Life at home was unbearable. Over the years, DiMari estimates she ran away more than 100 times.
   
   "Was I fooling myself?" she writes. "Was I really bad and not worth anything? Would it have been better if I'd never been born? Did my life matter to anyone?"
   
   She regularly smoked pot, dabbling in LSD and other drugs, shoplifted clothes, hung out with the hippies in Haight Asbury, and listened to The Grateful Dead. Pods of dolphins appear in various places throughout the memoir, symbolizing DiMari's strong friendships with others and as a symbol of hope. Her friends became her dolphin pod, with a trademark saying, "Life's a trip! Enjoy the ride."
   
   Despite DiMari's poor performance in school, one determined high school counselor helped her get her high school diploma and pointed her toward college. It was there that she grew weary of her choices and began looking for deeper meaning. "I was tired of living my life with no direction or purpose. There had to be more." Through a loving pastor and a fellow student at the college, she decided to make Christ the center of her life.
   
   Changes followed. DiMari found herself drawn to young children in the Philippines and got involved in mission work. Eventually, she met and married Michael, a concert violinist, and had two sons. As her faith grew stronger, however, she realized she had to revisit the dark places in her childhood. She also realized she had to come to grips with her relationship with her father and mother. As DiMari forced herself to explore the past, she uncovered some terrible secrets that shed light on her dysfunctional family.
   
   The starfish on the cover is appropriate; it's a symbol woven throughout, which DiMari uses as an example of how broken things (such as a starfish losing an arm) can heal and become whole. They are saved, she says, when they cling to the "rock." This is not literal nonfiction for sticklers about the genre; rather, it's a creative retelling of one woman's story. Some liberties have been taken, such as using recreated dialogue extensively throughout; these are acknowledged at the beginning of the book.
   
   DiMari crafts a motivational card and gift line, and hosts "Designed to Shine" workshops on the beaches of California where young girls are encouraged to dream big and become the women God designed them to be. "If I have learned anything at all, it's this: The journey is not always easy, but if you are willing to surrender the dreams that you hold in your heart and let God replace them with the dreams he has for you in his...and never, ever, ever give up, your star will eventually SHINE the way it was designed to." This is an inspiring book for older teens and adults who have overcome difficult experiences and are looking for hope.
   
   --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com



4. This is one of the best books I have ever read. This is inspiring, truly inspiring.



5. I could not put this book down. It is a beautiful story about a girl who found strength and determination against the odds.

3 comments about A Church of Her Own: What Happens When a Woman Takes the Pulpit.

1. I am thoroughly enjoying the book. The author deals with past and present patriarchal obstacles that would ordinarily prevent an elevated sense that there is true value for women to assume leadership roles within the church. A well written description of what to look forward to when women are finally accepted and valued in in true pastoral capacities in influencing a valued and healing role of the soul and the many dimensions overlooked in a male dominated profession.



2. Sarah Sentilles set out to be an Episcopal priest, attending Harvard Divinity School, and seeking ordination in that denomination. She found the ordination process difficult, because she did not conform to some rather narrow expectations of what a priest should be. She blamed herself for not being good enough, and so great was her pain, she completely withdrew from the Church.
   
   In A Church of Her Own, Sarah Sentilles studied in depth a problem that she sees to be of major importance in organized religion. She found that although more and more women are entering divinity schools and the ordination process, these same women are leaving the Church in even larger numbers. She wanted to find out how and why called and committed Christian women were becoming so discouraged and disillusioned in a very short time. [inset as quotation] "...I realized that the brightest, most creative women I knew were having trouble. Either they struggled through the ordination process like I did, or, once ordained and working in churches, they were silenced, humiliated, and abused. These women--women who were faithful, who brought the house down when they preached, who had dedicated their lives to serving God--were being driven out of churches or were leaving the ministry altogether." (p. 3)
   
   When I read this, I became very defensive and wondered if I wanted to read further. Having been in churches with female pastors and counting several as friends, my experience seemed the opposite of Sentilles'. Surely she exaggerated. But I read on--and as I read, I became persuaded. I also became angry and disillusioned. If churches can treat people like that, what hope is there for the world?
   
   The interviewees, from across the country and from different denominations, were honest and frank and needed little prompting to talk about their experiences. Some were still in the church and their real names were not used--their real feelings, however, came through in heartbreaking detail. They reported many incidents of sexism. One of the most common, seemingly harmless practices involved a woman pastor being complimented or criticized about her clothes, her hair style, her weight, or her "time of the month." Male pastors seem never to have that experience. Interesting, isn't it?
   
   Almost all women were offered lower salaries than their male counterparts because (it was rationalized) men were known to be the breadwinners of the family. Many congregations could not deal with a pregnant pastor. It makes everyone uncomfortable, they were told, to bring that "sexual connotation" to the pulpit. Do these same congregations think their male pastors are celibate? Of course not, but their sexuality was not so overt.
   
   Many women--and some men--come as new pastors, fresh from leading seminaries with a passion to serve. They might use what is called "inclusive language," terms which do not exclude or demean on the basis of race, religion, or gender. Most often, the women's efforts to speak inclusively were rebuffed. They were told that no one wanted to call God "She." (Sentilles argues that this misses the point, anyway: "Replacing one form of gender-exclusive language with another does not solve the problem." p. 138) The way we speak of God, she feels, goes to the heart of theology, regardless of denomination. "We will have to trust that God is bigger than anything we can say or write or sing about God. We will have to have faith in God."
   
   What first seemed to me to be Sentilles' angry and bitter criticism of an institution that failed her turned out to be a clearly stated and researched study, not just of the institutionalized church but those who attend and manage those churches. It truly does go to the heart of belief. What is religion? What is the Church? Who can fully participate? And, most important, what do our attitudes toward the clergy say about Christianity and those who profess to be Christians? Sentilles and the women she interviewed were very specific about ministry being a call to action--this is not religion of which they speak, but service, ministering to others. "Ministry is theology in action." (p.244) Sentilles and the other women ask this of organized religion, from which they often felt excluded or alienated: "What might empowering people to live their ministries in daily life look like? How would it change the church?...What might be lost? What gained?" (p. 247)
   
   Many of the women remain hopeful about the future. Many continue their ministry outside of the church, working with the homeless, abused women, the elderly. Interestingly, more than one finds she is most accepted in women's prisons. "It is a population that is vulnerable and needs help and is easily accessible...Women want to tell their stories. This is a place to hear women's stories." (p.278)
   
   Sentilles concludes that she has found a kind of faith in the writing of this book. "Yes, the church is sexist. Yes, the church is racist. Yes, the church is homophobic and classist and oppressive...and exclusive. And, at the same time, the church is filled with human beings ministering to one another, nourishing one another, challenging one another." (p. 309) "When I began writing this book, I was extremely angry. I was grieving. I wanted to write a book that would reveal how terrible religion is...But the women I interviewed changed my mind. Their stories, their energy, their commitment converted me. I began to feel strangely, unexpectedly hopeful." (p. 309)
   
   Having read this book, I feel hopeful, too.
   
   by Susan Ideus
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



3. IMHO, the name of this review should have been the title of this book... as I read through the first 3/4 of this book, I was struck by two things: how well-written it was, and how bitter the author was about her experience with trying to serve in the church.
   
   Turns out, writing the book was healing for her. In the final pages, she comes to realize her interviews with the women for this book have washed over her soul and made her long to be accepted or requested by a congregation. Her bitterness turns to grief. I was sorry she hadn't spent more time on this discovery, less on all the negative aspects of women in ministry. (I do know women who are serving, loving it, but have also had frustrations. That seems rather typical, I think.)
   
   This was not the kind of book I was expecting when I bought it. Often I wondered how young this author was--her contemporaries were women in their 20s. And, I'm sure it is hard to receive respect when one is a woman, that young, and as some of her friends did, look and act so contemporary that some might have thought they still belonged on a college campus.
   
   Still, she is a fabulous writer (or she has a fantastic editor, or both). She's obviously done tons of research that's invaluable. For years I struggled to find something contemporary on the shelf about women in the ministry... so a book like this was/is sorely needed.
   
   The slant is overtly liberal and gives ample space to the disenfranchised (gay/lesbian/transgendered/etc.). I did feel much compassion for, and learned more about those who are frustrated because the traditional church will not ordain them, yet God is calling them to serve in some meaningful way.
   
   I totally "get" the inclusive language she talks about. I'm a Cady Stanton fan, sat through many women's studies classes--yet I can't say that I have as strong of a revulsion to the male-only language (Father, Son, etc.). Although I do love the NRSV and the fact that it uses "brothers and sisters"!

5 comments about G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles.

1. Although I have not read this book, I did watch a lecture by Father Boyle given at Regis University. It is amazing what he has accomplished in LA with these gang members. It is a true testament to what God can do if given the chance!



2. A wonderful read that can be shared with reluctant readers to bring them face to face with their place in modern literature. A book that should be shared with more teenagers. A look at gang life/ prisons in our urban world through the eyes of someone on a shared journey. I shared this book and another series that Celeste wrote in LA Weekly (2005) with my students as a combination class: experience of life literature and morality. Father Boyle is a master at understanding humanity and our call to larger social responsibility. We are not permitted to dismiss the world around us after reading this book that tugs at the corners of your heart. Greg gives hope where it is needed the most - to everyone. If the opportunity to hear Father Greg Boyle speak presents itself, do yourself a favor and go.



3. This book is quite unlike any other that I have read on crime or gangs, both in style and in substance.
   
   The style is very simple. Fremon makes no attempt to be objective. She makes no effort to put the story into any larger context. She does not come across like a professional writer of any kind. Her ego is absent from the work. Instead, she tells a story, a simple, moving story.
   
   The subject of her story is extraordinary. John Paul II liked to say that there are many more saints around us then we recognize. This story is another example of that. Father Greg Boyle is a normal suburban white guy who became a priest, and was sent to East LA. He found himself surrounded by gang violence. Nothing unusual in the story so far.
   
   But his reaction was extraordinary. He responded to the situation in a radically Christian manner. He did not get into any of the usual left wing politics or posturing. Instead, he offered the gang members uncondititional love, just as the Gospel teaches. He spent time with them. He visited them in jail. He visited them in the hospital. Whenever the guns went off, he was there trying to bring peace. In one extraordinary incident, he put himself between two gangs who were starting a fire fight, and told them that if they wanted to kill each other, they would have to kill him. He was risking his life doing this, and the gang members knew it. They did not shoot; his Christian witness brought them back from their madness.
   
   It took time, but the gang members responded to Father Greg's ministry with tremendous enthusiasm and love. It is an incredibly inspiring story. It reminds us of why we are Christians. It shows us the transforming power of Christian love.
   
   I would like to be able to draw some political conclusions from all of this. I would like to somehow replace our current approach to gangs with Father Greg's approach. I do not know how to do that. I can not see how to make his saintly approach work in ordinary political or police work. But I do know that we are all better people with someone like him among us. If we had more like him, the world would be healed.



4. "G-Dog and the Homeboys" shows how Father Greg Boyle and a select few adults, including the author, completely changed the lives of teens in East LA. Greg opened the homies' and his followers' eyes to the world outside of their lives in their little neighborhood. Many kids would not think past selling drugs to earn a little extra cash, or firing off a couple of rounds of bullets in order to simply stay alive. Boyle changed all of this.
   In actuality, the homies were not violent, cruel, or evil kids at heart. Many had rotten home lives and joined gangs to find love. Others joined for protection. Gangs offered support if they were ever in serious danger.
   Father Greg understood and felt for these teens. Greg lent them helping hand in any way he could. He gave them money for school, jobs, even a roof over their heads. However, the best gift he gave the homies was his love and caring for them.
   As one follows the stories of numerous homies, one realizes how much of an impact one man, Father Greg, had on their lives. This story is touching, at times frightening, and over all, enlightening. It is highly recommended that you read "G-Dog and the Homeboys". Your eyes, too, will be opened to the world around you.



5. My husband and I recently heard a taped interview with Father Boyle that aired on NPR. We were very interested in learning more about his unique outreach efforts with LA Gang members. This book is excellent.

4 comments about A Fire You Can't Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham's Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth (Religion & American Culture).

1. This is a real page turner of a biography--a book you can't put down. The contest between Fred Shuttlesworth and "Bull" Connor is classic, full of violence and poignancy. Manis has done the nation a service by putting his magnifying glass on Fred Shuttlesworth's heroics, and rightly explained them from the context of black religion. This book should be made into a movie!



2. A compelling portrait of a real unsung hero. Emerge Magazine says it well: "The greatest battles of the civil rights movement come alive in this biography of the man Martin Luther King Jr. called "one of the nation's most courage freedom fighters." Manis is to be congratulated for bringing us this powerful story.



3. The story of Fred Shuttlesworth is a powerful, dramatic story that everyone interested in the black freedom movement should read. Manis' compelling portrayal captures the spirit and spirituality of a great unsung hero. The book has been honored by the Lillian Smith Book Award, the South's oldest literary prize, and deserves a wide reading.



4. As a student of the civil rights movement, this is a must read. The book explores the life and times of a great man who made it possible for Rev. King and others to make the changes that were made in Birmingham. Andrew Manis has written a great history book that covers not only Rev. Shuttlesworth's life but you get a sense of what people felt during this horrible time in U.S. history. You will see how Rev. Shuttlesworth had "set the table" so that Rev. King was able "serve the dinner" in Birmingham. Without Rev. Shuttleworth's persistence, President Kennedy would never be able to have said, Eugene Connor was the best thing that happened to the civil rights movement.

5 comments about Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis.

1. I have often expressed my love of biographies. I consider them to be among the most helpful of resources in helping equip Christians in their lifelong quest for Christ-likeness. We can learn much from the examples of those who have run the race before us. We can learn from what God taught them, learn from their triumphs and learn from the times they were defeated. I have a passion for biographies. I also have a passion for the English language. I love to see how we can use the language to craft works of art. I cannot express myself in the fine arts - music and art are both disciplines that escape me. But I consider myself a wordsmith-in-training. These two loves come together in Jack, a biography of C.S. Lewis written by a veritable master of the English language.
   
   George Sayer had what was probably a unique privilege - he met C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at the same time. He studied English under the tutelage of both of these men while at Oxford University. He became friends with Lewis, growing closer as they grew older. As a friend he provides a unique perspective on what is surely a unique individual.
   
   I have never had the interest in and respect for C.S. Lewis that so many Christians afford him. Perhaps it is that I tend to see in black and white. Lewis exemplified some of the best and yet some of the worst in his understanding of Christianity. It seems that for every major doctrine he so brilliantly defended, there was another that he denied. For every brilliant insight there is a terrible oversight.
   
   Jack provides a glimpse into Lewis' life. This, combined with penetrating analysis from one who knew him well, makes this biography not only fascinating, but very credible. Sayer covers all of the foundational parts of Lewis' life - the death of his mother, his education, his infatuation with Mrs. Moore and his conversion to Christianity. The author looks also at most of Lewis' major writings. Having spent so much time with his subject, Sayer is even able to describe an average day in the life of C.S. Lewis - just the type of detail that is interesting, but is absent from most biographies.
   
   The detail, while interesting and often even necessary, is sometimes almost uncomfortable. Sayers goes so far as to detail Lewis' personal struggles with masturbation and fantasy as a youth, and his later fascination with his wife's body. Yet he does this not merely for the sake of being explicit, but always to help us better understand Lewis. He seeks to help the reader understand Lewis not just as an author, but as a person. He wants to show Lewis in the good times as well as the bad. He seeks to show Lewis as he really was.
   
   Thoroughly-researched and exquisitely-written, this is a brilliant biography of a figure whose importance to Christianity seems to be growing, even forty years after his death. With a major movie series coming to theatres beginning this year, we will surely hear a lot more about Lewis than ever before. While many biographies have been written about him, I would have trouble believing any could be better than this. No matter your opinion of the man himself, Jack, as a book, is a gem; a jewel; an absolute triumph.



2. This is a fitting tribute to the life, works and last days of an author who changed many lives through his writings. His MERE CHRISTIANITY reached out to non-Christians and showed them the way to a better life. But, I think he will best be remembered for the magical world of Narnia he created for children. He'd been born Clive Staples Lewis on November 29, 1898. In 1998, a series of special commemorative stamps was issued, "Magical World," featuring THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. In about two and a half months, the eagerly awaited movie, 'Narnia,' will be in the Regal theaters nationwide and will gather more fans for Jack (C.S.) Lewis.
   
   A musical portrait of his life toured Britain during 1998. Even Hamley's. England's toy shop, hosted a special one-hundredth birthday party in honor of this prodigious writer. It is sad that only fifty people attended his funeral toward the end of November, 1963. On his tombstone is engraved "Men ust endure their going hence" which had been on the Shakespeare Calendar the day his mother died. At a little past 5:30 p.m. on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Jack gave up the ghost after two or three years of terrible pain from prostate cancer. So, in the passing of C. S. Lewis, all the world's eyes were on their television sets watching the events in Dallas, Texas, play out as Oswald purportedly killed the United States president.
   
   Autumn had always been Jack's favorite season so it is fitting that he ends his life in happiness. October's bright blue sky, even in England of 1960, was lovely as were the beeches which were in their "full glory of gold, russet, and amber." Keats called autumn "the close-bosomed friend of the maturing sun." That year, the hawthorne bushes were full of crimson haws, and the wild roses were loaded with hips. He came to Cambridge in 1962 to lecture and to finish his last book THE DISCARDED IMAGE. He was in the autmn of his life but he was enjoying an Indian Summer. He'd just finished SURPRISED BY JOY and his book A GRIEF OBSERVED after she died. Yes, he loved the American woman who entered his life so unexpectedly. He also wrote letters of encouragement for some time to an other American woman.
   
   His enduring legacy is the gift his readers receive, that 'sliver of wonder,' which enables them to see beyond the imaginary world to the living God. The lion in the 'Narnia' books was made to appear as Christ-like as he could manage. April is probably the best loved month in Western Europe, as it is here in Knoxville, Tennessee, our beautiful "Dogwood" celebration. Shakespear wrote of "proud-pied April, dressed in all its trim." In April, there is a revitalization of the earth as the birds sing their joyous songs for all to hear. The forget-me-nots are in bloom, and spring green covers the fields. My favorite time of year is the Spring with all of the pastel colors and the feel of life returning after a long winter's sleep.
   
   He was the precursor to all of the inspiration and self-help books which now abound. He had divine inspiration at times, but he was also human. A man with feelings and empathy toward others.



3. C. S. Lewis is one of the most well known Christians in modern history. I've read a couple of books about his relationship with Joy Davidman, so I figured it was time to check out a biography that spotlighted Mr. Lewis' entire life. "Jack" (Lewis' nickname) had the most accolades, so after warming up with the lighter fare of "Jack's Life" by his stepson, I dove into this book.
   
   George Sayer is a former student of Mr. Lewis', and he delivers a fascinating portrait of his mentor from birth to death. He also provides context by detailing the national background, family life, and period of history that shaped Jack. In addition, Mr. Sayer discusses a number of Jack's books, the creative process he used, and how the public initially received them (including book reviewers). Despite his distinguished academic credentials, the author writes in a manner accessible to the layman reader. I never felt bogged down, or condescended to, by his writing style.
   
   Some have accused the author of sugarcoating C. S. Lewis' life. Yes, Mr. Sayer wrote as a friend, and therefore wasn't out to write a sordid expose. But neither does he claim that Jack peed rosewater. For example, I had no idea that Mr. Lewis struggled with sadomasochistic fantasies and masturbation as a young man. He also smoked and drank quite heavily, habits that many churches don't hold in high esteem. In addition, the author doesn't shy away from discussing some of the charges against Mr. Lewis' character, such as the possibility of a homosexual relationship with his lifelong friend Arthur, and whether or not he and Mrs. Moore were lovers. I'm not sure what kind of dirt would erase the charge of whitewashing, but I felt that Mr. Sayer made Jack appear pretty down-to-earth. That is, except for Jack's statement that sexual fantasy can be "fairly easily overcome with prayer and fasting (p. 415)." The "fairly easily" part is a bit much for me to swallow (or perhaps a bit too convicting for comfort).
   
   Along those lines, I was intrigued, and a bit confused, by one aspect of Mr. Lewis' character: his distain for introspection and fantasizing. Jack considered heroic and romantic fantasy to be counterproductive, because in his eyes their self-centered focus prevented one from obtaining renown and love in real life. He even wrote a poem, "Dymer," that illustrated the dangers of forsaking reality for a dream world. As for introspection, he felt it was a danger to one's mental health. However, many of his works prompt readers toward both pitfalls. I couldn't help being somewhat introspective after reading "The Great Divorce" and "The Screwtape Letters." And who hasn't fantasized about charging into battle at Aslan's side while immersed in the Chronicles of Narnia? Of all Lewis' views, this is the one I'd like to investigate further because of my own disposition towards navel-gazing and daydreaming. Jack's views on the consequences of these actions are especially relevant in an age where pornography is a mouse click away, and one can live life vicariously through reality shows and online computer games.
   
   An unexpected result of reading this book was that I gained a greater interest in the life of Jack's older brother Warren. Both "Jack's Life" and "Jack" paint Warren as a tragic figure who did not live up to his potential. Yes, he was a raging alcoholic whose ambition did not equal Jack's. But considering that Warren served as an army officer in both World Wars, had a number of books published, and helped organize his brother's chaotic schedule, I can't help feeling that both authors were a bit hard on him. Perhaps he could've done better, but he also might've turned out a lot worse. I've always had a soft spot for the underdog.
   
   At any rate, I came away from "Jack" with more respect for C. S. Lewis as a person and a Christian. He's more accessible to me now, and I have a better appreciation for his ideas. And the insights into his character have challenged me to examine and evaluate my own shortcomings. I recommend that you read this book in conjunction with "C.S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time," by Scott R. Burson and Jerry L. Walls. It provides a portrait of Lewis' doctrinal positions that might surprise you (as it did me).



4. It has been said that a great biography requires that the biographer respect and love his subject. Sayer certainly meets that requirement. As a friend and former student of Lewis', he is able to offer unique anecdotes and a personal perspective to illuminate his subject. He is also a student of literature, so that he is able to comment on Lewis' work in a professional and sometimes incisive manner. I particularly enjoyed the fact that he includes an Afterword in which he answers the most common questions he has received as one of Lewis' principal biographers. He also includes information which does not always reflect favorably on Lewis. While he loves Lewis the book is not idolatrous. He sees him as a living, breathing, flawed, but wonderful human being. My only problem with the book lies in the fact that Sayer does not linger over dates. From time to time the reader has to reconstruct the narrative by repositioning the book's events within specific years and decades. This is not a major problem, but it is a problem. All in all, this is an engaging study of an engaging subject. Highly recommended.



5. Insightful. Not as flattering and complimentary as it could have been considering the relationship of the writer to the subject, which is good. Well written, a good read. well worth the money.

4 comments about Jazz Notes: Improvisations on Blue Like Jazz.

1. I am extremely irritated to have wasted my money on this. I am a huge fan of Don's work, have read Blue Like Jazz multiple times as well as his other books, have bought and listened to his MP3 recordings on his website, and read his blog occasionally.
   
   So I was really excited to have some improvisations on one of my favorite Christian books. I knew that there would be some repeat between this and Blue Like Jazz, but the promised "brand new material" and the audio CD that came with it were a total waste.
   
   First, let's be clear about what this is: The book itself is a small hardcover gift book, half the size of a normal book and 139 pages long (so you get about 60 pages of material). The material itself is about 5 chapters from Blue Like Jazz which have been abridged and modified slightly to fit into this small format - nothing new.
   
   The so-called "new material" is 25 paragraphs about where the people from the book are now (nothing depthy or that provided any further connection to the people), a tiny bit about Don's new book, the movie version of Blue, and how it feels to have a bestselling book/ thanks to loyal fans. As an avid reader of Don's work, I have read just about all of it before - the same stuff is touched on for free in his blog.
   
   The enclosed audio CD is 45 minutes long and is excerpts from Blue Like Jazz, the audio book. Zero new info. I hoped it might be actual jazz songs that inspired him, or something different from what I had just read. But they basically packaged the audio version and the book version together, so the content is nearly identical on the CD and book.
   
   I'll give this two stars instead of one just because if you have a friend who hates to read and will never read the real book Blue Like Jazz, this might be a good gift. They don't even have to read it, they can listen. But that's the only reason I can see anyone buying this instead of Blue Like Jazz.
   
   This was a total waste of money for me and I am really disappointed in Don for agreeing to publish this. The title and misleading info on it makes me feel like he and the publishers hoped that more than a few diehard fans would purchase this book, believing there actually was some new material in here as advertised.
   
   I feel lied to by someone that I look to for moral insights. I am disappointed to say the least.



2. I have a lot of friends who simply would not devote the time to reading the original Blue Like Jazz, so Jazz Notes has been a great gift-book alternative. It focuses on the key elements of the original book, and I found the several pages of new material interesting.
   
   I could say the same thing about the "bonus disc." A disc that clocks in under one hour is a good alternative to listening to hours upon hours of Don Miller reading his book, especially given that his spoken-word delivery isn't as dynamic as his words on a page.



3. Have you read Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" yet? If not, you may be in lagging behind. This bestselling 2003 book, written in a Kerouac stream-of-thought personal essay style with a touch of Anne Lamott's irreverence (that makes you feel guilty for laughing at religious people) and some honest down-to-earth self-deprecating genuineness seems to have touched a chord in people worldwide. So far, the book subtitled "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality" has sold more than a million copies and not only remains among the top selling inspirational books in the nation, but each year it outsells the previous year--for five straight years after its publication. That is phenomenal in any market.
   
   Anyone who has read "Blue Like Jazz' can never forget Miller's opening story. He writes:
   
   "I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
   
   "After that I liked jazz music.
   
   "Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
   
   "I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."
   
   After that, who would not want to read what follows? But for those who have yet to climb aboard, I might suggest that you look into a shorter version of the book: a little hardback gift book entitled "Jazz Notes: Improvisations on Blue Like Jazz." It is a just-released selection of excerpts from "Blue Like Jazz," a sort of literary equivalent of a remix CD--cool sound-bytes combined with brand new material that offers the reader an inside look at some Miller's unforgettable--and outrageous--characters. "Jazz Notes" is the essential Donald Miller with non-religious (often irreligious) reflections on how his incredible spiritual odyssey started; what happened to him that helped him experience grace and faith for the first time, right smack in the middle of one of America's most liberal colleges; a recasting of the marvelous "confession booth" account; and how he discovered a surprising way to really love other people--and himself. On top of all that, "Jazz Notes" includes a bonus audio CD of some of the book's timely excerpts read by Miller.
   
   Of course, not everyone will like "Jazz Notes," or for that matter "Blue Like Jazz." For some Donald Miller is a bit too earthy, too worldly, too cynical. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. But even the most shocked among Miller's readers will probably find themselves chuckling uncomfortably at the inconsistencies that plague modern Christianity or else squirming before the mirror this insightful young "prophet to postmoderns" sets before us.



4. Allow me to begin with a short excerpt:
   
   "Many of our attempts to understand and define the Christian faith have only cheapened it. I can no more understand the totality of God than the pancake I made for breakfast understands my complexity." (page 101)
   
   Buy one for your car, put one in your iPod, keep one in the office, have one in every bathroom, and make sure one is on your night stand. A perfect gift for a friend. What can I say, I adore Donald Miller's stuff, even when Thomas Nelson published this remix of his classic, Blue Like Jazz.
   
   That being said, the audio CD that accompanies the book is a dismal disappointment. Somebody at TN had the bright idea to mix some awful background music with Don reading a selection of his prose. Hey, Thomas Nelson --- kill the background music!!! It was a terrible distraction when one is attempting to focus on the essence of what Don is saying...it didn't work.
   
   A great contribution. A wonderful gift for a friend. Use the CD as a flying saucer with your neighbor's barking dog whose is chained up in their backyard 24-7.
   
   In summary, reading Donald Miller has this effect on me, "Wonder is the feeling we get when we do just that --- let go of our silly answers, our mapped out rules that we want God to follow. And I don't believe that there is any better worship than wonder." (p. 109).
   
   Thank you Thomas-Nelson and Donald Miller