5 comments about Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson.

1. Several people in my family recommended this book and I managed to avoid it until yesterday because the one asking was a young person. How could I say no to a kid telling me to read a book she liked? What kind of ogre would I have to be to say no? It turns out I'm the kind of ogre that realized I could have lived without reading this. There's not much that's new here or that someone other than a rich, spoiled sports reporter wouldn't have known about the importance of family and the necessity to find your own path to the waterfall. My guess is that there are millions of people with the money to buy this book but without the most basic idea of how to be human. This book is just some basic, simplistic rules about how to be a good person. Nothing drastic or thought-provoking here. Again, I wanted to like it, but I can think of dozens of other books that have really touched me in many more ways than this one. Morrie Schwarz sounds like he was a nice man, but I think I would have gotten more out of one of his sociology classes or from spending an afternoon with him just talking than from reading Albom's book.



2. This is a quick, easy read, all about dying but not a bit depressing, uplifting and cheerful. Give it to somebody who is having a hard year or having a hard time remembering their priorities.



3. this book reminds me a lot of Conversations with my dog by Ziglar.....if I had to choose one book out of the two.....it would definetely be Albom. Both books offer life lessons about many things in life....thought it would be better though....i am getting the DVD to see how the movie does.



4. After reading so many spectacular reviews, I decided to give this book a whirl myself, and I'm so thankful I did. First of all, I hate to read. Well, let me rephrase that. I USED to hate to read. Doing so much reading in college leaves me with little energy outside of schoolwork to read, but I quickly polished this book off in two sessions.
   
   This book grabs you almost immediately and reels you in, and once you reach the first Tuesday conversation with Morrie, there's no turning back - you're anxious to see what lies ahead. In the midst of this beautiful story between two friends - Morrie, the former professor, and Mitch, his former student - you are taught valuable life lessons between the pages as Morrie battles Lou Gehrig's disease.
   
   The best lesson I took away from this book is that love and relationships are the most important things in life. This book has really changed how I perceive life. I, at 25, was so convinced that life still seems so lengthy, so certain, when in reality, it could end at any moment. How do I want to be remembered? That's something that Morrie's words really make you think about. I tell my friends and family a lot more often now how much I love them, and I've let a lot of bitterness about petty things go because this book has reminded me how small those things really are in comparison with the big picture of life, and life is too short to be anything but happy.
   
   In summary, this book reads quickly (so quickly!) yet there are hugely valuable lessons to be learned in its short length. If you're looking simply for a heartwarming story, this is the book for you. If you are perhaps one of those folks who takes life and those around you for granted sometimes, then this book is for you as well. You might even learn a thing or two. :)



5. Tuesdays with Morrie is about a professor (Morrie), his former student (Mitch), and their final "class" with one another as the professor is in the final stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Mitch taped their discussions together and transcribed them into the book while throwing in slices of college memories of Morrie and other seemingly inconsequential moments that add to the humanity of this life-altering work.
   
   Tuesdays with Morrie allows the reader to glimpse into someone's mind who knows he is dying. We all know we are going to die, but we don't necessarily act like it. Morrie addresses what is really important in life and says that if people lived like they were going to die, they'd live differently. They'd live better.
   
   "How do you detach from the agony of physical and mental pain when you know you're going to die?" "How can someone with ALS be so incapacitated and yet still be happy?" "What would you do on your last day?" Morrie addresses these questions and they are what taught me the most from this book. I'll be writing on them in the coming days.
   
   Mitch was able to learn lessons from a man he admired. I have been blessed with such relationships and of these I am eternally grateful. Dr. Bill Greenwalt was one of these men. We met every Tuesday so that I could earn my license as a professional counselor. He would encourage my good ideas and chuckle at those he knew wouldn't work. I didn't care because I valued his insight. He was patient and always thought deeply about everything I said. These two virtues (patience and thoughtfulness) are hard to find. Dr. Bill Greenwalt died suddenly of a heart attack in January of 2006. I envy Mitch in that I was unable to tell Dr. Greenwalt goodbye and how much he meant to me.
   
   So we don't have to plow through every mistake in life, the Lord blesses us with people who can light our ways as we realize our potential. The person may be a teacher who always knows your name, or a supervisor who takes time for you no matter how busy he is. We need more people like this. I hope you will notice them around you and work to become one yourself.

5 comments about Sharing Good Times.

1. Having the highest regard and respect for former President Jimmy Carter (in fact, world leaders should emulate his wisdom, style and ideals), I say the following very delicately.
   
   Admirable in that former President Carter communicates to the world his inner and private feelings from childhood thru adulthood. The meaning of sharing with family, friends, total strangers, foreign dignitaries, etc. is the purpose of a contented existence. At first this did not come easy to President Carter, but as the years came and went it surfaced, and he was at peace with himself.
   
   So-so in that the redundant theme of the Carters gallivanting and vacationing all over the world could lead some to resentment for not being able to do the same(?). One must take into consideration though that President Carter would oftentimes combine work with pleasure (the presidency, Carter Center). So, why not take side trips while in Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.?
   Overall, a warm and compassionate read on morals, values and hope.



2. From our greatest living statesman come more pearls of wisdom.
   A kind and thoughtful man, husband and father, Jimmy Carter shares insightful stories of his life with friends and family. Learn how love and trust can carry us through the tuff times and reward us in the golden years.



3. This book is not a biography per se rather a collection of the most pivotal moments in Jimmy Carter's life containing little "work" and much "play". In this collection of short stories we see Jimmy Carter the son, father, grandfather, climber, painter, and outdoorsman. The conspicuous lack of politics, apart from a brief couple of pages, establishes just how human Jimmy Carter really is. His greatest joys are his children and charitable works not the galas he has attended or the dignitaries he has met, making this a refreshing memoir.



4. This man is a dying breed. You really just wont find too many more Americans with value as true and with priorities leaning toward all of the right places. I just took away so much from this humble little book. I did not expect it. It did not floor me by any means but just spoke gentlty of one mans life as he shares it with the people around him.
   
   At one point as he is campaining or going on a business trip or whatever he says to Rosalynn "Rosalynn I am going out of town, please pack my suitcase and I need pressed shirts blah blah blah. And she says right out of nowhere "pack it yourself". So he says that he was fuming really bad while he was packing his bag but from that day forward it was no longer his show only. They became partners in all of the decision making and even let the children in on it. You really dont see many people possessing such good manners/leadership/practicality/humilty and just real common sense intellegence in life today. And you certainly wont find anyone like that running for president. Please I hope I am proved wrong someday soon.



5. Where do I begin? This is such a dreadful book, full of Jimmy's flawed recollections, rewriting of history, and outright lies. He brags about his close relationship with dictators, like the murderous Kim Il Sung, with whom he conducated negotiations on his own, while President Clinton was trying to run a foreign policy.
   
   Not being content with destroying the reputation of the US during his brief term, Jimmy then dogged Bill Clinton for eight years, travelling around the world courting the Nobel Prize comittee while certifying corrupt elections and similarly making Clinton's job in the international sphere that much more difficult. You won't find any admission of that here. (Nor will you find mention of the cryptically racist campaign he used to win one-term govenorship)
   
   More recently, he's been on the move certifying electrons in dictatorships, in one case- Ethiopea- certifying the election as fair, and leaving the country before the votes were even counted!
   
   Great men rarely write autobiographies; they leave that to historians. Books like these are written by petty men who have little to say aside from their own self-aggrandizement, and are looking to pre-empt historians looking for truth.
   
   For a better, more accurate picture of Jimmy Carter, I'd suggest "The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators, and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry", by Steven F. Hayward.

5 comments about Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.

1. This is a great book. It is perfect for teenagers, young adults, book groups, church groups, and - really - almost anyone. We don't have to BE Paul Farmer, but if we each do our small part to change the world, it will be so much better. Read this book; it will change your life!



2. Great book, second time reading it. It is a must read if you care about justice and want to see what others have done to come against it.



3. I love Tracy Kidder's books and this is one of the most uplifting and ispirational on my all-time favorite list!



4. Paul Farmer is to Haiti what Greg Mortenson is to Pakistan. These are the people who best represent the American citizens to the world and I'm sure there are so many out there who do great sacrifice in their personal lives to help others. Besides being a well-told story of the needs of Haitians, it clearly identifies the problems of treating drug resistant Tuberculosis in other parts of the world as well. Well worth reading! This would be a great book group selection: informative, inspiring and memorable.



5. I found this story very inspiring. Few can do as Dr. Farmer has done--he is amazing. This should be required reading for every high school student, in fact, for everyone!

5 comments about Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words : Marilyn Monroe's Revealing Last Words.

1. This was one of the first Marilyn books I owned and I have to say it still stands out as one of my very favorites because it is so intimate, and the pictures show a very down to earth Marilyn that you feel like you could reach out and touch. George Barris was actually a long time photographer of Monroe, he had the pleasure of catching some of her most iconic moments on camera such as the famous shirt blowing scene from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH and many more. These are by far his best of her though and I personally favor pics from Marilyn's later years (60's). I love the stories that Barris tells and I am getting ready to reread this book as it has been a few years, I think it is the type of book one can read over and over anyhow. As I have said all the pics are amazing especially the ones of Marilyn on the beach. These however are not the very last pics taken of Marilyn, just the last photo session. The very last shots of her can be found in the book "Mr. S.: The Last Word on Frank Sinatra" when she was on a yacht with Sinatra and at the Cal-Neva Lodge & Casino shortly before her death. Over all though this book is HIGHLY recommended and is essential for any Marilyn fan!



2. I was surprised at this book in Marilyn's own words. This interview was only a few weeks before her death. The pictures were amazing and beautiful. She did not seem at all depressed and was looking forward to the future. Makes you wonder if she was murdered. Surely seems that way after I read the book and looked at those pictures. It almost seems to say "see I want to live" and little did she know that her life was in danger! Poor Marilyn. I hope wherever she is, she knows that some people believe that she did not kill herself. And I hope she is at peace.



3. This book is unique in that it comes from George Barris's last days spent with her. I love the photos because they are candid not posed. This bok also includes the last photo ever taken of her. I'm on my way to own almost every Marilyn book and Im am pleased with this one.



4. I have to say that it is just amazing how after 44 years Marilyn Monroe is still considerd one of the most beautiful women to ever live. After seeing the photographs of Marilyn Monroe taken by Mr. Barris in this book I am not suprised that people are still captivated with the beauty of Marilyn Monroe. The pictures of Marilyn in this book are amazing and beautiful. Marilyn shows her true character in the most natural looking pictures I have ever seen of her. Each picture tells a story and shows you the woman Marilyn really was. Marilyn truely was a naturally beautiful woman and it shows in this book. This great book also lets you read and learn about the real person Marilyn Monroe was in her own words. Marilyn tells her life story in this book, taking you through her young years as Norma Jean to her Hollywood life as Marilyn Monroe. When you are reading this book it is very interesting to hear Marilyn talk about her life in her own words. Marilyn takes you along her life journey through the pages in this book. The only sad thing is when you are reading this book you wish Marilyn's life story would continue past the inevitable days of Marilyn's death on August 4-5,1962. I alreadly knew Marilyn was going to die before reading but it really made me sad because after reading this book it makes you feel like you actually knew Marilyn personally. That just goes to show how well written this book is. I have to say Mr. Barris you have done a great job writing this excellant book. Marilyn would truely have been happy with this book. Whether you are a Marilyn Monroe fan or you are just curious about this iconic Hollywood actress this book will definitely be intresting to read. Before I read this book I thought Marilyn Monroe was all Hollywood glitz and glamour. After reading this book however I found that Marilyn was a sweet down to earth woman who just wanted to be loved. I only hope Marilyn made it into heaven, because in her life most of the people that said they loved her and called themselves her friend only used and betrayed Marilyn. I hope that one day Marilyn's death will finally be proven as murder and this case of wrong doing can be closed so Marilyn can finally rest in peace.



5. This was indeed a touching tribute. I felt very connected to Marilyn while reading her stories. The photos were just as gorgeous. I could have gone without George Barris' interjections as they usually just repeated what Marilyn said. But it was his book and she was apparently his friend, so I suppose he deserves some spotlight too.
   
   Add this to your Monroe collections! It's a definite keeper.

No comments about The Infancy Narratives of the Gospels (Kandour Biographies).

5 comments about Saint Augustine (Penguin Lives).

1. It's hard to love St. Augustine. Even as one of the most influential religious thinkers in the history of Christianity--the image of heaven as a holy city, the City of God, was his idea--and as the author of his Confessions, arguably the first confessional biography (and a model for many of the literary memoirs we've lately been swamped with), he presents a cold and prickly figure. It's not so much that he doesn't give us the goods about his early, sinful life--he does, sometimes in great detail--but the guy who ranks his theft of a cartload of pears among his greatest mistakes is unlikely to impress our jaded sensibilities. What we want in a biography of Augustine, is an interpreter--not of his works, but of his life: we want to know the drama of this man's life, and to feel afresh his importance today.
   That's just the issue here. Throughout the Confessions, which Garry Wills, in his new short biography of St. Augustine (one of a series of excellent short lives published by Penguin Putnam) more accurately translates as Testimony, we find ourselves in the presence of a man who has a lot to say, but speaks in a voice that sounds alien to most late-twentieth-century ears. The child of a pagan father and a Christian mother who would later be venerated as St. Monica, Augustine grew up on the fringe of the Roman Empire, in Africa. Torn between his mother's strict Christian discipline (legend has it that she allowed her child only two small cups of water a day, in order to mortify the `sinful' flesh--a story that Wills, perhaps wisely, omits) and the lure of the old pagan order which still held sway in much of government and civic life, it's small wonder that Augustine went where the money was. For the first part of his life, the part he would later describe as gravely sinful, he followed the career path many young Romans aspired to--to great effect: at the time of his conversion to Christianity, he held an advisary position in the court of the Emperor.
   Along the way, however, he picked up an interest in philosophy, particularly the fashionable (and most unchristian) Manicheanism, which holds that the universe is a battleground between equally-matched and eternally-opposed forces of good and evil. It was his misgivings about the truth of his beliefs--no doubt also the influence of his mother, whom he brought along on his travels to Italy--that prompted his conversion, famously described in the Confessions. Sitting under a fig tree in his garden one day, reading the letters of St. Paul with a friend while wrestling with his doubts, Augustine heard what sounded like a child's voice from a nearby house, repeating the refrain of a nursery rhyme or game: Tolle, lege; tolle, lege--'Pick up and read, pick up and read.' He opened the book he had laid aside, read the first sentence on which his eyes fell--"Be clothed in Jesus Christ"--and a saint was born.
   That's the famous story, the part of his Confessions most often read and retold today. But Augustine's long life (he would live another thirty years, eventually becoming the Bishop of Hippo in northern Africa, and writing his monumental book The City of God), would be spent amid the spiritual and political controversies of the Church in the fourth century A.D. Unlike our recent spate of memoirs--and of much less interest to contemporary readers--Augustine's biography here is a political one, less concerned with his personal spiritual transformation that with the religious politics of Roman Africa in the years just before Rome's fall. This is where, and largely why, Wills' biography loses its interest and pales beside the testimony of the saint.
   It does not help that Wills repeatedly fails to enliven Augustine's story, keeping the flesh-and-blood man behind a scrim of political reportage and undoubtedly learned commentary on Augustine's theology, and a critical reading of his many written works. The composition of The City of God, for instance, is clouded over in background detail:
   "Augustine spent fifteen years writing the twenty-two books of The City of God, that `great and trying labor'.... They were years of increasing desire for some measure of temporal peace. Augustine's hopes for enlightened leadership, first lodged in Marcellinus, then cruelly disappointed, were partly revived when another Christian official, Boniface, came to Africa in 417 as commander (count) of the Roman military force. Augustine sent him a long statement of the Donatist policy he had created for Marcellinus. Since Boniface had important frontier duties, keeping the Saharan tribes from Christian Africa, Augustine wrote for him in 418 a little treatise on military morality--war should be waged only when it is necessary to peace, and then with the minimum necessary violence; truth should be observed even toward the enemy; mercy to the vanquished precludes use of the death penalty."
   
   And so on, and so on--making a short book feel long and dry. It's hard to remember, while we read this, that one of the most splendid conceptions of divine grace ever committed to paper is taking shape in the background--the scratching of Augustine's quill is drowned out by the noise from the street outside.
   Not that we lose sight of much that Augustine wrote: hardly any of the saint's extant sermons or treatises are left unmentioned here, but few are actually summarized to the point of intelligibility, or quoted at length enough to allow us to get a flavor of the man's thoughts. In fact, so much discussion is spent here on the meanings of texts not quoted, or on the interpretation of single words and phrases, that Augustine, the man whose Confessions have unjustly earned him a rather scandalous reputation, gets lost in a fog of worldly detail. Often it's difficult to tell just where our hero is, what he's doing in his daily life, and why it matters in the larger scheme of things. The tone of the book is dry enough to make Augustine's common-law marriage--at the age of sixteen, making him a father a year later--and his eventual spurning of the woman he called his `concubine,' first for the prospect of a socially advantageous marriage, then for God, all seem rather dull. Where, we want to ask, is the drama of the sinful life that Augustine himself conveys in his Confessions?
   And this is the saint we want--and perhaps the saint we need. There's no shame in admitting that when we read his biography, we want to know not the brilliant prose stylist and theologian, not the provincial magistrate and church politician, but the man who sinned, suffered, doubted and finally found his faith--a faith that would change the world for centuries to come--in the voice of a child overheard in a garden. If Wills' book can be said to have failed this task, it is because he has given us the words of Augustine, but not his voice.



2. With so much to say about Saint Augustine, it is difficult to include all of the facts in one book. It is impossible to include all of the facts in 144 pages. What makes this book disappointing is that this book has little to say about this magnificent man.
   
   At times, Wills focuses more on the writing of Saint Augustine than in his life. Obviously, there are not first hand interviews of this saint available. Instead, Willis interprets the writings on Saint Augustine. The product is so concise and scattered that it is often hard to makes sense of it. This is a tremendous injustice to Saint Augustine. The greatest shame is the fact that Wills focuses so much time on Saint Augustine's views on intercourse and celebacy rather than his defense of the Christian faith.
   
   There are so many better books to learn about Saint Augustine such as "Confessions" and "City of God". While the authors attempts to draw points from these books, the point are too scattered to interpret.



3. Any biography on Augustine will always linger in the shadow of the great Peter Brown's work, which is a classic treatment of the philosopher/bishop without rival in the English speaking world. Therefore, anyone desiring a complete portrait of St Augustine must first behold the masterpiece found in the pages of Brown's Augustine of Hippo. This being done, Wills book can be fully appreciated. Some notable aspects of this compact but wholesome biography are (1) his ability to bring into focus some of the more obscure details of Augustine's early life, as they are found spilled out on the pages of the Confessions. (2) Wills cleverly renders "confessions" into "the testimony," thereby greatly enhancing the meaning of the entire text of Augustine's Confessions. (3) The author also does a fine job discussing the various individuals who impacted his life: in particular, his overview of Augustine's relationship with his concubine, who Wills craftily names Una, is fantastic, just as it is with his son Adeodatus and others who were close to him. (4) The authors' brief but profound discourses on the key revolutions in Augustine's intellectual and spiritual odyssey, and on his literary and ecclesiastical exploits, will also be welcomed by the reader for all their insight and terseness.(5) Wills also makes some rather innovative--but stunning--assertions such as the down-playing of the role of St Monica and St Ambrose on Augustine's conversion. (6) Possibly the best aspect of Wills work, is the revelation of the optimistic, pastoral and compassionate side of Augustine--a characteristic that most scholars don't care to spend too much time cultivating. Overall it would be safe to say that this is not a good introductory work, however it will be very stimulating to anyone who has previously read Brown's classic or a lot of Augustine's writings first-hand.



4. Wills' essay on Augustine was written for a series of new introductions for use by students and the public. But unlike Peter Brown's superb biography, now stronger than ever after its revised 2000 edition, Wills does a very poor job introducing big chunks of Augustine's life and background. If you don't know about Donatism and Pelagianism, or have never heard of Julian of Eclanum, Wills won't help you. His selection of themes and angles is almost eccentric and he skates over way too much. This is an essay for the specialist who knows the background and wants another pungent point of view. It is not a beginner's survey. If Augustine interests you, try Henry Chadwick's short, superb "Augustine" from Oxford, or dive into the warm, deep waters of Peter Brown's book.



5. On the positive side, it contains none of O'Donnell's tendency to cast petty motives on Augustine's life. It is a nice short read, and it contains many interesting facts in a short space. I liked the discussions about the symbolism in the Confessions very much. The information about Augustine's sexual life was also interesting.
   
   Still, it is not very good. As another person here has pointed out below, it would be better if Wills had not injected his own ecclesiastical politics into the book (he is not very generous in his treatment of the Papacy, and he omits important facts about Augustine's attitude towards the Apostolic See). The treatment on nature and grace was disappointing, as was his treatment of Augustine's position on the sacramental efficacy. Wills rightly pointed out that we cannot approach Augustinianism as if it was some consistent system, but on the other hand it would not have been bad if Wills had attempted to outline Augustine's theological development in more detail. I would not recommend this as an introductory volume to Augustine.

5 comments about The Eagle and the Rose.

1. The Eagle and the Rose: A Remarkable True Story
   
   Absolutely loved this book. What a touching and at times heart-wrenching bibliography. I could just see Grey Eagle standing there, from the way he was described. Good reminder of how negative messages are given to children and how that affects their entire life.



2. Now this is the book everyone should read.I loved it and have shared it with many friends and all the same LOVE it.It is such a healing book for anyone who has lost a loved one.I recommend it greatly.Its another one of those books you just can't put down.
   Thanks



3. This book was very interesting. The author is aware that many skeptics are reading this book and doesn't try to convince the reader of anything. I found this book very helpful after the recent loss of two loved ones.



4. After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that Rosemary Altea may be sincere, but she is greatly deceived. The bible clearly states to stay away from psychics or mediums. She supposedly channels a spirit called Gray Eagle.
   
   These psychics get their ability to have partial knowledge about you and your present situation directly from demons. No human has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen to you in the future or anything about you in your present condition if they have never met you before. And if they do seem to have some type of personal information about you that could only be supernaturally picked up, then that knowledge is being transmitted to them by demons or they deceive people by doing "cold or warm readings".
   
   Cold readings are where they make an educated guess about something about you, buy picking up clues, by what you say or do, or your appearance or age. If you tell them the information is wrong, they use a number of ways to distract you, for example some will tell you that they are getting information from a "playful" spirit that tells them false things, etc..... warm readings are where they have microphones in the studio before their show and they listen in, as people talk to friends that have come with them about deceased friends or relatives, and then they pick those people in the audience that they listened in on and use that information to make those people and others think they are getting a message from a spirit.
   
   The bible says "And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and him off from his people." (Leviticus 20:6)
   
   If you want to see some damage done by new age teachings and psychics, I suggest a book by Sharon Beekmann called "ENTICED BY THE LIGHT ". She trusted the "spirit guides" that promised her fulfillment. By the time she discovered their frightening, true identity, it was too late--they had taken control of her mind....tormenting her, attacking her sanity, and pushing her to the brink of suicide.
   
   For awhile I was involved in the New Age teachings and a book that really opened my eyes was "THE LIGHT THAT WAS DARK' BY Warren Smith. It is excellent!!!!



5. This book was given to me by one of my customers following the death of my son. I went on to write, Blessings In The Mire, and had this title not been taken, it would likely have been the title to my book. Having read this, I was privy to multiple magical events, including a couple of Eagle sightings, and one very large and beautifully expressive Rose miracle. This book, and Ms. Altea are priceless additions to your reading library, especially if you've lost a loved one.

5 comments about I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away.

1. This is the 2nd book I have read by Bill Bryson. I enjoyed it! I admire someone who can take normal life in America and write with such humor. I found myself giggling every few paragraphs. Such talent this writer has.
   Basically this book is filled with essays that are organized by chapters. He writes about all kinds of things about America, after moving to New Hampshire after living in Britain for 20 years. He writes about baseball, shopping, lawyers, over-the-counter medicine, drive-inn movies, computers, waste, airplanes and taxes among countless other things that sets America apart from other countries. The thing I love about Bryson's writing is, I learn something as I laugh thru the pages. His outlook on things is sometimes like reading my mind and putting it on paper. I highly recommend these books and look forward to reading others by this author.



2. Not his best work. He is getting a bit too left leaning but still funny at times.



3. In 1995, Bill Bryson returned to live in the United States after living in England for 20 years. A British newspaper asked him to write a weekly column about America and I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away is a compilation of those columns. His observations of America and family life are laugh out loud funny. I read many of them to my husband. He wrote these lines about his oldest child going off to college and they hit close to home for us:
   
   "Once they leave for college they never really come back," a neighbor who has lost two of her own in this way told us wistfully the other day.
   
   "This isn't what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that they come back a lot, only this time they hang up their clothes, admire you for your intelligence and wit, and no longer have a hankering to sink diamond studs into various odd holes in their heads. But the neighbor was right. He is gone. There is an emptiness in the house that proves it."
   
   The columns are short and each one is an individual read making this book easy to read when you have a lot going on.



4. Mr. Bryson's half-hearted curmudgeonly approach to life makes for another enjoyable read by this author. He covers a wide array of society's peculiar habits with a mixture of surliness and confusion. The only editorials that were creative but somewhat ponderous were his columns dealing with his computer. With the exception of just those few pieces, I enjoyed his book. Mr. Bryson is a funny, insightful writer who is a great remedy for a case of the blues.



5. nothing like looking at the US from the eyes of a stranger. What a beautiful perspective. There were many times I was laughing out loud when I read this book. Also a great gift for those who are travelers. you will not be disappointed.

5 comments about By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer.

1. Yhe book was delivered in excellent condition, in a timely fashion. Was notified by the seller ahead of time. Very pleasant exchange. The book is a great read. Thanks!



2. Mossad is really the source of many spy vs spy like movies, and it's not by chance. A scene by 'Spy Game(2001),' comes directly out of this book. It is quite discouraging to take a look into the world of the secret services, watching all those energies and intellectual resources invested in assassinations, manipulations and arms trade; one of the first priorities any "civilized" and "democratic" government would invest in for the sake of power. Don't think even for a moment that any of it it's done for the security and freedom of anyone, because believing in lies and deceptions it's just sick, especially considering the state of the World as it is today.



3. Some say that 2% of the population controls 98% of the world. While I can't say who that 2% is, the author of this book elaborates on mindsets and techniques that may serve to contribute to global domination.
   
   Though the book is written some time ago, current events makes its reading more important than ever. The Mossad is simply an incredibly important organization. While I gained some new respect for their abilities, one is likely to be surprised at how they seem to redefine the word...machiavellian. My most important finding is that every Jewish person around the world is almost bound to act as an agent. Thus explaining how such a small agency can have globally reaching tentacles that often have the ability to affect change within hours.
   
   "Every Jew is a warrior." Surrounded by enemies, they would argue that it is a matter of survival. Perhaps that argument was defensible into the 80's. It seems to me that the tilt has been of a more offensive nature since then. They had their way with Iraq. They are generally having their way with Palestine. Will they have their way with Iran? They certainly have their way with the US...as long as we stay in business anyway.
   
   Ostrovsky is brave enough to point that the German war machine, with 50 million victims, also sought to exterminate gypsies, poles, and russians along with those whom we hear about possibly more than all other groups combined. Only a person of Ostrovsky's background can say anything less than totally positive without having that liquid graphite 'anti-se*ite' card played.
   
   In spite of having thousands of facts in it, the book flows quite well and is generally enjoyable. By that fact alone, it is well worth reading. What makes it a must read however, is the elaborate education you will receive of how the Mossad truly does wage wars through deceptions. With a motto like "By way of deception, though shall do war," one could argue that we were warned.



4. Highly recommend this book. He covers a lot in this book and most importantly how the intelligence agency commonly use False Flag operations. Operations committed by Mossad, but which are made to look as though they come from Palestinians or Arab militants, with the result that they and not Mossad gets the blame in the media. This is used over and over in todays wars, but never gets a mention in the media, nor in the analysis of events by political commentators. After reading this book, I now always ask myself the question as to who benefits, when an events happen. The one who benefits the most is most likely the culprit.



5. Highly recommend this book. He covers a lot in this book and most importantly how the intelligence agency commonly use False Flag operations. Operations committed by Mossad, but which are made to look as though they come from Palestinians or Arab militants, with the result that they and not Mossad gets the blame in the media. This is used over and over in todays wars, but never gets a mention in the media, nor in the analysis of events by political commentators. After reading this book, I now always ask myself the question as to who benefits, when an events happen. The one who benefits the most is most likely the culprit.

5 comments about The Circuit.

1. What's amazing is that this is a true story, true excerpts from the author's childhood. They are written without fluff and cheese, but the emotion is still strong and real. I like how it is written in the form of individual stories--somehow it makes these events all the more poignant. It's real, harsh, and opens eyes to the lives of migrant workers.



2. This is a great family book.I am American Caucasian and my husband is a Mexican imigrant.We read this story out loud to one another,and while it is writen (very well) in simple English so that any reader could probably read it,we enjoyed it imensly.
   I can tell you that so much of this story corrolated with our friends and family and was very touching,but brought on a lot of chuckles as well.A great family read.



3. This book was very interesting. I loved the way this book shows how Mexicans suffer, struggle and work hard to get what they need to survive. This book has a good way of showing the different types of experiences the family goes through. It gets to a point where you get so into the book that you get frightened of what could happen to the family next. You don't know if the family is going to get caught by the border patrol or if you're going to be able to find a job for the next season. You just don't know if your going to be able to survive the only thing you have in your hands is hope and faith.
   There was nothing that I could hate about this book the only thing that I hated was to read about how bad this family suffered. It hurts to see how your own people gets discriminated but, it's ok because this family like many other Mexicans have still succeeded after all the things they have to go trough, like being discriminated. Other than that there is nothing to dislike about this book.
   I would definitely recommend this book for everybody especially for people who like this family is an illegal immigrant in this country. I would like for the anti-immigrant people to read this book so they can see that no matter what they do to try to stop the immigrants from succeeding the immigrants will never stop trying no matter what they do to try to stop them. This book is a great book I am sure that this story has repeated itself many times by other Mexican families. I am also sure that it will keep repeating itself for many years, but there is always a limit and the day will come when the Mexicans will be treated the same as everybody else in this country. There are many illegal immigrants that have been more successful in life than the people that are legal in this country, and it kills the anti-immigrants to know this is true.



4. This book is a great place to start if you are interested in learning about the life of someone less priviledged than yourself. Perhaps it will help you appreciate the simple pleasures in life and everything that you've got. When you reach the end of the book, you'll be glad Jimenez wrote a sequel (Breaking Through).
   Written in a language that is accessible to everyone from grade school to adulthood, Jimenez doesn't exaggerate details or go into a lot of long desriptions. It's simply his memories of his childhood in a migrant family. As all memories go, the book does not flow smoothly from chapter to chapter, but rather gives you snapshots of his life, so take it for what it is and don't worry about the chronology.
   As a teacher, this book really helped me appreciate the lives and struggles of many of my students (who lead lives similar to Jimenez in his childhood).



5. It starts out with this Mexican family illegally coming across the border into the United States. When they get to the U.S., they go to a labor camp in California. This first labor camp is probably the best one that they go to. The whole book is about this family moving around to different labor camps during different crop seasons. Every now and then, Francisco and his brother Roberto go to school. Along the way there are more people added to the family. The book doesn't really come to a good ending. It is also kind of hard to understand because it jumps three years into the future at times and then you don't know what's going on.
   This was a very good book at some times but most of the time the author put in way too many unnecessary details that make the book kind of boring. This book is exactly like it's sequel, Breaking Through. I would rate this book pretty low if like a lot of action.