Book Description
In the last few years, 9/11, a tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and many other tragedies have shown us that the vision of God in today’s churches in relation to evil and suffering is often frivolous. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, many Christians are choosing to become more shallow, more entertainment-oriented, and therefore irrelevant in the face of massive suffering.
In
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, contributors John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Saint, Carl Ellis, David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Mark Talbot explore the many categories of God’s sovereignty as evidenced in his Word. They urge readers to look to Christ, even in suffering, to find the greatest confidence, deepest comfort, and sweetest fellowship they have ever known.
âJohn Piper and friends tackle some of the hardest and most significant issues of Christian concern, producing one of the most honest, faithful, and helpful volumes ever made available to thinking Christians. It is filled with pastoral wisdom, theological conviction, biblical insight, and spiritual counsel. This book answers one of the greatest needs of our timesâto affirm the sovereignty of God and to ponder the meaning of human suffering. We need this book.â
â
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky
âFor all who don’t live a charmed life, for all who have given themselves to the point of exhaustion, for all who have been betrayed by pious backstabbers, for all who wonder if they can even go on,
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God will be green pastures and deep, still waters.â
â
Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee
âThis is not another theological volume that complicates what appears to be an irreconcilable paradox; it is a book that grows out of practical experience and applies Scripture to a realistic world where we all live.â
â
Jerry Rankin, President, Southern Baptist International Mission Board
âThis book will challenge you to believe that God is truly sovereign, not just in the safe haven of theological inquiry, but also in the painful messiness of real life. You will be encouraged to live more consistently by God’s grace and for his glory.â
â
Mark D. Roberts, Senior Pastor, Irvine Presbyterian Church, Irvine, California
Customer Reviews:
A BLESSING!!!!!.......2007-08-03
I think this is such a hard topic for many of us who personally have gone through difficult times. I know the theology, but it didn't make my heart feel any better. I have three special needs children and I have never been able to really understand our suffering within our family. I know God is wonderful and works all things for good for those who love him. I believe in Romans 8:28, but my heart had moments where life felt so difficult for my husband and me. This book has been a real blessing to me and has really given me hope while raising these babies. I realize that God has called me to raise these children for a purpose higher than i really know here on earth. I needed this book at just this time in my walk. I pray that whoever reads this book will be as blessed as I have been. If God led you to read these reviews, i say buy this book and let God speak to you through it. God bless~
Humbling Essays.......2007-02-05
This book has some great essays. It provides a great mix of theology, and personal testimony, and narratives of how God uses suffering to progress the gospel. The question of suffering is very complex so having a variety of writers from diverse backgrounds attacking the issue from slightly different perspectives helps the reader to understand how God uses suffering to glorify Himself, to mature us in Christ, and to progress the gospel. Suffering can not always be explained, but we have a God who has suffered through his Son and that should bring great comfort to us. The most poignant essays were by Piper and Joni. Another good essay was Suffering and Missinaries. The book starts off with essays by Piper and Taylor putting suffering within the framework of God's sovereignty.
I haven't suffered much. I was humbled by stories of suffering in this book. The book was very encouraging because the authors of these essays were very honest in their struggles, but yet praised God for the suffering. Their endurance was not their effort, but God's strength working through them.
Suffering and yet Sovereignty.......2006-12-06
In Piper's book, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, he makes a clear distinction at the very beginning of Chapter 1 that the reasoning behind his book stems from the ultimate reality that God is the supreme value in and above the universe. I found that comforting, knowing that this book was going to focus on suffering without giving God the easy way out. After reading through it, I realized that this is exactly the focus that Piper intended to convey in his writing. It gives a very heartfelt and sincere, yet firm message that the Lord allows all things according to His will and purpose.
Throughout scripture we are reminded of God's purposes in suffering and the vital role that it plays in strengthening our faith and dependency on God. I had not yet come to grasp however, (until reading this book) that many times suffering is the cost of obedience. I think too often we are told that obedience leads to greater fulfillment and contentment in Christ. Ultimately, yes, but there is definitely something to be said for individuals that choose to be obedient, knowing full well that the road is paved with suffering.
I also found it interesting that this type of suffering leads not only to greater obedience but also to greater compassion. This wouldn't have been my natural inclination. I don't usually think about the Apostle Paul, Jeremiah the Prophet, or King David as being very compassionate. Perhaps this is due to their human perspective in relation to their sufferings and the call on their lives. However, you can not read the words of Christ and not sense the compassion that he has for us.
I would and have been recommending this book to a number of my friends. Excellent read!
Excellent Book!.......2006-12-01
When the condition of suffering is brought up in today's society, relatively few people can identify with. The modern world, more specifically Western society in all its affluence, is populated with denizens that spend most of their brief lives attempting to avoid suffering. People look to various techniques or goods in their quest to minimize any type of suffering for a mere hint of such a condition is undesirable. From drugs, money, sex, food, entertainment, religion and so on are being utilized for escapism as the reality of suffering becomes too much. As Christians, how are we to endure suffering or even explain it? All too often I hear Christians ask the question of why bad things happen to good people?
The recently released book Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor aim to answer the question of suffering from a biblical basis. Based on the 2005 Desiring God National Conference of the same name, the editors have assembled the speakers from that event to put to paper the content of their sessions. If you attended the conference, the book's editors have arranged the various essays by themes instead of the actual order of each session and included additional material outside the conference relating to suffering.
The heart of the book is divided into three parts:
1. The Sovereignty of God in Suffering
2. The Purposes of God in Suffering
3. The Grace of God in Suffering
Part one contains two essays - one written by Pastor Piper and the other by Mark R Talbot. - that tackle the role of God's sovereignty in our suffering. Part two considers the "why" of suffering in four essays - two by Piper, one by Steve Saint, and one by Carl Ellis Jr. Part three closes out the book looking at grace in suffering with writings by David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Joni Eareckson Tada. The last part of the book contains appendices of Don't Waste Your Cancer by John Piper and David Powlison as well as a transcript of the Q&A session with Piper and Justin Taylor from the conference.
The arrangement of the chapters is purposeful, attempting to let each chapter build upon themes and concepts addressed. Even so, the chapters do not have to be read in order to benefit from the writings. In part one Piper shows how God is sovereign over the various methods Satan uses to cause suffering. As humans we all too easily attribute suffering to the Enemy and leave God out of the picture. Mark Talbot, in his essay, reiterates God's sovereignty and goodness through suffering and simultaneously engages the errant view of open theism. Then in part two the book covers the reason of "why" suffering exists. Here in this section Piper explains the ultimate reason for suffering is to "display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God." The second essay is based on a chapter from another of Piper's books Let the Nations Be Glad and works out some reasons how suffering affects a Christian. Steve Saint then further extends this line of thinking into relationships in missions and relates it to his own personal experiences. The final essay of the section by Carl Ellis Jr. parallels Saint's in some ways as he examines suffering in a horizontal sense of one human to another. Part three then engages how God's grace in suffering. David Powlison's essay helps to demonstrate how God meets us in our personal sufferings. There is no quick and easy answer as Dr Powlison aptly points out but he guides us through some biblical principles to help us out. Dustin Shramek reminds us of the immense pain that suffering produces. Though Christians may know the theologically correct answers to suffering, as humans the emotional and physical pain of suffering still exists and does not usually quickly pass. Closing out this final part of the book, Joni Eareckson Tada shows us how we are to place our hope and joy in God and not our own circumstances. Suffering tends to draw our gazes inward and on the Self which is our naturally sinful tendency instead of looking to God. The appendices serve as a coda for a few months after the conference both John Piper and David Powlison were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Don't Waste Your Cancer is Dr. Piper's pre-surgery meditation on his condition that God purposed in his life; Dr Powlison added his own thoughts to this writing shortly after being diagnosed himself. The Q&A portion gives Piper an opportunity to address some corollary issues tied into suffering as well as some personal insights.
Overall this book is immensely profitable whether you read it from cover to cover or skip around. The writers all engaged suffering horizontally while at the same time vertically. Despite the brevity of each chapter for a collaborative work such as this, the topics were handled with conciseness and depth. Suffering is an immensely personal condition that creates more difficulty in our already difficult human lives. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God helps guide us in the biblical truth Christians have that answer the hard questions when such circumstances arise and how we should bring this Truth to a dying world.
A Blessing from Audio to Print.......2006-11-04
This topic could be no more relevant for the church. It's not a question of modern days, but one that has continued long throughout the history of Christianity. Maybe, however, no other group of gifted men have come together, as one, to put together such a gem of all books.
I am thankful for such a book. You will find it honest, true, straighforward, and absolutely and purely Biblical. If you're wanting a read that will make you feel perky, good about yourself, and inward focused, than don't read this. If you're ready for a heart-wrenching, long-enduring read, than pick this up (and be sure you can sit for a while).
This book will bring to the front of your heart one of the issues that you have just bumped down to the bottom of the priority list. Get it. Read it. Pray through it. Cry through it. Live with the truth of it.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Chaos and Order vie for control of this review
- The best book of the series!! (so far)
- Mixed feelings
- One of the best in the series
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The Death of Chaos (Saga of Recluce)
L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
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The Order War (Recluce series, Book 4)
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Fall of Angels (Saga of Recluce)
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The Chaos Balance (Saga of Recluce)
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The White Order (Saga of Recluce)
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The Magic Engineer (Recluce series, Book 3)
ASIN: 0812548248 |
Book Description
Candar is being invaded and Lerris must become the greatest wizard of all time-or see his whole world destroyed.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
In this particular world, Chaos and Order are supposed to balance. If there is too large a concentration of one sort of power, either some of it will be waxed, or there will be a rise in the corresponding side.
This makes ultra-powerful Lerris and Justen the Grey running around in exile-land a bit odd. Perhaps that is part of the point.
Don't forget the habits of good woodworkers, either!
Chaos and Order vie for control of this review.......2005-04-26
Did I mention that L.E. Modesitt Jr. is my hero? So anyway...here I am, reading this absolutely wonderful book, drooling over books to come, and along comes the end. I wasn't happy with the end, but it was done well if I'm forced to be honest. Anyway, here's the good vs. bad points:
Good:
1) More woodworking! Long, detailed and easy-paced sections with Lerris making furnature. Its cool. I've never read a fantasy story like this, where the main character destroys evil on Sunday, and makes a nice furniture set on Monday. And it works.
2) I got to see a number of great characters from previous books all show up. Kinda like when the cast of the Love Boat showed up on Fantasy Island (heh).
3) I love the clever ways Lerris learns to use Order and Chaos.
4) The plotting as to why this latest crisis has come about is realistic (within the bounds of that universe), which is important.
Bad points (my policy is to write something negative in all reviews, however trifling):
1) Not enough woodworking! I'd be happy with an entire book with Lerris making furnature, trying to meet deadlines, getting new commissions, making his "masterpiece", etc.
2) I sort of wish the characters weren't so worried about killing the people who want to kill them. They seem a bit squeemish. I think this is because the alternative is characters with tremendous powers who don't have any obstacles. If you make them worried about the mayhem they create, it limits them, and the story becomes less of a cakewalk for the heros.
3) I didn't find the crisis between Krystal and Lerris to be something I could sympathize with. It seemed geared to making certain things happen later in the story. I could see the strings of the puppeteer.
4) The ending was executed well, no spelling errors or anything, but I wasn't happy with the outcome.
The best book of the series!! (so far).......2003-12-24
In the Death of Chaos, the story of Lerris, Justen, Krystal, Tamra and the other exiles of recluce comes full circle. The story line was great, with lots of awesome battle scenes and crazy magic preformed by black, white, and gray wizards. The story culminates with Hamor attacking Candar and Recluce with a massive fleet of battleships and cannon.
Not only the story line makes this the best book in the series thus far. The characters are lovable and believable, while at the same time completely badass. The dialect and the relationships between characters in this book are very well thought out and realistic. The one thing that I thought Modesitt could use a little work on is his obsession with minute details, some of which don't really need to be included. I mean, he kinda turns a long story into an even longer book by included lots of information that isn't really pertinant to the storyline.
Mixed feelings.......2002-04-03
I've notice this crazy trend with online reviews - raves with little explanation equal positive feedback from readers, and those that are critical receive quite low marks. Now tell me - those of us who are "well read" in the genre of science fiction and epic fantasy - can any of us really say that Modesitt is in the upper echelon of fantasy authors? Certainly not. Were there such a list though, men like Jordan, Martin, Tolkein, Rawn, and Jacques would be at the top. Their worlds are captivating, believable, with characters that DO rather than say, and you feel transported. Modesitt does have numerous redeeming qualities: a good magic system, interesting political commentary (moreso than most fantasy), and a penchant for making his heroes so mellow and modest. On the other hand, the meal scenes are intolerably long, slow, and frequent. There's a lot of inexplicable happenings - for example - why did Lerris and Krystal need to be bonded? In that area of the book - I reread the same 10 or 15 pages that SEEMED to be explaining, but I was baffled at to the apparent necessity. My theory - just so that we could have more lovey dialogue and a few situations where she could answer question he had thought and not spoken. At least there was more conflict than in previous books (the Magic Engineer was awful), and that perked my interest and saved me from many naps that otherwise would have been taken. I would caution anyone who has not read - this is SLOW stuff. There's nothing wrong with that if done right, but I can only safely say that the Recluce series gets it partially right.
One of the best in the series.......2001-08-20
This book is very interesting and a rewarding read. Having read the first 6 books of the series this has to be one of the best ones. The "inconsistencies" stated in some of the other reviews really aren't there at all. Lerris as well as Justen were GREY wizards (and you could make a case for Gunnar being one too). So there powers balance out since they use both chaos and order. As to Lerris' relatives, since Lerris pretty much destroyed all the order and chaos in the world they could not hold there ancient bodies together without order. All in all this is one of the best books I've ever read and is well worth the price.
Amazon.com
Dead Run is the story of Dennis Stockton, mastermind of one of the most daring mass prison breaks in American history. It begins with his conviction for a crime he maintained that he didn't commit and weaves through his troubled life, his perpetual incarcerations, and his often brilliant, often comical escapades within the prison system. With frequent excerpts from Stockton's prolific diaries, the book reveals not only much about its surprisingly insightful protagonist but about the prison system in general, including institutionalized corruption, power-hungry guards, inmates, and prison officers. There's more than enough intrigue, action, and disturbing comedy to fill several thrillers, but Dead Run is a true story of a man who refused to sit still and wait for the hour of his death. --Lisa Higgins
Book Description
Summers are always stifling in southern Virginia, and they're even hotter on the Mecklenburg Correctional Center's Death Row when Dennis Stockton arrives there in July 1983. Charged with murder for hire, Stockton insisted he was innocent, but his jury sentenced him to die. In prison, he begins keeping a diary and it soon becomes his lifeline, nurturing dreams of freedom and publication as an author.
Mecklenburg's officials had always prided themselves on running a secure prison, but that left them vulnerable to an ingenious escape conspiracy. Though indispensable in the plotting, Stockton decides not to run, betting instead on a new trial and exoneration. The escape of the "Mecklenburg Six" is dazzlingly suspenseful, as they take hostages, don guards' uniforms, and, staging a monumental bluff, make history with America's first mass escape from Death Row. Mean-while, Stockton notes it all in his journal.
After the escape, a Norfolk newspaper editor, William F. Burke, Jr., writes to the remaining inmates, seeking information on the unprecedented breakout. Stockton's diary becomes the most revealing account, and when excerpts are published, a scandalous portrait of Death Row emerges: bribed guards, marijuana plants, homebrew alcohol, weapon stashes, unlocked cell doors, and jailhouse sex. Overnight, Stockton becomes the most hated man in Virginia's prisons for his exposé. During the next eleven years, he survives plots against his life and endures subhuman conditions.
Throughout his ordeal he struggles to find his voice as a writer, while battling to gain a new trial and escape the "monster factory," his name for Death Row. As Stockton's scheduled execution nears, the case against him begins unraveling, leaving readers to ponder the true nature of justice.
Customer Reviews:
Important.......2003-03-09
This tells the story of an innocent man killed by the state of Virginia for political reasons, an event made easy and in all probability common by a law banning the reopening of a case to hear new evidence later than 21 days after a conviction. This applies even to evidence illegally suppressed during the original trial.
The book is extremely well-written, and much of it is exciting and suspenseful, particularly that dealing with the escape. Stockton was in on planning an escape from death row, but did not take part in it. New evidence of his innocence had just emerged, and Stockton apparently had enough faith left in the justice system to believe that he stood a better chance of freedom by not escaping. He may also have been driven by a desire to declare his innocence. He later refused a deal from the state of life imprisonment in exchange for ceasing to appeal his conviction. He also published diary entries in a newspaper which he knew would win him the ill-will of many with power over him.
This excellent book is marred slightly by the introduction's instructing us that "...there is no need to pity most criminals." Such a comment transfers its author's inability to pity to the rest of us. I'd be curious to know how many readers of this book feel no pity for the escaped murderer who arrives at the border of Canada, grows scared, telephones his mother, and - on her advice - turns himself in to be killed.
More importantly, the comment about pity leaves the debates over criminal justice within the framework of a battle between vengeance and pity - a framework in which the reduction of harm done by and to both criminals and the falsely accused can have no place.
The vengeance-versus-pity idea shoves aside the question of innocence-versus-guilt, and even where guilt is evident it shoves aside questions of societal healing, restitution to victims, rehabilitation of offenders, deterrence, and costs to tax-payers.
Everyone knows that crime is most easily and cost-effectively reduced by fighting poverty. It is unlikely that America's recent draconian measures will reduce crime in the long run. Stockton chose to trust the system rather than attempt an escape, but he was relieved to be killed when the only alternative was the hell-hole known as a correctional institution, a place full of flying feces, rape, murder, and abuse of every sort.
Lately, Virginia has been doing to juveniles what it has long done to adults convicted of crimes. The director of the dept. of juvenile justice [pun possibly intended] has resigned effective Dec. 1, 1999, following the death of a retarded youth in custody, the initiation of a self-defense program allowing guards to hit and kick kids, a girl being handcuffed on her way to a hospital to give birth, and poor conditions at the state's largest detention center so egregious that the agency's board decertified the place last week citing overcrowding and sexual misconduct.
Concern for convicts (innocent or not) is not in conflict with crime reduction. It is in
conflict with state violence, with the anger promoted by politicians even in the names of victims who publicly disown it. As long as advocates of vengeance are permitted
to masquerade as advocates of crime reduction, justice will be a sham.
This book is so well done that to find anything significant to complain about, I had to turn to the introduction, which the authors didn't write. The authors are an editor and an ex-reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, a Norfolk newspaper. Much of what they write is taken from Stockton's diary, transposed into the third person, fact-checked, and supplemented. The only thing I could fault these talented writers for is the occasional misplaced journalistic balance. The preface mentions "ultimate fairness - or lack thereof," as if the whole point of the book were not to describe unfairness. On page 19, the authors accept the term "monsters" as a useful one, without really defining what it should mean. On page 234 of a book describing the Dantean conditions of a prison, they write of a victim's mother's dealing with the years before an innocent man was executed for her son's murder: "It was like she was in prison too." Maybe she had said those words, but had she read this book? Did she have any idea what being in a prison is like? On page 251 the authors say that Stockton was "witness to a struggle between justice and mercy." He wasn't. He was witness to a struggle between evil politics and vengeance on the one hand, and the demands of innocence on the other. Justice cannot be opposed to mercy because justice should be merciful. Justice is, after all, an attempt - where all else has failed or not been tried - to reduce harm.
This book is not just an exciting page-turner. It also provides a great deal of useful information, including some shocking statistics. For example: "An October 1993 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said that forty-eight innocent men had been freed from Death Rows across the nation since 1972, That came to a nearly one-in-six ratio of freed to executed prisoners. Of the forty-eight men, 52 percent 'were convicted on the basis of perjured testimony or because the prosecutor improperly withheld exculpatory evidence.'" Is this surprising in a country with the bizarre practice of ELECTING prosecutors to office - and voting them out if they leave a crime unpunished?
Not what it purports to be.......2002-08-16
This book presents itself as a story of a prison escape, and while it does include information about the Mecklenburg escape, that's not what the book really is.
The real intention of the book is to make an anti-death penalty pitch and to suggest that Dennis Stockton is innocent.
I don't have a problem with either of those positions (I am against the death penalty myself), but I do have a problem paying for a book that isn't what it claims to be.
Moreover, if they want to make a pitch for Stockton's innocence, they ought to be much more thorough and fair. Juries, judges and the governor of Virginia disagree with that view. Now it may be that they're wrong, but in order to make a fair judgment you need a complete presentation of the facts. What we get here instead is a lot of suggestions about possible exoneration but no serious analysis.
Still, it's an interesting story that I can't give a "1" rating to in good faith. It's an OK book. It's just not what it claims to be.
Real Life, Real Drama.......2002-03-09
"Dead Run" is the best prison drama I have ever read, made more gripping by the fact that it is ALL TRUE. The bookd recounts the final prison term of Dennis Stockton, who was probably innocent and spent over a decade on Death Row. The first part of the book deals with the only successful mass escape from Death Row in American history, but the drama does not end there. Following that, by following Stockton through the system and finally to his execution, one becomes acquainted with the grim, crushing reality of the brutality and neglect of the American prison system.
On top of being a gripping tale of prison life, the book is a damning account of capital punishment and our prison system in general. By picking Stockton as a subject, a probably innocent man singled out by the UN as an example of a case of capital punishment that did not meet up with the standards expected of international law, the authors make a ringing statement against death penalty laws and procedures in the United States. Only the most rabid pro-death penalty advocate could read this book and not come away questioning their support for the execution of criminals.
A further feature that permeates the story is just how seedy and corrupt everyone and everything in the book are. The courts, the cops, the guards, the prisoners, the politicians - they are all part of the same basically corrupt world. Only (not coincidentally) the reporters and some of the witnesses come off as being white in a very grey and black world.
The book is a magnificent, cannot-put-it-down peice of work that I heartily recommend to any lover of a good non-fiction tale!
My GOD!! What a MASTERPIECE!!.......2001-05-29
What I wanted to know, after reading this simple, eloquent, masterfully written prose blockbuster is WHERE DO I GO TO NOMINATE THESE GUYS FOR THE NOBEL PRIZE??? Not since I read JAWS have I been so absolutely riveted!!! And I HATE prison books. And, let me tell you, I never would have thought that I would glean so many powerful management techniques from a book about prisons!! I have learned more about human nature and, you'll pardon the expression, it's "Dark Side", than I ever dreamed possible!! When I was growing up in Southern California I met quite a few prisoner, usually working in my mother's garden. Later, when I was at a large insurance brokerage in San Francisco we often had underwriting meetings that touched upon the subjects that this book treats so eloquently and persuasively. But, I have to say, if I'd read this book before I moved to Oregon I would have remained in "the life" and kept applying the valuable risk management techniques described therein to my business. I give the thing SIX stars!!!!
Impossible to put down.......2001-01-10
I'm not a big reader but this work reads fast and is extremely absorbing. I remember the Briley escape while I was in college, so the new context I never had was fascinating.
Book Description
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings--a beautiful and accessible presentation of the time-honored path to enlightenment--are one of the world's great spiritual treasures.
The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace is the third volume in the landmark Libraey of Tibet series. Bringing us closer to the essence of Buddhist teachings, and to his own peerless insight, the Dala Lama offers his thoughts on achieving a meanful life and death. At the heart of his eloquent presentation is this lesson: by cultivating compassion, wisdom, and positive thought and action--in short, by living a good life--we can approach death without fear or regret, and welcome our passage and rebirth.
Customer Reviews:
Volume Three of Three.......2003-10-14
Core Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. I can't recommend this series high enough.
The Path To Enlightenment.......2001-04-07
Who can study Buddhism and not read something by His Holiness The Dalai Lama? This book is one in The Path To Enlightenment Series. The Dalai Lama has written more books than I could list here, and I recommend reading any one of them.
The book discusses the principles of Buddhism from the perspective of our natural human fear of our own death. From the Buddhist point of view, we do not have to fear death if we have a secure understanding of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. The reason a good practitioner of these teachings can die peacefully without regret is because his or her human potential is fulfilled.
Although we may think that we suffer from such things as natural disasters, biological frailties, human enemies or opportunities lost, our real enemy is our own mind. The path to true happiness is basically to let go of our desires for all these impermanent objects and states of mind. Remove the wanting and you remove the tortures of unfulfilled desires and disappointing outcomes. The real goal in life is to just see things as they are. In this way you can live your life to its full potential and not regret when the end comes.
To cultivate this awakening mind, meditation is essential. We must be ever mindful of our disturbing emotions. The mind must be trained and disciplined. But a follower of the Buddha must also act and live his or her life by treating all sentient beings as your friends. Your worst enemies are really your best teachers. Anger is the greatest hindrance to cultivating the spiritual path. It is your enemies who confront you that will test your patience and teach you to be mindful.
The title and subject of this book particularly interested me, but I believe that the wisdom of the teacher can be garnered from any of his books. I am always having to catch myself when I begin pondering why someone did not teach me these things when I was younger. Then I try to apply a little of the wisdom I have read here and I realize that I am feeding my mind with the negative emotion of regret rather than just seeing.
Life is not the beginning, death is not the end.......1999-08-04
Everyone of us will die one day, and most of us have been living for decades without realising the purpose of this life. This book outlines the basic beliefs of buddhism on the subject of living and dying in a way that will make living more joyful and dying more peaceful. The little examples and analogies used throughout the book (as in most buddhist teaching traditions) help readers relate better to the topics concerned. In a nutshell, it tells you life is not the beginning, we have come a long way to become who we are, and we are working towards the shaping of our future, not just in this life, but many more lives to come.
If you are a buddhist, this little book encapsulates the ideas of living & dying the buddhist way in a brief yet comprehensive manner. If you are not a buddhist, this little book gives you a glimpse into the philosophy and mindset of the religion in a very personal manner and you don't have to be a buddhist to practice the teaching.
Book Description
The Bible is clear: mankind was meant to exercise godly domination over the earth. Yet today men mine valuable resources by whatever method brings the greatest profit in the shortest time, leaving the earth ravaged. They hunt and fish for pleasure, not food, leaving animal carcasses behind to rot. They worship self and ignore the God who made them.
The answer to the ecological crises of our day is found only in the glorious truths of biblical Christianity: God created
ex nihilo; He is both infinite and personal; we are made in His image and thus have great value in Him; Christ's death brought redemption from the consequences of the Fall (for believing individuals now and for all creation when He returns).
There are indeed serious ecological crises in our world, but, says Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, one of the greatest Christian thinkers of our time: "The Christian who believes the Bible should be the man who--with God's help and in the power of the Holy Spirit--is treating nature now in the direction of the way nature will be [when Christ returns].... God's calling to the Christian now, and to the Christian community, in the area of nature... is that we should exhibit a substantial healing here and now."
A powerful Christian classic--a marvelous theological response to ecological danger signals.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic.......2007-03-21
This is really what I've come to expect from Schaeffer. Piercing analysis. Balanced approach. Faithfulness to the Scriptures. Lucid and colloquial style. Imaginative approach. In this particular work, Schaeffer presents a fantastic case for concern for the environment. He puts forward a balanced view of ecology and shows how it is not contrary to Biblical Christianity, but the natural conclusion of it. The book is a bit dated, but as relevant as it has ever been.
I would love to see every Christian invest the short amount of time required to read this book.
Excellent Analysis of Christianity and the Environment.......2002-05-02
This masterpiece of logical thinking is unequaled in the realm of Christian literature for its conciseness of content and expressiveness of thought.
In this book, Schaeffer discusses the Christian approach to the environment and deals with the all-too-common misconceptions peddled by those Christians who are either ignorant of Biblical truth in this area, or are so intent on distancing themselves from the pantheistic, bleeding-heart, tree-hugging left that they come across as uncaring and abusive.
Nature does play a part in God's plan, and far from being entrusted with it as a no-strings-attached gift - a common misconception of the use of "dominion" in the Genesis account - we have been given the moral responsibility of keeping our surroundings while at the same time utilizing them conscientiously to meet our needs. In ridiculing and minimizing man's God-given duty of stewardship, modern Christianity has severely impaired its testimony and driven many conscientious individuals into the arms of equally erroneous sects - many of them pantheistic. This tendency is as wrong as it is regrettable.
Schaeffer further points out that having been created by the same God, any attempt by man to look down on and misuse his physical surroundings is to pass judgement on the God Who created those surroundings ý and us.
Overall well-balanced and thought-provoking, Schaeffer answers the excesses of extreme Christianity on the one hand and raving nature-worship on the other with a treatise that is as elucidative as it is highly readable. This is required reading for anyone who wants to be convicted and informed of the necessity to appreciate and respect nature within the God-oriented context of Biblical truth.
- Benjamin Gene Gardner
An early warning to the church on environmental issues........2000-05-04
This book was originally written in the early 1970's, as an early response to the rapid spread of anti-Christian environmental books. Now I say "anti-Christian" not in the sense that environmentalism is anti-Christian, but in the sense that Christianity has been getting the blame for the world's environmental ills. In other words, Schaeffer is warning the church to start paying attention to its duties to the earth and environment, because we are getting the blame for pollution and etc...
He rightly points out that Christianity is somewhat responsible for environmental problems, but shows that Bible-practicing churches and members should wake up and see what the Bible really says on the issues. By shuffling the environmental issue back into the corner and ignoring it, we push environmentally concerned people into the Eastern religions and away from Christianity. Since John Passmore's famous book, which blames Christianity's view of dominion (Genesis/Eden) for Western Civilization, and Puritanism for the demise of American ecosystems, the environmental movement has begun rejecting Christianity as a cure. Furthermore, dispensational theology which sees the world as collapsing and being annihilated by Jesus after the Millennium, in favor of building a new Earth, quite strongly implies that we needn't bother with such earthly issues, since the earth will "pass away" no matter how nicely we tend it (rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic). So Passmore and others are somewhat correct, that Christianity has fallen flat on its face in regard to environmental issues. Schaeffer in this book prophetically warns about it, and turns out to be correct.
It is not full of statistics and charts, this is a philosophical book with deep insights by a great Christian thinker. It is interesting that only in recent years, thirty years later, do people finally decide to read it! It should be required reading in seminaries, and attended to by anyone in Christianity who believes in Christian stewardship of the world.
Book Description
In this small book David Herlihy makes subtle and subversive inquiries that challenge historical thinking about the Black Death. Looking beyond the view of the plague as unmitigated catastrophe, Herlihy finds evidence for its role in the advent of new population controls, the establishment of universities, the spread of Christianity, the dissemination of vernacular cultures, and even the rise of nationalism. This book, which displays a distinguished scholar's masterly synthesis of diverse materials, reveals that the Black Death can be considered the cornerstone of the transformation of Europe.
Customer Reviews:
A Few Probelms But Overall A Great Work.......2005-02-21
Before his untimely death in 1991 David Herlihy presented three lectures examining the Black Death and in doing so redefined the entire historical outlook on the great plague. These speeches may have been lost, if it were not for Samuel K. Cohn, Jr., who collected Herlihy's lectures and notes and presented them in a concise tome. According to Herlihy although the Black Death had a devastating affected on everything in European society, it kept European culture from getting stale. While historians originally viewed the "great plague" as a disaster that hit Europe and set European society back 100s of years, Herlihy sees the "death" as a liberating force, pushing European society forward, destroying it, but at the same time transforming it, spurring new growth and possibilities. There is a reason according to Herlihy, "that the...characteristics of the population collapse of the late Middle Ages [were] Europe's deepest and also its last."
Herlihy's thesis is a simple, yet revolutionary one: that the Black Death created the demand for labor saving devices as the population dwindled, and this in turn pushed European society forward. While most historians approached the subject from a political and military aspect, Herlihy looks at the social effects of the plague on women, art, and society in general, and comes to the conclusion that the plague was, in the long run, a good thing for Europe.
The book itself is divided into three major parts reflecting the lectures that Herlihy had delivered at the University of Maine in 1985. Cohn adds an introduction and an extensive section of End Notes, but overly keeps Herlihy's text intact. The first chapter explores the idea that the plague itself may not have been bubonic plague, which is the standard historical theory to this day. "Medical writers of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages," writes Herlihy, "recognized only one type of epidemic disease marked by only one kind of symptom, inflammations, boils, or buboes in the area of the groin, [which] the authority of the ancients may have blinded later witnesses to other symptoms, indicating the presence of other types of epidemic disease." To back up his argument Herlihy knocks down the age-old notion that the plague was spread by infected rats, moving throughout Europe. If, according to Herlihy, the "death" was bubonic, then there should be evidence of an epizootic within the rat population. "To my knowledge," Herlihy states, "not a single Western chronicler notes the occurrence of [such] an epizootic, the massive mortalities of rats, which ought to have preceded and accompanied the human plague." For Herlihy, the disease that ravaged Europe was most likely anthrax. "Anthrax can produce the characteristic swellings which might be mistaken for buboes."
The second and third chapters of the book delve into the economic impact of the plague on European society, and how that society rebounded from it. For years historians have look at the reasons behind the cause for the plague as a "Malthusian crisis." That the population had just grown too big for the land to sustain it. Herlihy disagrees with this thesis, and sees European society before the plague in more of a social deadlock, which societal numbers maintaining themselves. "The medieval experience shows us not a Malthusian crisis but a stalemate, in a sense that the community was maintaining at stable levels very large numbers over a lengthy period." To back up these arguments Herlihy relies on several medieval sources, including documents from the city of Tuscany. "In spite of frequent famine and widespread hunger, the community in ca. 1300 was successfully holding its numbers." It is necessary to point out however, that Herlihy's argument that the Black Death was in reality anthrax relies too heavily on sources from Italy, and one can find just as persuasive arguments to support the standard notion of bubonic plague. In fact Cohn shines skepticism on this theory himself in his introduction. Yet despite this slight flaw within the first section of the book, Herlihy's argument as presented in the second and third chapters, that the plague was a catalyst and driving force for change within Europe, is well supported.
The Black Death "gave to Europeans the chance to rebuild their society along much different lines," the author writes. The unprecedented drain on the labor force, especially devastating because of the feudal society, drove the need to produce labor saving devices, and thus broke the "stalemate" of that feudal society. "Europe at the time of the plague...was a society reeling under repeated, powerful shocks; burdened with huge numbers of dependents; struggling with difficulty to maintain its occupational cadres; struggling also to uphold the quality of its skilled traditions." Herlihy clearly put into perspective the situation that existed during feudal times, explaining how land use and societal class differences stagnated European culture. The plague, killing off large numbers of the labor force, created a situation in which the surviving Europeans, both Nobel and peasant classes, had to adapt in order to survive. "Above all [the plague] freed resources...mills and mill sites...[that] could now be enlisted for other uses; the fulling of cloth, the operation of bellows, the sawing of wood." While the horror of the disease took a great toll on the families who lived through it, in the long run "the late Middle Ages were a period of impressive technological achievement."
To arrive at his thesis Herlihy uses an interdisciplinary approach to the Black Death, using comparative narative, as well as a social and medical historic approach, to try and develop a model of how the disease progressed and how populations reacted. To expound on the latter, the author uses modern approaches as one way of trying to allow the reader to relate to the overwhelming effects the disease had on Europe. To do so Herlihy creates a comparative analysis with the AIDS virus, and how people reached at first to both AIDS today (homophobic feelings) and the Black Death (anti-Semitism).
To support his arguments Herlihy relies on Church sources from the 1300s, focusing on marriage and death records, drawing most of his data from Italy. This is one flaw of his work, but should be of no surprise to readers' familiar to the author's other works, as Herlihy is a Medieval Italian historian. Therefore most of his research focuses on the effect of the Black Death in Italy, and uses literature of the times (poetry and songs), to try and paint an entire picture of medieval life at the time. To even further understand the social impact of the plague on 1300 society, Herlihy uses as secondary sources monographs, and newspaper articles for comparison with modern plagues. The concentration on Italian sources however, is a weakness in his thesis, as it does not take into effect the Black Death in England, France, and several other European nations.
The book ends with an extensive section of End Notes, taken from Herlihy's "incomplete" notes, and expanded upon by Cohn. This section also serves as a Bibliography, and points the reader to other sources of information. In addition Cohn uses the notes to expand on Herlihy's lectures, providing new and updated information, and sometimes contradicting the author himself.
Unfortunately the book falls short in several places, especially in light of examining other societies that fell victim to the plague. Herlihy seems to gloss over the fact that the Black Death was a pandemic that effected more than just the people of Europe, and nether Herlihy (or Cohn for that matter), addresses the questions as to why the Middle East, also effected by the plague, did not experience the same cultural resurgence Europe did after the epidemic. Nor are the effects of plague on China mentioned. China in the 14th century was also hit hard by epidemics almost identical as that as the Black Death, yet China started falling behind Europe soon afterwards. Surely if the devastation of its society was the catalyst which prompted innovation in Europe, would it not have had the same effects in China and the Middle East? It is possible that the European transformation can just as easily be explained by a different theory: the influences of the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire, which crumbled around the same time as the Black Death was ravaging Europe, had transmitted much of China's technology (gunpowder, paper) to Europe. Over time, as these innovations slowly caught on within European society, these technological changes would have taken place regardless of the death of so much of its population. It may be that it is more to the Mongols than the plague that Europe is what it is today.
Overall what Herlihy and Cohn have achieved here is to present a theory that asked the question, was the Black Death a bad event, or good event for European society? In and of itself it poses a grand question, and allows the reader to rethink previous views regarding Europe during the 1300s. While readers interested in a more traditional "history" of the great plague will be disappointed, serious scholars will find Herlihy's arguments provocative, and thought provoking. Despite its few flaws, Herlihy's "The Black Death and the Transformation of the West" is an excellent collection which challenges the views of mainstream history, and that is always a good thing.
John Rocco Roberto
History Department, The Nelson A. Rockefeller School
Original & thoughtful, but also some unanswered questions..........2004-05-13
Herlihy makes the excellent point that the Black Death strengthened Europe in the long run (meaning over many centuries). For centuries, Europe had lagged behind China in technology and standard of living. By the 16th century, Europe was ahead, and has remained so ever since. What made the difference? Actually Phil Rushton had suggested something similar as the explanation, but Herlihy expanded on it in this book (though he probably never heard of Rushton).
The Black Death killed off something like half of Europe's population within a decade in the mid-14th century. The short-term destructive effect was incalculable. But Herlihy argues that those who were left unkilled were suddenly provided with huge resources, both natural and human, and much technical innovation became possible, which in turn launched Europe onto the road to the Industrial Revolution. As an example - the most dramatic one - he called the Gutenberg printing press a direct result of the Black Death. (p. 50) Not only was this a major technical innovation, the printing press had a greater influence than, say, a more efficient way to grow food: printing helped disseminate knowledge, even though, at first, most of this knowledge concerned religion and then only later science and technology.
Samuel Cohn used the Introduction to criticize Herlihy, which I think is not only odd but in poor taste, because Herlihy was already dead when Cohn wrote it. Cohn doubted the printing press (and by analogy, Herlihy's other examples) made much difference: far more book were printed many years after Gutenberg, he says, when population growth was surging again. I think Cohn misses the point: the INVENTION of the Gutenberg printing press was made possible by the Black Death, which made labor costs sky high by killing off many scribes. That many more books were printed with a fast-increasing population is not surprising: the demand for books increased with headcount. But Herlihy argues that without the Black Death, Gutenberg might not have had to invent his printing press. Herlihy's other examples include firearms.
Cohn points out that gunpowder and cannons were already known before Black Death. True enough. But he cannot convincingly prove that the Black Death didn't create a need for the widespread use of firearms in war. Cohn raises many other questions. A tough one is: why didn't the Middle East experience a cultural resurgence after the Black Death, which struck Europe just as hard? Herlihy has no answer to this. Cohn also fails the mention the puzzling case of China. The 14th century was hard on China also - many millions died from epidemics almost identical with the Black Death. But China started falling behind Europe soon afterwards. Why did Europe and not China benefit from the Black Death? (My guess is China suffered less human loss than Europe did, and as a result could not free up more resources to break what Herlihy calls the Malthusian deadlock - the constant growth in population which swallowed up all the benefits of innovation with no real improvement in standards of living and the possibility for revolutionary innovations.) Also, China had printing with movable type long before Europe did, and this didn't help China much later on.
I think there are many other issues and questions to consider how and why Europe advanced so much more quickly after the Black Death than before it. Surely the Mongol Empire which crumbled around the same time as the Black Death happened had by then transmitted much of China's technology (such as gunpowder and paper) to Europe, which needed time to digest and disseminate. So the possibility is real that it was the dreaded Mongols who made Europe what it is today, not only by making Chinese technology possible, but also by creating the conditions for the Black Death epidemic itself through its intercontinental trade routes. The Black Death may have started from central Asia in Turkestan - in today's southeastern part of Kazakstan, not far from the Chinese border. (p. 22-23) As Herlihy puts it, a certain Mongol khan used dead bodies with the plague to besiege a Black Sea town - one of the first effective uses of biological weapons. Thanks thus to the Mongols, Europe suffered the Black Death only to benefit from it enormously in the long run. I only wish this book were not so short, so that Herlihy could have been more specific as to why he thought so. Still this is the only effort I know of which makes this suggestion.
Death and Transformation...Almost!.......2004-02-23
This is a rather slight work of only 116 pages including Professor Cohn's thoughtful comments. Thus, those wishing to read a sound introduction to this period of 1348-1350 a.d. need not feel daunted in seeking it out.
Most interesting is Professor Cohn's suggestion that the political impact of the plague in the Mediterranean was not at all like that "in the West." He notes "...Mamluk (slaves who rose to power in Egypt) political control was unshaken by the plague experience." This surprises and informs. Thus the Introduction is a very good reason for having this book.
Cohn also credits Herlihy with ingeniously adding to historians' discussions of epidemics by addressing the implications for creating saints by the church. Even more interesting is the "naming" discussion in the third of the three essays by Herlihy, "Modes of Thoughts and Feelings". It is in this section that he probes the choices of names for children relative to the horrific emotions stirred by the plague. In traditional study of religion, the analysis of "theophoric" elements in names is extremely useful as scholars of Near Eastern religions have often noted.
He notes as well that some very base passions were stirred to the extent that wild frolicking occurred even among the graves in cemeteries.
However, those escorting the many to their final resting places
did not often exercise their right to remove valuables from the pockets of the deceased. Understanding of the risks entailed must have become clear. Grave diggers traditionally had appropriated a few coins used for the deads' fare into the next world..."to pay the tillerman." This understanding may have developed slowly, but it did develop.
Herlihy restricted his analysis primarily to "demographic and economic" systems even though the reader will sense that much more could have been written as regards other religious influences and practices (burials just noted) specifically, the authority of the Catholic church. After all it was the wealthiest institution in the world. Some students, of this awesome series of events assert the "the Black Death" so changed religious perceptions as to lay some of the foundation for the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. This is really intriguing!
Just how could the plague have occasioned such long lasting effects. Surely something as significant as "...the Transformation of the West" would fully grapple with these dimensions. However, students of this matter will have to look elsewhere.The editors may have over reached in appending "Transformation of the West" to the title.
Alas Dr. Herlihy died in 1991... with all of us...amateurs and scholars alike...losing his further creative and brilliant insights into this great period in the history of human family. We do thank Dr. Cohn for his contribution and may Professor Herlihy rest in peace.
psb 2-22-20040
interesting but brief.......2001-01-11
I bought this book because I was intrigued by the notion that Herlihy believed the Black Death was a blessing in disguise e.g. an ushering of the Technological Age, strengthened belief in Christianity, reshaping of society.
These theories proved interesting. I was also very impressed with the first chapter, which describes the plague medically, relates it to recent outbreaks of a similar nature and does a good job of theorizing how and why the plague ravaged Europe. I was interested to learn that the disease itself only killed a small percentage of people; in later years labor shortages, diminishing returns and lower birth rates helped to devistate the population more than the plagues actually did.
However, the book is too short. It is merely an introduction to this vast topic. I have read other books that briefly mention the plague but do their best to describe alternate theories on the disease, relating the sickness to the foods consumed at the times, the living conditions and essentially doing a lot more to understand what the plague actually was. Unfortunately Herlihy only dabbles in this and leaves me wanting more informaiton, instead of feeling satisfied with my knowledge of this topic. Perhaps because this is a general look at all of Europe and the plague. Perhaps if he had written about The Black Death in England or The Black Death in Italy he would have afforded a greater breadth of detail.
I recommend this book as a suppliment to the study of the plague; do not expect to become an expert by these 81 pages alone.
Excellent expository essay in three parts.......2000-08-12
This book is not a broad survey or a complete history. It is quite short and assumes a good bit of knowledge of the plague and of general European history.
He addresses three issues. First, he points out that historians really can't be sure of the composition of the plague itself. Was it actually all just bubonic plague, or some combination of various other diseases? Second, what were the economic effects of the plague? Did the relative scarcitity of labor following the plague break Europe out of a 'Malthusian deadlock' into a growing economy? Finally, what was the effect of the plague on the social order? Did it help to Christianize Europe?
The book is written in a fairly academic style, but it is very readable. My biggest complaint is that is so short. I wish he had written more.
Book Description
In 1363 the Black Death struck central Italy for the second time, causing a detectable shift in notions of the afterlife and patterns of charitable giving. Throughout Tuscany and Umbria, patricians and peasants alike abandoned their previous practice of dividing bequests into small sums, combining them instead into last gifts to enhance their "fame and glory" and that of their lineages. Illustrative of the new mentality, religious art patronage spread to new social classes, touching even peasants, who sought to be represented "in their very likeness" at the feet of their patron saints. From the supposed center of Renaissance culture--Florence--to the citadel of Franciscan devotion--Assisi--this change in sentiment spurred new levels of demand for monumental burials, testamentary commissions for art, and other efforts to exert control over the living from the grave.
In his award-winning study, Death and Property in Siena, historian Samuel K. Cohn, Jr., used close analysis of last wills to chart transformations in mentalities over a six-hundred-year history. In The Cult of Remembrance and the Black Death, he applies the same methods to compare six Italian city-states--Arezzo, Florence, Perugia, Assisi, Pisa, and Siena--showing the rise of a new Renaissance cult of remembrance. But this new cult was not Burckhardt's Renaissance "individualism" tout court. Instead, the new piety grew in tandem with reverence for the ancestors and a strong sense of family identity that flowed down male blood lines.
Book Description
When a school field trip to the local museum coincides with coming-of-age angst and an overly inquisitive friend (a cute goth girl named Pandora), Junior releases something terrible on the world... and its up to him to fix it. Featuring an awesome cast of back-up characters including Stigmartha whose hands bleed when she gets nervous; Smith & Weston, two twins conjoined at the head and The Seep, a foul-mouthed, armless, legless fetus in a tube. He's your average, everyday, happy-go-lucky middle-school student... who just happens to be the son of the grim reaper.
Customer Reviews:
Grrrrrreat!.......2006-07-24
Silly name, great book. Clever, funny and touching with amazing artwork. Don't miss it.
A unique read, worth every penny........2006-07-20
I bought this for my 10 year old son who owns the PSP game. He loves the book (the game too), and I myself quite enjoyed it.
We never noticed Seep's wheels changing from tracks to wheels the few times the panels were inconsistent, so we aren't quite as observant as some, but found this book loads of fun. Great background material if you're a fan of the game also.
It is humorous, entertaining, and I love how the author portrays such awesome moral content in a unique and strange way. My son reads parts of it to his younger brother (he is almost 5), and he too loves it.
Definitely a "different" kind of book, getting across the normal range of emotions and values in a slightly bizarre way. Both my son and I agree, it was money well spent!
Has a Certain Morbid Charm to It.......2006-05-30
DJ is a cheerful, friendly boy starting his first day at a new school but for some reason he's having a hard time fitting in with the rest of the kids.
Maybe it's because his father is the Grim Reaper. Maybe it's because he's a pint-sized skeleton in black. Or maybe it's because plants and animals seem to always die in his wake.
But DJ isn't the kind of kid who let's things get him down and soon enough he befriends a small group of fellow misfits: Pandora, a charming girl with a compulsive need to open anything locked regardless of the consequences; Smith and Weston, twins conjoined at the head who have a gift for disastrous inventions; Stigmartha, a waifish girl who bleeds from her hands when she gets upset and The Seep, a smart-talking limbless boy who lives in a giant mechanical pickle jar.
The only real trouble in DJ's life is the fact that his father is reluctant to bring him into the family business until he's a little older.
But then the kids go on a field trip to a museum. DJ and his friends sneak away from the main group and find a small box said to contain a terrible demon. Of course, Pandora just can't resist opening it and what comes out of the box is far worse than a terrible demon.
It's DJ's Uncle Moloch, who is determined to take over the family business by force and bend it to his own evil purposes. Uncle Moloch imprisons the Grim Reaper in the box and begins to wreak havoc on the world.
It's up to DJ and his friends to save his father and restore the balance of Life and Death to the world.
Death, Jr.'s charm stems from the odd combination of wry morbid commentary on the nature of death and an unapologetic Father-Knows-Best romanticism. It is difficult to say what age this is targeted towards.
Though it is full of monsters, grotesquery and death, it somehow manages to always convey a sense of optimism and hope. Ultimately, it humanizes death in a way that is neither didactic nor patronizing. This might be the perfect story for a preteen struggling to come to grips with the concept of death.
Fun and Bizarre.......2006-03-11
Wanting to read through something out of the ordinary, the title caught my eye so I decided to give the comic a whirl. I found myself amused and drawn into the story.
The story begins with Death Jr., called DJ, going off to his first day at school. He lives in an average suburban home reminiscent of Leave It to Beaver. In fact, the Grim Reaper and Mrs. Reaper definitely have Ward and June-like personalities. At school, DJ learns that he is different from other kids, though he cannot see it. He befriends the other "special" kids: Pandora - who likes to open things, Stigmartha - who's palms bleed when stressed, Smith and Weston - conjoined twins, one with street smarts, the other a scientific genius, and Seep - an armless, legless body in a motorized bottle.
Though I found the characters funny, I found myself wanting more in Seep. His bad attitude and wore on me. Though he did prove his worth in the end, the character needs to be developed a little more. At the moment, he is little more than a cardboard cut out.
However, the overall story was fun. There is definitely several morals to the story of responsibility with power, growing up a little at a time, listening to your elders, friends are valuable and acceptance of other no matter their differences. The morals do not weigh the story down; in fact, they definitely help make the story. I never envisioned Ward Cleaver as the Grim Reaper until I picked up this book.
I do have a couple of other complaints. I noticed that Seep's wheels changed a time or two between panels from tracks to wheels. The artist needs to watch his panel continuity. Also a couple of clichés crept into the writing. I do not care if we occasionally speak in clichés in everyday life, I do not want to read it. The writer needs to remember to let his characters speak in their own words; they will be clever or not on their own.
I would definitely recommend this book as a fun read. Not my normal type of book, but it was definitely bizarre and entertaining.
WITTY AND BIZARRE!.......2006-01-04
In the best tradition of Charles Adams comes this witty and hysterically funny trade paperback collecting the adventures of Death Jr., the son of the Grim Reaper. Written by Gary Whitta and beautifully illustrated by Ted Naifeh, Death Jr. is a morbidly funny book.
Life isn't always so easy when you're the son of the Grim Reaper. Dad casts rather a long an imposing shadow. On top of that things, such as the pet cat, seem to die with alarming frequency when they are around you. Add to that...you've just found out that you have to ride the short bus to school! Junior finds himself on the short bus with an odd mix of bizarre children such as spooky friend Pandora who simply can't resist opening any box; Smith & Weston, Siamese twins who are joined at the head; Stigmartha who bleeds from stigmata wounds when she's nervous, and Seep, whose basically a grumpy baby torso floating in a tube of chemicals that rides on a track similar to a tank.
Junior can't wait to get into the "family business" but dad knows he's not yet ready for the task. Like any kid, Junior is upset that his dad still thinks he's a kid and wants to prove him wrong. A trip to a museum leads to the ever curious Pandora opening a box containing the imprisoned spirit of Moloch, the previous Grim Reaper and the brother to the current GR. "Uncle" Moloch seduces junior into stealing dad's Scythe and eventually reveals his true motives imprisoning Dad. Moloch releases the spirits of the dead upon the city including animating the dinosaur statues in the museum. It's now up to Junior and his misfit friends to save the day.
Death Jr. is a refreshingly funny book filled with colorful and bizarre characters. Contray to what you might think, the Death family, including a very normal appearing, June Cleaver like mother, do not live in a ramshackle, mysterious old home, but rather smack dab in the middle of suburbia, which only lends to its amusing charm. Ted Naifeh has a clean, cartoony style that fits the subject matter perfectly. A great, change of pace type of read for comic fans looking for something just a little bit different.
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Book Description
An encyclopedic account of search and rescue in the national parks from 1870 to the present. New edition contains SAR from 1998-2004.
Customer Reviews:
Get an inside story on what recently went wrong in Oregon.......2007-01-10
A somewhat dry accounting, using newspaper clippings whenever available, of mishaps that casual (and quite often very experienced)hikers encounter in what commonly is believed to be safe National Parks. A very quick education in being prepared for the underestimated dangers of dehydration, hypothermia, and heat stress. It is not quite as good as "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon"or "Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park", both of which manage to get the message of being careful across in a much more narrative style. If you enjoy "Weather stories" on TV, these will all make for fascinating reading.
PS In the Oregon reference I am talking about the death of CNET editor James Kim, who left the relative safety of his car trying to get help for his family, and the three climbers on Mt Hood that perished shortly after. You will learn of countless expeditions that people insisted on undertaking because they were already there, even though the weather has changed drastically.
Reality check for the Great Outdoors.......2005-08-11
This book is a fine overview of the history of search and rescue in the parks from one of the professionals in the field. In addition to lots of historical information, it provides plenty of food for thought for anybody planning an outdoor trip. There are lots of lessons to be learned from the mistakes of others.
Left me wanting to know more.......2004-02-19
If you are interested in the subject matter, it would be hard not to enjoy this book. I was amazed at the number of bodies that had to be left in the parks because they couldn't be retreived for one reason or another. I was also surprised to learn how many planes had crashed onto the lands or into the mountains of national parks. There are also the things you would expect, such as falls from mountain climbing and people who get lost while hiking. It was sad to read about the rangers who risked their lives and became heroes to save others, only to read about some of them succumbing to the dangers of the park themselves later on in the book. Many of the stories made me wish there was additional information, because I wanted to know more about what happened to these people. Overall a very engrossing book.
Compelling Gathering of Varied Narratives.......2001-12-26
As the NPS's Chief National Emergency Services Coordinator the author spent many years in the search and rescue business. In the course of his career he had access to the original records and was able to select most dramatic and cautionary stories. Each covers at most a few pages but the reader will want to keep reading. Very hard to put down and a substantial amount of research and good writing.
Most emphasis is on the post 1940 period since WW II when the development of modern aerial search and rescue techniques, as pioneered in the armed services, influenced the postwar organization and methods. The Air Force became responsible for inland activities and the Coast Guard for the sea margins. Ground based searches remained the primary responsiblity of the big land management agencies such as the Park Service, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.
Take it with Salt.......2000-11-15
An excellent collection of decades of searches and rescues in National Parks all over the USA. Each search and rescue story runs from a paragraph to a page or two. Helpful photos are included for many of the stories, plus the book has great chronologies for each decade and a very good index. The author highlights National Parks' efforts - often ignoring, misconstruing, or discounting the efforts of other agencies involved in many of the search and rescues - a bias which occasionally mars this book.
Average customer rating:
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A Safe Place For Caleb: An Interactive Book For Kids, Teens And Adults With Issues Of Attachment, Grief, Loss Or Early Trauma
Kathleen A. Chara , and
Paul J., Jr. Chara
Manufacturer: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1843107996 |
Customer Reviews:
A Safe Place for Caleb.......2007-05-10
An excellent guide for parents, children, foster parents, adoptive parents and anyone in general living or dealing with children with issues which is just about everybody. Bought 5 copies just to give away & one for the office waiting room.
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