Issue

Halfway through his book, Jesuit priest Gary Smith describes a 2 a.m. street scene he once witnessed. A couple of guys, both probably drunk, were having a shouting and shoving match. Tempers escalated until one of the two pulled a knife. The other guy shouted: "You can't kill me, motherf***er! I'm already dead!"

This haunting scene serves as a metaphor for the book's message. The people with whom Smith lives and ministers--the street people, the abandoned, the unstable, the addicted, the hopeless--too frequently see themselves as the walking dead. Why wouldn't they? "Respectable" society dismisses them as the dark, dirty secret it would like to sweep under the rug. It doesn't take too much exposure to our success-oriented culture to internalize its standards of social condemnation. If you're told often enough that you're garbage, you begin to believe it.

The stories that Smith tells about these people are heartrending. But they also sometimes shine with a certain dignity and hope that helps readers break through the stereotypical way we've been trained to think about the homeless. In listening to Smith's stories, those of us who are fortunate to live on the right side of the tracks just might be able to recognize that we're also among the living dead. Our pocketbooks may be healthy, but our hearts are dead because we tolerate the suffering of our fellow humans and do nothing about it. Radical compassion--to which all of us are called--quickens us back to life. The poor's very existence is a challenge to our lifestyles and a gift to us of the possibility of conversion.

Smith refuses to be a zombie. As he says (p. 98): "I take it all [the suffering of others] personally. If a woman or a man is abused, then I am abused, and if I don't feel that way, then I want to feel that way. If your flesh is lacerated, so is mine."

To which I say: "Amen!"

I could not put this book down. The poor were fairly and honestly represented and the author treats them with such dignity and kindness. One is hard pressed to find any fault with a man or woman who ministers to the poor. They are often a light to us and Mother Theresa made this blatantly clear through her life and work among them. A magnificent text; worth reading and worth living!

What a great book! A great balance of compassion and indignation at the way we treat the poor. It gave a me a wonderful insight into the heart of the poor and challnegened me to look at each person as a precious individual

A highly enjoyable book of mathematical puzzles and ideas. Overall I think this is the best of the books by Smullyan I have seen, as the narrative (hardly a story, but a narrative of discussions which introduce and explain ideas) is very readable. Smullyan uses this technique in several other books but often one gets a sense that there is only a little narrative to connect much hard stuff - here the maths is interwoven into the narrative in a way that makes it much easier to follow (for example, the characters make various comments and objections which the central character, the Sorcerer, responds to as if engaged in an informal tutorial).

Professor Smullyan's book Satan, Cantor, and Infinity, is an excellent mathematical novel, extremely readable for everybody from elementary schoolboys(girls) to first class college (university) students. The story concerns three major personalities - The Sorcerer living in the Knight-Knave Island and Princess Annabelle with her suitor. As in many books of professor Smullyan the first half of the story is devoted to various puzzles about knights (truth-tellers) and knaves (liars). The third chapter takes place on the island of robots. The puzzles of self-constructive and self-destructive robots throw light on problem of languages, which allow self-reference, and the famous Gödel's theorems. This chapter may be harder to catch and the reader is recommended to consult another professor Smullyan's book, Forever Undecided. In the rest of the book are introduced Zeno's paradoxes concerning the problem of continuity and change (with these paradoxes are discussed the most elementary ideas of infinitesimal calculus), envelope paradox (a kind of paradox of rationality), ant the set-theoretic paradoxes (Burry's paradox, Mannoury's paradox, Russell's paradox and Cantor's paradox). The basic ideas of set theory are introduced in the form of problems of a prisoner in the Hell - Satan gives the prisoner opportunity to save himself(herself) if he(she) puzzles out an integer which Satan wrote on the paper closed in an envelope. Story also introduces the famous Continuum problem - the set theoretic problem formulated by the founder of set theory Georg Cantor in the 19th century and unsolved to our times (or at least unsolved by the more modest set theoretic principles not using some hypotheses concerning large cardinals). The story concludes with a nice Zwicker's hypergame paradox and a legend about a gifted student of Cantor imprisoned in Hell, who outwits the Great Satan. The entire book is written in non-technical style and really is a MATHEMATICAL NOVEL, maybe a mathematical fairy tale, not a textbook. (I would only like to know if professor Smullyan is really going to fulfill his promise given in the book that he will try to present more calculus ideas in the future.) Well, the book is very delightful reading for these days - the Good defeats the Evil even in this story, even in the realm of mathematics!

Before you start reading this book, prepare to have your logic bone tweaked, tickled and annoyed. There is no one better than Raymond Smullyan at creating logic puzzles that will intrigue, infuriate and stretch your mind to slightly beyond its limits. The last chapter, a dialog between Satan and a student of Cantor, could be the basis of a book and is a true work of genius. I read it twice, not because I didn't understand it, but because I enjoyed it so much.
The other sections of the book cover many facets of logic, including lists of superb problems about people from the planet Og, where green northerners always tell the truth and red northerners always lie. However, green southerners always lie and red southerners always tell the truth. Similar to the knights and knaves problems, most can be solved using a simple table. Solutions to the problems are given at the end of each chapter.
Raymond Smullyan seems to exist at a different logical level than the rest of us. His problems are at times fiendishly clever, although not beyond the capacity of someone willing to think a bit. This is a case where you can expand your mind by showing how limited it was before.

If I could, I would give this book ten stars instead of five. This book really tells it like it is. Out in the world you hear society talk about "safe sex" and "sex outside of marriage is no big deal." But this book tells the real truth. It tells the blessings you will receive in your life and how God will reward you if you obey His rule about sex and stay sexually pure until you are married. I truly take my hat off to the authors of this book.

Do you have trouble explaining to others why you want to be sexually pure, or why God wants you to be sexually pure? This book speaks frankly about pre-marital sex. It shows practical examples of a spectrum of women, from those in Bible times to the present time, dealing with different sexual situations. Not only that, this book also speaks about Satan's attacks on us, our areas of weakness (often including our minds as well as our bodies), and how the Lord provides us with love, encouragement, and armor to help us in our DAILY battles. "Single, Whole, & Holy" is a book written for ALL CHRISTIAN WOMEN: singles, "marrieds," virgins, "repentant sinners who vow to maintain secondary virginity," and victims of abuse.

Prior to reading this book, I often wondered how anyone can remain a virgin in this day and age. This book spoke to me not only about how to stay sexually pure, but also the reasons why God wants me to be sexually pure. I have a better understanding of myself, my weaknesses, and how I can rid myself of Satan's strongholds in my life. Most importantly to me, I have come to a better understanding of God's character, and the type of relationship that he offers to me and to all of his children.

I wish I'd had the chance to read this book when I was in my teens or 20s--it would have saved me a lot of heartache. It's from an unabashedly Christian perspective, which isn't where everyone is coming from, but it has sound advice for every woman. Kudos to the authors for writing this, to counterbalance all the pressure young women get from magazines like Cosmopolitan, to always be having sex (maybe before they are emotionally ready, or are in the right relationship). I know I felt that pressure.

Slavery: TheAbuse of A Nation is the answer to many unsolved tribulations caused by Slavery. The writer skillfully guides the reader using revolutionary concepts that are simple yet mind provoking. This truly an ingenious work!

It is the first book that clearly enlightens all of us to the fact that we are responsible for our future destinies. It is the first book that affords both Black and White Americans to forgive the past and move to a more productive united future. If you want to know why Black relationships struggle to survive, this book is for you. If you ever wanted to know the foundational fears that stir the creation of hate groups this book is a must read for you. If you ever wanted to know why so many of our young Black men are in prison and our girls are having babies while they are still babies themselves, read this book.

One of the most profound yet, simple commands given by the writer in this book is when he instructs Blacks to "heal themselves." The writer clearly points out that we have the power to live lives that are free from the intimidating chains of inferiority due to slavery treatment to us in the past and present. Awesome! This kind of empowerment has never been voiced nor written. It is a refreshing word for the cries of Black men who deeply want to feel appreciated, valued as head of household, and treasured as a father. Black men must read this book!

I pray that this book becomes the best seller it is destined to be. Why? Because it contains all of the necessary ingredients to live a free and fulfilled life as an American no matter what color you are.

This book was so good it was an eye opener to read a book on slavery that told the truth but did not seek to lay the blame on present day white America. I would discribe this book as a black self help,white awareness,secular, spiritual self help book.It is a must read for all Americans of every nationallity

Awesome book

This book is the best book I have ever read on slavery. The Author takes a very practical approach to answer address some very tough issues. It is a must read for all races. I found it to be deep but easy to understand. It has changed the way I feel about myself as a black man. It lefts my spirit to know that I was not the lazy no good person that I was depicted to be. It let me know that all whites are not out to get me. This book will definitely improve race relationships in America.

Smith's Bible dictionary is a comprehensive and complete bible dictionary nearly any word you can find in the bible is in here. Smith's bible dictionary not only gives a basic difinition but also an indepth explanation of the usage and where appropreate an explanation of it's symbolic meaning(s). An additional plus is that nearly every page has at least one well drawn black and white illustration or diagram given further insight into the geography, characters and meaning of biblical events.

Want to know about how Hebrews could become slaves to each other? Or exactly what the ancient Holy Days were all about? How about the various foods, plants, clothing and jewelry mentioned in the Old Testament? Smith's, the quintessential Bible dictionary, will add a context to your in depth Bible study that will cement imagery in your head that will make your studies more productive and your memories more vivid and long-lasting. And when it comes to the Bible, context is everything. We are so far removed from our religious ancestors in time and culture that to rely simply on the Bible text is to fail to understand those wonderful people.

This book is compact, easy to use and fair.

At first glance, you might think you are reading a novel. Chapter 1 begins with a vignette of Captain White and his team of combat engineers and you meet a young soldier named John Henry. Before long you are reading about, and perhaps understanding for the first time, the battlefield, the great commission, motivation and reward.

Each chapter begins with a vignette then moves from Boot Camp through Debriefing. Kirk Hunt's powerful, straightforward manner keeps the reader turning pages.

As a reader, I enjoyed the fresh format of this book. As a wife and mom, I appreciated the strong call to men to become soldiers of the kingdom.

I highly recommend Soldiers of the Kingdom by Kirk Hunt.

I applaud this tremendous book. Soldiers Of The Kingdom is a gold mine of encouragement and information for Christian men. This is an awesome work and I pray that every layman in the country will make it his business to read it.

Bishop Albert Galbraith
Jurisdictional Prelate, No. California
Church Of God In Christ

Soldiers of the Kingdom is a dynamic tool for influencing the lives of men as we make our way through the battlefield of life. Kirk Hunt has been God's minister in my life many times and I know that God has placed something in these pages for every reader.

J.D. Stout
Agent/Law Enforcement Chaplain
Persian Gulf War Veteran

I love this book. I've read it at least four times and loaned it to many different friends. Emilie's prose inspires me to greater things in my own life: in my interactions with my husband, children, siblings, and co-workers, the way I run my home, and the way I feel about myself. Truly an inspiring work! Self-help at its best!

I loved this book by Ms. Barnes. It's one of those books you want to curl up with a blanket in front of the fireplace, or read outside in the garden. Sometimes, I found myself putting the book down and running to a room in my house to try one of her quick beauty tips. She makes you feel beautiful and she makes you feel blessed to have a beautiful home that echos those beauties that are uniquely yours. I recommend this book simply to refer to when your spirit needs a lift. It's a lovely book that I keep out on my dressing table.

This book was a gift from my sister and I've given it away 3 times! I see someone I think will like it and poof! it leaves with them! Then I run and order another so I have one in my bookcase. I've read it countless times and always come away encouraged to be a woman with a gentle spirit. It's more than that, though, because Emilie has a way of inspiring me to get my house in order... my spiritual house, as well as my physical house. She has lots of ideas on making your home say "welcome" as well as encouraging you to be creative, feminine, someone who enjoys her yard, a good cook, and a woman who knows what her home is for... hospitality... opening yourself up to others so they might know the God who has given you so many gifts. The whole book is one that you will enjoy because it touches so many aspects of a woman's life. The pencil illustrations are delightful. I wanted to take out my colored pencils and color them in! This book is one you can give anyone. A Christian will find it delightful, and a non-Christian will read many good ideas that will encourage her to be a better person. And... who knows, the book might open up a conversation with you that could be life changing! I'd encourage you to buy two... one for your bookcase, and another to give away at the drop of a hat. Happy reading! And, thanks, Emilie!

The day my childbirth class was to start I was put on bed rest. Although I had read a lot about pregnancy and birth, I still didn't really know what it would feel like to have a baby. Reading these accounts of births helped a lot -- I felt I was much better prepared for the experience. I also liked Labor Day, edited by Ann-Marie Giglio, but that collection was relentlessly positive. This book include stories from women who weren't thrilled with their experiences, which seemed more honest.

The stories are organized by where the birth occurred: hospital, birthing center, home. Reading the different accounts reassured me that I had chosen the location that was right for me.

I'd recommend this book for anyone wondering what it's like to give birth.

This heartwarming book is a compilation of real women sharing their birth stories. Hospital births, births at home, and unexpected birth places. No matter where or how a woman has her labor and delivery, the end result is the same: the miracle of life, the birth of a baby. The stories shared here are bound to make you laugh and cry, and feel proud to be a woman.

Any mother knows that moms never get tired of the birth experience of other women. It is fascinating to read about the variety of way that women deliver their babies. You'll read about "normal" birthing experiences that take place in a hospital with doctors and epidurals, and you'll read about unusual experiences, such as a woman who gave birth to her baby in a tunnel. With each birthing story you will feel empathy and camaraderie with the women who share their story in this wonderful book.

Any woman who is pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant will be amazed to read how many different ways there are to have a baby. Reading Real Birth may give a woman a new perspective about the way she would like to deliver her baby and is a must read for all expectant woman.

The author Robin Greene says, "Women share their birthing stories the way men share their war stories." Any woman who has already had a baby will read this book and will feel priviliged to know that she is among the many, the proud, the moms.

I'm far beyond my pregnancy experience now, but this book gave me a look back. I so identified with these women. What struck me was that these narratives are more than women dealing with the pregnancy experience; these are their stories of the conflicts and struggles in their lives, stretching into the relationships with spouses, other children, parents, and themselves. This is a must-read for all pregnant women, and for mothers of pregnant daughters. Great stuff!!

I found this book a joy to read. Johnson leads the reader carefully and clearly through his well-reasoned arguments. I now have a heightened awareness of the very real danger of naturalism to science and many areas of Western culture. Rather than succumb to the naturalist mind-set as so many theists have regrettably done, Johnson demonstrates how to stand firm and fight back! If science is defined to exclude God (as it is) then science is limiting itself and may no longer be searching for truth (as it does not).

This book is by no means casual bedside reading, but Phillip Johnson is brilliant in bringing to light the basis of naturalistic philosophy and the logical assumptions made by those who practice it. Johnson gives illustrations of how this brand of thought has played itself out in science, law and education.

With a master's background in the hard sciences, I've found a steady mentality through school that evolution is fact and God has no place in science. Phillip Johnson helped me to understand how the logic of evolutionists works and how hollow and circular their reasoning often is. Understanding naturalists' logical assumptions has dispelled my fear of making a sound arguement in favor of intelligent design and seeing through those arguements made by those advancing a naturalistic worldview.

Philip E. Johnson details America's full-fledged embrace of Naturalism within recent contemporary history. The book is an accurate doccumentation of our nations' radical ideological shift towards a non-theistic world view and of course the price of this stupidity, what it looks like, who sells it.

I got this book as a Christmas present, and I read it in two days, vowing not to like it, but enjoying it, anyway. Ms. Rinehart tells us in a simple, but not simplistic, style, how God can restore passion in the lives of women, through daring to love, to desire through God, through forgiveness, through letting go of too much control. Indeed, I wondered if she had experience with 12-step groups; I recognized a lot of her wisdom in 12-step work I have been doing lately. Perhaps her sentence in the final paragraph says it best: "If God has you in the palm of his hand and your real life is secure in him, then you can venture forth -- into the places and relationships, the challenges, the very heart of the storm -- and you will be safe there" (p 182). If I have one complaint, it is that she seems to assume her readers are married women, particularly in her chapter on sexuality, in which she reserves only a paragraph or two on the sensuality of non-married women. But I still found it helpful, and it's a book I will continue to refer to even though I have finished reading it.

This book is fanatastic. One of the only books I can read everyday and still find a new insight everytime.

What a life changing book! I read this book in 2 days straight. If you are ready to start living again....read this book! Thank you Paula.