MO

just wanted to say hi uncle mo love erica

Smiling 'til I break is an outstanding collection of autobiographical poems which help anybody who's gone or is currently going through dark times to reflect, find and identify himself. I consider Mo Abersheid as one of the greatest authors of the century and hope that anyone reading his book will find positivity and enlightment just as I found it. There's no bigger favour you could do to yourself and your life than buying this book today!

Smiling 'Til I Break is truly an inspiring book. When I saw that it was an autobiography told through poetry, I was immediately intrigued. I must say I was amazed by this great work. I was able to really find myself in these poems and identify with what the author went through. It made me realize that it is possible to find positivity and light even in the most dire circumstances. It has made a wonderful impact on me.

Normally, after reading a book I have many things to say about it, some of which come easily and others which I struggle to put into words. After completing A Woman of Means by Peter Taylor, I felt a whole rush of half-formed ideas and feelings bubbling just below my consciousness, but which I was unable to articulate. I beleive this is because although the story is told in a straightforward style and is easy to follow, it's presented through the eyes of a intelligent,young narrator who's struggling to find a place for himself, whether it be at his school, in the city, or in his own family.

Much of his uncertainty comes from his inability to establish a firm relationship with a mother-figure, whether it be with the grandmother he describes while recalling his earliest memories in the rural South, or with his wealthy step-mother whose home he lives in with his father in St. Louis.

A mother to him seems to represent a home, which is something he has never really had, due to his constant moving from place to place with a father who is determined to make a name for himself. When his father begins to achieve some professional success, gets married to a wealthy young widow and they move into the woman's house, there finally seems to be a chance to develop roots in a town, at a school, and most importantly within a family.

The story focuses on the boy's gradual sense of belonging and how this belonging is eventually threatened by what he perceives as the disolution of his parents's marriage. It is a very complex examination of not just what the boy needs to be happy, but his father and step-mother as well, and includes the the themes of wealth/poverty, the city/country, moderness/ tradition, and love and reputation--all of which are relevant to our own age. It also contains the same mysterious quality of all great art, in that it encapsulates things that can only be truly assimulated, not through the mind, but through the heart.

I don't know how these reviews can look so recent

"Quite simply, there is not a better writer of fiction now at work in the United States.... In A WOMAN OF MEANS...the reader is transported into a place so faithfully similar to the real world, yet so imbued with a knowledge of it that none of us can hope to possess, that one is left breathless with admiration."

Now this is a guidebook, written by Branson "local" Carol Shaffer. Branson's Best Day Trips mixes area history (better than any show!) and photographs with a complete guide to Ozark attractions from shows to inexpensive day trips in the area. After all, the Ozarks do not begin and end on the Strip; Shaffer takes you to surrounding communities, and provides 19 maps and detailed directions clear enough for even the most directionally-impaired traveler! To top it off, Shaffer's writing style is delightful. We highly recommend this book.

We used this book throughout our vacation. The maps were great. Our favorite chapter was the one to Branson's free attractions. We would have missed a lot had it not been for this book and would recommend it to anyone.

Wow, what a great book! I can't believe how much information is in here. Carol obviously knows the area and I think she was able to explain a little of the background behind the different places without becoming a history lesson. I also think the maps are very clear and plenty easy to read and I think the text was well written. I especially like the section on how to navigate the various side-roads (if you've been to Branson you know how bad the traffic can be). I went on vacation to Branson before but only got to see a third of what is in this book - now I can't wait to go back again!

Colonial Ste. Genevieve provides an excellent view of Eighteenth Century life in Ste. Genevieve, in particular and in French North-America in general. Founded in the early 1750s, not 1735 as popular history records, the story of Ste. Genevieve provides a view into the changing life in the Mississippi Valley as French gave way to Spanish colonialism and American ways took over, first at the governmental level and, gradually socially as the population changed from being primarily French to Anglo-American. The story of Ste. Genevieve mirrors the story of other French settlements in the area, such as Cahokia, Kaskaskia and St. Louis.

From his role as a European history professor, Carl Eckberg relates events in Ste. Genevieve to developments in Europe which affected the town.

His book is divided into various topics, such as relationships between settlers and Indians, the role of slavery in the community, the economy based in agriculture and lead mining, health care, town and regional government and church organization.

For anyone interested in French colonial life in the heart of America, Colonial Ste. Genevieve is a worthwhile read.

Many have written about Ste. Genevieve, MO, the oldest permanent European settlement in what once was the Upper Louisiana Territory. No one has created a more insightful or more scholarly look at 18th century life in the small Mississippi River town, however, than Carl J. Ekberg has done in his Colonial Ste. Genevieve.

Ekberg uses his expertise in 17th and 18th century European politics to connect the villagers of Ste. Genevieve with the larger world around them. He examines the daily lives of the hardy French Creole (that is, those born in North America, of French ancestry) settlers, probing family, business, religious and slave/master relationships, as well as the settlers' means of making a living and defending themselves from Indian or Anglo attack or from the dangerous Mississippi. The mighty river forced the inhabitants to relocate two miles uphill from the original townsite, late in the 18th century.

Ekberg is best known in Missouri for debunking a number of old myths, such as the town being founded in 1735 or before (He establishes its founding at shortly before 1750.) and the move to the new townsite being made almost en masse, right after the disastrous summer flood of 1785. (He has translated thousands of Spanish letters and documents, confirming that the move took nearly a decade and had started even before the flood, due to widespread erosion of the riverbank.) He also tackles "puffed-up" dates on historic homes in the town, which now relies on heritage tourism for economic growth. These findings have made him unpopular in some Ste. Genevieve circles. They have also marked him as the most important scholar to research the town.

Despite his scholarly prowess and the intimidating inch and a half depth of the book spine, this book is a reward for the reader, not a punishment! Ekberg is no academic hack. His prose flows gracefully, often reading more like a historical romance novel than a history book. For anyone with an interest in French or Spanish Colonial settlements in the Louisiana Territory, or in the history of Missouri, this is a must-buy and must-read. Ste. Genevieve was and is a unique community and Ekberg's is the defining scholarly work on the town.

Ekberg's "Colonial Ste. Genevieve" still stands as the ultimate scholarly work on Ste. Genevieve. While Ekberg's demolition of many old wivestales about the city's history generates the most talk among locals, this is just a footnote to the true value of his work.Through locating and translating thousands of Spanish and French documents from the colonial period, Ekberg succeeds in bringing the period to life and presents the most accurate picture to date of what life must have been like in colonial Ste. Genevieve.Like a compressed computer file, Ekberg somehow squeezes an unfathomable amount of information into this work. Yet it reads quickly and enjoyably. So many inticing issues are addressed: black-white, Indian-white relationships, family structure, economics, religion, romance, etc.Two books should be read by anyone interested in Ste. Genevieve (or French Colonial history in Mo.): Gregory M. Franzwa's "The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve," and Ekberg's chronicle.

These are characters that are either you or people with whom you'd want to befriend. I'd recommend it easily to anyone looking for a great story.

I picked up this gem at a second hand bookstore and could not put it down. Arnie Goldman has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 8 and his friend, Redso, turns out to be a manic depressive. The third protagonist, Billy Rubin, daughter of an orthodox rabbi, needs to be needed. All three characters are highly intelligent. Savan's writing is beautiful. The pages just flow one into the next. Will definitely try and get his other book. It seems he has only written one other. I identified with all three main characters even though Redso is not a likeable person at all.
Did not really want to give the book 5 stars because the ending was a bit weak but decided that the quality of the writing and the way the story gripped me, was worth the extra star. Savan is truly amazing in that he writes about manic depression and rheumatoid arthritis as though he himself has suffered them. I wonder if he has any first hand knowledge of these illnesses.

Having thoroughly enjoyed White Palace, Glen Savan's earlier book that was made into a mediocre movie, I was looking for anything else that he had written. I was not disappointed with Goldman's Anatomy. It's funny, poignant and is so well written that many passages deserved to be read aloud. My only complaint is I can't find anything else written by Glen Savan. That's a shame.

Full of Vibrancy and Life Lessons Cindy does a beautiful job of portraying her mother, Little Mo as she remembers her - a wonderful, warm, giving mother who devoted herself to enhancing others. The lessons shared in this book are applicable to all and enjoyable, enlightening reading! A quick read with a lifetime of impact

Little Mo was surely an extraordinary woman and touched everyone she met in her short 32 years. Cindy carries her mothers legacy in her heart and shares stories and lessons learned from her mother with the rest of us. And inspiring they are! Cindy's writing carried me along from when as a 12 year old she lost her mother, through high school and college as she overachieved as a remedy to her heartache, and into her years of service to the community and God. Her mother would have been proud and we are all better for the lessons Cindy shares. You are guaranteed a good cry and in the end feel that a glimpse into Cindy's life is a gift. You must read this book and give it to every mother and child you know. I'd like to think that I might make the same sort of mark that Little Mo and now Cindy have made. I'll not forget this book.

Wow! This is a book you can't put down! Not only does Ms. Brinker-Simmons share the lessons she learned from her mother in an easy to understand way but she does so from the heart. You will laugh and cry all the while being encouraged to be the best that you can be. You need not be a tennis fan to read this book because it cuts to the heart of what it means to be a person of character and integrity. Whether or not you have personally experienced the loss of a parent at a young age or know someone who has, it will help you to understand the impact that this loss has in the life of a child and how it stays with a child as he/she becomes an adult. You will walk away from this experience with a better understanding of how to live life looking for the good in every situation. This is a book about overcoming obstacles, about living your life by faith, about looking for the good in each situation and about loving deeply regardless of the cost. You will be encouraged and blessed to read about this real life story of an amazing woman, Maureen Connolly Brinker, and the lessons that continue to live on through her daughter, Cindy Brinker-Simmons.

I love this series so much that I have had to replace the entire set three times. I lend them out and they disappear!
These are by far the finest novels that Ms. Austin has written. I was drawn into the story, and I just couldn't put the books down. Ms. Austin provides Scriptural references so it is easy to see what she is basing her story on. After reading the Scriptures, elements in the story that are taken right out of the Bible are easily discerned from those that the writer may be taking an artist license with. It breathed life into these characters and made them very relevant to me.

I immediately began reading the remaining books in the series, and every one was a delight. I enthusiastically recommend the series.

The writing is well-done; the content is well-researched, inspirational, provoking AND entertaining!

In this book, Austin aligns the brief Biblical account of King Hezekiah to the words of the prophets of the times along an exciting line of fiction. Prophecies, often confusing or misunderstood suddenly come alive as they are placed into everyday situations and applied to specific situations. This book creates in your mind a thrilling scene of the reality of the despair of Israel and Judah and an understanding of the great compassion Yaweh has for his Chosen People. After reading this book, you will never read prophecy the same again.

Seldom do I find a work of historical scholarship that I simply cannot put down -- this is it. Anyone familiar with the Abelard and Heloise story and the very basic outlines of 12th century history ought to enjoy this compelling and intriguing piece.

What a fine piece of work this is from Constant Mews! I was dazzled by his erudition and the almost detective-like skill he used in authenticating this cache of letters as being those of the tragic Heloise and Abelard. Scholars have much to thank Mews and his collaborator, Chiavarolli, for upon the publication of this timely work. Those who believe Heloise to be the more important of the two figures also have much to rejoice about. They have elevated Heloise to the level of other well-known medieval woman such as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan, etc. Bravo. A long overdue piece of the Heloise and Abelard puzzle has finally been laid in place.

Drawing upon the research presented in Ewald Konsgen's 'Epistolae duorun amantium: Briefe Abaelards und Heloises? (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1974), Mews offers a compelling thesis that letters discovered and transcribed in Clairvaux in the 15th century are the 'lost' love letters of Peter Abelard and Heloise. Mews asserts that the letters in question were written 'by two articulate individuals who lived in the Ile-de-France in first half of the 12th century [who] were fully conversant with the classical authors known at that time', a point made by Konsgen but further developed by Mews. Indeed, it is made clear that not only are the Clairvaux letters the work of two distinctly different authors, but that woman is the man's student, "the only disciple of philosophy among all the women of our age" as he calls her, the man a famous teacher, a master of philosophy and a poet. The author begins with the discovery of the letters in a monastery at Clairvaux and their transcription by the monk Johannes de Vespria. He then follows with a discussion of the 'known' (and still controversial) letters of Abelard and Heloise and how those letters shaped the subsequent perception of their relationship. Mews goes on to compare the vocabulary of the known letters with the Clairvaux letters, arguing that the parallels are so striking that it "stretches plausibility to argue that the letters were written by any one other than Abelard and Heloise." He finishes his analysis by showing the implications of this discovery to the present understanding of the evolution of their relationship. The final chapter is a transcription of the Clairvaux letters in Latin, with a parallel translation in English. Throughout the book, Mews throws light on the broader issues of communication between men and woman in 12th century France. He also places the 'story' of Abelard and Heloise into the broader context of their era, explaining how the political upheavals and cultural changes of the 12th century played a part in their relationship and in their lives in general. Mews' argument is reasoned, well researched, and entirely convincing. As for the letters themselves, erotic and sensual, they offers a tantilizing glimpse into the early relationship of Abelard and Heloise - but there are mysteries here too. What is the cause of the rift that seems to have happened between the writing of letters 57 and 58? What does the woman mean when she writes "If you are well and moving among wordly concerns without trouble, I am carried away by a great exultation of mind"? Is this truly Heloise writing to Abelard about the birth of their child? Both writers fill their letters with imagery about the stars, the sun and moon, and celestial light - is this what prompted Heloise and Abelard to name their child (Peter) Astrolabe? The real importance of these letters may be in their discussion of the true nature of friendship and love, which may shed light on and help us to better understand the 'known' letters of Abelard and Heloise. In the Clairvaux letters, the woman seems determined to define their relationship and convince the man of her true love for him; the man seems more preoccupied with the erotic nature of their friendship. These letters are also important in illustrating what a poetic and original writer Heloise was - an idea often overlooked by those more preoccupied by the romance and tragedy of her story. I look forward to reading more arguments concerning authorship of these lost letters, and I encourage not only scholars, but lay people like myself to read this book.

I happened upon this book at the library while trying to find something somewhat interesting to read on an upcoming train ride. I am a fairly picky reader in that not much can hold my interest through the entire book. This book was at no point boring for me. The chapters move quickly and I was immersed in the intricate details of this turn-of-the-century immigrant story. The story all too often brought me to tears, and in a few spots near sobbing, however it was well worth it. The interdispersed German used in the story was a nice touch. Though I did find a couple editorial inconsistencies, I highly recommend this book.

I was especially interested in this story since I grew up in St. Louis and don't often see historical Christian romance set in this city. The story is well written; several scenes moved me to tears or laughter. I was also impressed with the details of everyday life in 1890's America which revealed the thoroughness of Ms. Jacobs' research. Most importantly, though, God's faithfulness shines through in this story. Well done! I hope to see a continuation of Louisa's story soon.

The sun rises and sets eloquently and appropriately on each of the thirty chapters of this three-part novel. Kathleen Jacobs tells a heart-rending story of a German immigrant family's experience and endurance as first-generation Americans.

With St. Louis, Missouri at the close of the 19th and the opening of the 20th centuries as a setting, the Schuhmacher Family engages the reader in intimate fellowship. In the reading of the story, the reader will laugh at the antics of the rascal Rudi, cry as her characters face death and seriously appreciate the hardships of the lives of our American ancestors.

Never Forsaken is a story about life and death, fear and love, and hardship and the ease that is afforded by a faithful God.

Lamb's story of Sanderson's Lunch is a fascinating journey though emotion, passion, hard work, and fruitless endeavors. To hear Lamb's story is to laugh, cry, and seriously consider getting a job at a 24/hour diner just to have a glimpse of the crazy antics like those at Sanderson's. The reader will cheer with the successes, be crushed at the defeats, and empathize with every emotional state Lamb was in at the time. If you are a KC native, you are doing yourself an injustice to overlook this outstanding work. It is a little piece of history and a small masterpiece of nonfiction

I enjoyed the book but would like to see more articles telling more of the wacky tales of the old 24 hour restaurant, perhaps in a newspaper or KC mag. Maybe there are enough for another book with a bit more emphasis of the unusual parade of customers. (I couldn't resist!)

Art Lamb is my step-grandfather, and I picked up the book out of curiosity and started reading one afternoon. The next thing I knew, night had fallen, dinner was cold, and the kids were conked out in front of the TV. I shrugged and kept on reading. Witty, engaging and fast moving, this slice of life will capture your interest and engage you until the last page.