Biography Books

"Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison is a compelling look at Asperger's Syndrome through the life of one who never let his condition slow him down. Robison, the brother of memoirist Augusten Burroughs, is a compelling storyteller and perhaps more interesting than his struggles and discoveries as a person living with Asperger's are his insights into his messed-up childhood, his hjinks as a young man living on his own, his sound engineering work with KISS, and his years in the corporate world. An enjoyable read. Grade: B.

Excellent book, good insights into what life is like for an Aspy. Reccomend for all families who are effected by this curve that life throws us.

This book is entertaining and well written, but it does not give the information on Asperger's that I was seeking. The author shares more about his upbringing with incompetent parents than the issues associated with having Asperger's. When reading this book it is hard to separate what trials he endured because of Asperger's and what were based on poor parenting.

Do not read this book and expect to learn all about Asperger's. It is a memoir of the author's life with it. If you are looking for an education on AS, then look to a medical text or web site. Other reviewers are complaining about that aspect, but this is not a textbook. It is an interesting memoir written from the point of view of someone whose point of view is very different and unique from the rest of the world. Other reviewers are also complaining that the book doesn't flow and the writing isn't very colorful. That is true, but it is because of the author's AS. If the editor encouraged the author to change his style then it wouldn't really be written with the outlook of someone with Asperger's Syndrome. The book is unlike most other books because there really is no overall theme, some of the writing is choppy, some parts go too much into description about minute things, but I found this to be interesting because it gave me a glimpse into the mind of someone with AS. The book is not incredibly entertaining, funny, or enthralling, but it is different. Just be prepared for something unusual when reading it. The author's life isn't incredibly out of the ordinary, but the way he sees and does things are. I enjoyed this book, but I can't say that I would read a second book by this author.

Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Aspergers by John Robison ***1/2

Look Me In The Eye can at times be hard to swallow. While it is interesting to see how the disease effected Robison's life that is as far as the book goes with merit. Being the brother of well known and highly regarded author Augusten Burroughs he had big shoes to fill, and for his first outing he does fine. Also being his brother it is very interesting to see how the two both came out of their childhoods some what normal.

As they are brothers a lot of the stories told here have been told by Burroughs in his work before this. So the reader would hope to get a new perspective on the events and see it from someone else view. Well they are told the same way making the book seem boring at times.

Robison's stories often become very technical (due in part to his disorder), making some of the stories boring. The parts and things he used to build something are not nearly as interesting as what he did with those parts and he doesn't get that. This is also in part to his disorder.

But to see his struggle with his parents on top of his personal demons is fascinating and entertaining as a memoir. To see a man overcome his demons is always uplifting and wonderful to witness. For that Look Me In The Eye is not a total loss.

If you have the patience this is a nice read as well as an eye opening one...no pun intended.

I picked up this title as one it was a woman's spiritual journey and two I like the author for her other two books - secret life of bees and mermaid chair. I am not a christian woman, and my religion does have a feminine version of God. But no woman is really spared the overwhelming experience of patriarchy in one form or the other. Sue's experience seems to come from an authentic place of pain and genuine need to explore, quite unlike Liz Gilbert or other self pitying women. She is obviously well read in theology of her own religion and has put great effort into understanding the 'song' as she calls it, the spiritual calling behind the practice of the religion. She is lucky to have had the resources to explore the pain she experienced and kind and generous to share it with the world. Some reviewers have written that being from an orthodox background she feels discrimination more than they do. Regardless of how you feel it it is very much present and will take centuries to go away. Sue's story is an inspiring call to women to reexamine the roots of their faith and their history in various forms, and simply put to be inspired to do our own dance, as opposed to dancing to others tunes.

I have read many of the reviews of this book, and I noticed the variety of opinions Dance of the Dissident Daughter has inspired.

Each of us has an opinion of this story based on our personal experiences, and my spiritual experience is quite similar to Kidd's.

I can relate to the phases she had to go through in order to find peace with her path; I honor and respect her journey.

Read this book with an open heart. I did not believe that she was bashing men or Christianity; she had to set the programming of the church aside and find her own truth. This is what she inspires all women to do for themselves.

We all search for our individual spirituality...our meaning...and I feel that this book gives a beautiful example of one woman's search for her truth.

May you find yours as well.

Sue Monk Kidd captures the reader with her openness about how she became a feminist, almost by accident. This is a very personal account describing her experience of moving from accepted Christianity to feminism. I found the story fascinating and finished it in only 3 days. For the most part, the author simply told her story and how she interpreted the events she faced along the way. However, at various places in the book she began to generalize her experiences to all women, which made me agree with the reviewer who said her journey is not my journey.

What I found a bit disconcerting is that the author states that she made a living as a writer for Christian and inspirational magazines and yet on page 83 says that she suddenly realized that the Bible focuses primarily on masculine rather than feminine attributes of God. Actually, the primary message throughout the Bible is that the God who created the universe wants to have a personal relationship with his creatures, both female and male, and how that is achieved. Even the author would classify relationships as a domain which is more in the feminine rather than mascuine realm. Likewise, the majority of the 10 Commandments deal with relationships and in Matthew 22:36-39 Jesus said the 2 most important commands were loving God and loving your neighbor. I don't see how anyone can miss these more feminine qualities of God.

Maybe the fact that America is a much more egalitarian society than when the book was written in 1996, and maybe some of the recent books that I've read, like The Female Brain, which highlights some of the hormonal and internal changes that women undergo explain why I disagree with the author and don't view the elements of patriarchy in society as something that needs to be attacked. Also, Kidd identifies many identity issues as struggles for girls and women, which I believe are universal struggles regardless of one's gender.

However, even with these complaints I believe the book is important to read if one wants to understand and interact knowledgably with a feminist.

Sue Monk Kidd's journey resonates for me as I have long struggled with the way we tend to ignore or excuse the masculine priority that surrounds women's lives. Ms. Monk explores and ennunciates the "stacked deck" of everything from language and religion to the ingrained assumptions of women's secondary status in the world. True the balance has shifted somewhat, but as long as there are places where men have a "right" to beat their wives, where it is against the law for women to be educated, where it's a BIG DEAL to have a woman run for president, where we criticize a woman for being today's connotation of the word FEMINIST for speaking simple truths; we have a problem. Not one to be trivialized or ignored. Can you imagine the hue and cry that would erupt were we to refer to all humanity as "whitekind"? Ms. Monk is shining a light on the endemic prejudice women live with every day of their lives by sharing her journey, her questions, her fears, and confusion with us. I am grateful to her. I don't feel so alone.

Sue Monk Kidd expertly and openly shares her most intimate experience in finding the Divine in this well written and referenced personal account.

This is a wonderful look at one of the most talented men of the last century. It is a well-written book on a man who embodied the spirit of an age. As the cartooning G.I. of WW 11 who put a face on the common foot soldier to the writer & political cartoonist who struggled to find a place for himself after that war, this book is a great accounting of a singular life in American History and the Art of Political Cartooning. The illustrations and photos are wonderful. The work is remarkable in it's relevance to & resonance in this century.

This is a book that is hard to put down and was fun to read. Bill tells it how it must have been and there was little glory in being mired in the mud in Italy. Bill had a tenatious work ethic it was interesting to know how he persued and succeded as a war cartoonist. When I put the book down, I pre-ordered his volume of cartoons.

Bill Mauldin "A Life Up Front", by Todd Depastino, Chronicles the life and artistry of a man who during World War Two, captured the struggle of the common American soldier through the eyes of his battle weary cartoon charcters Willie and Joe. Willie and Joe made their weekly appearence in the military newspapers such as Stars and stripes, and even our local homegrown papers. His cartoons depicted life as an enlisted soldier and all the hardships that went along with fighting during WW-2. Mauldin's cartoons infuriated general George Patton, to the point that the general threatened to have Mauldin thrown in jail if he ever got assigned to his 45th division. Bill Mauldin was a master story teller, who happened to tell his stories in cartoon format. To the greatest generation, Willie and Joe were characters that were symbolic to every soldier who ever served on the front lines, as the real life foot soldier shared a common bond with Mauldin's cartoon heroes. This book tells the story of a simple man born poor in New Mexico, and how he overcame poverty, to become one of the nations greatest cartoon artists, along with a life full of great times as well as a life full of turmoil, as he battled alcoholism, unstable family life, and finally finding piece prior to his death from alzheimers disease in 2003. Bill Mauldin had a story to tell, and tell it he did, in cartoon format which will live forever in the annals of WW-2 history through the eyes of Willie and Joe,who were just a couple of unshaven, dirty, hungry and tired GI'S who had something to say. This book is generously illustrated with some of the most memorable Willie and Joe cartoons, over the course of this 340 page biography. The author will be releasing in March 2008, a two volume special edition slip case edition of "Willie and Joe", the WW-2 years, which chronicles the entire Bill Mauldin Willie and Joe cartoon catolog complete with commentary.

Bill Mauldin wrote several great books on his own life including "The Brass Ring" in 1972. This new, and only, biography, by Todd DePastino, is as good a book, or not better, than I thought it would be when I ordered it.

This excellent biography covers Mauldin's entire public and private lives. Bill was born in 1921 and passed away in 2003. The touching last weeks of his life are as inspiring as anything written in the entire book.

Mauldin' most popular book of war time cartoons, "UP FRONT", was published in 1944. It won him instant fame and a Pulitzer Prize for his creation of the now legendary G.I. Wilie and Joe cartoon drawings, on and for army dogfaces, that touched the hearts and souls of our fighting men and women at war, and those and at home.

But, to me, the best part of DePastino's new biography deals with Mauldin's life and career after Bill Mauldin, Joe, and Willie came home from The War. The post WW II period of Bill's career has somehow been neglected before this great book was written. In fact, Mauldin's editorial cartoons, with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and then with the Chicago Sun-Times, brought him another Pulitzer Prize in 1958. Readers will be interested in seeing that cartoon, as well as many of his war, and post war efforts.

In 1965 my father bought an orignal autographed Willie framed canvas cartoon . I now have it. I have told my daughters that the Mauldin drawing is theirs, for the memories of their grandfather and me. This book just makes my fondness for Bill Mauldin even greater. I am going to get copies of this book for my daughters.

Thanks, Mr. DePastino for a great biography on Bill Mauldin.

The most famous cartoonist of World War Two was Bill Mauldin. Everyone knew his cartoons of the disheveled, ill-shaven GIs Willie and Joe, but not everyone liked them. The GIs themselves were big fans. They knew that Mauldin, even in the simple medium of newspaper comics, was getting their story right. In _Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front_ (Norton), Todd DePastino, who has previously edited a book of Willie and Joe cartoons, has given us what is, surprisingly, the first full length biography of the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist. The book fittingly contains dozens of Mauldin's drawings, and not all from the war years. Like many veterans, Mauldin may have had the high point of his life during the war, but his second Pulitzer came in 1958, and it's not even for his most famous post-war cartoon. A distinctly American genius, Mauldin deserved a sympathetic and detailed biography, and that is just what DePastino has given us.

Mauldin really was a genius with a pencil or pen. He was making detailed drawings before he could talk. He got some formal training, but he could not make cartoons pay, and unemployment was bad enough in 1940 that he joined the Arizona National Guard's 45th Infantry Division. His cartoons, featured in the division newspaper, were humorous takes on the sort of things other soldier cartoonists were doing, showing dumb privates peeling potatoes and dumb officers mouthing off criticisms. After he went through battle in Sicily and Italy, however, the cartoons changed, showing generally competent soldiers, doing a bloody, muddy, dangerous, and unappreciated job. The sympathetic accuracy of the portraits was what made them beloved by the dogfaces that recognized themselves in the depictions and the situations. The GIs loved Mauldin's cartoons; the officers were less than unanimous in their admiration. General Patton hated them, and early in Mauldin's army career, he tried pulling rank, telling Mauldin's commander "Get rid of Mauldin and his cartoons". It was one battle Patton lost. Mauldin's cartoons were syndicated stateside. He also began a writing career that was to prove to be successful, starting with _Up Front_, a bestselling account of the Italian campaign. He became a popular editorial cartoonist. His cartoons took down segregationists, the KKK, and the anti-Communist hysteria of Joe McCarthy. He got himself an FBI file for his efforts. His most famous postwar cartoon was the one of the statue of Lincoln from the Memorial, head in hands after the assassination of Kennedy. Mauldin remained a reporter, taking assignments in Vietnam, Israel, and even the Persian Gulf for our first war there. He acted briefly in the movies. He died of dementia, complicated by alcohol, and a severe scalding accident in 2003.

DePastino's wonderful and moving book rightly concentrates on the war years, but details plenty of the post-war career. Mauldin was self-critical enough to write, "I never quite could shake off the guilt feeling that I had made something good out of the war." He didn't like the Veterans of Foreign Wars or American Legion types who he felt glorified war, and he couldn't stand going to the memorials which brought back gruesome memories. But he died well loved by the soldiers who had loved him for depicting them realistically. In his nursing home, he didn't always recognize family that came to see him, and his marriages and career became blanks. But when the veterans came, just guys who had loved seeing themselves in his work, he seemed to know them. Years before, when Tom Brokaw put to him that the real Willies and Joes were America's "Greatest Generation," Mauldin wasn't having any of it. He replied that "they were human beings, they had their weaknesses and their flaws and their good sides and bad sides. The one thing they had in common was that they were a little too young to die." It was the realistic sort of respect his cartoons had always shown.

Susan told a remarkable story of her life as a child bride. It is truly amazing what these women and children have to go through and Susan takes you right into their world. Awesome book.

Excellent read. It really held my attentiona and I had a hard time putting it down. It was fascinating, compelling, educational and very interesting.

This book was very well written and kept my interest. It is terrible that such brainwashing in the name of religion is going on. It was a miracle that she and her chldren were able to escape. I enjoyed this book very much.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. I took it with me on vacation and found myself buried in the book on the beach instead of buried in the sand. Being a fan of the HBO show Big Love I wanted to do some reading and research on the subject of polygamy to shed some light on certain things in the show I could not understand. This helped tremndously. I even began reading it out loud to my husband.

A very interesting and sad side of false religion and how easily Scripture is twisted to fit man's rules, not God's commands. It is really sad that people actually think pologamy is what God wants anyone to participate in. It is sad as well as disgusting how cults work and have their way with women and men alike. Just because some man thinks he is hearing God when all he ever heard were demons giving him false facts.
To start a whole religion on lies is NOT GOD and certainly not the JESUS who is the TRUE SAVIOUR! And as if that isn't bad enough, then more men come along and start more lies and another cult branched off the first cult of the LDS movement which robs even more people of eternal life in Christ and in heaven reigning with Him!

This is my favorite book from any of the recent releases by Easy Company veterans. The writing style is smooth and the emotions are clear. This is the kind of memoir a person should be proud of and the personal narratives bring out a surprisingly sensitive side to the paratrooper sergeant that is the subject of this book. Highly recommended for anyone!

My wife and I play pool. Most Thursday afternoons, around 4:00 P.M., a true gentleman strolls into The Cue Ball, Salem, Oregon. I'm not a war buff. I don't have a collection of war books. I bought the book because I've had the honor of meeting the man. I found this book to be a fantastic read...other reviews here do a good job of describing that.

I guess my reason for writing this is to assure you that Sgt. Donald Malarkey deserves all the respect he receives. The regulars of The Cue Ball know who the toughest guy there is. At least, after reading this book, I do.

While readers may revel in the glory and excitement of a war they've never fought, this book, without meaning to, gives an honest, begrudging account of the tragic personal cost of war to those who fought and survived. In this sense it is a moving, at times heart breaking and compelling documentary.

It took real courage to face fear in battle, and I am sure even more for the author to write this book.

MR MALARKEY BRINGS THE " BAND OF BROTHERS" MEN INTO A CLOSER INSPECTION, THE BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN, A NATURAL FLOW, GIVES THE READER A REAL FEEL FOR THE WAR. PUT THIS ON YOUR " TO READ LIST" AT THE TOP

Don Marlarky shares with us his experiences as a member of the famed Band of Brothers, Easy Company. His memory of his life in and out of uniform is remarkable for any man, let alone one who was 86 when this book was written. Kudos to his family for encouraging him to write this book for us to respect, honor and enjoy. You will not believe how fast this book reads. There is plenty of action and insight into the heart, mind and soul of one of the most effective fighting men in Easy Co. From Currahee to Zel am See we are transported through one man's experiences as an elite paratrooper who fought more days than most of the men of Easy. You will truly find it hard to put this book down.

A.E. Wentworth
Military History buff
Respector of our WWII veterans

This book is quite pleasing, it is well argued and well written. If you like "juicy" biographies full of details and trivia you will be disappointed, nonetheless, it still has a wealth of biographical data that makes the book interesting and instructive. The main focus of the book is on Jefferson's achievements and legacy. The man (Jefferson) was an intellectual colossus and was never short on peculiar and original ideas; he remains an icon for all Americans that are wary of big government and all Americans that defend the sovereignty of the individual. I am glad I picked up this book as my starter on Jefferson.

A common theme amongst many reader reviews that appeared to be neophytes to American history was that this book is painfully slow and lacking a compelling narrative. While I disagree with the former claim, I agree with the latter. I believe this is a book that best serves more ardent students of history who've already studied Jefferson and are more than willing to wade through a lot of uneventful anecdotes to get to know the man better, which Ellis does a great job on the subjects he covers except Jefferson's position on religion - so for those that want to go deep into history, this is a very interesting, worthy book. Ellis purposefully strips out much of the narrative by design, it is a character analysis (see subtitle of book for goodness sakes!), and therefore a narrative would threaten the very purpose of the book.

Ellis' Jefferson comes off as perfectly brilliant, utopian, progressive, somewhat dogmatic, impractical, subversive, and most importantly - all too human. Ellis does a wonderful job of describing the events where Jefferson was obviously on the wrong side of history as we look back in time - e.g., Jefferson's belief that the states would better defend individual liberty rather than the federal government, especially the Supreme Court which has ultimately become our greatest defender, along with eloquently analyzing his greatest accomplishments and contributions to mankind. Ellis brings Madison and Adams into this study in just the right amounts to provide an understanding of how Jefferson interacted with the other framers along with how Jefferson viewed the Revolution and ratification of the Constitution vs. their very different perspectives.

Ellis's treatment of Jefferson's contributions to promoting the limits of government and its obligation to defend its citizens' liberty rights was well covered from a philosophical perspective but completely lacking from a constitutional perspective. While Ellis covered Jefferson's firm position on the importance of secular government if men were to fully enjoy liberty was noted, this analysis was all too brief given the current times where the religious right continuously mischaracterize Jefferson's position on religious freedom, e.g., President Bush's 2008 Independence Day speech is a good example of a modern day character distorting Jefferson's writings to achieve a political objective perfectly contrary to Jefferson's clearly stated position. Given that Jefferson believed that individual freedom is only possible with a secular government with zero evidence to date he was incorrect; Ellis shortchanges his readers by not spending more time on this critical contribution, especially given Jefferson's radical position, and in hindsight his genius on this subject. In fact, Jefferson's position is still so radical there is no way a modern-day politician could espouse views like Jefferson's and get elected in America.

Ellis also leaves out some out critical time periods in Jefferson's life, like Jefferson's second term as President. Given the paperback's main body comes in at 367 pages, I felt one hundred fifty more pages to include more on Jefferson's religious viewpoints and his second presidential term was well deserved given the importance of Jefferson relative to America's founding ideals passed down by him and the other framers.

I am a well educated person with a particular interest in Jefferson. I was amazed at the assertion by Ellis that Jefferson formed the republican party. The republican party was not established until 1854. The party the Jefferson formed evolved into the democratic party. Are we living in the soviet union now? if you don't like real history you just change it. How do I get my money back on his piece of crap book? I knew this guy has a history of stretching the truth but I didn't know it went this far!

Absolute claptrap from a morally bankrupt excuse of a human being who cannot find his niche in his pathetic underachieving life. He resorts to "tabloid" history, finding it makes up for his inability to do real research or be able to critically evaluate it. His personal ability to read into the heart and motivations of the founding fathers is ridiculous.
Save your money and buy a real book by a real historian. The more read you are on one of his "targets", the more you will find his writing vacant. He must have worked for the enquirer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Ellis's book about that enigmatic man: Thomas Jefferson. It is not a biography of Jefferson nor is it a complete history and those of us who want to know more about this period in American history will need to look to other sources.

For me, the value of this book is the articulation of some of the perceived contradictions between Jefferson's idealism and his actions as a man of his time. Regardless of Jefferson's likeability as a man, he had a profound influence over the shape of the emerging American republic. In exploring the character of Thomas Jefferson, Professor Ellis provides an historical and social context as a prism through which to view the man and his actions. It is ironic that a man with the vision to work with others to set in place the foundations of a great nation was unable to manage his own affairs so successfully. Public life is so often accompanied by significant personal cost.

It may be true that `The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' I doubt that in 1787, when Jefferson uttered those words, he could foresee how thirsty the tree of liberty would prove to be.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Blomberg's "Jesus and the Gospels" is no light reading. It is comprehensive and academic, though very accessible and understandable. Blomberg seemingly lays out everything a person could want to know about the four gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. He manages to maintain a strictly evangelical voice throughout, yet his points are intellectually-sound and smoothly articulate and should be helpful to many outside evangelicalism.

Again, the strength of Blomberg's work is its exhaustive nature. Some of the most instructive parts of the book are the historical and political background that he provides. This stuff sets the stage for the gospels to make sense, and evangelicals are certainly guilty of misinterpreting much of Scripture due to a simple misunderstanding (or even ignoring) of context.

Though this work is academic, it is also pastoral. Honestly, the final chapter, in which he summarizes the nature of who Jesus really was and considered Himself to be, is worth the price of the book by itself. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to more fully understand the life of Jesus and is willing to do a little bit of mental work to read, think, and learn.

This book is being used as a text for an on line Life Of Christ class. It continually exceeds other class resources in depth and scope of information. Mr. Blomberg is open to alternative interpretations of questionable historical markers, is seldon dogmatic, but keeps the main thing the main thing. Be prepared to take lots of notes to ensure you catch all the direction changes as he presents differing interpretations of the same event/information. Great use of sources old and new.

The construction of the book is less than stellar. I am only two weeks into the class and back cover has totally seperated from the binding. A little duct tape does wonders. As I said, this is an online class so the book is not hard travelled or misused to account for the damage.

Blomberg wrote an excellent book. This book is a careful study of the context, life and times of Jesus in the first century. This book is not 'light reading,' and probably needs to be done when you are fully engaged. With that said, it will put you in a different zone in your knowledge of the first century and the Gospels than before you read it. JVD

I must say that I really love this book. This is one of those books that you know you are going to keep always in your library, a book that will help you whether you decide to become a minister a teacher or whatnot. You will, years from now, find yourself coming back to this book again and again because it is just that good. I am going through, well, finishing up, my first half of studying the New Testament at the seminary I am going to. Blomberg's book has truly helped me see and understand the concepts and the considerations and the structures and the messages behind the Gospels (which is primarily what I am studying in the first half of NT study). Yes this book is rather academic, it isn't the kind of book that you would just sit down on a Summer's afternoon to read. Instead, this book helps you to fully appreciate the Gospels, and more to the point, appreciate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that He did and still does in the world. Blomberg's book helps you to realize that the Gospels are living works of writing, that they speak volumes of love, mystery, grace, and yes even judgment toward those of us who dare to see the truth, the way, and the life. Blomberg isn't perfect, and you probably wont agree with each and every detail that he speaks of, which is understandable, but still, you will indeed learn a lot about the NT and the Gospels found therein. I suggest that if you are truly interested in learning about the New Testament and that you have the time and the patience to study fully all that there is to know about the New Testament (and not just some garbage that you might find from the liberal left like the Jesus Seminar and people like John Spong), you really need to begin with this book on the Gospels. Yes be prayerful as you study, but have this book (and the sequel to this book, From Pentecost to Patmos) by your side. You wont be sorry, it will truly help you in your journey with Christ Jesus!

this is a very sane and sober comprehensive dig into a wealth of issues surrounding Jesus studies and the four gospels of the new testament. A tremendous amount of issues are put on the table and you will truly learn alot from this book. Well researched, careful scholarship and a well read author who is indeed conservative, but not a fundamentalist. The only quibble I have with this work is that I wish it dealt a bit more with the greco-roman milieu of miralcles, myths and mystery religions. These subjects are included in this book to be sure, but I think more material would have been helpful. This is only a minor quibble though, after all, one volume can only pack so much into it. I also think that on a few rare occasions His conservative bent may get the better of him, but again, I would say this is rare. It is a bit of a tedious read in some ways, but this is to be expected from a work that is not designed to be a fun narrative story. This is not a devotional read, but rather this work seeks to educate readers on the historical issues of Jesus studies as well as the gospels along with the meaning and understanding thereof. This is sorely needed as too much "bible teaching" today is less than grounded in careful sanity. For a very accurate study of Jesus issues with sanity, don't miss this one! Also see N.T. Wright's, The Original Jesus, and Peter Walker's little book by Intervarsity Press, Jesus in His World. These are top notch intro level books helping one to understand Jesus according to His historical and cultural context.

"All Creatures Great and Small" is the first of four books in this brilliantly written series. The companion volumes are "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "All Things Wise and Wonderful", and "The Lord God Made Them All". James Herriot (whose actual name was James Alfred Wight) began his veterinary practice in 1939 and continued serving his community for half a century. Each story that he penned carries the reader deep into the Yorkshire countryside of England and into the lives of many colorful and entertaining characters, both people and animals. You will be captured by the tales and find yourself laughing out loud at the antics of man and beast, relecting on the beauty of the close friendship of a pet, and weeping over losses that we all suffer when one of our animal friends pass. These are books to read again and again because they show the depth of compassion that one man had for God's creatures through a life lived in simplicity, and yet his writings are a profound example to all who love and care for animals.

I bought the book for my 11 yo cause it was recommended. i ended up reading and enjoying the book, but how someone can imagine it suitable for youngsers under 18 is beyond me.

god blessed james . author/vet herriot wrote one of the most beautiful , loving , detailed and moving books you'd ever have the good fortune of stumbling across . i read a portion in a jr. college reader and then swiftly got the book . james was clearly one of the greatest writer/humans of any time . what a gift his insight and stories are . required reading for all humanity .

The classic story based on the real life experience of a veterinarian in Yorkshire, England. James Herriot comes to Darrowby during a time when jobs are scarce and he needs to stay. But he finds he loves the people and the animals.

His associates are a lively bunch. His boss, Siegfried Farnon, is kindhearted, but has an annoying habit of contradicting himself (and then blaming it on James). Siegfried's brother, Tristan Farnon, is the younger almost-vet who is stuck with the worst jobs, loves the ladies and a drink or two. The farmers and neighbors are generally are hardworking lot. Their stories give the true color of the place and time. James also meets Helen Alderson, the beautiful and enchanting daughter of a farmer.

The classic tale was also turned into a BBC series (7 seasons). I would highly recommend both!

Mr. James Herriot is an uncommon writer, possessed of extraordinary skill and a mastery of the English language. When speaking of works of fiction, he is my favorite writer. His ability to choose perfectly appropriate and descriptive words, phrases, and metaphors to verbally illustrate unique characteristics, landscapes, feelings, and situations still has me mesmerized.

"All Creatures Great and Small" is autobiographical in that Mr. Herriot is the central character of the book, though James Herriot is the pen name of the real author, Jim Wight. However, since the work is defined as a novel, then one may assume that Mr. Herriot took certain liberties in relating many of the tales he unfolds. Mr. Herriot is a veterinary surgeon, and much of his novel specifically involves dealing with particular cases of sick livestock and ailing house pets. One should not quickly conclude, however, that this story is merely about the ramblings of a country animal doctor who at times finds himself in interesting situations, as some reviewers would suggest.

Instead, my feeling is that Mr. Herriot utilized his visits to multiple and varied farms and residences in the British countryside to highlight the individual conditions, attitudes, and distinctive persons he discovered at each location. The book becomes absolutely delightful and poignant, for instance, when Mr. Herriot kindly sits at an aging woman's bedside and tenderly comforts her with his voiced belief that her devoted, loving dogs and cats are indeed possessed of souls and that she need not fear that they will again be her companions in the afterlife.

And I do not believe I have laughed out loud so frequently while reading one book. Some of my personal favorites are when his brakes go out on his car and he must navigate a steep and winding descent to the bottom of a low valley, where his next veterinary visit is scheduled, and when he finds himself on his first date with the woman he is destined to marry and the only respectable dress suit he owns is several years out of fashion and far too tight-fitting, which is partly why he becomes far too nervous and a bout of awkward conversation and actions follow. Additionally, much might be said here about the quirky relationship Mr. Herriot has with his unpredictable and explosive yet perfectly harmless and generous employer, a Mr. Siegfried Farnon, and Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan. Farnon's demanding attitude regarding his veterinary business affairs, especially in the face of Tristan's irresponsibility in mishandling assignments and responsibilities, is often the basis for much of the hilarity in the book.

In speaking of his relationships with those to whom he is closest on a personal level and the frequently visited owners of his animal patients, Mr. Herriot has an especially profound gift when it comes to praising the best characteristics that are found in the human race. He speaks with eloquent fondness when describing the beautiful traits he sees in his lovely Helen, his soon-to-be wife. And when he stumbles upon a man or woman who he feels is in ownership of certain admirable exceptionality, such as industry or thrift or honesty or discipline or gentleness, his written accolades of such persons is heartwarming and deeply inspiring.

Thus I would say that this book has everything. It touches upon the topics of death, faith, humor, love, devotion, stewardship, human strengths and frailties, prosperity and poverty, work and idleness, occupation, and the list goes on. Given that these interesting topics are handled so capably by Mr. Herriot's writing talent, I doubt that any sensitive reader would find this book to be anything but delightful and praiseworthy.

Thanks to this book I can finally say I'm on the recovery path. I have suffered from an eating disorder for eight years and never thought I would live a "Life Without Ed". When I purchased this book I thought it was going to be like all the others, useless in helping me to gain control over and move beyond my eating disorder. Boy was I wrong, it helped me to look at things in a new perspective and changed my way of thinking completely. By separating myself from my eating disorder I was finally able to disobey and fight back. For me, knowing "Jenny" was just a page away helped me to do what was necessary in recovery. I am and forever will be grateful to what this book has given back to me. I highly recmommend this book to anyone as a tool to "Divorce Ed" and get back what they rightfully deserve a "Life Without Ed".

Sandy Peterson

Make no mistake, "Life Without Ed" is most certainly a useful and worthy read for those with eating disorders, however, this book is better suited for those who have already began the recovery process. I say this because it makes recovery appear to be a lot quicker and more simplistic than it truly is. Those who are currently seeing a therapist for their eating disorder will be able to implement the tools provided in this book into their current program. In this book the eating disorder is personified as a man named ED ("E"ating "D"isorder). This technique makes it much easier to understand how the eating disorder works and why it is so powerful. Also provided are exercises that can be quite useful during the recovery process for both therapist and patient.

For those who have not yet begun treatment or those who are simply interested in the topic of eating disorders, this serves as a slightly sugar-coated account of recovery. While Jenni's story is an inspiring one, the book moves a bit quickly between topics and is a bit nonchalant at times. She shares witty anecdotes and reflects on different lessons that have been learned, but I don't believe she effectively captures just how painful and difficult this process can be. I definitely recommend reading this book--it is a useful ally in the recovery process--but perhaps more of a memoir than a self-help book.

This is an easy read but focuses on the author's recovery & stumbles along the way. I did not personally reap any benefit from reading this book but if you've never read any "self-help/recovery" books before, you may gain a few tips from this one. Her therapist has a few chapters in the book where he tells you what worked for "her". It's not a step-by-step book but if someone loans you the book, give it a read. I wouldn't buy it though. It's just not "hard-core" enough to give you any boundaries or core work to help you get started on your on self recovery. It may give you the hope & reassurance that you need to recover but that's about all!!!

I absolutely loved this book! it has a lot of great recommendations and tips to work on recovery.
Sometimes we need a book like this, that tells us what to do step by step in order to continue in recovery and it is better by someone who experienced an eating disorder in first hand.
Thanks Jenni for sharing your experience!!

I find this book an excellent resource for anyone who has an eating disorder or knows somebody who does. It offered me an insight into what my ED daughter is feeling and battling internally and gave me very practical ideas on how to support her and talk with her. She uses the same approach that Jenni uses and talks back to the emotional 'voice' that an ED can present and this approach is extremely useful in her recovery.

My kids have been fascinated with Barack Obama on TV. Now they can learn more about him (me too) while reading this excellently told, inspiring biography of the man who could very well be our next President. The book also does an excellent job of encouraging our children to strive for the best in life and to never get discouraged. I bought it for my kids & for all of my friends who have kids... Don't stop until every household has one. My 5 year old can read it and wants to because she loves BARACK OBAMA!