Son of Hope [Hardcover] Review

I have just finished reading David Berkowitz's book "Son of Hope". I remember the man he was when he was arrested, his face and piercing eyes. And I recently viewed on line the interviewswith David aired on CBS in New York City. On May 10th, I saw the segment entitled "bonus footage behind the scenes look at the "Son of Sam" Interviews, which I don't believe was aired on TV. They showed the man who they arrested as Son of Sam and the face of the man who has been transformed, saved and set free in Christ Jesus; now the Son of Hope and they don't even look like the same man.

David's journal on December 21, 2004 said it all. He doesn't even feel as though he is in prison except for the place that it is. He is a minister, a witness, of how a loving Christ can reach a man lost in sin, with no hope and change him into a helper, a servant reaching out to fellow prisoners, giving him a ministry within the prison walls. I am so impressed upon reading that David receives no profit from the sale of his book, that anything received goes to the parents/victims of his past crimes. Thank you David for writing the book. I certainly plan to share mine with others. See you in Heaven.

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Product Description:
From later 1975 through 1977, over a 13-month period David Berkowitz went on a killing spree in the New York metropolitan area--a spree that left six people dead and seven wounded.When Berkowitz--dubbed the Son of Sam--was finally captured, he confessed to his crimes and in 1978 was sentenced to 365 consecutive years in prison.

Ten years into David's prison sentence a fellow inmate began to share with him Christ's love, hope, and forgiveness.Eventually,David Berkowitz accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and has been walking as a Christian for more than 18 years.

David's prison journals offer irrefutable evidence that God has indeed done a marvelous and miraculous work in this man's life.

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Forty Days: A Book By Tommy Jonq [Paperback] Review

Forty Days is high quality fiction, at a tremendously affordable price. The writing again showcases the author's deft narrative skill and imaginative flair (I have read Gemini Tiger by the same author). I really enjoyed the award-winning "Ivy", the first story -- mostly because you wouldn't think that a male author would be behind the female narrator in the piece ;)! These aren't short stories to be quickly skimmed through -- doing so would thoroughly decrease a reader's chances of savoring the clever wordplay, through the pieces.

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Product Description:
The award-winning author of "Gemini Tiger" takes on Barbie-Ken dream weddings, Jimmy Carter, and Teenaged Atomic Cheerleaders in this collection of short stories, poems, and a thing or two in between.

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Joy Comes in the Morning (Paperback) Review

This is a good book to read if you care for special needs children. It can give you encouragenment to keep on going when life with these precious special little ones gets complex and/or hectic. The writing is down to earth and unpolished.

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Product Description:
This book chronicles the story of one family's journey together in the realm of special needs adoption. It will give you a clear look into the lives of a family with love for children as well as the lives of the unique individuals who live life with disabilities.
You will see the impact they have had on the author's life as well as others. Their journey has been long and at times treacherous. This book walks you through the joys and perils of parenthood, adoption, and our individual search for faith.
As the author introduces you to the special people in her family you will feel encouraged and will learn the important life lessons these unique individuals can teach you. Her prayer is that you will encounter God in an amazing way that will bring you to a stronger faith in your Heavenly Father.
The reader will be encouraged, taught and drawn to a deeper faith and dependency on God. This family's story is emotion provoking, challenging and life changing.



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Good Morning Comrades (Paperback) Review

I have just finished reading the absolutely delightful, humorous and sweet:book, Bom Dia Camaradas [Good Morning Comrades] by Angolan author Ondjaki. This is not his first book, but it is the first of his books to come across my table. And what a gratifying surprise!

This is a book of a young man's memories of his teens. Actually is just the memories of a couple of months of his school days. They happen to be also the last days of the Angolan war, which here is seen within the context by his family's routine and the normal adventures of a young teenager's school days. He and his family are well placed in the middle class. And what we learn is how the middle class coped with the war, as well as their hopes for the future.

The story is framed by the arrival and departure of his aunt, who living in Portugal, spends several weeks visiting her family in Luanda. This visit gives Ondjaki a great way of describing Luanda, Angola and people's habits through the eyes and questions not only of the outsider, but through the constant surprise our young man feels when he compares her answers with what he knows to be "real life," that is, life as lived by those in Luanda. These interchanges between nephew and aunt are often humorous and occasionally hilarious, for we are able to see from both sides the amazement and disbelief at how the others live.

Ondjaki is also very skilled in representing the "nothing"-talk of young teens, who are constantly improving on reality not to miss a good tale. He was also very succinct and deft at demonstrating how in a period of crisis, any tale can be believable, and can make people act in the most extreme ways. All of this Ondjaki does while keeping a light tone, a colloquial dialogue in a smart teenager' mouth.

The book is a fast read. It's short, only 146 pages. But it's so charming I wanted to know more and more, I wanted to continue to follow this family's activities. It also has all the characteristics of a book that will become a classic for young readers, anywhere in the world.

For those of us who read it in Portuguese and are not from Angola, there is an extra prize: a wonderful discovery of a language that has acquired an African vocabulary that sings in the ears of Portuguese and certainly Brazilian readers. There is a glossary at the end of the book, but I did not find the need to consult it. I preferred to let the words establish their meaning for themselves.

This is a book I recommend. Pleasant reading and lots of information on Angola.
I will recommend this to my book club. It is that good!


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Product Description:

Told in a charming and original voice, Good Morning Comrades is the story of a group of friends who create a perfect childhood in a revolutionary socialist country fighting a bitter war. An internationally acclaimed novel, already published in half a dozen countries, Good Morning Comrades is an unforgettable book by one of Africa's most exciting young writers.



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The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (Hardcover) Review

This book is part memoir, part thinking person's self-help book.I like the fact that it draws not only on recent research in the new field of positive psychology, such as the work of Martin Seligman, but on the wisdom of thinkers as disparate as Samuel Butler and the ancient Stoic philosopher, Seneca.Many wonderful and wise quotations are included in the text.Gretchen Rubin has done a lot of research and reading, and distilled it all here, attempting to answer some vital questions.Is it possible to become a happier person?Is happiness a meaningful and worthwhile goal?She comes to the conclusion that while we may have a happiness set point, and a great deal of our mood is--researchers believe-- determined by heredity (50% or so), to some degree it is under own control (perhaps 30%).It may seem that someone who is not suffering from a painful mood disorder should be focused on other (more worthwhile?) goals than mood elevation.But happiness, after all, is something just about every human being wants, the goal that motivates much of our day to day striving.And rather than suggesting a life of self-centered hedonism, research indicates that the very factors that make for a meaningful life--good relationships, acting in a loving and generous way, engaging creatively with the world--contribute to happiness.

Will revamping your life and taking a systematic approach to seeking happiness work?Research indicates that it may."I really am happier," says Rubin after a year of following through on her own personal happiness plan.She goes into enough specific detail here about how she got to her more happy state that I have no trouble believing her.

Very responsibly, Rubin points out that her intent is to help people who are well become happier, not to treat a medical condition, i.e., depression.I can imagine her book, however, being an aid for those who are mildly depressed, perhaps as an adjunct to medical treatment, though perhaps they need to be a bit easy on themselves and not follow the plan in a perfectionist, pressured way.

I'm with Rubin when she says that even though we are all very different, learning about someone else's successes and failures can be a better catalyst for change than studying ideas in the abstract.She is generous about revealing the details of her own life--her own "happiness project."What is most transferable is not the specifics--particular actions she decided to experiment with in order to become more happy--but the idea of identifying potential sources of joy, designing steps to take to become happier, making monthly resolutions, carrying through and being accountable--i.e., quantifying the results.The average reader is not going to be as thorough and focused as Rubin was--but in my view that does not negate the value of this book.I'm into progress, I guess, and I believe that even a couple of changes modeled on the plan could make a difference in people's lives.

The book is written in an open, engaging, often humorous style. There is no posturing--Rubin is if anything self-deprecating-- but the writing crackles with intelligence.I found the THE HAPPINESS PROJECT a pleasure to read, and I can imagine people reading it with enjoyment even if they are already happy as clams and have no desire to get with the program.Rubin includes a specific guide for those who want to construct their own happiness plans, and also directs the reader to tools on her web site--nice helpful touches.All in all, a terrific book.


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