John Kemeny was an experience of a lifetime
922375
I bought this book at Dartmouth College in 1959 when I took Kemeny's excellent "Philosophy of Science" course. I was a graduate teaching assistant in physics working for my M.A. degree. What John Kemeny taught me has helped me immensely in my work for my Ph. D. in physics. I still have Kemeny's book as a reference and a memory of how well he taught the scientific method which has been so very important to my career in atmospheric physics.
I also took Kemeny's course in "Probability and Markov Chains" and, along with another 5 or so other students, hung out with him in the evenings when he was working on his new LGP-30 computer doing something I did not fully understand until years later. He was inventing the Basic computing language.
To know John Kemeny was an experience of a lifetime. This book gives the reader a peak into how John Kemeny made the complex simple.
892192
I truly enjoyed reading this book, although enjoy is probably not the correct word considering the subject..  It was a very enlightening account of how the author dealt with his cancer including his trials and tribulations, along with what he referred to as miracles.  It was hard to read about all he had been through, at the same time depicting a true love story between him and his wife.  It was also heartwarming to see how much he appreciated his doctors and his mentors, along with the rallying encouragement of friends and family. After he was determined to be cancer-free, he is paying it forward as a mentor to others after experiencing the appreciation of how one can be so very valuable to others.
1188965
John Brooks hands us his heart and soul in this deeply personal account of his and his wife's unconditional love for and ongoing parenting struggles with their adopted child Casey, who at the age of 17, took her own life.  This story evokes horror at the discovery their child has committed suicide.  We are treated to the Brookses joy and anxiety of welcoming a long awaited adopted baby into their lives as well as many happy memories. We agonize with them during the years of frustration and guilt over their inability to understand and "control" certain behaviors, which they assumed was normal and which they were constantly told was "a phase."  Customary parenting techniques and discipline did not seem to work on Casey's ongoing behavioral issues that began as a young child. Multiple therapists failed to identify or shed light on what might be causing Casey's difficulties.  It wasn't until after Casey's death that John discovered and began exploring an obscure condition, common among abandoned, neglected and/or abused children, known as attachment disorder. Considering Casey's first 14 months were spent in an orphanage in Poland, John began to unravel the mystery of Casey's personality and inner demons. I would not only recommend this book for parents with adopted children or expecting adoption, but to anyone who can appreciate the dedicated love, understanding and perseverance required to raise a child. This book is well written and a quick read.
4281102
Review of Un-Armed, Un-Armored and Un-Escorted, by John R. Johnson, Jr. Col. USAF (Retired)  Review by David Conn, author of  Lednorf's Dilemma, The Specific Density of Scientists, and The Pleasure of Fiends, An Orthodox Study of Evil.

Col. Johnson has allowed us a vivid understanding of the pains and personal struggles of a very young man who went to the aid of his country and people at a time when a world wide horror had just begun with no sign that it would be brought to a right and peaceful end for years to come. With only hope and carefully suppressed fears this 19 year-old volunteered for a military engagement of such proportions that he could not begin to imagine it. We are taken through all levels, mental and physical, of his next three years wherein he was sustained by loyalty and love for his mother, for his country, and for his Lord.

Through it all he managed to keep notes and letters from and to his mother and others that, along with his fascinating accounts and anecdotes, draw us into the bellicose world of drama and suspense that few of us on our own can imagine. And now he gives all the details by way of a marvelously written book,

Because of Colonel Johnson, we gain a renewed acquaintance with the grief and misery in that fiercest of all the wars in history. Yet it is obvious that he had a purpose in writing this book that is quite likely beyond just getting his life, his yearnings, his struggles (some common, some distinctive) laid out in a rather formal manner, so that he and others of us can learn what it means to be alive in a quickeningly moribund world. For I discern that he shares a passion with the wisest of our statesmen: And that is, first, that we learn - and never forget - what happens when the world and its nations become lapse in their love for the Lord of all creation; and, second, that our surviving these horrors is due precisely to those among us who are disciplined, dedicated and responsible servants of Truth.

The book gets five stars, not only for it having accomplished the impressive telling of an exciting war story, but for the fact that its author is an unusually honest and authentic warrior for his nation and for the Lord.

Our nation is gradually losing these men of great stature. Yet Colonel Johnson's book does contain a sublime message: There is important work ahead for all of us.
3627732
My initial decision for purchasing "The Secret Life of John Paul II" by Lino Zani with Marilu Simoneschi was to learn more about Pope John Paul's experiences skiing. I was looking forward to anecdotes and for more insight on the personal side of the man, at the time still physically vibrant - the "John Paul the Superstar" era. What I discovered, however, was something far more than stories glazed with nostalgic reflection twenty-some years later. I found a work both personal and mystical; reaching into the depths of the meaning of a crucified Christ, of the Cross, of destiny and providence. "Nothing happens by chance," John Paul once said, and indeed, Lino Zani - like all of us an imperfect man but one who came to realize his call to holiness through the presence of this mystic pope - weaves a story that takes its time to unfold but brims with anticipation on the idea that there are no coincidences. What is the mysterious connection between the pope's arrival in the mountains and of World War I? Of Fatima and suffering? Of destiny and metanoia? These are the things the book slowly unravels and it was a joy to return to the pages each night. Zani's details and clarity are laced with the calmness of experience, of a life breathing mountain air - of embracing and sharing his one-of-a-kind connection with Karol Wojtyla. I was privileged to be let into this "secret life." The secret life of the man we love, but also the secret of Lino Zani. Like the works of Paul Badde, Zani takes us on a journey about our faith, incorporating key characters in the Church like Joseph Ratzinger and Stanislaw Dziwisz; performers on a stage that all have a purpose - to give glory to God. At the center reaching up to Christ is John Paul. And like Lino Zani, we are blessed to be brought into his heart. By the end of the book, Zani seems to suggest we are all part of the same destiny. To love and to be fearless - to be not afraid.
4086235
Hunky by Nicholas Karas is novel, biography, history all rolled into one.  This book will appeal to anyone with family roots in Eastern Europe.  Especially those who have Grandparents and Great Grandparents who left their ancient homeland in search of a new life and crossed the storm tossed waters of the Atlantic Ocean in search of this dream called America.

  Many Americans have immigrant ancestors who crossed over from Europe but I will bet many have never stopped to understand what courage, commitment and even loss that those people had to endure to do start again in a new land.  Nicholas Karas uses his family history and stories to explain this to his readers in great detail.  From starvation and desperation in Galicia to vomit filled steerage aboard the ocean liners bringing them to America.  Then the novelty of arrival and harsh reality of the mines and mills that absorbed the lives and dreams of these people.  Our people.

  For me, I felt a connection since my family immigrated from Slovakia in 1903.  I now have a much better idea of what it must have been like for them to leave everything they knew for a dream.  No internet, phone, TV or Radio.  No planes, color photos and few cars.  Most of them could barely read or write if at all, yet they took those fateful steps out of the fields of Eastern Europe, boarded the ships like human cattle to brave an ocean and chase the dream of America.  Simply amazing.  Mr. Karas has given me a vividly detailed look into my Great Grandfather's life and the sacrifice he made so that me and my family live the life we do now rather than the same one he lived.  This book is a priceless gift.  I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to understand the why and how of their ancestors greatest journey.
1525689
This biography was more like an autobiography. With the immense wealth of letters to and from John Adams it seemed as though President Adams were the author and not Mr. McCullough. This biography affected me in surprising ways. I went through a roller coaster of emotions dealing with some of the most important men of our collective American history. Men that in my youth you only extolled as heroes and heroes they were. But in this book you saw them with all their blemishes and human faults. But that didn't take away the esteem that is owed to them.

In this magnificent book there is a truly moving love story between Abigail and John Adams that was deep and true. I was moved to tears by their losses and laughter and joy at their gains. I hope to take some of their life and instill it in my own marriage.

If you've read David McCullough "1776" you'll know the edge of your seat story of the year of the birth of our Nation and all the birthing pains that went with it. This book is a great accompaniment to that great book.

If you love history, romance, action, and stories of war and peace then I would strongly urge you to read this book. Keep it on your bookshelf to take down and wipe the dust off and read again and again. I know I will.
3989420
Revelatory doesnt even come close for this reader. This book documents the discovery of personal and national secrets on a grand scale. Still more satisfying is that this is one eminent researcher applying his gifts to investigate the life and work of another.

Especially inrtiguing for me is that I am a former student from Kennedys own Psychology Department in the University of Dundee. Thus I found this intensely private man transformed on the page from an elder statesman of his field to a tentative yet dedicated young man trusting to fate to realise his aspirations. Times being as they were he also had to accommodate to the whims of senior academic figures. Since I have come to know him as a senior figure himself I can report he no longer demonstrates this characteristic.

His respect for those who went before him is palpable and he writes with understanding and compassion about the protagonists. He is tough on himself and his own decisions and gives huge credit for those who taught and employed him. After a lifetime as a professional writer Kennedys prose is elegant and easy to read. I bounded through the book in a few hours often open mouthed at what it contained.

This book will appeal to those interested in History of Science, Psychology, the life scientific, local history, the relationship between academics and WWII (and of course former and current Psychology students of the University of Dundee).

As for me? I am touched not only by what I have discovered about Kennedy as a person, educator and academic but also by the history of the department in which I studied. I walk taller as a result.
1188348
Near death experiences are fascinating because they seem to provide some evidence that what we see is not all there is. The NDE described by Jon Mundy in the first chapters of this book is a new take on what it may feel like to experience death and living to tell about it. One always reads about the overwhelming beauty (see "Proof of Heaven") and pull to remain in "heaven" (see "To Heaven and Back" and "Dying to be Me"). Even children have described it (see "Heaven is Real").  But Jon Mundy's take is a little different (but not incompatible). He describes the comprehensible fear that an unprepared ego may experience if it is not yet ready to "meet its maker." The author tells with clarity the experience of terror that comes when being forced to let go of the body when one still firmly believes that one's identity is only encapsulated in that body. Anyone familiar with the beautiful teachings of The Course in Miracles will understand the importance of forgiveness, and letting go of every grievance, including the error that one is a body rather than a spiritual being, in order to prepare oneself for bodily death and eternity. Jon Mundy's work gives seekers lots of bits to chew on.
2804935
The author said it best when he said at the end of the book that writing a book about John Hay was a great prize.  Taliaferro brings John Hay alive and you can feel his joys and sadnesses as you follow his amazing life through some very amazing times in our history.  John Hay was the ultimate diplomat and helped move our country from a struggling young nation to a strong, influential world power. He worked for 3 Presidents who were assassinated and he was at the bedside of two of them.  I envy John Hay for living and working with President Lincoln and getting to know him in such intimate detail.  We need a man like John Hay today.  I thank John Taliaferro for doing such an wonderful job on this book.  I couldn't wait to get back to it each evening and felt lost when I had finished it.
4408596
This is one great book about an extraordinary life experience. Frank Griffin goes into his experience from the tragic death of his father's death in a political assassination in Sin City, Phenix City, Alabama to floating on a troop carrier in the Gulf waiting to go ashore in the Cuba invasion to witnessing Lee Harvey Oswald leaving the scene of the Tippit murder in Dallas. I don't know many folks that have had those experiences, and it's well worth the read. Trust me!
1539474
It is a remarkable experience to have the privilege to read a story about two people that became your parents. Up to the point of reading their book, I only knew them from my point of view and history with them as their first born son. Now I know them the way you will come to know them as you read their life story. Don and Carol are two remarkable people that the fates brought together during a simpler and far less material era in our country. Through the chapters of this book, each a "scene" further describing their enduring love for each other, you will get the chance to follow their remarkable and adventurous journey from that simpler time into the 21st century. Their story is filled with anecdotes involving all kinds of people from family characters to famous personalities, to fast friends and frustrating folks suffering from "bigshotittus". You will follow them on exciting travels, and experience their thrills of victory and challenges of life that were well met always together. Remarkably, Carol's arrival later in life to alzeheimer's disease did not end their adventure and love story, rather it caused the two of them to create different approaches to continue to experience the things they loved to do together. For people who enjoy reading a great love story, this book is definately for you. For people looking for answers on how to adapt and cope with alzeheimer's disease, this is a book of both hope and revelation. For either reason, in reading this book, you will find as I now have that Don and Carol are people worth getting to know!
1351405
Reading "Jewish Gospels of John" by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg was a great pleasure and a big adventure. Word by word and chapter-by-chapter, the reader is being moved to the first century in Jerusalem, one can see the Holy Land, and hear Jesus teaching the crowds. Many people believe that Gospel of John is the most difficult one, but after reading Dr. Elis incredible book, it seems fascinating and intelligible. After reading "Jewish Gospel of John" you can answer any question regarding how this Gospel describes Jesus' life. The author makes fascinating connections between the Gospel of John and the Book of Ezekiel, and shows how one can understand its anti-Jewish context, and much more. Whether you are an academic scholar or a beginner to Bible exploration - you can enjoy this fascinating journey. I believe this is my new favorite book. It is most important one to me because it is far from a difficult academic discussion. It is written in easy to understand language and every difficult part is explained.  This book allow the reader to read and contemplate the Gospel of John in new ways.
I would recommend this book to my friends and everyone who wants to understand Johns Gospel better.
1987025
This is one of the best, most engrossing books I have had the pleasure of reading. Beautifully written, it tells the story of Johnny Pail Face's life and leaves your spirit with a sense of satisfaction.

Johnny lead an intersting life full of hate, shame, violence, love, laughter, and learning. He shared the good, the bad, the ugly, and the inspiring. It almost felt like fiction but it isn't. It would make a great movie!

John Jarvis weaves the old man's story into a narrative of history so the reader has a good vantage point to understand the context of the times and Johnny's metamorphosis.

In the end it was a life well-lived, a life well honored, and a story of a human being, foibles and all, that will stay with you forever.
3515517
This is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary man. Life in the Yukon was harsher than one could imagine. The sheer will of Mr. Gebb, coupled with his great spirit and sense of humor, makes this a page turner.

William B. Baker and Judith Woodard
715382
Imagine my surprise when I received an email from author P.J. Sullivan nearly one hundred and fifty years after John Barton's letters had been left in the care of my 2nd great grandfather.

Until his email, I had been left wondering if the letters ever made their way home to the Barton family.  These many years later, it is a privilege and a delight to read the letters in Sullivan's book.  His  added comments, opinions, speculations, and unanswered questions, allow us to journey with him as he uncovers the daily life and emotional ins and outs of the Bartons during the Civil War. This intimate look into the lives of ordinary people, gives us a greater idea of the tangible sacrifices and losses of a country at war, and sheds light on the distance and disparity of a soldier's life and that of his family at home.

In his final chapter, Sullivan ponders on these questions and more: Why would John, a married man with two small children, leave his farm to join the army for three years at thirteen dollars a month? Why would he sign an oath repudiating his wife and children? Why had John wanted a child put out of the way? And finally, was Barton's death an accident or suicide?

The death of John Barton leaves many things unexplained, but his words and those of his correspondents now forever endure thanks to P.J. Sullivan who has transcribed these often illegible and time-worn letters. In his advance book to me, he included a little note that reads in part: "I hope you like the book that your ancestor made possible." Indeed I do. It gives me great pleasure to know that after decades of searching, the letters finally reached the Barton family and can be now shared as a part of our American history.
3419422
In this candid and superbly written autobiography, author and pastor Nicholas Lyerly takes the reader on a journey of the heart through the decades of his incredible life.  Although this book can be read chapter by chapter as each chapter is about a particular time and place in the author's life, the reader will have a hard time putting the book down until it is read cover to cover.  I recommend to all.