It captures what it is like to live in the fear
592727
This is the first book that I have read that completley captures the fear that a woman feels when she is being threatened by a loved one. A moving and vividly written slice of life. You feel for her and her son as if they were your friends next door.
3505379
Fear. Just the word alone can cause chills to run up your back and your heart to skip a beat. The world tells us we should have plenty to be fearful of...money woes, terrorism, divorce, death, wars, and on and on it goes.

But, for those who trust in Christ...we have something that drives out fear, right? So, why do we so often let it take the driver's seat?

In Max Lucado's new book, Fearless, he calls us to let faith take the wheel through Jesus' call which invites us to take courage and to "be not afraid" for His perfect love drives out all fear! For someone who just left the majority of my family and friends to move halfway across the world to share the Good News with people here in China, I will be the first to admit I encountered and still have some fears about such a leap of faith and transition. Why should I be?

Fear can be paralyzing and can dull our memories and take us out of reality. It takes us away from remembering who God really is and what He can do. Fear sets up camp and does not leave much room for things like love, joy and peace-which are at the essence of God's heart.

Amazingly enough, the one statement that Jesus repeated more than anything else is "Don't be afraid". He calmed storms, healed lepers, raised people from the dead, fed thousands of people with little food, and ultimately rose from the dead so that we would have new life...so, what do we have to be afraid of?

Fearless is a very encouraging book that reminds us God has called us to live a bold and courageous life void of fear, which only brings about sadness, anger, and sorrow. Of course, there is a healthy function that fear serves when it warns you of danger. It is the kind of fear that leads to sin that is unhealthy and not from God. A life lived trusting in the grace of God is the only one we should choose and live. One of my absolute favorite lines in the whole book was:

"Jesus loves us too much too much to leave us in doubt about His grace" (page 37).

Only through God's incredible grace and love can the fear be removed. Jesus truly sets us free from fear when we trust in Him, as He forgives us of our sins and loves us as His own. For with God on our side, who can be against us?! Max emphasizes that the great news of the Gospel is that God's grace is real, and so is our freedom...for when Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed!!

I highly recommend this book and the encouragement found inside...especially at such a tumultuous time in our world. May you always be encouraged that God's grace is enough, that He has given us a Spirit of love and power, and that His incredible and perfect love casts out all fear!
2105843
We cannot see, but we can hear and feel and agonise, endure the suffering and relive the terror.  Exquisitivly written, the tension hangs.
4090739
Set in a world of fear, technology and violence, a book like Awaken has incredible relevance -so much that it's almost scary. The world of Awaken strikes a frighten vibe with readers, as the creepy, technology-laden, isolated future painted in this novel feels like an incredibly plausible future in the real world. Without bothering to sugar-coat things, Awaken tackles very real issues that tend to get swept under the rug -or virtually ignored -in our world today.

In Awaken, Maddie's world is one of computers, digital school, constant electronic distraction and, most importantly, the lack of real human connection and fear of other people. Maddie has spent much of her life attending digital school, chatting with friends she's never met in person, and, most importantly, hiding behind her false online profiles. Then, one day in digital school, she begins speaking to a strange boy named Justin. As Maddie gets to know Justin online, he convinces her to meet him in person, and Maddie is forced out into the real world. But Justin isn't like most people in this world. Rather than spending his life behind a computer screen, Justin prefers to experience life for real and introduces these experiences to Maddie, who begins to awaken to real life.

The messages of Awaken truly resonated with me. The whole theme about people preferring to hide behind computer schools and online profiles, rather than conversing in real life, has becoming a highly common occurrence, especially with the prevalence of Facebook and Twitter. Then there's the inevitable related element where people are constantly in front of electronic devices (kind of Fahrenheit 451-like) and pay more attention to them than to the other people in their lives...even family. But for me, when Awaken explained the reasoning behind the creation of digital school -school shootings, out of control violence, the fear that people can never be safe -hits home in a bone-chilling way.

The rest of Awaken was pretty good. It's a well-constructed dystopia with enjoyable characters that keep me enthralled until the very end. However, there were a few small things that bothered me. The plot was a little predictable, and I thought the ending sputtered out a little bit, but overall, an enjoyable read with some fascinating, yet frightening speculation about the future.
639003
I'm from New York.  Even seven years later this is still very hard to watch from an emotional point of view.  What is unique about this video is that it is shot from street level by people experiencing the disaster as it happens.  As such it has a truly terrifying level of reality.  It really makes you feel that you are there.  I've seen a lot of videos and news specials on this.  Nothing compares with this video for realism.

(How can people review a video that has not been released?  It has already been shown on cable TV.)
4039378
A true account of life in the ghetto a personal account of people's daily life in a man made inferno of fear hunger and povety
1869598
"The Spark of Life" is a gripping tale of fear, horror and death by a masterful writer, but it is also a tale of the indomitable human spirit. The story Remarque tells is all the more terrible for being based in reality, a recounting of historical events as they played out at the end of World War Two for the inmates of a German concentration camps. I read this book in high school, and found it hard to take; in fact it stayed with me for years. That's of course to the author's credit. This is a book that deserves to be read, as long as the reader knows what s/he is getting into.
3142170
As an NYC police officer, I can attest to the realness and true grit of Washburn's story. It gets right to the heart of life on the street, and how very difficult it is to tirelessly track a dangerous criminal. This is not a story for the squeemish - its scary, suspenseful, and very hard to put down. Without a doubt, you will be locking your doors and looking over your shoulder after reading this book. Its really chilling in its authenticity.
I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to take a real walk on the wild side of how criminals are actually tracked and caught by law enforcement, and how dangerous it is to assume the bad guys aren't watching us right back. The book is now making the rounds at my precinct, and all the guys would agree that Washburn has hit a home run with this book.
3790805
The Corner clearly tells us about the life of inner-city neighborhoods and its inhabitants. The dark side of the world is revealed through extremely realistic descriptions, terrible moments of life that are so usual in there. The gap is deep, the suffering is obvious, hope just behind, so present in minds, but so abstract. Future is only tomorrow, violence is evidence, fear is everyday...I advise to watch The Wire, a good complement to this amazing book!
3736550
A dark depiction of overcoming fear in innocence.
1551346
A first rate account of what it is like to be scared of what the government can do to your family. I highly recommend this book.
4250573
We in this country know so little about what it is like to live in the middle of a war, the deprivation, not knowing what's next, trying to keep some semblance of family life and surviving each attack. Ms. Finell has done a remarkable job of telling her story including many chilling moments, giving the historical background and making us feel as if we are experiencing her life. Yet, through the book, there is a strong sense of the human spirit prevailing over the most artocious people and events. I finished the book appreciating what I had, the present moment and admiration for Ms Finell, her mother and her grandmother. What a gift she gives the reader.
4805823
Nathan Robinson has a vivid imagination and an equally chilling way with words. The book puts forth a uniquely terrifying scenarioa family is trapped inside their home by the ever-growing crowd of mesmerized voyeurs who watch them from outside. I know what you may be thinking: it's been done before with hordes of zombies that lay siege to survivors holed-up inside. "Starers" isn't like that. The growing crowd of watchers observe the family within as the house becomes a pressure cooker of pent-up anxiety. Why are they there? What do they want with the Keene family? And will the Keenes escape with their sanity intact?

Author Robinson writes with poise and pacing. His choice of words is straightforward, effective, and to the point. The combination of punchy description and concise narration makes for great reading. There's also a strong balance between tense moments and humor that lulls the reader into a temporary feeling of security, only to have the rug pulled out beneath his feet once more with a sudden shock. Definitely give this a readit's a good one.
644160
It is hard to believe how some people have to live in fear day after day. This book is written in great detail.
22618
Damnant Quod Non Intellegunt

"They Condemn What They Do Not Understand" ~ Latin

There is a self-reflection in the book that I keep coming back to and it's hard to forget those words:  "It seems that in our world, if anything challenges us or is different from what we want, then we either cage it, sedate it, or force it to fit into ever growing smaller societal boxes.  The smaller these boxes get, the more people will fall outside of them."

I hadn't heard of the book before watching Naked and Afraid, but I wish that I had someone's story like this to read during the hard times in my life.  I can relate a lot to the author's struggles, in that I had a difficult background growing up, in my case with Asperger's Syndrome - but I know what it's like to grow up and not feel like you fit in and to feel like it's you against the whole world.  What it's like to be bullied and even tortured then go home and feel like life is absolutely hopeless.  What it's like to be an outsider and the odd man out.

If you've ever felt like that - being on the outside - you can instantly relate to that sentiment - and there is so much to be learned from surviving some of the worst situations a person can go through - but in seeing other's stories, you can see how they got through their lives and how they made it.  That gives you the strength to endure, to know that others have made it, and that you're not alone.

You read what he had to go through and that he had to adapt to survive - being resilient and tenacious from a young age - and ultimate going down the path in life from just surviving day-to-day to thriving.  I don't think he wants to be pitied, instead he wants to be understood, and in that understanding, his life story will be able to help and inspire others through their own life's struggles.

To the author, I wish him safe travels and keep living well.
1601957
A remarkable book that captures the resiliance of the human condition.  Having  lived in W-DC during 9/11, and the subsequent anthrax mailings and sniper attacks, I am sad to say that I have experienced life as experienced by Jessica Z.  To me, the writing rings true.

Of course, life goes on even under conditions much worse than those depicted (without undue gore, thankfully) in this novel.  I thought the author did a marvelous job of capturing the yin and yang of life...obviously all the characters are experiencing angst and stress but the novel does not dwell there, it is a backdrop against the rest of life that Jessica and Patrick are experiencing, from the simple pleasures like coffee in the morning to the joy of meeting a new friend.
3483744
Yes, The Reef is similar to Open Water but ramps up the scare factor by giving us the mother of all sharks, the Great White. The way in which the movie puts you amongst the actors is really well done. You feel like you are there with them. When the camera dips under the surface of the water with the bobbing motion of the waves you get little glimpses of what lies beneath. The tension is unbearable at times and I felt sick with fear. It's the anticipation of the oncoming attack that had me wriggling in my seat. Believe me, when the first attack comes you will bang your head off the ceiling in fright.

I admit that this is my worst fear. Being stalked by a predator in their own territory. Especially in the ocean by a Great White. You get moments of respite to catch your breath and lower your stress levels. That just adds to the tension as these guys have to push on to reach dry land. Will they get to dry land and survive? Watch it and see if you dare.

Not for the faint hearted this one. Viewing discretion is highly advised. Superbly done and a masterclass in tension and horror