Truly a shrine to our beloved from the OLA fire
581074
All of us Chicagoans of a certain age remember this fire.  It was our "Titanic", our "911" . As I do, I'm
sure every Chicagoan bows his or her head on Dec 1st and says a prayer for all those who died or were wounded that day.
1974526
This book is written in an exceptionally beautiful manner. Maintaining respect for ALL involved, the authors paint a portrait of this Humboldt Park parish as it was in the 1950s.

We begin with a concise history of Chicago: The great fire in the 1870s, Al Capone, the rise of Mayor Daley, through the beginnings of December 1, 1958. Chicago was feeling good on December 1, 1958, having just warmed up from a weekend cold spell. The students at OLA were also excited to catch up with their friends, having bidden them farewell on Wednesday, November 26, for the Thanksgiving Weekend. It was also the first Monday in Advent- Christmas was right around the corner!

We learn how the firefighters and BVM went about their early morning routine- nothing out of the ordinary. Skip past morning classes, lunch, and the first hour of afternoon studies... the fire breaks out! You will spend time in each classroom on the second floor of the north wing. You will also become immersed in the close-calls happening in the classrooms in other parts of the school. From there, to the hospitals and grieving households, to the morgue, and then to the funerals for the three nuns and twenty-eight students. (The other victims were buried in private services.) And then, you read of just how demonic the fire was. How it moved so fast, so quick, that NOTHING else could have been done to save EVERYONE, considering it took a long time to REACH the fire department.

Then read about the miserable, twisted existence of the suspected arsonist. And how authorities come to believe another man may have been responsible all along. Come back to the families and authorities of Humboldt Park, now healing from their losses. Many families are moving to suburban pastures. Others have not received the grief counseling they so desperately needed, for grief counseling was not available in the mid 20th century. Yet the authors leave us with hope- hope for our schools, our communities, and most important, HOPE IN GOD.

This is an emotionally charged book. It is best to read it without any distractions, namely the chapters about the fire and its aftermath. The writers pull you into the experience of each child and firefighter. To put the book down would mean to turn your back on 329 children who could barely breath in a suffocating inferno. You know how the tragedy ends, yet you're willing to see if you are wrong. Maybe, somehow, this time, the ending will be different. You'll wonder if escapes could have been made, if fire alarms could have been rung earlier, etc. Most of all, you'll be haunted with the screams of desperate children, many of whom did not make it home from school that day.
1162983
Three Winds Blowing is a profound true story of the love of Jesus that burned in the soul, mind, & heart of Rev. Joseph Willis.  Joseph never permitted any obstacles prevent him from completing his mission.  His love of Jesus and desire to help others to now & witness Jesus in their lives.  The people along his journey inspired him to work harder with the passing of each day.  Loved the story and how Randy Willis portrayed Joseph as though he was walking along side of him.  I am a descendent of Joseph Willis also and grew up in Oakdale, LA.  Having done genealogy of Joseph WIllis myself, Randy's words brought him back to life in my mind as I saw the documents preserved that keep an accurate account of his life.  Thank you Randy for sharing this story, at no other time in history do We the People need to read a true story of a man dedication to be close to God than at this time in history.  Hope that those who read it will pause and reflect on their own lives & read how Joseph passion for Christ was deep within his soul. I reaffirmed my own life during my own Search for Joseph.  Hope it will give others Hope in their own lives.
344507
I moved to this town two weeks after the accident.... My cousins were supposed to be on that trip.  This  church is where I called home for many years.  Even though I was not there that day, the aftermath was horrific..... And has been a defining moment of my life..... Almost every person in this documentary has had a direct influence on the person I have become..... This documentary is a must for families to watch to have a real and serious discussion about how one decision whether good or bad, can change so many lives..... This documentary is also about God's grace and about how He can make beauty out of ashes.  Brings back so many memories.
1911249
I agree with all other's comments here. Hearing "U Lijepom Starom Gradu Visegradu" on the Rough Guide cd of Balkan music was enough to convince me I have to have their cd as soon as possible! I love sevdalinka so much and this recording is very REAL and soulful. It reminds me visiting Mostar in 1989, with it's incredibly beautiful 16th c. bridge, stari most; a painful memory when you think of all that happened shortly after - nema stari most. Many lives and much irreplaceble beauty was destroyed but apparently some spirit survives!
955942
Wow, unbelievable. 28 years as a firefighter...these are the real heroes. God is the true savior of everything we do in life.
1019914
It's hard to imagine that someone can be plugged into modern culture these days--especially in the USA--and not have heard of Burning Man, but I still meet people who aren't acquainted with it. When I do, it's awfully hard to shut me up, because I deeply love the event and will happily talk someone's ears off about it.

But far better than listening to me ramble on and on is reading Steven T. Jones' marvelous book. Here you get the history of Burning Man, from its humble and scarcely-attended beginnings on San Francisco's Baker Beach in 1986 to becoming a city of tens of thousands of people (albeit for only one week of the year), with rules and infrastructure. More than that, though, you are given a glimpse inside the organization that started and continues to run the event. Also, you get to meet the people who attend the event and supply it with the artwork that is its signature.

Mr. Jones is in a unique position to write this book. He's the City Editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, an alternative newspaper in the city of Burning Man's birth. Because of this, he has regular access to the people responsible for Burning Man, and they have come to see him as someone they can trust, even if they don't always like what he has to say. This is no doubt due to the fact that, as a journalist first and foremost, he reports on Burning Man with an unflinching impartiality, even though he's a regular attendee and loves the event dearly. This fact shines through in his eminently readable and conversational writing. His accounts of working with two groups to help construct artwork for Burning Man in two different years puts into sharp focus the spirit of community that has grown up around the event.

But even more to the point, this book is filled with anecdotes, information, and insights into not only the inhabitants of Black Rock City (the temporary city in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, where the event takes place), but also--as the subtitle implies--how the event, its particular brand of artwork, and its ethos are slowly infiltrating into the larger culture all around the world.

In conclusion, if you've ever attended Burning Man, or if you've heard of it and want to know more about it, this is THE book to read. It's almost as good as being there!
128218
As a native Oklahoman (although I have not lived all my years here) Ive been tethered to Tulsa. Spent no time in Western Oklahoma or on our historic plains. Ive had a glimpse of our red mesas on one drive to Angel Fire, New Mexico. Thats about it, so imagine when I turned to the second page of Darrahs first essay, Never As It Appears, and read:

But on the plains, Ive seen colors in the sky Matisse never imagined. Here Im immense and insignificant at the same time.

I doubt I have the pioneering spirit to be 'there,' and plan it just as a thunderstorm rolls in, but the way I see Oklahoma's plains now is different than before A Catalogue of Common People. I feel Ive had an experience.

So many favorites in this book: Monuments, Life Without GPS, Petar in Jigsaw Puzzles and Sandcastles, and Roys Christmas. Each of the thirty-three essays are gems, and the words are beautifully and gustily strung together.

This is a book of poignant remembrances: humorous, sad in the ways we so fondly think of family when we dare look back, childhood, college, marriage, culture and 'places'  the things that make us who we are.
27979
What a generous accounting of what I'd term to be a pairing of true soul-mates.  More times than I can count on one hand; I was brought to tears because of the sadness and loss conveyed through Ms. Ragan's words.  I do believe that she is communicating with her lost man; just as I fully feel they're still 100% together even though one is of the human world and the other of the spirit world.  A story like this gives this reader a renewed hope that we never lose our loved ones.  We just have to get on with our very human tasks and be patient for what is to come in the hereafter.

Thank you Lyn Ragan.  You are very lucky that the love you and Chip have is so strong that it transcends human death.  That you have it with you 24/7 and know it leaves you very blessed, indeed.
3376129
I first learned of this disaster years ago running past a TV as an 11 yr old boy back on May 28th 1977 while playing at my uncle's house while visiting for a Memorial Day BB-Q, but just recently I was doing a search on the internet of something totally unrelated and an article about this fire popped up so I started digging. With the little bit of information I was able to find on the internet, I was able to conclude within 2 minutes that it wasn't a matter of if this club would ever burn to the ground, but when it would burn to the ground and how many innocent lives it would take with it. I had to read more. I found this book on Amazon and read it in 3 days. I was deeply moved. I found the rich history of the club very interesting as well. My only problem with the book was Mr. Dammert was way too soft on the owners of the club. This club lacked the very basic bare-bones minimum in fire safety measures and how they got away with it even in 1977 is beyond my ability to comprehend. This is no different than the criminal negligence shown with the Titanic and its lack of lifeboats. Had this happened in 2007 rather than 1977 the owners would have been physically crucified, and rightfully so. There is a picture in this book taken if I remember correctly a few MONTHS after the fire at a reunion and there's one of the owners arm in arm with some of the other survivors grinning like a possum. Had I been the owner of this place I wouldn't have been able to smile for the rest of my life. They spent millions on the best decor money can buy but other than maybe a couple of fire extinguishers they didn't spend a penny on the very basic of fire safety measures any building of this size would require and any layman knows if you are going to have a club of that size it's going to need plenty of exits. I would love to meet Mr. Dammert and shake his hand and say job well done because based on what he told he was very much a hero himself. I plan on taking a trip to the site of the fire this spring. This book is a must read. God bless those who lost loved ones in this very needless an very preventable disaster!
4253277
The Mann Gulch,MT. fire of 1949 was a seminal point in modern wildfires firefighting for the U.S. Forest Service. The deaths of 13 firefighters caused the Forest Service to implement training programs and develop safety equipment and protocols still being refined today.
Not since Norman MacLean's award winning book Young Men and Fire, published in 1992,has there been a real effort to revisit the fire and never has there been such an authoritative treatment of the personal dimensions of the tragedy as provided by the victim's families, close friends, and coworkers.
This is a heart stopping, minute-by-minute personal account of the men who fought, and died, in a wildfire that has forever remained in the nation's consciousness. The reader that has read both Young Men and Fire and this book will have as complete account of the tragedy as we are ever likely to get.
4148094
Chief Marchisello was able to bring his memories to life through this book.  I thank him for passing on his life lessons learned through the fire service.  This is an absolute must read for any first responder!  Once you start, you won't be able to put the book down.
3511368
An amazing concert captured on this DVD.  The love and passion for the fallen and living rescue workers at the World Trade Center will be forever remembered on this fantastic DVD.  Excellent musical and personal performances.  Heartwarming rememberances made by children of fallen fighters.  The city and the world needed this concert and it shows!
1429617
THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ALL. I READ  IT IN ONE SITTING. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN GOD, THE POWER OF PRAYER AND EVERYDAY MIRACLES. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A BELIEVER YOU WILL HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS AFTER READING. I REMEMBER THIS FIRE ALL TOO WELL. I LIVE IN SAN DIEGO AND WE WERE GLUED TO OUR TELEVISION FOR DAYS. WE LIVED JUST FAR ENOUGH AWAY NOT TO BE IN ITS PATH AND WE PRAYED FOR ALL THOSE WHO WERE. READ  IT PLEASE.
1428934
When I saw this Angel I knew it was special.  I lost my Grandfather two months ago, and his death hit our family pretty hard.  This Angel reminds me of my faith and belief that one day we will all be together again in Heaven.  Death is not goodbye, but instead, a "see you later."  I bought one for my apartment, and two more for my mom and aunt.  They both loved it and it brought them to tears when they opened the box. The details are beautiful and the Angel's face is very pretty.  Not overdone or cheesy like some figures can be.  It is just right and goes well in any room.  I would recommend this to anyone who has lost someone no matter how much time has passed.  It will always remind me that my loved ones are not far away, and I will see them again one day.

Love you, Baba.  You were the best Grandfather in the world. :)
3800682
I read "The Big Burn" years ago and was very impressed with the heroic story of Ed Pulaski, the Forest Service Ranger who led 45 men of his fire fighting crew to refuge in an abandoned mine shaft.  Forty men survived the ensuing ordeal.  It noted that a memorial trail had been constructed from Wallace to the entrance of the fateful tunnel.  I resolved to hike that trail when/if I ever visited Wallace just to get a feel for the setting for that miraculous event.  Four days ago (May 11, 2017) I realized that wish and hiked up the two mile trail along Placer Creek to the tunnel entrance.  Placer Creek roared with snow melt as I hiked along the creek side trail.  Snow still lingered on and alongside the trail.  At regular intervals large informational display boards describe the grim situation confronting the fire fighting crew under Pulaski and other fire fighting crews in the area.  The display boards include photos taken right after the fire subsided and show the graphic nature of the fire and the rugged terrain, as well as Pulaski's gripping quotes of the ordeal he and his men endured.  If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend this short, informative hike that gains 800 feet over it's two mile length.
3500739
Nobody who has been to Pearl Harbor and the 'Arizona' memorial is untouched by the experience. I had always wanted to visit it since I was a child, and finally did so in 2002. Even after all the planning and anticipation, it was still far more emotional and moving that I could have imagined. This DVD is like that, too, although on a smaller scale. Even if you have read about Pearl Harbor, this documentary still has the power to draw tears to the eyes of viewers.
The DVD is multifaceted. In part it showcases Bob Ballard and his quest for a Japanese midget sub. That is interesting enough, but that isn't the real attraction of the documentary. The more important part of the film are images of the December 7, 1941 attack, the haunting footage of the 'Arizona' as she is now (including unbelievable interior shots), and most powerfully of all, the interviews with Pearl Harbor survivors. There are also some interactive maps, a behind the scenes feature and extended survivor interviews as bonus features.
I really must emphasize the importance of the survivor interviews. These interviews are unstructured, and they tell the audience what they think is important. It is all important. I can't imagine that anyone can listen to these men recount their experiences without feeling a huge debt of gratitude to them. They are true American heroes. This DVD is about sacrifice and the things that are good about the United States. It is hard to watch what they went through, but it is important that we never forget.
Buy this DVD and remember the lessons of Pearl Harbor.