The answer may surprise you.
598147
If Chris Platt had been publishing when I was a kid, I never would have let my parents talk me out of taking jumping lessons, the next step I yearned to pursue in my equestrian training. Adolescents can use all the encouragement and inspiration they can get, and Race the Wind! provides plenty.

Thanks to the faith and hard work of Katie Durham, the racehorse named Willow King no longer suffers badly twisted legs. After painstaking training, mostly depicted in the award-winning prequel (Willow King), the Thoroughbred from an unknown Oregon stable finally gains the strength and heart he needs to compete in major races. Katie determinedly sets out to prove to the world that Willow King possesses the stuff of champions.

Katie, too, wants to prove herself. Born with one leg shorter than the other, she always felt as if people doubted her physical abilities. Already granted permission to gallop Thoroughbreds in workouts, she seeks to become a licensed jockey in time for the Kentucky Derby. She knows the dangers of the profession but believes she can master the tricks of the trade. But can she master her own doubts and fears, and guide her beloved Willow King into the winner's circle?

The answer may surprise you.

Solid storytelling, a clean prose style and well-rounded characters make Race the Wind! enjoyable for adults and youths alike. Even Katie's nemesis, the stable owner's bratty daughter, demonstrates a heart in the latter half of the book. I knocked off a quarter-point because I wanted to see a tad more development in their relationship at the end. Another quarter-point came off because some of the jargon, such as "hotwalker," did not come with sufficient explanation for the non-insider. If Platt covered this turf in the prequel, then it constitutes the only point at which my reading experience suffered for not reading Willow King first.

I wish my daughter were old enough to read Race the Wind! for herself, and I definitely plan to keep it for her. Platt touches upon many teen issues with deft sensitivity, including self-image, boy-girl and parent-child relations, and helping others to overcome their own handicaps -- emotional as well as physical. I dub this book a prime candidate for mother-daughter book clubs for, whether we realize it or not, we all live with some form of handicap.

The author, who pursued her passion for horses to become one of the first female jockeys, counts among her literary heroes Marguerite Henry and Walter Farley. As a horse- and book-loving young girl, I shared her idols -- and consider Platt worthy to join their ranks.

(Reprinted from Crescent Blues e-zine. Used with permission.)
1144751
I did not see that coming...you might enjoy the surprise ending...okay
4538645
An inquiry into an emerging field. Research is telling us more and more how the brain works. And as we learn more and more, a lot comes into conflict with what a lot of us want to believe. If evolution presented a crisis between the evolutionists and the creationists, wait until the raft of issues discussed here become more mainstream in the science textbooks.

Starting off with a strong step into when is a fetus alive, he jumps quickly to stem cell research he asks some very interesting questions: "Does the mother of five, hiding from the Gestapo have the moral duty or right to smother the crying baby so the whole family will not be caught and shot?"

The future offers the promise of many more such decisions in the future from "designer babies" to learning more that so called "free will" just may not exist at all.

As we live in a time of growing religions fundamentalism, be it muslim or Christian, the future promises to be a most interesting place. This is a book that will make you think of many things in a different light.
2278688
If one were to live in the days of the formation of a new country, the mistakes would glare at you, the small surprises as to how they solved certain mysteries is your reward whilst reading this Book.
2942920
Some might see it coming, some might not. Some mystery stories are too easy, some are too difficult. I suspect this one is just right, since I figured out about half of it by the ending surprise. I was definitely wondering about some things.

It's a psychological mystery, less of a "whodunit" and more of a "whatsgoingon." If you like a story that keeps you guessing, this one is for you.
3960250
This was a good book.  I was surprised by the 'who dun its" and one of them I did not see coming.  You know this is a good book when you begin trying to figure out "who is doing what" and you are COMPLETELY wrong.
1959170
I believe you will enjoy reading this book, beyond the concept being, if not being entirely new (what is?), is unusual and interesting.
2253365
A most unusual book, where the author asks - what if and draws many conclusions about the possible future of the world. A thought provoking read.
573928
This just might be the book that finally convinces the intellectually honest creationist (well, such a being should exist in theory at least, right?) that there is an answer to their ultimate "god of the gaps" argument: How can something come from nothing?  Meant to stump the skeptic, this question has really only ever succeeded in giving the creationist their favorite reply: "I don't know"--as if this automatically means that the only remaining option to answer this supposed quandary is a supernatural joe in the sky...  <roll-eyes>

Here instead is presented a plausible theory that shows that indeed, such a thing is not only very possible, but may in fact be highly probable!  I am not going to lie, some of these concepts were stretching my myopic and mundane perceptions, but I will at least grant myself the slight arrogance to have, at least in this case, recognized true brilliance.  This book made me want to quit my job and apply to ASU for their astrophysics program, just on the off chance that I might one day meet this genius of the stars, Professor Krauss.
3332443
Gets you thinking about how you may need to look deeper into "facts" that people give you.  There is a small lie in most assumptions.
4912952
In some ways it's predictable. ..in another, you are kept wondering. ..who is what??
3548213
This 85-page cryptic revelation is not for everyone. Especially not for those who rely only on hindsight to understand what the author's translations of Nostradamus may tell us. Perhaps in light of Barrack Obama's recent surge in popularity as he rockets to the forefront in world leadership will some naysayers become skeptical believers in the book's revelations.
This book is truly directed at those with the gift of foresight and logical thought process. Thoughtful reading of this book and ability to picture possible eventualities allow Nostradamus' predictions through this author's interpretive writing. If only Nostradamus' Quatrains predicted which stocks to buy and when to sell, his followers would surely have it made in the today's financial world. Hold on...perhaps some of that information is there in the Quatrains yet to be deciphered. But much like Astrology, this work is not meant for all of those who can read a book.
3524179
This is a very good book that you will not put down untill you finish. And when you are finished you will either say, "that's what I thought" or "is he telling the truth?" depending upon your preconceptions. No matter what though, there will probably be something rather disturbing and provoking the Rev. Storm's encounter with the afterlife.

Conservatives will be disappointed in some things that Jesus had to say, though they might be surprised to know how much they agree with Storm's Jesus. The question, "What religion is best?" (or something to that effect) was answered as " the one that brings you closest to God". It is not clear if the term religion was referring to Christian denominations or world religions. You do not get a sense of religious pluralism in the book. It seems to confirm that Jesus is the Way to salvation.

I heard Rev. Storm on the Art Bell show not too long ago. The host asked Storm about the truth of other religions, say Buddhism. Rev. Storm said that he did not ask the angels that question when he was there so he does not know how they fit into the big picture.

Some of the more progressive Christians may be surprised that a thing like Hell exists at all.

One must also keep in mind that Rev. Storm, at the time of these encounters, was an atheist more preoccupied with secular issues of the world and less so with spiritual. Is it possible then, that these notions influenced how he retold his story? Just a thought.
1326611
Not what I expected...but, someone else might find it funny.
2921239
With a surprise ending a whole new range of possibiities opens up for this series. This is an added twist not seen so far.
4960327
Spoiler alert: the answer is YES! But more than a quick answer, this book goes deep into the why, how, who, what, and so what of this profound question. Its a quick read with piercing insights and practical wisdom. Read it!
2095611
The author does not propose to answer the question. Rather he hits the road and asks the experts: philosophers, mathematicians, physicists, religious types. I liked this style, it kept things moving and allowed me to absorb the material gradually.

If you are like me, you have in mind some sort of answer to the question as you go along for the read. By the end of the book, my thoughts had been refined quite a bit.

As a meteorologist I have always said "Why" is the wrong question. Don't ask me why it rains, ask me how. If you want to know why, ask your priest or rabbi. "How" is the question a scientist can answer. Here the mathematicians and physicists -- same thing really -- were like me, "It just happened, that's all," "A slight fluctuation in the false vacuum," "Probabilistic."

That is not very satisfying, is it. Might've, might not've, is not very helpful.

The philosophers were even less helpful. They're groping. One hypothesized an innate urge to "goodness" as the proximate cause. Another felt "God" was the simplest answer, which echoed the great religions. Yet note that the Hebrew Bible, for instance, is silent on the "Why" question and just begins with God creating the universe. Why ain't in it.

This is where the author sort of leaves us. Many answers, none of them good.

For me, the answer is contingent. The question is contingent. If there was nothing, the question would not arise, would it. The whole matter is contingent on there being something -- us. From my observations of meteorological phenomena, which are all contingent and moreover subject to the laws of chaos, it seems to me there was no choice.

Consider an air parcel that can go left or right, or a cloud that can form or that might not form. We see it as a matter of chance; while most clouds evaporate there might be one particular cloud that does not, that grows and becomes a storm. However I believe that the individual air parcels had no choice, that at bottom the thing is deterministic once the process is begun.

So it was in the beginning. Maybe there was nothing, maybe for a long time although time itself would have no meaning without motion, would it. Whatever happened to create the cosmos, it HAD to happen.

This, too, does not really satisfy. But I think the philosophers and priests can never give us the answer. Our best hope probably lies with the physicists and mathematicians but I'll tell ya, they're getting close to Fairy Land with string theory and the multiverse.

Someday maybe...