I have just reluctantly finished Mrs. Peterkin's book,"HEAVEN IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE." I found myself putting it down because I didn't want it to end and then being drawn back because I had to know what new inspiration I would find in the next chapter. Mrs. Peterkin has revealed her soul and I feel so privileged that she has allowed me to vicariously live her life and wish I had been living mine with as much love. Her love and acceptance of all people no matter how worthy or unworthy we may be, gives me renewed hope in my fellow man. I thank her for letting me share this part of her life.

This book is a must read for all ages! I had a feeling of sadness come over me as I finished because I realized my adventure with Mrs. Peterkin was over.

I have just finished "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place", by Genevieve Chandler Peterkin...it is a wonderful, wonderful story of South Carolina history at its best...you are 'right there' with tales Mrs Peterkin tells of Lillie Knox, Zacky Knox, her mother-in-law Julia and Mama...cringe at the ghost tales of Alice Flagg and others...the romance and marriage to Bill, then the birth of their only son, Jim...grieve at the lost of that young son...her faith in God that grew stronger and stronger as troubles came.

It was hard at times to lay the book down, while at other times you could not wait to see what happened.

I am now going to pass my copy of "Heaven Is A Beautiful Place" on to my 89 year old mother, who likes to read, as she says, 'something real'...

I have read a number of books for divorcing parents, and this is by far the best. The range of information given is enormous (460 pages!) and covers almost any situation you can imagine. This is the ONLY book I have seen that discusses how to help infants cope with divorce. Neuman's discussion of the needs of children has given me the motivation to avoid fighting with my ex, even when he makes extremely aggravating remarks. His suggestions have also helped me keep my son's father involved; in fact, he spends much more time with our son than he ever did when we were married. The example dialogues are very helpful, and reflect the diversity of real families. Neuman is careful to avoid stereotypes, for example he gives anecdotes about deadbeat moms as well as deadbeat dads.

This was the most comprehensive resource I found to help me understand what my children may be experiencing as a result of my divorce. It is full of both heart-wrenching and enlightening truths spoken by children of all ages. It's not a book for those who are in denial. It's for those parents who recognize that one of the major consequences of divorce is a life changing event for their children. If you want to know what you're children are really experiencing and want to help, this book is for you! Be warned, it will make you cry, feel pain for your children, and possibly resurrent feelings of guilt. But it will also give you insight and direct you in how to continue parenting effectively with love and guidance, with or without the cooperation of your ex-spouse.

In the state of Vermont, it is required by the Family Court law that divorcing parents attend a 6-hour long workshop on "co-parenting" and the effects of negative parent behavior on children. What a joke! I wish instead that the state of Vermont mandated that every divorcing parent read this resource. I learned so much more from Gary Neuman and the children and families he has worked with.

This thorough book covers every topic imaginable that is associated with divorce and family transition. The focus is from the child's perspective on matters such as validating your childrens feelings, protecting your children from conflict, separating adult issues from children's issues, custody and visitation, uncooperative parents and parent-bashing, child support and financial stress, relocating, dating, and most importantly, how children "feel" about all the ups and downs associated with this life changing event.

I highly recommend this book for every parent who is experiencing a family separation. I still pull it out periodically before I crawl into bed. It's a great "reality check" and helps keep things in perspective, still, two years after our family experienced this transition.

As a child therapist I found this book to be very helpful. I recommend it to all my parents who are divorcing. It is in plain, straightforward language. This book can help the millions of parents who need some insight into what the reactions of children are when their parents divorce. The book discusses developmental, co-parenting, and a plethora of related issues. His style is compassionate, lighthearted, and genuine. A must read for parents who are divorcing and professionals who work with these parents.

First, what Robert Rush's book is NOT: It is not one of those popular history books which strings together first-hand accounts into a fast-reading "you are there" look at a historical event. And it is not a narrative of the World War Two battle for the Hurtgen Forest as a whole, asking whether the objectives justified the costs. Instead, Doctor Rush focuses in upon a single US Army infantry regiment -- the 22nd regulars -- and follows them through two-and-a-half weeks of combat hell as day after day they thrust themselves in a German meat-grinder. Their persistence and eventual triumph -- albeit at the cost of virtually destroying the 22nd Infantry -- makes for grim reading. Each day's activities are presented in remorseless succession. Few names of individual soldiers carry through the narrative for the very simple fact that most of the soldiers who started the battle in mid-November, 1944, were with the regiment when it was relieved in early December. All the others had been killed, wounded, or evacuated. A continual flood of reinforcements kept the 22nd functioning effectively as a combat unit until very nearly the end of fighting, but the faces and the character of the regiment had inalterably changed in that brief period of intense battle. Over ninety percent of the men and officers in the 22nd's nine rifle companies at the start became casualties. It is here where Rush's real focus lies: examining the process of replacing combat soldiers during battle so that the unit, if not the individuals, can be kept functioning. Numerous charts and graphs delineate the grim mathematics of war, as day by day the numbers of "original" members of the 22nd decline and the quantity of replacements grow in proportion, even though the replacements too suffered horrendous losses. Rush's own experience as a professional combat infantryman illuminates his analysis of what went on in this tiny patch of German forest nearly six decades ago.

As an avid WWII reader and historian, Rob Rush's "Hell in Hurtgen Forest" ranks at the very top of all the WWII books I have read. Although overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, the fight in the Hurtgen Forest in November and early December 1944 was the bloodiest of all fought by the 4th Infantry Division and the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Rob captures in great detail the daily actions of the fight and the challenges of leadership and why the men continued to fight as they were hit with casualties that approached 150% in the rifle companies. I highly recommend this excellent book - you will leave it shaking your head and better understanding why we hold our WWII veterans in such high esteem.

"Hell in the Hurtgen Forest" is a superb book about the timeless nature of infantry close combat. I commend it to both professional soldiers and students of history.

What makes this book most unique is the observation that the US individual replacement system, coupled with the US Army policy of keeping its limited number of divisions in the line almost without any break, produced a very effective organization, especially when compared to the worn out German units. This new interpretation of WWII unit effectiveness is worthy of further examination. It certainly caught my attention.

Several people I ride a commuter train to work with have this book. It is by far our favorite book and we all have at least 15 or more crochet books. I have made several afghans from the book and found the directions very easy to follow and the afghan actually came out looking like the picture. Surprise. Herrschners was very helpful with supplying me with the yarn I needed if I wanted to use the yarn that the afghans were made with.

I snagged this book at my local craft store when I saw the Herrschner's label. Thumbing through it, I saw dozens of beautiful, unique afghans, most of them crochet. Two-thirds of the book is dedicated to adult afghans, which as one reviewer pointed out will take some time to make. I am in the process of making the Afghan-Stitch Aran, which has cable, diagonal, and diamond patterns worked in the stitches. What I liked about this book is the myriad of styles and the easy instructions. There is something for everybody.

Included are two Christmas afghans. The first pattern was the deciding factor in buying Blue-Ribbon Afghans. It is a several-paneled piece, done in the Christmas colors, with braided fringe and simple embroidery. In the panels themselves, are Christmas trees, candy canes, and stars. You'll have to get the book (or check it out in your local craft store) to see what I'm talking about. The last third is dedicated to baby afghans, which are cute. But I prefer the Annie's Attic designs because of their uniqueness. At the very end of the book are general instructions for knitting, crochet, and finishing touches. This is an excellent book for the intermidiate to advanced crocheter/knitter.

This book really does have some wonderful afghan patterns in it and I would highly recommend it to anyone. However, I have a word of caution regarding the "Blue Star" afghan pictured on the cover. I made this afghan from a kit from Herrschners and it came out wonderfully. But I have had several people e-mail me saying that the version of the pattern in this book has a couple serious mistakes in it -- not to mention that the instructions are more concise (and less clear) than the kit version. I think that Leisure Arts messed it up in the editing process. I wouldn't let this keep me from buying the book (in fact, I do own it and still recommend it), but I wanted to let people know that this particular pattern has problems. My e-mail address is above if any of you out there have already started it and run into problems -- I'm always happy to help if I can.

THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE. AS DON KING WOULD SAY, "FANTABULOUS." I AM A SCREENWRITER (STILL STRUGGLING), BUT FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE SO INFORMATIVE. I AM SURE I READ AN ARTICLE BY THESE SAME TWO, DAN YANKELEVITS AND DINA APPLETON, IN [a] MAGAZINE!! I REALLY FEEL LIKE I COULD NEGOTIATE MY OWN DEAL NOW - OR THAT IF I DIDN'T WANT TO, I'D UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HECK MY AGENT AND LAWYER WERE DOING. NET PROFITS EXPLANATION IS AWESOME. ANYWAY, I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHER AMAZON FOLKS.
-JEN

ENTERTAINMENT EXECUTIVES (OR THOSE RISING THROUGH THE RANKS), LOOK NO FURTHER! THIS BOOK GIVES YOU THE INSIDE SCOOP ON EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW TO BE ABLE TO MAKE DEALS. WHO THE PLAYERS ARE, HOW IT WORKS, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY - WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL DEAL ISSUES TO BE AWARE OF. I TELL ALL MY ASSOCIATES TO READ THIS BOOK.

THIS IS THE MOST USEFUL BOOK I HAVE SEEN ON THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. BEST DEAL-MAKING BOOK ON THE MARKET. 5 STARS!

Kenneth Royce does a brilliant job of exposing the US Constitution for what it really is: a government that centralizes all power in the Federal government. Royce takes you from the Revolution to the ratification of the Constitution showing how the Articles of Confederation were totally destroyed. As pointed out by Royce this should be called a national, not federal government. The Constitution provides the framework for an unlimited government instead of a confederate republic.

Royce correctly shows Hamilton's designs for a all powerful, monarchial central government with which to submerge the states.
Hamilton is shown in his true light as a tool for the merchant class, banks, corporations, and the ruling elite of the new republic. Along with other Federalists he is shown manipulating public opinion through scare tactics and propaganda. Standing against him were the anti-federalists, and Thomas Jefferson, a true votary of human liberty.

Although this book can be depressing it is a must read for a patriot.

Now THIS is a book you can sink your "mind's teeth" into! If you've ever wondered how we have come to suffer from a huge central government under a Constitution which was supposed to prevent such, then Hologram of Liberty is your book. I met Kenneth Royce (a.k.a. Boston T. Party) at an expo recently, and he confided that he considered Hologram his finest work. I agree. While I've greatly enjoyed his other more "how-to" titles (Good-Bye April 15th!, You & The Police!, Bulletproof Privacy, Boston on Guns & Courage, and Boston on Surviving Y2K), Hologram of Liberty is utterly unique and sweeping. He proves that the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was tantamount to a coup d'etat which created a leviathan state over time. He then outlines the classic political solutions to Big Government (e.g., elections, constitutional amendments, a 3rd party, a virtuous constitutional convention, and 10th Amendment assertions by the states/people) and proves them to be fruitless. His ingenious solutions to a government which regulates everything from aprons to xylophones are the most fascinating proposals I've ever read in the subject of political science. This is a thoroughly original work, and quite honestly one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read. I really can't say enough about Hologram of Liberty!

The belief that we are a free country and that the federalist papers are important reading are statements thought to be true by many people. In fact, Mr T. Party, points out that it's the anti-federalist papers we need to pay closer attention to because we can see the results of the federalist papers right in front of us, tyranny, blatant law breaking by government officials, etc. Hamilton was supposed to be president, this book says, and in reading history I've come to believe that is correct, but his ill fated duel caused his death and he didn't get to carry out his federalist vision, but the constitution he wrote did it for him. gradually. this is an excellent read.

Focus was primarily on Patsys career and secondary focus was on her life but only in terms of how it realated to her career. If you want to know in agonizing detail the steps her career followed , down to which recording she did on which day, this is a great book. If you want to get to know who Patsy was as a person this is probably not the right book. I found it to be a somewhat mechanical and sterile view of Patsy Cline the person. Not an adaquate treatment of her life with Charlie or her children.

From a Patsy Cline fan's point of biew, this book is THE BEST.  It  made me cry huge tears at all the sadness and tragedy in Patsy's life -- especially in how the ups and downs in her life, the auto crash and, finally, her  death are presented. When I wasn't crying, it made me roll with laughter, especially the stories of Patsy's sheer determination to make it big no matter what, no matter who; and the stories that Faron Young told out of school are, well, very naughty and bawdy, but funny as hell.

Ann Marie

The only thing that comes close to Patsy Cline's haunting singing voice is the enthralling story of her tumultuous, yet victorious life - as told by biographer Ellis Nassour.
In "Honky Tonk Angel, the Intimate Story of Patsy Cline," Nassour has brought Patsy to "life" again. His sensitive, yet honest, recounting of the legendary singer's struggle to become a "star" in the male-dominated country music field is filled with her family and friends' three-dimensional memories of Patsy, her toughness, her talent, her tenacity, her loyalty and compassion.
This is not a book for "Country-only" fans. Patsy's life story will encourage and comfort others who may be struggling through life toward success.
Nassour's writing could be compared to a literary hologram in his ability to present his subject through sight, sound and touch. I could veritably hear Patsy sing "Walkin' After Midnight," see her sassy walk and feel her tears as I read.

A.K.A. Reta Spears-Stewart, Literary Editor/Author of "Remembering the Ozark Jubilee, Starring Red Foley"
Springfield, Missouri

This magical book is being reprinted and thankfully at 1/10th of the price I paid for it. It's being reprinted with amazing photo's and the same enchanting tale (pardon the pun). I have a copy but I can hardly wait to get the new version with photo's....

Rhoda's magical book, In the Company of Newfs is coming back. Complete with stunning photo's and the same enchanting tale (pardon the pun). I loved this book and unfortunately read the last chapter on a flight from Arizona to Colorado - there were tissues everywhere. I loved the fact that someone else shared the same spiritual connection with their Newf! If you want the new book at one twentieth of the price I paid go to katiesbumpers . com and order it now!

This magical book is coming back in print, with new photo's and the same enchanting tale (pardon the pun!). Rhoda's "In the Company of Newfs" is available for just about anyone - and thankfully at 1/20th of the price I paid for it originally.

Wolff's short stories in this collection provide crisp narrative journey's exploring humanity in its complexities, confusions, controdictions and emotions. It is as if a heart pumps underneath all the words in each story: they are that alive and that remarkable. I read this in one sitting weeks ago, and the stories and characters are still fresh and instant in my mind. Wolff is one of the best short story writers ever.

One of my creative writing professor's recommended this book to me, and I adored it! I read This Boy's Life a few years ago, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. But, In the Garden of North American Martyrs has given me a new and fierce admiration for Tobias Wolff. Each story is well-crafted without being overtly so. Like Raymond Carver, the style is slightly sparse and gives you the feeling that these people could be your next door neighbors. The characters have that regular joe quality, but they are never ever boring, it only makes the things happening to them more potent. From the man who wrecks his car, to the professor who has a one night stand, each tale is piercingly believable without ever being dull. If you're looking for the kind of short stories anyone could aspire to, read this book!

I have read Tobias Wolff for about 5 years now so I was very exited to read this collection of short stories, and needless to say I was not disappointed. The first story I ever read from Wolff was "Bullet in the Brain", and these stories followed in the same amazing tradition. Wolff is able to set the reader down in the middle of a scenario or time like no other author. This voice that he uses is so unique in each story and that you have a real sense of who you are dealing with in each story, and on a smaller level, each character. Wolff is able to create interest in situations and actions that border on plain on all other accounts. He creates characters that we see next to us on the bus everyday buy showing the reader who they are in the actions that carry out, and the how they deal with the certain situations they find themselves in. A hunting trip with friends becomes a look into the deepest crevasse of friendship; a fender bender turns into a trial in patience and trusting with people in everyday settings. Wolff is a master at writing these stories in a voice that speaks to every person, and yet is so unique that we must read on. This was a wonderful collection of stories and is highly recommended for any reader of fiction.

I've been wanting to learn more about Jenny for the past 3 years and now I finally have.I've read the book twice.I gasped and cried in awe of her fascinating life.Things I would never have guessed in a million years happened to her.I admire her for not giving up and for going for what she believed in.But, I cannot believe that someone could be that naive.I will treasure Jenny for the rest of my life and even though I don't know her I love her.Great job Jenny! Sincerely, Jamila J. Johnson

This story was very powerful to me because of Jenny's amazinghistory, and her ability to overcome adversity. It inspired me not togive up based on what others say, as well as made me cry several times. I am grateful to her for sharing such personal information with the public, and think she is a strong, sensitive, and wonderful lady. The book was emotional because of the similarities in our pasts with our families. She never gave up, as many do, and I admire her for that. Her courage, determination and strength came through in this easy to read, journey through the life of a very fascinating woman. I loved it, and will treasure it. I have read it twice so far. Karyn Grigsby

Jenny Jones: My Story was the best biography that I have ever read. I am a real Jenny Jones fan and I couldn't wait to find out more about her. Boy did she reveal everything in her book. I enjoyed her honesty and openness with her readers. In ways, unfortunately, I can relate to some of the things that she talks about. I was very curious to hear the details about the notorious "secret crush show" for the first time from Jenny herself. Again, she was real honest and open. My favorite part of her book was when she explained a day in the life of Jenny during tapings of the Jenny Jones Show. I did not realize that she is so involved in everything. I am an avid fan of talk shows who has been in audiences of those in New York City many times and it was fun to see things from the other side. The end of the book brought tears to my eyes. I feel for Jenny and all of her hardships. I wish her continuing success in all that she does. Kristen Krikorian Syracuse, New York