Dies the Fire (Roc Science Fiction)

Book Description

The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Great for some, good for many........2007-10-07

Dies the Fire is primarily about three things: 1) the Society for Creative Anachronism; 2) Wiccanism; 3) Apocalyptic fiction.
If you are into all three, you will LOVE this book! If you are into #3, but could 'give or take' #'s 1 & 2, you will probably enjoy this book to the extent that you can tolerate the relentless self-promotion of 1 & 2.
Don't get me wrong, I found this an original and entertaining look at the 'end of the civilized world.' I'm not as convinced that the SCA and Wiccans will save what's left of humanity.
If you just like all kinds of apocalyptic fiction, this book is worth your time. Otherwise, get ready for the Rennaisance Fair in book form.

Dies the Suspense.......2007-10-01

I like good stories about world changing disasters, and this novel starts out as an outstanding example. The reason for the disaster, which causes almost all technology to fail, is not explained, but that remains peripheral to the immediate story. The book begins as a well crafted, fast paced adventure. Stirling creates characters who are realistic and sympathetic in just a few pages. I was eager to find out what happens next.

Unfortunately, after the first few chapters, the suspense faded. My interest waned. I finished the book still hoping that it would pick up again. Stirling is a capable writer, but dwells too long over the details of medieval technology, ancient weaponry, and wiccan beliefs for my tastes. Sometimes it seems that this novel was merely a way for Stirling to indulge these interests. It is one big renaissance faire, with lots of violence. Not bad, but appealing to a select audience who love those things. If you find them only mildly interesting, this book may try your patience before too long. If you are an enthusiast, you will probably love the whole series.

Who Messed With My Universe? What Do I Do Now?.......2007-09-28

Imagine that one day, everything that runs on power or explodes, stops working?...No cars, appliances, lights, radio TV phones, guns or TNT. Think of the American West without Guns...everyone on par with the Indians and their culture. Except that people from before the "CHANGE" still have their memories and their knowledge.

In this situation, except for food that was brought to the cities before the CHANGE, none will be coming in for the near future. That means whoever controls the supplies, controls lives. Whoever controls the production of future crops will have the power over life and death. Your choice? Be a farmer, or, control the farmers.

In this trilogy, (based in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon) there are five groupings that have consolidated over these questions (Good and Bad Guys, Oh my). They cover just about any type of governing style you can imagine. Just over the Cascades in Eastern Oregon are grouping of Ranchers and Farmers who are grouped for mutual protection. Around the city of Corvalis (the remnants of the old OSU) is a grouping of what could be called socialistic academians. A group of Wiccans, Medievilists and like minded people have developed a clan society under the rule of a high Priestess and her Advisory Council. Moving down from Idaho is another community with a single minded leader (almost a Philosopher King type) based on a Roman Legion model.

The bad guys come in four types, the eaters who are like zombies in a bad (are there good!) B-Movie, who survive by capturing and eating their fellow humans. There are roving marauder types who range over the countryside (like the motorcycle gangs they used to be) but are doomed to die out like the Eaters. Petty tyrants have set themselves up in certain areas where the farmers and others have been turns into Serfs and Slaves and they rule by murder and intimidation.... And then there is the "Protector".

The "Protector" (and ex-Professor of Meidevile and Renaissance History and a practitioner of "Anachronistic History" had the forethought to gather the gangs of Portland around him, setting each one up in a fiefdom with himself as Lord. You can see the clash coming a mile away, but Stirling does a marvellous job of bringing it about. This book is only to set the stage for what we know will be an epic battle. He even throws in enough 'swords and sorcery' people so you know he has a sense of what is real and what is myth. Because in this type of situation, people need their myths to keep them going and give them something that makes them go on from day to day and not just lay down and die.

I'm looking forward to finishing this trilogy and then going on to the next one in this "world" that Stirling has just begun.

Great idea, but it gets old fast..........2007-09-15

I enjoyed the start of the book; the characters are fairly well developed, the storyline has a lot of potential. ZGetting past the idea that not only electrical devices would fail to work, but gunpowder as well seemed like a bit of a stretch. Whatever works...

I was able to get into the different factions, and it seemed to me that the different groups where each understandable; I could get the motivation of each group.

I even like the wiccan group, but after a few chapters of gaelic phrases for every single event got just too old. I really don't mind the wiccan bend on te story, but good grief it became such a major part of the story that I just couldn't get past how frustrating it is...It is like the annoying uncle who has a catchphrase for every mundane event. You just don't want to hear about it.

I found myself skipping through the storyline of the wiccan group just to avoid having to hear the gaelic translation of the blessing of the cheese or whatever the phrase dejour was.

To me it ended up be a wiccan advertisement based in a post apaocalyptic world, with a couple good side stories.

I can't really reccommend it unless wicca is your thing.

Interesting story, and thats where it ends........2007-09-08

As all the other negative reviews have stated, this is one absolutely annoying novel to read. Im halfway through, and I will finish it, but I will not be picking up any of the others in the series. Im all for strong female characters, but could you make them more believable? I just dont buy that a random 18 year old girl can go from being an average teen to a master swordfighter in a month. Or that city dwellers can instantly become master farmers. Or that every 3rd person is a blacksmith, a bowyer, or a horse trainer. Also, I encourage you to record how many times the main Wicca character says "Oh Goddess". You will likely lose count in the hundreds. I dont buy that sandal wearing hippie being able to organize and lead an entire community, and turn a conveniently placed ex-SAS member (who is also a bowyer) into a loyal follower of her band of misfits. Ugh, what a horrible novel.

Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die? (Transcribed Scores)

Average customer rating:

The best as always
if you like nickel creek....

Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die? (Transcribed Scores)
Nickel Creek
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1423402332

Book Description

Note-for-note transcriptions for all the parts from this bluegrass band's 2005 release. Features all 14 tracks, including: Doubting Thomas * Eveline * Helena * Scotch and Chocolate * When in Rome * Why Should the Fire Die? * and more.

Customer Reviews:

The best as always.......2007-05-12

This book completes my collection of Nickel Creeks transcribed scores.They aare always right on and I learn so much from these books.If you are a fan of nickel Creek, and want to want to get better at playing an instrument,this book is for you.

if you like nickel creek...........2007-01-13

Definitely buy this if you are a nickel creek fan or any bluegrass fan. It has all the music for the instruments they play (and they are all great songs....just listen to the cd!)

Average customer rating:

The Fire That Will Not Die
Michele McBride
Manufacturer: Etc Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0882800663

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Fireman's Safety Hints
Giovanni Caviezel
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0764157574
Release Date: 2003-12-05

Book Description

This delightfully illustrated board book opens up to show the interior of the house where this happy family lives. As kids turn the sturdy board pages, they discover household safety hazards and learn to avoid them. They learn to protect themselves in extreme cases, for instance, if their home ever catches fire, or if there is a gas explosion. This book emphasizes the importance of establishing escape routines, but keeps instruction light-hearted, in the spirit of the "little Fireman" depicted in the story. Kids learn to avoid burns at the kitchen stove, and discover that playing with matches is dangerous and must be avoided. They discover poison labels on household cleaning agents and learn to keep away from them. These and many other safety tips are presented to kids in ways they can easily understand. Parents and older children will also find first-aid advice and special tips for dealing with emergencies. (Ages 3-7)

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Maisy's Fire Engine (Maisy)
Lucy Cousins
Manufacturer: Walker Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Board Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0744592267

Average customer rating:

Great book for a baby
Super-cute, but flimsy!

Mini Wheel Books: Fire Truck
Peter Lippman
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0761124985

Book Description

The Mini House Book(tm) popped a wheelie! Four wheels, in fact. Announcing Mini Wheels Books, a new series of irresistible die-cut board-books-as-vehicles from Peter Lippman, creator of the Mini House Book series, with over 2.2 million copies in print. Chunky, colorful, and lively, with doors that open and windows to explore, packed with adorable characters and rhyming action-and made fully mobile through the addition of real working wheels-each Mini Wheels Book is a delightful ride through the reader's imagination.

Join the crew on the Mini Fire Truck, name all its forever fascinating paraphernalia, work with the equipment-and rush off to the fire, where the firehouse dog makes a heroic save.

It's all the fun of reading, on the go.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for a baby.......2005-02-02

I started reading this to my son when he was 3 months old and he loves it. He enjoys the rhyming story, the pictures and he especially enjoys spinning the wheels while I read. He is 5 months old now and still wants to hear it every night. Another reviewer said the book is flimsy and fell apart immediately. I find the book plenty sturdy for me to hold and my son to bat at the wheels, but I can understand that it might not hold up to an older child playing with it.

Super-cute, but flimsy!.......2002-12-24

This book is extremely cute. The idea of making a book about firetrucks into the shape of a firetruck (with real, moving wheels) is adorable. But the book is constructed flimsily. My son received this book as a gift when he was six months old, and played with it for about 20 minutes before the back cover came off the book. It appears to have been "bound" to the book with artist's tape. Within another week the book had split in half, so the wheeled sections were no longer joined. The truck was useless as anything but a chew-toy.

If you have a child who is *very* delicate and careful with his or her books, then this is a good purchase. But for a regular kid that chews on board books and bangs them around, you won't get your money's worth out of this purchase.

Average customer rating:

Raymond Chandler meets M.F.K Fisher

Guy Stuff liable to make the Gentler Sex blanch

It doesnt die, it just goes into hiding

this is great stuff

The Fire Never Dies: One Man's Raucous Romp Down the Road of Food, Passion and Adventure
Richard Sterling
Manufacturer: Travelers' Tales
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Adventure of Food : True Stories of Eating Everything (Travelers' Tales Guides)

Food: A Taste of the Road (Travelers' Tales)

How to Eat Around the World: Tips and Wisdom

The Fearless Diner: Travel Tips and Wisdom for Eating Around the World

Take Me With You: A Round-the-World Journey to Invite a Stranger Home

ASIN: 1885211708

Book Description

In these wide-ranging tales from a life on the road, Vietnam vet and “adventure eater” Richard Sterling takes the reader deep into the heart of cultures, from Asia to Africa to North America. Whether breaking bread with a murderer in the Baja desert or enjoying a shipboard dalliance with a mysterious new acquaintance on the South China Sea, Sterling’s faith in humanity is continually renewed through the sharing of food, drink, and passion. Provocative and testosterone-edged, his writing is also poignant and hilarious.

Customer Reviews:

Raymond Chandler meets M.F.K Fisher.......2002-10-31

Richard Sterling's writing is like nothing I've encountered before in food or adventure writing--an amazing cross between Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled detective writing and M.F.K. Fisher's hymns to food and culture. This is one unique talent at work, someone you shouldn't miss. And lest I forget, in many of the stories in this book, he's funnier than Bill Bryson or David Sedaris--not just laugh out loud funny, but tears-streaming down your face funny.Perhaps the book is more of a guy's book, but I think women might find it a fascinating look into a man's life...exotic shores, strange meals, poignant friendships, wartime adventures, and all kinds of nonsense that men do indeed revel in.

Guy Stuff liable to make the Gentler Sex blanch.......2002-01-13

For those of us whose idea of a foreign vacation is a cruise to the Greek Isles, castle hopping through Britain, or an auto tour of the Swiss Alps, Richard Sterling's THE FIRE NEVER DIES is likely to inspire a fascination ranging from the bemused to the horrified. The book's thirty chapters span the period from 1975, when Sterling was a naval weapons specialist aboard the U.S. cruiser Oklahoma City sailing Vietnamese coastal waters, to roughly the present. Virtually all take place in Southeast Asia, or Africa, or Baja California, and almost all center around an unforgettable meal or memorable woman. A Real Man's needs are pretty basic.

I think my favorite tale was that of the time when Richard, gripped tight in the misery of nicotine withdrawal, was part of the ship's detail assigned the task of transferring nuclear warheads from the deepest hold of the Oklahoma City to a munitions ship steaming alongside in seas made turbulent by a nearby storm. In other chapters, he's trolling for pickpockets in Saigon, or searching for a legendary (and possibly mythical) hooker in Olongopo City, or arm wrestling a local tough guy in the Burmese jungle, or watching a mob beat up a thief alongside his lunch table in Nairobi. And speaking of food, some of his meals are in the Yuk! category: roosters' gonads (with garlic) in Saigon, fish topped with crumbled red ants in Borneo. I guess one must take what one finds in the absence of better fare, or at least a McDonald's, but, jeez, Sterling actually seems to enjoy it.

I have my favorite armchair travel guides: Bill Bryson, Peter Mayle, Eric Newby. However, I can't recall a work by any travel essayist that better captures the pure essence of adventure driven by curiosity and sheer gutsiness like THE FIRE NEVER DIES. I certainly wouldn't have the pluck to eat deep fried potato bugs on the banks of the Mekong, but Sterling did, and I admire his style. The only reason I'm not awarding 5 stars is because he spent an inordinate amount of time in Baja California, an area too geographically near to my world and too historically uninteresting to be personally appealing. Richard, beyond that, I salute you with a tip of my Indiana Jones hat.

It doesnt die, it just goes into hiding.......2002-01-04

A rather entertaining book. Reminds me of another Richard I once knew, and love. Great read for a little escape, with depth and humor, be it fantasy or not found it rather entertaining.

this is great stuff.......2001-11-04

Sterling makes me wish I had hair on my chest!

10 Books: 1- The WRONG HOSTAGE / 2- Always Time to Die / 3- Chain Lightning / 4- Granite Man / 5- Only Love / 6- Fire and Rain / 7- Eden Burning / 8- Remember Summer /9- Whirlpool / 10- Pearl Cove (Unboxed Set of Suspense Books)

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10 Books: 1- The WRONG HOSTAGE / 2- Always Time to Die / 3- Chain Lightning / 4- Granite Man / 5- Only Love / 6- Fire and Rain / 7- Eden Burning / 8- Remember Summer /9- Whirlpool / 10- Pearl Cove (Unboxed Set of Suspense Books)
Elizabeth Lowell
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VPDM7C

Product Description

10 Books: 1- The WRONG HOSTAGE / 2- Always Time to Die / 3- Chain Lightning / 4- Granite Man / 5- Only Love / 6- Fire and Rain / 7- Eden Burning / 8- Remember Summer /9- Whirlpool / 10- Pearl Cove, in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

4 Titles in Paul Shaw Mystery Series - Deadly Innocents - Circle of Fire - Touch of Death - Here to Die

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4 Titles in Paul Shaw Mystery Series - Deadly Innocents - Circle of Fire - Touch of Death - Here to Die
Mark Sadler
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000PCH3US

Product Description

4 massmarket paperback Titles in Paul Shaw Mystery Series - Deadly Innocents - Circle of Fire - Touch of Death - Here to Die

Clemence and His Noisy Little Fire Engine (MiniBugs)

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Clemence and His Noisy Little Fire Engine (MiniBugs)
Jessica Spanyol
Manufacturer: Walker Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

In what are billed “culture wars,” people on the political right and the political left cite Jesus as endorsing their views. Garry Wills argues that Jesus subscribed to no political program. He was far more radical than that. In a fresh reading of the gospels, Wills explores the meaning of the “reign of heaven” Jesus not only promised for the future but brought with him into this life. It is only by dodges and evasions that people misrepresent what Jesus plainly had to say against power, the wealthy, and religion itself. But Wills is just as critical of those who would make Jesus a mere ethical teacher, ignoring or playing down his divinity. An illuminating analysis for believers and nonbelievers alike, What Jesus Meant is a brilliant addition to our national conversation on religion.

Customer Reviews:

Not the best.......2007-09-09

I really wanted to like this book. However, after finishing it, I couldn't and don't understand all the hype about it. Quite simply, it isn't that great. I found it largely unoriginal and there was little in it that I hadn't heard before.

Although this book attempts to present Jesus as a radical, I can't help but think it's the kind of "radical" that many modern people would be quite comfortable with. At many points, in trying to make Jesus appear radical, he actually makes Him less challenging to modern man. At points, it seems like the author is attempting to co-opt Jesus to fit his own particular agenda. For example, he actually presented the old saw about Jesus being a pacifist, which seems to reflect his own political bias much more than it reflects the actual text of the Gospels. I could pardon one or two expressions of such bias but they seem to be weaved throughout the whole text.

There were far too many bows to political correctness in this book, as well as to political ideologies like pacifism and radical egalitarianism, for me to recommend this book. At many points, he simply tells people what they want to hear. For example, those looking for an excuse to sleep in on Sundays instead of attending church are likely to take comfort in his anti-institutional bias; apparently Jesus doesn't like organized religion either (although I'm not quite sure where he finds that in the text). The Jesus he ends up with is not all that unlike us; apparently He even buys into the latest fads and political fashions. Wills frequently ends up just reading modern ideas into the Gospels and, in doing so, presents a Jesus that fits well with our own biases and presuppositions and presents us with remarkably few challenges.

What Garry Meant..........2007-06-19

There's a fair share of reviewers here who describe something of an epiphany as a result of reading this book. I'm not sure why. Wills provides nothing of consequence that can't be readily ascertained with an attentive reading of the Gospels. Jesus preferred pariahs to the wealthy and well-heeled? No surprises. Jesus condemned the sanctimonious positioning of corrupt co-religionists? No, none there either. Jesus eschewed traditional Jewish law for the transforming grace he had come to provide? Again, nothing.

Beyond what one can easily distill from the Gospels, Wills offers Jesus as rebel around which a liberal-minded 21st-century believer may rally. While he takes the Jesus Seminar to task for creating a Jesus of convenience, Wills makes the same mistake from the perspective of faith. The primary components of love, mercy, and hope are left abandoned without the concept of repentance - something Wills singularly refuses to recognize. This is perfect for the navel-gazing generation of instant gratification, but soteriologically unworkable.

I agree with the author that organized religion eventually devolves into a celebration of earthbound rites and formalities, principles and political suasion. But, I find it overwhelmingly self-evident that this would be so. Who among us is immune to power, ego, and the subversion of truth for self? This doesn't obviate, however, the need for self-reflection, realignment, and a new commitment to the ideal. To do so, some of us gather in numbers, while for others it is an inner quest. So, Mr. Wills, what now?

"What Jesus Meant" is theology-lite, a contrived primer of sorts, lacking cumulative value and by no means comparable to bigger, better, more thought-provoking works. I respect the author's personal faith, (it is, undeniably, his to have), but find this outward manifestation of it less influential than expected. 3 stars.

What did Jesus mean?.......2007-05-21

This little book by Garry Wills is an easy read and somewhat inspirational. I would have appreciated it more, and given more credence to it, had I found footnotes, references and an index. It is simply one man's personal opinion of what he thought Jesus meant.

Mind blowing. Great for inquisitive believers of Jesus and fans of intellectuals of the Philip Yancey class.......2007-05-20

Since my encounter with Philip Yancey's monumental works including "What's so amazing about grace?" "Jesus I never knew," "Bible Jesus read" etc a few years before, I had not been that fascinated by a Christian book as great as this. It's by all means original, thought provoking, insightful and brilliant. In short, a must read for all believers in Christ. Highly recommended!

p.s. Below please find some of my favorite passages to justify my short but sincere and highly positive review above.

A letter addressed to a Protestant evangelical who believes in literal reading of the Bible. "....When somebody tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for e.g., I simply remind them that Lev 18.22 clearly states it to be an abomination - end of debate. I do need some advice from you...
1. Lev 25.44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided that they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why cant I own Canadians?
2. I would liek to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21.7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness. Lev 15.19. The problem is: how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35.2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev 11.10), it's a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I dont agree. Can you settle this? Are there degrees of abomination? pg 33-34

What is the kind of religion Jesus opposed? Any religion that is proud of its virtue, like the boastful Pharisees. Any that is self righteous, quick to judge and condemn, ready to impose burdens rather than share or lift them. Any that exalts its own officers, proud of its trappings, building expensive monuments to itself. Any that neglects the poor and cultivates the rich, any that scorns outcasts and flatters the rulers of this world. If that sounds like just about every form of religion we know, then we can see how far off from religion Jesus stood. pg 77

If Jesus did not come to establish a church, why did he come? He said it over and over, from the outset. He brought us heaven's reign...The word "reign" is normally translated "kingdom," but that is a misleading term. It suggests a place or a political structure. The Christian reign is the personal presence of Jesus. pg 84

All these men (Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese etc) think that Judas, in betraying Jesus to the high priests, did not believe that he would be sentenced to death, since Jews had no authority for capital punishment under Roman rule. He did not foresee that Jesus would be turned over to Pontius Pilate, who had the power to crucify. They think Judas may have been trying to shock Jesus into taking a more aggressive and rebellious stand against Rome, to convince him that endlessly turning the other cheeck would not liberate the land. pg 102

Jesus was, in the words of Raymond Brown, "abandoned by his disciples, betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, accused of blasphemy by the priests, rejected in favor of a murderer by the crowd, mocked by the Sanhedrin and by Roman troops and by all who cam to the cross, surrounded by darkness, and seemingly forsaken by his God." pg 114

Thought-provoking and faith-inspiring.......2007-05-13

My faith was energized and deepened by this thoughtful, fascinating perspective on Jesus's life and teachings. I was very moved by many aspects, especially sections on the meaning of the Resurrection, Judas, and the radicalism of Jesus's life. I enjoy reading Garry Wills's perspectives on religion.

What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and a Meaningful Life

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Inspiring and thought-provoking
I want all the people I care about to read this book!
You Must Read This Book
A bedside table must-have!
A Beautifully Written Gem of the Beatitudes and LIFE

What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and a Meaningful Life
Erik Kolbell
Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0664222927

Book Description

The Beatitudes challenge our habitual expectations; they shake up our usual criteria of normalcy and present a new view of reality. While sounding peaceful enough, they are at heart profound and passionate, full of insights and authority for those of us prepared, in these precarious times, to reevaluate matters at the very core of our individual and collective lives.

Here, in What Jesus Meant, Erik Kolbell demonstrates how the eight pillars of the Beatitudes—meekness, empathy, righteousness, peace, persecution, purity, poverty, and simplicity—remain valuable codes of conduct for our busy, anxious lives. With engaging writing, he masterfully shows the timeless value in these poetic and paradoxical words from Jesus and how they offer relief and direction in our all too-confusing world.

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring and thought-provoking.......2004-04-20

I'm an agnostic and started to read this book because it was given to me as a gift. I ended up reading every page and found it not only beautifully written but very inspiring. It is hard to read this book and not reflect on how you live your life - what is truely important and what is not. It really brought into focus values that I think everyone would agree are worthy to strive toward.

I strongly recommend this book to any thoughtful person.

I want all the people I care about to read this book!.......2004-02-02

I love this book! I'd never really thought of how to translate lessons of the Bible into everyday life (especially Jesus' teaching as I'm Jewish), and this book gives me inspiration and real examples of how to do that. It helps me figure out how to make my own life more meaningful by the way I think about things that affect me, and how I think of (and do for) others. I'm a better person for it. I also read somewhere the author is the inspiration for the minister on the tv show "Seventh Heaven" - based on this book, I can see why.

You Must Read This Book.......2004-01-26

If world political leaders read this book, they would offer peace instead of war. If religious leaders read this book, congregants would be offered love instead of fear. If all world citizens read this book, we would live lives of purpose instead of materialism.

A bedside table must-have!.......2004-01-10

This is a beautiful, thoughtful book; I know I will always keep it nearby. I hadn't realized how little thought I give to these famous teachings of Jesus. Erik Kolbell brings them alive and makes them relevant in the most personal and pleasing way. I was carried away by his words and his stories and his ideas. What a thrill.

But even better; I simply felt good after reading the book! I felt revived, hopeful, and - calm. This book is a kind of mental health medicine; or a soothing massage; or an encouraging pat on the back. Definitely a bedside table must-have for a daily dose!

A Beautifully Written Gem of the Beatitudes and LIFE.......2003-10-19

I enjoyed this book on two levels. First, Kolbell does an excellent job on analyzing the Beatitudes. He puts them into historical context, compares then to other Biblical passages, discusses the origin of words used, and most importantly, he helps common folk like me understand the meaning of each Beatitude by putting it into simple language. Secondly, Kolbell makes each Beatitude relevant in today's world. He refers to current events, uses anecdotes about every day people,and shows parallels to "real" life. His language is beautiful. He writes wonderfully. His writing is profound in parts, poetic in others, simply stated at other times. A gem of a book. I am buying one for all my family and friends for Christmas!

Poems on Repentance: What They Have Meant When in Jesus We Repent

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Poems on Repentance: What They Have Meant When in Jesus We Repent
Troy F. Horne
Manufacturer: Troy F. Horne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KDQXQC

What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and Meaningful Life

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What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and Meaningful Life
Erik Kobell
Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 066423187X

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What Jesus really meant
William Neil
Manufacturer: Mowbrays
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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What the Gospels Meant
Garry Wills
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Head and Heart: American Christianities

ASIN: 0670018716
Release Date: 2008-02-14

A Jesus just for me.(What Jesus Meant)(Book Review) : An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life

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A Jesus just for me.(What Jesus Meant)(Book Review) : An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
Edward T. Oakes
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1779 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Jesus just for me.(What Jesus Meant)(Book Review)
Author: Edward T. Oakes
Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 161 Page: 45(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Jesus the radical: What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills. Viking.(Book review): An article from: Sojourners Magazine

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Jesus the radical: What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills. Viking.(Book review): An article from: Sojourners Magazine
Richard B. Hays
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Sojourners Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1042 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Jesus the radical: What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills. Viking.(Book review)
Author: Richard B. Hays
Publication: Sojourners Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35 Issue: 9 Page: 39(4)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Would not recommend this book
What Paul Meant
An excellent companion volume to Wills's WHAT JESUS MEANT
What I Think as Opposed to What God Said
An Early Witness Who Was Fully In-Sync With Jesus

What Paul Meant (Unabridged)
Garry Wills
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000KWZ6LQ

Book Description

A brilliant synthesis of the Apostle Paul's thought and influence, written by a “foremost Catholic intellectual” (Chicago Tribune)

All through history, Christians have debated Paul's influence on the church. Though revered, Paul has also been a stone on which many stumble. Apocryphal writings by Peter and James charge Paul, in the second century, with being a tool of Satan. In later centuries Paul became a target of ridicule for writers such as Thomas Jefferson (“the first corruptor ”), George Bernard Shaw (“a monstrous imposition”), and Nietzsche (“the Dysangelist”). However, as Garry Wills argues eloquently in this masterly analysis, what Paul meant was not something contrary to what Jesus meant. Rather, the best way to know Jesus is to discover Paul. Unlike the Gospel writers, who carefully shaped their narratives many decades after Jesus' life, Paul wrote in the heat of the moment, managing controversy, and sometimes contradicting himself, but at the same time offering the best reflection of those early times.

What Paul Meant is a stellar interpretation of Paul's writing, examining his tremendous influence on the first explosion of Christian belief and chronicling the controversy surrounding Paul through the centuries. Wills's many readers and those interested in the Christian tradition will warmly welcome this penetrating discussion of perhaps the most fascinating church father.

Customer Reviews:

Would not recommend this book.......2007-10-06

This book was recommended to me by someone I respect, so I began it with high expectations. There were some interesting historical points, but I got tired of the repetition and the constant attack on the author Acts (clearly the author does not believe in Divine inspiration). In the end I managed to plow through it, but just barely.

Wanting another opinion; I loaned it to an orthodox Catholic friend. He put it down after just 3 chapters.

What Paul Meant.......2007-09-08

Garry Wills is a scholar who does not hesitate to cut against the grain. I have enjoyed each of his books.

An excellent companion volume to Wills's WHAT JESUS MEANT.......2007-07-24

I have long loved Garry Wills's books, whether he was writing on Nixon or the Constitution or Reagan or John Wayne or Henry Adams or the Federalist Papers or Jefferson or Lincoln or the papacy or any other subject he has chosen to take up. Wills's perspective is definitely not a narrow one, but informed by a broad acquaintance with a very large body of knowledge. He is a generalist rather than a specialist. I previously was a big fan of his book WHAT JESUS MEANT. In that book he managed to summarize in popular but extremely intelligent fashion the message of Jesus. Here he does the same for Paul.

Paul rarely gets the respect he deserves from educated Christians. His words are often used as bludgeons for enforcing some exceedingly repressive or even evil practices. Or just plain dumb. A number of more conservative evangelical denominations have used Paul to ban the wearing of make up by women or the cutting of women's hair. (I still remember the astonishing beehives of some Nazarene women I went to high school with in Little Rock, Arkansas.) He has been used to justify the persecution of Jews and to insist that women should not be allowed to preach. Wills seeks to defend Paul from such nonsense while also providing keys to correctly understanding his letters.

Before Wills became one of the leading constitutional and presidential historians in America he was a teacher of Greek and it is clear that he has spent a great deal of time reading the New Testament in the original. He is not a Biblical scholar, but he is clearly a serious student at a very high level. He is willing to use contemporary scholarship, but not being a scholar he is able to use the body of literature concerning Paul in a practical way to illumine his subject, while at the same time avoid getting bogged down in somewhat arcane academic debates.

Many have been fans of Jesus but critics of Paul. Wills will have none of this and correctly gives Paul his due as the person from whom we have by far the earliest glimpses not only of the earliest days of the spreading of the revelation concerning Jesus but the earliest accounts of the message of Jesus. Many treat the Gospels as primary and Paul's epistles as secondary, but in fact Paul wrote several decades than the earliest of the Gospels. Given that Jesus knew and sought out hundreds of people who knew Jesus personally, his account is unusually rich and informed.

Much of the book is devoted to various topics in Paul's writings. Wills correctly points out that the heart of Paul's message is the teaching of Jesus as resurrected from the death who is the Messiah who fulfills the law of the Old Testament. I've had little patience in recent decades with writers on Jesus or Christianity who somehow imagine that the resurrection is a detachable part of Christian belief. Wills correctly points out that it is at the heart of the Pauline message and later of the Gospels. It isn't just a minor point to be argued about Jesus. It is if anything the main point. Wills does a great job also of providing the context for Paul's other teachings, most importantly perhaps that Paul never saw himself as leaving Judaism or as anything other than a Jew. For Paul the Church did not exist and he was unfamiliar with anything called Christianity. Wills stresses that "Christ" was not for Paul a proper name as it is for us, but a descriptive title that identifies Jesus as anointed, as the Messiah. Wills therefore chooses to translate all passages about "Jesus Christ" or "Christ" as "Jesus Messiah" or "Messiah." He strives to break us out of our normal complaisance in hearing the word "Christ."

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Combined with his book on Jesus, Wills has provided a wonderful two-volume introduction to Christian belief. I will add that although Wills is a Catholic, I suspect that Protestants will find more value in the books. My own experience has been that the vast majority of Catholics have little or no direct knowledge of the Bible. The reading of the Bible simply does not play the central role that it does for Protestants. In this regard, Wills, whose knowledge of the Bible is remarkable, more closely resembles a Protestant. He also refuses to be hemmed in by Catholic doctrine in reading the New Testament. I've been exasperated in talking to some Catholics who are shocked to hear that Peter had a wife and are unaware that it is explicitly referred to in the NT. Wills clearly has an understanding of Peter and his early role much closer to a Baptist than most Catholics. I haven't read his book WHY I AM A CATHOLIC but would very much like to do so. I frankly cannot see why he is. Regardless of denominational affiliation, this is a wonderful book. Along with the book on Jesus, I strongly recommend it to anyone who would better understand the Christian message.

What I Think as Opposed to What God Said.......2007-07-11

Very readable book containing current thought on Paul.
I have to admit that Paul was my hero since I was 10.
He seemed to be a great advernturer.
When I was in my 20s, Paul kept me out of seminary with the image of a minister who worked at a trade, studied and ministered to others without the limitations of being a priest.
Now, I am in my late middle years and I sat down over coffee with my minister friend and went off on a rant on why Paul is the most important part of the church that holds me to the Christian faith (as reflected in my title for this review).
My minister of mid-middle years said this was the first time a parshioner wanted to discuss Paul or any other biblical author with him. Most of his contact was organizational or counseling people who wanted to know if Jesus would mind if they cheated on their diet or spouse just a little bit.
Point being that we have so little opportunity to discuss "What Paul Meant". Even those of us who are churched and I would think less so of those who do not hear the weekly readings via awful church sound systems.
Thanks so much to Mr. Wills
But, now I must read his other books to find out why he remains a Catholic.

An Early Witness Who Was Fully In-Sync With Jesus.......2007-07-02

Garry Wills, Professor of History Emeritus, Northwestern University, and former seminarian, has written several provocative books covering the Catholic Church ("The Papal Sin," "Why I am Catholic), Jesus ("What Jesus Meant"), and now Apostle Paul with "What Paul Meant." "What Paul Meant" is no less provocative and is a great add to Will's legacy.

Paul has been accused of substituting his own "high-flown but also dark theology for the simple teachings of the itinerant preacher from Galilee. Accusers believe he was bound to as he never knew or understood Jesus, a figure he never met. Wills shows us that this misunderstanding derives from a massive misreading of Paul and of a misleading of minds of people down through centuries. He argues that the heart of the problem is that Paul entered the bloodstream of Western civilization mainly through "one artery, the vein carrying the consciousness of sin, of guilt, of the tortured conscience." Thus, religion was able to take over the legacy of Paul as it did that of Jesus - "because they both opposed it."

"What Paul Meant" highlights, through Paul's thirteen epistles, that the worship of God is a matter of interior love, not based on external observances, on temples or churches, on hierarchies or priesthoods. He, as Jesus, saw only two basic moral duties, love of God and love of neighbor. Both were liberators, not imprisoners. Both were aligned theologically.

We are reminded that Paul's writings are the first to reach us from a follower of Jesus. He takes us closer in time to Jesus than does any other person or group or body of writings. So the best way to find out what Jesus meant to his early followers is to see what Paul meant to his fellow believers. He was not an underminer of Jesus. He was not a counterforce but one of the early believers who bore witness to him and wrote about it.

Wills, using excerpts from Paul's writings and from Luke's Acts of the Apostles, examines Paul and the Risen Jesus (Paul is our expert on this); Paul and the Pre-Resurrection Jesus (Paul's accounts of how to address problems are probably closer to what Jesus said than are later records in the Gospels); Paul on the Road (monotheism, high moral principles, full religious equality); Paul and Peter (both were on the same side in the end); Paul and Women (women and men were equal); Paul and the Troubled Gatherings (how he managed damage control); Paul and Jews (he was not the father of Christian anti-Semitism); Paul and Jerusalem (the struggle to keep mindful of the needy); and, Paul and Rome (a "fishy" likelihood).

"What Paul Meant" is an excellent read. Wills is good at making his point - Paul was instep, not out-of-step, with Jesus and what Jesus meant.

The Parables: Understanding What Jesus Meant

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The Parables: Understanding What Jesus Meant
Gary Inrig
Manufacturer: Discovery House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000QA78KE

Product Description

Because these stories are so familiar, we often do not really hear what Jesus was saying. Gary Inrig challenges you to sit at the feet of your Lord, to smell the aroma of Jewish villages, to feel the dust of Galilean roads, and to listen to these wonderful stories as though you were hearing them for the first time. Writing with freshness and vitality, the author opens the parables to reveal spiritual truth that will touch your life in practical and compelling ways.

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