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As CEO at accounting giant KPMG, Eugene O'Kelly was so immersed in his job that over the course of a decade, he managed to have lunch with his wife on weekdays just twice. His travel schedule was set 18 months out. Once, he was so obsessed with impressing a potential client that he tracked down the man's travel schedule, booked the seat next to him on a flight, schmoozed the guy all the way to Australia, landed the account, and flew immediately back to Manhattan. His Type-A ways vanished when, at age 53, a top neurosurgeon in New York told him he had late- stage brain cancer. "His eyes told me I would die soon. It was late spring. I had seen my last autumn in New York." [p.7]
There are no TV-movie-style miracle treatments or extensions of his life expectancy; he's told he has maybe 3 months, and he doesn't spend any energy hoping for a cure. True to his CEO style, he creates goals for himself, lists of friends to visit for the last time; he meditates; he tries to create as many "Perfect Moments" that he can, during dinner or phone conversations with friends, and realized how few rare those moments of connection and joy were in his "previous life."[p116] "Chasing Daylight" is as much a self-criticism of his job-before- family ways as it is a meditation on time and a transition to a tranquil, spiritual state utterly foreign to him as a CEO. O'Kelly's absolutely more fulfilled by the soul work that he finishes in 100 days, compared to his 30 years of corporate promotions and accolades, and he utterly convinces readers to ponder their own situation, whether "in the gloaming" of life as he was or not.--Erica Jorgensen
Book Description
“Must the end of life be the worst part?
Can it be made the best?”
At 53, Eugene O'Kelly was in the full swing of life. Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U.S. accounting firms, he enjoyed a successful career and drew happiness from his wife, children, family, and close friends. He was thinking ahead: the next business trip, the firm's continued success, weekend plans with his wife, his daughter's first day of eighth grade.
Then in May 2005, Gene was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given three to six months to live. Just like that.
Now a growing darkness was absorbing the bright future he had seen for himself. He would have to change his plans, quickly, and capture what he could of his last diminishing days.
Chasing Daylight is the account of his final journey. Starting from the time of his diagnosis and concluded upon his death less than four months later, this book is his unforgettable story.
With startling intimacy, it chronicles the dissolution of Eugene O'Kelly's life and his gradual awakening to a more profound understanding. Interweaving unsettling details of his battle with cancer with his moment-to-moment reflections on life and death, love and success, spirituality and the search for meaning, it provides a testament to the power of the human spirit and a compelling message about how to live a more vivid, balanced, and meaningful life.
Inspiring, passionate, deeply insightful, Chasing Daylight is a remarkable man's poignant farewell to a beloved world.
Customer Reviews:
Living While Dying.......2007-09-10
Few people have written about the steps they had taken to live while waiting to die. Few of us know when our deaths will come come and we live paying little attention to others and how precious the time we have is to ourselves. The author of this book takes us with him in ways that teach us how to live better in our own time that is left. This a one of the best legacies an author has ever provided.
Tragic story but short on learnings ..........2007-07-09
Not what I had hoped for or even expected. I feel for his family, especially his 14 year old daughter, who he only talked about a relationship to the end. It is well documented and I believe authentic and sad to me. Even when facing death he had to be the CEO telling people what they should feel and deciding on his 'three' eulogies and who should give them and in one case even writing part of it. Sad for his family who he admits he was always traveling for his beloved company. If there is a message in here it is that he may be the first guy to say 'if I just had one more day at the office.' The entire book to me is centered on the fact that he talked of his love for his daughter all the while saying his good byes for three weeks to business associates and in the end never took the trip he promised her before he died. I guess there are some learnings but not what he intended to write. Disappointed for sure.
Death of a Planner.......2007-07-05
This book is incredible from many viewpoints and is an honest and authentic account of what he went through when he was confronted with death. Death is something that we all have many pre-conceived notions about, but is something that we truly don't understand consciously. This book shows his struggles to embrace death. From that point of view, it is an authentic account.
The rest is plainly my judgment and should only be read as such. This book is not spiritual in content and it is clearly evident that had he not been diagnosed, the author would not also have any inclination to consider death. This memoir can be viewed as an account of someone who built up an identity and then even in the moment of death, could not let go of that identity. It is a memoir of someone who was struggling and trying to control their death. It was someone who was trying to create some meaning out of their death as the meaning for which he had lived his life was now broken in pieces.
I mean no disrespect in stating the above, but it is simply an honest observation. However, I did not expect the work to be any different than it was or to expect it to be better than it was. It was what it was because the author was what he was. I rate this book with 4 stars for its authenticity.
You can skip this one.......2007-07-02
Although it was a touching story I'd hate for people to sympathize with O'Kelly. He lived a fast-paced life as a CEO. I think he realized he had developed more business relationships than truly close, personal ones. He spends 3 weeks `unwinding' with people described merely as `business associates'. His family dealt with this even through his last weeks of life.
Not only did the family relationship annoy me but the fact that I don't think he really learned anything. Sure, he became less business-like and more relationship-based. Still, he seemed to be desperately making up for lost time (and failing).
There were a few good take-aways: he finished his life peacefully and ready to "transition", he tried to make the best of a bad situation, he was fortunate to be healthy and lucid in his final days. He was lucky... sort of.
He admittedly missed most of his daughter's life growing up. With a CEO schedule, no wonder. Plus, he died before he had the chance to take her on their final vacation together (she was 14) to Prague.
Probably because he was spending his time closing up relationships with his `associates' early on...
A businessman's struggle to live in the present.......2007-05-21
I recommend this book even though it didn't give me what I was looking for: an understanding of death and dying. The book may help some people. Many of the reviewers said that it did. But to me it lacked depth. Perhaps because I've faced so many deaths this past year, one of them being the death of a child, I suppose I was searching for and needing more than a book can give. If you want a book to help you accept your own death or the impending death of a loved one, this isn't it.
Yet, it DOES help to collect various perspectives on death and dying to piece together your own conclusion--in this case, one from a CEO, a Type A businessman and his struggle to live in the present. At one point O'Kelly writes, "You'd think that with only three months to live, I'd be pretty good at enjoying every moment, of staying in the present. You'd think."
A previous reviewer suggested that human beings aren't "hardwired" to live in the present. Maybe so. But I think it's a case of social conditioning. As Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. . . . Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. You become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions."
Perhaps we become present-moment thinkers when we practice it every day. This is precisely what O'Kelly learned. After 30 years of scheduling his calendar 18-months out, he struggled to stay focused on living in the present. To him, it became a matter of exercising a "lax muscle." So he practiced, step by step, to achieve Perfect Moments. In the end he found that the best moments were the "days that unfolded without planning," he concluded. "What would my life have been," he asks "if I had let spontaneity play a greater part?"
For this, I recommend the book. And I'm grateful to O'Kelly for allowing us to accompany him on his journey into the Shadow of Death. But I ached for him to tell me more. More of what he was thinking. Really thinking. More of what he expected death to be, and more about what a dying person wants from those close to him who look on helplessly.
Finally, I thank him for showing me the error of long goodbyes. He includes a quotation from a book by Elizabeth Bibesco,
"It is never good dwelling on goodbyes. It is not the being together that it prolongs, it's the parting."
O'Kelly appreciated one of his friends just saying goodbye and hanging up the phone after the conversation, rather than lingering on.
Make your goodbyes short and sweet. A wonderful lesson.
Book Description
In this inspiring book (formerly
Seizing Your Divine Moment), Erwin McManus uses the biblical account of Israel's war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 13 and 14) and the characters of Saul and Jonathan to demonstrate the difference between living a life of purpose and adventure, and living one of apathy and missed opportunity. In the midst of a less-than-hopeful battle, Saul rested beneath a tree as Jonathan seized the divine moment that would impact the future of Israel. Through this story McManus artfully illustrates the eight characteristics of an adventurer's heart, what he calls "the Jonathan factor."
Using powerful examples from his own life and ministry, along with fresh biblical teaching, McManus asserts that God crafts divine moments specific to each of us-priceless opportunities for us to actively engage in God's plan. By developing the characteristics McManus outlines, Christians can move from mundane to miraculous living.
Customer Reviews:
Adrenal Spirituality........2007-09-15
Chasing Daylight: Seizing the Power of Every Moment is the"Red Bull" of devotional books, a passionate call to action. Erwin McManus is, in his own words, "a husband, father, writer, futurist, activist, artist, and a spiritual and cultural leader." Chasing Daylight embodies McManus' high octane approach to life and spirituality.
Chasing Daylight is an invitation to view Christianity as something more than mere "sin management." For McManus, faith is adventure, and each second of our life is an on-ramp to living life purposefully. McManus uses language that feels alien to a discussion of Christianity, but shouldn't--courage, initiative, risk, embracing uncertainty, influence, and movement. These traits should be the buzzwords of every believer.
The narrative of Jonathan and his shield bearer choosing to attack the Philistine camp without support (1 Samuel 14) makes up the backbone of the book. Pastor Erwin sees Jonathan as a temple of personal discipleship. We see a need that only a God-energized agent can meet and attack it. McManus calls this the Jonathan Factor, and he believes that this should be a standard feature of every Christ-follower.
Chasing Daylight is filled with personal stories from Erwin's personal life and from the life of his congregation. McManus has gone where he's calling others to go. His stories of starting out as a pastor and risking his financial security and reputation for the sake of God's calling gives him the credibility to dare others from their lives of complacency. The story of how his church, Mosaic, risked looking foolish in their quest to begin influencing north Los Angeles resonated deeply in me.
McManus also weaves references from pop culture and fictional diary entries of a mysterious character, Aydan, to simultaneously add familiarity and mystery to his book. Chasing Daylight is intense, urgent, and fast.
It's hard to find a fault with this book, other than it cost me some sleep. I started reading the book in bed, thinking I'd take in a chapter before falling asleep. However, McManus' writing pushed every leadership and motivational button in my body. It's like singing "Eye of the Tiger" to your infant as a lullaby. It's impossible to read this book with a detached perspective; you'll find yourself personally engaged in the call to spend your life well.
Chasing Daylight is a great book for anyone needing a jolt from complacency, living in a rut, or even laziness. This is the perfect gift for the graduates in your life who are just beginning to launch their adult lives.
Seize this book!.......2007-07-01
I recommend this book to everyone, young and old Christians alike! I read it, then my daughter, and then we bought more copies to pass along to her friends. McManus shares personal experiences to show how God STILL moves and wants us to MOVE for Him. You should take one more step of faith and buy this book!
It will change your life.......2007-04-03
If you are a born-again believer, this one will put feet to your Christian walk the likes of which you have not experienced. It will encourage you to live aggressively.
Drink this up.......2007-03-31
Caution! Reading this book may be hazardous to a stale, comfy faith!
Mcmanus is one of my favorite authors and this is one of my favorite books by him. If you've read Fearless Faith by John Fisher or Your God is Too Safe by Mark Buchannan...this is very similiar.
This book will stretch you. I encourage you to read, think deeply, and apply personally the main ideas presented in this book.
Nate Warren
Be Careful!!.......2007-01-09
Don't read this book if you are in love with the status quo. Don't read this book if you want to eek out a meager existence in the land of the mediocre! Erwin McManus takes a in-depth look at the risks that Jonathan took and translates that into challenges for the reader to make the same kind of difference in their world. Read Chasing Daylight if you want God to use it to spur you on to taking steps of faith.
Book Description
Whether it is tracking down a wayward major who has taken a deadly secret with him to the Caribbean or identifying a top Russian agent secretly bidding for a Fabergé egg in a Sotheby's auction room, Bond always closes the case—with extreme prejudice.
This new Penguin edition comprises four stories, including Fleming's little-known story “007 in New York,” showcasing Bond's taste for Manhattan's special pleasures—from martinis at the Plaza and dinner at the Grand Central Oyster Bar to the perfect anonymity of the Central Park Zoo for a secret rendezvous.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-04
Another Bond book that is a collection of shorter pieces, Octopussy, The Living Daylights and The Property of a Lady. The first story is about a villain, the second Bond is sent as a sniper to kill a female assassin, and in the third he investigates a double agent involved with selling a Carl Faberge egg.
Octopussy and the Living Daylights : 01 Octopussy - Ian Fleming
Octopussy and the Living Daylights : 02 The Living Daylights - Ian Fleming
Octopussy and the Living Daylights : 03 The Property of a Lady - Ian Fleming
Octopussy and the Living Daylights : 04 007 in New York - Ian Fleming
Motorbike murder trail.
3.5 out of 5
Cello chick too cute to shoot.
4 out of 5
Cooking up egg auction will get you fried.
3.5 out of 5
Bond's Big Apple boyfriend blaming.
3 out of 5
The Last Hurrah of Agent 007.......2007-05-02
I've just finished rereading all of the James Bond novels in order twenty years after reading them for the first time.
My favorites remain CASINO ROYALE, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (and LIVE AND LET DIE coming real close to my top tier). Since the release last year of Daniel Craig's debut as Bond, those three are also my favorite films as well.
While rereading the books, I also read Andrew Lycett's insightfuly bio of Fleming and could see how each book was a reflection of Fleming's own life at the time. Fleming could write fluid action scenes in exotic locations...but he quickly became jaded and bored with his superspy creation. As his own health seriously deteriorated after a massive heart attack, the books got darker and more preoccupied with death. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, the last book he sent off to be published before his death, was part Japanese travelogue and part death lit about a culture mired in hara-kari and kamikaze. The Fleming touch comes to life in that novel when Bond hears about a Garden of Death encircling a castle, a collection of every deadly plant, animal and fish that becomes a suicide attraction for the throngs of Japanese looking to kill themselves.
The last novel, the "rough draft" of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, is tired and spent.
But the final book in the series, OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, is back to form, as good as the stories in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (perhaps better). I can't remember when Fleming wrote these stories but they're certainly better than the previous book and well worth reading.
In "Octopussy", Bond visits an rich old man in Jamaica to confront him over a post-WWII crime that touched Bond personally. What struck me about the story was that it appeared Fleming was describing himself as the older man (the boredom, the health issues) and that the crime that's come to light all these years later took place in a location Fleming dearly loved as a young man.
Elements from "The Property of a Lady" would end up in the 1983 film of OCTOPUSSY, but the story is clever in how spy games work--at least in the world of 007 (KGB mole is paid off by using a London auction).
"The Living Daylights" has Bond in West Berlin, looking to take out an East Berlin sniper before he (or she) can kill an agent making a break for the West. The idea would show up at the beginning of 1987's THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. The bleak setting alone reminded me of John Le Carre's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD.
This Penguin edition also includes the very brief "007 in New York" which is of interest in how Fleming and 007 each saw NYC and how Bond likes his scrambled eggs. No huge revelations there.
As I finish these novels though I wished Fleming had dug a little deeper into his creation. Bond more or less remains the same "blunt instrument" he started out as. Missions come and go, so do women. He may visit the grave of Vesper Lynd and grieve somewhere off the page for the murder of Tracy, but Fleming shrugs them all off--along with any soul-searching--as another mission pops up. Bond's jovial flirting with the Japanese geisha girls in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE a chapter or two after M is discussing his state of mind after the murder of his wife was a little jarring.
Bond was a safe character for Fleming as long as he remained a blunt instrument. The image had already taken over the character before Fleming could give him anymore than everyone expected or wanted.
We got our hero.
The human side of Bond.......2007-02-25
I agree with all the positive reviews here. The Bond books present a compelling view of James Bond that few of the movies even hint at. In short: Fleming's Bond is all too human, with real human emotions, desires, strengths and weaknesses. Sure, he's tough, and at times cold-hearted, but he also has a sense of right and wrong that keeps him going. And, even more than in the novels, Fleming used the short stories (as found in both Octopussy and For Your Eyes Only) to further explore Bond's common human traits. What a revelation to finally read these books and encounter a Bond to whom one can actually relate. As with all the other Bond books, once you start reading the short stories in Octopussy, you can't put the book down.
The Real Bond Was Not A Clown.......2005-11-04
As enjoyable as two or three of the movies are, they are not what Fleming wrote about. The stories are set in the Fifties, mostly, and do not involve spaceships or lasergun wristwatches; and Bond himself is not a wisecracking, smirking prettyboy.
He is a cold-blooded killer, tough as nails, who has taught himself the hedonistic pleasures of the table because he has no wife to pamper him. He's actually only a minor character in two of the four stories in this book - but his presence anchors the tales in place and time. Why didn't they make real movies out of these books instead of just borrowing the titles? Octopussy is a really good book in the Bond pantheon.
Look Cubby! Bond with no gadgets and no women........2005-08-27
Ian Fleming penned 14 Bond adventures before his death in 1964. He lived to see the first few movies made, was hopelessly smitten with the young Ursula Andress, and fortunately did not live to see the excesses of his sucessors.
This book is a compilation of three short stories in Octopussy, The Living Daylights, and Property of a Lady. There is no real resemblance to the similarly titled films, but some of the scenes and characters from the short stories made it to the big screen.
These stories show what Bond would do on a slow day, no gadgets or romance involved. Bond does not entertain three women per story, in fact, he meets none. He is smitten at a distance with a cello player, but nothing develops romantically, and the female lead of the third story is described as unattractive.
Bond simply closes out a few files, as one might do in a short week before heading out on holiday. Of course, M and Ms. Moneypenny appear here, with M and the unnamed Chief of Staff providing Bond with his orders and accoutrements.
Octopussy is the best of the lot here. In fact, Bond barely appears in the story set in Fleming's beloved Jamaica about 15 years after the war. A British army major comes into a treasure in the closing chaotic days of the war in Europe. His techniques included murder and eventually he is tracked down by 007 who had been an acquaintance of the "Good German" victim.
The Living Daylights features a challenge between two trained assassins, which will be familiar to viewers of the Timothy Dalton film. Fleming very cleverly sets the scene at Checkpoint Charlie just before the Wall went up. Both sides use innovative cover to muffle their killer's sounds and movements. We get a real sense of the unpleasant side of the business, as Bond's portfolio is murder. He does not relish the assignment, in fact, he speaks of a preference for demotion, drinks whiskey before the event, and fails to complete all parts of the assignment.
Property of a Lady is a primer on Faberge with the famous auction scene, brought to the big screen in a Roger Moore film. Rather than lamely stealing the real article, Bond uses the event to better ends. Here Bond shows more initiative and insight than M in flushing out an important Soviet agent while keeping a useful double agent in place.
Average customer rating:
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Dynamic Daylight Architecture: Basics, Systems, Projects
Helmut Köster
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Basel
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Book Description
When planning buildings in which people are to work and live, the efficient use of natural daylight and solar energy is increasingly important. The challenge is to compensate the different lighting requirements in winter and summer. Integrated daylight deflection systems distribute light into the interior of buildings, utilize and store solar energy to save artificial lighting, air-conditioning and heating costs. Extensively researched and impressively illustrated with a large number of computer simulations and photographs of built examples, this volume is more than an introduction to the basic principles, functions, designs and calculation methods of advanced light-guidance technology for architects, lighting designers, building and climate engineers. In particular it provides detailed documentation of the new Retro-Technology systems, explaining the role they can and do play in integrated façade and building design and planning processes.
Book Description
"Harrison doesn't write like anyone else, relying entirely on the toughness of his vision and intensity of feeling to form the poem... here's a poet talking to you instead of around himself, while doing absolutely brilliant and outrageous things with language."-Publishers Weekly
"One is simply content to be in the presence of a writer this vital, this large-spirited."-The New York Times Book Review
Although best known for his acclaimed fiction, Jim Harrison's poetry has earned him recognition as an "untrammeled renegade genius." Saving Daylight, his tenth collection of poetry–and first in a decade–is grounded in thickets and rivers, birds and bears, and the solace of dogs in a crazed political world. Whether contemplating the ephemerality of 90,000,000,000 galaxies or the immediate grace of a waitress, Harrison relishes the art and mysteries of being alive. "I'm enrolled in a school without visible teachers," he writes in the title poem, "the divine mumbling just out of ear shot."
From "The Little Appearances of God"
When god visits us he sleeps
without a clock in empty bird nests.
He likes the view. Not too high.
Not too low. He winks a friendly wink
at a nearby possum who sniffs the air
unable to detect the scent
of this not quite visible stranger...
Jim Harrison is the author of two dozen books, including Legends of the Fall and Dalva. His work has been translated into 20 languages and produced as four feature-length films. Mr. Harrison divides his time between Montana and southern Arizona.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring and Transcendent.......2006-05-16
I read this in three sittings over 2 days and I have to say it is the best poetry I have read in a long time. Subtle hints of Whitman and Neruda are folded into an American West verbage that sweeps you away to wherever Jim was when he wrote. I am rereading it now and I think I may eventually test the physical longevity of this hardback.
There will never be another.......2006-05-09
There is not enough red wine in the world to make one strong enough to withstand these confessions. Jim Harrison has restored poetry to its original face, and brought it into the present, the future. He stands alone, miles from the hordes that squabble over the scraps of pop culture. Saving Daylight is not just a book: it is an oasis, a place to rest and resurrect.
Book Description
Ken McElroy robbed, raped, burned, shot, and maimed the citizens of Skidmore, Missouri, without conscience or remorse. Again and again, the law had failed to stop him.
On July 10, 1981, Ken was shot to death on the main street of this small farming community. Forty-five people watched. No indictments were ever issued, no trial held…and the town of Skidmore protected the killers with silence. With this powerful, true-life account, Edgar Award–winning author Harry N. MacLean reveals what drove a community of everyday American citizens to commit murder…
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
Customer Reviews:
No One Likes a Bully.......2007-06-29
The story of Skidmore, Missouri and Ken McElroy was a big deal back in the 80s, with a lot of inaccurate media portrayals. Harry MacLean is surely the undisputed authority on the subject, given this book's strong investigation and research. In short, the small farming town of Skidmore had been terrorized for years by McElroy, who is portrayed here (hyperbolically, I slightly suspect) as one of the most unbelievable scumbags ever, barely doing an honest day of work in his life, forming his own gang of lowlifes and controllable young women, and fathering what seems like dozens of semi-legitimate young'ins. Worst of all, McElroy carried paranoid grudges, harassed and intimidated honest folks endlessly, and shot and robbed people at will. After the failure of the equally bullied law establishment to deal with McElroy's years of terror, the townspeople got fed up and rubbed him out, and protected the gunmen from prosecution. Was it a vigilante act of frontier justice, followed by a corrupt conspiracy of silence? Or had decent folks finally been pushed over the edge by a failed system?
Here MacLean shows that the whole saga is far more complicated that what you'd see in the dramatized TV movies and newsmagazine reports. Overall, the book is a mostly winning true crime tale and it easily retains the reader's interest. However, the book does have a few inconsistencies, particularly MacLean's uneven explorations of the roots of the problem and who was ultimately at fault. There is no problem with MacLean's theorizing in itself, because he did a lot of investigation and deserves the opportunity to speak his mind, but this case raises serious issues of law, ethics, and democracy that are introduced unevenly and pushed along with no authoritative conclusions. Also, one readability issue is the huge cast of characters that blur together in confusion. In the end, the reader is rewarded with a suspenseful true crime tale that Hollywood couldn't even dream up, but the lessons to be learned are a bit unclear. One thing's for sure though - there sure were a lot of cowards in this saga. [~doomsdayer520~]
Held my attention.......2007-05-12
This book is well written, held my attention. What a sad story. A town bully is a really bad thing to have in a small town.
Live by the Sword! Die by the Sword!.......2007-05-11
Ken McElroy was one mean dude in Skidmore, Missouri. The book is very well-written and helps the readers understand how somebody like McElroy became a local menacing figure. He had fathered children with two women. No, it wasn't polygamous relationships. They stayed with him and raised their unusual family together. McElroy gets mad! Boy, does he get even! He has terrorized the town of Skidmore, Missouri that when he gets shot and killed in front of wtinesses. Nobody dares identify the shooter! They've done him a favor! McElroy didn't believe in justice. He believed in getting even and getting whatever and whoever he wanted whether women, men, and animals. He was truly an original figure who scared a town to death. No, I do understand how the town became so terrified that it resulted into vigilante justice to this day. McElroy can't get them from beyond the grave now as he did alive. Whatever you did if you lived in Skidmore, you dared not to get in McElroy's way. When the law, courts, and American justice system failed Skidmore, the town got even by their own style of justice. I don't want to take sides but the justice system should have handled McElroy but he got lawyers to back up his innocence and he was free. Free to terrorize and scare even the toughest men around! When you live by the sword, you die by the sword and that McElroy's life.
Excellent book!.......2007-05-03
Great book. it actually was made into a TV movie. Brian Dennehy starred as the bully. I don't remember if the title was the same as the book, but I think it was.
An emotionally exhaustive look at a true crime.......2007-02-15
The killing of Ken McElroy, who was almost universally acknowledged as the "baddest" man in Skidmore, Missouri, remains unsolved more than 25 years after he was gunned down in his truck with his wife, Trena, by his side.
Note the use of the word "killing." It is used advisedly. Was it murder to end McElroy's life? While that definition technically may be true according to the letter of the law, the answer may ultimately depend on the reader's moral compass. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT takes an emotionally exhaustive look at what led up to the events of that July day. Originally released in 1989, Harry N. MacLean's opus earned an Edgar Award for Best True Crime and was on The New York Times bestseller list for 12 weeks.
By all accounts, McElroy --- an unabashed and unashamed thief, arsonist and sexual predator --- was the prototypical bully: physically intimidating, ruthless, always willing to settle things with a knife or a gun (even the use of the odd venomous snake was not out of character). The citizens of Skidmore lived in constant fear that only increased with time, frustrated by the inability of the local law enforcement to remedy the situation. MacLean quotes McElroy as having been arrested for felonies more than 50 times, yet until the end, he was never found guilty by a jury. The author writes of a shared frustration by police and prosecutors. "They knew he was stealing hogs, cattle, and coon dogs; they were convinced he ran a ring of thieves...; and they knew he carried a loaded shotgun with him at all times. They even knew how he went about his crimes. Proving what they knew was something else altogether."
After many years, McElroy's criminal ways finally caught up with him when he shot Ernest "Bo" Bowencamp, who, with wife Lois, ran the local grocery store. McElroy managed to avoid an immediate arrest due to a lack of witnesses. Once nabbed, he claimed self-defense and sought to intimidate any witness who might dare say otherwise. "Ken McElroy's presence hung over the town like the threat of a May frost." (MacLean often depicts the situation in agricultural terms, comparing the passage of time to the growing season, a literary technique that can grate after a while.)
In a particularly poignant passage, MacLean reports how Lois Bowencamp "wrote to everyone she could think of, seeking help." She received "no assistance, Senator Eagleton sent [her] a letter stating that the problem was a matter for local law enforcement, and that he did not intend to interfere with the affairs of the state attorney general."
Even after his conviction following lengthy delays, McElroy was free to walk among the citizenry, still free to bully them into fear and submission. What he didn't count on was that the townsfolk would say "Enough!"
"If you kick and torment a nice dog long enough, if you're mean enough to him, one day when he's cornered, he'll turn and fight," writes MacLean. "Perhaps that is what happened in Skidmore that morning."
Even key local law enforcement, as frustrated as the people they were supposed to protect, admitted they were looking for the least provocation to put McElroy down. It is therefore no wonder that they come across as ambivalent to find those responsible for ending McElroy's sorry life.
MacLean does not scrimp on the unsavory details, whether painstakingly going over every step of McElroy's crime spree over the years or describing his postmortem. To that end, fans of the true crime genre are well-served.
Although "[a]s a lawyer and advocate of the justice system, I know it is a highly dangerous thing to excuse murder, no matter what the reason," MacLean admits he was sympathetic to the people of Skidmore. At the same time, "I wonder what goes through their heads when they drive through town, past the spot where they stood with their rifles, past the spot where McElroy sat dead in his truck."
The re-release of IN BROAD DAYLIGHT contains a new epilogue that marks the intervening years, including an update on some of the key principals and pondering whether or not justice was truly served.
--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
Customer Reviews:
Male Bonding, Mystery Opponents........2006-11-06
In this book Lombardi's life is played out during a week as the patriarch of the Packers. He highlights in detail why they were a 60's dynasty. From the cycles of game planning, interactions with his team, you get to see Packer football from a new perspective. Despite his gruff exterior, it is crystal clear that he genuinely cared about his players on and off the field. This is not a how to coaching book or a biography. It is a slide snapshot that tells more than the reader expects.
Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-12-28
Such a rare gem of a book, I was floored by it's great detail and was very happy with this book!! This 1963 publication written by Vince Lombardi, is sure to be missed by much of today's generation, and unfortunately so. Lombardi SHOWS why his Packers were the 60's greatest football dynasty, and how his life plays out during a week as the leader of the Packers. This is an absolute MUST read by ANY real football fan!!!
Inspirational.......2004-05-11
Vince Lombardi's dedication and devotion transcended football. His quotes are used all the way from the high school locker room to the corporate board room.
This diary is Lombardi in his own words. It covers his views of the weekly cycle of planning for battle, preparing for battle, and then the football game itself.
Packer fan or motivational fan - this book is an easy read worth the several hours to get cover to cover.
A Week in the Life of Vince Lombardi.......2003-11-14
This book is mandatory reading for football fans, particularly fan of the Green Bay Packers. Some of the ideas about this book are misleading. However, it is still a great read.
This book is not a biography of Lombardi or a guide on how to coach football. This book does give readers insight as to what it was like for Lombardi during his coaching tenure. Based on technology alone, there are great differences now. The readers get to see all of Lombardi's preparation for the mystery opponent in silver uniforms.
Several of Lombardi's famous quotes are included. Lombardi also discusses specifc intereactions with players as well as a number of interesting stories about various players. Despite his tough exterior, he genuinely cares about his players. When the book arrives at game day, you get to see the game form Lombardi's perspective. It is a real treat for football fans.
If you have read other books about the Packers during this era, you are not likley to learn many new facts. Many of the facts in here are credited as a primary source in other books. However, you do get to see Packer football from a new perspective.
An excellent in-depth look at a football coaches preparation.......1999-08-02
Run to Daylight was published in 1963 and was instantly recognized as a classic. Written by legendary Green Bay Packer head coach Vince Lombardi, RTD details Lombardi and the Packers preparation for an unnammed opponnet in the 1962 championship season. The book is a must read for the aspiring coach or anyone interested in pro football coaching. RTD provides the psychological motivation of both the players and coaches and a highly readable account of a week in a pro football season. Along with John Wooden's "They Call Me Coach", this is a must read for coaches of any sport.
Book Description
A spiritual and teaching text for Reiki. Photos and charts include: Reiki Boost, Hand Placements for humans and animals, Reiki sharing, the metabolic path, Ki Flow Chart, Healing Release, Frequencey Change, and Chakras. Includes: the history of Reiki and its philosophy, Bridge of Light, Spinning Chakras, Healing Techniques, and class instruction for each level of Reiki. A Reiki reference manual.
Customer Reviews:
Poorly written.......2001-05-19
I've used this book in some of my Reiki training classes, and though the information is good, it is badly in need of editing. I've also learned, since reading some of Frank Arjava Petter's books, that Mitchell's history of Reiki is not entirely accurate.
It is amateurishly written and edited, though I have found much of the information useful.
One of the best books on Reiki.......2000-07-10
One of the better books on the healing methods of traditional Reiki, written by Master-Teacher Karyn Mitchell, Ph.D., N.D., of the Hawayo Takata-Iris Ichitaro lineage. The author is a Doctor of Naturopathy, a psychologist, and certified teacher of hypnotherapy, as well as a Reiki Practitioner and Master-Teacher of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki and Tera Mai Reiki.
When my guides called me to take the Reiki training, I didn't even know what it was. They just kept hammering at me to "DO THIS THING". I set out to find out just what Reiki was all about. I read about a dozen books on Reiki, but this one book stood out. It was basic, clearly written, pragmatic yet with recognition of the more esoteric aspects of Reiki. Karyn has written several other books on Reiki, but this was her first and remains the introductory text for her Reiki classes.
I was ecstatic to discover that Master Karyn lives within driving distance of my home in suburban Chicago. I immediately called her and enrolled in the Level 1 training. I subsequently took Levels II and III from her also.
Karyn Mitchell and her husband, Steve, who is also a Reiki Master-Teacher and a Crystal Healing Teacher (certified by "Melody"), can be reached at: Haven Center for Healing & Education 603 Geneva Road, St. Charles, IL 60174 phone: 815-732-7150 email: Mitchell@essex1.com
Namaste!
Invaluable to those on the path!.......1999-08-06
This book is a wonderful read as well as a reference for various meditations and Reiki knowledge. I bought it when it first came out and still keep it handy near my Reiki table. Karyn inspired me to move ahead on my path to healing others through Reiki. I also am blessed to have met Karyn and have experienced Reiki treatments though her, before buying this book. Her love/light energy shines though this vehicle as if you were in her presence. A true work of love and Reiki energy! Karyn lives what she teaches.
Most Practical Approach To Learning and Teaching Reiki.......1999-03-24
Karyn's approach to the subject is phenomenial. I was first invited into the subject by her personal warmth and sincerity. You can actually feel her spirit! She doesn't waste words, but gets right to the essentials of the healing art/gift. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating a simple and practical technique of Reiki. Drawings and photos of hand positions help to make this a much needed reference for students and teachers alike. Karyn takes you from Reiki 1 to Reiki Master/Teacher, explaining the experience of each level and the steps leading to them. A curriculum for the instruction of each level is provided. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, I highly recommend this book to both students and teachers.
Book Description
Everyone experiences grief, but few books offer real helpwith the debilitating emotions of bereavement. Now, an internationally respected authority on personal change maps the terrain between life as it was and life as it can be. Readers can move at their own pace through the seven distinct phases of loss and can work towards a stronger, more balanced self. The author's own story of the loss of a young husband, combined with the tales of dozens of individuals, and the most recent research on coping with loss, helps readers to become happier, healthier, and wiser beings.
Customer Reviews:
The epitomy of a grief manual.......2006-11-18
Harper Neeld's book is an incredibly detailed compilation of the author's personal experiences in the sudden loss of her young husband, interviews with other widows/widowers, and discussions of phases of the grieving process. I would rate this book highly, along with one of my favorite grief authors, thanatologist Alan Wolfelt (e.g. Understanding Your Grief books). Harper Neeld seamlessly combines her painful, personal story with factual, helpful guidelines to create one of the best written boooks I have read on widowhood. I used the introspective questions with my grief therapist, who liked the book so much that she borrowed it and used it for a class she taught.
The Book I Wish I'd Written.......2006-03-28
My friends keep telling me I should write a book about my grief, but I think that what Elizabeth Harper Neeld has written is better than anything I could produce. This book is so readable and covers every aspect of grief. My husband died four months ago, and I have found this book exceedingly helpful. Elixabeth put the most important step first "To experience and express grief fully." There are hundreds of ways to run away from grief, but it is necessary "to feel it to heal it." I was given the best advice by a friend who said to "lean into the pain." The second choice "To endure with patience," has helped me be more patient and compassionate with myself. Thank you, Elizabeth for this beautiful book. I will buy it for everyone I know who loses someone dear.
The Widows Bible.......2005-10-15
After my husband died suddenly, I was beside myself. My aunt insisted on placing this book in my hands. It has been a lifeline to me. I have purchased well over 20 copies of it for friends and continue to haunt my local bookstore when they don't have it on the shelf for immediate purchase. Having read almost every grief book out there, don't waste your money, just buy this one and learn to live again.
A glimpse of light .......2005-02-07
My husband of 1.5 years but my soul-mate of a lifetime passed away a year ago. I have read so many books of grief, but only Seven Choices helped me find hope. This book is an honest account of a difficult journey, and like all things that are done with honesty - it touches the core of who we are.
Bought for a recent widow.......2004-10-20
I bought this book in audio for a friend of mine whose husband died of cancer after 44 years of marriage. The day it arrived, she listened to both tapes and said she could so identify with the author. She thanked me profusely for this gift and said she was going to listen to it in her car as she drove. Her husband has only been dead a month as of this writing, and neither of us expects her to "heal" in record time, but she found comfort in this book and made me so glad this is the one I chose to send her. Based on her comments, I strongly recommend it to the grieving, especially widows.
Book Description
Truth Wyman has watched Nicodemus, Kansas, grow into a busy little prairie town. And she has grown up, too. Her family was among the first settlers to homestead this area, and there is nowhere she'd rather live. She's always thought her husband felt the same way. . . . Then Moses comes home with news that he has been nominated for state office. If he wins, they'll need to move to the state capital. Pregnant with her first child, Truth does not plan to move to Topeka. How can she raise her baby in an unfamiliar city? How can she leave her family and her home? Yet what will happen if she refuses? Nicodemus's sister community, Hill City, is thriving, too. Macia Boyle returns to her family after a European holiday. The storekeeper's nephew, Garrett Johnson, captures her attention, but she can't seem to forget Jeb Malone, the young blacksmith who showed interest in her before her trip. Soon, Macia must make a choice: Should she return to Jeb's arms or seek a new life with Garrett?
Customer Reviews:
Love this book and series.......2007-06-25
I'll miss this series as this is the last book. I read this one in 2 days and couldn't put it down. The characters are well developed and this book is from Truth's point of view. I miss Jenna's narrative, and the book skips at least a few years which I feel like I would have liked to have "been part of" if the author didn't jump forward. Still a great read and I'm off to another series by the author.
Readers are caught in a drama of well-crafted storytelling.......2007-06-06
Moses Wyman's horseback ride to Nicodemus, Kansas, is filled with emotion. He's been away from home at the young state capital of Topeka far longer than he planned. His young wife, Truth, has waited for Moses to be the first person to learn that she is pregnant with their first child. Within a few sentences, the reader is plunged into several threads of drama from 1882 in the first African American settlement on the plains of the Old West.
Moses breaks the news to his wife that he's been nominated to the office of State Auditor and, if elected, will be the first African American state official. The new job will require Moses and Truth to relocate to Topeka. Everyone around Truth is thrilled with the potential gain; despite praying that they will stay in town throughout her pregnancy, Moses wins the position and they move. Truth's twin sister, Grace Harban, comes from Nicodemus to help care for Truth in the final days of her pregnancy. Through complications Grace extends her stay in Topeka, which tangles some relationship matters back in Nicodemus.
In DAYLIGHT COMES, the third book in the Freedom's Path series, Judith Miller uses multiple plot threads to maintain a high reader interest and keep the pages turning. Hill City, Kansas is the sister city to Nicodemus, which is inhabited primarily by white people. Macia Boyle, the only daughter of Dr. Samuel Boyle, has returned to Hill City from an extended two-year trip to Europe. While she was away, her boyfriend and blacksmith, Jeb Malone, started a new relationship with Fern Kingston.
Unfortunately, Macia can't escape reminders of her old flame because Fern is the Boyle family housekeeper. Reluctantly, Dr. Boyle agrees to make a change if Macia can find another housekeeper. Through Macia's scheming, Fern moves to Nicodemus and cares for Truth's home when the Wymans move to Topeka. Macia is torn about her relationship with Jeb Malone, and the question grows more complicated when the handsome Garrett Johnson, nephew of the storekeeper, attempts to capture her affection.
Another key storyline is the arrival of the Faraday family. Mr. Faraday, a pharmacist, has an unusual number of men hanging around his business. Later, readers learn that he has a gambling problem and eventually he runs away. The high drama between Mrs. Faraday and her husband, and daughter Camille, serves to remind readers that addictions were also a part of prairie town life.
With vivid characters and detailed descriptions and research, readers are caught in a drama of well-crafted storytelling. Through the vehicle of historical fiction, we are reminded of our ever-present need to keep close to God and depend on Him for the ultimate justice of issues, which often can't be resolved easily. DAYLIGHT COMES is historical fiction at its best.
--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin
Truth and Moses' story....First Black man in high office.......2007-04-29
Truth and Moses are married, and expecting their first baby. He has been elected as the first Black man to a high political job in Topeka, expects to move his family there and comes into opposition from Truth. She wants to stay in the little town she now loves, keep her lovely new home they built and raise their family near her twin sister and extended family. Her twin, Grace is torn between her loyalties to Truth and her betrothed, Silas, as she plans a long stay in Topeka with Truth. Aunt Lilly has changed, and now wants to move to Topeka, open a business and become a respected citizen for the first time in her adult life. Macia has finally recovered fully and returned home only to find that Jeb has not waited 2 years for her, and he is engaged to Dr. Boyle's new housekeeper, Fern. Obviously this does not set well with Macia Boyle, because Fern is mean to her, and Macia is confused how she actually feels about Jeb. The author does a good job combining historical facts with love and suspense, and has put together a lovely three volume series of Christian Fiction genre. Thanks Judith Miller
Plunge Into the World of 1882 in Nicodemus, Kansas.......2007-01-07
Judith Miller weaves vivid detail based on careful research with fascinating characters and realistic difficulties. The result is a page-turning drama and great addition to the Freedom's Path series.
I've read the other two books in this series and was eager for this saga to continue. It is excellent and an example of historical fiction at its best. I highly recommend it.
another great book in the Freedom' Path series.......2006-11-17
Daylight Comes is the third book in the Freedom's Path series. Truth is married to Moses Wyman who has been nominated for state office. Women can't vote in Kansas in 1882, but if Truth could vote, she'd cast her ballot against Moses. If he wins they will have to move to Topeka and she doesn't want to leave Nicodemus. Truth is pregnant with their first baby and she insists her twin sister Grace move to Topeka with them, at least until the baby is born. Grace doesn't want to go. She is engaged to Silas and they both resent Truth being so determined to separate them. But Truth is proving to be as adept as Aunt Lily when it comes to manipulating people.
Macia Boyle has returned home from Europe, but Jeb Malone got tired of waiting for her. He's engagaged to another woman who deeply resents his first love. Garrett Johnson is obviously interested in Macia, but she's not sure how she feels about him or about Jeb, who's no longer available.
This is the continuing saga about the Harban and Boyle families. The same cast of characters we met in First Dawn and Morning Sky are all here. Lily is back and Truth doesn't trust her one bit. Miss Hattie is still handing out advice whether anyone wants it or not. The characters are just as compelling and the plot is just as gripping as in the first two books. Judith Miller stories are so well written and so intriguing that reading one is like taking a trip back home.
Books:
- Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan Novels)
- Dead Men's Secrets
- Decoration of Houses, The (The Collected Works of Edith Wharton - 43 Volumes)
- Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia
- Don Quijote de la Mancha
- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
- Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Signet Classics)
- Driven by Eternity: Making Your Life Count Today & Forever
- Euripides' Bacchae: Translation, Introduction and Notes (Focus Classical Library)
- Fatal Flaws: Navigating Destructive Relationships with People with Disorders...
Books Index
Books Home
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The Number: What Do You Need for the Rest of Your Life and What Will It Cost?
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Hedgehogging
