Book Description
Divide your quilt into small, more workable sections and Conquer the daunting task of machine or hand quilting a full-sized bed quilt! We'll show you four innovative techniques for assembling 17 original quilts.
By assembling and quilting your project in two or more pieces, you will alleviate the problems associated with quilting bulky bed quilts. The sections are lighter, can fit through the opening of your sewing machine, and are easily maneuverable for decorative quilting.
Each of the quilts is at least twin-sized, although the patterns are easily adaptable to smaller wall quilts. We've also added one of our famous Toppers as an option! With the combination of pieced and appliqued quilts, you are sure to find one to become the centerpiece of any decor.
Not only are these techniques easily applied to almost any quilt that you are making, but also each quilt top can be made in one piece for hand, machine or long-arm machine quilting. We'll provide lots of options and advice so you can quilt it your way!
Customer Reviews:
not what i expected.......2007-07-08
I had seen this book on a TV program. I thought it would tell me a lot more about quilting.
Divide & Conquer: Quilt It Your Way.......2007-01-10
I bought it as a gift, & the receipent loves it!!!
Super Book!.......2006-12-21
This book has been a HUGE blessing to me. I've make 2 big quilts by this method and they both came out great.
Divide & Conquer.......2006-11-10
This is the book on quilting that I've been looking for ! I really like the approach the author takes to quilting in sections. I found the book to be easy to follow and full of excellent suggestions and instructions.
Divide and Conquer.......2005-09-07
This is a very good book for machine quilting and has great tips and really can help you. I encourage all future quilters to purchase this book.
Book Description
They met in 1990 during the first Palestinian uprising—one was an American Jew who served as a prison guard in the largest prison in Israel, the other, his prisoner, Rafiq, a rising leader in the PLO. Despite their fears and prejudices, they began a dialogue there that grew into a remarkable friendship—and now a remarkable book. It is a book that confronts head-on the issues dividing the Middle East, but one that also shines a ray of hope on that dark, embattled region.
Jeffrey Goldberg, now an award-winning correspondent for The New Yorker, moved to Israel while still a college student. When he arrived, there was already a war in his heart—a war between the magnetic pull of tribe and the equally determined pull of the universalist ideal. He saw the conflict between the Jews and Arabs as the essence of tragedy, because tragedy is born not in the collision of right and wrong, but of right and right.
Soon, as a military policeman in the Israeli army, he was sent to the Ketziot military prison camp, a barbed-wire city of tents and machine gun towers buried deep in the Negev Desert. Ketziot held six thousand Arabs, the flower of the Intifada: its rock-throwers, knifemen, bomb-makers, and propagandists. He realized that this was an extraordinary opportunity to learn from them about themselves, especially because among the prisoners may have been the future leaders of Palestine.
Prisoners is an account of life in that harsh desert prison—mean, overcrowded, and violent — and of Goldberg's extraordinary dialogue with Rafiq, which continues to this day.
We hear their accusations, explanations, fears, prejudices, and aspirations. We see how their relationship deepened over the years as Goldberg returned to Washington, D.C., where Rafiq, quite coincidentally, had become a graduate student, and as the Middle East cycled through periods of soaring hope and ceaseless despair. And we see again and again how these two men—both of them loyal sons of their warring peoples—confront their religious, cultural, and political differences in ways that allowed them to finally acknowledge a true, if necessarily tenuous, friendship.
A riveting, deeply affecting book: spare, impassioned, energetic, and unstinting in its candor about the truths that lie buried within the animosities of the Middle East.
Customer Reviews:
brilliantly perceptive and very sad.......2007-09-18
I read it in 2 nights. It is truly brilliantly perceptive and indescribably sad - he, like so many, see no solution, not really, despite his theme of coexistence. By now there's so much hatred on both sides, so much misunderstanding, so much blood shed unnecessarily, that any happy end is virtually impossible.
Ruth Weiss, Author, Germany
Not a Prisoner: Just Captivated.......2007-06-24
I didn't think that I would be interested in a political kind of book, but this is really a personal story that taught me alot about the middle east and war and peace. What I really liked is that Mr. Goldberg thinks that there is hope. I have given it for gifts and people love it.
deeply personal and informative.......2007-06-13
not only is this book deeply personal to the author but also to this reader.He put into the words that I never could the feeling that I have for Israel and the Jewish People.He explains Zionism for what it really is and means and not for what the pc crowd has twisted it to be.
Having also had dialogue with a muslim that I called friend for over more than 40 years I can attest to the great divide between us.it is hard for most people to understand that different cultures do not think alike regardless of what facts are presented.
other readers have found hope in this book which I am afraid I do not share.
A Must Read.......2007-04-22
Jeffrey Goldberg has written an absolutely facinating book. His unique perspective and the access that has been granted him to interview Muslim leaders, makes his book a "must read" for all those interested in Middle East tensions and problems.For the people, like myself, who are despairing of ever seeing peace in that region, Mr. Goldberg brings back hope that we can learn to understand and appreciate our differences and celebrate our similarities.
Friends of sorts . . ........2007-04-09
Self-categorized on the book jacket as "Current Affairs," this book had me expecting an analysis of Israeli-Palestinian relations, the word "prisoners" in the title no more than a metaphor. In fact, a large part of the book takes place in an actual prison, and while it has much to say about Israeli-Palestinian relations, it is more correctly a memoir of an American Jewish journalist attempting to understand the nature of the conflict that has prevailed in that part of the Middle East since 1948. Finding the political in the personal, he tells of his own beginnings as a youthful Zionist living on Long Island and his years in Israel as his ideals are put to the test working on a kibbutz and then serving in the military police at a desert prison, where he first meets and attempts to befriend a Palestinian prisoner, Rafiq.
Later, working as a journalist based first in Jerusalem and then in Washington DC, the author travels often to Gaza and the West Bank to talk with Palestinians, many of them released prisoners, including his friend Rafiq. His conversations with Rafiq become a commentary on an accompanying account of the interlude of hope for resolution in the Oslo talks, the eventual collapse of the peace process, and the rise of suicide bombings. On both levels, it is a search for common ground that is as elusive as peace itself. The author clings to the hope that where friendship is possible between two men who cannot agree on anything else, coexistence is possible between Arabs and Jews.
This is a well written book that immerses the reader in the deeply bitter and violent conflict that has raged in this corner of the world for decades. The greater part of the book is peopled by Palestinians, each specifically drawn as they reveal themselves to the author, and representing a host of political points of view, from the reasonable to the extreme. Meanwhile, as the author's initial Leon Uris-fed idealism fades, the Israelis themselves are often portrayed as far less than admirable. Leavening the darkness inherent in his subject, the author often finds a kind of grim humor, frequently at his own expense, as he struggles to bring the light of reason to what becomes increasingly a litany of folly on all sides. Very much New Yorker style writing in its use of a personal perspective and its slow-moving, meandering structure, "Prisoners" makes for fascinating and rewarding reading. However, do not expect to be uplifted or reassured by its vision of a world mired in mutual distrust and hatred.
Amazon.com
Men ask for what they want twice as often as women do and initiate negotiation four times more, report economist Linda Babcock and writer Sara Laschever in the footnoted but engaging Women Don't Ask. With vivid research examples drawn from cradle, classroom and playground, the authors detail culture as the culprit in discouraging women from negotiating on their own behalf.
Men, socialized in a "scrappier paradigm," learn to pursue and energize their goals at work and home. The two key elements are control and recognizing opportunity. For example, girls, rewarded for hard work, learn to see control as outside of themselves while boys are urged to take charge. Boys are schooled to recognize opportunity and girls to choose safe targets.
Several chapters are focused on prescription; how women can decrease anxiety, anticipate roadblocks, plan counter-moves and resist conceding too much or too soon. The authors shine in their examination of culture and gender--and their optimism about how women can counter the culture. They falter whenever they adopt the "sexes-from-a-different-planet" fallacy. Most notably, in a chapter that details a "female approach" to negotiating. Overall, the authors have created a smart summary of research and used it to affirm every woman's urgent right to ask. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
When Linda Babcock asked why so many male graduate students were teaching their own courses and most female students were assigned as assistants, her dean said: "More men ask. The women just don't ask." It turns out that whether they want higher salaries or more help at home, women often find it hard to ask. Sometimes they don't know that change is possible--they don't know that they can ask. Sometimes they fear that asking may damage a relationship. And sometimes they don't ask because they've learned that society can react badly to women asserting their own needs and desires.
By looking at the barriers holding women back and the social forces constraining them, Women Don't Ask shows women how to reframe their interactions and more accurately evaluate their opportunities. It teaches them how to ask for what they want in ways that feel comfortable and possible, taking into account the impact of asking on their relationships. And it teaches all of us how to recognize the ways in which our institutions, child-rearing practices, and unspoken assumptions perpetuate inequalities--inequalities that are not only fundamentally unfair but also inefficient and economically unsound.
With women's progress toward full economic and social equality stalled, women's lives becoming increasingly complex, and the structures of businesses changing, the ability to negotiate is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Drawing on research in psychology, sociology, economics, and organizational behavior as well as dozens of interviews with men and women from all walks of life, Women Don't Ask is the first book to identify the dramatic difference between men and women in their propensity to negotiate for what they want. It tells women how to ask, and why they should.
Customer Reviews:
Eye opening.......2007-01-21
I am interviewing for a post-graduate job and I asked a successful woman in my field for some negotiating advice. She recommended this book. Ironically, I always considered myself a good negotiator. Yet, as I read this book, it mirrored so many situations where I made tactical negotiation mistakes with regards to my own personal gain. A must read for women, in any stage of their career.
Should be required reading for women before interviewing.......2007-01-10
This book is full of eye-opening thoughts that I found so crucial to my own sense of empowerment as I faced post-graduate school job negotiation opportunities. There are so many things I would never have thought of as options to set on the negotiating table, not to mention so many things about how I behave, what my expectations are for myself, and how they differ from those of a typical male perspective. Even though I am educated in a human social science field and consider myself a liberal woman, I had A LOT to learn from this book. I liked the mix of examples of diverse individual women's experiences along with data from the authors' and others' relevant studies.
Ladies, you'll love this book!.......2007-01-04
I love this book! A must read for any career woman. It was recommended by my mentor at work. I wish I had read it earlier in my career, but I'm thankful I've read it now.
Interesting read supported by substantial data.......2006-12-30
Women Don't Ask is a book that attempts to discover the reasons behind the documented inequity between women and men in the workplace. The book is especially interested in the reasons that women are paid less than men for the same work. The authors' basic conclusion is that women get paid less and get promoted less because not only do they not ask for more pay, pay raises, and promotions, but because they are conditioned to expect less.
The book is not judgmental nor does it make sweeping generalizations, but rather cites many case studies as well as research experiments that prove that women are less likely to negotiate than men. The book explores the many cultural factors that condition women to avoid negotiation while encouraging men to negotiate. The authors do not blame or complain--they merely explore the reasons that women, of all ages, are less likely to negotiate in the workplace. For example, the authors note that young girls are usually given indoor chores around the house, such as doing dishes and vacuuming. Young boys, on the other hand, are more likely to be assigned chores such as mowing the lawn, washing cars, and shoveling the driveway. The authors point out that the types of jobs that boys are given are ones that can be used to make money--boys will be able to offer to mow lawns for neighbors for a fee, a fee that usually is negotiated. The types of household chores that girls are given, however, are not usually done for neighbors for a fee. Therefore, boys often learn to negotiate for pay from a young age.
The authors also look at some of the real and perceived negative consequences when women do negotiate that make women's negotiation ineffective and unsuccessful.
This book can help women to understand their fear of negotiation, help men to understand why they sometimes feel taken aback by a woman who negotiates, and help women to find ways to be more comfortable and confident in their negotiation skills.
I found this book extremely beneficial in that it helps me to understand why others around me act as they do, and I can see how these behaviors are shaped by so many aspects of our culture rather than by one gender being "right" or "wrong," "good" or "bad." Kudos to these authors for shedding light on such a neglected topic.
Women Don't Know.................2006-11-04
I just felt that this book only told about the situation, (which I do find is the case in my experience as a women--basically I shut down when it comes to negotiation, and my boyfriend welcomes it, saying that "everything is negotiable". Problem is shown, without any real solutions--basically some people are more assertive than others I guess. Thanks anyway.
Book Description
Become a mental-math master and astound your friends, family, and teachers with . . .
"A fascinating and useful book. I recommend it." —Jaime Escalante (of Stand and Deliver fame) Hiram W. Johnson High School will fascinate students of all ages. A resource 'must' for all math programs." —Howard Wang, Founding Director of Sierra Canyon College Preparatory School
"The tips and tricks were really cool." —Liz Matthews, age 12, Anacapa Middle School
Packed with 50 tricks and tips that let you add, subtract, multiply, and divide in a flash, makes math easier and more fun than you've ever imagined. You won't need a calculator, or in many cases even a pencil, to come up with the correct answers. Just a few simple shortcuts will have you solving basic problems in record time.
will not only amaze you, it will also help you at school and in your daily life. Most of all, you'll have plenty of fun along the way!
Customer Reviews:
Arithmetricks: 50 Easy Ways to Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide Without a Calculator.......2007-03-19
The math tricks are very cool and easy to understand. This book is awsome for people of all ages.
Very useful.......2005-10-03
This book is really nice to read, learn and easy to get the idea for adult and for children.
She loves math now!.......2002-11-09
My 9 year old had always loved math but this year we moved and neither of us liked the math curriculum the new school used. She began hating math! We began homeschool (there were other problems too) BUT she continued fighting with the math work. I purchased this book and after only 4 lessons she's hooked on math again! She loves the tricks and VOLUNTARILY makes up her own problems to solve! She's already seeing how the "tricks" help her in her "normal" math work.
A must for math teachers!!!.......1998-08-13
I plan on using this book to enhance my students mental math abilities. This book is a great way to do the mental math and focus on that higher order thinking. This book is organized well, and is well-suited for classroom use. There were many tricks that I didn't even know existed and everything is still based on basic math. This can work from the slowest to the most advanced learner.
Amazon.com
Elyon is a land of dark hills, enchanted forests, and great walls that connect and encircle the cities of Lathbury, Turlock, Lunenburg, and Bridewell like spokes in a wagon wheel. On her annual summer trips to Bridewell with her father, the mayor of Lathbury, Alexa Daley spends much of her time dreaming of escape. Having lived within the walls all of her 12 years, she wants nothing more than to explore the uncharted wilderness beyond. But, the walls are heavily guarded, and frightening legends suggest that forests and hills are no place for a child--especially a young girl. When a mysterious conversation and an unfortunate accident put Alexa within reach of a way outside the wall, she must decide--heed the warnings of her elders, or satisfy her curiosity and unravel the mysteries of Elyon.
Told from the perspective of its smart, brave, and adventurous heroine, The Dark Hills Divide invites readers on a spectacular and mysterious quest that will appeal to boys, girls, and fans of both fiction and fantasy. Patrick Carman is a natural storyteller, and his delightful debut is full of mysterious plots, hidden passageways, and all manner of dastardly, hilarious, and noble characters. Perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, and Cornelia Funke, The Dark Hills Divide is so compulsively readable that kids (and their parents) will be clamoring for the second book in the proposed trilogy, Beyond the Valley of Thorns, due in 2005. --Daphne Durham
Amazon.com Exclusive Content
Welcome to the Land of Elyon: Meet the Characters
Alexa Daley
The daughter of the mayor of Lathbury, Alexa is a curious, strong-willed, courageous twelve-year-old who acquires a stone of great power, and investigates and uncovers a terrible secret.
Yipes
The mysterious little man (not more than 2 feet tall) of the old mountain who befriends Alexa Daley on her journey outside the wall. Yipes introduces her to Darius, setting her on an amazing adventure.
Darius
An enormous wolf with a mysterious past, Darius is tasked with escorting Alexa to a meeting in the forest, and taking her to the dark tunnel where a secret is revealed.
Pervis Kotcher
Pervis, the crafty head of the guards in Bridewell, protects the city from the evil dangers he is convinced lurk outside the walls. He is a man with many secrets, great ambition, and a strong dislike for Alexa.
Sam and Pepper
Sam and Pepper live in the library, and curl up with Alexa while she reads and naps in her favorite chair. Alexa soon learns that these cuddly cats are not what they seem--they hide secrets of their own.
Thomas Warvold
The architect and founder of the walled cities, Warvold was an adventerous wanderer who traveled far and wide in the Land of Elyon.
Book Description
Inquisitive twelve-year-old Alexa Daley is spending another summer in the walled town of Bridewell. This year, she is set on solving the mystery of what lies beyond the walls. Legend says the walls were built to keep out an unnamed evil that lurks in the forests and The Dark Hills. But what exactly is it that the townspeople are so afraid of? As Alexa begins to unravel the truth, pushing beyond the protective barrier she's lived behind all her life, she discovers a strange and ancient enchantment -- and exposes a danger that could destroy everything she holds dear.
Customer Reviews:
excellent.......2007-10-03
When i read this book, i loved it, it started out i might say, a bit slow but it was wonderful.
You really have to keep reading and it'll grow on you, this book was so well written. Patrick Carmen is one of my favorite authors, and i have to say this was one of his best out of all of the book i have read of his.
The two other books in the series were very good also, i was very happy to see his latest book on the shelf Into The Mist, i immideatly bought it. Overall, if you love fantasy and are very picky about which books you read, then i'm sure you'll like this one.
Boring.......2007-09-03
I always wondered how books like this get published. Only goes to show that there are bad editors.
Careless, lazy writing.......2007-08-24
Positively laborious reading. The writing is jarringly uneven, the editing is criminally lax, the characters are two-dimensional, the plot is uninteresting and the protagonist is an unlikable little liar.
But it has a charming cover.
Fairly disappointing.......2007-07-01
As an avid reader/collector of children's literature I found several things about this book that stopped me from adding it to my collection. I began reading this book after seeing Carman's latest (Atherton) and wondering what else he had done. Right from the beginning several warning flags came up. The first chapter or so is supposed to capture the reader and set the tone for the rest of the book, but Carman has a dying character tell Alexa a long story about how the world came to be as it is. This includes a popular (in our world) bit about six blind men and an elephant which I found jarring since this book isn't about our world.
The beginning isn't the only place where the author tells instead of showing. The villain monologues to Alexa at the typical "explain why I did it" point in the story, the villain's plot being foiled is told after the fact- leaving no real climax, and it felt like two thirds of the book was spent getting Alexa out of the city (a.k.a. the boring part). The tell vs. show and poor pacing were, in my opinion, the deal breaker for me. There were additional annoyances ("You must tear down the giant walls! Think of all the animals who were separated from family members!", the fact that the ruler of the city knew who the villain was the whole time but did nothing other than offer a few vague clues to a little girl, etc.) but those might have been overlooked if there was enough action and intrigue to carry me through.
Overall, I urge you to sit at your local bookstore and read the first few chapters to make sure you can really appreciate this book before buying it.
eh.........2007-06-01
This book bored me, quite honestly. It was cliche, hard to get into, and a little cheesy to me. Harry Potter was a lot better.
Book Description
Talk of politics in the United States today is abuzz with warring red and blue factions. The message is that Americans are split due to deeply-held beliefs--over abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, prayer in public schools. Is this cultural divide a myth, the product of elite partisans? Or is the split real?
Yes, argue authors Mark Brewer and Jeffrey Stonecash--the cultural divisions are real. Yet they tell only half the story. Differences in income and economic opportunity also fuel division--a split along class lines. Cultural issues have not displaced class issues, as many believe. Split shows that both divisions coexist meaning that levels of taxation and the quality of healthcare matter just as much as the debate over the right to life versus the right to choose.
The authors offer balanced, objective analysis, complete with a wealth of data-rich figures and tables, to explain the social trends underlying these class and cultural divides and then explore the response of the parties and voters. Offering solid empirical evidence, the authors show that how politicians, the media, and interest groups perceive citizen preferences--be they cultural or class based--determines whether or not the public gets what it wants. Simply put, each set of issues creates political conflict and debate that produce very different policies and laws. With a lively and highly readable narrative, students at every level will appreciate the brevity and punch of Split and come away with a more nuanced understanding of the divisions that drive the current American polity.
Average customer rating:
- Enjoyed The Book!
- starts out suspensful; ends up ordinary and blaaaah!
- GREAT book about a family broken. Well written!
- Very Powerful
- Not the leat bit interesting...
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The Divide
Nicholas Evans
Manufacturer: Signet
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ASIN: 0451219295 |
Book Description
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HORSE WHISPERER... returns with an epic new novel of the human heart.
On a Montana morning, two skiers find the body of a woman embedded in the ice of a mountain creek. She's identified as Abbie Cooper, a brilliant college student who was on the run from charges of murder. But what was the chain of events that led this golden child astray? The answers are in the secrets of an American family fractured by lies and reunited in a tragedy.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyed The Book!.......2007-08-25
I first read The Horse Whisperer and loved it, so I thought I'd give Mr. Evans another try. I enjoyed this book. It kept my interest and I thought he did a good job with the background of all the characters involved. I wanted to see how Abbie ended up frozen in the ice. It kept my interest to the end.
starts out suspensful; ends up ordinary and blaaaah!.......2007-08-09
I enjoyed the first chapter of this book, but I felt a little misled when its content took a U-turn after that. The book begins with a father and son making a dangerous trek up an icy mountain during a skiing trip and accidentally finding a frozen,dead body. From there Evans weaves his elaborate story of how the body ends up on the mountain. The story is about how a cheating, middle-aged husband indirectly ruins the lives of his wife, son, and daughter (who is the body that is found on the icy mountain). By the end of the book, everyone has adjusted to being "dumped on" by the guilt-ridden husband's decision to leave the family, and they have no choice but to move on with their lives. This is nothing more than another classic story of immoral misbehavior involving a weak male character who can't improve his marriage and takes the easy way out by leaving.
GREAT book about a family broken. Well written!.......2007-07-11
Abbie Cooper's body was found by a father and son going skiing. They notified the police right away, and had to have her dug out. The events leading up to this were very sad.
The family was broken apart when Ben, the father Abby, and Josh decides to divorce his wife Sara and leave their family. He fell in love with another woman while they were taking their annual summer vacation, and could never look at Sara since. Sara was very very angry with Ben of course, and Abby the most hateful of all. She openly despises everything once this happens and continually goes down the wrong path after this happens. Josh the son, is taking drugs and alcohol, going down the wrong way as well. But the most tragic thing really was Abby.
Abby met the wrong guy, Rolf, and was involved as an accessory to murder with him. After they are almost caught by authorities, they are on the run. She ends up pregnant, and this Rolf guy is really abusive to her. Seeking to escape, she keeps in secret contact with her brother, but makes him promise not to tell their folks as the authorities are tracing all their calls. When Rolf finally does come after her, it meets with a tragic end to her life. And what happens once her murder is solved causes a lot of pain for everyone. On top of everything else, Abby was found to be pregnant with this Rolf's child.
Everyone has to deal with a lot of grief in this story, and whether Sara, the mother can recover or not, time will tell in the story. And Ben after leaving Sara, is carrying more guilt then ever, and feeling responsible for the whole thing.
Very Powerful.......2007-05-02
It's been years since Nicholas Evans published his mega bestseller, The Horse Whisperer, and his maturity as a writer shows. The Divide is, in my opinion, a much better book than his debut novel. The characters are equally compelling, and the reader will keep on turning pages, but the difference is in the ending: here, Evans has written what feels like the necessary conclusion to the character's journey. Unlike the cheap and horrendous stunt at the end of The Horse Whisperer, The Divide has a beautiful and powerful end. If Evans keeps on writing this way, I look forward to reading his next books.
Not the leat bit interesting..........2007-03-22
I purchased this book to take with me on a trip across the county and had it not been for the fact that I was doing quite a bit of air traveling and had nothing else to read, I probably would have given up on this book after about 200 pages.
It's not that it's necessarily a bad book; it's just that there seems to be a whole lot of nothing happening throughout most of the book. I really had little interest in any of the characters and found that for the most part I didn't like any of them either. I found Sarah and Abbie annoying and Ben despicable. There was absolutely nothing interesting about Josh until the end of the book and by then it was too little, too late for me.
There was also some weird phrasing in the book that I found quite laughable. For example when Rolf tells Abbie "You were concussed." Who speaks that way? I realize that the author is British, but I found several instances when his American characters were using terms and phrases that were more British sounding than American and it detracted from the realism.
This was my first time reading this author's work. I'm not sure I'm up for anymore.
Book Description
A former U.S. senator and ordained Episcopal priest examines the controversial intersection of faith and politics in America
As a former three-term Republican U.S. senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth has watched the changes in his party and the church with growing alarm. After penning two op-eds for The New York Times criticizing the right for its focus on wedge issues—abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, the Schiavo case, the public display of religion—that drive people apart, he speaks out again to call for a change.
“The Republican Party has been taken over by something that it's not,” Danforth says. “People do not want a sectarian political party, including a lot of people who are traditional Republicans.” In Faith and Politics, Danforth provides suggestions for moving toward a more secular Republican party that inspires trust in the people of the United States. Based on years of hard- won political experience and a life of religious service, he calls for Christians to look to the Bible and Christian teachings for ways in which they can practice their faith day to day and turn the country's focus to a common ground once more.
As a respected former senator, special envoy for peace in Sudan, priest, as an author, Senator Danforth is uniquely qualified to call for the change we so desperately need. He writes openly about his political life and ambition, humbly about his achievements, and above all with clarity and reason that both Republicans and Democrats hear all too little of.
Customer Reviews:
Boring Do not operate machinery while listening to these cd's.......2007-09-03
I very rarely review audio books. I have listened to 100's over the last 20 years. This has to be in the top 5 most boring. Its hard to believe people voted this guy into office. This audio book makes Al Gore look like wild man. This should have never been published. Shame on Penguin for putting out shuch dribble.
Moral Relativism at the Forefront.......2007-07-01
Danforth is indeed a career politician. He admits he was unsure of his career path into theology. Both of these facts come through strongly in this book. He is willing to compromise on any point. Although not stated, it appears Danforth would be of a mind that all religions are correct and atheism is not too bad either. Christians who take strong positions, who fight for what they believe is truth are divisive. In the liberal left world of moral relativism, truth is irrelevant. When a Christian takes a stand on a "wedge issue" that is just flat out wrong. Even though the Christian viewpoint is generally the majority outlook in this country on most of his wedge issues, it is the Christian who is driving the wedge, not the other side. It doesn't take "two to tangle" here, it is the conservatives who are the problem. Politician Danforth says they should cede to the minority so there is healing. When brutal forces oppress Christians in Cambodia or the Sudan, it is the conquered who are to love their enemy. When peaceful compromise fails, he does not blame the oppressor, it is the victims fault because they do not succumb to their tormentor's will. This line of thought probably works in getting some things done. But there is a cost in ignoring truth for political expediency.
A thoughtful book on uniting rather than dividing.......2007-03-12
John Danforth speaks from the heart in Faith and Politics, as he urges us to move forward together rather than fight over wedge issues.
In his career, Danforth has mostly been a lawyer and a politician -- both professions that generally reward aggressive, adversarial stances. Yet in this book, Danforth's thinking draws more on the accommodating, uniting position that most would associate more with his third, much more peripheral career as a priest. Tying those three viewpoints together in a thoughtful, personal discussion on a variety of issues makes for a book that is a pleasant but important read.
The chapters on abortion and gay marriage caught my interest the most. Danforth does not takes sides on these issues as much as question whether they should have the importance they do. That makes sense. Does it really matter to the vast majority of us how these issues are resolved? Not really. Given their relative unimportance, it seems that we could find a way to take the heat and anger, on both sides, away from these issues. A win by either side will, practically speaking, mean little to the losing side.
But as Danforth points out, "church fights" too happen all the time, and often over less than important administrative issues. (As he notes the most ferocious fighters on these battles over church issues are retirees, who presumably have little else to do with their time.) As many college deans and presidents have noted about faculty issues, the most heated battles tend to be on the least important issues. In politics too, the same applies.
As others have noted here, Danforth does not offer much in the way of a solution. And what he does suggest is not the value that this book offers. Instead, the way he thinks and the way he writes on these issues provide us with a wonderful guide on how we should address them as well. With compassion, not just passion. With thoughtfulness, not anger. And looking for areas on which to agree, not disagree.
As a model on how to discuss wedge issues, Faith and Politics has a value beyond what Danforth says on the issues themselves. The words are not too important. How they are said is.
Interesting.......2007-02-07
As a 19 year old college student who is a currently a philosophy major and agnostic, I found this book extremely interesting. I grew up with a family of christianity and a sibling who and will pursue it for the rest of life itself, so needless to say it takes alot to get my attention on the subject.
After reading the first chapter alone I was absolutely blown away at what I was reading. Danforth may be too little too late but at least he made an effort period. His concepts, to me, display the truth about politicians using christianity for profitable gain in any form possible (in a nutshell). He spends much time clarifying his points with text from the bible and making an attempt to interprete their purpose in politics today. The fact that he's a republican is even more impressive that he had the guts to write such a novel.
Please understand...
This book was not written to give answers to all the problems. It figures that people would despise this book because it doesn't give an answer, and typical at that. As a famous artist once said, "Computers are useless because they only give you answers". This book is the inbetween. We as people have become computers only interested in finding the answer ALONE not concerned with the thought process that it takes to GET to the answer. With that mindset, we will never find the answer. It is the INBETWEEN that is the most vital.
To myself, this novel provides yet another vital step to understanding faith and politics in attempt to reach that answer that we seem to try to find. Bravo to Danforth.
Excellent analysis of the problem of "moral values", the "Far Right" and solutions to move forward.......2007-02-06
If someone had said I'd be reading a book on politics and religion, much less buying it, from a former Missouri Senator who is (or was) a Republican, as I'm a lifelong Democrat, I'd have told this person that he or she was not right. Anyway, this excellent book by the former Senator, and Episcopalian minister, is "on point", with its analysis of how religion and politics have been [both] misued; especially by the "far right", i.e., fundamentalist, so-called, "Christians". In analyzing the problem, Mr. Danforth gives concrete examples of how this divide: between fundamentalists and the rest of us, weakens our nation. Further, he offers a "path" to "reconciliation". I'm guilty as the next, characterizing people of the GOP, as he says: "nuts", because they wouldn't agree with me on many issues, e.g., war, poverty, abortion, and others; which he does not "shy away from" these issues, which is good. Many might feel he has betrayed his "GOP"/"Republican" principles, but he has (to me) attempted to distinguish his views from his colleagues of a more "conservative" ilk.
Compared to today's Republican party, which been "hijacked" by a right wing element that is stronger than than even the one that elected the late Ronald Reagan in the 1980's to the Presidency. Familiar names, from those times, e.g., Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and others, have become even more radical, and who see anyone, e.g., a moderate, or G-d forbid, "liberal" Republican (not to mention Democrats and Independents) as "godless". He rightly says this does not help our country (the U.S.), much less contribute to "true" "Moral Values", e.g., which his book, and the one I plan to read (soon) by Robin Meyers, on the "Religious Right", point out is a favorite "buzzword" of the neocon, intolerant, practitioners of religion [particularly where it relates to politics]. He right says too, that to "hate" anyone, which I'm guilty of but am trying to change [though I don't "hate" anyone, even if I disagree with them], merely on religious and political differences, is wrong. People can agree to disagree without resorting to maligning people (especially those of us who call ourselves Christians. An excellent book, highly recommended to anyone who is willing to put the partisanship and the religious disagreements to one side, to move our nation forward, on those things on which all can agree (and there are some things, surely, that we can).
Book Description
There has been much recent debate about the merits, dangers, and nature of stem cell research. Some see in it the answer to every debilitating disease known to man, while others see it as a step away from human cloning.
While the battle has raged, research is moving ahead, and California has already passed a measure that will give $3 billion in support to stem cell research. But as politics, religion, and the media weigh in on this complex issue, more and more of the scientific reality of stem cell research is getting lost. In the search for the truth about stem cell science, the author has interviewed the scientists whose cutting-edge research is at the very heart of this hot-button issue. The book explains what they have accomplished so far, what they're currently doing, and what they see on the horizon.
The Stem Cell Divide does not take sides, and the author debunks the distortions and exaggerations that come from every camp. This book does not tell readers what to think, but gives them the facts necessary to form their own opinions about one of the most divisive, complex, and potentially life-changing developments in history.
Customer Reviews:
Reposted from the Book Review section of Sciencereport-dot-net.......2006-09-29
The review below can be found at the ScienceReport-dot-net website.
Human stem cell research is a major hot button topic that divides the conservative and scientific communities. Religious conservatives see it as tampering with nature and even playing God. Scientists, on the other hand, see the potential to treat many of the life threatening diseases of our times - from heart disease and diabetes to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
There's no question that there's been a lot of hype surrounding both sides, so it's refreshing that in The Stem Cell Divide provides a non-biased look at the science and politics surrounding this controversial topic.
The book is divided into 3 parts: Discovery of the Stem Cell's Unique Abilities, The Race to Harness the Power of Life, and Stem Cell Cures and Curses. There are two appendices: one describing how human cells are cultured and the other describing California's legislation concerning the funding of stem cell research. The book also has a fairly extensive glossary.
The first part of the book is concerned with stem cell basics. This section is designed to get novices up to speed with the history and process of stem cell research. Bellomo clearly explains why embryonic stem cells have advantages over adult stem cells, the scientific research up to this point, and our main sources for embryonic stem cells - namely stem cell cultures maintained by Dr. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin and potentially, the thousands of unused embryos that are discarded at in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics.
The second part of the book discusses the opposition President Bush has faced from his own party by his decision to veto any bill that allowed federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Bellomo makes it extremely clear that the issue at hand is not whether embryonic stem cell research should be legal - it already is allowed, remains unrestricted, and is perfectly legal - but whether it should be federally funded.
On August 9, 2001, Bush announced that federal funding would only be allowed for researchers who experimented on the 60 or so existing embryonic stem cell lines. Determined to keep biotechs within the state, California responded with Proposition 71, legislature that essentially made conducting stem cell research a state constitutional right and allowed $3 billion in funds to be given over 10 years to stem cell research facilities, and specifically, embryonic stem cell research. That sparked a number of other states to also propose legislation to fund embryonic stem cell research.
At the federal level, President Bush has faced opposition in Congress. In May 2005, the Republican-controlled House passed a bill allowing federal funds to be used for embryonic stem cell research. Even staunch supporter, Dr. Bill Frist, broke from the Bush camp to support the legislation, saying:
"We should federally fund research only on embryonic stem cells derived from blastocysts left over from fertility therapy, which will not be implanted or adopted but instead are otherwise destined by the parents with absolute certainty to be discarded and destroyed."
Bellomo also addresses the rise and fall of Dr. Hwang Woo Suk, the South Korean researcher who claimed incredible advances in stem cell research and became somewhat of a celebrity in his home country. His promising career came to a crashing halt when it was made public that he had fabricated much of his results and had breached ethical guidelines when he paid women to donate their eggs for embryonic research. Scientists are still trying to decipher what, if any, part of his research is valid and what was fabricated.
Finally, in the third part of the book, Bellomo discusses the promises of therapeutic cloning - when embryonic stem cells are removed from the blastocyst, harvested in a culture dish and then injected with the nucleus from a donor cell so that the cell makes copies of the donor genetic material. Therapeutic cloning offers great potential to generate replacement tissues and organs for illnesses and injuries that currently have no cure and will greatly reduce the rejection rate for patients that need organ transplants. It is thought that if organs and tissues are grown from a patient's own cells, their body will be much less likely to reject the transplant than if that organ was donated by someone else.
Bellomo doesn't shy away from alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, covering briefly the pros and cons of using adult stem cells and germ cells, before tackling some of the key arguments for both sides.
Ethically, conservatives argue that embryonic stem cells are still the foundations of human life and therefore they have a right to life. As James Sherley of MIT says,
"A human life begins when a diploid complement of human DNA is initiated to begin human development. Therefore, a life can be initiated by the fusion of sperm and egg or by the introduction of a diploid nucleus into an enucleated egg (ie cloning)"
James Thomson argues from a different perspective.
"The bottom line is that there are 400,000 frozen embryos in the United States, and a large percentage of those are going to be thrown out. Regardless of what you think the moral status of those embryos is, it makes sense to me that it's a better moral decision to use them to help people than to just throw them out. It's a very complex issue, but to me it boils down to that one thing."
Advancements in cellular research may eventually make therapeutic cloning more acceptable as scientists learn to remove the inner cell mass of a blastocyst without destroying the embryo or as research into how diseases develop helps find cures that don't require such practices. The final chapter offers predictions of where Bellomo sees the progress several years into the future.
While the byline of the book "The facts, the fiction, and the fear driving the greatest scientific, political, and religious debate of our time" suggests that it will tackle the ethical, religious, and political debate on stem cell research, the book only briefly tackles the ethical arguments for each side while focusing on the scientific process, experiments, and funding legislation.
The writing style is accessible and explains the science in clear terms with diagrams. This is a great, matter-of-fact overview of stem cell research that allows its readers to draw their own conclusions based on the facts presented. It will be useful to those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the subject as well as those looking to catch up with the latest research.
The roots of the controversy surrounding it........2006-09-24
THE STEM CELL DIVIDE: THE FACTS, THE FICITON AND THE FEAR DRIVING THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC, POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DEBATE OF OUR TIME is even more relevant given President Bush's recent veto on the research than when it first appeared, before the fact. It offers a pro/con look at stem cell research, considering both sides as evenly as is possible and considering religious, ethical, and health implications of stem cell potentials. It's a 'must' for any who would survey the research's potential and the roots of the controversy surrounding it.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Excellent as usual.......2006-08-28
The Stem Cell Divide is what I have grown to expect from this author. I find all of the books that I have read written or co-authored with him to be informative, well researched and easy for a non-scientist or student to read. He makes science exciting for the non-scientist.
I like the way that the book does not take sides but delivers the facts and lets the reader come to their own conclusions. The book helps to sort out the media hype, fact from fiction.
I would urge others to read this if they are having trouble understanding what is really going on in the stem cell world.
Are you ready for immortality?.......2006-07-19
It is amazing to find out that we know so much and at the same time so little about stem cells and how they can turn into replacement organs (good) or tumors (definitely bad).
This book explains the miracles, both of nature and science, that we're finally unravelling and made me hopeful that we're on the edge of some great things.
What really grabbed me was the chapter on how we might be able to solve the issue of aging and organ replacement in one sweep, thereby attaining clinical immortality. After that, the sky's the limit.
Dazzling summary of state-of-the-art science.......2006-07-19
Concise, engaging, and surprising free from bias (except a general pro-research slant). The Stem Cell Divide gives a sort of whirlwind tour of the issues, the politics, and the early history of cellular science. To take just 1 example, while I don't yet have any children, I'm convinced after reading this book (and seeing many websites) that banking the cord blood of your children is like taking out extra insurance against possible future disease.
Book Description
"Read about Ed Brooke-who in a just world, would have been President-and see the kindness, wisdom and courage the country missed. Join his friends and constituents who are inspired and enlarged by knowing him."-Gloria Steinem, cofounder Ms. Magazine and National Women's Political Caucus
"Senator Brooke's story shows the kind of effective, authentic leadership our nation hungers for today. He broke through lines of race, creed, and class to unite Americans in the pursuit of justice and defeated the Radical Right at critical moments in our history-sometimes single-handedly."-Ralph G. Neas, President of People for the American Way
"Real Power is often exercised behind the scenes. In the U.S. Congress, the scene is the Conference between the House and Senate. There, Senator Ed Brooke was a true master, molding a consensus between left and right. People who seek to make the world a better place can learn much from his story, told here for the first time as one of the nation's quiet, but brilliant history makers of the twentieth century."-Andrew Young, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
"In an eloquent and forthright style, Senator Ed Brooke leads us through the extraordinary story of his life-from the grandson of a slave to the first popularly elected African American senator. It is a story that does honor to both the senator and the country he served for so many years."-Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm
President Lyndon Johnson never understood it. Neither did President Richard Nixon. How could a black man, a Republican no less, be elected to the United States Senate from liberal, Democratic Massachusetts--a state with an African American population of only 2 percent? The mystery of Senator Edward Brooke's meteoric rise from Boston lawyer to Massachusetts attorney general to the first popularly elected African American U.S. senator with some of the highest favorable ratings of any Massachusetts politician confounded many of the best political minds of the day. This articulate and charismatic man burst on the national scene in 1966 when he ran for the Senate.
His story encompasses the turbulent post-World War II years, from the gains of the civil rights movement, through the riotous 1960s, to the dark days of Watergate, with stories of his relationships with the Kennedys, Martin Luther King Jr., Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and future senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Brooke also speaks candidly of his personal struggles, including his bitter divorce from his first wife and, most recently, his fight against cancer.
Customer Reviews:
An Inspiring View into the Life of a Great American.......2007-06-13
"Bridging the Divide" is a fantastic read, a portrait of the nation's first African-American Senator and the only black person in that position - thus far - to be re-elected. The book profiles Senator Edward Brooke's life and emphasizes his incredible ability to connect with people despite racial or political barriers. An African-American, Episcopalian, and Republican, he was sent to the Senate and maintained strong support from the people of Massachusetts, a state with a large white, Roman Catholic, and Democrat population.
Senator Brooke's writing is full of great references to how far our country has come in the battle against racism and destructive politics. Whether the Senator is describing his controversial decision to jump into the Senate race, or the day he jumped into the Senate swimming pool with Strom Thurmond, his words are poignant, intellectual, and awe-inspiring. You are sure to laugh, ponder, smile - maybe even cry.
One need not be a history buff or political powerhouse to enjoy this book. It is a fantastic read for those who love their country and enjoy learning about the type of people that make our nation so strong. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and recommend it to all of my friends. If you're looking for a good read this summer (or for any time of year), "Bridging the Divide" is it.
A great American story.......2007-05-30
I had the good fortune to serve in the Massachusetts state senate as a Republican during Senator Ed Brooke's second term. Though I was more conservative than he, he always unstintingly leant me his support, help and advice. His defeat in 1978, aided by right-wing Republicans, was a great loss to the Commonwealth, the country and, not least to the Republican party. Increasingly the crazies in each party are dragging the process toward the fringes. But elections are won nationally by center-right coalitions or center-left coalitions. The collapse of the center in the Republican party portends renewed Democratic dominance of American politics. A Republican party without room for the talent and convictions of an Ed Brooke will increasingly marginalize itself.
There are some great political stories in Bridging the Divide, not least about Hillary Clinton, and you will get your money's worth from reading them. But this book should be read by everyone who cares about the future of the Republican party--and the nation. The increasing mean-spiritedness of both parties, and the increasing focus on narrow wedge issues, creates a great danger for the Republic. Just as the Democrats need more centrists, the Republican party needs more men and women like Ed Brooke. Where are they to come from?
Robert A. Hall
Author of "The Good Bits."
A Real Live Republican Statesman In The U.S. Senate.......2007-03-24
Leave it to Massachusetts to send the first Black Senator elected by popular vote to Congress. The heavily, 98% white Democrat State overwhelming supported him for the state's highest National Office even though he was the "Republican" candidate. Senator Brooke was elected in a landslide by the voters of his liberal state because he had already proven he was an honest, hardworking, devoted, corruption-fighting Attorney General for the Commonwealth. Once in the U.S. Senate he continued to prove he was a wise man with strong core beliefs including his devotion to the Political Party of Abe Lincoln. He was responsible for many important civil rights laws. One of his bills gave women their own credit. They no longer had to have their husbands okay to borrow money and get their own credit cards. Senator Brooke had gone from being a U.S. Army officer leading the Italian Partisans behind German lines during WW II to become a strong, outspoken Statesman Senator. Congress very much needs more peacemakers like Senator Edward Brooke. This book is a fascinating read. Readers can't help but finish the book and still be utterly amazed that Republican Brooke was ever elected to any office in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, he has proven to be one of a kind so far. But there is always hope for the future.
Whatever happened to Edward Brooke?.......2007-03-17
As I was reading a newspaper article about this book recently it occurred to me that I hadn't heard Edward Brooke's name in a long time. After finishing his book, I'm glad I remember him. Though not from Massachusetts myself, I did follow his career when he was in the Senate.
Senator Brooke writes forcefully on a number of issues....the racism he faced growing up in Washington D.C. and which followed him into the U.S. Army in the Second World War, his political losses before he finally won a race and especially about his family. With particular care he tells us of his difficult first marriage and his loving second one, complete with an estrangement for many years from his two daughters.
While getting into "Bridging the Divide" it became clear that Edward Brooke was a man of discipline and high principle. I was just about to ask myself why he never made it onto the U.S. Supreme Court when Brooke says that President Nixon actually considered him for a seat on the high court. Brooke turned it down to stay in the Senate, feeling he was too young to take on a judicial role. It's too bad because I think he would have made an excellent Supreme Court justice.
Edward Brooke is reminiscent of the days when the Senate was a kinder place. There are very few people in his category these days....moderate to liberal Republican. His was part of the Republican party I remember growing up...one that has changed drastically. Senator Brooke's contributions to our country have been many and I'm glad he's still around to write about it. "Bridging the Divide" is a book I highly recommend.
An amazing life.......2007-02-25
I was honored to meet Senator and Mrs. Brooke while I was in Miami before his book was published. As a Democrat, I couldn't understand why he was a Republican. After reading his book, I now understand how the times were different and why he would choose that party. It was before the party was co-opted by the far right. As a student of political history, this book gave me great insight into the political climate of from 1940 - 1980. He writes beautifully and his life is a model for everyone, politically involved or not.
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