Authors, A-Z Books

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1259 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." --Gail Hudson

Night (Oprah's Book Club)

Elie Wiesel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 622 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

So sad, so much pain 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Some of the scenes went on and on and on, but overall it was very heart touching, eye opening look at the truth of the situation.

Inspiring 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Wow, it has ben a long time since I read a book so touching. Thank you!

I RECOMMEND IT. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is absolutely not anti-religion, and it does not promote any one religion, so readers need not be worried that this book is promoting religion or atheism. I RECOMMEND IT.

Editorial Review:

In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel's lifelong project to bear witness for those who died.

The Purpose Driven® Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven® Life, The)

Rick Warren

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1092 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The spiritual premise in The Purpose-Driven Life is that there are no accidents---God planned everything and everyone. Therefore, every human has a divine purpose, according to God's master plan. Like a twist on John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address, this book could be summed up like this: "So my fellow Christians, ask not what God can do for your life plan, ask what your life can do for God's plan." Those who are looking for advice on finding one's calling through career choice, creative expression, or any form of self-discovery should go elsewhere. This is not about self-exploration; it is about purposeful devotion to a Christian God. The book is set up to be a 40-day immersion plan, recognizing that the Bible favors the number 40 as a "spiritually significant time," according to author Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, touted as one of the nation largest congregations. Warren's hope is that readers will "interact" with the 40 chapters, reading them one day at a time, with extensive underlining and writing in the margins. As an inspirational manifesto for creating a more worshipful, church-driven life, this book delivers. Every page is laden with references to scripture or dogma. But it does not do much to address the challenges of modern Christian living, with its competing material, professional, and financial distractions. Nonetheless, this is probably an excellent resource for devout Christians who crave a jumpstart back to worshipfulness. --Gail Hudson

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.

Born in Vienna in 1905 Viktor E. Frankl earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. He published more than thirty books on theoretical and clinical psychology and served as a visiting professor and lecturer at Harvard, Stanford, and elsewhere. In 1977 a fellow survivor, Joseph Fabry, founded the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. Frankl died in 1997.

Harold S. Kushner is rabbi emeritus at Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, and the author of several best-selling books, including When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

William J. Winslade is a philosopher, lawyer, and psychoanalyst at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston.

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life

Henry Cloud, John Townsend

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 230 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good book... life changer 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I am so happy I bought this book. It has so much information. It is a book that needs study... not just a read. I grew up with alcoholic parents and very codependent relationships. I am glad there is a Christian and biblical based book that speaks to the fact that when you are a Christian loving on people it does not also mean you are a doormat for others to take advantage of. God gave us boundaries and the ability to determine what is good for us to protect us. It is up to us to flex our muscles in this area and listen to our still soft voice when the answer is "no" and say it. It is also a comfort to know that God is smiling down on us when we stand our ground, understand our own personal boundaries and protect our hearts the way God would want us to. My prayer is for abundant wisdom to all who read this. It is definately a life changing book.

Editorial Review:

In order to call themselves good Christians, many people have drawn overly flexible boundaries (unwilling to say no, always accommodating others' needs) or overly rigid boundaries (to the point of being righteous and judgmental). Psychologists and inspirational speakers Cloud and Townsend show readers how to set reasonable boundaries in order to follow the true path of Christianity. This book has become immensely popular, most likely because it makes personal boundaries easier to define and is filled with spiritual purpose. Some cautions: the format can be overly self-helpish for such a complex discussion and the authors at one point imply that judicious spankings may be an acceptable form of setting boundaries with children. However, many Christians will probably find themselves grateful for this biblical context of boundaries. --Gail Hudson

The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions

Huston Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 106 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The World's Religions, by Huston Smith, has been a standard introduction to its eponymous subject since its first publication in 1958. Smith writes humbly, forswearing judgment on the validity of world religions. His introduction asks, "How does it all sound from above? Like bedlam, or do the strains blend in strange, ethereal harmony? ... We cannot know. All we can do is try to listen carefully and with full attention to each voice in turn as it addresses the divine. Such listening defines the purpose of this book." His criteria for inclusion and analysis of religions in this book are "relevance to the modern mind" and "universality," and his interest in each religion is more concerned with its principles than its context. Therefore, he avoids cataloging the horrors and crimes of which religions have been accused, and he attempts to show each "at their best." Yet The World's Religions is no pollyannaish romp: "It is about religion alive," Huston writes. "It calls the soul to the highest adventure it can undertake, a proposed journey across the jungles, peaks, and deserts of the human spirit. The call is to confront reality." And by translating the voices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, Christianity, and Judaism, among others, Smith has amplified the divine call for generations of readers. --Michael Joseph Gross

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit

Daniel Quinn

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Total reviews: 864 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Ishmael: An Adventure Of The Mind And Spirit 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn *****

Ishmael is a stunning narrative on the way things came to be. A story of awareness and philosophy; the way things are and the way things could be. A wonderfully heart-warming, and heart-wrenching tale of acceptance and tolerance.

Ishmael is a Gorilla, who can communicate with humans. Those who want to communicate with him anyway. Sounds a but Peter Pan I know but it really isn't. After Ismael places an add in the paper looking for "A willing student who wants to save the world" he meets his sixth subject. As Ishmael tells his theory of how things came to be the way things are in the world he divides the world into to groups, the takers and the leavers. Telling who each is would ruin the book. The ending is both uplifting and tyrannical making it among the strongest endings in literature.

The story is easy to follow along with despite it's complicated subject matter. Ishmael is never dull and always an interesting read, and one I will soon make mandatory reading for my class.

Editorial Review:

The narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man  in search for truth. He answers an ad in a local  newspaper from a teacher looking for serious  pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned  office with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling  delicately on a slender branch. "You are the  teacher?" he asks incredulously. "I am  the teacher," the gorilla replies. Ishmael is  a creature of immense wisdom and he has a story  to tell, one that no other human being has ever  heard. It is a story that extends backward and  forward over the lifespan of the earth from the birth  of time to a future there is still time save.  Like all great teachers, Ishmael refuses to make the  lesson easy; he demands the final illumination to  come from within ourselves. Is it man's destiny  to rule the world? Or is it a higher destiny  possible for him-- one more wonderful than he has ever  imagined?

The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness

J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Exceptinally Helpful 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I'd like to express my deep thanks to the author for this compassionate, insightful and very practical book.

I am using this book in conjunction with congnitive therapy for to recover from a 3+ year bout of depression and have found it very helpful. I cannot say it will be as insightful for everyone who reads it but for me I found it provided a very accurate description of what I was experiencing and has given me some very practical advice on how to climb out from a very painful mental state. I'd suggest that you use this book in connection with some actual therapy but can see how it would be useful as a stand-alone self help book if you're properly motivated.

Editorial Review:

The Mindful Way through Depression draws on the collective wisdom of four internationally renowned cognitive therapy and mindfulness experts, including bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn, to help you break the mental habits that can lead to despair. This authoritative, easy-to-use self-help program is based on methods clinically proven to reduce the recurrence of chronic unhappiness. Informative chapters reveal the hidden psychological mechanisms that cause depression and demonstrate powerful ways to strengthen your resilience in the face of life's misfortunes. Kabat-Zinn lends his calm, familiar voice to the accompanying CD of guided meditations, making this a complete package for anyone looking to regain a sense of balance and contentment.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

John C. Maxwell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great for new managers 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a Corporate Trainer and Product Developer. This book is an essential new manager read. What a great congratulatory gift for someone receiving a promotion to their first management position. Great for an office book club.

Excellent book on leadership with captivating video 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have been attending some leadership training sessions at church where the author's video has been used. He's been so captivating on video that I decided to buy the book so I wouldn't miss or forget anything. My doctorate is in educational administration and policy analysis and this book has certainly enriched what I already know. John Maxwell's life in the ministry has added greatly to his book.

Editorial Review:

In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell combines insights learned from his 40-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. Some highlights of the revised edition of this New York Times bestseller, which has sold more than a million copies, are:

• Every chapter has been revised
• 2 chapters - "The Law of Addition" and "The Law of the Picture" - are entirely new
• 17 new stories are included
• 6 chapters are 50% revised
• 5 chapters are 75% revised
• Application pieces follow every chapter
• Leadership evaluation is included

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]

Julia Cameron

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Total reviews: 276 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A manual for artistic recovery 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My boyfriend and I have an ongoing argument about whether fear or laziness is more likely to keep someone from action. He claims it's laziness, but my answer is fear.

Julia Cameron would seem to agree with me. Her book, a classic for "blocked" artists, outlines a 12-week program for "creative recovery." Week one is devoted to the tension between "the dream of action and the fear of failure."

I discovered The Artist's Way nearly two years ago, and it became I lifeline for me as I recommitted myself to singing.

The book's numerous exercises helped me discover and confront the fears that held me back from fully pursuing my dream.

Self-acceptance and the freedom to fail have been essential to me as I've taken new artistic risks, and they are woven throughout Cameron's recipe for success.

The spiritual overtones in The Artist's Way might not appeal to all readers. However, I found it easy to "translate" these into my own words, and I highly recommend the book to anyone who has fallen into a creative rut.

Editorial Review:

With the basic principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan lead you through a comprehensive twelve-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions, and other inhibiting forces, replacing them with artistic confidence and productivity.

This book links creativity to spirituality by showing how to connect with the creative energies of the universe, and has, in the four years since its publication, spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists dedicated to practicing the exercises it contains.