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This atlas is the extra-tough, laminated version of the of the Yellow1 Pinal County Street & Road Atlas which for seven years has been the people's choice for its quality and up-to-date information for all of Pinal County. Its laminated full-color maps and aerial photography, laminated indexed listings, and paper foldout map are professionally prepared with digital clarity. The maps are assigned to three different sections. One section covers detailed residential street maps showing one township per page; while another section shows rural areas at a somewhat smaller scale with up to four townships per page. The third section shows detailed street maps of isolated smaller-population centers and towns as insets so they can also be seen in full detail. These sections are all made clear by the Map Page Index at the front of the book. Also, at the front of the atlas are easy-to-understand Legends, Contents, and "How to Use the Atlas" sections provided in English as well as Spanish. A nice extra feature is a collection of scenic aerial photos that were taken around Pinal County, giving map users a unique bird's-eye-view of selected sites and communities. The alphabetical street index in the back of the atlas designates grid location and page number for each community. Finally, a very helpful foldout map is located in the back of the book showing the entire county with it's ZIP Codes. This is one extra tough, laminated atlas everyone should have!

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Great book featuring the Superstition Mountains of Arizona and the Salt River Lakes area. 30 black and white illustrations / photographs of the area - mountains, deserts, plants, native animals, historic views of the area. 14 topographic maps of the area. Sections on boating, camping, hiking, geology, and other activities. Bibliography. Softcover. ... Read more

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An ageing nun is tracked to ground by her sister; a garrulous beautician must lay out the corpse of a loved one. These are eloquent tales of exile and displacement, of characters always in search of a way back home or of a way to leave it. Mischievous, assured and versatile, Colum McCann's collection of short stories marks him out as one of our best contemporary writers. ... Read more

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This classic anthology offers ancient and modern perspectives on Job's question: 'If a man die, shall he live again?' Spanning over 5,000 years of world thought, the selections invite consideration of an idea that has found hospitality in the greatest minds of history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

the best reincarnation book ever written
What do all the following people have in common?Moses, Siddhartha Gautama, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Jesus of Nazareth, St. Augustine, St. Francis, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Arthur Conan Doyle, Walt Whitman, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Kahlil Gibran, Charles Lindbergh, Thomas Edison, Edgar Cayce, Mohandas K. Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer.

They all know that they have lived before.

In my early twenties, I collected and read practically every book available on the subject of reincarnation.

This Phoenix Fire Mystery book is without a doubt the BEST book on the subject.If you don't know anything about reincarnation, if you want an introduction to the subject, or if you want a comprehensive overview of the subject throughout history, READ THIS BOOK.

It's a real page-turner.

Excellent reference and fascinating to read
I first encountered this book as a textbook for a class taught by Dr. H.P. French at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY.He used the book for a history class entitled "History of Reincarnation".The class was a combination of history, comparative religion, and philosophical thought and it was positively fascinating.I have re-read this book many times over the years, and I refer to it frequently.Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, I think this is essential reading on the subject and it will help you to understand the various perspectives on the idea of rebirth after death.The authors cover everything from Zoroastrianism to Hinduism to modern Western thought on the subject.This will be a wonderful addition to your library.

An amazing experience..
This is not just a book..it's an experience that takes the reader on an incredible journey through time and history..and beyond! It's about humankind and its fantastic, diverse spiritual development through the ages, but at the same time also about each and every one of us personally, whoever and wherever we may be.
The writing is so clear, the content so spell-binding and the consequences so mind-boggling I was profoundly immersed in it for weeks.
Sorry Amazon, this one I'll keep forever..to start re-reading soon!

Great reference book.
When you want to find out where some of the most interesting ideas on the planet came from, this book will help you out. I didn't agree with everything I read in it, but I still loved it. What a great overview of some of the most original thinking of our time. ... Read more

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When, in 1492, Christopher Columbus finally stood ready to set sail across the 'Ocean Sea' for what he thought was India, he crossed himself and devoted his expedition to the Holy Trinity and to the King and Queen of Spain. With the gold and spices (and slaves) he would find, Columbus planned to fund a new Crusade to win back Jerusalem. At the time Columbus's voyage was insignificant, but it became one of the most important events in history. The colonisation he started was followed by the Dutch, French and British. Pioneers like Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci and the hundreds of Spaniards they inspired looked for riches, glory and to serve God in the New World. While they didn't believe the earth was flat, they thought an Earthly Paradise existed on the far side of the Indies, and that the rivers flowed with gold. Later the Conquistadores brought slavery, their irresistible weapons and European diseases to the ancient civilisations, and made Spain the richest nation in the world.'A splendid volume, bold and strong in its outlines, rich in fascinating details, punctuated by well-chosen quotations from contemporaries and eyewitnesses, and accompanied by many maps and excellent illustrations' Paul Johnson, Literary Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Quests for Wealth, Power, and Glory - Humanity? Not so much
Beginning with the final siege of Islam's last outpost in Grenada, the author, Hugh Thomas, outlines the Kingdom of Castile's earlier history as a tumultous, but dynamic, medieval kingdom.The capture of Grenada is a crowning achievement for Ferdinand and Isabelle, but Castile's rowdy and impoverished caballeros and hidalgos now have few outlets for their earthly ambitions.At the same time a curious and presumptuous Italian sailor determinedly seeks an audience with the royal couple.

The deal they made would change the course of history.Within the space of a couple decades thousands of poor, but daring, knights and adventurers would conquer the Carribbean islands and Central America, carving out the beginnings of the Spanish Empire.With Cristobal Colon (Columbus) as their titular head, these ruthless men conquer Hispanola, Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, and Mexico.

The native inhabitants are offered the choice of either converting to Christianity and essentially slaving for their new masters or death.Many flee the Spanish.These natives would rather starve than live as slaves.However, death from disease and conflict does kill most of the natives.With rich lands and gold mines beyond belief but few laborers to work them, the Spanish fall back on a little-known (in modern times) medieval institution, i.e. slavery.Though the Spanish had slaves of all nationalities, it was soon discovered that African slaves survived the ravages of the New World's tropical diseases the best.

Though some brave clergymen, notably Bartholome de las Casas, fought against the enslavement and maltreatment of natives, it would be a losing battle against human greed.Curiously, the Papacy didn't outlaw slavery.In fact, the Papacy was instrumental in ensuring the famous Spanish exlusive rights in the New World - in exchange for a tithe of course.However, there were many, many unrecorded covert voyages by other European nations (e.g. Portugal, England, France) to the New World.The story of Magellan's voyage is also told.

This book covers the deals, the voyages, the contacts, the conquests, the settlement, the politics, and the fascinating adventures of these intrepid, but brutal, men.I personally had not known that many of these voyages within the Carribbean were by large war canoes like the natives used.Also, there were attempts to start religious colonies for converting natives that ultimately collapsed due to greedy local administrators.There is still more interesting material in this book about Spain and its rulers.

This book contains a treasure trove of information - much of it very fascinating and unknown.I enjoyed reading it.I have to admit the book cover caught my eye, and I had to have it.But, it's very interesting and - with over 100 pages of notes and references - certainly extensively documented.I had some trouble keeping up with the huge cast of personalities, though.I definitely recommend it. ... Read more

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Chapters: Copper Harbor, Michigan, Phoenix, Michigan, Lac La Belle, Michigan, Eagle River, Michigan, Gay, Michigan, Delaware, Michigan, Hebards, Michigan, Eagle Harbor, Michigan, Allouez, Michigan, Mohawk, Michigan, Fulton, Keweenaw County, Michigan. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Copper Harbor is a small, unincorporated community in northeastern Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is within Grant Township on the Keweenaw Peninsula that juts from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Superior. The town's name alludes to the former use of its harbor as a port for shipping copper mined from local deposits during the mid-19th century. That economic activity no longer exists, and the town's harbor is most used for recreational use such as snowmobiling and for a ferry that connects Isle Royale National Park to northern Michigan. The town is in an area of spectacular scenery; it is the northern terminus of US 41 and the eastern terminus of M-26. Both approaches to Copper Harbor, the shore-hugging M-26 from Eagle Harbor and the more inland, rugged US 41 offer dramatic views, as does the Brockway Mountain Drive overlook. Nearby is Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, a restored 1844 frontier army base originally built to protect the port in the early years of the copper mining boom. Also, one can follow Manganese Road from the town's center to Manganese Falls and the Estivant Pines, among the oldest and tallest remaining strands of virgin white pines located in Michigan. The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is situated at the opening of the harbor. Copper Harbor is at ; this puts it further north than anyplace in the state of Maine. The ZIP code is 49918 and the FIPS place code is 18100. Copper Harbor A gift shop in Copper Harbor ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=751800 ... Read more

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KennethW. Hicks served sixteen years as a United Methodist bishop in Arkansas and Kansas with distinction and grace, and to this day encourages people to live every day with an attitude of peace and justice. He doesn’t just want people to talk about peace and justice issues, he wants them to put those concepts into practice as commanded in the Bible: “Seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14b NRSV).

Throughout his episcopacy, Hicks wrote regular columns in United Methodist publications,

and this book is a collection of his memorable thoughts from those well-received messages.

In these pages, the reader is invited to discover Hicks’s appreciation for God’s extraordinary gifts; his wonder as to the glory of Christian holidays; his observations of the full responsibility of being in leadership in the church; and his desperate need for humankind to wake up and see what peace, justice, prayer, hope, and love can do.

The reader is in for a real treat with this book—there is poetry in the thoughts of Bishop

Kenneth W. Hicks. ... Read more

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The river of Dawkins's title is a river of DNA, flowing through time from the beginning of life on earth to the present - and onwards.Dawkins explains that DNA must be thought of as the most sophisticated information system imaginable:'Life is just bytes and bytes of information,' he writes.Using this perspective, he describes the mechanisms by which evolution has taken place, gradually but inexorably, over a period of three thousand million years.It is the story of how evolution happens, rather than a narrative of what has actually happened in evolution.He discusses current views on the process of human evolution, including the idea that we all trace back to a comparatively recent African 'Eve', and speculates that the 'information explosion' that was unleashed on Earth when DNA came into being has almost certainly happened in other places in the universe.Amazon.com Review
Nearly a century and a half after Charles Darwin formulated it, the theory of evolution is still the subject of considerable debate. Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins is among Darwin's chief defenders, and an able one indeed--witty, literate, capable of turning a beautiful phrase. In River Out of Eden he introduces general readers to some fairly abstract problems in evolutionary biology, gently guiding us through the tangles of mitochondrial DNA and the survival-of-the-fittest ethos. (Superheroes need not apply: Dawkins writes, "The genes that survive . . . will be the ones that are good at surviving in the average environment of the species.") Dawkins argues for the essential unity of humanity, noting that "we are much closer cousins of one another than we normally realize, and we have many fewer ancestors than simple calculations suggest." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (68)

Excellent Transaction!
Item was shipped and received in a timely manner from date of purchase. The book was in the exact condition that the description stated it would be in. No complaints, excellent transaction!

dawkins complete
River out of eden is the last of the Dawkins publications I needed to complete my library of this writers books.
It turned out to be unavailable in the netherlands so I received it through Amazon.
I am a big fan of Dawkins since he explains the issues I learned during my biology study in such a clear and interesting way and is able to lard them with recent and historical facts and stories. Dawkins makes evolution a personal new discovery every time you read.
This book is no exception.

J.P. Kaas

A good summary of much of Dawkins' other work
This is one of Dawkins' shorter books, and is something of a cliff's notes guide to some of his other works. He starts off by discussing some of the generalities of inheritance, and how we inherit our DNA from our ancestors. The title of the book is taken from the way in which he describes evolution - as a river with a series of branches, each of which is a different species. He talks about Mitochondrial Eve (also known as African Eve), and some interesting effect of evolution on how we develop. He ends the book by discussing intelligent life more generally, and what stages are necessary for the creation of intelligent life, whether on this planet or another.

Throughout the book Dawkins explains the science in simple terms that even a layman can understand and makes many of the complexities of evolutionary theory understandable. He takes a few cheap shots at religion, but this isn't a book that is directly about religion, so he doesn't dwell on the issue at all. (If you are a religious person, you may find yourself occasionally bristling at some of his lines).

Reads like a prequel to The Ancestor's Tale
River out of Eden (ROOE) is maybe Dawkins shortest book and is structured into five parts that deal with looking at life through applied evolution. ROOE uses the analogy of the digital river to describe the flow of genes throughout geological time producing Darwin's Tree of Life and how we can use this model to view and explain interesting questions in biology.

In chapter 1 The Digital River, Dawkins presents the case for gene survival and how they split apart like rivers do. He discusses embryology and developmental biology of the gene.In chapter 2 All Africa and Her Progenies, Dawkins discusses tracing human ancestry before giving a very detailed account of the discovery and implications of mitochondrial eve. In chapter 3 Do Good by Stealth, Dawkins sets his sights on mimicry to show that only slight variations are needed to trigger responses in some living things and how ornithologists as well as other zoologists exploit this to manipulate birds and insects before he goes into detail on the evolution of the bee dance.In chapter 4, God's Utility Function, Dawkins shows how to reframe questions in light of evolution, explores reverse engineering to explain adaptations and launches into a very detailed account of Fisher's sex ratios and rounds off the chapter by dealing with beneficial mutations. In chapter 5 The Replication Bomb, abiogenesis involving crystals is given as a possible explanation for how information can appear naturally in nature. Dawkins finishes the book by going into how accumulative evolution goes through major thresholds and describes what these are.

ROOE reads like a prequel to The Ancestor's Tale (TAT) and this I find is the best way to describe it. It does not read like it has a particular focus and instead covers several different topics about evolution. Much of the content here is contained in TAT and in other books by Dawkins so readers who have approached Dawkins works anachronistically will find that it suffers from rehashing things you have read elsewhere in his more popular books. That is really the only drawback and in terms of science books, or any book for that matter, Dawkins simply outwits the competition and plunges the reader into the Darwinian worldview that we want to read about.

The final chapter in closing presents us with a feeling that in a way we truly are just here, the universe's natural behaviour allows for solar systems with evolved beings on it discovering themselves and how unguided it all is. It comes cross across as a view that holds far more fascination and wonder and grandeur that the alternative god hypothesis can muster.

River GoingNowhere
"River Out of Eden is a meandering tale of the evolutionary route, from the single cell to civilization and culture, with a few stop-offs for those who didn't make it.The science is Dawkins at his best, but salted with his unproven hypothesis that human beings are merely refined animals: a conclusion that is not his own, but that of his mentor and teacher Niko Tinbergen.It is an hypothesis he grabs from thin air all through the book, without a scintilla of evidence---except his own unreasoned atheism.

In his delight in this moving stream of life, he has wandered into Anthropology, and, as he does in his "Unweaving the Rainbow", he applies his findings in animal biology to human beings, presuming that human beings follow all the laws and patterns of animal behavior.A mistake in logic that he apparently missed.

He subtitles his book, "A Darwinian View of Life", and insofar as it reflects Darwin, there is good science, as only Richard Dawkins can do it.But when he strays into the domain of Anthropology, he is reflecting only Richard Dawkins view of human life, which Darwin hesitatingly considered and it scared the daylights out of him.Richard Dawkins is an amateur Anthropologist and Logician, and seems never to have heard of the distinction between Genus and Specific Differentia.Human beings do have animal properties, but they have something that makes them radically different from animals: the ability to think, to reason.

Richard Dawkins looks upon human reason as the result of biological evolution and here he leaves his own specialty, of which he is the supreme master, and enters the domain of logic and philosophy.This is not science, it is pure speculation, like identifying human love with animal instincts, or a Beethoven Symphony with the song of the lark or the cackle of a crow.Human reason looks not just to knowledge and the play of the senses, but to meaning.For Richard Dawkins, because of his unreasoned atheistic bias, has openly and publicaly declared that human life has no meaning.

"River Out of Eden" is a prose poem of excepional beauty, tracing the stream of life from the most primitive organisms to the human body, a masterpiece of biological evolution.But his atheism dogs him every step of the way, and his cynicism clings to him like a burial shroud.He is stuck in the mud of his unproved speculation on the human condition.A great book for those who are not taken in by his unproved hypothesis. ... Read more

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DOWN BY THE RIVER begins, deceptively, in an idyllic rural setting somewhere in Ireland. By the end, its consequences have addressed and divided the political and judicial fabric of the nation. A crime of passion results in an emotional battlefield for one and all, with opposing factions taking militant sides.In the centre, a young girl struggles with the conflicts of mind and body, the teaching of her faith and her mounting bewilderment at what she might do. This is her rite of passage, a stark progress from the role of child to that of woman; an initiation into terror and beyond it to wisdom.Amazon.com Review
A few years ago, Ireland was forced to confront its conscience when a 14-year-old girl, the purported victim of rape, sought an abortion in England. The ensuing legal and moral battles exposed the Emerald Isle's centuries-long struggles over religion, sexuality, and the position of women. Irish writer Edna O'Brien revisits this embattled territory in her novel Down by the River, a bleak, uncompromising chronicle of poverty, unwanted pregnancy, and despair. O'Brien's protagonist is Mary, almost 14 years old and pregnant by her widowed father. In a repressed, judgmental rural world, Mary can tell no one of her plight. Eventually she tries to drown herself, only to be rescued by a neighbor, Betty. When Betty learns the reason for Mary's suicide attempt, she arranges to take her to England for an abortion. Before the operation can occur, Mary is coerced into returning to Ireland and there she becomes the focal point in a ferocious nationwide debate about abortion.

O'Brien is unsparing in her depictions of the economic and emotional poverty in which her characters live, yet she can be surprisingly empathetic toward even the least likeable among them, showing, for example, the tender side of Mary's father even as she exposes his brutality. The book's language is rich and laden with imagery, at times in shocking contrast to the parched lives she describes. Down by the River is just the latest in a long line of fiercely honest books by a fearlessly honest author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

"We all love this country in our own crooked way . . . "
I'm not here to recount the plot.I just wanted to say that this novel IS worth sticking with, even though O'Brien's style may not be for everyone.Honestly, I was really put off during the first 50 pgs. or so.As some other reviewers have mentioned, it's often difficult to tell which character is speaking in this novel.Sometimes, I'd find myself going back to prior chapters just to see if the character I was reading about had been introduced earlier.As the novel goes on, more and more characters are introduced, some who are only discussed for a mere two or three pages.This may sound annoying, but the pace of the novel is so intense and the story so riveting that I truly forgot about these "pet peeves" after awhile.I raced through this book in about three days, but if you're a fast reader, you could probably devour it in one sitting.

Any writer who can weave a story in such a compelling way that its characters infuriate me is a great writer in my opinion.O'Brien perfectly depicts religious fanatics, stubborn Irish citizens who label a rape victim as a whore, and the community members outraged by the rape and the events caused by it.We also get glimpses into the mind of Mary, the victim whose unwanted pregnancy has caused such a stir.This gives the reader a chance to look at the issues from all angles, and it makes for a truly well-rounded reading experience.I learned of O'Brien's work through an Irish Lit. class in college, a class during which we only read her short stories.Just as O'Brien's short stories don't disappoint, neither does her novel.I highly recommend it!

Irish hypocrisy revealed
Mary McNamara's life in rural western Ireland is that of a typical young teenager until one day while she is on a walk on their land, her father violates the most sacred bond between parent and child and rapes her. Unable to tell anyone, she keeps the secret, except for her diary entries. When the abuse results in an unwanted pregnancy, it precipitates a national crises when she is taken to England for an abortion.
Based on real events, this novel accurately portrays how a Catholic nation can be inflamed over a cause such at this even while the morality of the citizens is in decline as evidenced by premarital sex, living in sin, affairs, and out of wedlock births.
While I enjoyed the story of Mary's plight, the novel itself was often times confusing with so many characters and shifts in focus so that after awhile you sort of lost track of who was who. By the end I was thinking it could have been told in a much more straightforward manner in less pages.
Mary's father, James, the obvious villan in this book, is a tragic figure. He seems a contradictory character, gentle with his livestock, proud of his daughter's accomplishments at school, and missing her presence, even while he violates her. Without a wife to serve his needs, it seems Mary is to fulfill that role on all counts. In the end it is hard to feel much more than pity for this pathetic nature.
Mary, for being all of fourteen, seems stronger than either of her parents in enduring the many hardhsips and allowing herself to be used by different fractions for their own purposes. It is hard to imagine what her life would be like afterwards, though the last pages try to give us a glimpse of her new life.

Deavastatingly Shocking Tale
They say the curse of the Irish is the drink. But to understand your own brutal, beautiful country as well as Edna O'Brien understands hers must be a bigger curse by far. There's no way a blessed person could have written a novel as shimmering, as ruthless and as devastating as "Down by the River": it's evidence of something more than mere talent, or even genius, at work. O'Brien's gifts are magnificent and terrifying, along the lines of stigmata and clairvoyance -- the kind of gifts that mark you.

Inspired by a case in Ireland, in which a 14-year-old rape victim was forbidden by the courts to leave the country to obtain an abortion, "Down by the River" is the story of Mary MacNamara. After being raped by her father, Mary conceives his child. A sympathetic neighbor brings her to England for an abortion, but the authorities haul them back, cowing them with their ugly threats. Mary refuses to name the baby's father, and her case becomes a cause that turns her own friends and neighbors against her. She's seen as both a villain and an object of sanctimonious condescension in the Catholic community.

That community's cruelty is the bitter, driving force of the book -- but it's Mary's suffering and loneliness that are at the heart of it. After a street musician befriends her (he lets her stay at his flat for a few days and buys her a cheap sweater), she writes him a letter: "I nearly died when you gave me that jumper. You shouldn't have. Turquoise is my favorite color. There are two kinds of alone, there's the kind which you are and the kind which I am. Your alone is beautiful, it's rich." It's a passage that takes you apart, the way a teenager's breathless enthusiasm is crushed by the young woman's overwhelming sense of fear and isolation.

O'Brien never takes the easy way out: not even Mary's father is painted as a monster. She describes how he helps birth a colt -- reaching into the mare's womb and coaxing it out by both brute strength and force of will, saving the mother's life in the process -- with such grace and tenderness that even against your will, you feel yourself almost, almost, growing to understand him.

But O'Brien doesn't hold back when it comes to her wrath at the Catholic Church, and at the small-minded Irish who slavishly follow it at the expense of their own humanity. O'Brien has lived in London for more than 20 years -- she isn't welcome in her own country, for obvious reasons -- and yet Ireland will never leave her. Her stories work on us exactly the way her homeland has worked on her. They can stare you down and tear you apart like a wolf -- and then, miraculously and tenderly, bring you back to life again, stronger and better than before.With "Down by the River," O'Brien marks us as well: it's the kind of book that takes days, maybe weeks, to shake.

The Cathlic Heart
Edna O"Brien's story of a young girl who becomes pregnant by a relative is based on a true story.Her version successfully captures thehorror and shame thrust( by supposed christians and do gooders) upon thevictim of incest and rape who is too young and naive to really understandwhy she can't have an abortion,or why she has become of such interest to somany people.A thought provoking and sad novel which calls in to questionany one who believes that all abortion or a woman's right to choose shouldbe illegal.

One of the themes of the story.
In DOWN BY THE RIVER O'Brien one of the more prevalent themes is the treatment of Mary.When everyone finds out she has went to get an abortion, people automatically assume she is a tramp, and this O'Brienportrays how someone can become so set pregnancy is a result of her"wild youthful ways." in their veiws that you fail to gain thefacts before rushing to a judgement. Few people bothered to ask Mary isthis pregnancy was a result of bad judgement, or a result of someone else'sforceful and abusvie actions. O'Brien didn't really the reader a deepinsight to how Mary may have felt as the subject of this fierce nationaldebate. It's almost like Mary wasn't allowed to feel, or she was afraid tofeel scared, frightened, angry, ashamed, fearful.Few people bothered tofind out how Mary felt, it was more about what she was going to or hadalready attempted to do.O'Brien portrays that the characters became moreconcerned with the issue itself, than with the person which the issue wasabout and her feelings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Book in My Opinion
This book is not for everyone. I found this book extremely intimate and amazing. Why? I enjoy "getting to know" my favorite authors in a way that depicts them as "human just like you and me." Alice Walker let's us into her mind and emotions. She shows us that behind her great literary talent, she too goes through self-doubt, worry about what "other people think", etc.
I remember when The Color Purple movie was released and the backlash it got from black men in my community who perceived it as "male hating." I always wondered what it was like to put your heart and soul into a literary piece, have hollywood create a visual experience out of it in a way that you didn't expect, then sit through people "attacking" you as a "black male hater." Well, this book reveals what Alice went through, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. We get to read exerpts from her journal.Furthermore, I felt more connected to this book than perhaps other readers because I myself am a novelist writer trying to publish my first book. Alice Walker brought up "controversial issues" in the book, The Color Purple (the most controversial being the "lesbian" relationship between Celie and Shug). My own work brings up "taboo" subjects within the black community. Reading Walker's intimate experiences with the public's (and her family and friends') reactions to her work and her bravery to "keep on keepin' on", inspired me to continue writing about subjects that have often been "silenced" within my own black community. The Same River Twice is an excellent book for someone such as myself who is often intimidated and worried about how their community may respond to their literary pieces.

Mixed Feelings
Reading Walker's prose can be like talking with a live person face to face.There is no aloof distance between Walker and the reader, one feels that she is addressing them personally; the drawback to this is that when she says something you may not agree with, you can feel a little hurt or even betrayed. The Color Purple is a story that so many people lay "claim" to, and is one of the most important books of the twentieth century. Readership of the novel has only grown since its initial publication in 1982, and it's no wonder that Walker feels such a bond to this story of hers.The problem is that the rights were sold to make a movie version and Walker wasn't entirely pleased with the results.

While I am sure any writer would feel very ambivalent about a film version of their novel (as Ken Kesey did for "Cuckoo's Nest"), when one signs the film rights away, they should brace themselves for the disappointment. Walker takes us step-by-step through the disappointment but the final conclusion is a feeling of ingratitude. What is important to me is that because of the movie I became aware of the book and thus began my love for Alice Walker. As a teen I loved the movie, but being older now I do see many moments in the film as rather embarrassing. But again, had it not been for the film I would not have read the book.

But why did Walker choose to write this book?Parts of it are very interesting, but much of the book is just a bunch of journal entries and news clippings. Walker does submit her entire screenplay that she proposed; Her screenplay is actually less streamlined than the script that made it to the screen and has too many moments involving the patterns in a quilt that stop the story dead in its tracks. For all the flaws of the screenplay that was adapted, (and there are many), it's a much less rambling script than Walkers.

Despite Walker's intentions, the book comes off as ungrateful. After all, she was able to make a nice home for herself.But this book is interesting to see the author's point of view.Had Purple been made in the 50's, it would have been damaged beyond repair and probably taken the point of view of one of the minor white characters ... if it would have been made at all. We've all seen movies that ruined a book, Walker is one of the only ones who has been voal about it.

But Walker should also take heart, at least she didn't write "Beloved" and watch that transition to the screen.

Just telling her side of the story
"The Same River Twice" was a very good book and it gave so much insight into who Alice Walker is as a person. I never knew that Ms. Walker has Lyme disease and that she loved to garden. The casting of certain individuals in certain roles shocked me it never dawned on that Tina Turner was their first choice in playing Shug Avery and that Lola Folana and Diana Ross were also considered for the part. Also I did not know that Ms. Walker had a problem completing the screenplay for the actual movie due her disease. Ms. Walker is one of the best authors of our time and it is a shame that people cannot see the beauty in her work.

I do remember all of the controversy surrounding "The Color Purple" when I was a teenager and how I was forbidden to see the movie. When I finally saw the movie after it had been out on video cassette three years later I was shocked and enlightened all at the same moment. I was shocked at seeing two women kiss and enlightened to see Celie break away from her abusive husband and flourish as person. The book and the movie are different and people should read the book before passing judgement on Ms. Walker's character if they have only seen the movie. I know now Ms. Walker had somewhat of a different vision of her book being made into a movie than Steven.

More Praise for Ms. Walker
I felt this book was one of her most personal, and from the start I could not put it down. The Color Purple was the finest book (and film) I have yet to see, although a better book than The Color Purple I don't think can be found. I am very grateful to Alice for publishing this book, as it gives insight into both the book and herself, and I feel it is the most revealing of all her books (so far). Reading it opened a window onto her life, albeit a small window, a window none the less, and for an author, I feel that is one of the bravest and most honourable feats. It allows you to step into her life for a brief moment, which can also heighten the journey taken in some of her other novels. Such as The Temple of My Familiar, which takes you further into the lives of the characters from The Color Purple, and knowing the motivation behind the novel from Alice herself, opens up a whole new aspect of Temple. I feel that to be a true Walker fan, this is a must read.

Boring and Pretentious.
Several years ago, I had a conversation with a group of filmakers who angrily debated the merits of "The Color Purple". Chiefly, we all wondered "What did Alice Walker really think of themovie?"

Well, she tells us here. In the most dull, pretentious andboring prose I've ever read. Self-serving and rambling journal entries.Tired cliches about what it means to be a black bisexual woman.Overreaching liberal claptrap that is better suited for a late-nightcollege bull session than a serious piece of literature. ... Read more