Many people are looking for something "more" out of life, like a closer relationship with God. The problem is that they are reluctant to give up their belief in the scientific view of things. They feel that a deeper faith in God is supposed to equal acceptance of creationism and rejection of evolution. This book shows that there is a middle path, that faith in God and evolution can go together.

Take Creation according to Genesis, for instance. The earth was formed before the sun, moon and stars. From a scientific standpoint, they should have been combined in Day 1 (you can’t have the earth without the rest of the universe). Otherwise, Chapter 1 of Genesis sounds a lot like evolution, as long as you consider that a "day" could equal millions of years.

In Genesis 1:26, God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Whose image? Who is He talking to? It suggests that there was a race of beings in Heaven, before man was created. They were the authors of Genesis. In Genesis 2, Adam and Eve were created, and were told to stay away from the fruit of the tree in the center of Eden. They didn’t, and the rest is history.

In Genesis 3, Eve is tempted by a serpent to eat of the forbidden tree. The author’s interpretation is that this was not some sort of talking snake, but had to do with the discovery of sex between Adam and Eve. The author also feels that the two are part of a designer race, who aren’t supposed to sexually reproduce. After the two have intercourse, and discover that they are naked, God decrees that, from now on, woman shall experience pain in childbirth, and that man’s days on earth shall be numbered (implying that they weren’t numbered before). After son Cain kills son Abel, Cain moves away, and starts his own family, eventually founding the city of Enoch. This means that there were other people on earth, created by evolution. The interbreeding of Divine Man and Evolutionary Man (for lack of better terms) is what causes God to create the Flood that, among other things, made Noah famous.

This book is about more than just the Book of Genesis. It does a fine job at showing a middle ground between evolution and creationism. Mercifully, it is light on the jargon, but it will still give the reader a mental workout. For those looking for a closer relationship with God, this is very much worth reading.

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In the beginning, God created the Universe and Natural Law. The author is not talking about any particular conception of God, but means "God" as a more general term. People discovered many of these Laws (Known Law) through spiritual reflection and scientific experimentation. Among the major Natural Laws are basic morality, individual freedom, change and the progress and consequences that result from that change. As time went on, leadership and social organization came about. Religions developed to help explain man’s place in the overall scheme of things.

The major religions were established using the same general concepts of morality, like right and wrong, good and evil, etc. The author advocates the creation of a society based on these spiritual concepts, which are common to everyone, instead of basing it on any particular God.

How can entrenched power happen in present-day religion? They are part of the social fabric that organizes people into effective societies. On the local level, they teach moral and ethical values. They support the development of good character in children. They provide understanding and comfort in times of loss. As one goes up the hierarchy (a feature of most organized religions), leaders are more interested in the organization and holding on to power than in serving the faithful. An example of entrenched power is the Catholic Church molestation scandals. It would have been painful to deal with the problem years ago, but sweeping it under the rug, as the Catholic hierarchy did, has made the problem many times worse.

On the subject of entrenched power in politics, need we say more than "term limits?" A major flaw in the system as designed by the Founding Fathers was not setting a limit on terms in Congress. The author advocates a system where average citizens can actually run for Congress (currently impossible), serve two terms, then make way for someone else. It would go a long way toward helping America to lead the world toward the fulfillment of "God’s" destiny for Man.

This is quite a book. It’s a really interesting read for people of any political or religious viewpoint. The reader may not agree with all of it, but it is still well worth reading.

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In 2002, more than 80 percent of the world’s executions took place in just three countries, China, Iran and America. Black men born in the US stand a one in three chance of going to jail, while white men have a one in seventeen chance of going to jail. Because of the Asian preference for male over female babies, and because of China’s one-child policy, China has 44 million missing women. Over one-fifth of the world’s population lives on less than one dollar a day. One-third of the world’s obese people, and over 80 percent of the smokers, live in developing countries.

Did you know that nearly half of Americans believe that aliens have landed on Earth? According to one estimate, there are over 67,000 lobbyists in Washington, which equals 125 for each member of Congress. Ten languages disappear every year. Every year, America spends $10 billion on pornography, the same amount it spends on foreign aid. More than 70 percent of the world has never heard a dial tone.

This book also includes sources for each of the essays, and organizations to contact for those who are inspired to get involved in any of these areas. It is excellent, and I enjoyed reading it. Compare the subjects in this book to what is shown on the "all-news" channels. To get a very different view of the world, this is a fine place to start.

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After an interminable plane flight, and many shots, they reach Kabul. It is a colorful, yet noisy, sort of place. They find a house (all of which are behind high adobe walls) through the local Peace Corps office. They are given the usual rules when traveling to the Third World. Don’t drink the water (it will be provided by the Embassy). Don’t eat anything from the stalls in the local bazaar; in fact, don’t eat anything that can’t be peeled or hasn’t been thoroughly cooked. Despite this, they still suffer from nearly weekly bouts of diarrhea. The plan for the Hanners is to undergo a three-month crash course in Farsi (the local language) and get used to Kabul before starting their assignment. The author’s assignment is to teach English to employees of the Education Ministry.

Creature comforts in Kabul are few and far between. Heat in the Hanner’s house comes from a couple of wood stoves. Light comes from a couple of bare light bulbs. Their mud roof leaks constantly, and during the summer, it grows wheat. Refrigeration is unknown, so Dad Ali, their cook/handyman/jack of all trades, makes daily food trips to the bazaar. The Kabul bazaar is a place where practically anything can be made or found, including a moneychanger who accepts American checks. Being a Peace Corps volunteer is not for everyone. Several people leave before their time is up.

These letters chronicle the good and bad of living in Afghanistan. On one side there is the incredible generosity of the Afghan people. They have little or nothing, and think nothing of sharing. On the other side is dealing with daily life in Kabul. There are also those people who let the author know, clearly and succinctly, if they feel she is not appropriately dressed in public.

This is a gem of a book and a very easy read. To get an idea of life in Afghanistan before the Soviets and before the Taliban, start right here. It’s highly recommended.

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The Moss family comes from a lower-middle class background, and always placed the health and well-being of their children above material possessions, anyway. If Barnaby is happy as a gay person, that’s all that matters. The Kotkin’s live in Belle Harbor, the rich part of town. Thelma, Arnie’s mother, is a social climber with an inordinate interest in what others think of the family. Arnie’s coming out is an absolute disaster, for her, and she lets Arnie know it. She can just imagine the whispering that will go on around town, now that they have a . . .queer in the family.

A few days later, Arnie is informed that his father has had a heart attack. Rushing to the hospital with Barnaby, and Helene and Jack Fentnor, Arnie’s aunt and uncle who are visiting, they are confronted by Jimmy, one of Arnie’s brothers. He is a medical student at the hospital and very much takes after his mother in being a self-centered jerk. He takes great exception to Barnaby’s presence, and, in front of everyone, takes out a gun and shoots Barnaby, wounding him in the shoulder.

The incident becomes news, jeopardizing Arnie’s teaching job at the local elementary school. Barnaby is released after a couple of days (HMO). Thelma begins to realize that there is more to life than worrying about the opinion of others. A few days later, another tragedy strikes the Kotkin family. Freddie and Jerry, Arnie’s other brothers, were in a car that was deliberately forced off the road by another car. Freddie escaped with minor injuries, but Jerry was killed. Arnie and Barnaby decide that they had better do some fast crime solving, because someone has certainly targeted the Kotkin family. Amid everything else, Helene and Jack let Arnie in on some deep, dark family secrets.

This isn’t just a good "gay novel," or a good mystery or a good story about family secrets, it’s a really good novel, overall. It moves easily, and will certainly keep the reader involved.

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South Africa is one of the world’s major diamond producers. Conditions for the black miners inside the mines can best be described as barbaric. The miners are locked in the mine compound for months at a time, supposedly to protect against diamond theft. Among other things, protective gear is rare or nonexistent, and their pay is microscopic. Apartheid is alive and well in the South Africa diamond mines. In places where diamonds have been found, like the Australian Outback, Botswana and northern Canada, indigenous rights are trampled like they don’t exist.

During World War II, America had a very hard time getting sufficient supplies of industrial diamonds from DeBeers, the cartel that still controls much of the world’s diamond trade. It got to the point where the US threatened to stop all shipments of fighter planes to England unless the British used their influence with DeBeers to ease the restrictions. The Germans, however, had much less trouble getting industrial diamonds from DeBeers.

DeBeers drives up the price of diamonds by simply keeping them off the market, or stockpiling them. It’s common to cut production at a certain mine, or close it completely, in order to keep that type of diamond off the market. Ownership of the various pieces of DeBeers is shuttled around through a seemingly infinite number of shell corporations, most of which are little more than a nameplate on a door of a building in the Cayman Islands or Switzerland. Among other reasons, it’s done to reduce the company’s tax bill, and the fee paid to the government where the mine is located, as much as possible. If a government wants to change the extremely unfair (for them) payment system, DeBeers floods the market with diamonds from that country, depressing the price.

The book spends time looking at the role of diamonds in recent African wars, like the 1970s war in Angola, and the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which America was deeply involved. Last but not least, did you know that there was a working diamond mine in the American state of Arkansas?

This is a major eye-opener. It is a very detailed investigative piece, the likes of which are rarely seen these days. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Not after reading this highly recommended book.

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Charlie’s mother and stepfather go on a week-long vacation and ask Charlie to housesit. Naturally, the house becomes the site of a week-long party, populated by an ever-changing group of friends and friends of friends. Throughout much of the story, Charlie is engaged in the pursuit of Grace, a lovely, and to Charlie, extremely compatible woman.

This is a beautifully written novel. It will also take some work on the part of the reader. There will be periods where the reader will wonder what happened to the story. The plot is laid out in broad chunks with little or no advance information. By all means, stick with this book. It is very much worth reading.

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One of a parent’s biggest wishes for their child is that they find something about which they are passionate, something on which they can build a life. For the parent, there is a fine line between passion and obsession, a line that is easy to cross.

It’s hard to instill a love of books if the children don’t have access to them. Regularly bring them to the local library, and let them take out a lot of books. If Child 2 doesn’t progress in reading at the same rate as did Child 1, don’t panic. Everyone progresses at their own speed.

Another way to instill a love of books is to set aside a reading period during the day. While the child reads a book, the parent should sit and read an adult book. The child will probably enter a phase in which they are interested in what the parent considers the children’s literature equivalent of trash. Again, don’t panic; they’ll grow out of it.

Have faith in your child, especially if they are progressing too "slowly." Encouragement that the pieces will eventually fall into place is better than pushing. Realize that your children are individuals with different styles of reading.

Also included is a long list of reading suggestions for children of all ages. This book is a gem. It’s very down to earth, and any parent can identify with it. For those parents worried that their child isn’t reading "fast enough," take a deep breath, then read this book. It’s time very well spent.

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This very short book belongs in that large gray area of Pretty Good or Worth Reading. There is nothing "wrong" with these stories, and the writer has lots of potential (I would be interested in reading his next book), but this book almost reaches the level of Recommended.

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Months went by, until the phone call came asking if they could stop by at the offices of Zappa’s record label. That would be enough for most people, but to realize that Zappa actually listened to the tape was overwhelming. His general opinion was that she didn’t stink, but that she wasn’t ready yet. On thing led to another, and a trip to the Zappa residence led to an invitation to be a substitute guitarist on his next tour.

On tour, Zappa rarely, if ever, indulged in the alcohol and drugs that are part of any tour, if only to keep that boss/employee distance. He was obsessive/compulsive and a perfectionist who, because of constant stomach problems, drank kaopectate by the gallon. Lennon’s time on the tour was rather short, only a couple of months. Zappa sent her home after word got to Mrs. Zappa that their relationship wasn’t exactly platonic.

Time went by, and after Lennon got thrown out of the house (the relationship with her parents was not good), she was able to crash in the basement of the Zappa residence, on the understanding that she not disturb him while he was composing. He had been seriously injured at a concert in England, and, physically and emotionally, things had changed. The arrangement lasted for a while, until Zappa went back on tour.

More time went by, and Lennon attempted to continue her music studies at a local college. She again ran into Zappa while he was rehearsing a grand, orchestral piece called The Great Wazoo. She tried to be as helpful as possible, while also learning as much as possible. Zappa seemed to tolerate her, more than he actually wanted her around. The relationship between them ends badly.

Zappa fans should read this book. He is shown to be a lot more than just someone with strange ideas about music. For rock music fans in general, this is a gem of a book.

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In the 1920s and 1930s, already a very avid reader of science fiction pulp magazines (the only source for science fiction at that time), Schwartz went into business as the first SF literary agent. Knowing most of the pulp editors personally, he would help them fill holes in their publications by submitting stories sent to him by authors from around the country. He would then turn around, and send the payment checks to the authors. His client list was a Who’s Who of early SF/fantasy authors, including H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. During World War II, many pulps went out of business, due to wartime paper shortages, so Schwartz was encouraged to move into the field of comic books.

At DC Comics, Schwartz was involved in revitalizing nearly all of their superheroes, starting with Batman and Superman. A large number of characters came to life in the pages of DC Comics, along with seemingly every possible combination of characters. Some were more successful than others. Schwartz was one of those most responsible for what has been called the Silver Age of comics. He would also work with some of the most influential talents in the comics world, including Bob Kane, Neal Adams and Alan Moore.

Fans of comic books or science fiction will love this book. It does a fine job at showing the reader the inside of both fields. It is a very quick read that ended too quickly. This gets two thumbs up.

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Prison corporations cut costs as much as possible, affecting things like education and rehabilitation programs for prisoners, staff salaries and training, which leads to a high yearly turnover of guards. An obstacle to greater privatization of prisons has been the power of prison guard unions. The cost savings don’t go to the local government, but to the corporate office, where executives draw huge salaries. On more than one occasion, the state has had to take back control of a prison from a corporation, because of deaths in custody, or violations of prisoners’ human rights, including those of juveniles.

Blacks and Native Americans are in prison in numbers far higher than their proportion of the general population, because prison is a method of social control more than a way to make the streets safer. Private prisons make little or no attempt to incorporate native traditions, like sweat lodges, into the rehabilitation process. Putting prisons far away from cities, or shipping prisoners to other states, disrupts the family structure back home, leading to more children growing up without one or both parents. Women, and people with diagnosed medical conditions, also do not get their needs taken into account by private prisons.

This is an excellent book. The writing gets rather dry and academic, so it will take some work on the part of the general reader; by all means, stay with it. It is well worth reading, for those involved with prisons and for the general public.

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She has made many friends, including the Larsens; Catherine works in the same department at the hospital, while Jack is retired and independently wealthy. They begin to fill the void in Jenna’s life left by the death of her family due to a "mistaken" bombing by the Israeli army.

Jenna is a devout Christian who attends daily Mass, and still dresses modestly, including wearing a headscarf at all times. There are occasional get-togethers of all the women in Jenna and Catherine’s department at the Larsen’s pool, in which Jenna is encouraged to "let her hair down." An old friend of Jenna’s from way back, a Frenchman named Paul, comes to visit, and Jenna turns into a giddy schoolgirl. He invites Jenna and the Larsens on a month-long trip to France.

These bonds are severely tested when Jenna is badly injured in an auto accident. A man running from the police hits her car head on at a high rate of speed. Jack stays at her bedside for several days, feeling that someone should be there when Jenna wakes up.

This is a pretty "quiet" novel about American cultural misperceptions. It is possible for a cultural reconciliation amidst fear and ignorance about the unknown. It’s an easy read that is very much worth the reader’s time. Check it out.

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During a drive in the country with her parents, the author got to watch an old-fashioned cow milking, up close and personal. Another story took place during the Depression, when any scrap of cloth was saved to be made into some piece of clothing. There are stories about this grandmother or that aunt, moving to Utah as a young woman. Included are tales of family secrets passed from one generation to the next.

Every family has stories like these. I enjoyed reading this book. The stories are very easy to read, touching, poignant and humorous. If this book gets the reader to start thinking about their own family history, it will have succeeded. This is well worth reading.

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