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November 19
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Rodney
gave
to:
Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Hardcover)
by Donald B. Kraybill
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in November, 2008
Rodney said:
"This, for me, was a life changing book. It discussed the Nickel Mines School shooting tragedy and the Amish response. There are a myriad of small stories and great analysis of the Amish faith. As I got into it, I almost wanted to buy my Amish hat and...more
This, for me, was a life changing book. It discussed the Nickel Mines School shooting tragedy and the Amish response. There are a myriad of small stories and great analysis of the Amish faith. As I got into it, I almost wanted to buy my Amish hat and move to Pennsylvania. It is a beautiful book that makes me want to be a better person. I recommend it to anyone.
The insights into Amish daily life and the history of the Anabaptist movement are fascinating.
My only small criticism of the book is that parts of it are repetitive. Rather than being a distraction, however, it wonderful to read some of these same things again. I wish the country... the world wold read this book!...less
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November 13
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Rodney
gave
to:
Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)
by R.B. Bernstein
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: any one interested in Jefferson-not for scholars.
read in October, 2008
Rodney said:
"This is an excellent short biography of Jefferson. It moved well and covered everything I wanted to know about Jefferson. I recommend it to anyone wanting to know the basics about Jefferson's life. It probably isn't a classic, but for what the author...more
This is an excellent short biography of Jefferson. It moved well and covered everything I wanted to know about Jefferson. I recommend it to anyone wanting to know the basics about Jefferson's life. It probably isn't a classic, but for what the author sets out to do, it is outstanding....less
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September 29
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Rodney
gave
to:
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (Paperback)
by Candice Millard
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended to Rodney by:
My brother-in-law
recommended for: Any one interested in history or an interesting character study.
read in September, 2008
Rodney said:
""The River of Doubt" dealt with a little know expedition that Theodore Roosevelt took shortly after he lost the presidency in the Bull Moose run. He decided to explore an unknown river in Brazil and almost lost his life. The author paints a...more
"The River of Doubt" dealt with a little know expedition that Theodore Roosevelt took shortly after he lost the presidency in the Bull Moose run. He decided to explore an unknown river in Brazil and almost lost his life. The author paints a vivid picture of the expedition and the adventure that came with it.
The book is excellent, but one criticism I have is that the author covered many aspects of the expedition and the men who went on it that didn't interest me. It starts quite slowly. Most readers, however, would enjoy these details. The book paints a view of the Amazon Basin that is very stark and realistic. This is an exciting read that I recommend highly....less
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New comment on Rodney's review of
By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion
see all 2 comments
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August 19
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Rodney
gave
to:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Hardcover)
by Mary Ann Shaffer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended to Rodney by:
NPR
recommended for: Any one interested in literature, but it is really a woman's book.
read in August, 2008
Rodney said:
"I like books that have strange titles. This one certainly qualifies. It is the story of how a small island in the English Channel coped with the German occupation during WW2.
It is at once very sad, very humorous, witty, insightful and even romant...more
I like books that have strange titles. This one certainly qualifies. It is the story of how a small island in the English Channel coped with the German occupation during WW2.
It is at once very sad, very humorous, witty, insightful and even romantic (in a strange way). As I have just put it down, I am trying to digest what I've just read. There is a feeling for human dignity that is engrossing. Although the book deals with death and depredations of the war, there is a spirit of optimism and goodness that runs through it that is amazing.
I did not like the first 40-50 pages, but after acquainting oneself with the characters, it is irresistible. And there are many characters.
I predict that this book will be a word of mouth favorite. It may take a while to reach the best seller list, but I predict it will. Much like the "Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency," it will be passed around.
Read it!...less
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August 11
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Rodney
marked as to-read:
The Boy Who Dared (Hardcover)
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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August 01
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Rodney
gave
to:
His Excellency: George Washington (Paperback)
by Joseph J. Ellis
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: Everyone, history buffs
read in July, 2008
Rodney said:
"Some have wanted to reserve 5 stars to a "War and Peace" type book. To me 5 stars means the book did what it set out to do and did it well. "His Excellency" indeed did. It is an excellent short biography of the father of our count...more
Some have wanted to reserve 5 stars to a "War and Peace" type book. To me 5 stars means the book did what it set out to do and did it well. "His Excellency" indeed did. It is an excellent short biography of the father of our country. When I picked this book up, I realized all I knew about Washington was what I had been taught in grade school.
Ellis is an excellent biographer who delves into many aspects of Washington's life. The narrative moved well and was entertaining. Some may be put off by Ellis' style of going into analysis of issues. I found that this added to my understanding.
Washington indeed was a great man who's influence reaches us to this day. Now I know why!...less
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July 29
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Rodney
gave
to:
Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows (Paperback)
by Will Bagley
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: No one
Rodney said:
"The "Blood of the Prophets" was obviously written with an anti-Mormon agenda. Any one who has had an 8th grade civics class can see through the propaganda. Bagley is a good historian and did extensive research, but the conclusions he draws ...more
The "Blood of the Prophets" was obviously written with an anti-Mormon agenda. Any one who has had an 8th grade civics class can see through the propaganda. Bagley is a good historian and did extensive research, but the conclusions he draws from his research are a stretch. The Mountain Meadows Massacre is a difficult subject. Any one who is sympathetic towards the church will take a sympathetic view, probably too sympathetic. Those who don't care for the church will take a critical view, probably too critical. Bagley falls in a third category of one who is not interested in the truth as he is trying to discredit the church and its leaders from the beginning. If the church was so inflamed with violence, as Bagley states, why were there not many massacres? This and dozens of other issues make me question Bagley's credibility.
Bagley is a good writer and the narrative flows well....less
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Rodney
gave
to:
Massacre at Mountain Meadows (Hardcover)
by Ronald W. Walker
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: anyone interested in LDS history or the history of the west.
read in September, 2008
Rodney said:
"The controversy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre will go on as long as there are people to debate it. This book is good fresh look at the event. It is very compact in that it does not go into unnecessary detail. I recommend the book highly. My only o...more
The controversy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre will go on as long as there are people to debate it. This book is good fresh look at the event. It is very compact in that it does not go into unnecessary detail. I recommend the book highly. My only objection is that the prose is a bit stiff. No one will ever say it reads like a novel. It is meant to be a scholarly work of history, however. It is not mean to entertain.
The details of the massacre come vividly alive. At the end, I wanted to throw up....less
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July 06
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Rodney
read and liked
Kelly's
review of The Good Fight:
"I heard an interview on NPR with him, and the book sounds good.
Senate Majority Leader Reid was exceptionally candid in this particular interview (promoting his book) about White House meetings with Bush (how he tells you what he wants to hear) a...more
I heard an interview on NPR with him, and the book sounds good.
Senate Majority Leader Reid was exceptionally candid in this particular interview (promoting his book) about White House meetings with Bush (how he tells you what he wants to hear) and he was talking about Lugar and other (D) Senators who say things need to change with the war, and appear to be taking a stand but then vote with the Republicans.
Reid grew up extremely poor, his father pulled out his tooth with plyers, and when his brother brooke his leg, he just layed in bed, they couldn't afford to bring him to the hospital....
An interesting tidbit-- Reid was Jewish growing up and later converted to Mormonism, a quote I found on Wikipedia: "I think it is much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican."
He went on to say that the Democrats' emphasis on helping others, as opposed to what he considers Republican dogma to the contrary, is the reason he's a Democrat........less
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