Depression Books

Matt Rogers uses beautiful writing and poetic imagery to tell his very personal struggle through the darkest time in his life. Throughout the book, Matt is refreshingly honest about all his doubts and never settles for any easy answers. It is incredibly encouraging to see how God can take the dark times in our lives and use them for his glory!

Anyone that has struggled with doubt or depression (or both like Matt did) or knows anyone that is struggling with these issues should read this book! Actually, everyone should read it.

This book is a quick read and a good one. Matt's ability to turn a phrase engaged me over and over throughout the work. His word choice helped me in simple terms understand some of what he was feeling during that "long dark night" of his soul.

Perhaps I can relate because I've heard the pat answers to life's difficult questions. I was also struck with the fact that I was also at Urbana 1996 and experienced some of the same (and many different) emotions about the event and the place (Urbana is a nice campus and a fun town too!).

I connected with this book in the way a good author would (and does) reach out and grab hold of his reader. Matt did that with gentleness, reverence, and compassion. I appreciate his heart and the desire that his story would not be for naught. I hope that many might find encouragement and comfort in this book's pages and that Matt might become a mentor to help guide them to the One who can be with us in the midst of the difficulties of our world (and its joys too).

This is the first book I've read that nearly exactly chronicles my own struggle with doubt and depression, a struggle which led me to eventually attempt suicide. Several times I found myself thinking that Matt had just written things that I'd thought too but had been ashamed to admit. Maybe if I'd had this book seven years ago, I would've realized that I was not alone and that there would be a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

This kind of book helps make having doubts and dealing with depression not taboo subjects in the church. Many of our churches or traditions have tried to make such doubts and fears illegitimate or, at least, utterly scandalous--denying that they are part of a Christian's life and stuffing them down inside when they pop up. Instead, Matt addresses them directly, allowing the light of Christ's gracious love and healing presence to shine into the dark places.

I don't know of any other book that addresses this struggle in the first-person, which I think is this book's strength. There are many books that deal with the sovereignty of God, but they're usually four-views books--which are helpful, but this book would be a great felt-need addition to the library or bedside of a person who is wrestling with the theology of providence. This book may also appeal to pastors and campus staff workers who shepherd people with similar struggles. For another great book that deals solely with depression, see Why Do Christians Shoot Their Wounded?: Helping (Not Hurting Those With Emotional Difficulties) by Dwight Carlson, M.D.

I've read lots of personal memorials about faith journeys, but I can honestly say that Losing God be Matt Rogers is one of the better recent ones I've had the chance to review. In recounting his struggles with both clinical depression and profound doubt, Rogers is painfully honest, insightfully introspective, and very helpful.

There are several reasons this book particularly hit me. First, the author and I shared very similar worlds. The evangelical over-spiritualization of problems, the campus ministry atmosphere, even Rogers' struggles with Calvinism, are all things which have also been a part of my life in the last 5-6 years. Although we might be in slightly different places in relation to some of these thoughts, the amount of overlap meant that I sould really resonate with the human being who was behind this book.

In addition, I've seen firsthand the deep connection between psychological struggles and spiritual darkness. A few years ago, my mother was hit with a series of panic attacks and a mental breakdown which lasted for almost a year. As I was close to these events, I was left with a deep appreciation for how much mental troubles can overlap with a faith crisis. I think Matt has a lot to offer here. In particular, I think this book could be enormously helpful for people in the midst of depression or other similar conditions. The author writes pastorally, recounting his own hurts while at the same time trying to encourage others in the midst of similar struggles.

On a broader level, I also want to urge young, Reformed types to read this book. It is a sobering reminder that doctrines, even true doctrines, need to be taught and applied with care and wisdom. I could easily see myself being the guy who sat down with Matt Rogers and let my concern for certain doctrines I believed to be true, beating down his questions and leaving him in a broken, hopeless place. I believe doctrines like predestination and election, but to think that they are the tools we are to use in every (or even most) situations when talking about Christianity has the potential to be enormously destructive. Part of speaking the truth in love must be that we exercise a prudence in what truths are appropriate for a given situation and which need to be left for some other time.

This is a hard book, but not one without hope. In his mercy, God brought Matt Rogers out the other side of his struggles with a humility and grace which is rare among Christians, especially young ones. It's hard in the way the gospel should be, and walking in the shoes of those who have experienced this struggle is always a blessing and thought-provoking experience.

This is the only book I have read that is unflinchingly real about spiritual darkness. Without attempting to answer every question or smooth away all doubts, Matt Rogers's four year journey through depression convinces us of a rising hope that, as Madeline L'Engle wrote, "the ultimate end of the story, no matter how many aeons it takes, is going to be all right."

Losing God does not oversimplify depression by treating it as an exclusively physical OR spiritual condition. Matt Rogers addresses the interplay of both factors and how healing comes through the restoration of healthy brain chemistry and embracing the mystery of a God who is bigger than our emotions.

As one who has struggled with doubts over my salvation and a tendency to let emotions rule me, I deeply resonated with Matt's realization that "Emotions are a gift, but I learned in the dark that we must be careful of the conclusions we let them draw for us."

To anyone who thinks Christianity is about easy answers and glib optimism--read this book. Matt confronts the fears many people seek to hide, and his honesty is the sign of ultimate hope.

I bought this book as a gift for my daughter on her 3rd birthday. It instantly became her favorite and it's one that I actually don't mind reading over and over (and over and over...)! The story has a great moral ("You're never poor as long as you have a loving family and one good friend.") that is tucked into a cool story with truly enjoyable illustrations. We find something new in the illustrations at every reading!

The accompanying CD has been great for car rides when you just can't take anymore kid's music! Carville himself reads it and, politics aside, I like the guy.

If you want a valuable children's story that you will enjoy too, BUY THIS BOOK!!

I enjoyed Patricia Mckissack & James Carville's lovely story set in the Lousiana Depression-era about a little girl hearing lots of talk about hardtimes with people out of work, no jobs and about her adventures in the swamp meeting up with a real swamp ghost, or so it seems at first. Little Lu shows her big caring heart when she be friends the ghost only to find out he's a little orphan boy. It is here we see her joy in finding one good friend and feeling mighty rich from it. David Catrow has out done himself again with his fabulously fun illustrations. This book also comes with a CD read by James Carville giving the listener a good flavor of that Lousiana drawl. A great story about family and friends.

What a well done little book. This is a story of a little girl, during the Great Depression, who lives on a farm with her family and figures she is "just a little poor." This is a story of friendship and strength and simply helping others that need help. The illustrations by David Catrow are very well executed and a delight to the eye. They also go perfectly with the text which is nice when reading to a group of young ones. There are several lessons to be learned from this tale, all good ones. I have read this to several classes of children at school and it quite holds their attention and is very useful in helping to open up discussions. THe kids all seem to like it, and often times ask for a seconed reading. This is probably the best indorsement a children's book can have. All in all, there is not much to not like about this book and I do recommend it highly.

My son is only 2 1/2 but sits still for this story aimed at 4 -6 year olds. He just likes the story and the art. And wonderfully imaginative art it is by David Catrow. It's written by James Carville...yes THAT James Carville. KNown most for being a former advisor to President Clinton, Carville grew up in the swamplands of Louisiana and writes a captivating children's tale of the mysterious bayou country.

Lu is a poor little girl who has no friends her age. One day she encounters the legendary swamp ghost of whom tales have become legend in her neck of the woods. But all is not what it seems with this "ghost" and soon Lu finds a true friend as Carville teaches a well thought out lesson about impressions we have about people. Nicely done and the fact that it's about a "ghost" really intrigued my little one.

Lu and the Swamp Ghost is a wonderful book that should be read to kids of almost any age and a sure to be classic.

Young Lu has always been told that as long as you have wonderful friends and family, you're never actually poor. But Lu, who has a great family, knows that she must be a little poor, for she doesn't actually have any friends. However, all that changes one day while Lu is taking a stroll along the Louisiana bayou, for she comes face-to-face with a real, live swamp ghost, who ultimately becomes her one true friend.

Taking place during the Great Depression, James Carville has created a wonderful story that will show even the youngest reader that friends and family are more important than material items. Filled with super-adorable illustrations by David Catrow, LU AND THE SWAMP GHOST is sure to earn a place in the hearts of readers the world over.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This book is hilarous, preposterous and poignant all at the same time. It is a wonderful read and hard to put down. I think we relate so well to Nordis because it may be secret thoughts and ideas we have all had as women at one time or another but would never voice. You find yourself laughing but nodding your head at some of her thoughts! I enjoyed every minute of this book! Highly recommend!!!

If laughing on one page, crying on the next and then being shocked silly is your idea of a good read, you'll adore Lullabies and Alibis!

Stephanie Lewis smacks of Jennifer Weiner, Erma Bombeck and OHenry all thrown in together.....such talent!!!

As soon as I received the book in the mail, I couldn't wait to start reading it. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. In Lullabies & Alibis, the author takes you on a thrilling ride through the mind and crazy life of a neurotic woman, Nordis. She also offers an incredibly honest insight into the underlying motivations of this character, who seems to oscillate from a state of endearing innocence to an almost unfeeling cunningness. At times, you may dislike Nordis, and then again, you can't help but to find in the nakedness of her soul familiar territory and then forgive her for being much too human. One thing is for sure, this book will take you on an emotional ride that you won't be likely to forget.

I am not much of a reader. In fact, it really takes the "right" book to get me to read the whole thing. This book had all the right elements for me - humor, suspense, emotion -- yep, it kept me going all right! All the way to 4 AM, as I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! My kudos to the author -now, can you hurry and write another?! Thanks for a great read!

I do believe Amazon wants reader reviews pertaining to book content. I have read this book cover to cover and believe it is an honest portrayal of a women in emotional pain. The book seems to disclose many intimate details that could only be revealed through much soul searching by a mother-to-be experiencing trauma over an inaccurate ultrasound. As a grandmother, I watched my daughter's disappointment when she did not have the baby girl that she had always wanted. She loves my grandsons to pieces, but she is still mourning the baby girl she longed for. Loved the book and recommended it to my friend's daughters.

An excellent, well written book that provides some balance to the idea that bipolar mania is simply an abnormal mental disease. Provides some grounding and knowledge for those who have experienced spiritual "enlightenment" during their mania.

Best wishes to all bipolars searching for more insights and solutions.

This is an excellent account of a journey and struggle with Manic Depressive Illness. This book is in a conversational easy to read format. Robert keeps the interest of the reader from front to back cover of this book. Robert expressed all my fears, denial of the illness, and doubts. This book gave me a foundation on some of the things that can insight and episode of mania. I am now attempting to devise my own fitness and diet plan to combat the illness. Thanks Robert. It is really unfortunate for others struggling with the manic depression that this book is almost impossible to obtain. I am happy I already own a copy.

I read this book before it went out of print about 8 or 9 months ago. I felt that the author made some really good points. As a manic-depressive myself I felt good that he was able to function well enough to shelve the medication. I am working up to that myself. Like Kelly I don't feel that the Mental Health Establishment has all the answers in fact I think that that is far from the case. Often times they are trying to grasp the wind. Where Kelly and I differ is that I allow Christ to guide me and Kelly uses a host of other things like Eastern and Native American religious beliefs and the studying of some of the great minds of psychiatry in the past and present and a third thing being both yoga and TM. Like Kelly I want to control my own destiny and I have strong beliefs just as he has even if they are different. It was great to see a book that was new and fresh for a change like this one was. I think Mr. Kelly is a bright light in a darkness that is the current Mental Health Establishment

If you've tried and failed to get help from the psychiatric, psychological, self-help, etc. approach that assumes that something is wrong with you please read this book written by a man who speaks from his own first-hand experience. He feels that what is commonly termed manic-depression may not be an illness in every instance but may represent an opportunity to break thru to a spiritual awakening and a new level of consciousness. The doctors mean well, but to a man with a hammer everything tends to look like a nail. Put down your hammer and try a new perspective. It may be just what you've been searching for.

After years of suffering and being told that I was crazy, someone has finally written a book that untangles the mystery of manic-depression. Kelly has taken the blinders off and has given us a new way to understand. Walking us through his experience and logically sorting out the confusion that surrounds this illness. No where else have I ever been validated for my own experiences and my own insights on what is happening to my mind. If anyone truly whats to understand their their experience this book is a must read.

ISBN-13 978-1425102623

Many grieving parents, family members, and even mental health professionals find it difficult to answer the questions of children whose loved ones have taken their own lives. Thankfully, Carol Loehr's book
"My Uncle Keith Died" addresses these questions in a sensitive, compassionate, and honest way. A young boy named Cody learns about depression and how to help someone with depression. Also, there is a discussion guide that will help parents and professionals with questions children may ask. I highly recommend this book.

Ann Dumont, LMHC
Left Behind After Suicide Support Groups

This book ia wonderful tribute to and Uncle whom we all should have known. Explaining death to children is difficult at best but when a person has died at their own hand it is doubly difficult. The illustrations in the book are beautiful and the discussion guide is helpful for any parent or teacher. This book should be available in every school library in the English speaking world. God bless Keith's mother Carol for sharing Keith and the results of undiagnosed depression with the world. Dr. Gloria Horsley Host of Healing The Grieving Heart archived on [...]

When a family member or close friend dies by suicide, the wake left behind is indescribable. The pain, the grief, the guilt, and the "what ifs" become constant unshakable realities which fade over time but never seem to completely vanish. When my brother and very close friend who suffered from severe depression died of suicide 22 years ago at the age of 45, it was a crushing and overwhelming shock. A wonderful family, a wife and three children, were left to live through and somehow process this tragedy. If Carol Ann Loehr's book had been available then, it would have been a valuable resource for the children as well as the adults in our family.

Carol has managed to explain in very simple and understandable terms how severe depression is a leading cause of suicide. We are taken through this process with her grand nephew, Cody, who is featured as the catalyst in exploring why her son, Keith, died of suicide. She approaches this subject in a very sensitive, creative, and respectful fashion. The book is also excellently illustrated by James Mojonnier, and Julianne Cosentino contributes with a helpful Discussion Guide.

As one who has been there and knows the aftermath of suicide and the need for quality resources at such a time, I highly recommend this book to those who are struggling with the inevitable questions that come. It is very appropriately written for children and is an effective tool for adults as well. - Rev. Jeffrey E. Moody

I have a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention and grief support. Carol Loehr's insight into the devastating effect of depression is valuable to those who are struggling to understand the loss of a loved one to suicide. We have made her book available to the members of our suicide grief support group and consider it an important tool in our quest to understand.

After I lost my brother to suicide, I remember trying to read everything I could get my hands on to try to help me understand how this could happen to him. I received phamphlets at the funeral home about "Suicide." There was nothing that even gave me a clue as to why I lost my brother to the devastating disease, depression. Carol's book helps to explore areas that have not been explored before. Written as a children's book, it is extremely helpful when trying to explain the unexplainable to children, but I must add, that it can help adults as well. I wish that someone had handed me this book after Terry died. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to understand depression and suicide, young or old.

As a minister in the house hold of God.I know couples of people going through what the author had personally experienced.She came out strong from depression, loving herself, and then able to love people around her through prayers and the power of her determination.

I recommend this book to everyone that would love to see this world a better place for all to live.I'm looking forward to have the author invited for a talk with the people going through depression in my community.

Great work!Patiently waiting for her next book.Please keep me informed when it is out.

On the Periphery of Death

I read Ta'Wand's book without knowing what it was about beforehand. As i read each page I was struck by the storyline and the common thread revealed in each persons life. There is a loneliness and indeed helplessness that and how we can realate to it. There is a loneliness and indeed helplessness that can come from our modern day lives. Ta'Wand has found words to express those feelings.

I won't discuss the specifics so as not to spoil the story for others.
But I will say this book is an easy read and many, as I have done, will re-read the book more than once.

I only hope she writes a second. I would buy that in an instant.

AFTER READING THIS BOOK...WE KNEW WE HAD TO HAVE THE AUTHOR ON OUR SHOW THE RANDALL REPORT.
THE BOOK TAKES YOU INTO A WORLD OF A WOMEN FINDING HERSELF AND DEPENDING ONLY ON HER SELF TO MAKE CHANGE IN HER LIFE.

THEN ON TOP OF THAT....HER STORY OF SURVIVAL COMING FROM HER OWN MOUTH.......HAD LISTNERS OF THE RANDALL REPORT IN AWE. MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION PEOPLE DOWNLOADED THE SHOW. THAT SHOWS YOU THE POWER OF PASSION FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.

GOD BLESS THE CHILD WHO HAS GOT HIS OWN.

[...].
BRJ / THE RANDALL REPORT

Ta'Wand Allen opens up her heart to others sharing her story about depression and suicide. This book is a must read for anyone who has been depressed and knows others who have battled with suicidal thoughts. As a matter of fact this book is for everyone.

None of us got an owners manual for our brains or emotions. The information here can help anyone live a much more fulfilling life and raise their self worth.

She conquers a subject that has such a stigma with plenty of resources to empower oneself. Her commitment to help others is heartwarming.

I highly recommend you read this book and share it with love ones and friends.

Dr. Mike Shapiro

Dear Author,

After reading this book I will never be the same. About two years ago, I begin to have depressing thoughts. I would try to block them out, but I soon begin to notice that almost anything I perceived as negative would trigger them.

I was in an abusive relationship that left me with low self-esteem. I had heard of depression, but never in a million years thought I would experience it. My family has no history of mental illness.

To make a long story short. I credit this book with giving me a new outlook on life. As I read some of the passages, I felt as if you were talkign directly to me. There is such a negative stigma attached to depression in this country that I was really afraid to get help. I was wondering what others would say about me..

Reading your powerful story gave me the courage to get help. I am in therapy now, and for once in my life I feel optimistic about my future. I thought noone understood what I was going thru, and then I got a copy of your book. Finally, an easy to read book that is written by an everyday person (like me) who's sole desire is to change one person's life by sharing your powerful personal story of overcoming depression.

It is with tears in my eyes that I write this review and say THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Everyone needs to read this book-really they do..

This book was helpful in describing different types of biploar disorders.
It also described how people have adjusted to and accepted the mood swings their children go thru while dealing with medication trial and errors. Every child is different and there is no cut and dried "recipe" for bipolarity treatment.
It was most helpful for me in deciding to purchase this book to "look inside" the book. Being able to view the table of contents and an excerpt from the book helped me decide if this book was the help I was looking for. And it was.
The book also described how the entire family is affected and their involvment in the solutions, which I found to be helpful to know we were not alone in our struggles.

I just bought this book and received it yesterday, and it's already making an impact in my life. I can't believe that someone else's family has gone through exactly what we're going through with one of our kids. I'm looking forward to getting a lot of help and great ideas from this book, and hoping to learn to cope better with my moody child, without so many feelings of guilt in the process.

I work as an inpatient clinician on a child/adolescent unit. This book answers the questions and gives the guidance I am frequently asked for. Clearly it is a book that was written by very knowledgable professionals who have a compasionate understanding for what the overwhelmed parents of these children need. It is clearly written and full of practical advice and useful tools. I strongly recommend it for anyone with a child/teen with a mood problem. If you know one of these parents-buy it as a gift for them-they are probably too busy dealing with their life to get it for themselves.

As the mother of a bipolar child, I've read just about everything available. While "The Bipolar Child" informs about childhood bipolar disorder, "Raising A Moody Child" assumes that, as parents, we already know about the disorder and now need nuts-and-bolts coping strategies and techniques. (Am not knocking "The Bipolar Child." It was a necessary, groundbreaking book.)

I found that this book, however, offered what our family needs at this point in our daughter's life: tips, ideas, suggestions, and specifics to help parents and bipolar children cope.

The authors clearly respect parents' existing base of knowledge about bipolar and trust them enough to make use of the information provided without having to rehash the details of the disorder ad infinitum.

While this book may be informative to those who want to know more about some of the issues parents of bipolar children face, the book clearly is aimed specifically at the parents who already are on the front lines.

The book is written in a clear, no-nonsense, easy-to-follow fashion. I came away from this book with numerous strategies for helping my daughter deal with her mood swings--(techniques ranging from Playdough art projects to smacking a tennis ball against the garage wall).

This is an excellent read for any parent struggling with the problems of a bipolar child. Obviously, it's not a cure-all, but it's easy to read and, as 'bipolar parents' know, ideas for coping mechanisms are always welcome.

I appeciated the authors' directness and writing style. Although I read the book all the way through, I still pick it up now and then to flip to various sections for new ideas, to refresh my memory about a medication, or to give myself a pep talk.

Thanks so much to the authors for writing this book, and to my child's therapist for recommending it.

Although The Bipolar Child had great insight as to why my child was diagnosed ADHD at 6 and then rediagnosed Bipolar at age 14, I found this book to be extremely helpful as to what needs to follow now that my son is Bipolar. I have to agree with one of the other reviews written, that this book contains information parents are "assumed" to already know, when in fact, we do not. If you have a child suffering from Bipolar or depression, I highly recommend reading this book.

I read this book before giving it to my 8-year-old. I couldn't put it down. You will quickly come to care about the main character, Grace, and her family that has fallen on hard times. In this time when most kids have more stuff than they need and often feel entitled to more and more, this book really brings the Depression to life. Valuable lesson on what is truly important without being preachy.

There is a family: mama,papa,Pete,Grace,Iggy,and Owen. Pete is the oldest son and he is 13 or 14. Grace is only 11, and Iggy and Owen are still very young. Mama is expecting a baby soon, and the family has very little money to put food on the table. Pete and grace have to walk to the fire hydrant to get pails of water, every morning. Pete's left arm is not all there so he can not carry but one pail. One morning he starts coughing and breathing really hard, so his mom makes him dress extra warm. She tries to make him stay but he goes. It is the middle of winter outside. When they get to the hydrant the man opening it says he is going to have to move it to a different location, because it pours to much water into the grass or snow. The parents go poor and Pete gets really sick and they have to send all the kids away to a mission.They send Pete to a free hospital that won't cost them any money. The other three go to a mission near by. Grace makes a new friend while there, she also gets a chance to go to the Hammond's for Christmas. Grace,Iggy,and Owen go back home with their mom and baby sister.

Saving Grace was a really good book and probably one of my favorite books that I have read. Grace McFarland is a young girl who lived during the the Great Depression. At the begining of the story Grace played with an Ouija Board even though many times before her mother told her not to because the board was the work of the devil. The board predicted that Grace was going to start a new life. Grace has a terrible and a very rough life. She lives in an old and beaten up apartment building with her family. There are five people in her family. The people are Grace's mother and father, Owen who is four,Iggy who is around the age of one, and Pete who is 14. Grace's mom is also expecting a baby and they have no idea what they are going to do financially. They can barely feed themselves right now. It has gotten to the point that Grace and Pete take turns skipping meals. Pete and Grace are best-friens and they are very close. Pete is a great big brother and he loves to play marbles. The Great Depressin is at its' peak and jobs are almost impossible to find. The McFarland family keeps getting threatened to be evicted from their apartment. If it happens they wil probably have to live on the streets. Their dad is very upset and is doing any job he can get his hands on to keep the McFarlands from living on the street. He does construction jobs with railroad company evey once in a while to earn some extra cash. One night Pete and Grace decide to follow their dad. They end up finding out that he is brewing beer illegally. Grace and Pete's mom doesn't even know about so they have to keep it a secret from her too. They know that he is only doing it for their sake, but they are still upset with him. It gets to the point that Grace and Pete steal from other people and trade items to get money. One day Pete and Grave go down to get the water from outside at the fire hydrant and they find out they only have one or two more days until they get evicted from their home. When they go upstairs they tell their mother and she really begins to worry. Grace and Pete's stealing results in a list that has everything on it they have stolen. One day they agreed that they are going to repay everyone for what they stole from them. Grace keeps teh list in a little box that has all of her treasures in it. One day Grace's mother sent Grace and Pete to the alley store to get a few groceries for her. They used what little money they had earned from selling milk bottles to do so. On their way home a kid named Martin got in their way. He was with two other boys. Martin always teased Pete and he was a very unfriendly person to be around. One of the boys took the bag of groceries from Grace. They beat up Pete very badly. The boys and Martin finally ended up leaving.. No one was around to help Grace get Pete home. All of the groceies for supper were ruined along with breakfast for the next morning. On the way home they heard a small cry. The nightmare came to life in front of their eyes. On the sidewalk in front the apartment Mama sat crying on the four-poster bed that used to be in the apartment. All around on the ground the family's possessions were piled up. They had been thrown out for not paying the rent. Will Grace and her family have to live on the streets? Will the prediction that Grace is going to start a new life come true? You will have to read the awesome book Saving Grace to find out what happens.

Saving Grace, by Priscilla Cummings, is one of the best books that I have ever read! My mother always talked about going through the Great Depression and I would sit there and say, "Yeah yeah yeah..it's over now so drop it, ok?" But after reading this book, I see now what it was really like to go through the Great Depression. I found after finishing the book that I couldn't stop thinking about it! Very well written and incredibly real! I reccomend this novel to anybody who loves inspirational fiction! :-) !

I bought this book for my two grandaughters
ages 9 & 13. I started to read it myself and became
wrapped up in it. I felt as if I were twelve again
and going through what she was feeling. I grew up
in the Washington, D.C. and Maryland area and can
relate to a lot of the areas mentioned. It will hold
the childs attention as well as a mom and grandma's
attention.

Every book in the Shiloh Legacy series was wonderful. They are full of American cultural and political history and offer a deep spiritual story, weaving in meaningful characters within realistic situations. They bring the early 20th century alive!

This is the third in a series of books beginning post World War I and up to 1929 and the stock market crash. It gives a great perspective on the effects of the manipulations of the bankers and stock brokers on the average family. Typical for Thoene books, it's wonderful historical fiction and a great way to enjoy a book and learn at the same time. I was sorry when it ended.

The book was received on time and in excellent condition. The book was inspirational and well written for the time frame in history that was covered.

THE THOMES HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!!! THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES AND YOU WILL WANT THEM ALL!! YOU WILL LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND THE HISTORICAL RESERCH IS EXCELENT!! YOU FEEL AS YOU WERE THERE. FIND YOUR FAVORITE READING SPOT AND GET READY TO ENJOY!!!
EMILY SIMPSON

I love books by the Thoenes, but any book from this series ranks right at the top of the list. *Say to this Mountain* is real. It deals with what was reality in America in 1930. Doctors forced to imagine illnesses in employees of a factory in order to keep their jobs. Black men arrested and losing their property to [...] sherriffs. A man and his son chased by a mafia member who desired nothing more than to execute them both.

I can imagine that some people might read those things and think that it sounds too sad to read for pleasure. Please don't assume that. There is so much beauty to the people and the stories that it is enjoyable reading.

Life can be good to live even when one goes through awful things. The same is true in the books that we read. Even though we may ache for the people in the stories, we love them. We live along with them.

This book, along with the other books in the series, is excellent, because it gets you to live right along side those in the books. You don't just learn about their lives. You participate in them in a very real sense.

Edward F. Prichard, Jr.'s life makes for high drama; this excellent biography makes for engrossing and informative reading. "Prich" was yet another of the terribly bright Frankfurter students at Harvard Law School in the late 1930's who gravitated to Washington, first as a Supreme Court clerk to Frankfurter, and later with involvement in New Deal and wartime public service. The Greek chorus appears when Prichard returns to his home state of Kentucky to practice law. The book superbly recounts his conviction in connection with a 1948 vote-tampering scandal, his incarceration, and his eventual return to the practice of law and a role as respected educational reformer in Kentucky. Unfortunately, serious illness inflicted near blindness and other frailties which ultimately caused an early death at the age of 69. The reader can only sit back and wonder as to why one with such unlimited promise and talents chose the course he did. Nonetheless, as the book traces Prich's life, it provides an fascinating perspective on Harvard Law, Frankfurter, the wartime FDR administration, the early presidency of Truman, and the rise of the super lawyer-lobbyists such as Thomas Corcoran. One's time is well invested in reading this volume.

Ed Prichard was called "the brightest of our generation" by no less than Katherine Graham. He was Felix Frankfurer's first law clerk, and served ably and brilliantly in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations.

Then came 1948. In Texas, Lyndon Johnson won a Senatorial election, as the saying goes, by the votes of 49 dead Mexicans. That same year, Prichard helped stuff ballot boxes in his home county, Bourbon County, Kentucky, for a forgettable Senate candidate who had the election locked up anyway. But, hounded by J. Edgar Hoover for his "socialist" views (such as championing civil rights for blacks and an eight hour work day, with a decent minimum wage), Prichard, not Johnson, went to prison and was disbarred.

This short, but imminently well researched book is his story, recounting all his sparkling brilliance, the arrogance that helped bring him down, and his ultimate redemption as the father of the education reform movement in Kentucky. This is an elegantly written and masterfully documented history from a first rate young historian. The biggest revelation is the story of J. Edgar Hoover's targeting of Prichard, which was gleaned from declassified documents, and never previously reported.

If this book teaches us that we are all flawed, it also teaches that we are all capable of redemption. This is one of the finest biographies I have ever read.

This book tells well of a brilliant student, high in the ranks of his class at harvard Law, law clerk to Justice Frankfurter, holding responsible positions in the Government in wartime Washington, who by an unbelievably reckless and stupid act destroyed his career, then , after years of struggle redeemed himself before his death in 1984. This is a most worthwhile read for anyone interested in the law or in Kentucky politics,or in the shakers and movers in Washington in the 1940s.

In this accessible, informative biography, Campbell presents the tragic story of one of the brightest stars on the 20th century American political scene. A man of acknowledged genius, fragile ego, and an almost childlike attitude, Prichard was seen by many as the most gifted and promising of the new generation of liberal politicians that arose out of the New Deal. Though his hopes for political office were ended by J. Edgar Hoover's irrational vendetta against him, Campbell makes it clear that the person who ultimately brought about Prichard's downfall was Prichard himself. This is an excellent book about the lofty heights and tragic depths that a man could sink to, and I highly recommend it to any history buff or political wonk.

Who would of thought that here in the third millennium we would still take time to read about Ed Prichard, whose life story will be linked through eternity with a third rate felony-and a blundering, ham-handed felony at that? Prichard is dead more than 20 years now, as are almost all those who loved and hated him. He never held public office-indeed, more generally, never came close to fulfilling the promise of his admirers. Why would anyone care?

To this question, it is possible to give an uncharitable reply. Kentucky, one might say, is a place with more past than future. To dwell on a footnote may be read as saying: we almost amounted to something, we could have been a contender.

And yet, and yet. And yet we have the testimony of the best and the brightest that Prich himself was the best and the brightest; if not as an actor, perhaps as a thinker and certainly as a talker.. Indeed, I had the privilege to observe Prich in what might be called his rehabilitation phase: the early 60s when his friends were trying to ease him back from obloquy and exile onto the political stage. I will add my testimony to those of legions who swore that Prichard in full spate was simply the greatest three-ring oratorical circus of which a simple country boy might dream, his whooshes of insight keeping easy company with his flashes of savage wit. No wonder he won the affection of Felix Frankfurter, of Phil Graham, of-good heavens, is this true?-of Sir Isaiah Berlin.

Indeed: Berlin was once his roommate and like so many was stunned and horrified when Prich was convicted by a Kentucky jury The details are there Tracy Campbell's account, along with a great deal else one may have remembered or forgotten about the politics of Kentucky in the last Century. Campbell tells it all earnestly and unflinchingly, and a strangely compelling story it remains.

Is there a larger context for Prich's story? Probably not a great one, but by a stretch, you could fit it into more general story of the history of the New Deal. It was here, after all, that Prich occupied center stage: as the brilliant young scamp who enchanted Felix Frankfurter, and who put himself at the elbow of Robert Jackson, of Fred Vinson, of Jimmie Byrnes (although both Jackson and Byrnes stayed aloof, and even Vinson saw Prich's limits). One can, at least with caution, take Prich as a kind of symbol for what was right and wrong with those years: the brilliance, the optimism, the energy, together with an overlarge dose of self-admiration, bordering on downright narcissism. Prich was, after all, as dazzling as they say he was. But he was an appalling abuser of friendship, a serial shirker of duties, and at best no more than a mediocre husband and father. Even after he started taking fees from the strip miners, he never really paid his taxes. Indeed, one of the remarkable parts of the Prich story is the way so many people were taken in by him-not merely by his skills at rhetoric and dialectic (which were indisputable) but by the notion that these virtues somehow translated into political gravitas.

Campbell does a conscientious job of surveying the evidence surrounding Prichard's pivotal bout with ballot-stuffing in 1948. Laudably, he hesitates to draw any grand conclusions. I will indulge myself a bit more. Prich came back to Kentucky touted as the next governor, senator, president-offices to which (says Campbell), absent his "lapse" he "would certainly" have risen. But by Campell's own testimony, this is nonsense. Campbell himself says that Prich "had not the ambition or the personality for such posts." Quite right: probably nobody knew this better than Prich himself. His friends saw him as the next Roosevelt; he knew he was closer to Peter Pan. By sticking his hand in a ballot box, he relieved himself of all these impositions: he may have left his friends bewildered and disappointed, but he gave himself the freedom to remain forever young.