The Mango Season

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The Indian-American experience lite

Amulya's work is wonderful.

couldn't put it down

Tasty treat for the brain

Sigh, what a pleasant relief to sit down to!

The Mango Season
Amulya Malladi
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345450310
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

From the acclaimed author of A Breath of Fresh Air, this beautiful novel takes us to modern India during the height of the summer’s mango season. Heat, passion, and controversy explode as a woman is forced to decide between romance and tradition.

Every young Indian leaving the homeland for the United States is given the following orders by their parents: Don’t eat any cow (It’s still sacred!), don’t go out too much, save (and save, and save) your money, and most important, do not marry a foreigner. Priya Rao left India when she was twenty to study in the U.S., and she’s never been back. Now, seven years later, she’s out of excuses. She has to return and give her family the news: She’s engaged to Nick Collins, a kind, loving American man. It’s going to break their hearts.

Returning to India is an overwhelming experience for Priya. When she was growing up, summer was all about mangoes—ripe, sweet mangoes, bursting with juices that dripped down your chin, hands, and neck. But after years away, she sweats as if she’s never been through an Indian summer before. Everything looks dirtier than she remembered. And things that used to seem natural (a buffalo strolling down a newly laid asphalt road, for example) now feel totally chaotic.

But Priya’s relatives remain the same. Her mother and father insist that it’s time they arranged her marriage to a “nice Indian boy.” Her extended family talks of nothing but marriage—particularly the marriage of her uncle Anand, which still has them reeling. Not only did Anand marry a woman from another Indian state, but he also married for love. Happiness and love are not the point of her grandparents’ or her parents’ union. In her family’s rule book, duty is at the top of the list.

Just as Priya begins to feel she can’t possibly tell her family that she’s engaged to an American, a secret is revealed that leaves her stunned and off-balance. Now she is forced to choose between the love of her family and Nick, the love of her life.

As sharp and intoxicating as sugarcane juice bought fresh from a market cart, The Mango Season is a delightful trip into the heart and soul of both contemporary India and a woman on the edge of a profound life change.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The Indian-American experience lite.......2007-08-19

I enjoy seeing the world through fiction, especially by native writers. Compared to the last book about India I read, A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club), The Mango Season has the complexity of a comic book. The narrator herself comments that the members of her family are falling into the roles of a "bad Telugu movie".

The narrator, Priya Rao, is a woman from India who has emigrated to the United States and, against all her cultural programming, fallen in love with an is engaged to be married to an American man. The Mango Season is the story of her return to India where she is resolved to break the news to her family.

The Mango Season is a quick read without too much emotional probing of the characters. The author herself is an Indian woman who is married to a Danish man, and perhaps these issues are too personal to her to fully excavate. The Mango Season is most effective when describing the smells and tastes of southern India. The family drama takes place in the context of mango pickling time, when the women of the family put up quarts and quarts of mango pickles (in American terms).

This book would be a great choice for a book club that enjoys multicultural reads but where the members aren't up for the knock-down drag-out emotion of The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics).

Amulya's work is wonderful........2007-08-17

I've read all of Amulya's books to date and have been so pleasantly surprised with her ability to write, that I have begun to love reading again. This book does not disappoint... unfortunately, I tend to finish them within two days. :)

couldn't put it down.......2007-05-28

This novel offers you a wonderful viewpoint of Indian Culture - a peek inside the curtain. It particularly focuses on a traditional mother/ daughter tie and the wonderful, world of womens minds. From a 'familial role' point of view, any woman should be able to find someone in the tale they can relate to and appreciate. It's a gripping read as this young woman emotionally travels through her decisions of how much truth to reveal to her family during a visit to her native home in India from the United States where she has been working and has become engaged secretly. It is hard to put the book down, but don't worry, it is a fast read as well as a fun one. Perfect for a plane trip.

Tasty treat for the brain.......2007-02-15

My main motivation in reading the book was to gain better understanding of my foreign born friends, particularly those from India. I believe I am a step closer to seeing life a little more through their eyes.
The author has a smooth styling that carries the reader effortlessly between the present and the past, East and West cultures, as well as the journey from childhood to adulthood.
Her dialogue reveals so much about the characters in a breezy, succinct but entertaining manner.
I truly appreciated her talent in conveying the power of racism as it operates within any culture. It is my perception that she drew much from personal experience and perhaps from others, who have chosen to marry outside of their caste and region from which they come - Ms. Malladi is Indian married to a Danish man.
Her ability to capture the emotion of various characters was one of her most gripping tools in captivating the reader. Rarely do I want to stay up late into the night to see where I will be taken next.
The ending was a surprise but in the spirit of the book and had me laughing out loud.
An added bonus was a recipe for various regional cuisine, some sounded quite tantalizing.

Sigh, what a pleasant relief to sit down to!.......2007-01-18

No thriller, no mystery, no sex- why am I reading this book?????
Laughing, because it was good and got me into it from the first few pages and I couldn't put it down.

If you ever wanted to learn about a different culture, or even review your own, this one is a joy to read.

It's a feel good type of book. If you read the Kite Runner which took your heart and ripped it out, this one will give you the same look at India with a happy ending.

La Estacion De Los Aromas/ the Mango Season

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La Estacion De Los Aromas/ the Mango Season
Amulya Malladi
Manufacturer: Grijalbo Mondadori Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Mango Season

Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BTEQJG

Product Description

Hardback. 247 pages

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Mango Season
Sheila Gardner
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1413744311

Book Description

My six-year-old daughter and I went to Jamaica for a two-week vacation in the spring of 1988 and stayed for five years. Shortly after we arrived, Hurricane Gilbert made landfall and devastated the island. Hopes for peace and prosperity were revived when the national hero Michael Manley was elected Prime Minister, but were soon dashed by manmade disasters which often befall third world countries whose people do not control their own fates. I taught economics at a boys' college in Montego Bay, married a Jamaican man and moved to the hills where we farmed the land and learned the hard way that there are different realities. We fell in love with Jamaica, the culture of the countryside, the language, the courage, the humor and resiliency of the people, and without the distractions of TV, became immersed in the "here and now." We lived through a time of happy abundance, as the title suggests, which, quite naturally, ended. Sometimes life just rears up and smacks you in the face when that is what you need. Jamaica did that to me, and I am forever grateful.

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Mango Season
Ivor Osbourne
Manufacturer: Bellew Publishing Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mango seasons
Michelle Cruz Skinner
Manufacturer: Published and exclusively distributed by Anvil Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 9712705501

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THE MANGO SEASON

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CIZMF

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Mango Season
Amulya Malladi
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVEP9C

Book Description

Sultry encounters, forbidden passion, irresistible temptation-what more could you want in a collection of four scintillating stories by today's sexiest authors...."Truth or Dare" by Laura Bradley Undercover P.I. Shay McIntyre takes on the guise of a reporter to uncover who's behind the suspicious deaths of two bullriders and finds herself locking horns with the sinfully tempting Luke Wilder in a deliciously wicked game of truth or dare."Compromised" by Gayle Callen Country baron John Malory nobly offers to wed Lady Elizabeth Stanwood when they are caught together alone in a garden. Elizabeth never expected to be compromised-or to soon be wed to a man whose affections she does not welcome....until he changes her mind with lingering kisses and a passion she'd only dreamed of."Luring Lucy" by Lori Foster All Lucy was looking for when she went to her vacation home was an innocent fling to quell the yearning she felt since her husband had died four years ago. But she never expected her longtime friend Bram to lure her into a love affair so hot."Treading Dangerous Waters" by Victoria Marquez Sofia's plans to relax on a cruise are ruined when she encounters Daniel, her aunt's future son-in-law, who is intent on breaking up his father's wedding....unless Sophia can distract him. But she's treading dangerous waters for Daniel has designs of his own, which include seducing the Latina beauty until she surrenders completely to him.

Customer Reviews:

4 super short stories.......2006-08-21

this book contains four mediocre short stories. i didn't find them anything special and though i gravitated to the book because i have gotten to like lori foster's work, i found her story to be especially disappointing. i suppose if you are looking for a quick summer read, this will do, but beware for you may be a bit bothered when you finish.

Hot, hot, hot... and sweet........2003-12-30

- "Luring Lucy" by Lori Foster
(My favourite!) Lucy was the woman who had driven Bram crazy for more years than any man should suffer. According to Bram, at 39, Lucy was one sexy-as-sin woman, all lush curves and mature angles, but Lucy thought she was lumpy and fat, average at best. She couldn't believe that Bram, who had a wide, hard chest with clearly defined muscles that could make a female of any age hungry, could be interested in her. Not when her own husband had preferred a younger woman, and had cheated on her.

It's a pity it's just a short story, the characters deserved a whole book.

- "Truth or Dare" by Laura Bradley
P.I. Shay McIntyre goes undercover as a reporter to find out who is behind the suspicious deaths of two bullriders, and finds herself playing a wicked game of truth or dare with Luke Wilder.

- "Compromised" by Gayle Callen
Lady Elizabeth Stanwood only wanted to make Lord Wyndham jealous. She never expected to be compromised or marry a man whose affections she does not seem to welcome.

- "Treading Dangerous Waters" by Victoria Marquez
Sofia's plans to relax on a cruise are ruined when she meets James, her aunt's future son-in-law, who will try to stop his father's wedding one way or another.

Begins and ends with a bang..........2003-04-02

Luring Lucy by Lori Foster*****
Bram is Lucy's deceased husband best friend and once he figures out Lucy wants to have a fling before her 40th birthday, he decides it's finally time to let her know how he really feels. Hot and steamy contemporary romance, the anticipation will keep you turning the pages until you finish this one.

Truth or Dare by Laura Bradley****
Shay McIntyre is pretending to be a reporter so she can snuff out a killer. Bull rider Luke Wilder is as stubborn as they come and determined to prove to his family that he is not worthless. These two challenge each other constantly to win by betting and playing truth or dare. This is a good contemporary romance story however it shouldn't follow Lori Foster's story.

Compromised by Gayle Callen***
John Mallory is 5 days away from his Yorkshire home looking for a bride. Lady Elizabeth Stanwood wants to marry Lord Wyndham and decides to use this strange newcomer in order to make Lord Wyndham jealous. After boldly approaching John she allows him to escort her outside into the garden where things get a little heated. Well, little did she know, someone saw her leave and her disheveled appearance when she returned. John is summoned by her father early the next morning and agrees to marry her in order to save her reputation. Elizabeth is not happy about being forced to marry a stranger with no money or title. This story is funny at times but it was unrealistic for this couple to fall in love. John wanted a wife to work by his side and Elizabeth wanted a farthingale with servants. Typical historical romance however couple never seemed to really bond-this anthology seems to be going downhill.

Treading Dangerous Waters by Victoria Marquez*****
Whoa, wait a minute; this one is definitely worth hanging in there for.
Daniel Connor is in love and getting ready to get married, again. James, his son knows his Dad is up to something because he's avoiding him and doesn't return his calls. He decides to confront his dad at his favorite Saturday night hangout and watches "the brazen little fortune hunter" with the "tantalizing derriere" affectionately squeeze his Dad's arm and sidle up to him. After being informed of his dads' plan for a two-week cruise complete with his lady friend, a family member and possibly a marriage ceremony, he puts his skills as a divorce attorney to work to immediately breakup this engagement. But, what is the world is he going to do about his instant attraction to his alleged future stepmother, Sofia. This is an excellent contemporary romance. Sofia is no pushover, she's been bossed around too long and refuses to let the "too brutally handsome barracuda lawyer" ruin this wedding.

A sensual delight!.......2002-02-25

All four stories are fast-paced, fun, and very different. My two favorites were "Luring Lucy" by Lori Foster and "Treading Dangerous Waters" by Victoria Marquez. In "Luring Lucy", the characters are a little older than usual, but very appealing nevertheless. This is a hot read with an engaging plot. I also loved Victoria Marquez' story aboard a cruise ship. Her writing is sexy and humorous. The sexual tension between Sofia and James positively sizzled! The other two stories by Laura Bradley and Gayle Callen rounded out a great anthology. For enjoyable reading, I highly recommend "Hot and Bothered".

Mixed bag.......2002-02-09

The first two stories in this anthology -- by Lori Foster and Laura Bradley -- were definitely "hot," but the second two stories just, well, bothered me. The historical story set in the sixteenth century was both dull and out of place among the other contemporary love stories. I wanted to like Victoria Marquez' contribution because of its latina heroine, but frankly the ending was just too unbelievable. Still, Lori Foster's story was *almost* worth the book. Almost.

6 Books: 1- Hot And Bothered: Four Steamy Tales of Love and Seductionthat Will Leave You... / 2- Going Overboard / 3- Bet Me (Jennifer Cruise) / 4- Sun Kissed / 5- Tongue in Chic / 6- Sex, Lies, and Online Dating (Unboxed Set of Sexy Chic Lit Contemporary Romance Books)

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6 Books: 1- Hot And Bothered: Four Steamy Tales of Love and Seductionthat Will Leave You... / 2- Going Overboard / 3- Bet Me (Jennifer Cruise) / 4- Sun Kissed / 5- Tongue in Chic / 6- Sex, Lies, and Online Dating (Unboxed Set of Sexy Chic Lit Contemporary Romance Books)
Christina Skye , Christina Dodd , Jennifer Crusie , Jennifer Cruise , Catherine Anderson , Lori Foster , Laura Bradley , Victoria Marquez , Gayle Callen ( , and Rachel Gibson
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W22OZ0

Product Description

Amazon.com

This conflict is far broader, though, than a simple apocalyptic battle of good versus evil. Among the possessors are some good souls who fight the risen dead even though it's against their best interest. Conversely, plenty of the living see siding with the dead as an opportunity to further their own interests. Action, wonders, and mystery continue to characterize this high-quality series. --Brooks Peck

Book Description

Peter Hamilton's space opera saga, which began with the RealityDysfunction, Part 1: Emergence and Part 2: Expansion, continues in The Neutronium Alchemist, another two-volume novel.Now the battle lines are clearly drawn, and more than half a dozen plot lines are charging ahead as humanity's galaxy-spanning culture faces a terrifying revelation: souls of the dead are returning from the beyond to possess the living.The living, though competent and brave in the best science fiction tradition, must contend with history's greatest generals and leaders, as well as some unexpected champions.Al Capone, it seems, makes an excellent interstellar emperor.How do you fight an enemy whose every soldier is also a hostage and who, if killed, will simply return to possess someone else?The dilemmas are not just technical, but moral, as people face the first real proof of life after death.This conflict is far broader, though, than a simple apocalyptic battle of good versus evil.Among the possessors are some good souls who fight the risen dead even though it's against their best interest.Conversely, plenty of the living see siding with the dead as an opportunity to further their own interests.Action, wonders, and mystery continue to characterize this high-quality series. --Brooks Peck

Download Description

In The Reality Dysfunction, it became horrifyingly clear that all of humanity was at risk of being taken over by the minds of those long dead, arriving in our universe by means that seem impossible to stop. More and more of the dead are stealing the bodies of those still living, grouping together into powerful consortiums led by leaders from history. Opposing this development is an increasingly desperate Confederation Navy. Joshua Calvert is assigned to chase after Alkad Mzu, who is trying to recover the "doomsday weapon" that might possibly blast the dead back into oblivion. Mzu is hunted not only by Joshua, but also by various intelligence agencies and the possessed themselves, all of whom are desperate to lay hands on the weapon.

Customer Reviews:

Could not get through it.......2007-01-10

I am a huge fan of hard science fiction, but this book I put down a quarter of the way through and can't make myself pick it up again. If you like pain, gore, and unpleasant images, you may love it. I did not.

Great story, great characters, fun read.......2007-01-04

A weird combination of sci-fi, philosophy, and mysticism... but it works!

Peter F Hamilton and I Part Ways - Forever.......2006-08-18

I was willing to put up with this endless series and its hundreds of characters and the possession by the dead angle because I thought the future depicted in this epic was interesting and rather inspiring. That is until the author decided it was time to throw out the obligatory jab at the country of my birth... Early on in this incoherent continuation of The Reality Dysfunction he writes something to the effect of "He was actually born in the United States of America, a fact that no one wanted to admit then or ever for the matter"

What would possess Hamilton to write such garbage? Was it necessary to the telling of the story? Honestly, I put the book down and will not be finishing it or any other Hamilton work - ever. I don't need that. There are plenty of fine sci-fi authors out there. I'm sorry, it just absolutely turned me off. Call me over sensitive and reactionary, but I couldn't get past it, what's next, is Father Horst going to start buggering the little children in this book - I mean he is Catholic isn't he? We all know the only thing worst than being an American is being Catholic, oh wait, I forgot about Microsoft... And Coca-Cola.

Consolidate This!.......2006-08-10

Peter F. Hamilton's hard science fiction trilogy has taken a turn towards the fantastic. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of interstellar travel, amazing scientific advancement that has permitted technology that a 21st Century reader might very well consider magic, but so much is based on science and genetics and technology. Except for one little thing that has come to dominate the series: Possession. On the planet of Lalonde we were first introduced to the concept that some men and women were being "possessed" by some other intelligence, some other human intelligence. Now that we are beginning The Nuetronium Alchemist we have learned who exactly the Possessors are and some of what they want. The entities doing the possessing were human once upon a time. These are the souls of the dead. All of the souls of every human who has lived and died are in some sort of a void, as it has been explained so far, and something has happened that they can take over the bodies of living humans and there are far more dead than there are living people...even in a vastly expanded universe of trillions (or more). The Possessed have taken over two planets, have footholds on several more, and there is currently no known way to stop a group of them.

This is what we know when we begin The Neutronium Alchemist: Consolidation. Consolidation is the paperback first half of The Neutronium Alchemist with Conflict being the second half of the original hardcover publication. The primary focus of this novel (or half-novel as it truly is) is on the Possessed as they consolidate their hold on several planets and the danger they pose to the Universe. Of special note is a Possessed leader taking control on the planet of New California: Al Capone. That's right, the 1920's Crime Lord is one of the returned souls and he wastes no time in setting up a new Empire. His is a special charisma and leadership that is rare and powerful. We also are given perspectives on Louise Kavanagh, the young woman whom Joshua Calvert had a liason with on Norfolk and we see her planet being lost to the Possessed. We also see the responses of the Living and how they hope to combat the Possessed and how they can understand just what is truly happening. In a thick novel with an ever expanding scope of story we are given references back to events that happened a thousand pages ago and some things begin to make more sense. Reasons behind events and behind the scenes events come clear.

A negative to bring up is that the story is so large that some characters and viewpoints do not show up for hundreds of pages at a time. So, readers expecting Joshua Calvert or some of the voidhawks from the first book to jump off the page will have to wait several hundred pages before they show up here. Now, I fully expect they will have more to do in Conflict but it is worth noting. A major plus is that Hamilton has set up a story that is very broad and very interesting. I have no idea where Hamilton is taking this story, but I have fully signed up to go on the ride. He does heavily lace the novel with the "hard" science fiction technologies and terminology, but it does not overwhelm the story. Consolidation is still not as exciting and eye opening as The Reality Dysfunction: Emergence, but this is a story I want to read.

-Joe Sherry

Great Series.......2006-07-02

If you like hard edged space opera, you'll this! It's Star Wars for adults, with more original ideas and better writing.

Neutronium Alchemist Part I (Gemstar) Consolidation

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Neutronium Alchemist Part I (Gemstar) Consolidation
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0446912786

Book Description

With a new introduction and new readers study guide by the author

The idea of "The Rapture"-the return of Christ to rescue and deliver Christians off the earth-is an extremely popular interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation and a jumping-off point for the best-selling "Left Behind" series of books. This interpretation, based on a psychology of fear and destruction, guides the daily acts of thousands if not millions of people worldwide. In The Rapture Exposed, Barbara Rossing argues that this script for the world's future is nothing more than a disingenuous distortion of the Bible. The truth, Rossing argues, is that Revelation offers a vision of God's healing love for the world. The Rapture Exposed reclaims Christianity from fundamentalists' destructive reading of the biblical story and back into God's beloved community.

Customer Reviews:

rapture.......2007-08-23

There are many different views of the coming of the end of the world. The book of Revelation has been misunderstood and misused and taken out of context by mainline evangelicals. The Rapture Exposed brings to light to truth of the Bible. It is very well written and very theological. Anyone who believes in the rapture needs to read this book.

Hope for the Bible view of comfort in the end of gosple age is not left behind in this book........2007-08-03

It seems to me that many love to be tricked,fooled and lied to about the Bible. Thank God there are authors willing to dig for truth and revealed what they have learned in their writings as Rev. Barbara Rossing as she explains that the Left Behind novels are NOT of the truth and why in "The Rapture Exposed."
The religious world is confused the thinking about interpreting I Thessalonians 4:13-18, on which the concept of "The Rapture" is based. Most Christian people believe that these verses are teaching how Jesus will return to take away faithful Christians from earth,the rest mainly Jews,infidels or other faiths will be left to suffer the pains of man made hell on Earth. Whereas this teaching was intended by the Apostle Paul to be one of consolation to the Thessalonian brethren who were enduring severe persecution.

These were faithful Christians did not go to heaven when they died, but as verse 13 explains, they were now "asleep" in death. They also are described as being asleep "in Jesus" (vs. 14), which means that, although they were asleep in death, they were in the arms of Jesus and the Father. Paul was reminding these brethren at Thessaloniki that their brethren who had died would be brought forth in the resurrection. First, however, all would be entering the sleep of death. The resurrection would not take place until the Lord returned. Those who would be living at the time of the present age of coming of the Lord would not precede those who had fallen asleep in death. Contrary to the concept that when our Lord returns he sweeps up all the faithful living upon earth, Paul says that those asleep in death will be come first. These will be the first raised from the dead.

Those few who have been invited to follow Jesus in the narrow way proof 'faithful unto death' (Rev. 2:10) Thus, those who are of this class and are alive at the time of our Lord's return must die before they can join all the other faithful footstep followers. The important feature of our Lord's return is the resurrection. All those who had previously died will be raised from the dead. Those who are living at the time will die, but will not have to remain in the sleep of death awaiting the resurrection, rather they will be changed immediately to be with the Lord in the twinkling of an eye (I Cor. 15:51-54) Those thus assembled with the other faithful become the completed body of Christ HIS CHURCH to perform a great work during the kingdom of assisting Jesus in bringing back from the dead all that are in their graves. (John 5:28,29, RSV) The work of uplifting the downtrodden family of Adam will end after one thousand years of education in the way of righteousness and Truth. Obey God and live.
This is the real hope for the world.
http://axisoflogic.com/cgi-bin/exec/view.pl?archive=89

The 2nd half of the book was better than the first half.......2007-07-20

Barbara Rossing is a learned Lutheran New Testament scholar. She writes this book to expose the false doctrine of a pretribulation rapture and to reveal the true message of hope found in the book of Revelation.

The first half of the book was disappointing. Rossing paints with a broad brush and writes off dispensationalists as right wing wackos who glorify the violence in the Bible and who are hoping for things to get worse in the world so that Jesus will come back and rapture them home to heaven. She misrepresents the theology and the hermeneutics of dispensationalism time and again, too many times to enumerate in this short review. She chooses not to interact with established dispensational scholars such as John Walvoord, Renald Showers, Robert Thomas, and J.D Pentecost. She seems to prefer easier targets such as Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, and John Hagee.

The truth is that most of the dispensationalists that Barbara critiques are people just like her: They are trying to lovingly live for Jesus the best way they can in light of the fact that He could come back at any time.

The second half of the book was much better. Rossing presents Revelation as a visionary book, much like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Story," a vision of how bad things could get if we turned our backs on God. She sees the Revelation as a wake up call, as a way for God to say, "It's time to repent and turn to me." She has a hard time believing that God would ever actually carry out the judgments threatened throughout Revelation.

But as we see in Genesis 6-9, Exodus 7-14, Joshua 7-12, and in the judgments on Israel and Judah described in 2 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 24-25 (not to mention the terrible events of 66-70 A.D), God does sometimes carry out His judgment.

There is an appendix where Rossing briefly expounds on some other relevant New Testament texts. Her exegesis in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is plausible and possible, but unfortunately, she adopts Robert Gundry's idiosyncratic reading of John 14:1-4, a text where Christ clearly promises to come back for Christians and take them to heaven.

She also expounds on Matthew 24:41-44, but the truth is that there are no contemporary dispensationalists that I am aware of that teach that this is the rapture. Most would agree with her reading of the text.

Dr. Rossing is a good writer, and I hope she puts out some more books.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

Left Behind Is Busted!.......2007-07-10

This book is a true exposition and explanation of how the book of Revelation ought to be interpreted. Barbara Rossing exposes all of the inconsistencies of Left Behind, Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" and all people of their kind and shows their theology for the hoax and the misinterpretation of the Bible that it truly is. The only criticism that I have of this book is that Rossing focuses so much on good stewardship of the earth and social justice that she "downgrades" heaven a bit. I have no doubt that she still believes heaven to be a real place; however, her main concern is calling Christians in the here and now to live out their faith in Jesus by loving one another as we wait for Him to return. Score one for the true historical Christian faith against these new weird interpretations that were taught NO WHERE and at NO TIME in the Christian church until 1830!

Cuts through the confusion on Revelation.......2007-05-28

If you cringe from the gleeful tint of the books and televangelists predicting and anticipating a blood-soaked end of the world, all claiming legitimacy from the vision of John, and all a bit too far from the love and peace of Jesus for comfort, you're not alone. Rossing examines the text of Revelation and reminds us that the true intent of the book was to extol Jesus as "the Lamb," the bringer of forgiveness. She points out how dangerous it is for would-be political masterminds to try to tie their personal agendas to the Scripture. This book is a brisk but thoughtful counterpoint to the John Hagee crackpots of the day. Read it if you have seen one too many weird tracts stuck in a phone booth.

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