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Although not a single cannon is fired in Josephine Humphreys's quietly ambitious Nowhere Else on Earth, the lives of the inhabitants of Scuffletown, a poor Indian settlement on the Lumbee River in North Carolina, are in every way affected by the Civil War. The demand for turpentine, their principal industry, has dwindled to nothing. When they are not fending off or involuntarily "supplying" Union soldiers and marauding gangs, they are hiding their sons from the macks, their hostile Confederate neighbors (pink-faced Scottish farmers with names like McTeer and McLean), who are rounding up Scuffletown boys for forced labor in forts and salt works, from which few have returned.
Sixteen-year-old Rhoda Strong has seen both her brothers disappear into the woods to join this gang, headed by the handsome, charismatic Henry Berry Lowrie, the hope of Scuffletown--who keeps the young men alive through a series of crimes that inevitably escalate to match the cruelties of the macks. To her mother's distress, and to her own, Rhoda finds herself falling in love with Henry Lowrie, so obviously a marked man. When he notices her, and returns her love, she too becomes marked, dubbed the Queen of Scuffletown by her enemies and drawn into a larger history of suffering and revenge.
Writing from the vantage point of middle age, Rhoda resurrects the past, "hot as coals," in an obsessive act of remembrance, having studied and pondered her story for over 20 years.
One dog tooth is gone, and my monthly flow has dwindled to a spatter. I'm not as full as I used to be, my wrists are skinny, my knuckles are knobs. I'm starting to wear thin. This is the price of the years of thinking, the casting and recording of events and the frantic pen scratching past midnight, the hoarding of paper, the loneliness, the pages accumulating while I myself shrink down.
Rhoda's richly detailed and beautifully sustained fourth novel will recall, in the best ways, Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain (also set in North Carolina, the most "Union" of the Confederate states), although Humphreys has given her heroine a fresh, strong voice, and in turn given a voice to Scuffletown. --Regina Marler
Book Description
"A novel so compelling works a kind of magic, casting a spell. . . . She has distilled to a splendid coherence the complexities of history and the human heart." (The Washington Post)
"With fluid writing, nuanced characters, and a suspenseful pace, Humphreys blends historical romance with a meditation on the ambiguities of race and morality." (Time)
In the summer of 1864, sixteen-year-old Rhoda Strong lives in the Lumbee Indian settlement of Robeson County, North Carolina, which has become a pawn in the bloody struggle between the Union and Confederate armies. The community is besieged by the marauding Union Army as well as the desperate Home Guard who are hell-bent on conscripting the young men into deadly forced labor. Daughter of a Scotsman and his formidable Lumbee wife, Rhoda is fiercely loyal to her family and desperately fears for their safety, but her love for the outlaw hero Henry Berry Lowrie forces her to cast her lot with danger. Her struggle becomes part of the community's in a powerful story of love and survival. Nowhere Else on Earth is a moving saga that magnificently captures a little-known piece of American history.
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In the summer of 1864, sixteen-year-old Rhoda Strong lives in the Lumbee Indian settlement of Robeson County, North Carolina, which has become a pawn in the bloody struggle between the Union and Confederate armies. The community is besieged by the marauding Union Army as well as the desperate Home Guard who are hell-bent on conscripting the young men into deadly forced labor. Daughter of a Scotsman and his formidable Lumbee wife, Rhoda is fiercely loyal to her family and desperately fears for their safety, but her love for the outlaw hero Henry Berry Lowrie forces her to cast her lot with danger. Her struggle becomes part of the community's in a powerful story of love and survival. Nowhere Else on Earth is a moving saga that magnificently captures a little-known piece of American history.
Customer Reviews:
Nowhere Else on Earth.......2005-03-29
In somewhat of an anomaly for Humphreys, this work of historical fiction is set in North Carolina in 1864, where the Lumbee Indians (descendants perhaps of Raleigh's "Lost Colony") are being harassed by Southerners to help build Fort Fisher. A local band known as the Lowrie Gang rebels; in addition, there's a love interest between Lowrie and Rhoda Strong, an Indian, who foresakes Lowrie for her people. I felt Humphreys's strenghths as a writer, especially her strong characterizations, were weakly displayed here; historical fiction does not seem to be her forte. Much better are her contemporary novels.
True to the Tales of the people of Scuffletown.......2004-02-13
I was eagar to read this book after living amoung the Lumbee Indians for ten years (and marrying one). This book is wonderfully written and carefully researched. I found it to be so true to the way the " Old Timers" in Robeson County tell the tales of Henry Berry Lowrie and his gang. The discriptions of the area and the feelings of the Lumbee come through loud and clear as Humphreys tells the tale through the eyes of Rhoda Strong Lowrie.
A hero to enrich our story.......2003-09-03
"Under the swamps and barrens of Robeson County there is no bedrock, and in Drowning Creek no stones." Yet every few years the earth brings forth seemingly from nowhere a strange stone large enough to be prized as a grave marker. So Josephine Humphreys tells us in the voice of the narrator of Nowhere Else on Earth. The earth gives birth to stones, and history brings forth legends. One with considerable basis in fact is that of Henry Berry Lowrie, the hero of the novel. Lowrie was a latter-day Robin Hood, a man who did much to rebalance the scales of justice in favor of the marginalized in the lawless aftermath of the Civil War. Humphreys tells his story and in the process sheds light on a period, place, and people neglected in mainstream historical accounts, overlooked perhaps because the people involved are too solidly centered in themselves to make much of a fuss. But adding Henry Berry Lowrie to the list of heroes school children know as well as they know Daniel Boone would do much to enrich the story of America.
A Civil War Pembroke.......2003-07-09
Excellent work of historical fiction. A very enjoyable book to read. I grew up in Pembroke and really enjoyed reading about Henry Lowrie during the civil war period. I heard the story as a young boy from my father and was very happy to read a more detailed and accurate account. Everyone with any interest in the history of Eastern North Carolina should read this book to better understand the Pembroke area..
One Woman's History.......2003-01-24
Review by Jillian Abbott
Nowhere Else On Earth by Josephine Humphreys is an historical novel with equal emphasis on history and fiction.
In terms of history, the book stays close to known facts. But Humphreys doesn't stop there. In inventing a first person memoir, she creates a subjective, indeed, feminine, history. "Mine is only a single and limited testimony, one woman's version. . ."
There is mischief in her narrator, the curious Rhoda Strong. She is game even to examine and question the true nature of history, racial prejudice and scapegoating, all described in such a way as to render today's incidences of ethnic violence comprehensible: ". . . it wasn't an English that sliced him . . . [it was] his own neighbor! . . . We were neighbor against neighbor."
In fictional terms the characters and events are portrayed with grace, subtly, and depth. Gaps in the story are filled by citing period newspapers. Yet there is an irony here as when, after drawing considerably from the press, Rhoda points out the divergence between the life she actually leads and the one portrayed by the media.
But in creating this personal history, Humphreys is again playing with us. What is the line between the personal and the political?
In the Prologue, supposedly written on November 3, 1890, the feisty and wise Rhoda sets out her intentions and hopes for her narrative and outlines her view on the nature of history, stating that nobody will ever be able to render the story of Scuffletown complete and objective, "just as a soldier can never describe a whole battle - only his piece of it . . ."
In choosing the words, "us and our times" to refer to her story, Humphreys is telling us this is a political work, as much about the society that denied the Scuffletown Indians justice, as it is about one particular Indian woman.
Rhoda is a Lowrie by blood and marriage, and "the Lowries are Indians. The whole place is Indian. And that's the answer to who we are."
But is it? Dr. McCabe, a member of the Scottish Confederate overclass, isn't so sure. He studies Rhoda and her people, measures their heads, and invasively probes their origins. By the second half of the book McCabe is sure there is more to the Lowries than anyone suspects.
As the true origin of the Scuffletown Indians dawns on McCabe, the Civil War is almost over. It is a desperate lawless time. To the Scottish Confederates, the source of their defeat, and all that has gone wrong in their lives, is clear. Their demise is not the result of Union soldiers or their own bad ideas; rather, it is the Lowries and Scuffletown who are responsible.
Again Humphreys uses subjective truth to make her point. McTeer, the brutal Deputy Sheriff and a leader of lynch mobs, spells out why the Lowries are guilty, and even how they differ from respectable white folks: "The noble morals is bred out. Your makeup is what they call bestial . . ."
Using simple prose Humphreys evokes the times in hauntingly powerful images. As the Civil War drags towards its end, and as the defensive gang formed by Rhoda's husband, Henry, nearly matches the Confederate whites in brutality, Scuffletown can't even manage to fill its belly. The inhabitants have neither food nor money, which hardly matters because the stores have no food to sell. Desperation pervades: "There was gunfire every night, everywhere, and just about every farmer's watch dog was shot. Some were eaten."
Yet despite the harsh times, Rhoda is a woman with a great capacity for love, and it is her love for Scuffletown and its people that motivates her. After all, for Rhoda, there is, Nowhere Else On Earth.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from African Review of Business and Technology, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 985 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Where will you drill? UN figures just released show the stark contrasts in water availability in sub-Saharan Africa. Nowhere else on earth is more water used proportionally for farming and irrigation.(Water Supply)
Publication:
African Review of Business and Technology (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 41
Issue: 12
Page: 39(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
It is 1868. On a balmy autumn afternoon in Paris, young winemaker Casimir de Châteauneuf wanders into a small shop filled with curiosities from the Orient. There he spies a cache of fine miniature portraits.
Above all others, an ivory-skinned beauty captivates him. Her eyes ... one blue, the other yellow. That night they pursue Casimir in his dreams, as one burning question consumes him: Who is she?
Thus begins Alev Croutier’s lush, stirring adventure of the heart — a mesmerizing tale of forbidden passion, true love, and destiny. For Casimir will forsake his family, his vocation, and his country to find the object of his obsession.
His journey will lead him across desert and sea, from the Royal Court in Paris to a sultan’s palace in Istanbul. And there he will find the woman of his reveries, the woman with one blue eye, the other yellow.
But in this city of passion, in a Palace of Tears, Casimir is about to discover what it will mean to make a dream real ... and what awaits him when his lover is set free.
Customer Reviews:
I felt like I was reading a children's fable..........2006-03-28
The sing song-y prose was reminiscent of the Little Prince and I sensed that she wanted it to read that way. It just wasn't endearing enough to engage my interest and the only reason I finished it was because it was really short. As mentioned in another review - the main character was rude and inconsiderate to his family and friends and only tried to be nice to the heroine. There wasn't any reason for me to root for him. The character development was thin and the plot was only mildly interesting. I read a lot of historical fiction and think that books like Shadow on the Wind and In the Company of the Courtesan are examples of how to engage a reader in wonderfully flawed characters and their stories.
I have wanted to buy Crouier's novel Seven Houses, but am afraid that it will be like the Palace of Tears...
Beautiful, literary romantic Victorian novel..........2006-02-07
I picked up this book because the premise seemed interesting and because it reminded me of those novels with magical realism that I used to love reading so much (and still do, but it's difficult to find new ones these days. This one itself is about five years old). The Palace of Tears is one of the most wonderful and literary romantic novels I have read in recent years. In his thirties, Casimir de Chateauneuf has it all, a wife, three children and is a successful vintner. However, he is bored with his predictable life and seeks something more profound, and he gets his answer when he sees the miniature of the beautiful and mesmerizing woman with one blue eye and the other one yellow. He falls in love with this fascinating vision and sets out to find her. The woman he seeks out is a harem slave in Istanbul, and she has had dreams of Casimir. Casimir goes through many things in his search for La Poupe (the woman in the miniature). Will he be able to find her? Will these two unlikely characters find love and happiness?
The Palace of Tears is more of a novella than a novel, but it is wonderful and engrossing and I wish it had been longer. As another reviewer pointed out, this story reminds me a lot of one by Jorge Luis Borges. Actually, this story reminds me a great deal of South American and Eastern European literature with all of the magical realism, fairy-tale feel and interpretable language that populate the aforementioned genre. This novel also reminds me a little of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray with its arty surrealism. Casimir is a fascinating character. He is by no means sympathetic, and that is what makes him all the more palatable. I love the backdrop of France and Istanbul in 1868. And I also enjoyed the two star-crossed lovers that make this one of the most fascinating reads I've had this year. I cannot recommend The Palace of Tears enough.
Failed to engage.......2002-03-04
I give _The Palace of Tears_ three stars, because I can't think of anything I particularly liked _or_ disliked about it. It just kind of...was.
The novel seems to be based on a tale the author's grandmother told her long ago, and I can see that this could have been an enchanting story when told in that way. In fact, had Croutier written a short story with this material, pruning out the fluff, it probably would have been a very good love story. As it is, we have a slim story padded out into a short novel, stuffed with ruminations about the Suez Canal, and about the nature of love. We have characters that I just couldn't get into. They never really seemed real to me. The hero is callous in his treatment of everyone but the heroine, the heroine is too sweet and beautiful to be real, and they wander through the novel spewing forth theories on the nature of love and of fate. They talk like proverbs, not like real people.
Again, I would have liked it much better as a short story, with the forced philosophical musings left out.
A gorgeous little book.......2001-05-28
This is a great little story of love, desire, loss, foreign places, and culture. Croutier paints beautiful pictures of every place the book takes the reader. The prose is vivid and alive, and the characters are vibrant and complex. Each chapter begins with a tiny black and white sketch that just adds to the mystery and eroticism of the book. This is a fairy tale for adults. You will want to live in the countries and time period that this book brings alive.
a nice bit of exoticism, but a bit derivative.......2001-01-27
AFter glancing at the lush cover and exotic plot, I couldn't wait to start this book. Though it had some strong qualities (dreamy writing, exotic scenery ranging from France to Egypt to Istanbul), overall, I found it disappointing. Not to nitpick, but the major plot device (dreaming someone else while at the same time they are dreaming you) is stolen directly from Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentinian writer. To make matters worse, later in the novella a character looks for a book in the library that contains everything, and that too is directly copied from Borges! So much for originality. There is very little character development, so we never feel that we get to know Casimir or feel for him. The "true love" never seems fully rendered. All in all, most of the charm of this book lies on the surface (setting, plot) but once you dig a little, much of the magic fades away.
Average customer rating:
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Palace of Tears
Anna King
Manufacturer: Time Warner Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0751518158 |
Average customer rating:
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Palace Of Tears
Anna King
Manufacturer: Warner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PDEN0K |
Book Description
"As a Matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create."
-- Spock, Star Trek® II: The Wrath of Khan™
Intended to create life from nothingness, the Genesis Device had the potential to become a weapon of awe-inspiring destructiveness, capable of rearranging matter and life energy on a planetary scale. After the cataclysmic explosion of the Genesis Planet, and the Klingon Empire's attempt to steal the top-secret technology for its own military purposes, Starfleet wisely decided to destroy all data and records on Project Genesis, hoping to bury its deadly secrets forever.
Nearly a century later, all that remains of Genesis is the knowledge stored in the mind of an elderly, almost-forgotten scientist named Dr. Carol Marcus. But Dr. Marcus has gone missing, and a menace from bygone days has come rushing back with a vengeance.
Sweeping across the Alpha Quadrant at a terrifying speed, a mysterious wave of energy is wiping out populations of entire planets. The Starship Enterprise™, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, is the first Starfleet vessel to discover the threat. Billions of living beings and hundreds of inhabited planets lie in the path of the mutagenic wave. Earth and the Romulan Empire face total obliteration.
To discover the origin of the wave, Picard and his crew must probe the long-buried mysteries of the past. But even if he can uncover the shocking history of the Genesis Wave, is there any way to save the future from its unleashed fury?
Download Description
Project Genesis -- once it was a Federation scientist's brainchild, the ultimate solution to overpopulation and food shortages in the Alpha Quadrant. Instead, it became a weapon of awe-inspiring destructiveness, capable of rearranging matter and life energy on a planetary scale. Starfleet destroyed all Genesis data and records, hoping to bury its terrible secrets forever. But now, nearly a century later, Captain Jean-Lud Jean-Lud Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise must suddenly face the deadly rebirth of Genesis -- with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent fragment........2005-04-07
This is a marvellously well-written fragment of a story; as suggested by the "Book One" in the title, it is not a complete story unto itself; it has no ending. Were it not for that fact, it would rate five stars; the characters are handled wonderfully, the plot moves well, there is sufficient action without there being an over-reliance on action, and there is marvellous suspence. Unfortunately, for my taste, there's a little TOO much suspence, as the story ends at a cliffhanger. I understand that some people like that sort of thing; I find it annoying.
Catch the Wave.......2005-03-27
Okay, so it won't be winning a Pulitzer any time soon. But this is as fun as it gets. If you're a big fan, it's what you've always wanted, a good, long episode of TNG.
The title refers to a weapon originally meant to be a speedy, convenient means of terraforming. As usual, the good intentions of the scientists who invented it have been trumped by evil, and now the Genesis Wave has become a doomsday device in the hands of mysterious enemies, ravaging entire planets one by one as it moves through space, transforming all organic matter--including, of course, living beings--into primordial sludge. Ick, and kewl.
The story begins with the creator of the Genesis Wave, who's been exiled for years in an attempt to keep the technology secret after Starfleet acknowledges its deadly potential. When she's--you guessed it--kidnapped! mayhem ensues. Vornholt skillfully switches scenes to the first planet to be transformed, where we meet Leah Brahms, yeah, that one, the one Geordi fell in love with on the holodeck. She's been busy creating a suit that will allow engineers and the like to survive during a warp core breach, and it's her story that eventually takes us to the Enterprise, as Starfleet scrambles to try to combat the Genesis Wave. Leah and Geordi, as well as a few new characters, supply all the necessary subplots.
Vornholt delivers a tasty, easy plot, great mounting tension, and full, compelling characters, both old and new. This is genre fiction at its best, and, being only a first installment, promises hours upon hours of sheer, mindless fun. Gotta go put it my order for books II & III now.
Au Contraire.......2005-02-23
There is one interesting thing about this book: all the good stuff happens in the last ten pages, so now I have to debate whether I want to continue or not.
Where I stand: this is not my first ST:TNG book. It's my fifth, and I am also not a complete trekkie. I like the series enough, and I love the books.
Mr. Vornholt, unfortunately, writes a book that is poorly written. The characters are individual enough, but their reactions are all flat.
*spoiler*
For example, there is a scene in which a klingon finds out how to survive the wave. His reaction: oh really? then he changes the subject.
*end spoiler*
Sorry, but if I learned that information, I'd go berserk and try to talk about the issues, not change subjects.
Mr. Vornholt infuses the book with "Yes, Sir" everywhere. I couldn't stand it! Not to sound narrow, but this is one little pet-peeve of mine. In the series, they never said Yes, Sir as often as this, and if it's written, I doubt it's written with a capital S every time!!! It was one thing that completely annoyed me. Yes, Sir. Like two sentences trying to start at the same time.
The book is slow and Chapter 14 could have been condensed, truncated, anything. I forced myself to read it so I could say I read the book entirely.
Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed and will not be continuing the series. And if no one believes me (this is *not* a fast-paced thriller like everyone claims), take a good look at the summary on the 1st edition hardcover: Book 1 of two books.
Mr. Vornholt is up to four books now. The man knows how to take your money and give you nothing.
In praise: while many of the NG characters do not act as they would in a Peter David book, the twists are actually pretty fun.
To conclude: These twists occur in the last ten pages of the book. Good luck.
When "let there be light!" has a negative effect..........2005-01-22
As a Star Trek books fan, I'm not one who likes books that dwell needlessly on series continuity. I picked up the Genesis Wave books, by John Vornholt, because they looked interesting and they are another link from the Original Series (TOS) to the Next Generation (TNG). I was hoping that it wouldn't be wallowing in continuity, and surprisingly, it doesn't. Instead, we get a rollicking adventure (if you can call a book where millions, perhaps billions, of people die as "rollicking") that creates another tie to the old series but yet does something fresh. Just a little bit of character whining detracts from an otherwise quite enjoyable book.
Vornholt does a wonderful job of giving us just enough continuity to explain what's happening without going into excessive explanations about the whole thing. I always wondered what had happened to the device after the Star Trek III movie, as it's never referenced again. Sure, the planet was unstable and blew up, but that's it? Vornholt takes what happened in the movies and extrapolates, giving us a horrifying force that is able to wipe out entire planets. There is one chapter that is a report on the Genesis Device, from four different sources as Starfleet examines the ramifications of the entire project. This gives enough background information for those who haven't seen the movies, but also gives additional information that even those who have seen it don't have, keeping it interesting. Otherwise, the continuity references are kept to a minimum, which I loved.
The body count grows quite quickly, but it's abstract enough that it doesn't get overwhelming. On the other hand, we do see, first-hand, the effects of the Wave, as Leah Brahms (the love of Geordi LaForge's life, though she doesn't know that) weathers it in a specially modified environmental suit that she was experimenting with for other reasons. The descriptions of this can get a little graphic, but only in a PG-13 way.
Vornholt also balances the personal and the cosmic pretty well, giving the reader a lot of character moments interspersed with the Wave itself. Counselor Troi finds herself stuck on a planet taking readings of the Wave (in a modification of Brahms' suit) and also seeing it first-hand. Riker has to do a last-minute rescue of Troi on another planet just before the Wave hits. LaForge pines for Leah, as well as finding himself increasingly attracted to a geologist on board, Dolores Linton. In fact, Geordi became the only annoying part of the book, as he was constantly thinking about Brahms, whining that she didn't know how he felt. Or, later, wanting to tell her but unable to because her husband had just been killed by the Wave and she was after revenge. Very human, but also annoying to read.
One wonderful addition to the book is Maltz, the only Klingon to survive the events of Star Trek III. It's now 90 years later and he's an embittered drunk. He's never been able to live down what happened to him, being captured by Kirk & Company. He's lived on the idea of vengeance against Carol Marcus since then, but when Leah meets him, he's just a drunk on an out-of-the-way Tellarite colony. However, he recognizes Leah's description of the Genesis effect, and hitches a ride with her. He becomes one of the more delightful characters, filled with gusto and energy, willing to follow Leah to the ends of the galaxy because he knows she feels the same way he does about the whole thing. He gives a light edge to the whole thing, balancing out the enormous devastation in the book. Of course, I had a hard time picturing John Larroquette playing him, but it *has* been 90 years. Even better, Vornholt again gives us just enough information to know that *something* happened back then with Jim Kirk, but he doesn't spend two pages explaining the plot of Star Trek III.
The rest of the characters are also well done, even if they don't stand out as exceptional. I loved the relationship between Picard and Admiral Nechayev, mirroring perfectly what we saw in the series. They exasperate each other some times, but both know that the other is good at his/her job and there is a great deal of respect there as well. Riker & Troi are also handled well, given their relationship at the end of the movie Insurrection. Good points all around for Vornholt on this basis.
The plot seems simple at first, but Vornholt adds just enough intrigue to make it even better. Ostensibly, the plot is just to stop the Wave and find out who is using it. But little side-plots, some having to do with the main one and some tangents, are scattered all over, giving the book a lot more depth than it may seem to deserve. The tension is palpable, and the twists and turns are interesting and not *that* predictable. It moves at a steady pace, which also makes for a quick read. It's hard to put down.
Vornholt, as an author, frustrates me sometimes. He's either hit or miss for me. His books in the Time to... series were really iffy, but this one is great. Well worth a read for the Trek fan, and even a not bad one for the non-Trek one.
David Roy
It Was Great.......2004-09-07
Book 1 and book 2 of the Genesis Wave was about the best Next Generation books I've ever read. The author, John Vornholt did a wonderful job mixing the old generation with the new. All the old charaters were there. Dr. Carol Marcus, Kirk's old flame, Leah Brahms, Picard and cast. Carol Marcus is duded into setting off the Genesis Wave and it destroys an entire solar system. Leah Brahms and Geordi work closely together to figure out how to disengage the wave. The two books keep you at the edge of your seat. Book III, was not very good and I recommend not reading it. It pretty much had nothing to do with book I and 2.
Product Description
Three mass market paperbacks.
Book Description
Create a small, strong congregation that is dedicated to advancing God's mission "The twenty-first century is the century of small, strong congregations. More people will be drawn to small, strong congregations than any other kind of congregation. Yes, there are mega-congregations; Their number is increasing greatly. Nevertheless, across the planet, the vast majority of congregations will be small and strong, and the vast majority of people will be in these congregations."
With uncommon wisdom Kennon L. Callahan--today's most noted church consultant--moves ahead of conventional thinking and in Small, Strong Congregations offers his unique vision of the church of the future.
This important book chronicles the emergence of a vast number of congregations that are questioning the bigger-is-better notion in church membership. These congregations are deliberately small, active, and happy in their dedication to creating strong church communities that advance God's mission. Step by step, Kennon Callahan shows pastors and other church leaders how they can develop the values and specific qualities helpful to shape and strengthen their own small congregations.
Written to be a hands-on guide, Small, Strong Congregations offers practical suggestions for creating mission and service, compassion and shepherding, community and belonging, self-reliance and self-sufficiency, worship and hope, teams and leaders, space and facilities, and giving and generosity. This wise resource is filled with illustrative examples that show clearly how myriad small churches have created solid, vigorous congregations.
Customer Reviews:
Small, Strong Congregations.......2007-09-29
Kennon Callahan has captured the imagination of the leader of the small church in America. He writes simply and straight forwardly about the trials of those who live in small congregations. I liked the fact that he doesn't try to convince the small church leader to adopt a mega-church mentality. Rather, he challenges them to look within their respective communities and tap into the power and the resources that already reside there. He does challenge the small church to live a life of service to the community rather than retreat into a life of survival. It is about mission not membership.
Go with the resources & strengths God has provided..........2002-05-23
This book is uncharacteristically long for one of Callahan's works (most are about 130 pages or so-- this doubles those). It lacks his concise nature and brevity (Mark it, though-- he usually says a lot in a few words, and it does take time to wade through and gather all of his wisdom). This book bogs a little in the middle, as far as readability...
Nonetheless, Callahan provides great insight as to how to run a smaller church. Often, small churches (which they all start out as, even if planting one)attempt to be "mini-megas," as C calls them. The reality is... some will be mega-churches one day... but, they must live that tension between where they are today, and the vision of what God has called them to become in the future. And, rather than doing EVERYTHING right now, they are better off doing one or two things INCREDIBLY WELL NOW, then adding on from there. In other words, vision means that many times you have to say "no" to good opportunities.
This allows the church to focus its energies in moving forwards, creating critical mass to do other things... which brings success in an area, providing momentum... which brings success and more momentum...
The book as an organic, relational approach to church growth, which is refreshing. That is, growth happens naturally through relationships with people-- not by getting into trap of throwing out more programs (a tendency in the small church, wanting to be a mini-mega).
Callahan calls churches to be strong-- and to start building on their strengths. To take seriously the gifts and abilities and resources God has placed in that Body... And, to build the Kingdom.
Good, Strong Ideas.......2001-08-28
Callahan writes with a subtle passion that dares you to believe that small churches can be strong churches. As I read and reread his book, I found myself greatly wanting to be in the church he describes. I found the book to be convincing. There are other books I have read on church health and church growth, but this particular theory strikes me as more authentic, personal and practical.
Books:
- Observatory Mansions: A Novel
- Olivia
- On a Dark Night I Left My Silent House
- One Part Angel: A Novel
- Paradise Reclaimed
- Parzival: A Romance of the Middle Ages
- Philip Roth: Novels 1973-1977, The Great American Novel, My Life as a Man, The Professor of Desire (Library of America)
- Provinces of Night: A Novel
- Recollections of My Life
- Salt and Saffron
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- Garden Party: Applique Quilts That Bloom
- You Are Not a Stranger Here
- Between Dignity and Despair: Jewish Life in Nazi Germany
- Cassavetes on Cassavetes
- Fundamentals of Medical Imaging
- Differentiated Countryside
- Caught in the Web of Words: James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary
- Ageing And Employment Policies Czech Republic: Czech Republic
- Marxian Economics II: Harwood Fundamentals of Applied Economics
Rich in Love
Dreams of Sleep (Contemporary American Fiction)
The Only Land I Know: A History of the Lumbee Indians (The Iroqouis and Their Neighbors)
To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)
The Surrounded (A Zia Book)
