Juneteenth: A Novel

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Invisible Man, which Ralph Ellison published in 1952, was one of the great debuts in contemporary literature. Alternating phantasmagoria with rock-ribbed realism, it delved into the blackest (and whitest!) corners of the American psyche, and quickly attained the status of legend. Ellison's follow-up, however, seemed truly bedeviled--not only by its monumental predecessor, but by fate itself. First, a large section of the novel went up in flames when the author's house burned in 1967. Then he spent decades reconstructing, revising, and expanding his initial vision. When Ellison died in 1994, he left behind some 2,000 pages of manuscript. Yet this mythical mountain of prose was clearly unfinished, far too sketchy and disjointed to publish. Apparently Ellison's second novel would never appear.

Or would it? Ellison's literary executor, John Callahan, has now quarried a smaller, more coherent work from all that raw material. Gone are the epic proportions that Ellison so clearly envisioned. Instead, Juneteenth revolves around just two characters: Adam Sunraider, a white, race-baiting New England senator, and Alonzo "Daddy" Hickman, a black Baptist minister who turns out to have a paradoxical (and paternal) relationship to his opposite number. As the book opens, Sunraider is delivering a typically bigoted peroration on the Senate floor when he's peppered by an assassin's bullets. Mortally wounded, he summons the elderly Hickman to his bedside. There the two commence a journey into their shared past, which (unlike the rest of 1950s America) represents a true model of racial integration.

Adam, we discover, was born Bliss, and raised by Hickman in the bosom of the black community. What's more, this rabble-rouser was being groomed as a boy minister. ("I tell you, Bliss," says Hickman, "you're going to make a fine preacher and you're starting at just the right age. You're just a little over six and Jesus Christ himself didn't start until he was twelve.") The portion of Juneteenth that covers Bliss's ecclesiastical education--perhaps a third of the entire book--is as electrifying as anything in Invisible Man. Ellison juggles the multiple ironies of race and religion with effortless brilliance, and his delight in Hickman's house-wrecking rhetoric is contagious:

Bliss, I've heard you cutting some fancy didoes on the radio, but son, Eatmore was romping and rampaging and walking through Jerusalem just like John! Oh, but wasn't he romping! Maybe you were too young to get it all, but that night that mister was ten thousand misters and his voice was pure gold.

In comparison, though, the rest of the novel seems like pretty slim pickings. For one thing, much of the plot--including Bliss's transformation from pint-sized preacher to United States senator--is absent. For another, Ellison's confinement of the two top-billed players to a hospital room makes for an awfully static narrative. Granted, he intended their dialogue to exist "on a borderline between the folk poetry and religious rhetoric" (or so he wrote in his notes). But this is a dicey recipe for a novel, and Juneteenth veers between naturalism and hallucination much less effectively than its predecessor did.

None of this is to assail Ellison's artistry, which remains on ample display. The problem is that Callahan's splice job--which well may be the best one possible--remains weak at the seams. So should readers give Juneteenth a miss? The answer would still have to be no. The best parts are as powerful and necessary as anything in our literature, evoking Daddy Hickman's own brand of verbal enchantment. "I was talking like I always talk," he recalls at one point, "in the same old down-home voice, that is, in the beloved idiom... [and] I preached those five thousand folks into silence." Ellison, too, is capable of preaching the reader into silence--and that's not something we can afford to overlook. --James Marcus

Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"[A]n extraordinary book, a work of staggering virtuosity. With its publication, a giant world of literature has just grown twice as tall."--Newsday

From Ralph Ellison--author of the classic novel of African-American experience, Invisible Man--the long-awaited second novel. Here is the master of American vernacular--the rhythms of jazz and gospel and ordinary speech--at the height of his powers, telling a powerful, evocative tale of a prodigal of the twentieth century.

"Tell me what happened while there's still time," demands the dying Senator Adam Sunraider to the itinerate Negro preacher whom he calls Daddy Hickman. As a young man, Sunraider was Bliss, an orphan taken in by Hickman and raised to be a preacher like himself. Bliss's history encompasses the joys of young southern boyhood; bucolic days as a filmmaker, lovemaking in a field in the Oklahoma sun. And behind it all lies a mystery: how did this chosen child become the man who would deny everything to achieve his goals? Brilliantly crafted, moving, wise, Juneteenth is the work of an American master.

Customer Reviews:

A Masterpiece.......2006-02-23

A novel about the truth as seen through the eyes of a fiction--indeed, the truth, to Ellison, was always suspect to the lie and again, as in the phrase the emancipation myth, where freedom wasn't given by the law but the law was only subject to the people who inforced it as truth, and thus Juneteenth, as the title of the last great work by an even greater artist, seems to be apt, for it suggests this dichotomy that Ellison was to work in all of his career.

Always a symbolist at heart, Ellison demonstates in Juneteenth the potential of words to turn even the most innocent of scenes on its head, fleshing out the meaning of slavery in something so unrelated as a circus as when Daddy Hickman takes Bliss to the circus, and Bliss innocently asks how come the lions don't catch the trainer, and Daddy Hickman explains that the lions are mastered. And with that small amount of information, the reader is instantly transported into the real scene Ellison wants his reader to notice. Of course, the genius of all this is Ellison's use of the word "mastered" instead of "trained," as that one word becomes the window through which we begin to see the ritual of the circus as having the potential to speak to us about the deeper convention of race.

And that is Ellison par excellent, for he is always using unrelated events to talk about other things.

There are so many things that can and should be said about Juneteenth that I could never exhaust the subject. Not that I am trying to, but one thing is for sure, those who have an intimate knowledge of Shadow and Act, and Going To The Territory and of course Invisible Man will see the influence of those books on Juneteenth. In scene after scene, Ellison calls up his references like a bandleader calls on the Brass section to riff on the beat, to live in the music, and Ellison, in Juneteeth, is more than anything else, living inside himself, inside the basement of Invisible Man, inside all of the history of literature and once in a while he peeks out at us, peeks as from a glass darkly to see if it okay to come out and play.

Juneteenth.......2005-08-26

A little known book. This could be the American novel that transends time and place. The characters and descriptions are of the depth that is rarely described in modern literature.

Great American Novel.......2004-12-12

This could well be the great American Novel that was anticipated. The ideas are powerful and cross racial bounderies. Ellison is a master and re-creates moods with skill. He glorifies the commonplace.

Brilliantly Disappointing.......2004-04-15

Although Ralph Ellison's prose is masterfully, I found the body of work within Juneteenth to be disjointed and nonlinear in scope. Perhaps in someways it parallels Joyce's Ulysses, but falls woefully short of the mark.

Not Finished, but Neither Is the Fight Against Racism.......2002-07-22

Much of the attention surrounding this posthumously compiled and titled novel Juneteenth, has focused on it's unfinished nature. True, in many spots the prose is difficult and plot trasitions are hard to follow. However, Ellison's mastery of the language and his awareness of race relations in the US, make this novel, though unfinished, a poignant follow up to Invisible Man. Ellison, via Callhoun's splicing, delves into the possibilities for equality among races, and the hope that one day we might all, black and white, be led out of the bonds of slavery and into a glorious promised land. Unfortunately, in Ellisons rendering, that Moses is sick and dying, and desperately in need of remembering who he is and where he came from. The end of the novel, although it may be abrupt and full of more questions than answers, might actually be closer to the truth than Ellison might have hoped to achieve. It leaves us as readers to ponder who we are and what we think the outcome might be (infact the last of his notes suggests this kind of relationship of this novel to his redaers). Is racisim truly an eternal bond that we shall never be free of? As in the novel, the answer is up to you.

History in Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth.: An article from: Studies in American Fiction

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History in Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth.: An article from: Studies in American Fiction
Loretta Johnson
Manufacturer: Northeastern University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Studies in American Fiction, published by Northeastern University on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 8610 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: History in Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth.
Author: Loretta Johnson
Publication: Studies in American Fiction (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Northeastern University
Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Page: 81(19)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Ralph Ellison's "Juneteenth": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 21, Chapter 6)

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Ralph Ellison's "Juneteenth": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 21, Chapter 6)

Manufacturer: The Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Gale Group | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B0009KANRQ
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Book Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to cram for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Novels for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by Thomson Gale--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: author biography; plot summary; character analysis; an overview of the novel's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Novels for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: Thomson Gale--and "Novels for Students."

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Juneteenth: A Novel
Ralph Ellison
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP953K

Amazon.com

Three cheers for Elizabeth Haydon! One great book (Rhapsody: Child of Blood) might be a fluke. But its sequel, Prophecy: Child of Earth, keeps right on developing great characters in a believable fantasy world without sacrificing the momentum of a terrific story. Best of all, Haydon promises to bring the current adventure to a conclusion in the next book, so no need to fear TNS (the never-ending saga).

Prophecy continues the stories of Rhapsody, the Namer who uses song, herb-lore, and affinities with fire and starlight to heal and protect, and her adoptive family: Achmed the Snake, an obnoxious former assassin and King of the savage Firbolg race, and Grunthor, his huge, cheerfully cannibalistic sidekick. Rhapsody travels in the company of the mysterious Ashe, who becomes much less mysterious as the story progresses. She meets a dragon, trains with a Lirin swordmistress who once carried Rhapsody's fiery sword, Daystar Clarion, and races to prevent the assassination of the Patriarch of Sepulvarta. Meanwhile, Achmed and Grunthor discover secrets of their mountain stronghold and learn more of their own powers. Together they repel renewed attacks by the F'dor, a demon seeking apocalyptic destruction. But they have not yet identified the demon's host or disarmed all of its agents, and time is running out.

Fans of epic fantasy will find Haydon a worthy successor to Tolkien, ranking with Robin Hobb and Guy Gavriel Kay. Just don't start reading too late in the day--once you've begun, you won't want to stop. --Nona Vero

Book Description

In Rhapsody, a fellowship was forged-- three companions who, through great adversity, became a force to be reckoned with: Rhapsody the Singer; Achmed the assassin-king; and Grunthor, the giant Sergeant-Major. Prophecy continues their powerful epic. Driven by a prophetic vision, Rhapsody races to rescue a religious leader while Achmed and Grunthor seek the F'dor-- an ancient and powerful demon. These companions may be destined to fulfill The Prophecy of the Three, but their time is running short. They must find their elusive enemy before his darkness consumes them all.

Customer Reviews:

Prophecy: Romance, Magic and Adventure does it get any better??.......2006-08-06

Romance, Magic and Adventure, does it get any better?? I think not. The suspence and mystery only improve the story and the visions created by this author are magical and action packed. I truly enjoyed this book.

Stop after Rhapsody.......2006-08-03

The heroine is frequently called intelligent, but never proves this. Despite her intelligence, she's completely unaware of the effect her utter physical perfection has on everyone that meets her. She is called fair and compassionate despite being haughty and judgemental.

However, the absolute worst of it is any interaction that involves Ashe. Aside from the fact that he comes off as a player character someone rolled up for a d&d campaign (see, I'm this half-dragon...), his presence turns any chapter from fantasy to bad romance.

If you seriously browse the romance section when choosing a book, you may just love this, though.

A Waste of Potential *Slight Spoilers*.......2006-07-27

I really wanted to like this book. I liked "Rhapsody" well enough and thought that it had a lot of potential as a first novel. Unfortunately, "Prophecy" is a huge step backwards for Haydon.

The Good: Haydon has a knack for vivid description. All of the locales in the novel are evocative and well written. She's also a pretty fair action writer, as these things go. Her world is well developed and interesting. Rhapsody's Naming magic is generally interesting, as are the general elemental magic abilities. Several of the minor characters (Elynsynos, Lord Stephen, Lord Trystan) are better than the main characters.

The Bad: Haydon strips all of the endearing character traits from her two best characters, Achmed and Grunthor, and turns them into annoying charicatures. Instead, the entire book focuses on Rhapsody.

This is a huge problem, because Rhapsody is a fundamentally uninteresting character. She's "perfect" in every way: perfectly beautiful, perfect student, perfect lover, perfect friend, perfect warrior, perfect diplomat, etc., etc., ad nauseum. Her only "flaw" is that she doesn't realize how beautiful she truly is, and is self depricating because of it. Of course, that never makes any difference, because she never fails at anything she attempts and ends up getting the perfect man anyway. The only plus here is that she spends less of this book going from emotional equilibrium to indignant rage at the drop of a hat. Speaking of Ashe/Gwydion/Sam, he's an empty suit for Rhapsody to have sex with.

I mentioned above that Haydon's descriptive writing is strong. This is outlined all the more because her dialog is utterly insipid. Achmed answers everything with an annoying question or a "cutting" quip (such as when he shows a diplomat several examples of fabrics and wines that are of a manufacture the diplomat has never seen before. The diplomat asks, quite reasonably, where Achmed acquired them. Achmed's withering response to this perfectly reasonable question? "Don't be an idiot"). However, even that pales in comparison to the "banter" between Rhapsody and Ashe. If teen couples in ice cream parlors cooing "I love you!", "No, I love you more!" cause you to roll your eyes, stay far, far away from this book.

Finally, there are structural issues with the book. Not a lot happens in the first place, but the story slams to a halt when Haydon decides it would be worth the time to have Rhapsody and Ashe have sex for 35 pages. No really. They continue to have sex and coo at each other intermittently for the final 200 pages of the novel. In addition, a minor character is raped, "Rosemary's Baby" style, in teeth gratingly awful detail (note to fantasy authors: most of us don't read fantasy for vivid descriptions of rape, it's unpleasant). The demon that rapes this character looks exactly like Ashe, yet when Rhapsody discovers this she's so perfect that she never has any difficulty around Ashe. Apparently she has no imagination.

Anyway, after this interlude we get a false climax, where the novel seems like it's over. But it isn't. It continues for another 130 pages, most of which is setup for the third novel in the trilogy and could easily have been put elsewhere (like in the third book).

In addition, Haydon writes mostly in third person limited. However, at certain points she switches,without warning, to third person omniscient. This book needed to be locked in a padded room with a savage editor for about a month. Several hundred pages could easily have been shaved off of it.

I had intended to end the review with a section devoted to the moments of unintentional comedy. My favorite is when Rhapsody enters a forest and uses her naming magic to know the forest's exact dimensions, take strength from the forest, and know the positions of four expert trackers that are following her. However, several days later she is ambushed by a platoon of the same trackers and is taken utterly by surprise. That happens within the same chapter, by the way. However, I can't in good conscience recommend the book on those grounds because the comedy scale drops in the later stages. I couldn't even muster up more than a groan when Haydon used the phrase "make love" just about every other word during the "sex romp" portions.

The bottom line here is that the only thing stopping this book from being forgotten in the Harlequin Romance section of your local book store is a little bit of tarting up with magic, dragons, and several hundred pages of unnecessary length. Do yourself a favor and read any of the myriad other fantasy writers who do it better.

Very Good but from critical View.......2006-06-15

This was a good add on to the Symphony of Ages trilogy. Comparing it to the first book Rhapsody it was well done. The flow of the story was pretty fast and not slow because the writer jumped around quite often with one plot to another but with sometimes longwinded. The characters still there but a bit less of Grunthor. The good side about the characters is how Ashe is one person in the beginning then he is discovered to be someone else. Elizabeth Haydon throws in some funny plots also that I just could not stop laughing about. From my opinion I will look at the good and the bad.

Good Sides to the Book
1. Flow is pretty fast and well written.
2. In some portions of the book you get a very intimate and sensual writing. Parts of the book are a bit graphic if you must know.
3. Characters are well written. The plots of each character sometimes are angry, happy, sad, sexual, and at times funny.

Bad Side
1. Rhapsody at times is still in her life saving mode. Even when trying to kill the demon she questions should she do it. The writer makes the plot in those parts londwinded.
2. Parts of the book too much sex. I am not too interested in sex and intimate parts. Maybe once or twice but not 5 times or more. I just laughed when the writer kept writing about making love again and again.
3. The ending is quite abrupt. Not a very well ending but this is a trilogy so if you want to read more okay ending but if you wish to stop the ending leaves you hanging.

Overall the book is very well written. This wasn't a fast book slapped together it was fairly well done. I still enjoy this book and the first because there are funny parts when a person is all the sudden nice then turns it a wild monster. Makes me laugh at times. Ashe half dragon is funny when he lets his dragon side take control. If you like fantasy total fiction and a sensual story this book is good but read it with the rest of the trilogy. If you are wanting just one book and lots of guts, gory, and killing then you will partially satisfied but not completely. If you are thinking of a book for dragons, death, pirates, or just plain action you might be disappointed. This book is best read along with the trilogy so you understand the whole story.

no plot, no real personalities, no point.......2005-10-30

Ugg. The promise in Rhapsody was totally lost in this book. I can't even take the time to write a decent review of it. Basically, this book has no real plot. Things happen, and then more things happen, but there seems to be no real goal for this series. The heroine Rhapsody is the most annoying mary sue ever written about, and there really is no point in reading this book. Look at the Truth series by Dawn Cook instead.

SYMPHONY OF AGES TRILOGY: Book (1) One: Rhapsody: Child of Blood; Book (2) Two: Prophecy: Child of Earth; Book (3) Three: Destiny: Child of the Sky

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SYMPHONY OF AGES TRILOGY: Book (1) One: Rhapsody: Child of Blood; Book (2) Two: Prophecy: Child of Earth; Book (3) Three: Destiny: Child of the Sky
Elizabeth Haydon
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N20PT6

SYMPHONY OF AGES: Book (1) One: Rhapsody: Child of Blood; Book (2) Two: Prophecy: Child of Earth; Book (3) Three: Destiny: Child of the Sky; Book (4) Four: Requiem for the Sun

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SYMPHONY OF AGES: Book (1) One: Rhapsody: Child of Blood; Book (2) Two: Prophecy: Child of Earth; Book (3) Three: Destiny: Child of the Sky; Book (4) Four: Requiem for the Sun
Elizabeth Haydon
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRXRBY

Amazon.com

In Six Moon Dance, veteran fantasy and science fiction writer Sheri S. Tepper tells the tale of the strange planet Newholme. An intriguing human society occupies the metal-poor planet, a society with gender values quite different from Earth, resulting from a virus that kills 50 percent of baby girls at birth. Newholmians use the best and the worst of dogma, religion, and "patriarchy" to uphold a society where men manage the money but women hold the keys to power through church, reproductive control, and their own short supply. "Family men" pay exorbitant dowries in order to gain a temporary wife, contracted for wifely duties and reproduction for a number of years. When their marriage contracts are finished, the women, relieved of duty, retire to enjoy the sexual services of male "Consorts."

The plot here involves an official Questioner who visits Newholme to investigate reports of human rights abuses, the strange native inhabitants whose biology may hold the key to human survival on the planet, and a disastrous lunar alignment. Although quite creative, Tepper's plot is simply not as gripping as the sociology and society she invents for Newholme. She uses her feminist instincts and knowledge about the sexes and religion to create a world worth taking a look at. James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award judges should be sure to take a look at Six Moon Dance for its unique take on gender roles. --Bonnie Bouman

Book Description

It was many years ago that humans came and settled the world of Newholme-cruelly bending the planet to their will; setting down roots and raising up cities and farms and a grand temple to their goddess.But now the ground itself is shaking with ever-increasing violence. And the Great Questioner, official arbiter of the Council of Worlds, has come to this isolated orb to investigate rumors of a terrible secret that lies buried deep within Newholme's past--a past that is not dead, not completely. And it will fall to Mouche, a beautiful youth of uncommon cleverness and spirit, to save his imperiled home by dicovering and embracing that which makes him unique among humans. For every living thing on newholme is doomed, unless Mouche can appease something dark and terrible that is coiled within...and surrender to the mysterious ecstatic revelry taht results when the six moons join.

Customer Reviews:

Too much Tepper?.......2004-05-22

Perhaps I have read too many of Tepper's books now. I found "Six Moons Dance" just a bit too formulaic, a bit too much like everything else she has written in the last ten years, without the usual spark of inventiveness that normally lifts Tepper's books above the run of the mill.

I just didn't get that spark from this book. All the usual Tepper elements were there: the suitably bleak distant future setting, the bad guys complete with physical deformities and sexual deviances, the topsy-turvey gender system - and a couple of political issues thrown in to make better citizens of us. But there wasn't much else, and as a veteran of some ten or so Tepper novels, I found that wasn't enough to keep me enthusiastic.

My advice: Buy it if you're a collector or if you can't get it from a library. Otherwise, spend your money on one of Tepper's better books. Beauty, for example.

Poor editing and Deus Ex-Machina rule in this book........2003-02-02

Ms. Tepper starts with an interesting premise and an interesting puzzle. Unfortunately somewhere around two thirds of the way through the book, the puzzle becomes evident and the climax which happens later seems forced and not really a true climax. This book could have used several rounds with an editor. It appears to this reader that the book got read by someone who pointed out a few flaws causing Ms Tepper to make some changes. Those changes were not reflected everywhere in the book.

Once again Ms. Tepper insists on having a moral too her story and rather than leaving it to the reader to pull the moral from the story, she insists on hitting the reader over the head with it. Whether you agree or not with Ms. Tepper, I find having a position forced makes for unnatural and uncomfortable reading.

come prepared to think and have patience.......2003-01-15

A well written book with an engaging plot and some fine twists towards the end. Very evenly written, but not for the impatient. The author leaves multiple trails of breadcrumbs, all of which you must follow for the plot to fully blossom. After my first reading, I immediately turned back to page one and started over, to savor consistency and complexity that I could only taste briefly on the first reading.

Tepper provides a lot of information about the history of gender interactions and why we think the way we do, which I found quite believable and interesting. (but, being of an age where Women's Studies classes were not commonly available in college, I don't know whether this is WS101 or BS101) She occasionally slips into pedantry, as in her other books, but in this novel she does it by introducing too many superfluous characters, which, while moderately interesting on their own, ultimately exist only to pass on the information, rather than advance the story.

Despite this drawback, which is actually pretty minor since the characters themselves and their cultures can be pretty intriguing, I found this book engaging enough for me to go hunting for a hardback copy for my personal library. Approach it with some patience and you will find it rewarding.

You have to work on this one but it is worth it if..........2002-10-21

you like complex, confusing, and sometimes frustrating fiction by Tepper. In my opinion, Tepper's work is often hit or miss -- either I'm intrigued and enjoy it like I did with "The Gate to Women's Country" or I'm turned off and just can't connect with any character as happened in "Gibbon's Decline and Fall". "Six Moon Dance" is as complex as GD&F but the characters are interesting and easily empathized with as in G-WC. But it is slow going at 61 chapters in 520 pages! The chapters are first seem disconnected but the main character, Mouche, is so interesting because enough background is spent on him, that you find yourself plodding through slower chapters to get to his next part. About half way through, it all flows together even though the mysteries are still unsolved until the last 50 pages of the book. No surprises here, the plot and the flow is strong enough that you don't say "what?" you just say "Oh, that's it!". However, Tepper's style is not to everyone's liking and you may wish for a firmer conclusion, so unless you've enjoyed other of her books, I suggest borrowing this from the library first before buying it.

Disappointing.......2001-12-12

I actually really enjoyed this book for a while, the ideas presented were stimulating and thought provoking and the characters were, for the most part, interesting. But the story lost something towards the end. As if the author didn't know how to express what she wanted to say. The ending itself was extremely disappointing, I've rarely felt so let down by a book as I was by this one.

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Six Moon Dance
Sheri S. Tepper
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000KS7F96

Book Description

A thoughtful gift, the set helps ease the tasks and choices of everyday life and provides a welcome dose of hope, clarity, and encouragement.

Customer Reviews:

meditation.......2007-05-12

These cards are in a case small enough to set up on my desk so I can look at the inspirational words at a glance many times during the day. They make it easy to bring Mother Teresa's simply stated, profound, and comforting words into a stressful day. They keep me centered and more mindful of others.

A Lovely Deck.......2005-08-26

"Let us be very sincere with each other and have the courage to accept each other as we are. Do not be preoccupied with each other's failures; rather, find the good in each other, for each one of us is created in the image of God." - Mother Teresa

Mother Theresa (1910-1997) was a nun among the destitute of the Calcutta slums who became one of the most beloved and highly respected women in the world. Recipient of many humanitarian awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003, which is a precursor to sainthood.

The Mother Theresa Wisdom Deck contains 50 cards featuring excerpts from her writings. Each card depicts one of nine duotone photographs of Mother Theresa and a quotation that corresponds to nine themes:

* Joy
* Kindness
* Silence
* Generosity
* Faith
* Sacrifice
* Poverty
* Prayer
* Love

This deck comes in a lovely copper-toned box which has a built-in frame for displaying either a quotation or one of the inspirational images. Coppery iridescence frames each card on both sides.

Some of the inspirational quotes from the Mother Teresa Wisdom Deck include:

"There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things."

"We have no right to judge the rich. What we desire is not a class struggle but a class encounter, in which the rich save the poor and the poor save the rich."

"There are thousands of people dying for a piece of bread. There are thousands upon thousands dying for a bit of love."

"Be kind to each other. It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness."

"Whatever our religion, we know that if we really want to love, we must first learn to forgive."

Mother Teresa possessed a special talent for finding sacredness in the tasks and choices of everyday living. She conveyed her wisdom, compassion and profound spiritual guidance through both her words and her deeds. Although she was personally acquainted with popes, presidents and royalty, she never hesitated to do the most menial of tasks.

The Mother Teresa Wisdom Deck transmits the graceful prose, gentle spirit and clear insight of this beloved nun. The lovely box and inspirational cards would be enjoyed by anyone who admires Mother Teresa and her message of compassion, generosity, and humility.

(To see 3 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at www.JanetBoyer.com )

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