Old Men at Midnight (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • In the Midnight Hour
  • Incredible Trilogy for Riveting An Active Imagination/revised
  • Have a true look at the Stalin era
  • Outstanding work about personal integrity.
  • This is the midnight...
Old Men at Midnight (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Chaim Potok
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Potok, ChaimPotok, Chaim | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345439988
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Book Description

From the celebrated author of The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev, a trilogy of related novellas about a woman whose life touches three very different men—stories that encompass some of the profoundest themes of the twentieth century.

Ilana Davita Dinn is the listener to whom three men relate their lives.

As a young girl, she offers English lessons to a teenage survivor of the camps. In “The Ark Builder,” he shares with her the story of his friendship with a proud old builder of synagogue arks, and what happened when the German army invaded their Polish town.

As a graduate student, she finds herself escorting a guest lecturer from the Soviet Union, and in “The War Doctor,” her sympathy moves him to put his painful past to paper recounting his experiences as a Soviet NKVD agent who was saved by an idealistic doctor during the Russian civil war, only to encounter him again during the terrifying period of the Kremlin doctors’ plot.

And, finally, we meet her in “The Trope Teacher,” in which a distinguished professor of military history, trying to write his memoirs, is distracted by his wife’s illness and by the arrival next door of a new neighbor, the famous writer I. D. (Ilana Davita) Chandal.

Poignant and profound, Chaim Potok’s newest fiction is a major addition to his remarkable—and remarkably loved—body of work.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars In the Midnight Hour.......2006-09-04

Chaim Potok has long been a crafter of stories that leap off the page into consciousness due to the vivid characters and the reality behind his pieces. "Old Men at Midnight" is no different, except that rather than a complete novel, it is a series of three interconnected stories about Jewish war experience. Each tale is finely crafted, full of bittersweet memories that the characters have trouble living with and talking about.

The first piece, "The Ark Builder", is perhaps the most poignant and resonant story in the collection. It tells the tale of Noah, a sixteen-year-old survivor of the Holocaust, transplanted to live with his aunt and uncle in New York. His aunt hires Ilana Davita Dinn to tutor her newphew and teach him English. While Noah is eager to learn, he is reticent to talk about his experiences, offering pictures to Ilana's young step-sister in place of words. When Noah is able to tell Ilana his story, the reader learns that he is not only a survivor of the Holocaust, but the sole survivor of his village. The ending to "The Ark Builder" leaves many questions still unanswered, with the reader hungry to know all that happened to Noah.

Ilana Davita Dinn is the connection between all three stories, although she appears very briefly in the second piece, "The War Doctor". In this second installment, she is the inspiration for a Former Soviet NKVD agent to tell his story of life in Stalinist Russia. It is a chilling look at the double life a Jew led as a torturer of his fellow people. Ilana appears throuhout the final selection, "The Trope Teacher," as the next door neighboor of an aging college professor struggling to write his memoirs. Benjamin Walter has had no trouble writing about his later life, but cannot recall the events from his childhood that are so crucial. While he is caring for his ailing wife, Ilana appears on the scene and prompts him to remember those events that shaped his life long ago. With her help he is able to see the connections between the events in his life.

"Old Men at Midnight" is a well-written examination on the Jewish experience, as war survivors try to reconcile their pasts with their presents. The one point of discord falls with Ilana being the connecting piece among the stories; it is a weak link, especially in the second where she is hardly a character, and in the final piece she seems more of a pawn than an actual presence. Readers are able to see the connections between the pieces without a guide, just as Benjamin Walter in the final story is able to see the roadmap that is his life work.

5 out of 5 stars Incredible Trilogy for Riveting An Active Imagination/revised.......2004-01-17

In spite of some good reviews, especially by Francis McInerney, I need only to add accolades to off-set the reviewers who are not incredibly riveted in their imagination. The ten reviews at the beginning of my copy come from such diverse places as Rocky Mountain News; Book Magazine; St.Louis Post-Dispatch; New York Times, +++New York Jewish Week all point to Potok's historical, literary approach!

I began with reading "The War Doctor" and was quickly mesmerized by the surgery of Doctor Rubinov. As he had performed drastic surgery on the Cossack, Trotsky, he gave extra care to our hero, actually an officers' orderly. It seemed obvious that Potok had returned to his early novels. He pictured Doctor Rubinov caring for the orderly; Possibly due to being taught the Holy Words of Hebrew Prayers. Hardly a good reason to promote him to a Comrade Lieutenant Shertov! Rubinov took the risk of giving him legal papers that sufficed for insurance back to his hometown village.

I was again mesmerized by Potok's wonderful description of Benjamin Walter in his third story of the Trope Teacher. "He was sixty-eight, and ailing. A tall, lean, stately man, with thick gray hair, a square pallid face split by a prominent nose and large webbed eyes, brooding behind old-fashioned spectacles." Again I was hooked by his mystical reputation as a writer. It seemed odd, seeing Ilana as I. D. Chandal in the driver's seat of narrating the longest, most detailed of all the trilogy stories. Throughout his narratives, Chaim Potok places Jewish characters as if they are both Holcaust survivors and members of human history and literature.

After high epectations from his greatest writings of The CHOSEN, The PROMISE, and ASHER LEV, here is his mountain peak of writing in a newer genre of short stories. They appear to become riveted into whole creations, yet also Holy Creations! Maybe they shall reach into those hearts of more and more hopeful believers!
Semi-Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood

2 out of 5 stars Have a true look at the Stalin era.......2003-06-19

Loved the middle short story. It does transport you back to the Stalin era. What a horrible era.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding work about personal integrity........2003-01-16

Midnight is asociated with journeys trough tough-hard times. The Old age of a person is asociated with a time where physical strenght is not greater than personal determination, values and beleif. Being old at midnight is a crude task, specially when overwhelming powerful forces are oppressing goodwill people. Trough the eyes of a woman along three diffrent stages of her life and from the lips of a teenager surviavor of the holocaust, the voice of a former secret soviet serviceman and from the recalls of an historian, Chaim Potok has given us a brilliant treaty of those who rather face destiny with dignity and integrity, even when that mean a certain death in body, but to live far beyond to stick to goodwill values. A superlative book about an archbuider, a righfull physician and a prophesor of Torah, all they share in common trhe love for life and the gust to face destny and to fight any form of overwhelming oppresion. Ileana Davita carries on a message of integrity and inspiration. This is a must!

5 out of 5 stars This is the midnight..........2003-01-10

An Outstanding perspective of courage and integrity!
Midnight is asociated with hard-tough times and jorneys of our lives, where uncertaninty is the only location...journeys where we need to gather of all courage and dignity. So midnight is a time where interior light is the most important tool to keep goodwill going. Midnight means repression, terror coming from the side of the cruel and strong, the merciless, the rulers by overwhelming force.
Old age is a time when we have to gather all our forces to face the greatest dilemmas of life. The old man is like the young lion: he knows when and how to fight, but sometimes phisical strenght has beeb left behind, so Old Men needs to be brave to face destiny, oppression and racism.
The poem of Rudyard Kippling "The Storm Cone" (1932) illustrate this point: "This is the midnight, let no star delude us, dawn is very far, this is the tempest long foretold, slow to make head, but sure to hold". Still and however, as Jorge Luis Borges wrote: "the past is indestructible and sooner or later comes back...and we need people to recall, to fight the power of the overwhelming leeders, the merciless, the opressors, the racists, the butchers.
Chaim Potok is a clever and brilliant author who has given us three different stories seen from the magic perspective of Ileana Davita: the narration of a young survivor of the horror of Holocaust, the vision a secret serviceman who lives the opresion under Stalin and the vision of a veteran Chronist of War and Geopolitics, on the matter of the phantoms of the nightmare of war, as a major disgrace. This is the kind of Book that you are going to talk with your friends. Do not miss it.
Chaim Potok's final fiction.(Old Men at Midnight)(Book Review): An article from: Midstream
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Chaim Potok's final fiction.(Old Men at Midnight)(Book Review): An article from: Midstream
    Arthur Sainer
    Manufacturer: Theodor Herzl Foundation
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Digital
    ASIN: B0009GL2O8
    Release Date: 2005-08-01

    Book Description

    This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Theodor Herzl Foundation on September 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2845 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: Chaim Potok's final fiction.(Old Men at Midnight)(Book Review)
    Author: Arthur Sainer
    Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
    Date: September 1, 2004
    Publisher: Theodor Herzl Foundation
    Volume: 50 Issue: 6 Page: 26(3)

    Article Type: Book Review

    Distributed by Thomson Gale
    Old Men at Midnight
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Old Men at Midnight

      Manufacturer: Tandem Library
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding
      ASIN: 141764656X
      Old Men at Midnight
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Old Men at Midnight
        Chaim Potok
        Manufacturer: Knopf
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
        ASIN: B000OXC7H2
        Old Men at Midnight (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Old Men at Midnight (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
          Chaim Potok
          Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000OVPADM

          The Silver Gryphon (Mage Wars Trilogy, Book 3)
          Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
          • Not one of Lackey's better efforts.
          • "Assume It's an Enemy and Assume He Attacked..."
          • Newcomer to Valdemar
          • Not even close to good.
          • Not outstanding, but decent.
          The Silver Gryphon (Mage Wars Trilogy, Book 3)
          Mercedes Lackey , and Larry Dixon
          Manufacturer: DAW Hardcover
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          ASIN: 0886776848

          Customer Reviews:

          2 out of 5 stars Not one of Lackey's better efforts........2006-07-19

          I really wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I loved the two prequels (The Black Gryphon and The White Gryphon) and I've enjoyed many of the other books in the Valdemar series. But this one? Not so much.

          The book focuses on the children of the main characters from the two earlier books: Skandranon's son Tad and Amberdrake's daughter Blade. Tad and Blade have both spent two years training to be part of the Silvers, the defense/police force for the town of White Gryphon. Their first assignment is to a remote outpost which is several days away by gryphon. On the way there, they make a crash landing in a dense rainforest. Both of them sustain injuries in the crash, no one knows where they are, and they think something's stalking them.

          And this is where the book stops being interesting for awhile. After the first hundred or so pages of exposition, it drags along for another two hundred or so until we finally get to the ending. The middle part of the book drove me nuts because we don't actually see the things that are hunting them or even get a clear indication that they're being hunted until about three-fourths of the way through the book. The last few chapters are pretty good, so I won't ruin them for you.

          I'd only recommend this book if you're a diehard Valdemar fan and you really want to read every one of the books. I don't feel like this one added anything to the previous two.

          As a side note, this is the third book in a trilogy. If you haven't read the first two, you probably won't understand some of the concepts in this book (e.g. trond'irn and kestra'chern; those were explained in the first chapter of the first book of this trilogy).

          1 out of 5 stars "Assume It's an Enemy and Assume He Attacked...".......2005-11-19

          This was the first book I'd read by husband and wife team Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, and unfortunately I can't say I'm in a big rush to read any more. I gather from the other reviews that long-time fans of her work weren't particularly impressed with this instalment either, finding it slowly-paced and predictable. Like the myriad of Lackey's fellow `fantasy-genre' authors, including Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan and David Eddings, the influence of Tolkien's Middle-Earth is clear, for "The Silver Gryphon" is set in a fantastic secondary realm, with medieval swords and sorcery setting, filled with different cultures and perpetually in danger from dark forces. Lackey's main original attribute is the presence of intelligent and communicative gryphons that feature predominately in the history of this secondary world.

          As mentioned, I'd never read any previous novels, either in this "Mage Wars" trilogy or the more popular "Valdemar" novels and so was interested to see how easy it was for a newcomer to grasp the basics of her work. On the whole, everything was fairly straightforward; I gather that the two previous books in this trilogy ("The Black Gryphon" and "The White Gryphon") were focussed on the gryphon Skandranon and his human ally Amberdrake and their experiences in what is referred to as the Mage Wars. Though the war is long since over, it led directly to three realities that are relevant to the story of "The Silver Gryphon": the creation of magical creatures roaming free in the world, the construction of a city built vertically into a cliffside, and an alliance with the Haighlei Empire which requires several recruits from the city to periodically man watchtowers along the border.

          I did however have some linguistic trouble; Lackey kept using terms such as "trondi'irn" and "kestra'chern", as well as several others with no indication of what they meant - even by the end of the novel I was none the wiser as to what they referred to (a basic glossary at the beginning of the book would have been most helpful). I also couldn't shake the feeling that had I read the previous books in the series (or even books that take place chronologically later in the timeline) certain characters and events would have a deeper resonance and meaning.

          Several years after the events of "The White Gryphon" Skandranon, Amberdrake and their spouses have children of their own: the gryphon twins Keenath and Tadrith, and the human female Silverblade, and this next generation couldn't be more different from the first. Tad is reckless and bold, whilst Blade is stoic and tomboyish, both are members of the Silvers and both are living in the shadows of their famous parents. Therefore both are delighted when they are assigned Watchtower Five, a remote station that will take them far from the reputation and influence of their parents, to let them stake out a name for themselves.

          However, on the flight from home to the tower the two run into trouble. A spell had been placed upon the basket carrying both supplies and Blade to lighten its weight and allow Tad to effectively carry it to their new station...but halfway there it suddenly looses its weightlessness and the two plummet down into the forest below. Surviving the fall, Blade and Tad take account of their new situation and plan their best course for survival in the uncharted forest that seems to have something lurking between its trees - perhaps the thing that caused the malfunction of all their magical equipment in the first place.

          The problem is that by the time this crash happens, acting as the catalyst of the novel, we are nearly halfway through the book. Everything previous to this has been set-up. Lackey doesn't say in one sentence what can be said in twenty and the narrative is excruciatingly detailed - but since the story itself is rather simplistic there is little payoff for all the time spent in minor details. After the crash, Blade and Tad's every movement is faithfully recorded as they attempt to discover and ward off their opponents, whilst the frantic parents at home immediately organise a search party once their children fail to meet the rendezvous.

          I couldn't help but wonder what the point to all of it was; the claustrophobic and tension-filled situation that Tad and Blade find themselves in never feels truly frightening, and their endless discussions on survival techniques and training made the novel feel a bit like a `how-to' manual. Rest assured, if I ever find myself lost in a rainforest with evil magic-sucking monsters after me I'll know exactly what to do.

          However, the characterisations of Tad and Blade are good, and the problems they have with their parents are both familiar and relatable. Likewise, the aging of Skandranon and Amberdrake is handled well, both regarding their children with a mix of both worry and envy as they watch them go out into the world. However, this is undermined in the way in which Lackey resolves these problems by the end of the book, with the parents and children easily reconciling with each other in a neat little package; Tad narrates to his brother: "Drake sees her as a real person now - not just as his daughter, his child. They've fought alongside each other. Now she's - well, now she knows who she is; that she's not a reflection of Drake or her mother, and that she doesn't have to work so hard at being their opposite." I'm not saying that a life-or-death situation wouldn't resolve some differences, but here it's all just too easy and comes across rather trite.

          The text is illustrated by Larry Dixon himself, and his renditions of the characters both gryphon and human are beautiful. The faces are alive with character, and the eyes of the gryphons are filled with intelligence - you're in no doubt that these are thinking creatures. There is also an illustration of the monster tracking Blade and Tad (don't worry, I won't give it away) which is especially creepy/beautiful in its sinister, serpentine form.

          Basically, "The Silver Gryphon" isn't a particularly rewarding read. Old fans of the series will be disappointed, and newcomers to Lackey's work may be very well put off for good, believing that this is as good as it gets. Considering the popularity of Lackey's other works, I really hope that this was just a bad day for the writing duo.

          5 out of 5 stars Newcomer to Valdemar.......2004-11-17

          I have just begun reading Lackey's work by reading the Mage Wars Trilogy. Right now, I am in the middle of reading The White Gryphon and I love it. The entire plot and history of the Mage Wars pulled me in from the start and this book is no exception. Skan is by far one of my favourite characters in ANY fantasy setting and I will be sad to say good bye to him once I finish reading this book. But, although I bought my books at a used bookstore, it was well worth the money. Highly entertaining, full of REAL characters, dilemas, problems, upsets, and hopefully a really good ending.

          1 out of 5 stars Not even close to good........2004-06-24

          I feel like Larry Dixon must have written most of this book. This acts like there was one event, and they tried to turn it into a whole book. There is little or nothing about the Black griffon and his mate in this book, and it does not add to the story line. The black griffon was an excellent read, and if you like it, you won't like this book. I think this was the first time I returned/traded off a M. Lackey book.

          That said, this author is one of my favorites, with series I read and re-read over and over, discovering new things each time. Please check out the first book in this series, or any other of her books.

          3 out of 5 stars Not outstanding, but decent........2004-05-26

          If you like Mercedes Lackey and if you like Amberdrake and Skandranon from the earlier books in this series, read this third one. Drake and Skan are in it, albeit briefly, and it's a good "here's how the story ends" type of book. Everybody needs closure, right? In fact, I guess it's safe to say that, really, if you've been reading a series ... you should probably continue right on through the last book. Did you really need someone to tell you that???

          The series is pretty much worth the read (*she typed grudgingly*) ... but the first book is the best - best characters/character development, best plot, etc. Don't expect the second two to be quite as good.
          The Silver Gryphon
          Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
          • A miscellany of short stories
          The Silver Gryphon

          Manufacturer: Golden Gryphon Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          Book Description

          In celebration of Golden Gryphon Press's 25th book, writers who contributed to the first 24 books were asked to write a story that best defines them as writers. The result is an anthology of stories ranging from fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and horror to genres that are often a combination of all four. Warren Rochelle portrays a struggle between magical and normal humans. George Zebrowski questions how to reclaim one's life when thrust two and a half years into the past. Andy Duncan combines literary style with southern heritage in a strange tale of courtship on a ghost trolley car. Michael Bishop spins the sad tale of a dead Vietnam soldier who won't die and continues to lay down his life to help others. James Patrick Kelly paints a world where people are regulated, even in their ability to become parents, and there is no place for dissenting views. The wide range in style, tone, and content in these tales provides genre fans with a diverse spectrum of short fiction.

          Customer Reviews:

          3 out of 5 stars A miscellany of short stories.......2004-08-29

          This is the Golden Gryphon Press's 25th book (it's version of a "silver anniversary" celebration) and features short stories written by authors who contributed to the first 24 books. Each was asked to submit a story which "defines them as a writer." The result is a mixed bag of stories ranging from mundane naturalism to philosophically probing science fiction.

          It's impossible to sum up this work in a very brief review, so let it suffice to say that if you like the work of the individual authors, you'll probably enjoy their submissions to the anthology.

          Personally I found the lack of rigid criteria for the stories to be distracting. While it is apparent that each individual writer is good, the change of tone and subject matter from story to story made it impossible for me to enjoy this as "a good read." This is the sort of anthology which one pulls out every once in a while to read one or two stories at most, then shelves until another day.

          One serious flaw of the anthology is that it lacks any real introduction of the writers for the benefit of the reader. Surely there should be SOMETHING to preface a story which a writer considers to be definitive of his or her self, but there is nothing but a half-sentence or so about each story in the foreward. Surely the publishers could do better than that for their readers (AND the writers!). Andy Duncan's story is a strange fantasy entitled, "The Haw River Trolley," a very short piece with some fine writing (e.g., "Old Whitesell knew there was no way in creation any part of that trolley could go five miles a minute even if you blew it up and clocked the fragments, but like most people who know the impossible to be true, or the truth to be impossible, he kept his mouth shut"), but after that paragraph the story becomes progressively more strange until at the very end I was wondering whether I had stumbled across a story which was part of a larger collection with characters whose lives I was already supposed to know of, or whether some mistake had deleted a half dozen paragraphs, or if the author was known for bizarre fantasy stories. Even though Duncan rated A WHOLE SENTENCE TO HIMSELF in the Foreward, I still don't know anything about his other work, and the result is overall dissatisfaction with this story. The final story in the collection, "Fire Dog," is definitely a strange fantasy, but I KNOW that author Joe R. Lansdale writes some bizarre material, so I was not surprised by anything in his story of a man takes a job as a firehouse dog (a dalmation named "Spot"); indeed, the lack of surprise was itself surprising -- I've read better works by Lansdale, which brings me back to my complaint: why did he select THIS story as his submission? While there is some excellent material in this anthology, such as Howard Waldrop's "Why Then Ile Fit You," about a senile, dying actor, I began to get the feeling that I was reading not what many of these writers considered to be their best OR most definitive work, but rather what they couldn't sell anywhere else.

          I could not finish "The Silver Gryphon." The disjointed nature of the anthology's selection made reading it too great a sacrifice of time for me at the present. I have given the book three stars, though, because there IS some good material here, and Golden Gryphon fans will surely find something to enjoy in the selection. It just wasn't my cuppa.
          Silver Gryphon
          Average customer rating: Not rated
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            Manufacturer: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: 0606275835
            Silver Gryphon
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              Manufacturer: ORION BOOKS
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              The Silver Gryphon Book Three of the Mage Wars
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                The Quest for the Second Half (Commander Kellie and the Superkids' Adventures #2)
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  The Quest for the Second Half (Commander Kellie and the Superkids' Adventures #2)
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                  The Quest for the Second Half (Superkids)
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                    ASIN: 1575627795
                    Commander Kellie and the Superkids - First 5 Titles - Mysterious Presence - Quest for the Second Half - Escape From Jungle Island - In Pursuit of the Enemy - Caged Rivalry
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Commander Kellie and the Superkids - First 5 Titles - Mysterious Presence - Quest for the Second Half - Escape From Jungle Island - In Pursuit of the Enemy - Caged Rivalry
                      Christopher P. N. Maselli
                      Manufacturer: Harrison House
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                      ASIN: B000K8IH20

                      Product Description

                      Christian based pre-teen adventure books. Commander Kellie and the Superkids - First 5 Titles - Mysterious Presence - Quest for the Second Half - Escape From Jungle Island - In Pursuit of the Enemy - Caged Rivalry

                      Ministry: A Theological, Pastoral Handbook
                      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                      • Good synthesis
                      • Ministry in a New Light
                      Ministry: A Theological, Pastoral Handbook
                      Richard P. Mcbrien
                      Manufacturer: HarperOne
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      MinistryMinistry | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Theology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      Similar Items:
                      1. Ministries: A Relational Approach Ministries: A Relational Approach
                      2. Theology of Ministry (Theological Inquiries) Theology of Ministry (Theological Inquiries)
                      3. New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition) New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition)
                      4. Building Community: Christian, Caring, Vital Building Community: Christian, Caring, Vital
                      5. A New Look at Grace: A Spirituality of Wholeness A New Look at Grace: A Spirituality of Wholeness

                      ASIN: 0060653248

                      Book Description

                      This highly praised handbook on ministry is an essential resource for clergy and laity alike--clear, readable, theologically sound, and pastorally wise. Traces the development of ministry from New Testament times through Vatican II to provide pastoral guidance for priests, nuns, teachers, and others who are called to the ministry.

                      Customer Reviews:

                      5 out of 5 stars Good synthesis.......2007-08-06

                      This book is another good example of what Richard McBrien does best: synthesize the best of contemporary theological thinking. Here he offers a concise overview of the history, theology and spirituality of ministry. It is actually a summary of an earlier video series he produced.

                      5 out of 5 stars Ministry in a New Light.......2006-03-04

                      I am very pleased with this book. While Richard McBrien is writing this book from the perspective of a Catholic Priest, he writes from his heart and in a spirit of encourage for all people to understand the role each person can have in ministry today and in the future.
                      Lay Ministry: A Theological, Spiritual, & Pastoral Handbook
                      Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
                      • A reprint of a fine book
                      Lay Ministry: A Theological, Spiritual, & Pastoral Handbook
                      William J. Rademacher
                      Manufacturer: Wipf & Stock Publishers
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      LeadershipLeadership | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      Church AdministrationChurch Administration | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
                      Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
                      Similar Items:
                      1. New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition) New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition)
                      2. Theology of Ministry (Theological Inquiries) Theology of Ministry (Theological Inquiries)
                      3. Lay Ministry In The Catholic Church: Visioning Church Ministry Through The Wisdom Of The Past Lay Ministry In The Catholic Church: Visioning Church Ministry Through The Wisdom Of The Past
                      4. Called to Parish Ministry: Identity, Challenges, and Spirituality of Lay Ministers Called to Parish Ministry: Identity, Challenges, and Spirituality of Lay Ministers
                      5. Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood: Theologies of Lay and Ordained Ministry Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood: Theologies of Lay and Ordained Ministry

                      ASIN: 1592440010

                      Customer Reviews:

                      3 out of 5 stars A reprint of a fine book.......2003-08-17

                      William Rademacher provides a valuable exploration of lay ministry in the Catholic Church. This is a very accessible text, offering an overview of biblical themes, historical trends, theological insights and pastoral perspectives. . . all in a fashion that encourages reflection and application to the experience of today's lay ministers.
                      However, this 2002 Wipf & Stock edition is a reprint of a 1996 edition (Crossroad Pub) which, in turn, was identical to the original 1991 edition, but with a study guide appendix. Readers should be aware that, while this is a valuable book, the contents are now more than a decade old.
                      For several years, I used this as the primary text in a graduate course on lay ministry. Students responded - either resonating with Rademacher's insights, or provoked by his views - but always engaging the material at a personal level.
                      Unfortunately the book is now dated. The past ten years have witnessed significant developments in lay ministry - ever-increasing numbers of professional lay ministers, publication of several church statements, and extensive research commissioned by the US bishops' conference. If only Rademacher would produce a revised edition - including recent developments - but still offering his engaging and provocative approach.
                      Lay Ministry: A Theological, Spiritual, and Pastoral Handbook
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Lay Ministry: A Theological, Spiritual, and Pastoral Handbook
                        William J. Rademacher
                        Manufacturer: Hyperion Books
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Paperback

                        GeneralGeneral | Theology | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                        MinistryMinistry | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: 0854393781
                        Let the ministry teach: A handbook for theological reflection
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Let the ministry teach: A handbook for theological reflection
                          Robert L Kinast
                          Manufacturer: Center for Theological Reflection
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Unknown Binding

                          Pastoral CounselingPastoral Counseling | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Theology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                          Pastoral TheologyPastoral Theology | Theology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                          ASIN: B0006DDSZK

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