Amazon.com
Until 1995, Gone with the Wind--the 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner and perhaps the bestselling novel of all time--was the only published work of fiction credited to Margaret Mitchell. But 45 years after her death, the Road to Tara Museum unveiled what amounts to a national treasure--a novella written by America's most beloved storyteller. Lost Laysen is an exciting tale of love and honor on a South Pacific island. A rough-edged Irish boatsman is smitten with the feisty and independent Courtenay Ross. "Charley boy, I sure did love that little woman, I couldn't help it, tho I knew I never had a chance--she wasn't my kind. I wonder why it's always the little women that appeal to us big fellows?" Courtenay is engaged to a dapper young American who loves her so much, he follows her to the remote island of Laysen to persuade her to come home. What's so remarkable about this story is that Mitchell was just 16 when she put pen to paper and wrote the entire piece in less than a month's time.
Henry Love Angel, a close friend and likely admirer, was the recipient of the two notebooks in which the manuscript for Lost Laysen was written. It was Angel's grandson who discovered the amazing treasure that had been passed down to him--a box of photographs, negatives, correspondence from Mitchell to Angel, and the manuscript. "My dear--" begins one letter. "I was so proud of you, last time I saw you--proud of your love, your courage and resignation and most of all your self confidence. Don't let it drop my dear. I have prayed so hard that you would have it because without it you can never amount to much. With it and work, the world lies ahead. If ever you begin to get discouraged and lose confidence in your self--draw on my supply for I believe in you. Just set your mark and go to it." The never-before-seen photographs show Mitchell and a variety of friends goofing for the camera. This book provides charming insight into a brief period of Mitchell's life--one full of youthful folly, exuberance, and obvious joy.
Book Description
Until recently, the odd thought Margaret Mitchell had only one story to tell: Gone With the Wind. Now meet a heroine to match Scarlett: Courtenay Ross, a feisty, independent-minded woman, and the two men -- one a cool-headed, well-heeled gentleman, the other a hot-blooded, pugnacious sailor -- who adore her. A tale of yearning, valor, and devotion, Lost Laysen enthralls from its delightful beginning to its unforgettable end.
Equally intriguing is the story behind the story -- the real-life romance that inspired Mitchell: how she gave the original manuscript as a gift to her beau. Henry Love Angel, and how the manuscript, along with Mitchell's intimate letters and treasured photographs, were lovingly safeguarded only to be discovered decades later in a shoebox!
Lost Laysen is pure magic, a gift for us to cherish from America's most beloved storyteller.
Customer Reviews:
Cannot compare to "Gone with the wind".......2006-02-27
Having read and re-read "Gone with the Wind", I desperately wanted to read other books by Margaret Mitchell, and was thoroughly disappointed to learn that it was the only work by the author, until I discovered "Lost Laysen".
But after having read it, which, didn't take me more than a half hour, I was disappointed even more. The book contains a few letters between Margaret Mitchell and her Beau, Henry Love Angel, and several pictures. In the correspondence, Margaret comes across as a somewhat selfish lover with almost no feelings for Henry and in almost every letter, asks Henry to run some or the other errand for her. The pictures are interesting, though. Apart from the letters and pictures is a story written by Margaret when she was sixteen, which she later presented to Henry. The story ends almost before it begins. It's about a "Miss Ross", and her experiences on board a small ship called "Caliban".
Margaret Mitchell has an astounding number of fans throughout the world and I feel, this book is NOT AT ALL something they'd like associating their much-loved writer with. It almost spoils her image, if I may say so.
The overwhelming emotion you are left with, after having finished the book is, disappointment, in capital letters.
I will not recommend the book to anyone, let alone Margaret Mitchell lovers.
Sad but Wonderful.......2001-07-20
I found this book quite by accident. I was so excited I read it all through my favorite class, art. Later on a school bus, I was a freshman, I read the story itself in a half hour. By the end of the story I was crying so hard my shop teacher wondered what was wrong. I loved it! It was great the way the heroine chose to keep what she held precious even in the face of danger. I also loved the letters between Mitchell and Henry Love Angel that compose the first half of the book. Especially the letter about the train ride and the soldier's coffin. That is probably one of the best forms of symbolism I have ever read.
Lost Laysen Review.......2000-12-01
I liked the story in the book, however, I thgouht that the letters were boring but had good pictures. I reccomend this book! I just wish that the story itself would have been longer!
New Glimpse Of Scarlett O'Hara's Creator.......1999-11-28
If you're a GWTW fan, don't miss this love story! Lost Laysen is second fiddle to the real story in this offering: Margaret "Peggy" Mitchell's letters to Henry Love Angel. Their story fascinated me much more than the fiction she pinned as a teen. Her letters and the photos and the story of how they surfaced made me feel like the young "Peggy" defied time and was alive again. Peggy's Henry must have been very special!
a glimpse of an young author.......1998-08-17
This book was written for fun by the author. She was also 17 when she wrote it. I found it pretty offending to a point ( you must understand about the anti- oriental propaganda that was going around early this century) but it was O.K.... I found it a tad boring. I think she wrote this to amuse her friend, especially courtaney....
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Lost Laysen
Margaret Mitchell
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Mitchell, Margaret
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| Ages 9-12
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ASIN: B000C4SP5G |
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Lost Laysen
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HOH3NQ |
Customer Reviews:
Generally surperior sword & sorcery.......2007-07-04
The middle, "bridge" volume of a trilogy is often its weakest point (the original Dune trilogy is the classic example of that), but it's not the case here. In fact, this epic reads like a single 1,500-page novel that was broken into three parts only for convenience in marketing. This section is rather more episodic, though. Having become a valued soldier in Duke Phelan's mercenary company, Paks finds it necessary to leave shortly after the great victory over the forces of Evil, because the Duke's necessary alliances included behavior on behalf of a budding tyrant that she couldn't approve of. So she goes off with a vague idea of re-crossing the northern mountains and perhaps visiting her family home, works her way as a caravan guard, takes up with a not entirely trustworthy half-elf (rather less than half, actually), defeats another evil force in an underground sequence that reads almost like a D&D script, becomes acquainted with the Girdsmen (with whom her Duke has had a longstanding quarrel) and with other clerics, and undergoes training at Fin Panir with the idea that she might become a knight in a few years. But (naturally) her destiny holds far more than that, and this volume ends at the lowest point in Paks's young life. The plot continues to build -- not always in ways that are obvious until later -- and even the author's slight preachiness regarding Good and Evil aren't too annoying. This is meant to be Heroic Fantasy, after all. This is obviously Moon's masterwork. (It certainly deserves less amateurish cover art, though.)
Amazing tale of Paks continues!.......2007-04-19
Divided Allegiance is the second book in the "The Deed of Paksenarrion" trilogy. I thought this one was even better than the first book. Intense in surprising ways as well. I would caution that if you read this book, be ready with the third book, Oath of Gold, for when you finish it. There's a cliffhanger ending.
Paks decides to leave the Duke's army. She's put off by his alignment with a former pirate in helping him regain lands the man believes he is owed. The Duke helps him as gratitude for his help in their recent war against Siniava. It's the former pirate's tactics for regaining his land that cause Paks' stomach to sour.
The Duke grants her release, as well as the open ended right to return if she chooses so. And there...a new adventure begins for her. She doesn't know where she will end up, and only has the idea in her head to drop of a message for Halveric and perhaps stop in to see her own family.
Her journey brings us face to face with more classical fantasy elements (elves, dwarves, etc.) than the first book did. It's fun to see her reactions to them and her manners of trying to deal with them. There are also orcs and you'll not forget the webmistress' minions in this one. *shiver*
We also get to watch the makings of a paladin as she faces trials and tests, feeling an occasional calling to do certain things and having no idea why, let alone the understanding of what she's just done. I found this fascinating because it's almost like going blindly, yet completely yielding to that feeling of trust in the guidance of the higher powers, and those she considers more experienced in life in general. Things are often black and white for her and when things that are shades of gray present themselves to her, she is confused.
Throughout this story, we see Paks face and rise above new challenges, and sometimes fall back down hard as well. This character's inner strength is amazing and that coupled with her honest, good-hearted, naïve traits make those falls all the more heart wrenching to read about.
Yep, I'm pretty attached to this character, can you tell?
This is an amazing trilogy and that's that!
Conversion or coercion?.......2007-03-15
I found this book to be a great let down after the first book. I think what really got me was the scene in which Paksenarrrion is forced to convert to Gird-worship before the order will heal her of a life-threatening injury. This really offended me. In the first place, the idea of a religious order that only heals its own members and yet considers itself more rightous than everyone else is bad enough. Secondly the idea that they would use this opportunity to force Paks to convert and she doesn't find anything wrong with that coercion is horrendous.
I lost interest after that.
The Paladin Refined.......2006-11-02
Divided Allegiance (1988) is the second fantasy novel in the Deed of Paksenarrion series, following Sheepfarmer's Daughter. In the previous volume, Paks, Canna and Saben escaped crosscountry from Count Siniava's troops besieging Dwarfwatch, but Canna was wounded in the shoulder. Knowing that Canna was a Girdist, Paks placed her Saint Gird medallion against the wound and prayed for healing. Canna felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and the wound was soon healed.
Later, they were suddenly attacked by brigands and only Paks avoided capture to reach the Duke. With the information Paks carried, Duke Phelan ambushed the Count's relief column and then broke the siege at Dwarfwatch. The militia found the brigands holding Saben and Canna, but the enemy tried to kill off their prisoners. Saben was killed outright, but Canna remained alive for a short while and asked that her medallion be given to Paks.
When Duke Phelan finally cornered the Count in a deserted fort, he set an ambush party, led by Paks, outside the escape tunnel. As expected, the Count tried to flee the siege, but used the cover of a sleep spell. Paks, however, was awakened by a sharp pain on her chest from Canna's medallion and awoke the others to catch the fleeing Count. The Honeycat was executed on the spot at the Duke's order.
In this novel, Paks becomes increasingly upset with the political alliances of Duke Phelan. The former pirate Alured had turned his coat and helped in the destruction of Count Siniava. In return, he requires the Duke and other allies to assist in his effort to become the Duke of Immer. Unfortunately, the Duke's forces are used to drive the citizens of each town into the city square, where Alured captures, tortures and kills those whom he accuses as Siniava's agents.
The Duke releases Paks from his service, with rights of return, so she can try to seek further military skills. She also carries a message from Aliam Halveric to his wife. She works as a caravan guard to the Silver Pass and then accompanies Mancenion, a mage with elven blood, through the pass toward Ladyforest.
Mancenion irritates Paks with his superiors ways and his tendency to withhold information. Mancenion does discover that her Dwarfwatch honors ring has magical influence over animals. Later, he uses her power over this ring to hold a snow cat helpless while he kills it. Paks has tried to talk him out of hurting the cat, but is told that either she or the cat must die. Later he mentions that she should have thought of making the cat run away if she objected so strongly to the killing. Paks is very upset over that unfair comment; he should have told her before the cat was killed.
On the other side of the pass, Mancenion points out the ruins of an Elven city and suggests that they explore it. He has heard about the place from his elders and knows that there is still treasure somewhere inside. Sleeping among the ruins, both Paks and Mancenion have the same dream. Someone or something has been captured by an evil being and needs rescue.
In the underground passages of the Elven city, Paks and Mancenion hear someone coming toward them and Paks pulls Mancenion into a nearby room. When three Orcs pass by their room, Mancenion rushes out and attacks them. Of course, Paks also attacks the Orcs to rescue Mancenion. Then other Orcs appear.
Paks and Mancenion kill all the Orcs, for none will flee from the intruders. Searching further, they reach a large chamber. Paks checks for guards inside the door and then enters the room, but Mancenion remains outside. Within the chamber are motionless figures against the wall and a full-blooded high ranking Elf, who has been possessed by an evil spirit. He subtly bespells Paks and holds her helpless.
When Mancenion finally enters the chamber, the Elf turns his attentions to him. During the ensuing battle, Paks regains her senses and attacks the Elf. Although the Elf is an excellent swordsman, Paks manages to overcome him, but cannot kill the possessing spirit. After some study, Mancenion finds a spell that destroys the body and drives away the possessing spirit. Then the Orcs attack once more and Mancenion is killed.
This story tells of the various trials and tribulations, not to mention the joys, of Paks in her relationships with friends, enemies and Saint Gird. She gains her dreams only to lose them. Her greatest flaw is her unquestioning trust of those she views as her superiors. For Paks obeys orders and absorbs everything shown to her, but decisions about new things are difficult; yet Gird wants her to start thinking for herself.
Highly recommended for Moon fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of military training and combat, personal trials, and perseverance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Much Better Than Book 1.......2006-08-24
Liked this book much better than book one. In book one, our hero Paks marched, camped, fought, marched, camped, fought...etc. In this book, Paks actually gets into a few scrapes that the author doesn't fix. Not everything is going right for our warrior which is refreshing and the supporting charactors are not killed off after each chapter so you can actually start to see some relationships building. After book one, I seriously doubted that I'd enjoy book two, but now I will march on to book three. Only 3 stars as I had hoped that the author would explain more of the terms used to describe the elder races and all of the gods in Paks world. Great cliff hanging ending!
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Divided Allegiance
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9994469541 |
Product Description
A major contribution to the study of the Civil War on the local level, this book examines divided loyalties between Union and Confederate forces in an eastern North Carolina county. The author painstakingly identifies those natives who served each side and graphically describes battles and social upheavals that engulfed Bertie County. Twenty-five images of individuals and maps illustrate the text.
Book Description
This communicative, "natural approach" to introductory Russian emphasizes reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Everyday topics are presented to allow readers to begin communicating immediately. Grammar is presented as a necessary tool for communication and is introduced throughout. The book aims at comparing and contrasting cultures, rather than presenting the target culture only.
Customer Reviews:
AWFUL - don't waste your money!.......2007-01-25
Troika is a complete disaster. NOWHERE will you find complete declensions of nouns, ie, all 6 cases. Table at book's back can fool you, because it cannot display exceptions, eg pisatel and ychitel are not the same endings. This is fatal, as individual chapters attempt to teach one case at a time, so one rarely practices constructing a useful sentence. Rebecca Domar's Basic Russian, pubd 1960 has it all, declensions of nouns & adjectives. Troika is designed to prolong the required coursework of students to become fluent. So dumbed down!
Schaums's outline has more for $15, and Dover's Essential Russian at $6.
This is a good Russian textbook to start out with........2005-12-19
This is the textbook we used for our Russian classes in college. I studied under the author for 2 semesters at UT-San Antonio. My other Russian professor (for the other 2 semesters) was Ukrainian. Even after 2 years of studying Russian, I didn't consider myself fluent. It will take further study (either on your own or with others) to become truly fluent in Russian, but this book is a good start.
Very helpful........2005-08-12
I ordered this to accompany the Pimsleur Language Russian program, as Pimsleur, although very powerful for learning to speak, has little more than a pamphlet to teach you to read. So, I picked this up, and it is very handy. It has made the process of learning to read fairly easay and enjoyable.
I would have rated this a 3, however, because you lose a LOT of the meat of the book if you don't have the audio recordings, which aren't included in the book. At least, they weren't with mine. However, I poked around online and found that they're available for download off this website:
http://mllc.utsa.edu/troika/student/mp3.htm
I don't know how long that site will be up, but if you intend to use this book to teach yourself to read and speak, those MP3s will be invaluable.
Fabulous, if you never need to look anything up........2005-06-12
The order in which material is introduced is fine and the examples and explanations are good. However, except for the wonderful charts in the last two pages of the book, this book is about as poorly organized for finding anything as a book can be. If you have a photographic memory and never need to look anything up, this book is fabulous. But if you need to find something - the meaning of a word or a rule of grammar - plan on looking in three or four places. And don't count on finding the word your looking for in the glossary. For example, there in no mention in the glossary of the word "when." This isn't a bad book, but unfortunately it is frequently a frustrating one.
Almost five stars.......2004-09-28
I am using this book in my Russian 101 class right now. The book itself is well organized and the grammer rules are clearly presented, but this book is in desperate need of a set of(or at least one)CD's to practice pronunciation with. The lab audiocassettes that are available don't go over the exercises in the book, just the listening exercises in the workbook. If this book came with some audio materials, it would get five stars. It is great for someone who is just getting a start in Russian.
Customer Reviews:
Indigo! Why!?.......2005-01-05
Indigo leaves the Brabazon family heads north to her love's homeland. There she meets the family he left behind. Now she must discover how a white tiger, a family secret, and an axe and shield are related, while dealing with her emotions toward a man that greatly resembles her beloved Fenran.
It seemed that this story was quickly written and was over too quickly. Doesn't explain the demon very well, and Fenran's relationship to this family. Were they his cousins or nephews/nieces?
I thought that we would learn more about Fenran since Indigo was staying with the family, but you learn nothing about his background.
I see that most of the reviews claimed that they liked seeing Indigo get a love interest, but I thought what she did was stupid, reckless, selfish, and very very thoughtless. She not only hurt herself with her relationship with Veness, but she hurt Veness, Grimya, and of course Fenran (he HAD to have known)!
Of course, this proves how human Indigo is and she is prone to mistakes, but.....she knew better darnit! She knew better......
A bit confusing..........2000-10-23
I really liked this book, especially because Indigo finds something of a solace from her tribullations. But I rated it less because it's a bit difficult to understand the nature of the demon.
In this book Indigo travels North to the land of Feran, her dear love, who is trapped in a demon world until Indigo kills the last of the demons she has released. But when she arrives at her 'destination' she meets a man who is almost identical to Feran. She is very surprised, but soon discovers that he is from the family Feran left in the North. She has to spend the Winter with these people and things get a bit out of hand... More, she discovers that the demon is right under their roof.
But exactly what this demon is, I think it's up to you to make your own interpretation.
Low point of a good series.......2000-02-17
I was surprised to see so many positive reviews of this chapter in the Indigo Saga, while the series was excellent. A wonderful concept carried through very well, this is the one book that falls gravely short. First, in all of the books save this one, she is desperatly embittered by her seperation from Fenran. In this book outside of references relating to internal conflict, he is not present. It is almost as though Indigo forgot that it was her own foolishness which condemned him to unending torment until the demons are destroyed. People always seem to focus on how difficult indigo's struggles are, and while her quest is quite substantial, she at least has some power over her situation. She could have at least had the self-control to avoid any romantic situations. Fenran was supposed to be the motivator of her quest. A reason for her too succeed, and while a romantic interlude may please some of her fans, it really undermined the entire meaning of her quest. If Veness wouldn't have so convienently died would she have delayed her quest to make a life with him? Louise alluded to that being the case. The problem with that is obvious. My other issue with this book is the Demon itself, out of all the Demons it is the least delineated. Their is more focus on Nemesis than on the actual Demon she is destroying. There are no reall characteristics attributed to it, and frankly its demise was altogther too vague. All you had was an affirmation that this was the situation.
There are also a great deal of timeline issues. Louise didn't do an effective job of explaining where the demon was motivating from, was it influencing idividuals, or was it possessing the artifacts. If it was in the weapons, at what point did the demon take control over them, because its effect on those that touched them were consistent with the curse placed on them centuries prior to the release of the demons from the Tower of Regrets. If it was possessing the people with the power of vengeance this was only marginally alluded to, because their motivation could just as easily been covetouness and greed. The book, however, did keep ones attention and is worth reading, it falls short of the level usually Louise Cooper ascends to. Read all eight books, and you can over look this one. Good luck in finding it.
Mystery/Adventure/Fantasy - even a little Romance........1999-07-11
This is a brilliant series of books - Louise Cooper does an awesome job at giving each book a unique and captivating plot. Very few authors could do for a trilogy, what she successfully did here with no less than eight books... Of all of them, this book is my favorite, combining all the best elements of the series, as listed above.
I loved it.......1999-05-06
This is one of my favorite of the Indigo books.Cooper always does a wonderful job on characters and plots,and all the books in this saga.I love Grimya very much,and even though Indigo insists that she isn't worthy of such friendship,I think she is,despite her...antics.Indigo is a strong-hearted woman,and is not quite as foolish (I believe) as the books make her seem.I enjoyed Troika's plot very much.I was nearly horrified at first,when I found out where she was staying,and about the man that looked so much like Fenran.I just couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for her,despite the obvious fact.This is a must-read book in a must-read series!
Amazon.com
Under the glare of three suns, three beings travel across an endless desert. They argue, whine, wheedle and needle each other. Sometimes they switch identities when the sandstorms roar in. As The Troika rolls on, we learn more about Alex, who started out as a man, then became cyborg, then jeep. About Naomi, a veteran soldier who woke up from her cryogenic storage tank to a new life, now a dinosaur. About Eva, who fled her native land to escape her fate as an organ-donor for the emperor. Fantasy? Surrealism? The desert landscape spins and alters as we look at the man behind the curtain: mad angel Dr. Mazer, testing a controversial therapy program at his isolated asylum. Science fiction after all?
Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for 1997,The Troika is speculative literature at its finest. --Bonnie Bouman
Customer Reviews:
Truly a fantastic shard of dementia.......2005-01-11
Alex, Eva and Naomi are a jeep, an old woman and a dinosaur, respectively. Or maybe not. They're walking across and endless desert and they can't die. Or maybe not.
The Troika by Stepan Chapman is truly an excellent book, witty, profane, brilliant, demanding... much like Samuel R Delany's 'Dhalgren' or Philip K Dick's 'Valis' but not derivative of anything, it plays around with identity, with history, mythmaking, delusion, good, evil, insanity and redemption. It rewards repeated readings, and is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books.
and you thought you had problems..........2001-01-23
Three connected, lost souls wander the desert submerged in madness and despair. Did I mention that one of them is a Jeep? This surreal story is at once intensely tragic and hopeful. I highly recommend it.
A challenging read, but worth the effort.......1999-06-28
Let me start with a warning: this is a difficult book to read. You can't skim it or read without your full attention like you can with -- well, with almost everything. The characters switch bodies (or think they do), they're unreliable narrators whose perceptions may not match reality, they contradict themselves, there are flashbacks and dream sequences galore. Only well into the book is it possible to even get any idea of what's going on. As confusing as The Troika can be, it is very much worth the effort. Trust is required here. You're on a drive, but someone else is at the wheel. Slide into the moment, enjoy the view and stop worrying so much about where you're going. You *are* going somewhere, but the trip itself is the best part of the experience. There are stories and images in The Troika that will stay with me for a long, long time. There are passages in the book that are as beautiful and carefully sculpted as anything I've ever read: the line of girls with their tongues frozen to the parking meters; skating upside down along the bottom of the ice; the fish-headed sacrifice who escapes moments before her heart is cut out. I was reminded of Dick, Kafka and others, but Chapman's voice is unique and original, and he clearly has a love of language and words. The Troika was one of the strangest books I've ever read, and among the best I've come across in several years.
Spectacular........1998-08-30
I am the kind of person who can't really like a movie if I can't understand it, or the plot is rife with holes. I did not have that problem with this book. Chapman's lyrical, beautiful writing carried me through this tale of three lost souls, and I loved the book because of it. This is the kind of book you want to reread the minute you finish, so you can understand it more, and experience its characters again. This is one of my favorites.
Brilliant.......1998-07-06
Well, it's simply brilliant but You have to use brains to read it. Comparisons with Borges, Kafka, Dick are inevitable.
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Troika
Clive Egleton
Manufacturer: Madison Books
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Death Throes
ASIN: 0812882199 |
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Die Troika
Markus Wolf
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La derniere troika (Ariane)
Didier Decoin
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ASIN: 201001880X |
Book Description
In this frank, funny, and often challenging memoir about life in and out of the church, twenty-something Patton Dodd reveals his quest for an authentic experience of God. On his journey he attempts to pinpoint and justify his belief in God, first with the fervent absolutes that characterize a new believer’s faith but then with a growing awareness of the cultural complexities that define his faith and encompass his understanding of Christianity.
When a spiritual awakening in his last year of high school wrenches Dodd out of his rebellious party days, he embarks on a quest for God. He exchanges pot smoking for worship dancing, gives up MTV for Christian pop, and enrolls at a Christian university. Soon, however, he finds himself ill at ease with the other Christians around him and with the cloying superficiality of the Christian subculture. Dodd tells his story in contradictory terms—conversion and confusion, acceptance and rejection, spiritual highs and psychological lows. With painstaking honesty, he tries to negotiate a relationship with his faith apart from the cultural trappings that often clothe it.
Dodd’s moving story paints a nuanced and multilayered portrait of an earnest quest for God: the hunger for genuine faith, the bleak encounters with doubt, and the consuming questions that challenge the intellect and the soul. This is a story that will resonate with the emerging generation of young adults attempting to break new ground within their own faith tradition.
Customer Reviews:
A glimpse of what it's like to be a charismatic evangelical (and go to Oral Roberts University!).......2005-08-16
If you're of the opinion that autobiographies should wait until the author's twilight years when he's lived his life and figured out what it means, this is not your book. My Faith So Far covers the author's high school and college years, and the end of the book is a confession that the questions and doubts the he had then are still kicking around inside him.
We get to follow Patton's trip through the culture of evangelical/charasmatic Christianity in Colorado Springs and then at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. He writes much of the book in present tense, which sometimes makes it hard to tell whether he's describing beliefs he had then or ones he holds now, but which also give his story immediacy. I was with him as he struggled with listening to Christian music, which was often second-rate, versus secular music, which made him feel guilty. He's the real deal, not a tourist--he speaks in tongues, prays for hours, testifies to unbelievers--but he still questions himself and what the church is telling him. I loved the tour of Oral Roberts University, where the students have a dress code and prayer circles take up most of Technical Journalism class. Patton shows himself and other students making fun of the excesses of Christian culture, but he never loses the earnest desire to find out what Christianity is for him.
As a secular person, I found nothing in this book to offend me--no thoughtless slams or assumptions-- and much to fascinate me. Patton's philosophizing and angst were sometimes skimmable, but it was an accurate portrait of the thoughts and conversations of someone that age. I will definitely check out any future books of his.
Non-Christian Fan.......2005-06-28
I'm not an evangelical nor Christian in any real sense, but I think this is a terrific little memoir. My use of "little" isn't derogatory -- it's a short book, precisely told, revealing much about growing up in the last few decades as well as the changing shape of religion in America. Mainly, though, it's a good story.
provocative and lively.......2005-01-04
With rare honesty and at times gut-twisting vulnerability, Patton Dodd presents a unique perspective on wrestling with one's faith. His experience touches on the nearly universal longing to believe, a longing wrought with the fear of placing one's faith in something that doesn't warrent such whole-hearted commitment. As he gives himself over to what he hopes will be a life-changing conversion, he soon learns that nothing comes easily. And as life becomes littered with doubts, he finds himself wondering what to do with the faith that remains. Dodd's thought-provoking, often-humorous account of his faith journey thus far will resonate with all those who have abandoned their faith over similar doubts, those who cling to their faith despite their doubts--and those who have yet to admit such doubts, even to themselves.
A "must read" for all God-seekers!.......2004-12-24
I just finished reading Patton Dodd's book, and it is truly an extraordinary account of how faith develops in real, contemporary life. It's funny, self-deprecating, and God-loving all at the same time. To be able to write and reflect on one's faith, and one's relationship with God, with such honesty is a remarkable feat. If only all Christians were so honest with themselves and with others!
For me, this book is right up there with other contemporary spiritual autobiographies such as Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies, CS Lewis's Surprised by Joy, and Mary Blye Howe's A Baptist Among the Jews.
Great for High School Youth Groups.......2004-12-01
Patton Dodd does a fantastic job pulling away the curtain from a very curious American subculture--Charismatic Pentecostal Evangelical Christianity. For many of us whose history has touched this subculture, My Faith So Far helps put into words many of the feelings and anxiety that repelled us from it and, in some cases, from Christianity entirely. Patton provides a hopeful story about the struggle to find or at least journey toward authentic faith.
While most readers probably won't identify with Patton's over-the-top, radical, other-worldly embrace of Charismatic worship, his critique of the Charismatic culture will resonate with anyone who has earnestly observed this brand of Christianity and walked away scratching his/her head.
My Faith So Far is a very brisk read and easy to get through in one or two sittings. It's not a scholarly read, but it does put the Charismatic movement into context and may help lead readers into a deeper discussion about the oddities of faith and the struggle to become authentically Christian.
This would be a great book for high school youth groups, especially evangelical youth groups.
Books:
- Lucky Girls: Stories
- Midnighters #3: Blue Noon (rpkg) (Midnighters)
- Minimalism: Origins
- MODERN BAPTISTS. A Novel.
- Mom, Can You Buy Me This?
- Muchas vidas, muchos sabios
- My Heart Laid Bare
- Nature Lessons: A Novel
- Nectar: A Novel of Temptation
- On Sarpy Creek
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