This is not the first book of M. Scott Peck's that I have read, but it was the most profound. It actually made me cry, as I realized, in reading it, the times in which I have been evil, the times in which my ex-husband has been (and continues to be) evil, and the way in which my dad, despite his many shortcomings, was not truly evil. We are not talking about demon-possessed evil -- though Peck does talk about that in his chapter on demon possession -- but rather about the garden-variety human evil, which I think plagues us all to some degree or another, but some of us are able to rise above our willfulness and narcissism to compassion and the ability to turn our wills over to the God of our understanding.

Peck also discusses the anatomy of group evil, and I found something he wrote eerily prophetic. Keeping in mind the book was published in 1983 (20 years ago), read these words: "Twenty years from now, when Vietnam has been largely forgotten, how easy it will be, with volunteers, to once again become involved in little foreign adventures. Such adventures will keep our military on its toes, provide it with real-life war games to test its prowess, and need not hurt or involve the average American citizen at all until it's too late" (p. 232). Granted, we were attacked, by Osama bin Ladin, but what did Iraq do to us? Can you say "prophet"?

While I found "Mrs. Dalloway" enjoyable, and it does help to read it before reading "The Hours," I thought this book was more enjoyable, easier to read, yet just as deep and complex. I loved how the lives of the three women wove together; it made perfect sense at the end. This book really explores why we live, whether live is meaningful, and how we find meaning in it. I think this book is destined to become as much of a classic as the Virginia Woolf novel on which it is based.

What a wonderful trip to the past! I could almost smell the squalor, see the construction and the dirt, feel the heat and the cold, as the architects strove to overcome a lack of time, economic disaster, clashing egos, and death and weather to get the fair off the ground. I also got chills reading about the mysterious Dr. Holmes and the way he preyed upon women who came to Chicago to seek their fortunes and ended up in his lair. Though relatively bloodless by today's standards (he didn't cut up the bodies until after they were dead), he nonetheless was evil personified, the way he used women, tricked them out of money and their honor, promised things he would never deliver, and led them, trusting, to their deaths.

The problem I had, though, was, as fascinating as the two stories were, they never really connected for me, except that they both happened in the same time and place. With a little more detail, each could have stood alone as its own book. Still, it was a great read, and I recommend it.

I found this book to be a little bit dry at times, though on the other hand, the descriptions of the violence at the hands of both the IRA and other republican groups and by the Unionist/loyalist groups were quite graphic. Still, it was quite easy to keep up with who was who and who was on which side, something that can sometimes be a problem in a history book. The authors gave a pretty balanced perspective--I do think they were a little more on the Catholic side, but overall, it was balanced. I do wish they had gone more into the background. Why did the British send the Protestants to Catholic Ireland in the first place, and how did the two sides get along before the 20th century? This is glossed over, though I guess what information is given is sufficient. It does whet my appetite to know more, however.

This book is definitely NOT on par with those by Karen Armstrong and Elaine Pagels. I agree with other reviewers who note that the research is full of holes and the organization is a mess. Worst of all, on several occasions, Bible verses quoted made no sense or were used totally out of context. The book totally lacked credibility for me.

I am not a Biblical literalist, but I cannot accept the concept that the ENTIRE life of Jesus was a myth. How can the authors say that Jesus never lived, but Paul did, yet claim that some of Paul's letters were forged? Maybe ALL of Paul's letters were forged. This stretched credibility too far for my beliefs. There are better books on Gnosticism out there. Skip this one.

At times, I found this book really frustrating, because it seemed liked no one considered that there might be other options besides the mom working full time or the mom staying home full time. For example: Kate makes more than Richard, and they pay the nanny more than what Richard makes. Why not just have Richard stay home with the kids? But noooooo. Men are too muddle-headed to manage the lives of children, so that option is never even considered! But Kate does have a point about part-time work, as I am discovering: you get sucked in to more and more work (or you get hopelessly placed on the mommy track). Anyway, despite my frustrations with the lack of options--or maybe because of them--I was drawn into the book. I enjoyed the humor and the pathos, and I recommend this for all working mothers and those who have to work and live with them.

I read this book with a sense of horror and amazement--horror that someone's life could be that terrible and topsey-turvey, and amazement that he could not only survive it, but come away so articulate and matter-of-fact about it all. I felt a lot of guilt, too, because I could relate to the craziness of his mother, and I fear, could I be marking my children the way Augusten's mother marked him? Still, there is hope admist all the chaos and clutter, in that the author comes away seeming somewhat normal. The ending is a little bit abrupt, but then, life does sometimes come out that way, and this book is about real life, however warped it may be. Read this book, but only with a strong stomach.

I had a hard time getting into this book, what with the streams of consciousness, the sudden changes in points of view and scenes, and what have you. But once I finally got into it -- I had to have NO distractions to read this book -- I found it interesting and poignant. I found the characters fascinating, even in their shallowness, or perhaps because of their shallowness. I was particularly struck by Richard Dalloway's resolve to tell his wife that he loved her, then his failure to do so, but they both understood the feelings were there. It seemed this was a scene played out over and over again, a sad but true fact of their domestic life together. Miss Kilman was also a pitiable but interesting character. I do wish the daughter, Elizabeth, could have been fleshed out more, and the connection between Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus made stronger. Still, it was quite a good book, so long as I was able to give my full concentration to it. I am glad, though, books aren't written this way today, though!

In "Reading the Bible Again," Borg puts his argument for a historical-metaphoric reading in clear text, but without talking down to the reader. He explains the world in which the Bible was written, shows the metaphors of both the Hebrew Bible and what was repeated in the Christian New Testament. To me, this is a much more satisfying and holy was of reading the Bible than a fundamentalist one, even if it is more challenging. I highly recommend it for people who, as the subtitle suggests, want to take their Bible seriously, but not literally.

The whole premise, at first seemed a little contrived: A young victim of rape and murder watches the unfolding grief and anger from a heaven that sounds like Earth with no problems. Still, the characters drew me in, as their grief and anger took center stage, even as they tried to get on with their lives. Susie's father, in particular, seemed real and torn by his grief. Some have criticized the way her mother responds to the loss, but to me she sounds believable in the way she runs away from her grief. Perhaps it's because I can see such tendencies in myself. The scene with Ray and Susie/Ruth at the end was a little contrived, though it was really sweet and it would be nice to have something like that happen in real life. Ruth was a character who was a puzzle. Her motivations were never truly clear. But still, I loved the book and would read it again.