History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

In Memory of Elaine Marks: Life Writing, Writing Death

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Expanding Awareness

In Memory of Elaine Marks: Life Writing, Writing Death

Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0299222306

Book Description

A widely recognized and respected authority on French literature, women's writing, feminist theory, and Jewish studies, Elaine Marks wrote groundbreaking books on Collette, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jewish themes in French literature. In Memory of Elaine Marks continues her legacy of rigorous intellectual exploration, enlivening scholarship in diverse areas of thought.
The eleven essays in the collection bring together a number of intellectual, political, and ethical domains that were central to Marks's work: pedagogy, feminism, lesbianism, women's auto/biography, Jewish identity, community, memory, mourning, isolation, and death. In their interpretations of works by Marks, Simone de Beauvoir, Hélène Cixous, Philip Roth, Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes, Saint-Simon, La Bruyère, Marcel Proust, and others, the authors illustrate and engage Marks's existential vision, fearlessly probing the human experience to make sense of how we live, die, and understand both.

Customer Reviews:

Expanding Awareness.......2007-05-13

Goodkin, Richard E. "In Memory of Elaine Marks: Life Writing, Writing Death". University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.

Expanding Awareness

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

When Elaine Marks died in 2001, the world lost a powerful voice. Marks had been widely associated with and respected as an authority on French literature, women's writing the theory of feminism and Jewish studies. She was a giant among French literary critics and added an entire new dimension to the study of the written word. I remember way back when I was an undergraduate and had taken my first feminist literature course. In one of the opening lectures we were told about the French feminist literary tradition ad names that were mentioned then have since become legendary--Helene Cixious, Luce Irigary, Kristeva and Elaine Marks. Little did I know then how much these women would influence my thoughts or my life. These women held sway over intellectual, political, ethical and even sexual domains. Marks possessed a rigorous intellectual mind with which she explored many different and diverse areas of thought and helped to develop modern existential philosophy. She wrote about Colette and Simone de Beauvoir and she did so with an authority heretofore almost unknown--especially by a woman. To me she ranks right up there with the philosopher Michel Foucault as a symbol of brilliance.
In "In Memory of Elaine Marks", editor Richard Goodkin has paid her long overdue homage. He has chosen eleven essays that revolve around the central ideas of Marks's work--lesbianism, Judaism, pedagogy, women's biography, Jewish identity, memory and mourning, community, isolation and death. These essays show how Marks saw the world existentially as she explored the human experience in an attempt to try to make sense of how we live, love, die and mourn.
The book not only celebrates the life of marks and her contributions to the world, it is also a sensitive and moving way by which to remember her. For women to reach the intellectual heights that Marks and her coterie did was a new experience for the literary world and oftentimes we do not consider the role of women in the rise of modern intellectualism. Goodkin's book may very well make us look at the issue in a new way.
Marks challenged but she was also greatly loved. The volume gives us a chance to rediscover what we may have missed or even to discover it for the first time. Reading Marks for the first time for me was a haunting experience. She boldly said so much of what believed but never had the courage to say. Her penetrating intelligence and her complex ideas will always be a part of me. The one thing that Marks said is something I think about a lot and that is that the reason that we read and write is not because we want to change the world but it is to "deepen our awareness of being in the world and having to take leave of it". We all know that our time here is measured and we all want to believe that our life here has made a difference. We all want the world to be better off when we leave than it was when we entered. Elaine Marks managed to do just that and what a great goal that is for all of us.
"In Memory of Elaine Marks" is quite an expensive book at $65 but it is well worth every penny. To be able to think deeply after a good intellectual read has no price and its value is something we cannot count.

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Magnificent characters!
Contrived and pathetic
Mediocre
A Great Coming of Age Story--Wonderful!
A stunning prize of a novel

The Memory of Running: A Novel
Ron McLarty
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670033634
Release Date: 2004-12-29

Amazon.com

Ron McLarty has joined the ranks of writers of the quirky hero with The Memory of Running. His hero, Smithy Ide, is in the grand tradition of Ignatius J. Reilly of A Confederacy of Dunces and Quoyle of The Shipping News. What these gentlemen have in common is their lumpen-loser looks, their outsider status and their general befuddlement about the way the world works and their place in it. Smithy rises above them because of his self-effacing nature, his great capacity for love, his inability to show it and his endless willingness to forgive.

Smithy is a 279-pound, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, 43-year-old misfit who works in a G.I. Joe factory putting arms and legs on the action heroes. (How did McLarty come up with that?) He is also the most beguiling anti-hero to come into view in a long, long time. McLarty, an award-winning actor and playwright best known for his many appearances on TV in Law & Order, Sex and the City, The Practice, and Judging Amy, has added another star to his creative crown with this novel.

The first sentence of the book is: "My parents' Ford station wagon hit a concrete divider on U.S. 95 outside Biddeford, Maine, in August 1990." This tragic accident eventually claims both their lives. It is on the day of their funeral that Smithy finds a letter to his father about Bethany, his beloved and deeply troubled sister, stating that, "Bethany Ide, 51, died from complications of exposure... and she has since that time been in the Los Angeles Morgue West." Beautiful Bethany, given to taking off her clothes in public places, holding impossible poses for long periods of time, responding to voices that only she can hear, and disappearing for no known reason. This time, she has been gone for many years and now Smithy knows that she died destitute and alone. When he reads the letter, he is drunk, grief-stricken and, despite a house full of people, he is alone. He goes out to the garage to smoke and have another drink and spies his old Raleigh bicycle. He sits on it, flat tires and all, wheels it to the end of the driveway--and--Smithy doesn't know it yet, but he is going to ride a bicycle from Maine to Los Angeles to claim his sister's remains.

On the road he meets the good, the bad, and the really bad. He frequently calls Norma, the Ides' across-the-street neighbor, confined to a wheelchair for years, and always in love with him. He has never acknowledged nor returned her ardor, but he starts to count on her friendship during his travels. Their conversations are sweet and revelatory. McLarty has done a superb job of showing us who Smithy is and who he is becoming. It's a wonderful story told with great poignancy and humor. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

Once in a great while, a story comes along that has everything: plot, setting, and, most important of all, the kind of characters that sweep readers up and take them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Well, get ready for Ron McLarty's The Memory of Running because, as Stephen King wrote in Entertainment Weekly (Stephen King's “The Pop of King” column for Entertainment Weekly), “Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians.”

Meet Smithson “Smithy” Ide, an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk who works as a quality control inspector at a toy action-figure factory in Rhode Island. By all accounts, including Smithy's own, he's a loser. But when Smithy's life of quiet desperation is brutally interrupted by tragedy, he stumbles across his old Raleigh bicycle and impulsively sets off on an epic journey that might give him one last chance to become the person he always wanted to be. As he pedals across America—with stops in New York City, St. Louis, Denver, and Phoenix, to name a few—he encounters humanity at its best and worst and adventures that are by turns hilarious, luminous, and extraordinary. Along the way, Smithy falls in love and back into life.

McLarty's novel has already received significant attention for its unusual genesis as an audiobook. Now, in a major publishing event, Viking heralds the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction with his stunning debut, The Memory of Running.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent characters!.......2007-05-25

I love books that are chock full of rich characters. Books from authors like John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver, etc. This is one of those books! Smithy Ide, his sister Bethany, her uncle Count and others will burn themselves into your memory. It was hard putting this book down and I was disappointed to be through with it. Highly recommended!!!

Contrived and pathetic .......2007-05-16

Smithy Ide is a dismal, twisted, overgrown adolescent whose ability to tell his own story is limited and irritating. If this were an actual memoir, an editor would have removed the many sentences ending with the phrase "and stuff", and also would have restricted the number of panting references to women's breasts. But this is a novel, written with the vocabulary and insight of a stupid, self-loathing buffoon whom the author no doubt thought would become another Ignatius J. Reilly. He does not come close.

The book's secondary character, disappearing sister Bethany (a name which doesn't even register on the name popularity charts for the year she was supposed to be born), is one of the worst representations of mentally ill women in fiction, and the manners in which community, family and medical team attempt to deal with her behaviors are totally unrealistic. Even if we were being subjected to her adoring brother's faulty memories of the events, this would be forgivable, but to conclude that is to necessarily scrap the entire rest of the narrative.

Which I recommend. I'm stunned that so many people -- and others I've spoken to -- think this is a great, important novel, and that McLarty is a talented writer. But then I remember how many people voted for George W. Bush. Twice!

Mediocre.......2007-05-15

To be fair, I haven't finished this novel. It's not as if I have no free time, I do-- I just couldn't stay interested in the characters at all. Chapters here and there are well-written and drew me in, but the overall "quest" of the main character is boring and cliched, and there is nothing in the novel to make me like him. Right now I have no real reason to want to finish the book, other than to fill up moments of sheer boredom.

A Great Coming of Age Story--Wonderful!.......2007-05-05

Ron McLarty's "The Memory of Running" is a must read. It keeps going back to this extremely over-weight man's childhood. At age 45, the man never married, and then his parents are killed in a car crash. A week later, he finds out that his only sibling, a sister, has died homeless in Los Angeles. The man then takes off on his bicycle to ride from New York to Los Angeles. He gives up drinking and smoking and starts eating right. It's a real page turner.
There's also his memory of a girl in a wheelchair who loves him.
You'll love this story!

Also excellent is "The Traveler," by McLarty. Click here: Traveler

A stunning prize of a novel.......2007-02-26

This novel was so well written and the plot so compelling that I couldn't put it down. I was so struck by the fact that I, an avid reader, wasn't even familiar with Ron McLarty, the author. I cannot praise this book highly enough. It is a wondrous journey of redemption for a character who didn't even require redemption, except from his own shame. A great book!

I'll Hold You in Heaven Treasured Memories

Average customer rating:

WELL WRITTEN AND A MUST READ
nice thought

I'll Hold You in Heaven Treasured Memories
Debbie Heydrick
Manufacturer: Gospel Light Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0830732608

Book Description

While there are many books that address the issue of grieving the loss of a child, this book stands alone by inviting the parents to express their emotions in an interactive way with what they are reading. This book will not only honor and validate the very real loss of a baby lost through miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death, but it will also provide parents a way to get through the loss with help from Scripture, encouraging quotes, soothing art work, space for journaling, and a very gentle tone that says, "Your baby and your loss are very significant." The keepsake book provides a place to write one's personal story of loss and "love letters" to the child, and includes a list of loss support resources and practical ideas for treasuring memories of the child.

Customer Reviews:

WELL WRITTEN AND A MUST READ.......2004-12-10

As someone who came from a family that had lost a loved one at birth, I found the book to be of comfort, of healing, and of hope. It is a book that will uplift a family's spirituality in time of grief following the loss of a child. Well written and a must read. A very powerful spiritual book, written from author's personal experiences of grief from the loss of a child.

nice thought.......2004-10-14

This book talks about God/Jesus a lot. it has a spot for Journaling at the end of each chapter with helpful questions to get you started. i expected more of a memory scrap book and not just a journal.

Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child

Average customer rating:

Children Reincarnated
A compelling tale
Past Lives Hold Healing Power
An incredible book for everyone to read!
A Strong Case for Reincarnation

Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child
Carol Bowman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553101846
Release Date: 1997-03-03

Amazon.com

Everyone I've talked to about this book loved it as much as I did. While I was reading, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, not from fright, but from the emotional charge. It makes sense that children are likely to remember past lives as their open minds allow them to experience a trance state that adults have to practice to achieve, and maybe more children relive their former lives than we think. Carol Bowman gives us a guide for recognizing and handling such episodes. She writes not just as a researcher, but as a mother who has seen her own children go through the experience.

Book Description

Chase had a terrible fear of loud noises that would send him into uncontrollable fits of tears. His mother, author Carol Bowman, could find no rational explanation for her son's behavior and decided to try an experimental procedure, allowing Chase to experience past life regression. She was shocked to hear her red-haired, freckle-faced son describe, in accurate detail, how he was an African American soldier who fought in the Civil War and died on the battlefields. He spoke of the rifles, of being wounded, of missing his wife and children, of wishing he had not volunteered to fight, of the loud sounds of shots ringing out incessant thunderous outbursts, and of dying. After Chase remembered this past life, his fear of loud noises utterly disappeared.

Chase's experience, and its beneficial outcome, led Bowman to begin research on children's past life memories. In this book, she offers the fascinating, startling, and truly incredible true stories of children who remember their past lives, including the experiences of her own son and daughter, and the past life regression she recalled herself. The book also offers advice to readers, illustrating how to detect clues to past life awareness, how to trigger past life memories, and how to use those memories to reap the full benefits of health and self-understanding for the child. Finally this is a book of inspiration that strongly supports a belief in reincarnation. Bowman demonstrates how the past influences the present, how we can learn to understand the realm of the spiritual, enter into that world to discover the immutable nature of the soul and explore the essence of life, death and the spaces in between.

Customer Reviews:

Children Reincarnated.......2007-09-27

Carol Bowman's Children's Past Lives, is possibly the best written work on children's reincarnation. From a terrribly personal perspective, the reader is drawn into the daily struggles of a child remembering. This book is spellbinding, and will leave you haunted with possibilities of reincarnation. I give it 5 stars! As it pertains, also see, Blessings in the Mire They're kindred!

A compelling tale.......2007-06-25

Carol Bowman tells a compelling tale that will grab any mother or father who have a child that gives clear evidence of having lived before. The usual reaction is put the child to bed and soon it all goes away, but they may have thrown away a chance to learn more about life and what it means.

Carol's journey takes her on a tour of some of the better known authors on reincarnation giving recommendations along the way. It is like getting letters of introduction to these people and their texts.

The entire of her study, journey and work make a compelling case for reincarnation as well as opening a road to the more valid literature on the subject. This book is a key.

Past Lives Hold Healing Power.......2006-12-09

Carol Bowman has written a compelling book from her own research and clinical experiences about reincarnation especially in children. There are amazing true stories about traumatic memories recalled through regression into pain-filled emotions trapped inside the psyche and body. Sometimes these memories have manifested in disease which I find especially intriguing since I know first hand this is true. She has presented in detail some incredible remissions from diseases by purging their roots in memory banks of other lifetimes. Belief in reincarnation is the basis for carrying unchecked emotions from one lifetime into another.

There are very few authors willing to attempt the tricky walk into the mystical realm masked behind disease as mental and physical illness. To do this by past-life recall is new to many readers but it holds amazing healing power. Kudos Carol Bowman! One other book that I highly recommend to those who are interested in past life recall is: Eclipse of Fate...my healing journey through past-life recall, by Barbara Burritt. This book of memoirs from her private memory banks of past-life recall led to instantaneous healing from terminal breast cancer. It is time for science and the mystic to work together. There is more to disease than modern medicine can cure or comprehend. Healing comes from deeper resources than the flesh, because the unseen soul life holds ancient mysteries waiting to be remembered.

An incredible book for everyone to read!.......2006-08-15

I have read and researched books and articles on past lives but this is truly the first book that discusses the healing involved when children remember their past lives and trauma that they experienced. There is such a healing and growth that happens. I would recommend this book or anyone who is interested in learning more about past lives.

A Strong Case for Reincarnation.......2006-03-15

I was in the midst of reading a new mystery by a treasured author when this book fell into my hands. I became so engrossed that I forgot about the murder mystery.

Here are stories of children, some at the toddler stage, speaking in foreign languages, exhibiting advanced artistic abilities, and using adult terminology specifically related to the past life circumstances they are describing.

Carol Bowman's relaxed narrative style turns an important subject into an enjoyable read. The reader feels drawn in to the stories of the children, and the author's own experiences of past lives.

This book makes a very strong case for the reality of reincarnation. And it gives examples of how an acknowledgement of past life experiences can be a stepping stone to inner and outer healing. I give it my highest recommendation.

Grant Me My Final Wish: A Personal Journal to Simplify Life's Inevitable Journey

Average customer rating:

Should be kept next to the family Bible
Grant me my Final Wish
You Need This Book! I'm Going to Buy Copies For My Friends
Grant Me My Final Wish - A personal journal to simplify life's inevitable journey
Grant Me My Final Wish

Grant Me My Final Wish: A Personal Journal to Simplify Life's Inevitable Journey
Renata Vestevich
Manufacturer: Bella Vita Books LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0976638207

Book Description

Grant Me My Final Wish: A Personal Journal to Simplify Life's Inevitable Journey, makes recording answers to difficult end-of-life questions a gratifying experience. A guide to the practical and vital matters that death brings to the forefront, Grant Me My Final Wish gently assists readers in recognizing and expressing their innermost desires.

Beautifully designed and clearly laid out, this award-winning journal compassionately helps readers to consider large issues and small details. It addresses such topics as organ donation, important people to notify, and care of beloved pets.

Knowing that one's important final wishes have been documented can bring a profound sense of comfort and peace of mind. Most of all, Grant Me My Final Wish is a celebration of a life well lived. It can be filled with photos, keepsakes, and fond memories, creating an enduring family legacy to be shared with loved ones and friends.

Customer Reviews:

Should be kept next to the family Bible.......2007-09-05

As an avid reader my interests are quite varied. Like most people once I finish a book I rarely pick it up again. However once in a great while a work will come along that is more than mere entertainment or to fill space in a book case. A work so special it becomes a companion. Something to cherish, to enjoy, to learn from, to make your very own and to pass down to future generations. Grant Me My Final Wish is very different from anything I've read before and frankly I was a bit skeptical. But wow what a surprise. Well written, insightful and detail oriented, "Grant Me" actually grows in value and purpose long after the reader puts it down. A must for every family. It belongs in that vaulted position next to the family bible

Grant me my Final Wish.......2006-04-04

I am a registered nurse who is presently working on my Masters in Counseling at Oakland University. I am thoroughly impressed with this journal which is intelligently and compassionately written. There should be a copy in every home. Grant Me My Final Wish will open a difficult topic for discussion, as well as leave memories for loved ones.
Carol Franciosi R.N. Bsc. El. Ed. Masters in Counseling (CLASS OF '06)

You Need This Book! I'm Going to Buy Copies For My Friends.......2006-01-08

I was told about this book by a fellow Rotarian who heard Ms. Vestevich speak at his meeting. It is very well designed and makes for a beautiful gift to give to friends and loved ones. Renata Marie created a useful tool to share one's vital information, memories and wishes for all to see so that when they're gone, they're never forgotten and their thoughts and wishes are known to all. Everyone should have a copy to augment their legal Will. After all the Terri Schiavo media attention I woke up to how important it is to have a living Will regardless of your age and write down what you want to happen if you're unable to let others know. Though there may be other books or journals out there for that purpose, Grant Me My Final Wish has to be the best! Renata Marie did a great job putting it together to help facilitate what should be included in the journal and make sure you know what you need to think about now and in the future. Worth every penny and then some! Bravo!

Grant Me My Final Wish - A personal journal to simplify life's inevitable journey.......2005-08-23

A beautiful book - inside and out. The cover is padded so it has that "journal" feel -- it's the perfect size to carry and fits easily in a bookbag or briefcase. I think the best feature of this book is the table of contents -- a comprehensive and well organized list of topics and subtopics covered in the journal which guide the reader through "life's inevitable journey."

Grant Me My Final Wish.......2005-08-23

Wow! I initially bought this for myself but found it so useful that I bought one for my dad. It allowed me to approach subjects with him about his future medical care and the type of arrangements he would want for himself upon his death. Most of all, it's given both of us the opportunity to record important information right in the journal so it's all in one book. Kudos to Ms. Vestevich!

Life and Death in a Small Southern Town: Memories of Shubuta, Mississippi

Average customer rating:

Life and Death in a Small Southern Town: Memories of Shubuta, Mississippi
Gayle Graham Yates
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0807129372

Book Description

Gayle Graham Yates's hometown sits on the banks of the Chickasawhay River, boasting the live oak, dogwood, and magnolia trees found throughout southern Mississippi. Like any place, Shubuta (population 650) is inhabited by good people and bad, by virtue and vice. Both a literary memoir and a cultural history, this book chronicles Yates's return to the town in which she first knew goodness and came to recognize immorality. Blending folklore and personal impressions with the words of Shubuta people telling their own stories, Yates offers a rich narrative of the town from its Choctaw prehistory through the tremendous economic, political, racial, and social changes that led to its present.

The author's pilgrimage leads us to the Hanging Bridge, where some black Shubutans were lynched; to a bank that did not fail during the Great Depression; and to the office of the doctor who tends broken hearts as well as broken arms. Yates takes us to Shubuta's most beautiful gardens and ugliest vacant lots, to all the stores in town, to the new post office, and to the town hall. In the process, we learn how Shubuta evolved from a racially stratified town to one in which the descendants of slaves are now political leaders, librarians, business owners, and police officials. Yates also tells of her own moral journey from judgmental young activist to middle-aged scholar mellowed by experience, travel, and reading who sees her home with newfound compassion. Ultimately, she shows us Small Town southern America: a strong, frail, fascinating, and complex human community.

Average customer rating:
Raymond, or, Life and Death, with Examples of the Evidence Fro Survival of Memory and Affection After Death
Oliver J., Sir Lodge
Manufacturer: George H. Doran
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0RWBQ

Average customer rating:

Some good points, much bias and impracticality

Genocide and the Politics of Memory: Studying Death to Preserve Life
Herbert Hirsch
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Teaching About Genocide: Approaches, and Resources (PB)

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ASIN: 0807845051

Book Description

More than sixty million people have been victims of genocide in the twentieth century alone, including recent casualties in Bosnia and Rwanda. Herbert Hirsch studies repetitions of large-scale human violence in order to ascertain why people in every historical epoch seem so willing to kill each other. He argues that the primal passions unleashed in the cause of genocide are tied to the manipulation of memory for political purposes.

According to Hirsch, leaders often invoke or create memories of real or fictitious past injustices to motivate their followers to kill for political gain or other reasons. Generations pass on their particular versions of events, which then become history. If we understand how cultural memory is created, Hirsch says, we may then begin to understand how and why episodes of mass murder occur and will be able to act to prevent them. In order to revise the politics of memory, Hirsch proposes essential reforms in both the modern political state and in systems of education.

Customer Reviews:

Some good points, much bias and impracticality.......2003-12-15

The author's first good point is that the most recent century was the most genocidal in all of history, and that politics--not religion--was the primary cause of the death and destruction.

Even though the author seems to have a strong bias against Christianity, he does give clear evidence that Hitler's Third Reich was anti-Christian, showing its attempts to inculcate Hitler-worship rather than Christ worship.

Hirsch wants to widen an individual's concern and caring to the entire human species, as opposed to just the family, tribe, religion, nation, or other "in-group." That sounds good in principle, but he adduces Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud as examples of those who have promoted the widest expansion of concern and caring. Marx and Freud??? Who is he trying to fool? Freud was a misogynist, and Marx's theories were the driving force behind the vast majority of the genocide of the past century. He also adduces Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism as promoters of his principle, but fails to mention Christianity. Surely this must be a typo, for he previously admitted that Islamic countries claim that freedom of religion and freedom from sexual discrimination violate their traditions. He tries to frame this in political, rather than religious tradition, but how blind can he be if he doesn't understand that Islamic governments derive their views directly from the Islamic religion.

Here is one quote that really drove home to me his bizarre understanding of the world:

"American students...catgorized the United States as a 'free country,' as opposed to Communist countries, which were seen as 'not free' and 'bad.'...These perceptions are, quite clearly, not based on information or knowledge..."

What a crock!!!

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