Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal

Book Description

Now available - the Carnegie Medal winner comes to the U.S.

When her grandfather dies, Tamar inherits a box containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges, a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Holland half a century before. His story is one of passionate love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War -- and unraveling it is about to transform Tamar’s life forever.

From acclaimed British sensation Mal Peet comes a masterful story of adventure, love, secrets, and betrayal in time of war, both past and present.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!.......2007-08-23

I became fully absorbed. This is a beautifully written book with amazing characters,twists and emotion. I couldn't put it down. I've recommended it to all of my friends. Haunting.

Wow!.......2007-08-06

At times, you may feel like you know where the story is headed only to find yourself far from where you expected. The novel switches from different tenses: the past, present, not too long ago past, etc. but only in a manner of sequence that is evident towards the end. Time seems to go in drags and lurches but altogether ties up nicely. The book also has such realistic and historical accuracy blended into a web of fiction that makes this book such a great read. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

The self-interest of survival is stronger than any code of honor.......2007-06-01

Tamar and Dart are spies who parachute into Nazi-occupied Netherlands during the "Hunger Winter" of 1944. Tamar's mission is to convince Dutch resistance groups to unify under the authority of the British government. Dart is his wireless operator, at a time when a WO's life expectancy in the field is just a few months. Tamar is undercover as a farm laborer sent home from Nazi work camps due to broken health. Dart is disguised as a doctor in residence at a sanatorium. They communicate only with the help of local resistance members, any of whom could be Nazi spies.

Very little information is given about the characters beyond their duties as spies. Both are Dutch, but it is never revealed how they came to be recruited by the British or what their lives were like before they were spies. It is almost as though their choice to become spies has erased all other sense of identity. They have no past and no future beyond their present mission, even as personal feelings begin to color their relationships to one another and the organization they serve.

Approximately 50 years later, a teen girl, also named Tamar, inherits a mysterious box from her grandfather. She and her cousin Yoyo take a trip into the British countryside seeking the origins of the Tamar river and the answer to a family secret that has remained hidden for generations. The two stories dovetail in a compelling novel about the legacy of a world at war, binding people across borders and generations.

World War II happened so long ago that it is beginning to pass from memory into history. The world of TAMAR's spies is so different from our own that it might as well be an imaginary world. The secret hiding places, archaic communications like Morse code, and extreme precautions like cyanide pills add to a sense of a vanished and exotic world. It is also a period that has been fetishized over the years by many fictional portrayals. Instead of making history seem more immediate, the many movies and novels about the period can serve to make it seem less real, more a Hollywood invention than actual events impacting the lives of millions. Nazis have become stock characters, as recognizable in their uniforms with stiff marching and salutes as the villain in swirling cape and twirling mustache was in melodramas long ago. It would be easy to write another novel about the atrocities of the war without adding anything new to the literature.

Mal Peet avoids cliche through his vividly detailed recreation of The Netherlands in the winter of 1944. He writes about a population being starved into submission by their Nazi occupiers, forcing "hunger trippers" to walk miles into the country in search of food. He writes about silken code sheets that can be packed into a tiny capsule and swallowed in case of capture, and about wireless operators on amphetamines trying to stay alert through stifling boredom and constant fear.

Best of all, the author refuses to oversimplify the conflict into good vs. evil. Most of the trouble in the novel relates to the competing agendas between different factions of the resistance, and misunderstandings between individuals who are supposed to be fighting on the same side. Nazis aren't the only enemy. The novel's protagonists also battle against fear, boredom, isolation, starvation, mistrust, substance abuse and nerves stretched to a breaking point.

The level of detail in the book, invoking a specific time and place, as well as the moral complexity required of its characters in a world where the self-interest of survival is stronger than any code of honor, distinguish TAMAR in a sea of novels about World War II. Mal Peet finds the perfect balance between thrilling adventure and serious history without relying on stock characters or sentimentality. TAMAR is not the first novel to be written about spies during WWII, but it is one of the few written for a young adult audience and is one of the best novels on the subject for readers of any age.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

What a story!.......2007-05-12

I inhaled this. It was very difficult to put down, and it is 424 pages.
In 1995, 15 year old Tamar's grandfather's suicide bewilders her, as does the bewildering collection of things that he has left her in his apartment. There is a mystery, she knows, and her grandfather loved puzzles, as does she. Her father, his son, has disappeared, and she talks a distant relative into helping her solve the mystery--which is related to the other part of the story, that of two undercover operatives who parachute into the Nazi-occupied Netherlands late in 1944 and encounter both the starving winter and an array of plots, relationships and dangers. A compelling story, this sticks with you.

Nearly excellent.......2007-04-03

Tamar is a well written story, well paced and rich with detail. The characters are clearly drawn and realistic. The reason for 4 stars and not five is that, toward the end of the novel, one of the characters seems to have knowledge which she should not have. She was not an eye-witness to the incident, coming upon the scene after it was finished. She should have no knowledge of this crucial occurance. Other than this, a fabulous story.

The Sadness of Christ (Yale University Press Translation)

Average customer rating:

Fitz
Wonderful thoughts of a man on the way to his martyrdom
St. Martha Parish Bulletin Book Club March 2002 Selection
Excellent spiritual reading.
Strength in isolation

The Sadness of Christ (Yale University Press Translation)
Thomas, Sir, Saint More , Gerard Wegemer , and Clarence H. Miller
Manufacturer: Scepter Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Four Last Things: The Supplication of Souls: A Dialogue on Conscience
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The King's Good Servant but God's First : The Life and Writings of Saint Thomas More
The Life of Thomas More

ASIN: 0933932669

Book Description

This book was the last that St. Thomas More wrote in the Tower of London before he was executed for standing firm in his Catholic faith. In it, he explores the Gospel passages that depict the agony of Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. He depicts Christ as a model of virtue in the face of suffering and persecution — and along the way, he includes valuable and eternally relevant reflections on prayer, courage, friendship, statesmanship, and more. Here is an excellent resource for Lent or anytime!

Customer Reviews:

Fitz.......2006-03-24

Until reading this book, I had difficulting meditating on the agony in the garden. Thomas More takes the Gospels' descriptions of the event and commentates on them with a weatlh of saintly knowledge and scholarship. St. Thoms truly opened up this portion of the Gospels for me and deapened my understanding of them. This is must reading annually during lent.

Wonderful thoughts of a man on the way to his martyrdom.......2002-10-11

St. Thomas More writes a series of meditations on the passion of Christ in this short volume, beginning with the betrayal of the Iscariot and ends with the actual capture and trial of Jesus. More wrote this volume while contemplating his upcoming martyrdom; while seeing his friends from the London Carthusian Charterhouse being martyred; while receiving messages of encouragement from Bishop John Fisher, who resided in worse conditions in the cell below him in the infamous Tower of London.

This volume is a wonderful volume for meditation, but needs to be taken slowly. More was not one for long, flowery sentences, and thus wrote very simply. The initial urge is to read quickly. It is best to take in each word with this volume and picture Christ's suffering in one's mind while reading. A good book.

St. Martha Parish Bulletin Book Club March 2002 Selection.......2002-03-01

St. Martha Parish in Okemos, Michigan Bulletin Book Club March 2002 Selection Fr. Jonathan Wehrle, Pastor
As Roman Catholics we accept that we will die to this earth and be born into another. Our religion is rich in historic saints whose sufferings and trials mirror our contemporary human reaction to impending death. St. Thomas More is an example. He refused, even when faced with execution and death in Renaissance England, to deny his Christian life. Rather, he focused "sharply on Christ's human reaction to His approaching death." [p. v]
St. Thomas More wrote his last book with the purpose of contrasting "Christ's way of acting with our own." [p. vi] More, a lawyer and judge, served King Henry VIII as Chancellor of the Roman Catholic Church of England until he resigned in protest at the actions the king was taking to destroy the Catholic Church in England. While King Henry VIII did sunder the Church of England from Rome and further abused human and religious rights, it was not without the ultimate protest from More. Reflecting upon Christ's steadfastness provided solace for More in the Tower of London awaiting trial and his last confession and execution.
This final work of St. Thomas More's shares his reflections on the Passion and Death of Christ. Christ as fully God begged as man his Father to remove the passion to come, but humbly submitted when the choice was presented. More concludes from this that while Christ made distinctions, we also "sometimes apply to our whole selves things which actually are true only of the soul [made in the image and likeness of God], and on the other hand we sometimes speak of our selves when strict accuracy would require us to speak of our bodies alone." [p. 30]
More, seeming quite contemporary, includes a Collection of Scriptural Quotes and Reflections and presents the case for such as right reason as a key to the next world, but also for making ourselves every day "living members, sweet Savior Christ, of Your holy mystical body, Your Catholic Church." [p. 154] While More did not wish to die to this world, he reflects that "Whoever saves his life in such a way that he displeases God shall soon afterwards, with no little grief, find his life thoroughly displeasing." [p. 144]
More's work in this text unmistakeably imprints the imagery in todays Catholic Church as one body of people called Church with Christ as its Head.

Excellent spiritual reading........2000-07-11

I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is one great meditation on Our Lord's passion. St. Thomas More is clear and succint. He takes ideas to their logical conclusion, and definitely has a gift in this regard- the gifts that made him a great lawyer and statesman, as well as a glorious martyr are quite prominent in his meditations. He'll remind you to pray like you're speaking to God and love like God Himself suffered & died for you. I really liked the book and I have no doubt that it helped me grow in my knowledge of God's love, myself, and my response to God's love.

Strength in isolation.......2000-06-02

More's strength to face his imminent excecution leads him to ponder on Christ's Passion. His marvellous way of looking at life and man in the midst of political turbulence and of struggling against a tide of King Henry VIII followers gives us the necessary strength to strive in difficult situations and to think that happiness and love can be found in the detachmentof material things and as close followers of Christ's example

Average customer rating:

Passion, Betrayal, & Killer Highlights
Not as good as the first
First read SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE
Great follow-up mystery!
A Fun, Fast Read!!!!

Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights
Kyra Davis
Manufacturer: Red Dress Ink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sex, Murder and a Double Latte
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ASIN: 0373895526

Book Description

Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services… Is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye—a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along—you know…for research?

But when her brother-in-law turns up dead and her sister becomes the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother-in-law's secret life yields plenty of suspects, but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this time?

Customer Reviews:

Passion, Betrayal, & Killer Highlights.......2007-06-01

I really did enjoy reading Kyra Davis's second installment to the Sophie crime drama. Miss Davis has great writing skills, not to keep you bored. I would recommend the reading of this book.

Not as good as the first.......2007-03-29

WOW, first off the other reviews I've seen aren't even about this book. o.0. So my review WILL be about this book. mmmkay.

The plot was okay. The characters are still okay. I more or less had a problem with Jack, Sophie's nephew who's under two years old being in the book...a lot! I'm sorry, but if I wanted a mystery book that had a bratty tot in it, I'd pick up a mystery that takes place in a nursery or pre school. Leah was no kind of mom, more or less oblivious to her son's antics at her sister's house.

Other than that, the book was good, and the ending had a good twist to it. I just hope that if Ms Davis does a third Sophia Katz mystery, she leaves the nephew OUT of it. I've had more than my fill of him in this book.

First read SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE.......2007-02-02

To do justice to this second Sophie Katz novel/sequel, I really think you need to read Sex, Murder and a Double Latte first. Otherwise, the characters might seem lacking, some of the incidents mentioned might seem extraneous, and some references might simply be missed.

With this novel I was eagerly anticipating the continuation of the stories begun in Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, and I was not disappointed. This novel picks up the storyline right where the first left off and further develops some key relationships/characters. This second novel seemed slower (especially the first half), less zany, more serious, and a bit deeper than the first. It was also missing some of the first novel's fun repartee between Sophie and Anatoly, her Russian Jewish love interest. Nonetheless, this book was still a quick, light, easy read with a few laugh-out-loud moments.

As a Chinese American woman with bi-racial children, I appreciated the heightened (relative to the first novel) race/culture element and the addition of more characters of color in the story. It made the story feel more like a true San Francisco Bay Area story.

Great follow-up mystery!.......2007-01-26

I don't know that this book is technically a mystery, but it includes one, along with other entertaining qualities. I couldn't put it down. If you have read Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, you have to read this one next. It has a murder mystery, sex and humor packed in a story about family and friends. Great read!

A Fun, Fast Read!!!!.......2006-11-10

Great author! She ties in fun characters, great plots and plenty of laugh out loud humor! I can't wait for her next novel!

The World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death: Passion, Betrayal, Suspicion, Revenge, All This and More in a New Collection of Amazing Short Stories-Each One Just 55 Words Long

Average customer rating:

Short Stories, Love & Death, etc.
Er, shall we? OK, but don't expect Shakespeare:/
slightly disappointed
An enjoyable short-short collection
Wicked good!

The World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death: Passion, Betrayal, Suspicion, Revenge, All This and More in a New Collection of Amazing Short Stories-Each One Just 55 Words Long

Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762406984

Book Description

Billboard magazine had this to say about The Worlds Shortest Stories Vol. 1, "What is most impressive in this collection of great stories is the sheer variety. Lets hope a second volume of these tiny gems will not be long in coming!"

Well, here it is!

Love and death, and all of the horror in between. A second helping of the most amazing short stories ever writteneach one just 55 words long! Imagine O. Henry's tales if he'd only had the back of a business card to write upon...

Customer Reviews:

Short Stories, Love & Death, etc........2007-01-04

Very short stories, some are even amusing. A book for the guest room.

Er, shall we? OK, but don't expect Shakespeare:/.......2005-10-19

A pig wearing dark glasses and a leather pocketed change apron was waving around a stack of newspapers in a busy station lobby:
Pig: "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Porky Catches Dodo Bird!"
Daffy (approaching): "When?"
Pig: "Nunah,nun,nun...,Now!", as Porky dispatches him with a swift sledgehammer blow atop his feathered head.

slightly disappointed.......2005-09-29

the book was posted at new condition and when i recieved the book it had a good amount of water damage. though all the pages were intact so the book is still readable and everything so i am still content and the price was right.

An enjoyable short-short collection.......2004-05-08

"The World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death," edited by Steve Moss and John M. Daniel, is an anthology of stories that do not exceed 55 words in length. The introduction refers to the 55-word story as a "sub-genre of the short story." This collection demonstrates the possibilities of this sub-genre.

The stories cover a broad range of subject matter: technology, murder, sexual orientation, greed, lust, etc. The editors include science fiction and the supernatural. There are riffs on established literary works, and lots of pop culture references.

Although some selections are gimmicky, overall this is a good collection. A number of stories end with a twist. The book ends with a section entitled "How to Write a 55-Word Story," which should be particularly useful for teachers.

Wicked good!.......2004-01-03

This sweet little collection of very humorous,sad, and horrific(and that is in just one story)short stories is a lot of fun to read.Just like pistachio nuts...can't stop at one...so I read it all in one sitting...which isn't difficult of course!I'm buying the rest in the series today.

Remember: This is no huge novel filled with profound thoughts on every page. This is a little tiny book,filled with profound thoughts on every page!So chill out and accept it for what it is: A fun read...most of the time...and keep an eye out for sadness just around the corner.

Greek Myths: Tales of Passion, Heroism, and Betrayal
Average customer rating:

Engaging read - great classic stories

The Small Book of Greek Myths

Greek Myths: Tales of Passion, Heroism, and Betrayal
Shoshanna Kirk
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0811843068

Book Description

Here is the stuff legends are made of in 25 of the most beloved tales from Greek mythology, complemented with gorgeous illustrations by artist Tinou Le Joly Senoville. These classic, timeless stories have been crafted into a concise, intriguing, and very readable romp through the human condition. Arranged by emotional theme cunning, vanity, vengeance, heroism each exciting tale hones in on the frailties and strengths, desires and jealousies of gods who attempt to act like mortals and mortals who dare to be gods. Originally conceived to help early civilizations comprehend the emotions and culture of an ancient world, these myths remain as compelling today as they were thousands of years ago. From the miraculous birth of Athena in the heavens to Odysseus and his skillful slaying of the Cyclops on Earth to Persephone's abduction into the underworld, Greek Myths is a glorious introduction to the world of mythology.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging read - great classic stories.......2007-06-20

This is a great book.
The myths contained reminded me of those learned at school - they are timeless stories and were engaging to read again.
Some of them especially have a darker side to them, which adds to the intrigue.
The 'exploring further' section gives further information on classical texts and information sources, which seemed helpful, and gave some indication of the thorough nature of the telling of the stories.
There's also a great map, which helps you find your way around the ancient world.
It's a quick read, in a light style; highly recommended.

The Small Book of Greek Myths.......2006-03-30

Shoshanna Kirk has put together 25 Greek myths and organized them by 12 themes, from "Cunning" and "Desire" to "Heroism". For instance, she puts the story of Narcissus and Echo in the "Vanity" theme which ends hauntingly with "Let us join, let us join, let us join ... Narcissus, captivated by his own gaze, died, diving into himself."

This is a small book in many ways, it is short, and written in a small font. The introductory material is in such tiny print as to be barely readable.

Tinou Le Joly Senoville provides fitting illustrations for each story and by themselves provide reason for looking at this book. It also has a useful, short, glossary, and a succinct essay on delving further into Greek mythology.

Average customer rating:

Passion of Christ

The Passion Of Christ
Erika Swanson Geiss
Manufacturer: Publications International, LTD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 141271074X

Product Description

Beautiful, New large coffee table type book, would make a wonderful gift for anyone, Hardback, Dustcover

Customer Reviews:

Passion of Christ.......2006-08-11

Purchased this book to replace one that had been loaned to me. Which I cannot find. This book purchased new. This is a lovely artistic book on Christ.

Passion! Betrayal! Outrage! Revenge!: A Luann Book

Average customer rating:

Great Read
I loved this book
Look into the teen mind
Could not put down until finished!
If you are a tennager read it, if not read it!

Passion! Betrayal! Outrage! Revenge!: A Luann Book
Greg Evans
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Luann delights readers with her teenage problems. This book peers into her hilarious life, revealing humorous moments of unstable adolescence. Luann is syndicated in more than three hundred newspapers.

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2002-05-24

I really enjoyed the storylines in each strip as well as the fun drawings Evans put in alongside the strips. I am on my way to ordering another Luann book.

I loved this book.......2001-08-31

I really loved this book, I usually hate reading, but once I started reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. I really can compare myself to Luann because Evans makes her so realistic!

Look into the teen mind.......2000-06-08

I think this Luann book was so much fun to read. Sometimes it could be like a soap opera, and other times it had me rolling in laughter. It's an honest, down-to-earth comic series. I know you'll enjoy it if you love Luann.

Could not put down until finished!.......2000-06-02

This book was so good, I didn't want to put it down until I'd finished it. I also didn't want to finish it because it was so good! Now I want more Luann books to come out. Hurry up!

If you are a tennager read it, if not read it!.......1999-11-26

I'm Luann fan since I read it for the first time in 1996 on-line. I bought the last edition of Luann comic and it is great and this one is,too. The title is right for the book.

The Judas Brief: Who Really Killed Jesus?

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The Judas brief: Who really killed Jesus

The Judas Brief: Who Really Killed Jesus?
Gary Greenberg
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0826489990

Book Description

The Judas Brief challenges the fundamental Gospel concept that at least some leading Jews played a key role in having Jesus executed. Author Gary Greenberg provides a detailed examination of all Gospel accounts of hostile interaction between Jesus and the Jews, with special attention to the Gospel accounts of the Jewish and Roman trials of Jesus. He then compares these Gospel reports with the historical evidence and reaches some surprising and controversial conclusions, including that: · there was never any organized Jewish hostility to Jesus · the only significant opposition came from Roman authorities · Judas was a close ally of Jesus and represented him in negotiations with the High Priest · the High Priest tried to protect Jesus and his followers from a Roman initiated massacre · Jesus willingly agreed to surrender himself to Pilate as a hostage to insure that his followers remained passive during the holiday · Judas and Caiaphas had expected that Jesus would be released after the holiday · Pilate broke his word and had Jesus executed · Judas committed suicide in grief over the unexpected death of Jesus and the role he had played

'The Judas Brief' is a comprehensive and clearly written account of the many Gospel portrayals of interaction between Jesus and the Jews. It may well provide modern Christian scholars and exegetes with some of the tools necessary to challenge the anti-Semitic reactions that flow from the Gospel accounts of Jewish hostility to Jesus.

Customer Reviews:

The Judas brief: Who really killed Jesus.......2007-06-19

WHO REALLY KILLED JESUS
Book review
By Andre Austin

Author, Gary Greenberg has released a brand new book, The Judas Brief: Who really killed Jesus. His main thesis is an attempt to rightfully indict and exeronate the murders of the man you know as Jesus Christ. He uses all of his lawyer verbal and writing skills coupled with digging deep through the historical records to offer an alternative ethological assumption of the murder of Jesus. Gary cuts through the chase, hyperbole and all of the embellishment handed down to us all the zealous followers of Jesus.

So just who killed Jesus? We are led down a road to believe that Pilate with the assistance of Jewish priest forced Pilate to crucified Jesus. However, all that we know about the cruel Pilate was that only another individual with similar or equal power or the Emperor could make Pilate budge on issues dealing with political and military operations within his jurisdiction. According to the Bible "Herod and Pontius Pilate met together...to conspire against your holy servant Jesus" (Acts 4:27). Herod was called a fox a possible allusion to foxes who wore sheep clothing because by birth he was a Jew but was Roman in all of his ways. So if Herod conspired to kill Jesus just what did he do? When you conspire it's a joint effort of two or more person to achieve a criminal or immoral goal. The goal was killing Jesus. The trumped up charges was he claimed to be Son of God and or Son of Man. Theses terminologies meant King and ultimately treason to Herod and Pilate; and we are lead wrongfully to believe it meant blaspheme to Caiaphas, the Sadducee priest.

For some reason or another the apocrypha book the Gopel of Peter (GOP) didn't make it in the official canon of the New Testament, however it's useful because it continues the dialogue of fully explaining Herod's conspiracy to kill Jesus. According to the GOP Herod was the one who gave the order for the execution. "Herod the king commandeth that the lord (Jesus) be taken saying to them (Pilate), what things soever I commanded you to do unto him (Jesus), do" (GOP). This settles it for me. Like father like son Herod the great attempted to kill Jesus, (with no massive baby killing was the embellishment), in his infancy and his son Herod Antipas finally was able to get him as an adult. In the New Testament Jesus had taunted Herod to try to kill him out of his jurisdiction. Herod beheaded John the Baptist which he thought Jesus was a reincarnation of.

As I read The Judas Brief, I began to see the real picture. Judas didn't betray Jesus the correct term was "hand over" temporary for house arrest at the Sadducee priest house. It is very unclear in the gospels just what Judas Iscariot's betrayal consisted. Matthew says that Judas' payment and death were prophesied by Jeremiah, and then he quotes Zecharian 11:12-13 as proof!

According to Matthew 26:15, the chief priests "weighed out thirty pieces of silver" to give to Judas. There are two things wrong with this:
a. There were no "pieces of silver" used as currency in Jesus' time - they had gone out of circulation about 300 years before.
b. In Jesus' time, minted coins were used - currency was not "weighed out."
By using phrases that made sense in Zechariah's time but not in Jesus' time Matthew once again gives away the fact that he creates events in his gospel to match "prophecies" he finds in the Old Testament. The embellishments were for moral teachings not historical teachings. Judas was a trusted treasury and rebuke Jesus for using expensive oil that could be used for the poor. This behavior is inconsistent with a man wanting to kill Jesus for money. Although the bible says Satan entered Judas the only apostle called the devil was Peter and that was because Peter didn't want Jesus to die. Judas also didn't commit suicide which Greenberg points out the contradiction. And if you read also another apocrypha book called the Gospel of Judas you will see the allegation that Judas was murdered.

The deal was brokered that Jesus would remain under house arrest after the Passover festivals was over. When Herod found out about it he countermanded Pilate to put Jesus on the cross. The Jewish authorities had to hand him over to Pilate and Herod to avoid widespread killing spree. So Jesus died so that many Jews could live at that time and place. Judas and the others didn't believe in suicide, martyrdom or sacrifice but it was out of their hands now. The Jews had very little to do with Killing Jesus.

It appears that at one point in time Christians and Jews didn't get along. It's possible that in that zeal of animosity the Jews involvement with killing Jesus was hyped up.

I stopped everything I was doing to finish this book. Two thumbs up for this page turner. It was worth my money.

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Anything for money
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What Gennifer Went Through - from Day 1 to today

Gennifer Flowers: Passion and Betrayal
Gennifer Flowers
Manufacturer: Emery Dalton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton

ASIN: 0964047934

Customer Reviews:

I'm a big fan of this book.......2005-03-02

Can anyone dare to be comical about PASSION AND BETRAYAL by Gennifer Flowers? This book from 1995 fueled scores, if not hundreds, thousands, or millions, of jokes which showed how ludicrous and infantile our feelings are when the basic situation of "millions of women everywhere" (dedication, six pages before page 1 starts "a chain of events that would forever alter the course of my life") is subjected to the nightly descent into entertainment values in an effort to show the American alter ego who we are, really. The book has no index, so people who did not want to miss important themes were bound to read every page or guess if the chapter called "Baring It All" was what they wanted. People who doubt that anything in this book actually happened might try paying more attentions to the Romans who had seen a statue by Bernini and proclaimed: Truth is only at Bernini's house.

Books have been an individual art-form that generally say more than any patient could expect to cover in therapy sessions. In a culture which places more emphasis on money than on enduring relationships, it is not surprising to find Gennifer Flowers admitting, "I intended to relax and have fun. I had always been a free spirit who liked to have fun, but now I intended to really pursue it." (p. 57). So she was hired as a membership director at the Cipango Club in Dallas, and when "Finally someone yelled, `Gennifer, it's time for you to get up on that bar and dance.' I didn't hesitate for a second. I climbed right up, high heels and all, and danced through two complete songs. Everyone was applauding and egging me on, and I was in heaven." (p. 58). Moving from there to Branson, where "I would look out over the audience and see acres of white hair" (p. 59) and Roger Miller had to apologize for saying a word that happened to be in a joke he was telling. "You'd have thought he slapped their mothers!" (p. 60). Then "I needed Bill to work his magic and recharge me again--I needed a `Bill fix.' " (p. 60).

Entertainment has become so much like an addiction that it is no wonder politics seems more closely related to the behavior of stars and fans than to maintaining a decent foundation for mutual trust in the future. Entertainers need to make a lot of money when they are young because trends go out of style, and privacy has never been big when a society becomes as dominated by its communications media as the modern global world. "The security guard would walk around the building and see Bill coming in through the side door, and the guard had a real loose tongue." (p. 63). Soon she was concerned with "the reports and rumors that had begun to surface about what happened to those who tried to cross or become a threat to that all-powerful Arkansas power structure that stood behind Bill Clinton." (p. 84). After Bill announced that he was running for president, "the possibility that my actions might have dangerous consequences for my mother scared me to death." (p. 93). An attorney named Gary Johnson placed a video camera "so that it had a view directly out his front door and down the hall. Because our doors were close together, he also got a very clear view of my apartment door. When rumors began circulating that Bill and I were having an affair, Gary let it be known that he actually had a videotape of Bill coming to my apartment. Big mistake. Not long after that, some large men forced their way into his place, beat him senseless and left him for dead. According to Gary, they kept asking where `the tape' was. Sure enough, the videotape with Bill on it disappeared.

"Gary, it seems, was a double threat because he was also acting as counsel for Larry Nichols, the man who filed the lawsuit against Bill Clinton." (pp. 93-94).

Later, "my whole apartment had been ransacked" (p. 96). "Thank goodness I had put the tapes of our conversations in what I thought was a safe place, away from my apartment, a few days earlier." (p. 97). Soon she had the opportunity to read about her troubles in the Star supermarket tabloid. "Next to that was a picture of the apartment manager, who said in a caption that he had seen Bill visit me there ten to twenty times." (p. 103). On a personal level, "What about all those people who had been hurt or killed when they became a threat to Bill Clinton and his circle of power?" (p. 105). So she spent two weeks talking to the Star reporter Marion Collins in New York "to make sure I had the chronology of events correct. She was insistent I not slip up on dates and give anyone the opportunity to discredit my story on the basis of a factual error." (p. 108). Also on a personal level, "I had spilled my guts so thoroughly to her that she almost seemed like my personal psychiatrist." (p. 109).

The shrink business is not what it used to be, what with so many mental people being thrown into prisons where the authorities refuse to give them their medications, and the most effective personal drug preferences are likely to be illegal or considered contraband. Dodging other reporters even became an adventure, as "Meanwhile, I was thrust into a cloak-and-dagger existence in New York." (p. 110). Watching Bill and Hillary on Sixty Minutes following the 1992 Super Bowl "was sensational and they had a built-in audience. . . . It was all hype, and Bill took advantage of every opportunity to make himself look good." (p. 111). Gennifer still thought it was possible that "Bill would have been a hero! He would have created the appearance of a politician who could tell the truth, even if it was painful." (p. 111).

Anything for money.......2003-05-01

Gennifer Flowers received plenty of money for this ... attempt at non-fiction (and for her other duplicities) all of which occurred after her failure to succeed at anything else. It really belongs in the fictional romance pot-boiler category. This woman lied about having a twin sister, lied on her job resumes, etc. In every way she is not a credible witness. A prurient read for ill-informed conservatives who like to combine sexual kicks with libel. Belongs in super market tabloids, the only "newspapers" who ever lent her inventions any "credibility."

A Book That Should Be Republished.......2000-11-24

Intriguing,informative and positive-Reading this first autobiography by Gennifer Flowers was an amazing journey into the woman's life,thoughts and,so to speak,"inner world".

Because it not only describes her most famous one-time lover,Bill Clinton's attractive but complicated personality from all angles as it is supposed to,but also reveals her insightful observations on every single thing that happened to her life,regardless of whether it was private or public,and her ability to express them to the fullest.I was struck as I read one page after another,especially by her excellent sense of humor which remains unwavering both in times of euphoria and in times of trouble and ordeal,even at the moment when her life itself seems to be in jeopardy because of the relationship with Clinton.

Yes.Although completely betrayed by none other than her caring but cunning and powerful lover,she never flinches,and after going through so much pain caused by the man,she finally overcomes it with that remarkable attitude.It is at that moment that she "betrays" him in return,by leaving him behind inwardly and moves forward,free of any hatred or obssession.Thoroughly affirmative and positive-that may be the reason why I found it so refreshing when I finished reading.

Therefore,I believe that this book is worth 100 times as much as the more famous similar book,Monica's Story,and that this one definitely needs to be republished at this particular moment-the end of the Clinton Presidency.

Very Believeable.......1998-07-02

Why I believe everything Gennifer says in her book. She has said many times on television interviews what she tells in her book. She never trips up when asked over and over about the twelve years she had the relationship with Clinton.

She describes Clinton to the (T) just how he acts today. When she tells about the things he talked about with her alone, it sure sounds like him when we hear him talk to us the American people.

Gennifer describes Clinton as she had been the wife, as a wife usually knows the husband better than anyone else. Hillary seems as though she does not even know her own husband.

There are a lot of shocking chapters also in Gennifer's book on what kind of man Clinton really is.

What Gennifer Went Through - from Day 1 to today.......1998-04-09

Gennifer tells her story - not from a political angle but from the point of the view of the "other woman". Not only does Gennifer tell about Clinton's private behavior, but she also describes her thoughts and reactions as the story progresses. I was surprised that she told on herself as much as she did Clinton. After reading this book, I felt that she too mishandled many opportunities to clear her name. Several "juicy" private details revealed....

THE BETRAYAL: A Passion Drama in Three Acts With a Prologue

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THE BETRAYAL: A Passion Drama in Three Acts With a Prologue
Geoffrey Nevil Dowsett
Manufacturer: Samuel French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6ZCGG

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