Books

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A must for those in recovery
My favorite
Return of the Prodigal Son
A message for all people
The Parable of the Love of the Father

Return of the Prodigal Son
Henri Nouwen
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385473079
Release Date: 1994-03-01

Amazon.com

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming is a spiritual adventure story. A chance encounter with a poster depicting a detail of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son set in motion a chain of events that enabled Nouwen to redefine and claim his vocation late in his life. In this book, which interweaves elements of art history, memoir, Midrash, and self-help, Nouwen brings the parable to life with empathic analyses of each character. Nouwen's absorption in the story (and the painting) is so complete that the father's challenge to love the son, and the son's challenge to receive that love, become Nouwen's own. And Nouwen's writing is so clear and his tone is so appealingly frank and humble that readers--no matter how far from home--will find hope for themselves in the prodigal peace Nouwen ultimately achieves. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

The beloved spiritual writer meditates on the parable of the prodigal son's return -- a powerful drama of fatherhood, filial duty, rivalry, and anger between brothers -- and its enduring lessons for Christianity.

Full-color photographs with gatefold.

Customer Reviews:

A must for those in recovery.......2007-06-27

I love this book. I could completely identify with all aspects of the Prodigal Son and Henri Neuwen is a great writer. I have read several of his books and find they help me deepen in my spiritual path, even though I am not a "Christian" in the fundamental definition.

My favorite.......2007-06-11

This is my favorite book of all time. I work with teens in a second year confirmation program and bought a copy for them. As of yet, none have actually made any headway but my hope is that it remains on their shelves as a permanent part of their library and that someday they will go back and flip through, discover its worth and wisdom and reference it throughout their lives as I have.

I turn to this whenever I need some inspiration. It renews me the way a good mass does.

Return of the Prodigal Son.......2007-05-25

Nouwen provides great insight into God's character and our walk with Him. The book is written almost like a journal and at times like a biography (of Rembrandt). This is one of my favorite books of all times.

A message for all people.......2007-05-12

This is my #1 pick of all Henri Nouwen wrote for the world. I have bought many copies of this book to give as gifts. It has touched the hearts of every recipient. It is a must read for everyone.

The Parable of the Love of the Father.......2007-04-01

I have heard the story of the Prodigal Son all my life, but Nouwen's discussion of it has drawn my heart to the Father more than anything has for a long time. I have just ordered my second copy because I marked up the first one so badly on my first reading that my copious notes now distract me!

Nouwen takes us through his own journey of spiritual discovery that was triggered by his fascination with Rembrandt's painting of the same name. While he refers to the painting more than to the biblical text, his exploration of the story is consistent (with only one or two exceptions that I can think of) with the text and its true meaning.

He directly but gently challenges us to consider in what ways we are like the prodigal son and in what ways we are like the elder brother. While I felt some pangs of recognition and remorse while I was reading it, it was never discouraging or disheartening, because Nouwen constantly reminds of us the unchanging, undeserved and undeniable love of the Father Who is always calling us home. While some sermons or books make me feel sad or guilty that I have 'left home', this one makes me _want_ to come home to the Father.

And then he adds an interpretive twist that I have never heard before: he calls us to become the _father_, to become like our Heavenly Father in loving and calling others home. too. We embark on a dual journey of becoming the beloved son or daughter of God so that we can become a father who loves as He loves.

Here is a summary passage that gives a taste of where Nouwen takes us on our journey:

"Living out this spiritual fatherhood requires the radical discipline of being home. I find it impossible to love consistently without asking for something in return. But the discipline is precisely to give up wanting to accomplish this myself as a heroic feat. To claim for myself spiritual fatherhood, I have to let the rebellious younger son and the resentful elder son step up on the platform to receive the unconditional, forgiving love that the Father offers me, and to discover there the call to be home as my Father is home."

In his warm, vulnerable and profound way, Nouwen offers this book that can itself help us hear the voice of our Father calling us home. I highly recommend it.

Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Frankenstein is NO Odd Thomas
Stunning Craftmanship
Excellent mondern day take on a classic.
A modern day Frankenstein
Strong use of a classic concept

Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1)
Dean Koontz , and Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553587889
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Book Description

From the celebrated imagination of Dean Koontz comes a powerful reworking of one of the classic stories of all time. If you think you know the story, you know only half the truth. Get ready for the mystery, the myth, the terror, and the magic of…

Dean Koontz's Prodigal Son

Every city has secrets. But none as terrible as this. His name is Deucalion, a tattooed man of mysterious origin, a sleight-of-reality artist who’s traveled the centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Detective Carson O’Connor is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner Michael Maddison would back her up all the way to Hell itself–and that just may be where this case ends up. For the no-nonsense O’Connor is suddenly talking about an ages-old conspiracy, a near immortal race of beings, and killers that are more—and less—than human. Soon it will be clear that as crazy as she sounds, the truth is even more ominous. For their quarry isn’t merely a homicidal maniac—but his deranged maker.

Customer Reviews:

Frankenstein is NO Odd Thomas.......2007-05-31

Although this book is imaginative as far a continuing the present day life of Victor Frankenstein and his creations I was unimpressed. Its a quick read but not the on your seat type of book. Don't get me wrong its ok. I just expected a lot more.

Stunning Craftmanship.......2007-05-07

Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son is one of Dean Koontz's best novels. It is fast-paced, full of action and suspense, and the characters are ones you become attached to. Definitely a page turner...I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend this to anyone who loves a suspenseful thriller. Warning: Once you've read this, you'll have to read #2...and if you liked it as much as I did, you'll probably end up angry that #3 isn't out yet. Can't wait!

Excellent mondern day take on a classic. .......2007-04-18

Dean Koontz does and excellent job with his take on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. The story takes place in modern day and Victor Frankenstein (now better known as Victor Helios)has been alive for centuries creating his super human "New Race" of people who he plans to one day control to wipe out man kind (the "Old Race")and create his vision of a more powerful productive world. Now it is up to Detectives O'Conner and Maddison with the help of Victores original monster who now goes by the name Deacullion to stop Victor and his New Race and save mankind.

This was a great book that was hard to put down. If you have the time its very easy to read in one sitting. It offers suspense, excitment and a bit of humor. Highly recomended for all Koontz fans.

A modern day Frankenstein.......2007-04-13

We seen the story Frankenstein in movies. The tale has been told over and over again. But this book puts a new spin on a great and legendary character.
Welcome to the future ...Frankenstein in the modern age. This book is compelling, thrilling, and full of mystery and suspense.

This is a must read for fans of Frankenstein.

Strong use of a classic concept.......2007-04-13

I'll say up front that I am not a Dean Koontz fan. I loved the Watchers but the next couple of Koontz books left me cold and so I stopped reading him after that. I say this not to bash him as an author, but to establish that my praise for this book is based on its own merits and not any admiration for the author in general.

When I saw that this book was based on the Frankenstein mythos, it grabbed my attention and I decided to take a chance on Prodigal Son. While the book starts off a touch slow as it introduces a number of characters and subplots, it quickly builds tension and speed. Detective Carson O'Conner is the central character but Victor Frankenstein and his perspective are also prevalent throughout the story. There are two serial killers at work and for very different reasons both the police and Victor want to find one of the murderers. I don't want to spoil the plot so I'll stay away from the details but the characters are very well handled and I found it to be more and more of a page turner as I went along. There are also some enjoyable scenes featuring Victor's creations as they use their superhuman strength and speed if you enjoy a good monster fest.

I only had a couple of quibbles with this book. First, it is only the first of a planned series of three so it doesn't have a true ending. Many of the threads are tied up but there is a real cliffhanger on the last page. I would prefer that the story be more self-contained even if there is a larger tale to continue in later novels. Second, one of the serial killers takes up a large part of the first half of the book and then his part of the story comes to a screeching halt with no real payoff. While his presence makes a somewhat interesting contrast and parallel to Victor, it's hard to say that the character really needed half the space he was given, so it almost seems like filler in hindsight. Still, his story was fairly interesting so it's far from devastating to the book.

Taken as a whole, I definitely enjoyed Prodigal Son. I have not yet decided if I'll buy the next two chapters (only the second book is even available as I write this) but this was a good read and may even convince me to try another Koontz book at some point.

Average customer rating:

God gives us hope for those who wander.
hope for hurting parents
Internal Peace
A great encouraging book to give away.
Excellent reading for the discouraged parent of a prodigal.

Prodigals and Those Who Love Them
Ruth Bell Graham
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 080105897X
Release Date: 1999-07-01

Book Description

Mittens thinks she's a wonderful cat who can manage on her own. Without a family to take care of her, she learns humility quickly and her need for help. Ages 6-10.

Customer Reviews:

God gives us hope for those who wander........2006-03-02

What a great book! God's kindness and healing is what every prodical needs. I recommend it.

hope for hurting parents.......2005-12-01

this book came into my hands in 1995... there is also a study guide that was available with it... I found that about a month after I found the book... my two sons were in 9th and 11th grade at the time and were going into scary territory in their lives... they both had started using drugs and hanging out with really disfunctional kids... they would bring them home and my husband and I would be shocked by what their home lives and their parents were like... using drugs themselves, or just plain abusive or crazy home lives... so at some point our sons had stopped being the "helpful friends" for their friends and started getting messed up themselves... so all this I say to say that this book on prodigals came when we were getting scared for our sons... in this book, Ruth Belle Graham has collected personal poems she wrote, stories and clips she collected and scriptures and prayers as she went through her two sons being prodigals as well... every story, every line was a lifeline to me to help me see God was still able to help my sons and was going to help me learn how to pray for them and continue to love them through their crazy years... I have given it to several friends already... I highly recommend it for encouragement...also Franklin Graham's book "Rebel with a cause"... it is excellent from the opposite point of view because he was one of Ruth's prodigal sons...=)

Internal Peace.......2003-05-26

This book lead me to an internal peace that I cannot describe. My son was a runaway and I had not seen him in 4 months when I purchased this book. Reading it gave me strength and hope and the peace that only our Lord can give. I continue to recommend this book to others facing tough teen agers and to mention stories in the book that helped me through a most difficult time.

The peace which came as a result of reading this book has brought me to a higher level in my relationship with God.

A great encouraging book to give away........1999-09-12

I have had this book in my library for years and it is a great source of encouragment. Mrs. Graham's insightful way of sharing her heart with others fans the flame of hope. This "my" book to give to other whose children are "in the far country."

Excellent reading for the discouraged parent of a prodigal........1999-07-05

I found the book to be a very encouraging word in a time of need when my teenage son had turned his back on the Lord. Ruth's words were helpful and insightful. It was a nice reminder that others have gone through the same or similar thing and come out the other side victorious in the Lord.

Average customer rating:

A Reflection to Touch your Heart!

The Return of the Prodigal Son
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Manufacturer: Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 023252078X

Customer Reviews:

A Reflection to Touch your Heart!.......2006-10-04

Nouwen's meditation on the Gospel parable and Rembrant's painted depiction of the Return of the Prodigal Son is amazing. Touching the heart with his honest and transparent identification with each of the three figures central to the story.

This book provides beautiful insights into the spiritual, intellectual and emotional struggles that accompany the various stages and experiences of embodying each of the three figures (Father, Older Son and Younger Son).

This is a book that is approachable and speaks to all. I highly recommend it.

The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants

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Beautiful, Cross-Cultural, Eye-opening
meticulous and eye opening

The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants
Kenneth E. Bailey
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Interpreting the Parables

ASIN: 0830832815

Book Description

Honored in 2006 as a "Year's Best Book for Preachers" by Preaching magazine.Where is the cross in the parable of the prodigal son?For centuries, Muslims have called attention to the father's forgiveness in this parable in order to question the need for a Mediator between humanity and God. In The Cross and the Prodigal, Kenneth E. Bailey--New Testament scholar and long-time missionary to the Middle East--undertakes to answer this question.Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both the New Testament and Middle Eastern culture, Bailey presents an interpretation of this parable from a Middle Eastern perspective and, in doing so, powerfully demonstrates its essentially Christian message. Here Bailey highlights the underlying tensions between law and love, servanthood and sonship, honor and forgiveness that grant this story such timeless spiritual and theological power.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, Cross-Cultural, Eye-opening.......2006-09-28

One of Jesus' most astonishing stories, a story that has resonated down through the ages, is commonly known in English as The Prodigal Son. In this book, Kenneth Bailey retells this familiar story through the eyes of Middle Eastern peasants.

Bailey is a longtime missionary, a man who has spent his life among the peasants of the Middle East. Bailey really knows village life. And that makes all the difference in understanding Jesus' story.

But this book is much more than another commentary. Bailey (along with IVP) has made a beautiful book. There are several plates decorated with Arab calligraphy, and half the book is a four-scene drama - a retelling of the story in a small village, complete with the score to one of the characters' songs. This is an exemplary work, engaging heart and mind at once.

meticulous and eye opening.......2006-07-08

Ken Bailey is the best New Testament scholar around today because he brings deep insight and experience from the Middle Eastern culture combined with attention to form criticism. The result is an eye opening and inspiring work on the Prodigal. You will not be disappointed in this book or any of his work.

Jacob & the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story

Average customer rating:

Theologians Only Need Apply
Jesus Retells Israel's Story
Bailey found it.
Drink deeply from Luke 15

Jacob & the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story
Kenneth E. Bailey
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants
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Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

ASIN: 0830827277

Book Description

Israel, the community to which Jesus belonged, took its name from their patriarch Jacob. His story of exile and return was their story as well.In the well-known tale of the prodigal son, Jesus reshaped the story in his own way and for his own purposes. In this work, Kenneth E. Bailey compares the Old Testament saga and the New Testament parable. He unpacks similarities freighted with theological significance and differences that often reveal Jesus' particular purposes. Drawing on a lifetime of study in both Middle Eastern culture and the Gospels, Bailey offers here a fresh view of how Jesus interpreted Israel's past, his present and their future.

Customer Reviews:

Theologians Only Need Apply.......2007-01-10

Kenneth Bailey, one of my pastor's professors from seminary, is a real expert on the cultures of the Middle East and both their impact on the way the Judaeo-Christian Scriptures were written and how they should be interpreted by Western Bible students today. I purchased this volume out of curiosity after reading another of Dr. Bailey's books (which I've also reviewed here). I was not disappointed, however I will warn all readers: his books are not for the light reader! This is HEAVY material! Very scholarly stuff, replete with citations and endnotes ad nauseam! If you are a SERIOUS student of the Bible and you want to delve deeply into the exegetical mysteries of the texts, you'll love Dr. Bailey's books. If not, you'll probably find them insufferably dry and so exhaustively detailed as to suffocate your interest in the subject matter.

Jesus Retells Israel's Story.......2006-06-22

Certainly Bailey here further contributes to his work on the Prodigal Son by showing with Mid-Eastern sources how Jesus answers his theological critics by retelling an OT story and inserting himself as the hero reconciling the very enemies' accusing him and thereby inserting them in the story as the ones offered this reconciliation.

Bailey's adept insights into sin, reconciliation and Christology are to be keenly noted and praised and utilized. Certainly and primarily this parable is about Jesus as the reconciler, the key to unlocking not only this parable but the Bible itself.

Worthy of reading, and rereading.

Bailey found it........2006-04-28

Great book. Bailey makes a persuasive case that the story of the Prodigal son is a retelling of the Jacob story. The prodigal son is not a contemporizing of the Jacob story like West Side Story is to Romeo and Juliet. Rather it is a retelling with the crucial elements reversed, slightly altered or preserved. The differences reveal the ministry and mission of Jesus better than the most exhaustive systematic theology. This book goes beyond Poet and a Prophet.

Jesus is a master storyteller. This book facilitates understanding why.

Drink deeply from Luke 15.......2006-01-01

There are portions of the Bible that are shockingly powerful and clear. One such portion is Luke 15 with the Parable of the Lost Sheep/Lost Coin/Lost Son. Bailey is as fine a commentator on this subject as you may find seeing how through this parable Jesus is retelling Israel's story and our own. Simply terrific (as are Bailey's other works!).

Average customer rating:

The man and the legend!
SORRY
meticulously researched
Another HOMERUN for Mantle with one for Castro!!
How and Why Mickey Mantle Was Our Troubled Public Hero

Mickey Mantle: America's Prodigal Son
Tony Castro
Manufacturer: Potomac Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1574885316

Book Description

n the life of the great cultural icon baseball slugger Mickey Mantle, we see America's romance with boldness, its celebration of muscle, and its comfort in power during a time when might did make right. But if his life symbolized the great expectations of America in the 1950s, it also epitomized the dashed dreams of a troubled generation in the 1960s and its unrealistic hopes for achievement. MICKEY MANTLE: AMERICA'S PRODIGAL SON is both an explosive biography of one of the world's most fascinating and enduring sports heroes and a telling look at the American society of his time. During six years of research, former SPORTS ILLUSTRATED writer Tony Castro interviewed more than 250 friends, teammates, lovers, acquaintances, and drinking buddies of one of America's most famous sports heroes.

Customer Reviews:

The man and the legend!.......2006-08-08

It results a common place to state the New York Yankees captured along the past Century (and still does) the absolute attention of the great audiences inside and overseas to become a true epic legend. Every five years new and emblematic names inscribed his names with golden letters to enhance still more this living legend.

But Mickey Mantle' s charisma literally surpassed all the possible epithets; his powerful wrists at the moment to make that magic swing so imitated for many sluggers, constituted by himself a justified motive to assist the Yankee Stadium.

That' s why the simple fact of spelling his name was immediately an attraction motive; because that generation of sluggers was compensated for an impressive generation of formidable pitchers; this admirable conjunction of fortunate events made even, much more emotive and mesmerizing the homerun considered as the maxim climax; the definitive feat. And this distinction was proportionally rated according the pitcher' s status.

The Big Mickey was a true mass media`s idol. Perhaps there has not been another baseball player (with the notable exceptions of Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig) with such astonishing ability to inflame multitudes with that emotion level. The admirable dimensions of his homeruns are part of the collective memory, but the most aspect worthy to remark was precisely mantle was not an ultra developed musculature, or a febrile consumer of supplementary hormones. You should to take into account in those times, the numbers of hours you spent in an airplane made still, more tiring the daily effort, the number of hours of rest was considerably minor respect those actual times.

This sensational biography contains abundant information, graphical and zealously descriptive around the greatest moments in the Big Show, his personal records in the Stars Game and World Series.

For those generations who had the chance to see him, for all those who knew about him in his historic moment, but specially for this newcomer generations, for whom his name is simply synonymous of a legend, it would be very advisable to acquire this invaluable testimony of one of the most emotive, passionate and committed Baseball players in any time.

Farewell Mickey, because your Promethean effort has been compensated for the myth force to become a everlasting legend and motive of continuous, renovated and future references about your tenacity and discipline in the infield.

SORRY.......2004-06-28

Well, sorry to be the only one in disagreement, but this is a trivial and sophomoric book with absolutely nothing original in it. First off, I did live during Mickey's time, and I knew him casually. There are a lot of books describing Mickey's faults, all of which he admitted to himself. The pop psychology, done from a distance, with just the right amount of politically correct sociology really gets old in sports books. The Author contradicts himself several times and does not understand at all the mentality of managers or players in the late 40's and 50's. He gets off on the strangest tangents, and I can't for the life of me figure out what he was driving at. It's a pointless book that reminds me of an article in a checkout stand tabloid. Skip this, get Golenbock's "Dynasty" or "Wild, High and Tight".

meticulously researched.......2003-05-20

if this is your first interest in a book about "the mick", castro's work is a great place to start. i wish this one was available before i read the other three in my collection. what sets this book apart, is the journalistic integrity that is apparent with it, and the avoidance of sensationalism just for the sake of it. it is complete with dozens of anecdotes told by those that knew mantle - a feature that undoubtedly serves to make it more interesting than standard biographical non fiction. it is obvious that the author, seeking to be impartial, had a love for the player and the person. if you are looking for a mantle biography that is an honest portrayal of mantle as a ballplayer with the dynastic yankees, and as a man with weaknesses, look no further. if you are a american history buff, you will also enjoy how santos weaves events of the day and the flavor of the time into the flow of his book. all and all a great read. i highly recommend it, especially to those who, like myself, grew up "worshipping" the yankees of the 50's and 60's and, of course, their centerpiece center fielder from oklahoma.

Another HOMERUN for Mantle with one for Castro!!.......2003-01-21

I wanted to learn more about Mickey Mantle after seeing Billy Crystal's HBO movie 61*. Since Mantle's career had long ended before I was born, my only knowledge of Mantle was his name and that he was a famous baseball player. I didn't even know why he was a famous baseball player. If I ever thought about it, which I did not, I would've guessed he broke some kind of baseball record. Well, it's obvious to me now that before I read Tony Castro's book "Mickey Mantle:America's Prodigal Son," I had absolutely no idea of what I was missing. And, I wish I found out sooner, while Mantle was still alive!!!

This book opened my eyes to a lot about Mickey Mantle, the time in which he played ball, the legacy of the New York Yankees, and baseball, in general. In regards to Mantle, I never knew what a powerhouse he really was with the ability to hit a baseball over 500ft numerous times. Add to that the fact that he could hit from both sides of the plate and the kind of speed he had to get around the bases. His athletic ability alone was astonishing to me. I really wish I were born earlier so that I could have seen him play.

But, this book is not just a lengthy form of the back of a baseball card containing statistics about Mickey Mantle. It is much more. It allows you to live in the times that Mantle did by explaining the goings on in the country and baseball's role in the country at each stage of his life. I think it was great the way Castro did this because you could get a sense of the emotion surrounding Mantle and the incredible greatness of the Yankees at that time. Dare I say, I got caught up in the story almost as if I was watching it or living through it. (Although, I know I could never really know what it was like to live at that time and experience even seeing Mantle play ball on TV.) For example, while reading about Mantle, learning to play ball from his father and grandfather, as he was growing up, you get a real feel for how much Mickey and his father loved baseball. You also see how even at a very young age, Mantle gave his all for the game. You understand that for Mickey playing ball and playing hard was not only about living out a dream, but also about giving back to his father all he felt his father gave to him. It was a labor of love and you feel that reading this book, especially as Mickey begins to realize his potentials by breaking all kinds of records.

But despite all this glory, the story turns dark early with the death of Mickey's father very, very early in his major league career. It continues to stay dark as Mickey's drinking slowly destroys his body, even as he plays. Yet, even through the drinking and injuries, you are uplifted by knowing that Mickey gets out there everyday to play the game and play it better than great.

Finally, though, Mickey must retire and his life goes downward because his drinking gets so much worse. It is at this point that the clouds really darken for Mickey. It is sad, and lasts for the rest of his life. And yet, at the very end, Mickey steps up to the plate one last time to correct the mistakes he's made by drinking. He does this by sharing his darker story with the country as an example of how not to handle the difficult times and, in his mind, waste one's talents. He begins a "don't drink and don't do drugs" campaign to save others from his kind of problems.

"Mickey Mantle:America's Prodigal Son" is really a great book. There is so much more to this story that hasn't even been mentioned here. It is a small history lesson in the goings on in baseball and the country through the 1950s until the 1990s in addition to Mickey's story. It explains why the game is the way it is today with money at the center and no real grooming of players, for any team, as the Yankees did for so long, which led to their famously long winning streak. You don't have to be a baseball guru, or even a baseball lover to appreciate Mickey's heartwarming story with its greatness, disappointment, and true heroics.

How and Why Mickey Mantle Was Our Troubled Public Hero.......2002-09-03

No American athelete has ever been revered by a higher percentage of Americas youth than was Mickey Mantle. We needed for somebody to write a book about how and why America made Mickey Mantle an unprecedented and enduring national sports icon and to what degree Mickey was and was not prepared for the ramifications. As one of those life-long fans of Mantle, I think I've read every book about him, in addition to absorbing forty years of magazine articles. Tony Castro's research and writing produced the best sports biography I've ever read. "MICKEY MANTLE, America's Prodigal Son," is a beautiful composition of history and emotion and revelation. The depths that Castro explored took us to the troubled inside of Mickey the boy and Mantle the man. Castro clearly defined the public star who exposed his personal conflicts only toward the end of his famous life. Secondarily it it also teaches us about the interactions of the Yankees and explains why Mickey's teammates and opponents were always so loyal and supportive of him. (Joe DiMaggio excepted.) Actually, Castro's whole approach to the subject was masterful. The reader benefits from more than just new insights into what made Mickey what he was and wasn't; the reader learns about why Mickey became what he ultimately became and how he became so much a part of us. This book should be required reading for fathers and sons of all ages. It teaches us about ourselves and about the times we all shared with Mickey Mantle--from those days when he was what we all we wanted to be, to those days when he became what we all hoped he and we wouldn't become. In the end Castro explains to us the many reasons why we were fascinated with Mantle. The dark side of our flawed idol having been explained for the first time in detail, sets the stage for the bittersweet end where Castro describes the salvation that all of us desired for Mantle to attain. Castro paints the canvas with the events leading to Mantle's death. The end of the ride allowed the public to bury The Mick in the same glow it always wanted for him as a real American hero, strong, but at the same time, understandably and forgivably fragile.

Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM

Average customer rating:

A little dissappointing considering everyone else gave it 5 stars
Teach your kids to Share, Spend and Save
Prodigal Sons and Material Girls...
Really hits the target for money and values with youth
Sage & Insightful Advice for Rasing Responsible Children

Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM
Nathan Dungan
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471250694

Book Description

In today’s society many young people have lost sight of the value of money and seem to believe that money really does "grow on trees." Part expose and part survival guide, Prodigal Sons and Material Girls addresses the nagging issue faced by many parents today – why do their children have such unrealistic expectations about money?

The book is divided into two comprehensive parts. Part I outlines the disturbing facts about America’s possession-crazed youth and the society that has distorted their views. You’ll be introduced to everything from the "three-headed monster"—a high-powered triumvirate of consumer products companies, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies that has tremendous influence over your children—to the distorted view of the American Dream as shaped by principles known as "The Teen Commandments." In learning what you’re up against you can teach financial responsibility from a position of strength.

In Part II, Dungan offers creative and convincing examples on how to leverage his highly successful "Share-Save-Spend" approach to money – critical elements for you to help your children break free from the materialism that has become ingrained in our society. Through insightful anecdotes and simple exercises, you will learn how to:

Talk to your children about money
Understand the difference between financial wants and needs
Increase the probability of your children having a prosperous life
Raise your children’s marketing IQ
Maintain healthy financial boundaries
Set a healthy example for your children to follow

The "Share–Save–Spend" methodology will help your children establish healthy financial habits and will undoubtedly become their foundation for making a lifetime of responsible financial decisions.

Nathan Dungan is an innovative leader in the financial services industry. Over the past 15 years, he has been a top-performing financial advisor outside of Philadelphia, PA and most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), a $57 billion member-owned financial services company with nearly 3 million members. Dungan is a frequent speaker and workshop leader and has been widely quoted on this subject in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and has appeared on CNN and PBS.

Customer Reviews:

A little dissappointing considering everyone else gave it 5 stars.......2005-11-15

While Nathan Dungan makes a good case that our culture is becoming more and more materialistic and there is more and more pressure on kids to conspicuously consume, I think that he spends too much time making the case. I bought the book precisely because I was concerned about instilling sound financial values in my own children, so I think he didn't need to spend well over half the book convincing me that it's something to be concerned about.

His share/save/spend philosophy is a good one from a 50,000 foot view, but I would have appreciated more concrete actionable plans. Don't get me wrong, there are specific suggestions and exercises (some of which I plan on impleenting), and discussion topics for dialogs with your kids, just not to the level I was expecting. There are also plenty of anecdotes about what other families have done, both good and bad, but I'm always a little uncomfortable with "advice by anecdote" vs. advice by research. There are plenty of citations, and I may be wrong, but it seemed to me that most of the citations regarded the impact of our materialistic society and the current state of affairs with young people getting into financial trouble, rather than studies regarding specific advice and how kids react to the peer pressure and financial environment. Also, a lot was said about peer pressure, and a lot was said about not caving in to it, but not a lot was said about helping kids cope with it in their daily lives.

In the end, I suppose this is a very difficult subject to write about. Every family situation is different, with different levels of income and affluence. Even if I can afford to buy certain things for my kids, where do I draw the line? The world is certainly different than the world I grew up in, but I think it's unrealistic to say "this was how it is when I grew up, so you should live in that world too.

Teach your kids to Share, Spend and Save.......2004-04-16

Nathan Dungan's philosophy for teaching children to be responsible with money has its roots in a church program he designed at the behest of a friend. Dumbfounded that the kids in Sunday School hadn't thought about the possibility that money could be shared, he developed an approach to financial literacy focused on Sharing, Spending and Saving.

Many parents will identify with the profiles and stories of kids who ask for and are given too much. These same parents will likely be depressed by the evidence Dungan presents surrounding the influence of advertising, promotion and media on kids' inability to distinguish between wants and needs. Dungan offers solutions to these problems, providing parents with the ammunition to stop the madness and, not only to teach, but to lead by example.

Dungan acknowledges that its difficult for any parent to run counter to prevailing cultural imperatives to buy more, more, MORE. The tools he offers in this book should help make the job much easier for the committed parent.

Prodigal Sons and Material Girls..........2003-09-06

I just finished reading the book, "Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM..." I was very impressed with Nathan Dugan's share-save-spend strategy, similar to what I was raised on--and eventually converted my husband to. Mr. Dugan's strategy combines spiritual and practical values into an easy to follow formula. Another aspect that I was impressed with was that Mr. Dugan also emphasizes understanding who you are and where you come from, in relation to your financial mindset--something that leads to our spending habits. I am trying to teach good financial habits to my three young children. When they come shopping with me we talk about the things that our family "needs" versus our "wants." I firmly believe in investing in oneself by saving money, instead of satisfying immediate wants. I appreciated Mr. Dugan's philosophy of grouping values and financial habits together, something I think people in financial straits don't realize. I've had extended family members approach me from time to time, asking for help in teaching them how to budget, etc. This book is a great reference that I will recommend to those who are struggling and to those who aren't, but need reaffirmation.

Really hits the target for money and values with youth.......2003-08-16

The book opened my eyes to the some of the psychological manipulations that advertising and marketing companies use to influence children. The strategies Mr. Dungan suggests for instilling traditional values like donating and saving money as well as reasonable spending can help children learn how to be successful financially in adult life.
As a professional financial adviser and I see many financially successful people. In virtually every person that has accumulated substantial wealth I find several consistent attitudes and habits. These attitudes and habits for success are rarely found in today's youth. If this materialism doesn't change the future will not be as bright as we would want for them. I have been searching for resources that will help me teach young people in my community the value of money and how they can make choices which will provide long term happiness and security and at the same time live a life of joy and fulfillment today. Mr. Dungan's research and suggested strategies do just that.
This book has become the centerpiece of my community education effort.

Sage & Insightful Advice for Rasing Responsible Children.......2003-06-15

A brilliant review of what we/society have done to "drug" our children in a spending stupor and what we need to do to stem this cultural tide and raise responsible & healthy children when it comes to managing money/spending.

Let me be the first to say I too am part of the problem; I've indulged my child and mis-taught my son with illusions that spending is happiness. Mr. Dugan describes how I/culture are misleading our children, if not selling them out, for the sake of marketing gain: business profit over our children's happiness. We're allowing business advertising to be the stewards of our children's spending/financial health. Mr. Dungan shows us how to take back that stewardship and how not to abdicate our child-rearing responsibility (about spending) and what to do to raise wise-spending young adults.

I have a few years to try to undo whatever harm I may have wrought. Of course, it's hard to rectify a bad habit once started, so I envy those of you who get to Nathan's book early. For those of us who can't, I advise we buy a copy for each child, tell them upfront what we intend to do & why, and then go about the task of raising spending responsible children, and in doing so, healthier, happier young people.

Thank you Mr. Dungan for writing such a sage, concise prescription for our self-inflicted woes: Share, Save, Spend.

"Return of the Prodigal Son"
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"Return of the Prodigal Son"
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Manufacturer: Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Hope of a Homecoming: Entrusting Your Prodigal to a Sovereign God
Average customer rating:

This book hit home

Full of hope, wisdom and guidance

An emotional and spiritually powerful resource

Must-Read For Concerned Christians

The Hope of a Homecoming: Entrusting Your Prodigal to a Sovereign God
Brendan O'Rourke , and DeEtte Sauer
Manufacturer: Navpress Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1576833763

Book Description

Packed with helpful encouragement, The Hope of a Homecoming shows parents how to pray for their prodigal children and stay centered on God during difficult times.

Customer Reviews:

This book hit home.......2007-02-10

SO many things in this book seemed to be what I and my Prodigal are going through. As always it's the outcome we don't know, but it's the peace you can have while you're in it.

Full of hope, wisdom and guidance.......2005-01-22

This book is full of wisdom and truth and brings the great hope we have in Christ to these painful experiences. In a culture where revealing personal parenting difficulties is verboten, both authors are open and honest in relaying their own struggles with prodigals. The reader immediately senses their desire to walk alongside and shepherd the hearts of other parents of prodigals. The book glows with the authors' passion to lead struggling parents to the hope they can have in a Sovereign God. Hope of a Homecoming is also a surprisingly practical guide. Each chapter ends with concrete ideas not for mere coping but genuinely operating in the hearts of parents and prodigals. In fact I would highly recommend this book to parents of all teens. While all teens are obviously not prodigals, all are vulnerable to certain themes of temptation, and the guides in this book are quite useful in working those problems as well. I strongly recommend this very hopeful and powerful book to anyone seeking wise and experienced counsel in the difficult circumstances faced by parents of prodigals.

An emotional and spiritually powerful resource.......2004-01-16

Very highly recommended and very helpful reading, The Hope Of A Homecoming: Entrusting Your Prodigal To A Sovereign God is a sympathetic guide written by licensed clinical psychologist Brendan O'Rourke and addiction recovery specialist DeEtte Sauer especially for the parents of a prodigal son or daughter who hope for their child's return to a Christian faith and lifestyle. Advice for conquering fear, praying for protection, learning to cope with anger and put it to constructive use, remain in harmony with God during difficult times, and more fill the pages of this emotional and spiritually powerful resource for tapping into the wellspring of one's faith.

Must-Read For Concerned Christians.......2003-06-21

Not just a book for parents of prodigals, The Hope of a Homecoming is a must-read for any Christian experiencing tribulation and any Christian who wants to help.

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