End-of-Life Books

All that can be said about this book has been said already in other reviews. It is a well written account of the modern reality of death in America today which tackles it from all angles. That being said, the book could have given the same message in about 100 or 150 pages, and cut out 2 to 3 times it's bulk. It is worth a read, but honestly too many times the same topics are brought up over and over again. It became very, very tedious.

Think you or your parent don't need a health care proxy? Think again, and use Sharon Kaufman's AND A TIME TO DIE to help you realize just how important it is to determine the direction you want your life to take at its conclusion, and to have someone who understands your wishes and can speak for you.

It's not a pleasant subject, but it's one that healthcare professionals deal with every day. I can certainly agree that the cases depicted here are unvarnished in their presentations, completely accurate. I've watched some of these same scenarios play out over and over again--only the patients are different.

The text maintains a certain distance from the patients and their families. There is not the in-depth interviews and emotional content of some other books of this type. However, I appreciated stepping back from the patient in order to see how the system had succeeded or failed in each case.

The author does a good job at showing just how we arrived at this current state of affairs, and why dying in America has become driven by treatments rather than by compassion. Medicare reimbursement is at the heart of some of the problem for the elderly.

If you want to change the system, to have compassion for the dying, to practice better medicine, or even to have a peaceful end for yourself when that time comes, this is a good place to start in understanding how we've come to this place, and to think about what we can do to create change.

I am a medical ethicist, and as I read Kaufman's "And a Time to Die" I found myself thinking back to the hospital case consultations I've been involved in. Her observations and conclusions helped me to piece together a much more detailed picture of what's really going on in those situations. Her discussion of pathways, time pressures, reimbursement concerns, and the use of language all ring true. Those who are familiar with hospital settings will recognize much of what Kaufman has observed (a fact that another reviewer objects to), but I believe that she is able to take a "bird's eye view" of these issues in a way that organizes and extends our understanding.
This book is a must-read for families who are facing end-of-life decisions, and for those in the health professions who try to help families through this process.

This is an excellent book about a difficult subject: The ambivalent attitudes and approaches to dying in the culture of US hospital settings. Sharon Kaufman is professor of medical anthropology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Kaufman observed that time was the factor which most influenced many of the interactions and experiences of the participants in the drama of dealing with serious health challenges. Institutional pressures on the staff demanded that care be provided in the most efficient and economic manner. The staff were constantly faced with decisions around the timing of interventions and the pacing of the therapies and their effects and consequences. Staff had to deal with obstacles to the most efficient provision of care and with the timing of death. Patients were often unconscious, leaving relatives to have to make extremely important and difficult decisions - ones that they would have to live with for the rest of their lives, and ones that might set them in conflict with other family members who could not be present at the time.

The control that modern medicine has over the timing of death brings the patients, staff and families into discussions and negotiations over physical, psychological, relationship, moral, ethical and religious issues and concerns. When there is no living will/ directive, an urgent situation is created in which decisions of major consequences must be taken.

Much suffering seemed incredibly unnecessary, like octogenarians with living wills discovered after the fact, or aggressive surgeries on debilitated and chronically ill people who had not a fighting chance of surviving these insults.

This powerful book should be read by every student and caregiver dealing with seriously ill patients, and by families with people who are approaching the last stages of their lives. It would make an excellent focus for caregiver discussion groups.

The author of this book goes inside the modern American hospital system as an anthropologist, and reports what takes place there when the system is confronted with a terminally ill patient. She examines what cultural imperatives are being brought to bear there to make this an increasingly problematic and decidedly "unnatural" process.

You will get a few definite insights from this book. The author includes interviews with a variety of patients and their families. And she sits in on hospital conferences as all the people treating and speaking on behalf of a dying patient wrestle with the problem of what measures to take to prolong the patient's life, or less euphemistically, to prolong his dying.

There is also an interesting chapter on specialty care units that are either attached to some hospitals or that are hospital owned, but exist in their own removed compounds. These units maintain patients who only survive with the aid of artificial/mechanical aids. Some of them are in a vegetative state. Some are conscious to varying degrees. Most of the public still isn't aware of the existence of these adjunct facilities, despite the movie Coma - which featured a sinister version of such a high-tech "warehousing" center. The actuality, as Kaufman describes it, is infinitely more benign. The staff at these institutions sincerely care for their patients.

A few good summary points emerge from Kaufman's treatise. Insurance has largely shaped our medical care system by mandating that hospitals treat specific conditions in order to justify a patient's stay there. So generic old age can't be attended to. A patient must receive a diagnosis of something like "superlobar emphysema" and must be put on the pathway of aggressive treatment for that condition, if the hospital expects to be compensated.

Another point: Our system of so-called choice makes it difficult for the dying and their families. People don't know "what to want" in these life-and-death situations. The onus is on them to say when to pull the plug. Choice has replaced nature.

Kaufman explains how our far-reaching, albeit still limited, control over nature has left us without any way to anchor moral decisions. Whereas we could once let a person die "naturally," now we have transformed and become nature, so the decision can't be left outside ourselves. This is perhaps the main thesis of the whole book, and should have been stated at its beginning to orient the reader a little better.

In general, this book is five times longer than it needs to be. It's like a bird that circles and circles, riding the lofty currents of air, without ever swooping down to make a catch. At the end of the book's 300+ pages, we really don't know much more than when we started. Most of what Kaufman writes in between interviews is abstract and obvious.

Kaufman might have considered going beyond her passive role of anthropologist, and might have envisioned some more substantial solutions to the problem of medicalized dying if she had incorporated the works of philosophers such as Ivan Illich (author of Medical Nemesis) in her thinking. Illich approached the problem of our entire medical care system as a problem of glut and hubris. Just as we demand too many goods in this society, so we demand too many services. We insist on being serviced to the hilt, and institutions abound to sell us service, service, service. These institutions then take on a life of their own, and there's nothing any of us can do, client or provider alike, but go along for the ride. Kaufman's need to maintain cordial relations with hospital staff and patient families in order to conduct her research may explain some of her lack of critical perspective in this regard though.

As it is, her book is worth reading as rehearsal for what each one of us might face some day. But I would speed-read it, in order to avoid prolonging the process.

I have always enjoyed the adult series of Left Behind books. The kids books are just as good. The kids interact with the characters from the adult series, experience the same events, etc. However, since the main characters are teens, these books can appeal to younger readers. So far, the stories haven't had the ups and downs that the adult series has had. The adult series has books that are a lot more boring than others. The kids series seems to be good in every book. These are not for really young kids, but would be appropriate for young teens. I enjoy them and I am an adult.

In Left Behind: The Kids # 21, Secrets of New Babylon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, there isn't one main character. Judd, Lionel, Sam, and Nada travel to New Babylon to meet with their dying friend Pavel. Nada wasn't supposed to come but she sneaked on the plane. Vicki, Conrad, and Shelly leave with Pete travel the continental U.S. trying to warn people about the G.C. (Global Community). With the locusts still going around the G.C. has developed a lot more advanced technology to keep the locusts from stinging them. This book is really about how the G.C. is advancing in technology, and disguising themselves as believers. This would be a horrible, but awesome time period to live through.

The parts that are confusing are the parts with the *, it's when the book changes from person to person. Sometimes it switches really fast and I get lost. It is also confusing when I stop and don't read for a while and I forget what I read before. "Please bring Vicki back so she can see I've finally understood..." (LaHaye/Jenkins 66). Right after that is when another one of those stars (*) would be there.

The part that was unbelievable is when a former senator is supposedly a believer and gets caught by the G.C. He happens to escape and he shows up at the gas station where Roger, Vicki, Pete, Conrad, and Shelly are staying. Conrad knows there's something weird about him. Mark back at the schoolhouse has been researching him and his story is very suspicious. But nobody will believe Conrad. "Pleased to meet you, Vicki. I'm Chris Traickin" (LaHaye/Jenkins 119). Pete also decides to take him back to the schoolhouse in Illinois.

This book doesn't resemble any movies. However it does make me think of the 10 Commandments, and the Passion of the Christ. They are all very sad and moving. "Just keep quiet and let them go to ****" (LaHaye/Jenkins 19)?

I think readers really learn a lot about God in this series of books. I think they also learn how to get closer to Him. I think this book is really about how to get to know God, to know what's going to happen eventually, and how to spread the message. I think everybody should read these books because they teach you a lot not only about God, but also what's going to happen after the Rapture.

i totally disagree with the other man giving the books a negative star. these books are so great and they teach your kids about the bible. they are one of the best books i have ever read

Tim LaHaye does a wonderful job of bringing Biblical concepts alive to our youth... He builds these truths around characters that children can relate to and identify with. I don't feel that LaHaye is trying to "scare the hell" out of kids---but maybe it's time someone does before it's too late!

Wonderful reading for those interested in the Bible and especially end-time prophecies!

The Left Behind series is awesome. Once I start one, I can't put it down.I love them because they are the perfect mix between adventure and spiritual application. Not only are they great reading, but they help you with your every-day life as well: like by giving you cool ideas to witness to friends who are unbelievers and to encourage young teens to get into the Word- it did for me.

I would recommend this book and the whole series to any young teen: Christian and non-Christian alike. It's about a group of young teens battling through the 7-year Tribulation after their parents have been taken up in the Rapture. Follow them through this series of books as they fight against the Antichrist, Satan, and principalities of darkness.

If you'll only ever buy one book on apocalypse and apocalyptic phenomena, this is the one. A brilliant theological investigation in how the Western world, and especially the U.S. has been shaped, molded and thought through the storylines of John of Patmos' 'revolting revelations'. Keller's reading employs (among other) feminist and poststructuaralist perspectives to a biblical text that can neither be completely dismissed nor entirely embraced. Instead she argues for a 'counterapocalyptic' approach that avoids the closures of either a 'straightforward apocalypse' or an 'anti-apocalypse.' This is a powerful, exciting, astonishingly honest, thoughtful and brilliant text well worth the work it takes to grapple with its poetic cadences.

A text from a most powerful contemporary theological voice, who is also a singularly inventive, smart and witty writer.

Oh, and lest you think there is no need to read a book on apocalypse after we made it into 2000, this book will convince you that the influence and impact of apocalyptic thinking is far stronger, deeper and more subtle than much of the hullabaloo about 'the end is near' might make you think. This book lays bare some of the foundational ideas of the Western world without which our world would not be what it is. At times a tough read, but worth every effort.

This is the book that changed my life forever. I read it many years ago, and it continues to reverberate in my theological practice. Apocalypse means "unveiling." As Keller says, this was the verb of the groom unveiling his bride. The next thing we know, that same groom is tearing open the earth for weatlth and pleasure. Thus economic development is revealed in the dark light of pillage. I have never read such an eloquent plea for the earth and her creatures, the earth itself as the Body of Christ. The book reads like a dream, revelatory, deconstructing the strictures of linear thinking to show its underlying chaos and self-interest. As a result of reading this, I began to do theology as dreamwork, an idea that Keller herself takes up in more recent writings, notably God and Power.

Reading Catherine Keller's Apocalypse Now and Then often reminded me of what it is like to read something in a language in which I am not proficient. What was different about this experience is that the book is written in English, my native language. Despite the convenience of reading a text in a language in which I am familiar, I was unable to understand much of what Keller was talking about. There seemed to be no concrete topic in her paragraphs, and the section breaks made no sense. Often the information in the beginning of one section was a direct continuation of the content of the previous section, despite a large printed number and several line spaces separating the sections. There was more continuity between sentences from one section to the next than there was within the sections themselves. I was left repeatedly with the same question, "What are you talking about?"

When I first prepared to read Apocalypse Now and Then, I was excited to get into the material. I anticipated work similar to other feminist writers I have enjoyed such as, Elizabeth Johnson, Carol Christ, Nancy Howell and Penelope Washbourn. I have no way to compare Keller's work to these or any other scholars because of my inability to break thorough the barrier I encountered when reading the text.
I will admit that the very phrase "end times" associated with apocalyptic literature is a good place to start when discussing what I did appreciate about "Apocalypse Now and Then." Despite my feeling moderately illiterate as a result of reading Keller, I feel the experience was worth the attempt I made because of the content in the preface regarding eschatos. Keller notes that her book, "does take place within such a spiritual boundary... a horizon that always recedes again into a `not yet' that `already is,' or is nothing at all (xiii)." Though I am not sure what Keller means to say by this, I came to think of eschatology or apocalypse as a continuous cycle similar to her use of metaphor of the horizon. I had thought that it was her intention to depict apocalypse in this way, but when I came back to it I was unable to find her statement how I remembered it. Regardless, I know see that we are always a part of the end times as well as the rebirth. Whether temporally, or physiologically, we are in a constant state of change. As one moment in time, or one arrangement of physical structure, the world as it was dies for a moment, as a new world is born. This new world is quite like the old, and similar to the next, but unique to itself, never to be repeated.

This is somewhat illustrated in Keller's description of how the Spirit works to reveal truth through texts from the Bible. As one reads, in this case the book of Revelation, one is moved only in the way or to the degree that one can see the meaning of the text in that moment in time. "The pneumatic reading I have undertaken of Revelation's text and of its extrabiblical effects assumes, however, that the Bible never has been and never can be insulated from its surrounding lifeworlds (287)." One cannot take oneself out of the interpretation of the text, especially if one recognizes any aspect of a spiritual component to life. Understanding can only be understood from that exact temporal and physical location from which one experiences the text. It is through this experience that the Spirit enters into the formula. It is through the relational experience of engaging the text that we know the Spirit (285).

Despite the limitations to my ability to read Apocalypse Now and Then with confidence, there are a few other points in the book that caught my attention. I found it curious that Keller's description of the literary form of the apocalyptic did not discuss the context of the genera. Much of apocalyptic literature was a form of political writing in which an author would criticize the current context in a future fictional setting. This allowed the author to write harsh criticisms of a political system or society, while maintaining a distance from the true subject as a result of the fictionalization of events in a future context. This provided protection from authorities, who would have ample justification for retaliation should the criticisms be literal or unhidden. This has hardly anything to do with the end things as described by Keller. Instead Keller associates the apocalyptic as a literary genre with the eschatological mythology of Zoroastranism (21). Keller implies that those seeking social justice and political change have at times used apocalyptic literature as inspiration or justification, but the possibility that the book of Revelation was intended to be an immediate tool for such action is not explored (as far as I understood Keller's intentions).

One aspect of Apocalypse Now and Then that I appreciated was Keller's description of an ebb and flow in the willingness of individuals to participate in actions geared towards social change. With our tendency to want that victory over evil that we associate with our underlying understanding of the end, we desire for all of our actions to result in the final cessation of all that causes pain and suffering in our world. When faced with the reality that despite our efforts, there is always going to be pain and suffering, social, political, and religious participation may seem pointless (14). The mode of change is beyond us, why try?

The resolution to this dilemma is illustrated in Keller's story of her second trip to El Salvador. Marta Benevides is said to be a woman who works with the people of El Salvador, trying to make life better. She approaches her work not as a movement towards a time when the work is done, but as a way of life. She says she is being rather than struggling, and instead of fighting for change, she lives the way (280). If we think back to the horizon that always recedes again, we see how Marta Benevides maintains her way of life. Only when we recognize that this is the apocalypse, the process that is the end of the old and the beginning of the new, will we be able to fully participate in the moment. We will be able to live the way, as Marta Benevides puts it. When we stop preparing for what is to come, and live what is, we will shed the burden of waiting for a judgment. Whether we see the judgment as an event that will justify us or liberate us, it keeps us from fully participating in what is in this moment.

If you'll only ever buy one book on apocalypse and apocalyptic phenomena, this is the one. A brilliant theological investigation in how the Western world, and especially the U.S. has been shaped, molded and thought through the storylines of John of Patmos' 'revolting revelations'. Keller's reading employs (among other) feminist and poststructuaralist perspectives to a biblical text that can neither be completely dismissed nor entirely embraced. Instead she argues for a 'counterapocalyptic' approach that avoids the closures of either a 'straightforward apocalypse' or an 'anti-apocalypse.' This is a powerful, exciting, astonishingly honest, thoughtful and brilliant text well worth the work it takes to grapple with its poetic cadences.

A text from a most powerful contemporary theological voice, who is also a singularly inventive, smart and witty writer.

Oh, and lest you think there is no need to read a book on apocalypse after we made it into 2000, this book will convince you that the influence and impact of apocalyptic thinking is far stronger, deeper and more subtle than much of the hullabaloo about 'the end is near' might make you think. This book lays bare some of the foundational ideas of the Western world without which our world would not be what it is. At times a tough read, but worth every effort.

I'm certain that, buried somewhere deep in her convoluted prose, Keller has important and profound understandings to share about the nature of apocalypse. Unfortunately, this text is written in the language of a person so immersed in academia that she has forgotten how to communicate clearly and concisely to those outside of the world of research journals and symposiums. Keller's approach is to say in a paragraph what could be said in a sentence and to write with such a vocabulary that most readers will need to keep a dictionary close at hand just to decipher what she is trying to say.

US Government sprayed their own people with dioxin/poison/Agent Orange, Blue&White/Vietnam. They continue to deny responsibility, as they refuse help for the people that are still affected by those actions to this day.

According to the EPA, Dioxin is one of the most toxic poisons known to the human race. That's all the science I need to know. The author is a well known and respected environmentalist who writes passionately about the subject. It's a shame this issue has fallen off the radar screen. Chlorine is a menace to our health and the health of the planet. It's that plain and simple!

This is one of two books I have read on this subject, the other one being _Our Stolen Future_, by Theo Colborn.

The Colborn book is much more well known, and it is highly regarded. In comparing the two books, I actually think that _Dying from Dioxin_ is superior, both in its scientific information and its clarity of presentation.

I don't mean to denegrate the Colborn book, but the Gibbs book predates Colborn, and has at least as much useful information. The Colborn book is interesting in that it is written in the format of a mystery novel, rather than a conventional technical paper.

One of the useful concepts that Gibbs presents concerns the many different dioxin-like pollutants that exist. She clearly explains the concept of how different compounds, such as PCB's can be assigned a numerical factor, based on their equivalent toxicity, relative to the most toxic dioxin compound. Although this numerical estimate method has serious limitations, Gibbs and her colleagues explain what the limitations are. To make sense of the sea of pollutants in which we live, this numerical method is one of the only tools we have for making practical decisions to reduce our toxic exposure.

Many people are unaware of how detrimental Dioxin, a toxic waste byproduct that occurs when chlorine is burned and when other organic chemicals that contain chlorine are manufactured, is on health. This book reviews the studies that confirm the correlation to Dioxin and disease/health problems, such as endometriosis, cancer, birth defects, learning disorders. This books provides a good synopsis and indepth review of Dioxin supported by scientific research. Lois Marie Gibb's Dying from Dioxin is as revealing as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. This book is a must for environmental/health activists, parents, teachers, health practitioners, and anyone who cares about health.

My comments are purely in reaction to the science in the book. Clearly this is not a book to approach research from. There are many misleading and some false statements. The references are on occassion non-existent, at least, I couldn't find them. It is the scientific contributors, not the author, I would guess, who are the problem.

I have mixed emotions about the book I just finished; on one hand Guyatt writes very well and very clearly but on the other hand I found the subject matter difficult to fully understand. Personally I am hugely anti-religion so the entire premise of this book is concerning: "...why millions of Americans are looking forward to the end of the world". I wish it were of no consequence sitting as I am on the other side of the world from these events and personalities but these ridiclous prophecy ideas are having a monstrous impact on America's relations with the world that wants nothing to do with John Hagee, Tim LaHaye, David Chagall and unfortunately, many others. I say that Guyatt's book should only be of passing interet to someone so far removed from this religious caldron but because America sits astride the largest piece of temperate land on the planet, the remainder of the world must at least pay lip service to this religious cesspool.

Reading Guyatt's book leaves the reader knowing that he treaded extremely carefully through the minefield of so many strange ideas and so many strange people. These prophecy hobbiests never said anything, or at least it was never reported by Guyatt, about the possibility that 9/11 was not a terrorist attack from outside the US but a government sanctioned terrorist attack within the US. That fact would certainly be confronting to these prophecy fanatics because, although the End Times would certainly still be upon the world, the engine driving these times would be more confronting to these Christian fundamentalists.

Guyatt writes in one of his final chapters, "Armageddon Comes Later" that Tim Lahaye believes (good conservative that he is) that "... he has found a way to pull back from the brink" or how to have your cake and eat it too. By believing (this thought train seems to be extremely common among Prophecy hobbiests) that tweaking the social fabric by punishing Gays, outlawing same-sex marrige, and outlawing abortions (the contemporary incindiary fuses) then the Final Days can be posponed until these social bette noirs of religious conservatives can be elliminated from the Final Days altogether (even though everybody except the Raptured will die, you can make these End Days a little cleaner). Good religious fundamentalists do not want these last days muddied by these social imperfections.

This discussion probably hits upon my withdrawal from giving this extremely good book my full backing; I was hoping that Guyatt would venture further into the realm of the impact of this weidness on American and therefore world politics. That Guyatt completed such an excellent text probably indicates that this reader was looking for something that was not possible within the context of a single text.
"Have A Nice Doomsday" is an excellent read and I reccomemd it too any person with interest in the current political undercurrents in the US.

First, the good:

This book was very well-written. It makes for good, easy reading. It is engaging and interesting. Reads like a good article in Harper's Magazine. Guyatt also does a nice job laying out all the disturbing and inane beliefs of these people. He also exposes what a giant cash cow the end-times industry is -- how much money these hucksters make writing and speaking about the apocalypse. He also profiles key players in ths apocalypse industry, such as John Hagee, Hal Lindsay (by the way, I went to high school with his daughter and she did more blow and had more sex than Paris Hilton), Jack Kinsella, Joel Rosenberg, etc. The "climax" of the book is his short interview with Tim Layahe. Excerpts from this interview are quite, well, disturbing: LaHaye rags on Jews, he calls other prophecy peddlers' beliefs "nuts" (!), predicts that the Rapture will happen right now (oops), spews homophobia, etc. In short, Guyatt does an admirable job taking us from one leading Christian fascist to another, offering engaging portraits of these modern Elmer Gantrys. The chapter on the history of prophecy/apocalyptic thinking is also excellent.

Now, the not so good: The sub-title of this book is "Why Millions of Americans are looking Forward to the End of the World." This is a very provocative question -- and it is the sole reason that I bought the book. I knew all about End Times bullsh*t -- I've read works by Lindsay, LaHaye, etc. What I want to know is WHY average Americans believe this stuff, and I was very excited to read Guyatt's thoughts and theories on this question. Sadly, he never gets to that. Not at all. Nowhere does he attempt to offer an account of WHY millions of Americans eat this crap up. His failure to do so was a major disappointment for me. What this book is, then, is basically a description of End Times peddlers. What it is most definitely NOT, is an account or explanation of WHY Americans are into it.

In short, a very engaging read -- and one I highly recommend to people wanting to learn more about the End Times Industry. But for those seeking a sociological or psychological explanation of the widespread American obsession with the End Times, you'll need to look elsewhere.

A pretty good report on the phenomena of Apocalyptic Christianity in America. The tone was more respectful than the goofy title and cover led me to believe it would be (which is a good thing). At the same time this is no somber report. The book is breezy and conversational. More an overview than an in depth study.

The history of End Times belief is followed from its origins in England and we are shown how those beliefs moved to the New World even as they faded from Europe. I agree with the other review that pointed out that this history was pretty light, but that wasn't my primary interest in the book, so I didn't mind it.

By far the most interesting parts of the book for me were the interviews with the End Times superstars and also-rans. Tim LaHaye and Joel Rosenberg are interesting guys. While I don't doubt they sincerely believe their End Times eschatology, you can't help but feel that they aren't glorying in their celebrity a bit. Guyatt lets them skewer themselves with their own words. It never felt like he was holding these people up for ridicule, though he didn't gloss over some of the negative image they project on their own.

The real revelation (pardon the pun) for me were some of the guys 'in the trenches'. The host of a cable access show: Final Hour, the guy who felt a calling to sell his home and travel the country in an RV and Mel Odom, a Christian contract writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch novels who was hired to write a Tom Clancy-esque spin-off series to the Left Behind books. These are regular work-a-day guys doing what they believe in but wrestling with some of the stickier questions of End Times belief.

The author gets them to grapple with their seemingly contradictory views that things must get worse in order to trigger The Rapture and at the same time that Christians should exercise their influence in politics in order to make America a more Christian nation.

I wish Amazon allowed for half stars, because this is a three and a half star book. But I'll award it the extra half for capturing my attention with the light-hearted (but not lightweight) writing style.

Over all I would say Have A Nice Doomsday is a good introduction to End Times belief for anyone who's seen those Left Behind books and are wondering what that whole Rapture thing is about.

Many of my neighbors, since I live here in the Bible Belt, are convinced that soon, within the next few years and certainly within their lifetimes, they will vanish from the Earth. They won't die, but they will disappear into the skies because they have a particular relationship with Jesus that will allow this to happen, and those of us who do not have such a relationship will be left behind to fend for ourselves. For me, and certainly for most of the world, this is just not the sort of thing that happens, but such beliefs are not uncommon here. In fact, 60% of Americans believe that prophecies including The Rapture are going to come true, and 20% think it will happen in their lifetimes, according to statistics provided in _Have a Nice Doomsday: Why Millions of Americans Are Looking Forward to the End of the World_ (Harper Perennial) by Nicholas Guyatt. Guyatt is a historian educated in Cambridge, England, and his previous books have to do with American history rather than the current events described in this one. He now lives and teaches in Vancouver, and although he brings an outsider's inspection to this particular manifestation of Born-Again America, and although he manages a humorous tour of apocalyptic history and current events, he is never patronizing with his subject or with the many as-yet-to-be-Raptured experts he has interviewed. That does not keep him from being amused, or conveying his amusement in this entertaining and breezy book, but he has made serious enquiries and takes the answers he has found seriously; given that so many Americans take these prophecies seriously, it is clear that even those of us unswayed by prophecy ought to take the phenomenon of such beliefs seriously, especially as it affects current politics and culture.

Using the Bible to predict the future is nothing new. St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and Newton all thought about doing so. Prophesied dates have come and gone, but Apocalyptic preachers tend not to give firm dates nowadays, since every time they have done so they have been proven wrong when the date came. Guyatt shows how in the 1970s prophets concentrated on Communism, and had to give that up, and then upon the enmity between Egypt and Israel, and had to give that up, and are turning to Islam, which had not previously been emphasized. The extremely popular _Left Behind_ series, authored by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, deals with how the unraptured will handle the Antichrist who has gotten himself appointed head of that conservative bogeyman, the United Nations. There are spinoffs, like the Left Behind video game Guyatt tries out, massacring some unbelievers and converting others. If the Apocalypse is anything like the game, there will be advantages to converting: "When you convert men, they transform into identical preppy kids wearing V-necks. Women suddenly sport an orange jumper, like Velma from Scooby-Doo." Other authors have come to this table, like Mel Odom, author of _Apocalypse Dawn_ (which can be described as "Tom Clancy with prayer"). Odom has written novels about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and wisely says that the Apocalypse is just another fitting platform for writing about good and evil.

The authors of these works would insist that they are fiction, imagining what would happen if the Rapture, which they cannot conceive as anything but a fact of the future, did indeed happen in our times. They would also insist that their books are based on what the Bible really says, and that the books have the job of getting the message out and converting as many people as possible. There is, however, a distressing smear of fiction to reality and back. Joel Rosenberg used to be an aide to Benjamin Netanyahu and left Judaism for evangelical Christianity. His novel _The Last Jihad_ predicted events of 9/11 a year beforehand, with the result that his books are studied in the White House and he has been interviewed on Fox and CNN, where the explanatory phrase under his talking head said "Middle East Expert" rather than "Rapture Enthusiast". The problem with this sort of expertise is that it can lead to eagerness to have the End Times happen (if you think it means you get teleported to heaven, who wouldn't want it soon?) and perhaps, say, an eagerness for the US to attack Iran with nuclear weapons if it would fulfill prophecy to bring on the Apocalypse. There are leaders who indeed base policy on the Apocalypse; former Speaker of the House Tom Delay, asked about the Second Coming, says "obviously, it's what I live for, I hope it comes tomorrow... we have to be connected to Israel to enjoy the Second Coming," so policy is being made based on prophecy. If there are parts of Guyatt's even-handed and jaunty book that seem strange enough to make you smile, there are probably other parts that will make you queasy about how the believers might affect your world, even if they never do leave you behind.

Since the time the New Testament canons were written, some of the authors and/or editors of these texts were convinced the world was coming to an end in their generation. The fact that 1900+ years have gone by and we're still here does not appear to weaken the opportunity for con men and true believers seasoned with a dash of capitalistic fervor to make a lot of money and gain an enormous amount of power shilling the end of world. Guyatt travels to the sources of this hucksterism showing how these religious leaders convince a particular group of people into believing the natural laws of the universe will be suddenly disrupted by a very angry God as described by the unknown author of an ancient text that Thomas Jefferson believed was written by an insane person.

Nicholas Guyatt opens us up to the world of the evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity at its craziest in an approach perfect for the topic, he minimizes his own perspective and focuses on providing them with a forum to answer questions a sane, educated person divorced from the cult of rapture believers would ask. Guyatt's non-threatening approach to his interview subjects has most of them opening up so that we get an unvarnished look into their world, even learning how much the leaders and their adherents look forward to the world suffering through a tribulation in order that they can be proved right in their beliefs, which provides justification for this sub-title, "Why Millions of Americans are Looking Forward to the End of the World".

Guyatt digs in deep enough to show the various factions within the Christian evangelical and fundamentalist community regarding the non-liberal Christian version of the end times, from reconstructionists like Gary DeMar who wants to mutate American government rule to Old Testament teachings where we can only wear one fabric, stone gays, and we are ordered to personally execute unruly children and heretical neighbors, to John Hagee, who has an unnerving amount of influence on our government's policies regarding Israel and his impassioned desire to see World War III waged between Russia and Iran against Israel and America all the while whistling to the bank.

Guyatt also does a great job of reporting on who these religious leaders claim "could be" and sometimes even going so far as claiming with certainty "are" the Antichrist, something most of them are now less adverse to promoting since they've realized this market opportunity presents long-term financial opportunities that are at risk if proven wrong, with the exception of Hal Lindsey whose adherents don't seem to mind his predictions continuing to fall flat for 40+ years now and Tim LaHaye as described below.

Guyatt's excellent reportage on Tim LaHaye is spot-on though LaHaye does not provide much access to Guyatt, one of the few that doesn't. LaHaye continues to enjoy enormous popularity even though he made claims with absolute certainty a couple of decades ago that the rapture would occur within the generation of World War I veterans, which forced him to revise his prediction that the rapture would now occur prior to the death of the last World War I veteran - a gentleman who died a just a couple of weeks prior to my review, and yet, I'm still here. Guyatt does a great job explaining why getting predictions so wrong doesn't stop the cash register from ringing for religious leaders like LaHaye or Lindsey.

Studying apocalyptic leaders and their strong influence on American populist culture begs the question, are these leaders and their followers delusional, virulently ignorant, or completely sane reasonably intelligent people who fell down the slippery slope of committing to the easily discredited premise of biblical inerrancy and thereby forcing them down a logical path based on the gross error of this principle assumption? Guyatt does a great job of answering this question not in claims he makes about these Americans, but instead by asking probing questions to his subjects who felt at ease with the author. I think describing the outcome of this question would be a principle spoiler so I leave it to the reader to discover the answer.

Like Jesus Camp, the DVD where the main protagonist believes she was fairly portrayed while most rational people cringe at the child abuse on display, the interview subjects in this book will also most likely believe they're fairly portrayed given Guyatt's minimal editorializing while providing them with maximum exposure to fairly present their beliefs to Guyatt's readers, though mercifully for us, without the rhetorical flourishes that help them propagandize their content to their followers.

Having grown up in this movement in the 1960s through 1970s without succumbing to their incredibly intense attempts to indoctrinate me, it is my perspective that Guyatt does a perfect job of reporting on this movement, their motivations, their desires for the future of our planet, and their propensity for belief in dogma that is easily discredited. A truly great book that nails its subject matter while remaining a highly enjoyable read.

The End of the Hamptons is less than meets the eye. The author has done little serious research and conflates gossiip with his superficial and dated Marxism. Indeed, to suggest that the secessionist movement to create Peconic County was Marxist inspired, as he does, borders on the psychotic.

Harold Wit and I founded the Group for America's South Fork, yet the author spoke to neither of us. He gives enormous credit to one individual, Hal Ross, who played only a minor role in the environmental movement that arose from a passion to protect the farms. As the author of the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Act, I find this incredible. There is a real need for a serious study of what happened on the South Fork politically and socially, but this is not it.

Ian Marceau, who was the first director of the Group for America's South Fork, and who is lauded as a kind of saviour by the author, told everyone that he would work for the developers if they paid him more than the environmental group did. But don't look for this or any other truth in this slight and useless tract. The author's hatred of the Hamptons has its origins in the politics of resentment, which is utterly tiresome.

Richard Cummings, author. Proposition 14-A Secessionist Remedy

As Dolgon writes in the introduction, "the [Hamptons] area is emblematic of our nation's most salient historical themes: early European and Native American encounters; rapid changes in economic development and physical environments; the constant and shifting migration of world populations to the United States; the formation of racial, ethnic, regional, and national identities; and the vast divisions between rich and poor on local and global levels." After providing historical background, Dolgon describes recent events: the stuggles and interactions of Native Americans, environmentalists, fishermen, service workers, and the uber-wealthy. Such struggles and interactions are going on all over America, and all over the world. With this in mind, the book is truly worth the time.

I recently finished reading The End of the Hamptons. I found it fascinating reading, scholarly yet accessible to the general reader. Dolgon creates a strong sense of place, of history and of the present day class and cultural conflicts that continue to shape the Hamptons.He gets beneath the glitter and the stereotypes to uncover the forces at work. As a Cape Codder concerned about development and the "end of Cape Cod" as I know it I found the book to have relevance for communities far beyond the Hamptons. The question of whose voices are heard in the continual struggle for land and resources is a central question confronting us all.

Dolgon strips away the Vanity Fair-style pretension and name-dropping absurdity so often associated with this topic and exposes a far more interesting Hamptons - a Hamptons of richly textured history, colorful and varied people, and deeply ingrained dichotomies, contradictions, struggles and patterns of inequality. Dolgon is original. He has chosen the more challenging path for this work. To be sure, a trashy love letter to New York Society would have found its summer readership. But Dolgon takes the less worn path, getting under the skin of The Hamptons and examining the area through the lens of its people and through multiple generations of social change. The result is a fascinating book and an original take on an area whose depth and meaning is so often overlooked for its pretty face. This is an excellent book.

I read this book & it made me cry I was so blown away. But later after I heard a quote of Rick I was blown away yet again.

Rick Joyner is quoted as saying that if only 80% of a prophets proclamations are correct then that is good enough for God. Could you imagine Isaiah or Jesus saying that.

Imagine Jesus saying that if only 80% of my prophecy is correct I am still of God would we still believe him.

Rick must be another money grubber if anything. He certainly isn't of God I know.

SUBTITLE: "The Prophetic word of the nineties" -- very appropriate. Very insightful about the moves of the Spirit among the Christians. Warnings about dangerous trends.

Make sure you also read Rick Joyner's "Final Quest." It should be included in the contemporary cannon of the saints.

I first read the Harvest about five years ago. It quickly pushed me out of my spiritual lethargy and into a new realm of Christianity. This book will reshape your thinking. Beware, religious Christians! God may use this book to inflict damage on your traditional mindset. If you don't want to progress in your relationship with God, then don't read this book! Nonchristians, watch out! This may be the very book to convince you of the reality of a living God, and His benefits to you!

If you enjoyed The Final Quest or any of Joyner's other prophetic books, or if you've never read any of his material, The Harvest will not disappoint. It's much more than "the prophetic word for the 90s." The 90s are over and most of this book still applies to the future. If you want to be prepared for what God is about to do in our world, this book is the place to start. The Harvest will challenge you in your daily walk and motivate you to go deeper in order to be a ready vessel to be used by Him.

Having read (and enjoyed) Jocko Weyland's "The Answer Is Never,"
I was very much looking forward to this book.

There are roughly 20 short stories to be found in these pages
but unfortunately, they run the gamut of good to bad to worse.
Contributing writers includes: Mark Gonzales, Jocko Weyland,
Michael Burnett, Ed Templeton, Jeff Knutson, etc.

Mark Gonzales always has wonderful and imaginative artwork so it
was a joy to read some of his words in "Burgundy Hair Die"
instead of just seeing his visual art over the years.

A couple stories such as Steven Church's "Tree Eater" are fun
and amusing to behold but there are so many poor stories to wade
through that you're better off picking up numerous other books
written by skaters or even short stories written by non-skaters.

The book's opening story (which should hook you into reading the
rest) is "Get Radical" by Michael Burnett. It reads and feels
like an eleven year old wrote it for a middle-school essay
assignment.

Good idea but not executed well. Perhaps plunking down $15 to
read a book of mostly mediocre stories is someone's idea of a
fun afternoon. To me, I'd rather skate or do just about
anything else.

some of the amazon reviewers are overly hung up on a very static evaluation of this text: 'is the writing good?' instead the highest value of this book is recognizing that it was created entirely by those within the skateboarding world and at times doesn't even address skateboarding itself - no need to always talk about it, they ARE the culture, they live it.

this is almost a sociological study of skaters at different times in their lives, from young to 'mature,' making sense of this subculture that has defined their lives. some of the tales are simple/straightforward, others are more experimental or fantastic. yet others seem to have no tie to skateboarding other than being in the anthology - but their placement within it makes connections inevitable.

it's a fascinating text as a study, and some of the writing is quite good - or at the least thought-provoking. peter pan-ish themes weave throughout, which says a lot, doesn't it? it's not amateurish, it's D.I.Y., which as all skaters know is also very much part of the culture. the fact that non-writers were welcome to contribute should be applauded. rules are broken, gems revealed. bravo to life and limb.

Many people have written about shred-stickery, but this book, for the first time, dismisses notions of the bong-toking, Tony Hawk Pro Skater-ing, Gravity Gaming, Tech Deck fingerboarding demographic of vidiot savant vandals who demoralize and destroy society with their wild antics on four wheels. This is a book written by skateboarders who convey more passion and garner more respect than any Tiger Woods or Mark McGuire, while simultaneously defying all that is conventional about "sport."

Life and Limb shows that talented skateboarders can also be talented artists, deep thinkers, and true souls in a society overrun by celebrities and sports aimed at breeding consumers. With pieces by many influential skaters whose lives have been touched, and in many ways shaped by the sport, Life and Limb is a revolutionary anthology that any skater, philosopher, activist, literati, industry entity, or martial artist can relate to. Its reading is therapeutic, reassuring, and restores lost faith in an ideology that has been packaged and sold to the branded masses.

Life and Limb winds through a wide array of experiences and perspectives, demonstrating the depth of a sub-culture of American life. With the use of humor, introspection, and fury; the collective authors are able to demonstrate the thoughts and feelings of the lost youth.

This should not be considered just another skateboarding book. This is an excellent read, and provides a vastness of thought that can only be attributed to many voices and many thoughts.

Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, and others in the Pre-Trib circle, such as Ed Hindson, Tommy (Thomas) Ice, Chuck Missler, Zola Levitt, Thomas McCall, John Hagee, Grant Jeffrey, Marlin Maddox, Perry Stone, Texe Marrs, John Walvoord (deceased), etc., continue to put forth the same deceptions that Hal Lindsey popularized decades ago. The notion of a pre-tribulation rapture is foreign to scripture, it is foreign to the teachings of the early Church, and it is grooming the Church for destruction through ignorance and lack of preparation for what is really coming. These men are novices and not prophecy "experts" or "scholars" by any stretch of the imagination; they are those who tickle the ears of gullible Christians. Why continue to be deceived? Tim Cohen, in his excellent book, "The AntiChrist and a Cup of Tea," provides biblically sound and testable evidence to show that the coming AntiChrist is known NOW. Not only that, the same author (Tim Cohen) has now put out the strongest presentation on the whole issue of the rapture EVER offered to the saints of God in Christ: "The REAL Rapture". If you really want to know the truth about the timing of the coming rapture, then you need to hear Tim Cohen's "The REAL Rapture" (based on a volume in his forthcoming "Messiah, History, and the Tribulation Period" series (see Prophecy House's site for details on these items, which are also available via Amazon).

I have always enjoyed the adult series of Left Behind books. The kids books are just as good. The kids interact with the characters from the adult series, experience the same events, etc. However, since the main characters are teens, these books can appeal to younger readers. So far, the stories haven't had the ups and downs that the adult series has had. The adult series has books that are a lot more boring than others. The kids series seems to be good in every book. These are not for really young kids, but would be appropriate for young teens. I enjoy them and I am an adult.

This book series is very interesting and exciting. cant wait till what happens in the end to the bad guys

Alright, I admit that one big reason that I've continued to read these books is the whole Judd/Vicki thing. I'm adicted. This book was good, not the greatest of the series. One thing I especially liked about this book is the authors brought back some characters from earlier in the series. Effective. I'm glad Lionel's getting more attention, I've been a little mad that for some reason he wasn't mentioned as much as Vicki and Judd. But I'm still left with the question, when will Judd and Lionel make it back to the states!?

This book centers around the (possibly incomplete) translation of a supposed lost Aztec Codex called the Pyramid of Fire. In short there are too many things about this book that are incomplete and make the book seem like it's a mashup which really hurts the central truths that the text may be trying to convey.

First, codices are pictoral depictions. We have no sure pages from the Pyramid of Fire codex. The images in the book are those borrowed from other codices which are said to resemble those in this codex. There were thirteen pages of the Pyramid of Fire. There are seven drawings presented and not one of them is from this codex. Just at this point you have a tremendous problem in that the work is not rooted back to it's original conveyence which is two-fold, the pictograms and a living Mazatec codex-holder who can speak directly to the text. The lack of these two things, codex and codex-holder, ultimately unground this work from the start.

Second, Marty Matz, the poet who supposedly was befriended by a Mazatec teacher/shaman (Don Daniel), lost the 13th page of the translation he wrote down years before. John Major Jenkins supposedly listened to an old tape recording (he could barely hear) of Marty reading the codex from the 1960s. But there are facts in the written codex that were different from what Marty had spoken such as 675 vs 468 years regarding Tonalpolhualli at the end of page 5 of the codex. Another unfinished aspect is the included novella that Marty was writing about the codex abruptly ends after the first chapter. You inevitably start getting the impression that this book is having a hard time conveying complete information. It's like the codex was beginning to fade away and Don Daniel, Marty, and JMJs efforts barely rescued it from oblivion. That's at least the best case impression you could have.

Third, apart from Marty's supposed original contact with Don Daniel there is no evidence that either Marty or JMJ attempted to contact or in any other way verify the themes in this codex with any current living Mazatec personage. This lack of verification is very troubling and leads to the near complete unhinging of this codex from the culture that produced it. This is why this review is titled Cultural 'Lifting'.

Forth, JMJ proceeds to apply his own observations and insights into the text. Although he is versed in cross-cultural spiritual studies, his attempt to compare, fit, and lift the Pyramid of Fire to other spiritual systems is what ultimately breaks the presentation of the codex away from it's roots into an ascribed perennial philosophy. This attempted comparison includes the works of Gurdjieff, Taoism, the Kaballah, and even references to oracular use of Majong. The lack of pictograms or personage cause the text to be interpreted, or lifted, based on JMJs own experiences and biases. Regardless of JMJs good intentions, or breadth of knowledge, this type of presetation quickly distances the text from it's original culture and meanings.

To be clear it is certainly evident that various spiritual traditions are all attempting to explain the divine ground of being. Different spiritual paths are like different facets of a diamond conveying different aspects of the one truth. But lacking a strong infusion from original Mazatec sources (and especially the pictograms of the original codex) the book dilutes the original meaning of the text by attempting to make connections to other systems that are by no means certain. There is not sense of polish or completeness in this book.

These points have lead me to the conclusion that the codex, if authentic, has been lift and unhinged from it's cultural roots and presented in a way that does great injustice to it. There are too many pieces that were incomplete, missing (where are the pictograms?), or supposed to make this book a fitting conveyence for the codex.

For the lack of cultural rooting and especially for the lack of the pictograms (which does seriously weaken it's authenticity) two stars is rating for this book. The text itself may be authentic. At least it does embody principles that seem likely for the cultures in this region. The codex text itself gets three to four stars.

If you do not know much about Meso-American spiritual nor are studied very widely in world spiritualism then there may be enough here to justify reading this book. Just keep in mind you are getting alot more other stuff than Aztec information. But ultimately the shortcomings in the material around the codex and the deflections into analogues in other belief systems and the lack of apparent verification from any living Mazatec teachers are factors which cannot escape careful examination. If the codex survived almost 500 years to reach Marty is it very likey that such an important text would still have a Mazatec lineage holder on the planet.

To JMJs credit he did emphasize the direct experience of reading, even aloud, the Pyramid of Fire text. Had this book taken more of a counselling approach to this goal and to be more poetic it would have been more effective. It could have spent more time giving the reader hints on how to harmonize with this work. It could have encouraged the direct mystical experience rather than an attempted scholarly approach. The book should have given examples from Mazatec culture on how to get into the core of the text based on how the Mazatec do things. Without this key to embodied resonance with the text this work is definately a head-piece rather than a heart-piece. My largest concerns are not with the core truth of the Pyramid Fire text but with the wrappings around it.

I hope that someone will take another try at this text and really spend time attempting to recover the original pictograms if they still exist and to spend time trying to verify the text with living Mazatec teachers. I salute the Mazatec people and all other peoples who have been carriers for the authentic wisdom of humanity through the ages. To honor the ancient ones we need to ensure that their voice, not ours, is central when presenting their wisdom.

John Major Jenkins is best known for his facinating work on the Mayan calendar, such as 'Maya Cosmogenesis 2012' and 'Galactic Alignment'. In this book, he explores the Aztec culture, and in particular an unknown codex discovered by his co-author friend Marty Matz, a 'beat poet' of the 1950's generation. In the book Jenkins provides a complete listing of the 13 page codex, along with his own commentary on its meaning. In addition, there is an autobiographical novella written by Marty, which reminded me of the writings of Carlos Castaneda. Jenkins is convinced of the authenticity of the codex and its part in the 'perennial philosophy'.

I was particularly intrigued by the parallels of the writings of the codex with those of other esoteric sources, particularly the writings of George Gurdjieff, Gnostic, Hermetic. Kabbalah, Hebrew and Christian scripture. Jenkins seems to have a profound grasp of the esoteric meaning behind the writings of the Mayan, Aztec and other Meso-America cultures and their part in the perennial philosophy of the ages. Jenkins is a gifted writer and scholar and I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Since I dabbled in mind altering drugs in the 60's and 70's I could understand the words and thoughts of Jenkins. Since I first heard of 2012 in Graham Handcocks "Fingerprints of the Gods" I have sought out books on the subject. I have narrowed my reading to the Central American and Hindu trane of thought. I like Jenkins so much I purchased Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. Both should be read by all.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Beat generation poet Marty Matz explored remote areas of Mexico and learned to speak the Mazatec language. He gained the trust of a Mazatec shaman, who showed him an unknown codex, and also explained to him the meaning behind the pictograms. Marty made a translation and recited it in the poetry clubs of San Francisco. The final page got lost over the years, but John Major Jenkins located a recording of one of Marty's recitals and reconstructed the whole translation.

All other codices that have survived have been interpreted solely by non-indigenous scholars, with the exception of the Popul vuh of the Maya, which was written into a word form from what was originally a pictorial document. This means that the Pyramid of Fire is a unique insight into the philosophy of the Aztecs, which turns out to be fascinating. The true meaning of sacrifice, for example, is simply a transcending of the ego - a self-sacrifice. The metaphorical pictures were misunderstood and resulted in the gory mass sacrifices of prisoners for which the Aztecs later became famous. In fact, the Aztec philosophy turns out to be very similar to that which was known to G.I. Gurdjieff, following his travels across the near East and Asia.

The Pyramid of Fire reveals that the Aztecs had a spiritual technology similar to the Kundalini yoga of the Hindus, in which Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is shown to be an identical concept. Though some have suggested this in the past, they lacked the evidence - now we have it.

The last page of the codex reveals that the final New Fire ceremony will bring a fire of purification that will burn away the remains of mortal desires and illusions, that will be the end of obscurity - the obscurity imposed by Tezcatlipoca - the Smoking Mirror, or obsidian mirror. This is a very similar concept to the end-time vision of St. Paul "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Cor 13 v.12) or alternatively, "through a glass darkly". Since Jenkins has already reconstructed the meaning of the New Fire ceremony as a tradition for tracking precession (see Maya Cosmogenesis 2012), and that it was adapted at Chichen Itza (the pyramid of Kukulcan) to correlate with the Mayan end-date of 2012, then it seems that the Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan-Kundalini teachings are to help prepare mankind for the current time-window earmarked by 2012, when we are due to confront The Other.