Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography

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For years Mother Teresa has appeared at the top of every list of the world's most influential women, in company with Diana, Princess of Wales, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Different in almost every respect from those famous women, she did share one important quality: she was a star. In Mother Teresa, biographer Kathryn Spink goes beyond her subject's public persona to examine the life of a modern-day saint. In the course of tracing Mother Teresa's life--from her birth in Albania to her years in Ireland and then India with the Loreto Sisters to the founding of her own order, the Missionaries of Charity--Spink explores the ramifications of her subject's life and work on the lives of those she labored for and with.

Mother Teresa's frail appearance belied the steely will and public-relations savvy she brought to the task of loosening potential donor's purse strings and attracting attention to her cause. Was Mother Teresa a kind of spiritual colonialist, as critics have charged, more interested in helping the poor die in a state of grace than in changing the conditions in which they lived? Spink discusses this and other thorny questions with grace and honesty, at the same time emphasizing her subject's admirable achievements.

Book Description

During her lifetime, Mother Teresa resisted having her full biography written. Then, in 1991, realizing that accounts of her life and work could inspire others, she gave Kathryn Spink, who had long been intimately involved with the work of Mother Teresa and her order and co-workers around the world, permission to proceed with a complete biography on the understanding that it would not be finished until after her death.

Here, now, is the complete story of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a woman regarded by millions as a contemporary saint for her dedication to serving the poorest of the poor. From her childhood in Balkans as a member of a remarkably openhearted and religious family to her work in India, from attending the victims of war-torn Beirut to pleading with George Bush and Saddam Hussein to choose peace over war. Mother Teresa was driven by an absolute faith. She consistently claimed that she was simply responding to Christ's boundless love for her and for all of humanity. When People magazine interviewed Kathryn Spink for their cover story on Mother Teresa 's death, Spink told them: "What one has to understand about Mother Teresa is that she sees Christ in every person she encounters." Clad in her white peasant sari with blue edging, Mother Teresa brought to the world a great and living lesson in joyful and selfless love.

Customer Reviews:

An Effective Account.......2007-10-07

Spink has created a serious biography of Mother Teresa, which covers her life fairly comprehensively from birth to death. Mother Teresa's creation of the Missionaries of Charity, and her tireless efforts on behalf of the sick, and the poorest of the poor are well illumined by the book. Refraining from much criticism or praise, Spink also illustrates Mother Teresa's uncompromising stand against abortion, divorce and birth control. The style is a bit wandering and digressing (and as always I wish there were footnotes!), but nonetheless relays essential facts of Mother Teresa's life. The book is accessible, and recommended to anyone seriously trying to appreciate her life, in or outside an undergraduate context.

a beautiful book about a beautiful person.......2007-09-17

This is one of my favorite books about the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. It is very descriptive and detailed. The book also includes many old photographs of Mother Teresa, as well. This is a beautiful book about a beautiful person.

Very inspirational.......2006-04-16

What a great biography about this great Albanian nun.
In her own words "I am Albanian by birth. Now I am citizen of India. I am also a Catholic nun. In my work, I belong to the whole world. But in my heart, I belong to Christ".

A Life Worthy of Art.......2004-06-29

A life such as Mother Teresa's is deserving of an insightful vibrant and skillfully told biography. I found Kathryn Spink's "Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography" left wanting. It did not live up to the magnitude of Mother Teresa's life of service and giving throughout the world but especially in India's Calcutta in the formation and running of the Sisters of Charity.

Spink's "Mother Teresa," reads, at times, like a laundry list of events with no coherent effort made to illuminate the person behind the events. The best biographies I have found don't rely so much on the cold hard history to build a story around, but rather insight as to who the person is and how they interacted with the world. I think of skillfully told biographies in which I walked away from the reading of them with insight, motivation, and the feeling that I knew the subject and was engaged in their life. Benson's "John Steinbeck: Writer," and Morris "Theodore Rex," come to mind as examples. Spink's "Mother Teresa," does not do the same.

I credit the writer for tackling some tough issues in the last two chapters. She addresses criticisms of Mother Teresa and the Sister's of Charity co-workers and does so without sidestepping difficult points of contention. Some social work critics fault the work of Mother Teresa for not wielding her influence to address the root causes of poverty and only tackling the end-product of suffering in a simplistic manner. In addition, Mother Teresa was loyal to the Catholic Church and stood staunch in support of difficult traditional stances espoused by that organization to include pro-life in all cases. Spink's does a good job of pitting Mother Teresa's perspective of service and belief to explain why she did what she did and why she believed as she did. However, this isn't until the last two chapters of the book and this illuminating approach could have been begun on page 1.

All in all, I would only recommend this book if you are attempting to delve deeply into the life and times of Mother Teresa and have read other books on that subject. If you want a good read and are just scratching the surface finding out what Mother Teresa's life was all about, look elsewhere dear reader.
--MMW

Mother Teresa.......2004-06-18

Kathryn Spink writes an inspirational biography of Mother Teresa's life. Each mini story allows the reader to reflect on the common spiritual truths taught by Mother Teresa. Some of these truths are: "seeing Jesus in the destitute and dying" and "doing something ordinary, but with great love", among many others...

Filled with quotations and stories, it serves as a great devotional book if read in small chunks. It will challenge the seeker to feel closer to Christ as well as understand the extraordinary events in Mother Teresa's life.

Mother Teresa : A Complete Authorized Biography
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Mother Teresa : A Complete Authorized Biography
Kathryn Spink
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF01H8

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Mother Teresa : A Complete Authorized Biography
Kathryn Spink
Manufacturer: Harper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZZY62

Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography
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Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography
Kathryn Spink
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: B000LPP7FM

Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography
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Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography
Kathryn Spink
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEPDTA

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Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography
Kathryn Spink
Manufacturer: Harper San Francisco
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ASIN: B000KAJIEE

Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships With Western Society
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AN EXCELLENT SYNOPSIS OF WARFARE AND ITS SOCIETAL EFFECTS

Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships With Western Society
Richard Arthur Preston , Alex Roland , and S. F. Wise
Manufacturer: Holt Rinehart and Winston
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Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

AN EXCELLENT SYNOPSIS OF WARFARE AND ITS SOCIETAL EFFECTS.......2000-04-05

_Men in Arms_ represents a unique work--in just under 400 pages of text, the authors have managed to produce a work which presents the reader or student with a fine overview of warfare from the Ancient Greeks to the advent of operations other than war in the late-1980s/early 1990s.

Naturally, in attempting to cover a subject so broad in such a relatively small amount of space, there are bound to be those who find fault with the work as it cannot hope to cover each of the periods in particularly great detail. To bemoan these shortcomings would be to lose sight of the book's intrinsic value to beginning students of warfare, as well as those endeavoring to study an unfamiliar period.

The division of the book into 22 logically divided chapters aids in this type of use, providing the reader with an understanding of the essential elements of war through the ages and its attendant effect on Western society as a whole. _Men in Arms_ is an excellent introductory text and--though the absence of footnotes was sorely felt by this reviewer--the bibliography, which is divided into subject areas by chronological sequence, will point the interested reader in the direction of other, more detailed texts.

Men in Arms A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society
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Men in Arms A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society
Richard A., Sydney F. Wise, and Herman O. Werner Preston
Manufacturer: Frederick A. Praeger
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Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CJLTB

MEN IN ARMS A HISTORY OF WARFARE & ITS INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH WESTERN SOCIETY
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MEN IN ARMS A HISTORY OF WARFARE & ITS INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH WESTERN SOCIETY
Richard A. & Sydney F. Wise & Herman O. Werner Preston
Manufacturer: Frederick A. Praeger
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7ZDAM

Men in Arms: a History of Warfare and Its Interrelationship with Western Society
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Men in Arms: a History of Warfare and Its Interrelationship with Western Society
Richard A.; Wise, Sydney F. Preston
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PHQRUU

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Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society
Richard A Preston
Manufacturer: PRAEGER PUBLISHERS
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UCOOCS

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Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society

Manufacturer: Frederick A Praeger
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Binding: Paperback
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Men In Arms: A History Of Warfare And Its Interrelationships With Western Society
Alex Roland, S. F. Wise Richard Arthur Preston
Manufacturer: Holt Rinehart and Winston
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Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships with Western Society
Preston, Richard A. et al.
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ASIN: B000K7RGNM

Book Description

New from Management Concepts, the second edition of Practical Ethics in Public Administration is an excellent text for courses in applied and professional ethics - and essential preparation for future public administrators.

Practical Ethics in Public Administration is a skillful blend of theory and practice, with many case examples taken from daily public service. Students will be introduced to historical ethical theories - and how they combine in a unified ethical approach that can be applied to everyday situations. They'll learn the ethical nature of questions such as whether to fire an employee…how to allocate departmental funds…how to rate an employee on a yearly evaluation…policies of confidentiality…and more.

The new second edition features updated examples, guidelines, and hypothetical cases…two new chapters, one on how to address conflict by applying the unified ethic and a second on the ethics involved in leadership development…and new discussions of personal and professional issues such as new public management and creating public value.

Handbook Of Administrative Ethics (PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY)
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A chapter by chapter review by Apoorv Durga and K. R. Balaji

Handbook Of Administrative Ethics (PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY)
Terry L., Ed. Cooper
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Delineating implications for administrative ethics from other fields such as sociology, psychology, and philosophy, this reference provides a comprehensive review of administrative ethics in the public sector. Detailing the context within which contemporary ethics training has developed, the book examines the effectiveness of ethics training, legal and organizational devices for encouraging desired conduct, and other topics of particular relevance to the political and social contexts of public administration. Written by over 25 leading scholars in public administration ethics, the book creates a taxonomy for administrative ethics using the categories of modern philosophy.

Customer Reviews:

A chapter by chapter review by Apoorv Durga and K. R. Balaji.......1999-02-26

The 'Handbook of Administrative Ethics', edited by Terry L. Cooper is divided into seven major sections which are further divided into 29 chapters. Scholars in the field of administrative ethics have written all the chapters. The book tries to Delineate implications for administrative ethics from other fields such as sociology, psychology, and philosophy, and provides a comprehensive review of administrative ethics in the public sector. It recommends useful research techniques for generating various categories of knowledge concerning administrative ethics and examines the effectiveness of ethics training and legal and organizational devices for encouraging desired conduct. It is designed to help public administrators become more effective decision makers through consciously addressing and systematically confronting ethical issues. The book provides techniques that help managers consider all the factors involved in a decision and ensure that they balance professional, personal, and organizational values. The focus of the book is mainly on public sector and it does not cover issues related to private sector. In 'The Emergence of Administrative Ethics as a Field of Study in the United States', Terry L. Cooper traces the growth of administrative ethics as a field of study from its early years in the late nineteenth century to the present. The focus of this chapter is on the literature of administrative ethics since the late nineteenth century. Coopers examines the treatment of this subject in numerous books and articles. In 'Research and Knowledge in Administrative Ethics', George Frederickson talks about different approaches to research in public administration. The dominant of these is positivist, rational, and empirical. It is by research that knowledge of ethical issues, attitudes towards ethics, and ethics behavior is developed. In the positivist family, there are five methods. These are: surveys, experimentation, interview, use of data and the use of case studies. The post-positivist or subjective research methods in the study of administrative ethics include history, naturalistic inquiry, and stories. Frederickson basically describes the differences and similarities between the different approaches by drawing examples from numerous sources. In 'Ethics Education in Public Administration', Catron and Denhardt talk about the necessity of ethics education, the contents of ethics courses, and the strategies for incorporating ethics into the curriculum. 'Ethics in Inservice Training' describes the lack and need of the training of ethics and associated things in the public sector services. Hejka-Ekins first describe different approaches to ethics education. This is mainly based on John Rohr's work. There is a difference between "compliance ethics" and "integrity ethics". Compliance ethics refers to compliance of employees regarding legal or official rules and statutes while integrity ethics attempts to impart ethical standards and values. Compliance ethics specify "what employees should not do" where as integrity ethics lay stress on "what employees should do". Another differentiation is based on "Fusion ethics" and "Integration ethics". The chapter then describes the currents training efforts in the US public sector. At the federal level, the Office of Government ethics is responsible for providing directions to officers and employees in executive agencies. At the state level, The Council of State Governments/Council has compiled guidelines in its COGEL Blue Book. This is based on a huge data which is compiled biennialy. At the local level, The Municipal Reference Service of the National League of Cities and the International City Management Association play an active role in defining ethics. At the professional level, The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training is responsible for providing training to all law enforcement officers in the state of California. Similarly, there are other bodies in different states. Section II, "Philosophical Perspectives in Public Administration", includes five chapters. In "The Use of Philosophy in Administrative ethics", Charles J. Fox, clearly differentiates between the study of philosophy and ethics. Fox identifies two kinds of orientations. These are foundationalist teleological (consequentialist) and deontological (duty oriented) orientations is the literature. He next talks about the current challenges of different philosophies and orientations. David Hart in "Administration and the Ethics of Virtue" describes administrative ethics as a virtue. The ethics of virtue have been divided into six categories: the cardinal virtues; moral excellence; moral action; moral intentionality and voluntarism; moral reinforcement and refreshment; and living the best life. The four cardinal virtues are: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. The chapter concludes with the qualities of a virtuous administrator. Ralph Chandler in "Deontological Dimensions of Administrative Ethics" talks about one of the two orientations described by Fox in "The Use of Philosophy in Administrative ethics" i.e., Deontological ethics. He defines and explains the meaning and implications of deontological ethics. He also summarizes the work of eighteenth century philosopher Immanuel Kant which led to the theory of Kantiansim. He also discusses two other so called 'single rule deontological' theories. These are: Ethical and Cultural Relativism and Agapism. The next chapter "A Teleological Approach to Administrative Ethics" by Gerald M. Pops discusses the second approach as opposed to the "Deontological approach" as described above. This is the consequential approach because unlike deontological approach, this is not concerned with duty to principle, but to the goodness of the consequences of one's act. Section III, "Contexts of Administrative Ethics" deals with the organizational setting and public realm in which public administration is practiced. The first chapter "Organizational Structure as a Context for Administrative Ethics" by Kathryn G. Denhardt discusses relationships between the organization structure and administrative ethics. The organization structure plays an important role in shaping an employee's values resulting in his behavior. Although it might not directly impact the behavior but there could be hidden aspects which effect an employee's behavior. There are four ways in which the organization affects the culture. It acts as an embodiment of values and institutionalizes it; it shapes and reinforces values; it acts as a shield against outside influences; and finally it acts as a pathological organism that influences those within it. Next chapter, "Governmental Ethics and Organizational Culture", by Leigh E. Grosenick essentially discusses the role of ethics vis-a-vis Governmental organizations. It discusses the role of culture in shaping employee's ethical/unethical behavior. Curtis Ventriss, in chapter 12, "The 'Publicness' of Administrative Ethics" begins with a distinction between administrative ethics and public ethics, arguing for the latter as a broader and more appropriate perspective within which to develop an administrative ethic. Ventriss then offers some observations about the surprising lack of attention to the meaning of "public" in the study of public administration and moves on to a review of literature that addresses this subject. This material is classified into four categories: classical, neo-classical, consequential and organizational. Section IV, "Maintaining Ethical Conduct: External Controls", examines various legal and organizational devices for encouraging desired conduct. According to Jeremy F. Plant, the author of "Codes of Ethics", codes of ethics help to define acceptable conduct. A code can be written or in written but for it to be enforceable, it should be written. A written code can be enforces by any authority which has the jurisdiction power. E.g. a lot of companies has an element of this code in their mission statement. Some companies have such codes inscribed on each and every wall. In such cases, it is usually up to the employees but in other cases, like the systems of laws, such codes and mandatory. The author goes on to review the literature on this topic and concludes by taking the example of the code of ethics of the International city Management Association. The next chapter. "Ethics Legislation" by Harriet McCullough traces the history of laws related to ethics since 1960. "Locks are only for gentlemen" and hence we need legislation. It provides balanced, in-depth coverage of controversial topics in the areas of law and ethics within the business environment and introduces issues via specific legal cases. It analyzes the participation of federal courts in the area of public administration at all levels of government, presenting legal decisions based on how indiv

Book Description

LandscapeConstructed wetlands are gaining worldwide acceptance as effective, low-cost, and low-impact alternatives to unsightly, high-impact wastewater treatment facilities. The creative involvement of today's planners, landscape architects, developers, environmental engineers, and public officials is helping to maximize the potential of these wetland habitats—from their aesthetics to their multiple uses as water treatment plants, wildlife refuges, and recreational or educational facilities. Yet, to date, the literature has paid no attention to these aspects, focusing instead on the technical side of wetlands construction and function.

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is the first book to integrate aesthetic design and planning issues with the technical aspects of wetlands engineering. Renowned landscape architect Craig S. Campbell and engineer Michael H. Ogden clearly demonstrate how the successful development and management of multifunctional, sustainable wetland habitats depend on harnessing the knowledge and working principles of a number of disciplines. Richly illustrated with real-world case studies, the book:

Covers the concept of sustainable development and the nature of wetland processes.
Discusses designs for new and existing municipal and small community wastewater treatment facilities.
Contains examples of on-site planning for, and management of, stormwater renovation, single-family residential systems, and multiple-use systems.
Examines landscape engineering and planning for ponds, urban wildlife, and ecological art.
Clearly written and accessible to nonengineers and nonscientists, Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is a crucial guide for landscape architects, environmental engineers, planners, developers, and others responsible for the design and management of our built environment.
Customer Reviews:

Great All-around Guide for Constructed Wetlands.......2002-11-12
This book has become an invaluable reference around our office...for the engineers, landscape architect and directors. The book covers a range of useful topics, from design basics (including relevant modeling formulas), pricing estimates, integration information for planners, citizens and regulators, wetland ecology background notes, landscaping ideas and wonderful examples of systems that the authors themselves have designed and installed.
The book highlights the benefits of wetlands often overlooked or undervalued in other engineering-oriented texts - wildlife habitat creation, aesthetics, water recharge, etc.
Since the book was writen by a landscape architect and an engineer, two visionary pioneers in their fields, it covers a lot of useful ground.
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