Heal & Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse

Heal & Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse
Average customer rating:

Heal First, THEN Forgive

A Must-Read For All Victims Who Feel Pressured To Forgive Prematurely

Recovering from Child Abuse

Powerful, Fast-Paced, and Empowering

Wise important lessons about surviving abuse

Heal & Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse
Nancy Richards
Manufacturer: Blue Dolphin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Sexual Abuse | Abuse & Self Defense | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Child Abuse | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Dysfunctional Relationships | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Keeping the Faith: Guidance for Christian Women Facing Abuse

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Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 1577331583
Release Date: 2005-05-01

Product Description

Heal and Forgive presents a first-hand description of child abuse and navigates the reader through the distinctive stumbling blocks encountered by adult survivors of abuse who are attempting to forgive. This thought-provoking illustration offers new hope to those who have given up at the prospect of forgiving. Many survivors of abuse long to forgive their abusers; however, many common approaches to forgiveness are not appropriate for situations involving abuse. This work demonstrates to the survivor the additional steps necessary to achieve forgiveness in the face of abuse. Surprisingly, it is often the very process of not forgiving, of acknowledging the pain, and taking the steps to heal that frees the abused to forgive. This book clearly points to the need to validate their story with a sympathetic listener, express their anger in appropriate ways, mourn for their losses, and protect themselves and others from re-injury. Further, this work explains to the individual that forgiveness does not mean excusing. No one needs to forgive the acts perpetrated against them in order to let go of resentment and forgive the being who harmed them. Forgiveness is not an event of immediacy. It's not a bolt of lightning that brightens the soul and burns the pain to ashes. Forgiveness is a process that is transformational. When all is said and done, the final process is an act of love.

Customer Reviews:

Heal First, THEN Forgive.......2006-04-13

Nancy Richards offers a fresh face to the concept of forgiveness in her book Heal and Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse. It deserves a closer look from anyone struggling with recovery from childhood abuse.

A woman who runs a ministry for adult daughters of controlling and abusive families recommended I take a look at Richards' work when I shared with her my own journey. I ordered it last week and found it so absorbing I finished it in just over two hours.

Ms. Richards walks us through her own brutal childhood, one that we discover began at birth, and became exacerbated after her father died and her mother remarried to a man who was extremely cruel and sadistic. We learn about the literal joy he took out of beating Nancy and her brothers, how he ripped everyone apart with his words and would look for anything he could find to perpetrate the terror he inflicted. Worse yet is the ways we learn this man is able to influence Nancy and her siblings to turn on each other, and how she becomes the household scapegoat.

Eventually Nancy leaves home to marry and start a family of her own. We learn her family of origin does not improve, take responsibility or offer amends for their past behavior. Instead, her mother proceeds to divorce and remarry several abusive men in succession, and continues to promote blaming Nancy for all the "family's" problems, to the extent that she convinces everyone Nancy is crazy and to side against her.

Ms. Richards attempts this whole time to forgive her abusers. After all, aren't we all taught to leave the past behind, forgive other's wrongs, and be family no matter what? Don't they tell us that unless we do these things, we won't heal?

But in the course of her efforts she finds the opposite - she is unable to heal. To the contrary, the harder she tries, the more pain she feels, the greater her resentments, and the more abuse her family of origin is able to heap on her.

In Nancy's quest to figure out why this isn't working, she comes across an understanding therapist and several books from psychological and spiritual perspectives that turn our culture's traditional concept of forgiveness upside down. She learns that perhaps the solution for her is to NOT forgive in the way she has been led to believe, that the whole idea of making peace while overlooking the evil of abusive behaviors is in fact self-defeating and self-destructive. Nancy realized that she must think first of her own needs, to protect herself and her own family.

The end result is that Ms. Richards ends up "divorcing" her mother, which also causes an unfortunate loss of relationships with other family members, including her brothers. As of the publication she had not spoken to any of them in twelve years.

She also decides to stop working on forgiving them, and start focusing on her recovery and her daughters. It is these actions in themselves that allow healing to flow into her life, and eventually, she is able to find TRUE forgiveness.

I found this book to be very powerful in both the story it had to tell, and in the message it had to give. I have followed a very close path in my own life; the parallels between her family's behavior and mine were eerie. I too have had to "divorce" my family of origin and in the process lost relationships with other relatives, and even some family friends. So to read such a similar story as mine was incredibly validating.

On a spiritual level I also found Nancy's story and her sharing of some resources regarding forgiveness to be a relief. Like myself, Ms. Richards is a Christian, and she includes pieces of wisdom from others within that vein who support a different concept of forgiveness and do so from a Christian perspective. As someone who felt torn over whether my choices broke the commandment to honor my mother and father, this book served as a valuable resource to help me reconcile this area of my life.

I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is struggling with a family of origin that is broken due to unamended abuse. I also believe anyone who is a friend or loved one of someone recovering from childhood abuse will find this book beneficial for understanding the survivor's struggle to find healing and, yes, forgiveness.

A Must-Read For All Victims Who Feel Pressured To Forgive Prematurely.......2006-03-13

Heal and Forgive is the best book I've read in a very long time. As the director of Luke 17:3 Ministries for adult children of abusive, controlling or abandoning birth-families, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a more helpful book to recommend. It is unique in its perspective in that it teaches the reader that sometimes it is okay, and even necessary, NOT to forgive. It is a page turner right from the beginning, gripping you with Nancy Richards' riveting and disturbing story of her sadistic stepfather's violence and relentless abuse of herself and her brothers, and her mother's complicity in the abuse and complete refusal to protect her children in the slightest way.

Even more distressing is the author's account of her attempts to protect herself and her brothers, and to stand up and speak the truth about the abuse, which resulted in her treacherous mother convincing anyone who would listen that she was a liar and troublemaker with mental problems. There is a twisted episode in which her stepfather was finally going to move out, but her mother told the then 12-year old author to ask him to stay. He did stay, and years later the mother blamed her daughter for controlling her marriage (at age 12!) and making her husband stay when she could have been rid of him sooner.

Long after the evil stepfather was gone and the author was grown, her mother continued to expose the author's younger brothers to repeated abuse from a string of other losers she became involved with. Nancy Richards tells, in heart-wrenching detail, of her attempts to protect her younger siblings, to get anyone to listen to her or believe her, and to somehow maintain a relationship with the mother she still loved and the rest of her family.

But, in a scenario disturbingly familiar to many abuse survivors, her mother managed to convince most of the family that Richards was the problem, and to turn almost her entire family against her, including the brothers she had tried so hard and sacrificed so much to protect. The denial, betrayals, and blatant lies as the family protected the abusers and scape-goated the author will ring true with so many of us.

And then the author was left to embark on the path to forgiveness, with absolutely no remorse or repentance from those she was pressured to forgive, and not even any validation of her traumatic experiences. At each stage of the process, she faced renewed pain with every new revelation, such as the realizations that her mother was the one who betrayed her the most, and that her mother really never loved her.

Throughout her long and difficult journey to forgiveness and recovery, the author has many valuable insights which she lovingly shares with us. The most important insight, which is the main premise of the book, is that healing needs to come FIRST, BEFORE forgiveness. We usually feel pressured to forgive prematurely, by family and friends, therapists, and society in general. But forced forgiveness is not always possible, and is certainly not healthy.

The author teaches us that forgiveness is a process that begins with healing, and needs to include other elements as well, such as validation, anger, grief, and protection. In the process of her recovery, Nancy Richards read other author's works, which helped her to understand these truths about forgiveness, and she quotes from them in her book. When reading Heal & Forgive, one gets the sense that the author is not just writing about her own experiences, but is doing all she can to present a well-rounded and informed picture that will help other abuse victims as much as possible. She opens her heart to us, and shares her innermost thoughts and every feeling she has that might validate our own feelings and help us on our road to recovery.

The book is an easy read, and I was able to finish it in a few sittings. It was a hard book to put down, and I hated to walk away from it in the middle of the story without finding out what was going to happen next. It was a lot of food for thought. Nancy Richards does all abuse victims a favor when she teaches us that sometimes no matter what we are willing to do and how hard we are willing to try, it is just not possible to have a relationship with some people. We understand how important it is to stand up and tell the truth- to others and to ourselves.

When we realize that someone we love doesn't love us, the truth can be so hard to bear, but it is still the truth, and denying it doesn't change anything. We learn that sometimes we need to make the choice to walk away from a toxic relationship. We feel validated in learning that it is alright NOT TO FORGIVE evil people, and that releasing ourselves from the pressure to forgive gives us the freedom to heal. Only after we have healed will we be able to come to a place of genuine forgiveness.

After reading Heal & Forgive, I admire Nancy Richards for her courage and determination to heal and lead a life of peace and happiness despite her birth-family's rejection, and I am appreciative of her sincere efforts to encourage the rest of us and validate our experiences by sharing her story. Her triumph over the devastation and heartache inflicted by those she loved is an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can never get over the pain and be happy again. I urge all those who have felt the knife of a loved one's betrayal in their back, or who feel pressured to forgive before they are ready, to read this book. It is a must-read for any survivor of birth-family abuse.

Recovering from Child Abuse.......2006-02-26

Ms. Richards describes how physical and emotional child abuse can turn the non-abusing against the child and the children against one another. One of the ways that abusers maintain control is to divide and conquer the rest of the family. Everyone is afraid to become the abuser's next target. A scapegoat is picked and everyone uses the scapegoat to escape personal pain. Ms. Richards was that scapegoat in her family.

The abuse was particularly hard to bear because Ms. Richards biological father was a kind man who headed a loving family. After her father's untimely death, Ms. Richards found herself at the receiving end of abuse from a string of step fathers.

Even after she was grown and had escaped the den of horrors, Ms. Richards found it hard to escape the consequences of the abuse as she attempted to help her siblings.

During her recover, Ms. Richards found that much of the advice about forgiving abusers just didn't work for her. There was no relief and no reconciliation. Eventually, she "divorced" her family and put her energies into being a good Mom to her own children. When she had gained enough healing from this separation and building a healthy family life, Ms. Richards was finally able to forgive her abusers . . . and to gain relief from that forgiveness.

The lesson of this story is that those who are recovering from such horrible treatment need to listen to their hearts as they seek a happy, balanced life. Advice from others will only lead you so far on the path to recovery. Check that advice for whether it seems right before you try it. Also, don't expect that any abusing leopards are going to change their spots.

If you weren't abused, why should you read this book? I see several reasons. First is to witness and honor Ms. Richards' experiences. That's part of helping her become healthier. Second, this will help you be more vigilant in watching out for abuse among children you come into contact with. Children need caring adults to intervene on their behalf. Third, this book will help you be grateful for your blessings. You may think you've had a hard life, but maybe it wasn't so hard after all.

Powerful, Fast-Paced, and Empowering.......2005-06-14

Nancy Richards has written a poignant memoir that should be
read by a wide audience. It opens with her early life as a
well-adjusted child in a happy, healthy family; but soon it
veers to the death of her father, the remarriage of her
mother, and the onset of physical and emotional abuse from
her stepfather and, through enabling and collaboration, her
own mother.

Ms. Richards' journey through adolescence, young adulthood,
to mature adulthood is vividly recounted. Any reader whose
journey has been analogous to Richards' will readily
identify with her attempts to give voice to--and then cope
with the consequences of--her childhood abuse.

I found myself underlining or bracketing large portions of
the second half of the book. Richards not only was betrayed
by her mother and stepfather but also was scapegoated by
her own brothers and other relatives as being the "sick"
one, the "troublemaker," the girl who never liked to be
hugged and who always gave her mother a hard time. Even
community members outside of her immediate family who saw
the bruises and the blood refused to help or to even
acknowledge that something was wrong.

For a victim of childhood abuse (and I am one myself), few
things are more damning or confusing than the utter refusal
of family or friends to speak up on one's behalf. It's a
double-whammy: one quickly learns to "cover" for the
abusers and to blame oneself for the evils. How could
parents, the ultimate protectors and nurturers, possibly
hurt their own flesh and blood?

America as a whole is in utter denial over the not uncommon
abuse of children and adolescents by parents and relatives.
Europe much more readily accepts the "divorcing" of one's
own parents; but here, with a blind allegiance to the Old
Testament's "Honor one's mother and father" and a nearly
complete neglect of the true meaning behind "Loving one's
neighbor (or child) as oneself," we perpetuate the
treating of children as property and the goings-on within
any "nuclear family" as inviolable, untouchable--none of
our own business.

Because of this, Richards' account is a much-needed one.
Her own steps toward health and wholeness are realistic and
clear-sighted. Although she advocates forgiveness, she
states that true forgiveness can come only with
acknowledgement, reparation, and change on the part of the
abuser(s). Self-preservation takes precedence over blind
and blanket allegiance/forgiveness. One cannot love others
as oneself if one loves oneself so little that that Self is
permitted to be the object of continued (and
unacknolwedged) abuse.

I am grateful that Nancy Richards has had the courage to
publish this intelligent, sensitive exploration of her own
experiences that so mirror the experiences of many others.

Wise important lessons about surviving abuse.......2005-06-13

"I left Mom's house stripped, whipped, naked, and destroyed." Heal & Forgive is the author's potent account of the raw abusive underbelly of human nature and the triumph over it.

Thinking about child abuse puts most people in an uncomfortable zone yet many people are abusive without realizing it. Telltale signs of abuse are being uncovered daily. Healing from abuse is walking a complicated grief path of multiples losses. Working through the trauma takes on a power. The power of healing is the ability to reshape your life.

The author courageously rips through the barriers of denial, leaving the crude truth exposed. Richards's gutsy mission of cleaning out the wounds of abuse and setting new boundaries is humbling. As the author searches through the rearview mirror of her life, she learns that healing first is the foundation for true forgiveness.

The perfect punctuation mark to her lessons is the purging of the patterns of abuse. By shedding her layers of pain, anger and confusion, she transforms her life and the life of those she touches.

This is an excellent book for abuse survivors and for those dealing with or helping abuse survivors.

Sherry Russell
Grief Management Specialist

Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From
Average customer rating:

establishment historian

Informative (and inevitably funny at times)

Gee, conspiracies don't happen in America

CONSPIRACY. No such thing according to this author. Let's remove it from the Dictionary

So So

Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From
Daniel Pipes
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy

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The Paranoid Style in American Politics: And Other Essays

ASIN: 0684871114

Amazon.com

The New World Order, CIA drug rings, UFOs in New Mexico, the JFK assassination, the Elders of Zion--all are the products of politically disaffected and culturally suspicious minds, writes Daniel Pipes, author of The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy. Here he examines the nature of conspiracy theories and asks, "What makes otherwise intelligent people believe in phony phenomena?" and "Why is antisemitism so often its central feature?" Pipes usefully lays out a few hypotheses about conspiracy theories, and distinguishes them from actual conspiracies (which are real, of course). Although the book could benefit from some organizational improvement, it contains many astute observations. Readers interested in its subject will find it worth examining.

Customer Reviews:

establishment historian.......2007-10-05

I saw the History's Mysteries video that features snippets of the author, I can only question whom is it that he is working for? I consider him an establishment historian. I personally believe in a conspiracy because I believe the Bible, you may not, but that is where I am coming from. in the bible Revelation chapter 13 shows how there is a world wide conspiracy to establish a world-wide government that is very anti-Christian. Do you suppose this will come about over night? Have an open mind and look into the matter. Ask yourself why do we have groups like the CFR, Bilderbergers, and Trilateral Commision? Why are they around? Who needs them? Do "we the people"? You don't have to agree with my ideas, but check things out for yourself. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your money or time on this book.

Informative (and inevitably funny at times).......2007-05-04

I would recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the role that "conspiracism" (the belief in conspiracy theories) plays in modern society. Before reading it, though, I would track down a copy of Richard Hofstadter's essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," which is where the term "Paranoid Style" in the book's subtitle comes from. After reading Hofstadter's essay, you will have a better background to understand Pipes' contribution to the topic.

Gee, conspiracies don't happen in America.......2006-09-07

This work is interesting to a degree, but each case has to be looked at individually. Conspiracies are everywhere- the last 3 major shootings Columbine, DC Sniper & The recent Phoenix shootings were all conspiracies! Not lone nuts.TWTC the first one in '93 was a conspiracy OK City was a conspiracy & so was 911. Dos that mean a missile hit the pentagon, or explosives were planted um... no. If you can't find a conspiracy in the JFK Assassination after seeing the Z Film, reading Crossfire,or farewell To Justice, or Murder In Dealey Plaza stick yer head back up yer rear end where it belongs.The opposite of a rabid conspiracy theorist is an ardent debunker with an agenda, and there is no way the latter should have anymore credibilty than the former.

CONSPIRACY. No such thing according to this author. Let's remove it from the Dictionary.......2006-08-19

This book is incredible! This author "poo-poos" any idea of Conspiracy as if it's in our deep inner mind. Just notice he equates it with "Paranoid". Does he think Bin Laden and his gang "conspired"? Well if you read one of Mr. Pipes other books, he certainly believes that, so I guess we can say he's paranoid. Conspiracies most likely are natural and normal, an abscence of conspiracy would be contrary to how individuals, nations and institutions work. Mr. Pipes ought to know that well. He's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an organization which was founded by J.P. Morgan and has ties to the Federal Reserve Bank, which is a private bank: not Federal but a cabal of private bankers serving their own best interests. You can't join the CFR on your own--you must be invited! It's a club of the elite, by the elite for the elite. Every high ranking member of the Bush Admin is CFR: Hayden, Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell, Paulson, Snow, etc, etc, also so is Ms. Clinton and many other ruling Democrats. Is this a coincidence, hardly! Compare Mr. Pipes book to Tim Carney's "The Big Ripoff", recently hosted on CSPAN book reviews and available on Amzaon. Tim gets close to the target by seeing the symptoms. Mr. Pipes writing of this book is highly suspect. One has to question his motives. It's like the Big Bad Wolf writing a book: How to Raise Chickens in a Hen House and Keep Them Safe. You would be better reading G. Edward Griffin's book: Creature from Jekyll Island-a second look at the Federal Reserve.

So So.......2006-07-29

The book seems interesting but I really wonder what his motivations are to discredit ALL theories of any conspiracies. The assumption is made that there arent any Conspiracy FACTS, just theories. The author needs to do some reading before painting anybody that doesnt believe the spoonfeeding the media tosses out to us as a nut. Interesting but Suspect.

Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.: An article from: Independent Review

Average customer rating:

Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.: An article from: Independent Review
Jesse Walker
Manufacturer: Independent Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Independent Review, published by Independent Institute on June 22, 1998. The length of the article is 2238 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.
Author: Jesse Walker
Publication: Independent Review (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1998
Publisher: Independent Institute
Volume: v3 Issue: n1 Page: p138(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World (Modern Library Classics)
Average customer rating:

A sentimental scientists

Insight into the mind of Darwin

Charles Darwin-Naturalist, Poet, Adventurer

Charles Darwin as Indiana Jones

Darwin

The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World (Modern Library Classics)
Charles Darwin
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375756809
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Book Description

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on an expedition that, in his own words, determined my whole career. The Voyage of the Beagle chronicles his five-year journey around the world and especially the coastal waters of South America as a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. While traveling through these unexplored countries collecting specimens, Darwin began to formulate the theories of evolution and natural selection realized in his master work, The Origin of Species. Travel memoir and scientific primer alike, The Voyage of the Beagle is a lively and accessible introduction to the mind of one of history's most influential thinkers.

Customer Reviews:

A sentimental scientists.......2007-05-09

The Voyage of the Beagle is filled with exquisite detail about the plants, insects, animals, and people that Darwin encountered during his journey. I was amazed at how much he had observed and compared/contrasted. My favorite parts, however, were for the most part not these descriptions. I most enjoyed the comments Darwin made that showed how he felt and what personal obstacles he encountered. Despite having the purpose of sharing his observations (which it most successful accomplishes), The Voyage showed a more personal side of Darwin. The personal comments that Darwin included and the poetic imagery he so often used gave the impression that Darwin had a sentimental side beyond the pure scientist. Even the depth of the many observations demonstrated his child-like curiosity and excitement about science, nature, and seeing the world.

If you were looking for a fast-paced plot, this is not your book. If you were looking for wonderful descriptions made by a keen observer and to gain a better understanding of the scientist, this book is definitely for you.

Insight into the mind of Darwin.......2007-05-06

This book is an excellent source of knowledge on Darwin's thought process. He describes everything in very exact detail, and in some cases the reader can see the beginnings of his ideas on evolution, such as when he compares the bird species of Argentina and Chile, or the variety of finches on the Galapagos. However, he did not pay as much attention to the importance of the finches as he did in later years. Some of his observations point to problems that only became apparent later- he describes in his visit to St. Helena how much of the flora and fauna was introduced from England, and the native plants only existed on high ridges. He also spends quite a bit of time describing the formation of coral reefs and a number of other things that after a page no longer seem interesting to most of us. However, these descriptions and his lists of species clearly show how much he valued precision and accuracy, and how deeply he became involved in his endeavors.

Another aspect that I liked about this book was his descriptions of various people and how they differed. He clearly thought very highly of the gauchos of Argentina, but found their Chilean counterparts to be decidedly less friendly. He admired the Tahitian men (not the women) and thought that the people of Tierra del Fuego, who were hardly any less "civilized" than many of the Tahitians, were quite inferior. His references to slavery are also interesting; he recounts stories of abuse of slaves, including that of a strong man who thought that Darwin was about to strike him and was too scared to do anything but turn away. He also described a situation in which a man whom he believed to be very kind sold apart members of a family.

While long and at times difficult to get through, this book is well worth reading for those who want to learn about Darwin, or who enjoy reading travelers' accounts. I found that while it did generally take several pages for me to become engaged in the book, that afterwards I was content to read several chapters in one sitting.

Charles Darwin-Naturalist, Poet, Adventurer.......2006-11-09

I learned a lot about Darwin in this book that I simply didn't know beforehand. The most important is what an exceptional writer he was. If he had never published his Origin of Species and become famous by it, this book would still be a classic, if not of science, than certainly of literature. His prose, while necessarily more pedestrian, reminds me more than anything of the prose of another famous naturalist, Thoreau (who actually quotes the "Naturalist Darwin" in Walden from this book regarding the natives of Tierra Del Fuego).

The "scientific detail" cited by another reviewer did not bog down the prose at all, a remarkable feat....a talent also found in Thoreau. The famed passage on The Galapagos was indeed interesting. But the most scientifically intriguing passages, I found, had to do with barrier reefs and atolls and how they come to be...I almost said "evolve"....But perhaps that would be premature for this book. In any event, I've never read a scientific account so riveting and fascinating as Darwin's on this subject given herein.

But, as I say, I learned quite a bit about Darwin as a young man, ready for adventure, risks, and brimming with curiosity. He is almost as much a poet as scientist in some passages, quoting Shelley at one point, and he fortifies his narrative with a poignancy absent in most scientific accounts. This stylistic flavour is evident in many passages, but I'll just proffer one from the end of the narrative:

"In my walk I stopped again and again to gaze upon these beauties, and endevoured to fix in my mind and for ever, an impression which at the time I knew sooner or later must fail. The form of the orange-tree, the cocoa-nut, the palm, the mango, the tree-fern, the banana, will remain clear and separate; but the thousand beauties which unite these into one perfect scene must fade away: yet they will leave, like a tale heard in childhood, a picture full of indistinct, but most beautiful figures." (P.444, in my edition)

Whether as poetic or scientific, this work is virtuosic and unsurpassed in its seamless melding of the two. I'll leave the reader to decide which s/he enjoys the most.

Charles Darwin as Indiana Jones.......2004-09-28

We all know Charles Darwin as a scholarly bearded old English gentleman, and like Leonardo da Vinci, Darwin has this image defining him for all future generations. Even though most everyone knows Darwin spent five years traveling the oceans on the HMS Beagle, the image of a young dynamic Darwin never takes over. Reading this book will change this.

Darwin sailed on the Beagle, a small three-mast sailing ship, and circumnavigated the globe. Over five years, he visited numerous islands in the Atlantic and Pacific and extensively surveyed the east and west coasts of South America. He hiked up and down mountains, traveled on horseback across the arid Argentinean plains, crossed the lonely Peruvian desert, and trekked the grandiose Chilean Cordilleras. He thought nothing of packing a train of mules for a two-month overland journey across the Andes going from Chile to Argentina and back again. On all his land expeditions he hired local guides, from Gauchos in Argentina to South Pacific islanders in Tahiti. Darwin's accounts of his expeditions are not only interesting adventures, they are also good portraits of the people he met. These include Latin American governors and generals, Argentinean ranchers, very primitive natives on Tierra del Fuego, and so on.

The journal begins with an account of Cape de Verd islands, then most of the book is spent on Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and we have to wait until Chapter 17 before we get to what all Darwin fans really want to read, namely the account of his visit to the Galapagos. Though short, the account does not disappoint. We read of Darwin's finches, of two allied species of lizards, and of the giant turtles. Darwin also presents his great insight: that geographical isolation contributes to speciation. He came by this insight when it was pointed out to him that nearly identical species were seldom found on the same island. Another insight was that the fauna and flora an island depends more on that of the nearby mainland than on latitude. For example the plants of the Galapagos Islands were similar to those of the American west coast, while those of Cape de Verd, at the same latitude but in the Atlantic, resembled plants found in Africa. Darwin then continues with accounts of Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, where we read how he thought coral reef islands were formed.

In the last chapter Darwin tells us of his visit to St-Helena and he does in fact mention its most famous resident, Napoleon Bonaparte. Though the French Emperor had already died, his remains had not yet been moved to Les Invalides in Paris. Darwin writes of the grave only in passing and is explicitly careful not too make too much of it. Apparently visitors in those days had a habit of overdoing their descriptions of Napoleon's rather simple headstone.

Travel notes like these and the descriptions of the people he met, were for me the most charming aspect of the book. The portraits Darwin paints are invariably sympathetic to human nature. Certainly Darwin was a man of his times and valued civilization very highly, but he was no racist and believed that all men could find happiness and enlightenment, and that all men had a right to be free. He despised slavery, and wrote eloquent passages attacking the prevalent institution. From this journal, we come to know a dynamic, adventurous young man, and a thoughtful liberal one who would only later shake our view of our place in the world.

Darwin.......2001-08-16

If you like science and the little details that go with it-you will really enjoy this book. It reads easily yet contains much detail.

Journal of researches into the geology & natural history of the various countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world (Everyman's library)

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Journal of researches into the geology & natural history of the various countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world (Everyman's library)
Charles Darwin
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Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world (Everyman's library. Science)

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Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world (Everyman's library. Science)
Charles Darwin
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Journal Of Researches Into The Natural History And Geology Of The Countries Visited During The Voyage H.M.S.Beagle Round The World Under The Command Of Captain Fitz Roy

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Journal Of Researches Into The Natural History And Geology Of The Countries Visited During The Voyage H.M.S.Beagle Round The World Under The Command Of Captain Fitz Roy
CHARLES. DARWIN
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Journal of Researches Into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H. M S. Beagle Round the World, Under the Command of Cap. Fitz Roy, R. N.

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Journal of Researches Into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H. M S. Beagle Round the World, Under the Command of Cap. Fitz Roy, R. N.
Charles Darwin
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Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H. M. S. Beagle round the world, under the command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N.,
Michigan Historical Reprint Series
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ASIN: 1425560407
Release Date: 2005-12-22

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.

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Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. 'Beagle' Round the World, Under the co
Charles Darwin
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Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world
Charles Darwin
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Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World Under the Comm
Charles Darwin
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Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world,: Under the command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N
Charles Darwin
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ASIN: B00085JL70

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One of the fastest growing scientific disciplines in recent history is conservation biology. A response of the scientific community to the massive environmental changes taking place on Earth, its goal is to enable society to anticipate, prevent, and reduce ecological damage, and to generate the scientific information from which effective conservation strategies and policies can be designed and implemented.

In 1989, the Society for Conservation Biology and Island Press produced Research Priorities for Conservation Biology, a slim volume that set forth the findings of experts who had gathered to outline research needs for the near future, and which served as a guidepost for the field throughout the 1990s. In January 2000, leaders of the Society for Conservation Biology convened a similar group to reach consensus on where the field now stands and to determine the major, compelling research priorities for the next decade. Conservation Biology: Research Priorities for the Next Decade presents the results of that gathering.

The book:

notes progress or changes in the state of global biodiversity over the past decade and discusses overarching themes that influence all areas of conservation
offers ten chapters by leading experts that summarize the status of knowledge in key areas ranging from marine conservation to ecological restoration to conservation medicine
sets forth research priorities for each area
describes gaps in current knowledge that are impeding the ability of conservation practitioners to carry out their work

A final synthesis chapter brings together cross-cutting themes that integrate the diverse topics within the context of global biodiversity loss, and presents a call to action for scientists and others working in the field.

Conservation Biology: Research Priorities for the Next Decade represents an indispensable guide to the research that is most urgently needed to support effective conservation, and will be must reading for anyone involved with the field of conservation biology.

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terrestrial snails.......1998-09-22

family, group, taxon, terrestrial, slugs, ecology, starvation, conservation.

Research Priorities for Conservation Biology (Critical Issues Series)

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Research Priorities for Conservation Biology (Critical Issues Series)

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Conservation Biology: Research Priorities for the Next Decade
A Primer of Conservation Biology, Third Edition

ASIN: 0933280998

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This book proposes an urgent research agenda to improve our understanding and preservation of biological diversity. Research Priorities discusses.

ecosystems conservation
ecology of communities
population ecology and viability
reproduction, propagation, and release
fragmentation
ethnobiology and genetic resources
training in the developing world

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