Absolutely fascinating! A Life with Karol offers an intimate portrait of Pope John Paul II. Written by his personal secretary of 40 years, Cardinal Dziwisz, we are privileged to partake of an up close and personal view of Pope John Paul II and we are not disappointed. Together with Gian Franco Svidercoschi, they discuss the life and times of Pope John Paul II, beginning with the first time the Cardinal met Pope John Paul II until his death. Gian Franco Svidercoschi asks provocative questions, sets the scene, or provides political commentary, while Cardinal Dziwisz shares anecdotal information. Together the conversation flows back and forth. Of course, it should come as no surprise that Pope John Paul II's life is absolutely riveting, because of the extraordinary feats he accomplished during his lifetime. In looking back at Pope John Paul II's years as a young archbishop of Krakow, we feel the tension mount as he challenges the authority of the Polish communist government with his desire to build the church at Nowa Huta. We follow him across the world as he reaches out to many countries with his many missions of love. We experience perhaps the biggest surprise and disappointment of his life as he meets with his attempted assassin, Ali Agca. These are just a few of the many topics touched on. More than a biography of what he accomplished, we also witness his hopes and dreams, the reasons why he did the things he did. We also witness his disappointments and confusion that people would misunderstand his purposes. Through it all, we are inspired to follow his heroic example of love and to also fearlessly proclaim the truth of Christ's transforming love. Through his lived example of daring love, Pope John Paul II gives the world a blueprint of how to address the many controversial topics of contemporary society. Take the time to read a story of inspiration and love, the life of Pope John Paul II. A Life with Karol will allow you to see a new and intimate side of Pope John Paul II. It may even inspire you to enthusiastically follow his example and set the world on fire with the love of Christ.

This is a children's story book about a fictional, but historically accurate, medieval feast (appropriate to about 1400 A.D.). The story starts from the very beginning, when the lord and lady of a manor receive notice that the King would be visiting for a few days. We see what immense preparations would start long before his arrival and the concern on the part of those hosting the feast because the king wouldn't be travelling alone - the queen, knights, squires and members of the court would make the feast a large and somewhat worrisome preparation. The colorful illustrations are inspired by medieval tapestries and are full of interesting details. The role of the Church is not forgotten as the bishop chants the grace before the meal and sits at the right hand of the king. Other details of life in the middle ages are included in the midst of the preparations for the feast and the feast itself, but the details don't go very deep. You see what happens but not much about how it happens. (My husband thought the book would have been improved by including some recipes and more descriptions of how things were made and how tasks were performed in those days). Nevertheless I think it's an interesting and worthwhile read for the little ones while their older siblings are studying the middle ages. You could probably find this one at your local library.

It is hard to believe that such skinny little books can pack such a wallop. That is what you find in this series by ISI (Intercollegiate Studies Institute) books.

From the opening pages, you gain a sense of the personal; you feel that you have picked the brain of your favorite professor over your beverage of choice, as he elaborates on his favorite subject. Since it is a professor speaking, he does not merely "tell" you his opinion, he speaks with academic authority, in both his level of language and the conviction of having taught this for many years.

Since the book addresses the importance of studying, anyone (either high school student, parent/teacher), who is interested in studying history would profit from reading this.

In this student guide, the topic is history. Having recently read several student guides to history, it has become apparent to me that each professor has his own view of what makes history. In this book, Lukacs begins with a "description," not a "definition" of history. Lukacs differs from some historians in that he believes that history includes both the remembered as well as the recorded past. Since he believes that everyone has a contributing role to history and not just significant people or important events, he has a rather broad view of history.

In discussing how only the past is included in history and not the present or the future, Lukacs quotes Soren Kierkegaard. "We live forward, but we can only think backward."

Lukacs goes on to describe the history of history. He begins by explaining the difference between human beings and other living creatures and how only humans have a sense of history. He then goes on to talk about some of our oldest historical records are found in the Old and New Testament. In doing so, he makes some interesting arguments for Christianity. The section alone makes the book priceless.

From there, he discusses other historians throughout time, such as Polybius, and Plutarch. He also distinguishes between chroniclers and historians. He clarifies how the meanings of words, such as barbarian, have changed over time.

In the next section, he shows the development of the "professional historian".

Under the chapter "the methods of history," he stresses how important it is to know how to read in order to study history. By this, he does not mean phonics!

There may be some debate as to what comprises the study of history. Usually, however, historians agree on what are considered the classics in history. In the last chapter, Lukacs recommends various titles the student should read for each period of time. Keeping in mind that the audience for this book is college-age, some of these recommended texts might not be appropriate in their entirety for high school students, because of the sexual references; in particular, Herodotus'Histories and Plutarch's Lives.

I appreciate his footnote that "there can be no good historian who cannot write well." He adds, "Writing well means thinking well." In fact, there are numerous statements throughout the book that I am tempted to highlight: thought-provoking statements for the reader to ponder.

At times, the language can become a bit academic-sounding, and Lukacs likes to get off on tangents; but if the reader sticks with it, he will arrive at the author's point of view and find the wait worthwhile. Altogether, this book not only offers a good list of books to consider reading, but also offers a good explanation of of what is needed to study well: to read and think critically and express one's thoughts intelligently in writing. All this is packed in a mere 49 pages.