Author: Bergers Book Reviews

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history

World War II

Bergers Book Reviews

war
Author: Stuart A.P. Murray
Publisher: Hammond Undercover
Genre: History
ISBN: 978-0841-610934
Pages: 72
Price: $13.99

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In 1938, Germany invaded Poland, and Britain and France declared war. But in the 7 years that followed, World War II became a truly global affair, as Japan, South Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the United States, became involved in Europe and the Far East.

Taking us through the chronological events of these years with photographs, Hammond Undercover’s World War II is surprisingly easy to read for a war history book. Side trips explain Hitler’s rise to power, the help of the Red Cross and advanced medical care, and how women became more liberated in the workforce as a result of their wartime efforts.

The horrors of concentration camps and the dropping of the atomic bombs are also described, though not in graphic detail, but no one who reads this book can come away unchanged by how deadly a war of this magnitude was. World War II is a great illustrated summary of the events of this war, suitable for any history buff or library collection.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, dogs, holiday

Snow Valley Heroes

Bergers Book Reviews

heroes
A Christmas Tale (Planet of the Dogs Vol. 3)
Author: Robert J. McCarty
Illustrator: Stella Mustanoja McCarty
Publisher: Barking Planet Productions
Genre: Children / Dogs / Christmas
ISBN: 978-0-9786928-2-7
Pages: 81
Price: $14.95

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The King of the North has decided to put an end to Christmas, so he hatches a plot against Santa and the elves to be sure no one will ever celebrate again. But he doesn’t count on the Planet of the Dogs coming to Santa’s aid.

When word reaches the dogs that Christmas is in jeopardy, they come back to earth to join the two human children they’ve worked with in the past. Executing a daring plot to infiltrate the Ice Castle, they wreak havoc on the King and his men. But will they be successful?

In this third volume of the Planet of the Dogs series, readers are once again treated to the kindness and cooperation these dogs embrace as part of their very nature. Not only do they save Christmas, but they also teach the King of the North an important lesson he’ll never forget. Written in folk style and illustrated in beautiful pencil drawings, Snow Valley Heroes is a charming and heart-warming Christmas tale.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, spirituality

Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow

Bergers Book Reviews

hearing Jesus
Author: Nancy Guthrie
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Christian Living / Spiritual Life / Personal Growth
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2548-4
Pages: 192
Price: $14.99

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Being a Christian doesn’t mean life will be without its share of heartache and loss. But when the pain cuts us to the core, questions naturally arise about God’s involvement. How could He allow this to happen? Does He even care?

Jesus healed lepers, caused the blind to see, and even raised the dead. Why wouldn’t He want to help us in our time of need? But a closer look at Biblical passages reveals exactly why Jesus healed, and what He would say if we asked Him why He hasn’t stepped in to fix things for us.

Nancy Guthrie knows the depths of pain, having lost two babies to the same incurable disease. She knows what it’s like to wrestle with her spiritual beliefs, wondering if maybe she’s missing something. But she also knows God’s infinite love, and trusts in His knowing a higher purpose for her life.

Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow shares Guthrie’s insights about what Jesus would say if we turn to Him and share our pain with Him. And she reassures us that His answer will comfort us, despite our circumstances.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

humor

Everything Hurts

Bergers Book Reviews

hurts
Author: Bill Scheft
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-4165-9934-0
Pages: 288
Price: $24.00

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Phil Camp never intended to become a self-help guru. All he wanted to do was come up with the money to pay off his ex-wife. But when Where Can I Stow My Baggage? becomes an instant hit, his career suddenly takes off.

Phil doesn’t want anyone to know he’s the genius behind the pseudonym of Marty Fleck. Everything is going fine, as the book turns into a regular column, Baggage Handling. But then one day Phil develops a strange and unexplained limp, and he’s forced to turn to a real self-help guru for answers.

His journey through the layers of pain lead him to the Irish Shrink, who helps him unravel his past and try to make sense of it all. Phil uncovers several disturbing and shameful events, and an undercurrent of rage runs through it all–the rage that’s causing him so much pain.

Everything Hurts is the humorous account of how Phil Camp comes to terms with his past and his pain. But there’s more to this story than just laughs, as he delves into the healing of age-old family rifts. After reading this book, you’ll never look at your past, your family, or your pain the same way.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, health, parenting

Hugging Grandma

Bergers Book Reviews

grandma
Author: Zina Kramer
Illustrator: Dave Messing
Publisher: Ferne Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-193391638-5
Pages: 32
Price: $12.95

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Grandma Sylvia is so much fun to play with. She cooks wonderful soup, plays Store, and always has nice things to say about her granddaughter. But now Grandma doesn’t always remember her anymore.

Grandma has Alzheimer’s Disease, and her granddaughter doesn’t understand what’s wrong. She misses the grandmother she used to know. Her mom explains this debilitating disease, and shows her what she can do to help her grandmother.

Children love their grandparents and enjoy a rare and special bond. So when a grandparent starts acting strangely, kids can feel confused and wonder why they’ve changed. Hugging Grandma demonstrates how kids can relate to their grandparent in a new way.

Zina Kramer and Dave Messing portray a warm and loving family environment, where grandma is accepted and loved just as she is. I highly recommend this sensitive and well-written story for any family suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes

Bergers Book Reviews

Liberty
Author: Kelly Easton
Illustrator: Greg Swearingen
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-375-83771-5
Pages: 224
Price: $15.99

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Life at 33 Gooch isn’t exactly what most children dream of. In fact, it more resembles the life poor Cinderella had, before being rescued by the prince. “Homeschooled” by her parents, Liberty Aimes is not allowed outside, and does all the cooking and cleaning.

But one day, life changes more than she could have imagined, and Liberty finds herself outside her odd, little home. With the goal of reaching the renowned Sullivan School, she makes her way across the city, running into strange characters – some of which she learns the hard way are scoundrels.

Unlike Cinderella, Liberty doesn’t meet a prince. But she does meet some very nice people who try to help her on her adventure. And ultimately, one of the meanest scoundrels finally meets justice.

This fun story will keep children involved from the first moment they meet Liberty. Although beaten down verbally, she shows remarkable pluck and determination to make something of herself. And the wacky cast of characters she runs into will keep kids chuckling at their antics. I highly recommend The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, finance

Why Did I Get This Credit Card?

Bergers Book Reviews

ccard
Author: Twyla Prindle
Illustrator: Randy Jennings
Publisher: Prindle House Publishing
Genre: Children / Finance
ISBN: 978-0-9819372-9-8
Pages: 48
Price: $9.95

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Little Twyla has just been given a credit card. Dad says it’s just for emergencies, and he wants her to keep in her dresser drawer for a week. Then he’ll explain how it works.

The lure of easy spending is too tempting, and Little Twyla has other ideas. If she goes to the mall, she can buy whatever she likes. She doesn’t need to pay with cash – she has her new credit card. But her joy is short-lived when the time of reckoning comes. The receipts are tallied and Little Twyla knows she’ll be working hard to pay off her credit card bill.

Since children today have credit cards, it’s important for them to know how they work, and what the consequences of their actions will be. So many adults get their first credit card and think they have unlimited spending ability – until they get the bill. If kids learn credit card skills when they’re young enough, they’ll grow up to be responsible adults who don’t abuse credit.

Why Did I Get This Credit Card? is part of the Kash Kids series, designed to help children understand how to manage money. I highly recommend these books for all kids and their parents as an educational tool for personal finance.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

health

Health at Every Size

Bergers Book Reviews

health
Author: Linda Bacon, Ph. D.
Publisher: Benbella Books
Genre: Health / Nutrition
ISBN: 978-1-933771-58-8
Pages: 326
Price: $14.95

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If you’re like many people, you feel you need to lose weight, and you’ve tried more than one diet over your lifetime. Some may have been successful–for a while–but you always return to your original weight, or higher. You’re frustrated and feel like a failure, but yet you keep trying. It’s the only way you’ll be healthy, right? “Wrong!” says Linda Bacon.

In this unexpected look at our battle with the bulge, author Linda Bacon, Ph.D. proves that weight may have very little to do with health. And in fact, studies show that those who are overweight may be healthier than people maintaining a weight society deems ideal.

Health at Every Size shows us how our diet culture is controlled by those who have a very strong economic motivation to keep us chasing a lower weight. But rather than focusing on the numbers on the scale, Bacon introduces the idea of trusting our bodies to eat what feels right, while focusing on foods that are good for us. Not calorie counting, but a common-sense approach to eating naturally according to body cues.

If you’ve finally decided it’s time to make peace with your body and love it just as it is, Health at Every Size will be a breath of fresh air. And if you haven’t, this well-written and well-documented book might just convince you.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

history

The Fruit of Her Hands

Bergers Book Reviews

fruit
Author: Michelle Cameron
Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-4391-1822-1
Pages: 448
Price: $25.00

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Sometimes, when we start researching our family tree, we discover an ancestor who makes us proud. When author, Michelle Cameron, found she descended from Rabbi Meir ben Baruch, she decided to learn as much as she could about him, and memorialize him in a novel.

Through the eyes of his fictional wife, Shira, we revisit 13th century Europe, at the rise of anti-Semitism. During this time period, the Talmud was burned, and growing mistrust of the Jewish people caused their cruel persecution and imprisonment. But Shira and her family are strong in their faith and community, and refuse to allow their fears to control them. In the midst of this unrest, we learn what a great and important man Rabbi Meir ben Baruch is in his lifetime.

Blending the history of her ancestor and his fictional family with Jewish faith and custom, The Fruit of Her Hands is a moving story that spans several generations. When we first meet Shira, she’s a young girl. She marries, has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren by the time the story concludes.

Fear of a group of people causes humanity to act in ways that are unfathomable to rational minds. Yet we see behavior like this time and time again. But exeriencing how the Jews were persecuted, first-hand through Shira’s thoughts and memories, reminds us not to judge based on appearances. There’s a lesson for all of us in this remarkable story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

dogs

Dogology

Bergers Book Reviews

dogology
Author: Vicki Croke and Sarah Wilson
Publisher: Rodale Books
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 978-1594869204
Pages: 244
Price: $17.95

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Did you ever notice how a dog seems to reflect the personality of its owner? Some folks wonder if such an occurrence could be pure coincidence or perhaps a product of some unconscious element of natural selection. The authors of DOGOLOGY have playfully determined that a person’s choice of dog and subsequent relationship speaks volumes about their own personality.

Vicki Croke and Sarah Wilson, the writers and self-proclaimed Dogologists, have created a “foolproof self-analyzing system” that helps slot a person into a particular Dogology Type. Through this process, a person learns more about their own personality and what makes them tick. With that, they are better able to recognize which dog breed may be best suited as a lifelong companion.

Although the book seems written with a slight bend toward women, both sexes will enjoy learning where they fit into the various personality types. Folks contemplating dog ownership will especially find the book beneficial. Choosing the right pooch may become a lot easier once they know how and why their personality fits with a certain breed. The best lifelong companion could be just around the next page.

Dogology is a worldly, playful, and laid back read. Most readers should find it insightful and reassuring.

Reviewer:  Gene Berger