Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness, and Making Miracles

By Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson would inspire you through your many setbacks in life.  I strongly agree with Williamson as she insists that thirty minutes of time spent with God will prepare you for the rest of the day.  This book is for everyone, however, many who experience days filled with demanding roles may find it a blessing. 

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Cosbyology:  Essays and Observations From the Doctor of Comedy

By Bill Cosby

Comedy is funniest when it stays as faithful to the truth as Cosby keeps it in his latest collection of 19 autobiographical essays. His topics range from the unromantic changes in married love over time to the discomforts, dangers, and expense of learning to ski. Students will laugh hardest at his quirky jokes about the problems of growing up in the projects, being identified as an intellectually gifted child, and coping with threats to health and safety. The author reveals his most vulnerable moments as a young comedian who was too nervous to make his audience laugh. He describes how he walked off of the stage feeling totally humiliated. He also discusses his difficult adjustment to the military, and explains how that experience drove him to work hard in college. In stand-up comic style, Cosby shows readers different stages of his life, and he highlights all of the laughable moments in hilarious, hyperbolic detail throughout this short book. Such a highly successful person's willingness to share his stories of triumphing over adversity, and overcoming moments of failure, is sure to inspire many teens. Even reluctant readers will breeze through this book while laughing out loud along the way.

Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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The Pact

By Sampson Davis

This is the collective memoir of three 29-year-old African-American men from broken impoverished homes around Newark, NJ. Davis is an emergency-room physician,

Hunt is an internist, and Jenkins is a dentist; each one takes a turn narrating a chapter. As teens, they made a pact to stick together through college and medical school, to help one another reach their goals. The advice they give is to work hard toward your objectives, avoid hanging out with those who will have a detrimental influence on you, and surround yourself with friends who have similar dreams and ambitions. The authors are frank about their mistakes, temporary failures, disappointments, and shortcomings. They started mentoring programs such as Ujima while they were still college freshmen, and today they run the Three Doctors Foundation. Many teens will be captivated by the men's accounts of their childhoods, their families, the street life that threatened to swallow them up, and how they helped one another succeed.

Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Finding Fish

By Antwone Quenton Fisher

Antwone Quenton Fisher was raised in institutions from the moment his single mother gave birth to him in prison. As a foster child, he suffered more than a dozen years of emotional abandonment and physical abuse, until he escaped and forged a life on the streets. And just as his life was about to hit rock bottom, Antwone enlisted in the U.S. Navy -- a decision that would ultimately save him. There, he became a man and discovered a loving family he never had. Through it all, Antwone refused to allow his spirit to be broken and never gave up his dreams of a better day.

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All The Joy You Could Stand

By Debrena Jackson Gandy

Bestselling author, keynote speaker, success coach, and seminar leader Debrena Jackson Gandy has helped thousands of women access their inner power and live more joyfully and boldly. In her national bestseller, All the Joy You Can Stand: 101 Sacred Power Principles for Making Joy Real in Your Life, she reveals the steps that will help you undergo the transformation of a lifetime. This engaging, thought-provoking book shows you how to:

* Discover your sacred self and renew your spirit
* "Unblock" your joy and learn to "go with the Flow"
* Free your creative genius and make use of your natural gifts and talents
* Cultivate your intuition, self-expression, and boldness
* Be a Sensuous Woman, a Spiritual Gardener, and the Architect of Your Life

Filled with personal experiences and insightful stories from readers, friends, and seminar participants, this uplifting get-real guide is a must-read for women who want to develop their spiritual strength and tap into their divine potential. Discover how to have a life of joy, peace, power, and ease.

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