Editorial Review :

Courageous Souls explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we re born for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. Because very different life challenges are often planned for similar reasons, readers who have not faced these specific challenges will nevertheless see themselves - and their motivations as a soul - in these stories. As readers come to realize that they themselves planned their lives, suffering that once seemed purposeless becomes imbued with deep meaning. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and victimization are healed and replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace.

Customer Review :

So interesting!

I absolutely love this book! I knew that we had pre-planned our lives before reading it, but it explains it so well with people's stories to show you examples. I really hope I can get my friend to read it as I think it will help her to understand the reasons for some of her challenges in her childhood and now. EXCELLENT BOOK!

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Gave me new insights!

Since the sketical part of me never really stands down, I loved that the author used a back-up channeler for every example. One channeler for initial information, and a second, independent one to give her own insights. Although I certainly can't claim that every reader will have this experience, I did find peace through understanding about a life-long hurt. There was no answer to the question I (thought) I was looking for, but then came an enormous, clear understanding of a question I didn't know to ask! And the writer's style is thoroughly enjoyable.

Linda Senn, author of The Many Faces of Journaling: Topics &: Techniques for Personal Journal Writing

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"We seek our own melding with the absolute"

In my life long search for the true meaning of life I have studied and investigated a lot of things. Ultimately I have become convinced that our truth purpose in life is enlightenment and now study and follow the so called non-dual religions of the east. Having found non-dual wisdom I abandoned all my previous spiritual / religious beliefs including the belief in channeled information as well as the new age idea's that we reincarnate to learn specific lessons. So initially I was resistant to revisit the concepts that are presented in this book as they seemingly are in direct conflict with the non-dual wisdom path. How could both be right? One believing that the personal self is an illusion and that there is only one true nature and the other believing that there is a spirit world and that we have individual immortal souls that reincarnate to learn lessons. However it proved well worth my while to put aside my reservations and read this book!

My review will not cover the `life plan' aspects of this book as so many other reviewers have already done that. If that is what you expect then it would be better to read one of the other reviews. If it interests you to read on then you will find a high level critical review of this book based of the highest level of spiritual truth that I know, the non-dual wisdom teachings of the east.

"If you always - and I mean always - take the higher road, the higher frequencies will lift you into more loving actions towards others." ~ Page 285, Courageous Souls. Non-dual wisdom says if you seek your true nature then the Self will begin to pull you in. What I discovered in reading this book was that it is far more inline with non-dual wisdom than I initially suspected. It now seems to me that reincarnation and life lessons are an intermediate stage (that we all go through) which will ultimately lead to the desire to seek enlightenment itself, which is where the non-dual teachings of the east begin. The channeled information in the book states quite clearly that the personality structure is an illusion created for learning; "The personality is the illusion that is required on Earth in this space-time to learn the lessons" ~ Page 222; "You must understand that the personality is a construct" ~ Page 230. Non-dual wisdom says something very similar that the personality is a construct / illusion and that enlightenment is seeing through the construct and knowing ones true Self, which is indescribable impersonal conscious non-duality (oneness).

I am university trained in logic and deductive reasoning and do not simply believe something because it sounds impressive or it is popular. I put everything I come across through rigorous logical analysis and cross checking and only embrace it when it stands up to thorough examination. Just because I have embraced spiritual teachings does not mean that I have thrown out logic and reason. Therefore the unscientific approach of this book grated on me and although I was pleased that the author validated the information by using several different sources for the same person the book is clearly written with no objectivity. I found the writing style too informal and loose for what I consider a serious subject. The author repeatedly inserts his own understanding of the material, his personal beliefs and common new age beliefs which requires some sorting through because of the different sources and levels of understanding mixed together. The reliability of the source of all information is of utmost important to all scientists.

Spiritual truth can only ever completely be trusted when spoken by someone who knows because they have been there experientially. Second hand truth may be true but there is no way to verify that it is not simply nice cozy concepts that we want to believe in because they make us feel better. Lastly I definitely do not trust channeled information, for the same reason, you have a completely unverifiable source of information. You have no idea what level of consciousness that `spirit' who is providing the information has reached, in fact you have no idea if information is even being channeled. A clever psychic or psychologist could simply be reading you and telling you what you expect to hear or giving you some spiritual information that they read in books especially after you have already provided them with a lot of information upfront. I am not saying that the information provided in this book is not true but rather that you can not verify the source of the information and therefore it is automatically less trust worthy. For these reasons the book lost one star. Despite my misgivings I still rated this book at four stars simply because of the inspiring and beneficial affect it had on me. And despite what I have said I have faith that the unverifiable `life plan' information is reasonably reliable because I crossed checked the other channeled information with my non-dual wisdom sources and these sources I have complete faith in since I have been validating them for years.

Some further extracts; "Do not consider reuniting, for that betokens a separation. There is never any separation. What the personality feels after death, when it feels as one with God, is simply the brushing away of cobwebs that obscure its view" ~ Page 223. Non-dual wisdom says that the world appears as duality but in reality is non-dual. In other words there is no separation only a oneness, this applies to physical object as well as consciousness. Further it says that we can not see reality because our view is obscured. "we create the illusion in which we appear to be separate from one another and All That Is" ~ Page 203. "The realization and recognition that one is responsible for creating one's own sense of happiness and well-being" ~ Page 143. This is also a teaching from a high consciousness level and indeed similar to non-dual wisdom which states that we project all meaning out onto the world. All emotion states stem from our mental positioning towards objects. Therefore if we give up our constant mental positioning we can experience peace. "What other activities are you engaged in? We, too, server as guides and mention for others, and we seek our own melding with the absolute"; a question that is asked of channeled spirit ~ Page 74. This is saying that there are other beings in other realms also seeking enlightenment in their own way and this agrees with the non-dual teachings that say we are seeking enlightenment.

I have given some examples from the book that I have been able to verify with my non-dual wisdom sources. Some other concepts that are mentioned in the book that also correlate with non-dual wisdom are impermanence, non-judgment, compassion and love. One of my non-dual western master teachers often says how judgment is reserved for God alone and that we think is just a beggar on the street may actually be an enlightened master. This book really helped me embrace this teaching. I have found faith in what else is offered about life lessons and despite my continued weariness and tendency to distrust channeled information I have found this book of great interest and usefulness. It certainly helped me become less judgmental, more accepting, inspired greater hope and meaning, and resolved a long conflict I had between my past new age beliefs and current faith in non-dual wisdom. In essence both teachings are true and compatible but vary in approach and target audience. I highly recommend this book to those of you who embrace new age and also to those who study non-dual wisdom (as an interesting and useful adjunct to your primary teachings). I end with one more validation with the non-dual wisdom teachings.

"The hermit who sits alone on a mountaintop radiating a vibration of peace does more to bring harmony to the world than the angry peace marcher." ~ Page 270


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The Big Picture

Everything always makes sense when you can see the big picture. This book provides a glimpse into why events we perceive as "bad" happen, through a varied collection of individual cases.

Our lives in this "reality" are just learning experiences, to expand our awareness of ourselves, we agreed to before we arrived on the planet.

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Powerful

If there is ever one word to describe this book, its powerful. What a concept...that suffering is never meaningless, but a vehicle of purposeful intent and that we, as eternal souls, planned to use certain challenges to foster growth not only for our own souls but for the sake of our soul group and the universe at large. Putting it into a context like this, suffering has a whole different meaning.

According to the book, those around us also plan our lives intertwined with ours and all decisions are made out of love, no exception. I now think about my own challenges and those who have played a key role in my own personal growth and look upon them with gratitude and not judgment, including the "villains" in my story, because they fostered the most growth out of me. I am only now beginning to see the perfection of life. Aside from clarity, this book will bring healing and infinite comfort to those going through extreme suffering in their lives by learning there are no victims in this world.

Part of me picked up this book to find comfort for my own inner wounds. I cried when I read the words "Only the courageous plan fear" for I knew, that was what I intended to heal and have been working on it for years, having them dissipate one by one.

It has been a long time since I closed a book and felt warm, comforted and knowledgeable. The author takes you by the hand and guides you through this information with compassion, grace and great wisdom. I just cannot fully express how wonderful this book is. It is absolute perfection and if I could, I'd give it more stars. If there is ever a book I'd recommend, it would be this one!

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More reviews...

Editorial Review :

A book about running—written just for kids.

Kids Running tells you all you need to know about this wonderful sport: getting started, training, fun runs, races, proper footwear, good eating habits, cross-training, safety, running games, after-school clubs, clothing, mileage tracking, and journal writing.
With a lively mix of pictures, information, vocabulary, and some entertaining asides, this book will help channel all that youthful energy toward excellent running, and a lifetime of good health.

Recommended for grades 1 through 6.

Customer Review :

Turn off the TV and channel your energy: RUN and get this book!

Carol Goodrow breaks through the finish line with a gold medal finish again!

Recommended for grades 1 to 6, this 82-page gem has content stimulating enough for adult readers, yet colorful, clever and charming enough to read to toddlers.

The information is rock-solid, perfect for a lifelong foundation in health.

This book is a cheerful antedote to wearisome complaints of youth with too much screen time and too little nutritious food. It is not preachy, and has enough informative tidbits and silly riddles to keep readers returning again and again.

Librarians, teachers, parents and grandparents will want to get this mighty treasure.

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Delightful style

Carol has been able to carry forward the delightful style of the "Kids Running" web-site into this equally delightful book. With so many pictures of kids (and their ever-present pet dogs) enjoying the many running activities, and with so many cute rhymes about running and healthy eating, it's hard to imagine any child NOT getting caught up in the fun and excitement!

As "Professor Shoelace", I was also pleased to see that Carol promotes the virtues of good fitting running shoes or sneakers, securely tied with shoelaces. This comes by way of advice on the very first page of the book, as well as by example in the countless pictures of kids wearing colorful running shoes, all neatly tied with colorful shoelaces.

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Editorial Review :

Customer Review :

Gives me new hope!

As a person struggling with PPMS (primary progressive multiple sclerosis), I was depressed by what I thought was the reality that I would not be able to travel. Not so! This book makes visiting all the places I've wanted to see doable. Thanks Candy Harrington for this book and your enabling outlook on travel.

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101 accessible vacations

It arrived in decent shape and with fair promptness. A better description of the emphasis of the book would have aided selection.

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Lots of Great Information

If you like to travel and are challenged physically, this book is well worth adding to your library. Each of the 101 vacation chapters is full of information that is otherwise hard to find. Any one such item is worth the price of the book. That said, only about 3 pages are devoted to each vacation, so don't expect it to be complete. It's a great start to begin further research or a great resource to add knowledge about a place (or a place nearby) that you're already planning to go to. The book is organized by activity rather than geographically and the table of contents uses chapter titles that often don't tell you the geographic location of the vacation. I found it helpful to write the locations in the table of contents for later reference.

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Travel Agents Need This Book

101 ACCESSIBLE VACATIONS BY CANDY B. HARRINGTON is a practical and innovative travel guidebook for the physically challenged traveler. Candy is well known in the field of accessible travel and is the editor of Emerging Horizons Magazine. She discusses the previously held theory that all disabled travelers should go to Disney World for vacations because it is know for being well planned for the handicapped tourist. But not everyone likes theme parks, so there must be many alternatives, of which most travel agents are unaware. In this book she tells of many, many different choices for ideal holidays for anyone who has difficulty traveling. She details holidays of every kind in places in many states and in several international destinations. This is a wonderful book for any handicapped traveler and for all travel agents.

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1. Satisfaction Ensured
2. Functionality that is Unbeatable.

Editorial Review :

This picture book is an adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the classic folktale retold with a special-needs twist. Children will find all of the familiar characters and scenes from the original story, as well as a few surprises-Baby Bear uses a

Customer Review :

Funny and Educational - Highly Recommended

Funny and educational! I borrowed this book from the library and after reading it will definitely purchase a copy for our home! My children were captivated by this story and it was much better than I anticipated. A family of three bears lives in a house with ramps instead of stairs. Baby bear uses a wheelchair to get around, a transfer board to get from his wheelchair into his regular chair, a bed that goes up and down and he goes to physical therapy. The author and illustrator have done a marvelous job on this story. It's impressive to see a transfer board mentioned in a children's book and it's great to see Baby Bear using a regular chair. I couldn't help but laugh reading this book! For other fun children's books featuring a wheelchair user try Zoom! by Robert Munsch or Best Friend on Wheels: A Concept Book by Debra Shirley.

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good book using familar story to teach about disability

As an RN I feel this book is useful in using an established storyline to introduce children to others who have a disability. Children who read this already know and can relate to the story, and therefore can use this information to better understand a friend or family member who may be confined to a wheelchair.

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Terrific

My daughter with cerebral palsy, (as well as her siblings) loved this book. Every piece of adaptive equipment she has had is represented somewhere. The therapy scenes depict cute animals with all degrees of ability. She will just sit and look through it sometimes. It may not get specific about the nature of the disability, but it is great for kids with physical limitations to see their challenges represented in a fun story!

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It's a great Book!

This a familiar story for children with a special twist. Baby bear is in a wheelchair. The story talks about his special equipment and his therapy but still tells the basic story familiar to the children. The pictures are delightful and the words are 'just right'. It is an excellent addition to our Head Start library.

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1. Satisfaction Ensured
2. Functionality that is Unbeatable.

Editorial Review :

In school, Moses and the rest of his classmates are given the assignment of choosing a friend to write about. As he wonders which person to choose, Moses thinks of his circle of friends and what they share together. He decides to write about Zaki, his bab

Customer Review :

Great Book!

I really liked this book, and so did my 6 year old son. I have a boy with special needs who is 5, and this author captured the curiousity and excitement of a small child so well, and then revealed the disability of the boy in the book in a very positive manner. My son had fun reading it, and I know that the ideas that were in the background are what I want my son to "get". I would definetely recommend this book.

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Unique, distinctive, and highly recommended

Written and photographed by Ellen B. Senisi, All Kinds of Friends, Even Green! is an adventurous picture book for beginning readers about a real-life pet iguana. Expertly taken color photographs of a boy and his beloved reptile companion, along with whimsical text, make All Kinds Of Friends, Even Green! unique, distinctive, and highly recommended.

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A memorable friendship

"All Kinds of Friends, Even Green!" is written and photographed by Ellen B. Senisi. The text and photos tell a story about Moses, a disabled boy who gets around in his wheelchair. At school, his class is given an assignment to write about friends. Moses is inspired to write about a very special friend: Zaki, an iguana. Zaki is also disabled, having lost her back toes after a mite infection; Moses has a special affection with her.

This is a wonderful portrait of a multiethnic school environment that includes disabled youngsters. The acknowledgement section of the book thanks the participants at Zoller School in Schenectady, New York. After the main text there are three interesting supplemental articles: about disabilities, about young Moses, and about iguanas. The colorful, lively photos are enjoyable to look at. This book effectively reminds us that disability is an issue that affects both human and non-human beings. Moses and Zaki are likeable and admirable "characters," and the book movingly celebrates the special love a child has for a cherished pet.

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