Bøger af James Como

Book Two of The Folk Tales of Brusk and Giovanni continues the adventures of the Giant Wolf and his human friend, along with all their other friends. This time the danger is so great that Giovanni's family -- and even some townsfolk -- must help. But the mountain will change, as will Giovanni.

Neither a text nor a scholarly tome, this short book is like a blueprint, showing how to examine and to build healthy Conversations of all types and in all settings. In under fifty pages, its thirty sections move from basic elements, to principles and practice, and on to the ethics of communication. Useful as a supplement, as a stand-alone guide, or even as an analytical tool for examining private and public talk, From Parlor to Public Square engages readers, prompting them to remember, to improve, and to refresh their own interactions.

Giovanni is nine years old and lives a long time ago -- long before telephones, cars, and computers. He loves his family very much but is not the most obedient child in the village, which is in Central Italy at the base of a huge mountain. There, Giovanni, with his friend Suzie, meets Brusco, a Giant Talking Wolf, and his truly awesome friends. They play joyfully but together must face great danger, each more startling than the last. Along the way Giovanni discovers some strange truths about himself, the people he loves, about our world -- and about what lies beyond our world.

A variety of stories for children ages ten and up and for adults. Devotion, danger and bravery, along with a healthy mix of other virtues, infuse the tales. Realism, fantasy, and imaginative wandering make for fresh discoveries, certainly of selfhood, friendship, community and love. Most lend themselves to being read aloud, but all invite a quiet place where one can lose oneself. No matter: each brings the reader to a home of the imagination.

Of Edmund Spenser, C. S. Lewis wrote, "his work is one, like a growing thing, a tree with branches to heaven and roots to hell. And in between these two extremes comes all the multiplicity of human life." This book seeks to demonstrate the aptness of that quotation when applied to Lewis himself. From his deepest emotional and psychological landscape, to his prevailing temperament, and then to his training, Lewis marshaled his magnificent rhetorical skills on behalf of his vocation: to make Christianity a reasonable and inviting alternative to doubters. In this--and through the many genres of which he was a master--he never wavered. These are the branches--"the available means of persuasion," as Aristotle put it. Sources, influences, experience and his very self: these are the roots. A close look at these, with a combination of argument, critical analysis, and some fresh connections, finally yield an unexpected portrait. C. S. Lewis and his work are indeed one, with deeper roots and loftier branches than the current reputation of the master and his avuncular persona suggest.

Reading WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA provides a panoramic view of C. S. Lewis' multi-faceted genius and its application in fields as diverse as social criticism and children's literature. WHY I BELIEVE gathers reviews and essays that span Prof. James Como's many years as a preeminent Lewis scholar, to which the author of Remembering C.S. Lewis and Branches to Heaven has added several new entries. Chapters range from reviews of critical books, documentaries and movies to evaluations of Lewis's books to biographical analysis. In addition to close-up looks, Como reflects on the "big picture" of the most important contributions Lewis has made, not just in literature, but as a social philosopher and reformer. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis, WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA is an invaluable tool for appreciating the breadth and depth of Lewis' thinking.