Free PDF Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay

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Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay

Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay


Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay


Free PDF Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay

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Share Jesus Without Fear, by Linda Evans Shepherd William Fay

About the Author

William Fay graduated from Denver Seminary with a degree in leadership and has taken up the mantle of an evangelist. Fay is a chaplain with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, host of the internationally syndicated radio show, “Let’s Go,” and his booklet “How to Share Your Faith Without an Argument” has more than five million copies in print. He travels frequently around the globe sharing the Share Jesus Without Fear message and resides with his family in Ft. Myers, Florida.

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Product details

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: B&H Books; Reissue edition (June 1, 1999)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0805418393

ISBN-13: 978-0805418392

Product Dimensions:

5.2 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.7 out of 5 stars

273 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#77,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Abstract In his book, Share Jesus Without Fear, William Fay gives a practical handbook on how to share one’s faith. Fay begins his book by giving the vision behind evangelism suggesting that success in evangelism is “sharing your faith and living your life for Jesus Christ. It has nothing whatsoever to do with bringing anyone to the Lord. It has everything to do with obedience.” The author spends the rest of the book talking about how the believer can be obedient to the commands of Christ and share their faith effectively. Fay spends the first several chapters addressing common misconceptions when it comes to evangelism and addresses the fear that is often associated with sharing the gospel. He challenges the reader to drop the excuses and trust the Holy Spirit to works and move on our behalf.After laying the groundwork for the book and addressing common fears, the author then begins to share practical ways to begin sharing one’s faith. He spends sufficient time talking about conversation joggers and then speaks of the five share Jesus questions, which are: “(1) Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? (2) To you, who is Jesus Christ? (3) Do you think there is a heaven or hell? (4) If you died, where would you go? If heaven, why? (5) If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?” Fay proposes that these questions can help transition everyday conversations to spiritual matters that can lead to sharing the gospel. In addition to using the five spiritual questions, Fay also talks about the importance of using scripture in talking about the things of the Lord. There is power in using God’s word in sharing the good news; Fay suggests having the person you are sharing with read the selected scripture passages out loud from a small New Testament. After the scripture has been read out loud ask, “What do you think this passage mean?” These questions will force the individual to process the information presented and apply the truth to their lives.After introducing the truth of scripture and having the individual process each scripture passage you must then lead them towards a decision, asking, “are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and your heart?” After asking this question, it is important to wait for an answer even if the silence in uncomfortable. When someone prays to receive Christ, the job of the believer is not complete. The new believer will need someone to help them understand their new faith and grow in their faith. Fay gives a list of new follower questions that assist them to comprehend the decision that they have made. In chapter 8, Fay provides a list of common objections when it comes to people not willing to respond to the gospel and how to address each misconception.As Fay closes the book he shares tips on how the believer can maintain and develop friendships with unbelievers. He suggests that you can meet neighbors, take prayer requests, conduct block parties, and do kind deeds and community service. In addition to giving practical ways to reach unbelievers, Fay also provides step by step directions on how to pray for unbelievers. The author suggests to pray before you share, pray for opportunities, pray for love, pray for others to see Christ in you, and pray for boldness and power. Additionally, we should also pray for the lost, he gives a seven-day prayer plan and the importance of keeping a prayer list. The book closes out with Fay encouraging the believer to be proactive in going out and sharing the good news of Jesus.Concrete Response In the eighth chapter, the author addresses the common objections to people rejecting the good news of Jesus. In reading through the list, I was reminded of a time when I shared my faith with a young woman who refused to make a faith commitment because of some negative experiences with Christians in the past. The girl, Amanda, was once a part of a church where she was actively involved in serving and attending. She expressed to me that she had some friends in the church and that she enjoyed being part of the gatherings. However, after several years of being at the church, she discovered that the pastor was stealing money from the church and that he had been engaging in an extramarital affair with another woman from the church. When Amanda found out about her pastor’s indiscretions she approached other church leaders and they swept the sinful actions under the rug and told her it was no big deal. Amanda’s faith was crushed, she left the church, and her heart became hardened towards the church and the things of God. As time progressed, her heart became more and more hardened, and she refused to spend time with Christians. My wife and I befriended Amanda, and we had her over for dinner on a weekly basis. We did not begin talking about spiritual matters, but as time progressed, Amanda started to share about her past complicated relationship with the church. Much like Fay suggests, my wife and I responded with love and compassion. We didn’t argue with her, and we didn’t try to justify the actions of anyone from her past, we just listened and asked a lot of questions. As we asked her questions more and more doors were opened for us to have a spiritual voice in her life. While we were able to share the gospel with Amanda, she never accepted Jesus as her Savior. We continue to pray for her and that the time spent with her would be part of planting a seed of faith in her life.Reflection In reading through the book, it is impossible not to feel convicted, challenged and inspired to share the gospel with non-believers. It is clear that Fay has a passion for evangelism and has a love for people. I enjoyed his writing and his desire to encourage the believers not to be fearful in sharing their faith. I also appreciated that his writing was concise and to the point, Fay does not beat around the bush but typically writes using lists and bullet points. The lists made reading enjoyable and helped to communicate clearly his main points and purpose. The lists also make this a handbook that can easily be consulted when questions emerge about sharing the good news. While it is next to impossible for me to critical about this book, I would have appreciated some of the stories to be a little more realistic. I’m not suggesting that William Fay is fabricating stories to make his point, but I do find it odd that most, if not all, of his stories, involve him being the hero. He rarely misses an opportunity to share his faith and as a result, it is hard to relate to him at times. I think his argument could have been strengthened if he would have talked about times when he failed to share. While the book gives a simple strategy on how to share one's faith, at times it makes light of some difficult situations and doesn’t give realistic explanations to questions that need to be addressed. The book and subject matter would have been better formatted if the author had shared more about listening to Holy Spirit and following his lead in sharing our faith.Action As I stated above this book was convicting, challenging and inspiring in my quest to share my faith. One of the first takeaways and action steps that I need to put into my life is implementing the five “Share Jesus Questions.” When it comes to sharing my faith in the past I have used a combination of my personal testimony and the Romans Road to get my point across. While I think that sharing my testimony is helpful and needed at times, it focuses more on my story and less on the individuals with whom I am sharing. In using the “Share Jesus Questions,” it forces a response from the hearer and leads into a spiritual conversation where topics of faith can be discussed. In the next month, I would like to use this method of sharing Jesus with at least one person. While I will continue to use the method I am accustomed to using, I think using this method will open up new doors and opportunities to share Jesus with people. Many times I am guilty of not having tough conversations, when the moment gets tense or awkward I bail and change the subject. The “Share Jesus Questions” force me to embrace the awkwardness and allow the Holy Spirit to work and move in the life of the individual with whom I am sharing. Fay also talks about the importance of using scripture in sharing our faith. While I have always tried to reference certain passages in when sharing with others I have not followed the lead of Fay in using a physical Bible in reading the scriptures. Fay encourages the speaker to get the hearer to read out loud the strategic passages and then ask them about that specific passage. The using scripture methods makes sharing our faith less about personal preference and more about the truth of God’s word. In the next month, I would like to use the Bible to share with at least one person. I would want them to open the Bible, read out loud the passage, and then answer an appropriate question. While I could use my cell phone to pull up the scripture passages, I think that it would be more beneficial to carry a pocket-sized New Testament around with me so I can quickly flip to passages that need to be read. My plan is to buy the “Share Jesus without Fear Bible” which will help me to easily lead people through the scripture. My final takeaway is to do a better job in following up with people once they have turned to follow Jesus with their life. Currently, after I lead someone to Christ I encourage them to get baptized and to get plugged into the church, but I don’t do a good job at following up with discipleship. Fay lists a series of ten questions or suggestions to make to a new believer. “(1) How many sins has Christ paid for? (2) How many of your sins does Christ remember? (3) Where does Christ live? (4) Let's pray. (The new believer should say what's on his heart.) (5) Who has been praying for you? (6) Do you know where your friend goes to church? (7) Do you know your friend's phone number? Let's call him now! (8) May I take you to church with me? (9) Read the Gospel of John. (10) I will call you tomorrow to see if the Word became different.” These questions help the new believer understand the foundations of the faith and some essential practices that they can apply to their lives. Just recently I had someone hand me a small workbook entitled Christianity Explained by Michael Bennett. In the workbook, he covers all of the issues addressed by Fay and gives some creative ways to explain difficult concepts. My plan is that I would use this handbook to work through these ten directives to better help the individual process their newly found faith. My plan is to take the workbook and these questions work through each item with three people by the end of May. I will hopefully be able to follow up with new believers I have shared with in the past and other people I will lead to Jesus in the near future. BibliographyFay, William. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1999. Kindle.

Although I think apologetics is good but we all know it is really about the heart so no matter how much sensible and logical reasoning you use, the end result is a matter of the heart. That is why I really like this book. It focuses on discussion and dialog rather than convincing (because it is not our job to convince -- just our job to proclaim). The questions he offers are easy and makes sense. Simple communications showing someone you care. Because you know people don't care what you know, until they know that you care. By realizing whether or not someone accepts Christ is none of our doing, it takes the burden off ourselves and lets the Holy Spirit do His work. Well worth the read.

Bibliographical EntryFay, William and Linda Evans Shepherd. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1999.Author Information William (Bill) Fay was once the CEO of a large corporation with ties to organized crime before life-changing events turned him towards Jesus Christ. Fay once owned a house of prostitution and other illegal businesses. To say that Fay was hostile towards Christianity would be mildly stating his former view of the faith. Fay is a graduate of Denver Seminary and has personally witnessed to thousands of people. Today, a changed man, Fay is an evangelist, author, and radio personality traveling the United States sharing his testimony. Fay and his wife currently reside in Englewood, Colorado. Linda Evans Shepherd is an author of over 30 books, a nationally known Christian speaker, and television host in Denver, Colorado. She is also president of Right to the Heart Ministries. Shepherd and her family reside in Longmont, Colorado.Content Summary Fay begins his book as one would expect by calling attention to the woeful state of evangelism in churches today. In the brief first two chapters, Fay explains that Christians cannot fail if they will share their faith. It is the sharing itself that is our success, not the outcome (p. 3). Without the clarity that fundamental understanding brings, the rest of Fay's book might fail to communicate his message that everyone is an evangelist. Sadly, the vast majority of Christians are guilty of committing what Fay calls the sin of silence. Christians should be excited about sharing their faith (p. 7)! And that sharing should be contagious. Fay recounts a story of a woman in adultery who surrendered her life to Christ and went back to her husband asking for forgiveness. Two days later the woman's husband contact Fay to tell him something was different about his wife and he wanted what she now had (p. 10-11). Mindful that not everyone will receive Christ, Fay tells his readers that the average nonbeliever must hear the gospel 7.6 times before accepting Christ. Fay also informs that the Institute of American Church Growth conducted a survey that shows 75 - 90% of new believers come to know Christ through a friend or acquaintance (p. 11 - 12). Before moving into the more instructive section of his book, Fay spends a chapter discussing the need to overcome the fear of evangelism. Here Fay tells his readers that evangelism is the job of every follower of Christ. While emphasizing the command to evangelize, Fay is quick to remind readers that it is the power of the Holy Spirit that does the real work and not the person sharing the gospel (p. 16). Fay then moves into six very practical reasons people give for not sharing their faith. They are fear of rejection (p. 17 - 19), fear of the opinion of friends (p. 19 - 21), fear of sharing with coworkers (p. 21 - 22), lack of knowledge (p.23 - 24), fear of losing friends and/or relatives (p. 24 - 25), and simply not knowing how to share (p. 26). After so many pages devoted to the excuses people give for not sharing their faith, Fay then disarms them all in a single paragraph (p. 27). Having laid the groundwork, Fay then moves to the first step of his proves for sharing one's faith in Jesus. This simple first step involves asking five "Share Jesus" questions designed to get people talking. Fay recognizes that most people have opinions and love to share those opinions. By asking questions designed to get people to share those opinions freely, Fay is able to steer the conversation towards Jesus Christ. The next step in Fay's evangelism approach is taking the person being evangelized through selected passages of Scripture. Fay's key in this part of his approach is to have the other person read the passages and have the briefly explain what each passage means (p. 45 - 51). The person reading the Scripture passage is hearing the words and the Holy Spirit is using their own voice to speak to their heart. If the person does not correctly explain what the passage means, then Fay says to have them read it again and again until they do. God will work through His word and there is no need for us to try and do the work from Him. Fay's third step in his process is to bring the person being evangelized to a point of making a decision. The whole point of sharing faith in Jesus is to lead others to Him that they might also have a relationship with the Risen Savior. Here Fay explains his "Commitment Questions" (p. 61). The questions culminate in the asking someone if they are ready to ask Jesus to come into their heart and then remaining silent. There are only two answers someone can give: yes or no. So what comes after someone accepts Christ? Fay provides the answer in chapter 7. As one may have come to expect during the reading of Fay's book, this next step involves asking the new believer yet more questions. These are designed to ensure that the new believer has a proper understanding of what has just taken place in their life and to be certain they will get into a Bible-based church. Fay takes the next 31 pages discussing the most common objections to accepting Christ and how to overcome those objections. Fay then moves into a brief discussion of keeping non-Christian friends. An excellent point is made in that Christ died for them and loves them too (p. 113)! The concluding two chapters have Fay discussing praying for the lost and his commission for his readers to go. Christians are to be obedient to the Great Commission. Fay gently tells the story of the farmer who broken no ground and then asks if he should be angry at God for the lack of a harvest (p. 141). God is not going to make the first move. It is incumbent upon Christians to share their faith with others.Evaluation Fay approaches the subject of evangelism with an enthusiasm that is refreshing. It is one thing to encourage people to share their faith. It is quite another to do so yourself. By all accounts, Fay actively is using the method his book describes to win people to Christ. As an evangelistic system, Fay has certainly developed an approach that is simple to learn and simple to use for all believers regardless of where an individual is in their walk with the Lord. Fay's approach is Scripture focused approach adds to the power of his method. Fay's book describes the successes he has had in his ministry. In fact, there are very few mentions of instances where Fay or someone using his approach to evangelism was not successful. This is a shame. Fay is very careful to mention some statistics about the success of the Gospel message and state emphatically that success is in the obedience to the Great Commission. Numbers are not the important thing Fay states. With the responsibility for salvation placed squarely with the Holy Spirit, the believer is free to share their faith with nonbelievers and let God and His word do the work on the unrepentant heart. Yet with those statements having been made, Fay repeatedly recounts instances where he successfully led people to Christ. The impression the reader is left with is that the approach is the key to success rather than the working of the Holy Spirit. Inclusion of the inevitable failures to win someone to Christ would certainly add some depth to Fay's story that is missing in the telling. It would also add a dimension of realism to Fay's book that is painfully missing. Any Christian who has shared their faith knows the many rejections that come with doing so. Fay's main assertion in his book is that all are called to share their faith and that doing so is no difficult. Fay's positions on these points are well supported with Scripture. This does not come as a surprise given Fay's seminary training. In keeping with his training at Denver Seminary, Fay's theological interpretations are quite conservative making his book easily recommended for ministers, lay leaders, and others desiring to improve their evangelism skills. Fay's book sets out to remind his readers that all Christians are called to share their faith with the lost and to provide a simple, repeatable way of doing so. Fay easily accomplishes this goal. The book has a very readable style with personal stories that draw the reader in and make one feel almost as if they are present when the events being described are taking place. This is a major strength of the book. For the reader serious about finding a way of improving their evangelism skills, Fay's method is a good approach. Fay's method is a little different from other authors who have written on the same subject in recent years. Nick Pollard's Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult, Ray Comfort's The Way of the Master, and more recently David Platt's Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream all are slightly different takes on evangelism in the church today. Still, Fay's book has the advantage of an incredible conversion story at the core which certainly serves Fay's book well. God remains in the miracle business as Fay can attest. The bottom line is that it is up to Christians to share their faith with the lost. We are called to do so and committing the sin of silence is unacceptable. Fay outlines a clear method one can use to reach the lost. It is up to the reader to put Fay's teaching into practice.

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"You ask too much of people who have been successful, and they are human too," Richard Rodgers once remarked. In "Something Wonderful," Todd S. Purdum' s absorbing account of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway revolution, he restores humanity to R and H. He also celebrates their sincerity, the very quality that later made Rodgers And Hammerstein musicals unfashionable to the critical elite. Elliott Norton observed, "When you mention Rodgers and Hammerstein to almost any normal American with a sound heart and good hearing, he thinks at once of songs and scenes and shows which they have written--and which have given him great and abiding pleasure." So it was and so it may always be. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals have become such a part of pop culture fabric, they are almost taken for granted. They never should be. Purdum doesn't knock Rodgers and Hammerstein off their musical theatre pedestals. He does not want to. Ethan Mordden effectively did that in his scholarly, heavily illustrated, coffee table book. Purdue's book is much more fair and much more fun to read. And it's because Purdum writes from a human perspective. It turns out, these Masters Of Musical Theatre were mere mortals after all. They were astonishingly talented, creative, driven, ambitious men, complete with flaws and all. It really doesn't matter that they were geniuses of their craft. Without their humanity, their flaws, and their simple, honest sincerity, the public never would have responded to their shows at all. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II met each other long before their partnership, and each began to sew the seeds of their Broadway revolution with other partners. Hammerstein was literally born into the theatre. Rodgers was a musical prodigy from a cold, emotionally distant and abusive home. That coldness became part of Rodgers' nature. Hammerstein wrote Broadway's first really serious musical "Show Boat" with Jerome Kern in 1927. After "Rose Marie", Hammerstein had nothing but flops, spent several unproductive years in Hollywood, and suffered a nervous breakdown due to his turbulent personal life. Rodgers had nothing but hit after hit with his other Big "H" partner Lorenz Hart from the mid 1920's throughout the 1930's. Their 1940 musical "Pal Joey" was more worldly and sophisticated than anything Broadway had seen before. But Hart was a genius who was hell-bent on self-destruction, and he did exactly that. Rodgers couldn't take it anymore and Hammerstein needed a hit. The success of "Oklahoma!" was never predestined or a safe bet. But Purdum brings into sharp focus how Rodgers and Hammerstein came together at exactly the right time and, combining their years of theatrical experience, created "Oklahoma!", a musical that America not only needed by 1943, but also wholeheartedly embraced. Their next musical "Carousel" was even more risky. "Oklahoma!" was essentially about a picnic-party. "Carousel" was about life, death, spousal abuse, poverty, suicide, and a few other things in between. "Carousel", their darkest musical with their richest, most operatic score, remains their most problematic-- but somehow they pulled it off. Purdum celebrates their deserved successes and is fair minded about their Broadway flops ("Allegro", "Me And Juliet" and "Pipe Dream") and their personal flaws and failings. At some point, they stopped being Richard Rodgers, composer, and Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist and librettist, and became trapped victims of their own success. This is, after all, a story of show business, and R & H became a business-- an entertainment empire, really. R & H were business men. Rather stingy business men who had prickly relationships with talented people in the R & H business. Purdum finally gives orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, music arranger Trude Rittmann and scenic designer Jo Milzner their long overdue credits. Playwright and director Josh Logan was treated worst of all. Logan wrote the book to the masterpiece "South Pacific" with Hammerstein in bursts of inspired and manic creativity. Logan received co-author and director credit , but was cheated out of royalties. Hammerstein attempted to correct things by asking Logan to direct "The King And I." Wounded by his "South Pacific" experience, Logan refused. But Logan remained, by choice, a close friend in Hammerstein's circle. Hammerstein poured out his frustrations about Rodgers to Logan, and asked him for advice on shows. Hammerstein ignored Logan's advice on how to improve "Allegro", and it flopped. He took Logan's advice on how to make "The King And I" more warm and entertaining, and it was a huge hit. As far as knowing what stories to musicalize and how, Rodgers And Hammerstein were indeed ONE with a great track record of success and a few flops. As men and "friends", they hardly knew each other at all. Interestingly, R & H were both married to women named Dorothy. Both Dorothy R and Dorothy H were interior designers. And they didn't like each other, either. They kept up a cool if distant facade, however. By the mid-1950's, a coolness came into the R & H relationship that lasted until the end. After writing a bubbly and unpretentious score for "Cinderella" for CBS TV in 1957, Rodgers suffered a severe depression (nervous breakdown) and his first battle with cancer. R & H had one more "lucky hit" in them, "Flower Drum Song", which is seldom staged today. Mary Martin, the star of "South Pacific", brought "The Sound Of Music" to R & H. When rehearsals began, Hammerstein was diagnosed with cancer. If cancer had not killed him, critical response to "The Sound Of Music" might have. One critic said the show was too sweet for words and music. Hammerstein died in 1960, and "The Sound Of Music" became R & H's most popular "popular success." After great success and an entertainment empire, it became fashionable to knock the R & H empire and everything in it down. After Hammerstein's death, the critical elite dismissed R & H shows as conventional, pandering, condescending, and worst of all, childish. Purdum ponders how and why R & H fell into critical disfavor. It actually happened a few years before Hammerstein's death, and Purdum says the middlebrow movie versions of "Oklahoma!", "Carousel, and "South Pacific", which muted the innovations in the shows and maximized the schmaltz, do not help at all. "The King And I", with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, is the best R & H movie adaptation, and "The Sound Of Music" starring Julie Andrews is the biggest R & H movie mega-hit. The modest Julie Andrews seems to be at a loss to explain to Purdum why "The Sound Of" Movie remains such a wildly popular success. Purdum feels that the major R & H hit shows are not bad at all, but for many years, productions and the packaging of them, were terrible. Recent productions of "Carousel" and "South Pacific" sparked a major R & H re-evaluation. I am sure readers will agree with Purdum that the R & H revolution was something wonderful indeed, and their shows are still relevant and worthy of serious discussion and artistic appreciation.

Just as Oklahoma! was to war-weary audiences in its day...THIS book is the tonic I needed in a time when the world around me has ceased to make sense. I'm not even into Broadway musicals all that much, and found it enchanting. Now I find myself downloading original cast albums, just to try to relive some of the magic myself. Mr. Purdom did a fine job. Thanks to NPR's "Fresh Air" to alerting me to this release.

I've read extensively about Broadway history since I was in my teens and I'm an "honored citizen" now (aka "old"), so I wondered when I first saw this book whether it would add anything to what I already know. I was ultimately persuaded to buy it by some of the rave reviews I read. I'm glad I did. There were details about the lives of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein I had not come across before, plus some real insight into how they worked together and what their work gained from their synergy. For those who loved their shows, you'll never find such detailed stories of the step-by-step creation of the hits and the flops as well. Broadway music has been the soundtrack of my life and it all started with a friend back in grade school who invited me over to hear the Original Cast recording of "Oklahoma." Reading about the creation of that landmark show took me right back to that wonderful moment in my life. It really was the first time I fell in love with a form of art. The affair continues to this day.

I bought this rather expensive book after reading the review in The Economist. Nevertheless I feared I had another of those dry, fact filled books (to show the author worked very hard and knew everything) but no, I was fascinated from beginning to end and am very glad to learn so much about the music and the movies I always enjoyed so much. I never saw one o the musicals because I always lived to far away; now I feel I have seen them all! Highly recommended, which I don't do very often. Thank you Mr. Purdum!

What a wonderful and engaging book. It takes me back too. The first live play I ever saw as a little girl was Oklahoma at the Oriental theater in Chicago. So interesting and easy to read.Judy Myers

Do you remember a time, roughly 1943 to 1963, when the composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein practically owned American musical culture? When I was a small boy, “Cinderella” played on CBS, “The Sound of Music” was headed from Broadway to Hollywood, and songs from shows like “Oklahoma,” “The King and I” and “Carousel” played on the radio and were sung everywhere from schools to taverns and elite performance halls. The record clubs of the era even had a separate membership category called “Broadway Sounds,” “Tin Pan Alley” or something like that.Even if you don’t recall those days, author Todd Purdum takes us there for all of that, and also gives credit to the composers who influenced them ("Larry" Hart and Jerome Kern, among others) and those whom they influenced (particularly "Stevie," later Stephen Sondheim, who was a frequent house guest of the Hammersteins from his childhood on). Well researched and written, admiring but not fawning, SOMETHING WONDERFUL would make a fine present for the budding Broadway fan or performance wannabe. It shows how the "RH Factor" was formed, clicked, and serves almost as a “you-are-there” for each show’s inception, creation, performance and afterlife.If, after reading this biography, the reader's appetite for more Broadway is whetted, here's a good follow-up book: Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre.

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