Epiphany: Stories (ISBN 0140251820)

Familiar feelings:
Each story strikes a cord of familiarity. Wth funny, touching and heart warming recollections of what feel like real life events, Sams, as usual, makes you laugh and cry. One story reminded me so much of my father, I wondered if he was the model! The reader experiences the depth of involvement all good "old-fashioned docs" have with interesting patients. As well, one gets a humurous look at the restrictions placed on health care by ignorant bureaucrats, The interaction between husband and wife in another story hits home for all married couples who have laughed at adverse conditions together - and suffered through them to reach even greater understanding of each other. For all of us as we grow older and remember what it was like to be an all-knowing teen, the third story stops you in your tracks as you reflect on where you have been and where you are going. A wonderful read that reaches deep inside and grabs you where you "feel".

A Compelling Read:
Epiphany is a book that contains three inspirational stories meant for the heart. For this review, I am going to focus on the title piece, Epiphany. The two main characters in this story are Mark Goddard, a doctor, and Gregry McHune, a down to earth southerner. This is a story of these two's relationship with each other and how their lives intertwine. Throughout the course of this book, both Gregry and Mark learn lifelong lessons and adopt some of each other's customs. For example, Mark starts to use some of Gregry's slang and Gregry discovers Christianity with the help of Mr. Goddard. Both of these men deal with trouble in their lives and confide in one another. While going through their seperate struggles they become best friends of which neither of them expected to happen. From a technical view, this book is very solidly written. The dialect of each character is done flawlessly so you get the feel that you know each and every person in the story. The character development in this story is great but it is very subtle. It seems to sneak up on you when you least expect it. Overall, I would say buy this book if you enjoy heartwarming stories that make you want to cry. A caution to readers, this book deals with some very heavy themes such as rascism, murder, and prison life, so keep that in mind.

The Rarest of Medical Practioners and A plus+Story-tellers:
My perspectives of Sambo are changing, growing, surely becoming mesmerized each time I have an annual medical or happen to see him in public! He always seems like an old, yet still youthful, and wiser, more knowledgeabe... "Good Friend!" From my first early physical in his Fayette Medical Center, he finished-up in using his usual "recorded Review" of my visit: "within my new patient, Fred Hood, the first words I heard were...Depression!" Earlier I had met Dr. Sams, visiting his older, medical patients in Fayette Community Hospital! His nephews John Goza and Frank Cole were hospital staff Doctors. One day after Pastoral Visits I chanced to converse with both, as to how come "so many members of the Sams family" had chosen to become Doctors?" They quickly agreed that it was strictly because of Sambo's influence! Once I began reading this EPIPHANY, his 7th book, I discovered along with his other reviewers, Sambo is the epitome of a superb story-teller! He can quickly draw one into his uniquely creative pictured characters of personality. His strengths for using Mark Goddard and Gregry McHune as his colaborators becomes obviously related between his actual life as husband and his wife, Helen! I sat waiting in his office with new book of Prayers written by Professor Walter Brueggemann, as Sambo entered and saw that same book I had given him earlier. "This morning I was reading his 4th Prayer, "Stunned By Morning." Then he proceeded to quote the whole page of prayer, word by word without looking at the book! In all of our conversations about his writing or what he's up-to in reading... he seems totally interested and caught-up becoming interested to my questions or reponse to his stories. Whenever we get to our "process of physical aging" he's agile, positively humorous, and places total emphasis upon inner, spiritual and mental attitudes. I am definitely an avid admirer of the medical expertise, powerfully gifted story-telling of my personality care-taker, who analizes, diagnoses, and even fullfills his own prescriptions! May he continue being the Blessed Physician for us for many more moons! Retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood

Horrible, Racist Trash:
I'm not sure how anyone can speak of this book as well-written, and I'm even more horrified that the racist tirades contained in it are described as a complex secondary narrative. No way. This is poorly written self-congratulatory racism, homophobia, and (much more subtle) sexism. The author doesn't have the skill necessary to spin a complex secondary narrative, much less one that is critical of its narrator; this racism is heartfelt, and it should not be ignored or overlooked. It turns my stomach.