Customer Reviews:
Not the first book you should read on postmodernism.......2003-08-28
If you've already read about 10 books on postmodernism and you're thirsty for more, this will make a great 11th book. It's not the easiest (try Postmodernism for Beginners) or the most insightful (try McHale's Postmodernist Fiction or Jencks's Post-Modern Architecture).
Huyssen clearly knows his stuff and has some great insights, but he spends a lot of time dwelling on the very dichotomies he claims have become outmoded. For exmple, he writes:
"...my main point about contemporary postmodernism is that it operates in a field of tension between tradition and innovation, conservation and renewal, mass culture and high art, in which the second terms are no longer automatically privileged over the first; a field of tension which can no longer be grasped in categories such as progress vs. reaction, left vs. right, present vs. past, modernism vs. realism, abstraction vs. representation, avantgarde vs. Kitsch. The fact that such dichotomies, which after all are central to the classical accounts of modernism, have broken down is part of the shift I have been trying to describe."
He sure uses a lot of dichotomies to describe the breakdown in the dichotomy system!
FYI: Huyssen is a German professor and relies very heavily on German examples.
If you're really into the topic, it's well worth reading. It's a must for theory junkies and anyone writing a dissertation on postmodernism or doing graduate work in German modernism or postmodernism.
Book Description
Classic work by the great Victorian expresses his deepest convictions about the nature and role of architecture and its aesthetics. This authoritative edition includes reproductions of the 14 original plates of Ruskin's superb drawings of architectural details from such structures as the Doge's Palace in Venice to the Cathedral of Rouen.
Customer Reviews:
rip off.......2004-02-12
The kessinger edition of this book is a rip off!!! do not buy it!!!
i received a copy in which the margins on the pages were 2 inches all around and the text was so small. everything seemed to be copied with a fax machine, so there was lots of tiny black dots all over the pages. the images are so unclear. they were black and white with no grayscales and it was so hard to make out what the images were. i returned this book for a refund.
buy the dover edition instead. its practically the same text except the text fills up the whole page and the pictures are clear. its also less than half the price of the kessinger edition.
Be forewarned: Unashamed moralizing and aesthetic certainty.......2003-06-28
If you are looking for a "practical guide to the
structures and tools" of architecture, this is NOT
your book nor your guide.
For John Ruskin is an art critic, classicist, and
moralizing aesthetic prophet. He is not an "art for art's
sake" temporizer or relativist. He not only knows what
HE believes...but he believes he knows what YOU should
believe too. If that makes you uncomfortable or makes
you feel hampered, you might want to pass him by until
you feel you can accommodate the "insult" and "restrictions"
on your "free will choices." Otherwise, there is much of
beauty, wonder, and insight to be gained in these pages.
Ruskin's point of view is that of a classical Platonist
mixed with the moralizing tenor of an exhorting (but not
shrilly so) prophet toward beauty, Truth, and clarity of
vision...and moral purpose in Art. He also has a wondrous
prose style which is both clear, compelling, and entrancing.
This edition published by Dover as a reprint is of the
second edition of the work from 1880. It also includes
14 plates of drawings which Ruskin did to illustrate the
points which he makes in the text.
Along the way, Ruskin includes shortened Aphorisms
in the margin which restate the bold face print points
which he is making in the text. In Chapter 2, titled
"The Lamp of Truth," Ruskin stands forth most forcefully
and dynamically (and perhaps to the "modern," most
tendentiously) as the classical Platonic moralizer
and aesthetic apostle/prophet/priest. Though raised
a strict Protestant, Ruskin rebelled and left Christianity
for a classical Paganism based on beauty, Truth, and clarity.
Needless to say, this more than tended to alienate him
and isolate him from the mercenary, industrialized
Victorian world which was chugging along outside his
hermetically sealed temple dedicated to Truth, Beauty,
Goodness, and Clarity. Mercantilism and "practical
progress" don't exactly exalt those four princples as
the means or the goals whereby to make money and become
successful in the eyes of the world or popular opinion.
But if you want to read about Truth and Beauty and
read it through the eyes and soul of a lover of those
qualities -- and read it expressed in most beautiful
prose and style (which is both poetic and powerful),
then Ruskin and this work are clearly the choices you
should make.
This excerpt from Ruskin tied to Aphorism 29 {"The
earth is an entail, not a possession.") clearly shows
that Ruskin's vision and prophetic power extend beyond
the merely practical realm of architecture into an
all-encompassing total vision of responsibility and
reverence: "The idea of self-denial for the sake of
posterity, of practising present economy for the sake of
debtors yet unborn, of planting forests that our
descendants may live under their shade, or of raising
cities for future nations to inhabit, never, I suppose,
efficiently takes place among publicly recognized motives
of exertion. Yet these are not the less our duties; nor
is our part fitly sustained upon the earth, unless the
range of our intended and deliberate usefulness include,
not only the companions, but the successors, of our
pilgrimage. God has lent us the earth for our life; it
is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who are
to come after us, and whose names are already written in
the book of creation, as to us, and we have no right, by
any thing that we do or neglect, to involve them in
unnecessary penalties., or deprive them of benefits which
it was in our power to bequeath."
Read...enjoy...benefit...
outdated.......2003-03-06
I found that tying in human traits to different styles of architecture was not interesting at all. There is no discussion of building techniques or the practical side of architecture. This would be more for the artist that is trying to project different human feelings into the structure. If you are looking for a techincal guide to architecture this is not it.
Architecture's Most Influential Written Work.......2001-06-11
This book is the origin of virtually every theory held throughout the history of architecture. The arts and crafts movement, Frank Lloyd Wright's organicism, and Corbusier's New Architecture are just a few examples of prominent theories whose foundations lie within the pages of this book. In this book, Ruskin prescribes the essential elements required to make timeless, meaningful architecture. This manifesto is a must for any student interested in the practice and study of architecture.
Wonderful architectural moralism.......2001-03-16
Ruskin is a master in morality and architecture. This combination, which is very nineteenth-century-like, mixes Ruskin with a wonderful mastery of the English language. The Seven Lamps is a must-read for all you folks who have not yet studied architecture in all its facets.
Book Description
1898. Hillis writes in the foreword that he approaches these volumes from the viewpoint of a pastor, interested in literature as a help in the religious life, and seeking to find in these writings bread for those who are hungry, light for those who are in darkness, and life for those who walk in the shadow of death. Leaving to others the problems of literary criticism, these studies emphasize the importance of right thinking in order to right conduct and character, and the uses of great books as aids and incentives to the higher Christian life. Some of the works examined in this volume include: John Ruskin's Seven Lamps of Architecture as Interpreters of the Seven Laws of Life; George Eliot's Tito, in Romola; Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter and the Retributive Workings of Conscience; and others. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
Average customer rating:
- Art and Insight...
- Travesty
- The selections in this book miss the point completely
|
Selected Writings: Modern Painters/the Stones of Venice/the Seven Lamps of Architecture/Praeterita (Everyman's Library (Paper))
John Ruskin
Manufacturer: Everyman Paperback Classics
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ASIN: 0460874608 |
Book Description
For Ruskin (1819-1900), the scrutiny of art ensures moral, social and religious comprehension of humanity's relationship to the world. This selection draws on Modern Painters (1843 - 1860) and The Stones of Venice (1851-1853) to present Ruskin's conception of art and the edification it works on human understanding.
Customer Reviews:
Art and Insight..........2002-03-17
I personally came to a knowledge, reading, and
study of John Ruskin late -- only during this
past half year. Though I had come across quotes
attributed to him on various subjects, and though
I had heard mentions of him on various cultural
programs, still nothing enticed me or intrigued
me enough to follow up -- until I came upon
two quotes from him in two very provocative sources.
The first source was in the ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA
(1994)in an article on "Dante Alighieri." The quote
reads: "Each age has admired Dante for different
reasons. His contemporaries and immediate successors
dwelt on his rhetorical skill and ethical content;
the early 19th century admired his "Gothic" grandeur;
modern critics have delighted in the sharpness and
variety of his imagery and the subtlety with which he
mingles suggestive allegory with realism. * * *
Ruskin, speaking surely not for his own time alone,
wrote, 'I think the central man of all the world,
as representing IN PERFECT BALANCE the imaginative,
moral, and intellectual faculties, all at their
highest, is Dante.'"
The other quote is found in Jane Ellen Harrison's
wondrous and elegant presentation of Greek myth
and ritual study -- PROLEGOMENA TO THE STUDY OF
GREEK RELIGION. 1903/1908/1922; rpt. Princeton
Univ. Press, 1991; Mythos Books. That quote from
the beginning of Chapter 1 says: "In characterizing
the genius of the Greeks, Mr. Ruskin says: 'there
is no dread in their hearts; pensiveness, amazement,
often deepest grief and desolation, but terror never.
Everlasting calm in the presence of all Fate, and
joy such as they might win, not indeed from perfect
beauty, but from beauty at perfect rest."
This Everyman edition of Ruskin's SELECTED WRITINGS
is also a must-have for one's personal library.
There are wonderful footnotes and notes in the back,
as well as a very helpful chronology. There are
also extremely insightful and helpful editorial
comments and segues within the text itself which
highlight and explain Ruskin's insights and evolving
creativity. Ruskin's writings are so extensive and
fill so many volumes, that though there may be a
few overlaps of same excerpts in various collections,
they are usually at a minimum. That is why I was
glad to purchase several different collections of
his writings -- and so far, there is more than
enough new material in each one to have made the
purchases valuable.
One of the quotes which I especially like from this
volume is this one:
"For the artist who sincerely chooses the
noblest subject will also choose chiefly to
represent what makes that subject noble,
namely, the various heroism or other noble
emotions of the persons represented. If,
instead of this, the artist seeks only to make
his picture agreeable by the composition of its
masses and colours, or by any other merely
pictorial merit, as fine drawing of limbs, it
is evident, not only that any other subject
would have answered his purpose as well, but that
he is unfit to approach the subject he has chosen,
because he cannot enter into its deepest meaning,
and therefore cannot in reality have chosen it
for that meaning." [from MODERN PAINTERS III;
p.100 in Everyman]
Travesty.......1999-10-22
This selection of Ruskin's writings fails to convey much about the passion and poetry of the man and his work. For an excellent Ruskin anthology, stick with Rosenberg's The Genius of John Ruskin.
The selections in this book miss the point completely.......1999-08-26
Althought the editor has done a fine job of selecting sections of prose writing, he has failed to include anything that may give a glimpse into the thoughts and contemplations of John Ruskin. The overall effect is that of a politically correct tippy-toe around beautifully written passages that, in light of Ruskin's depth, say nothing at all and would thouroughly have disipointed Ruskin himself.
Average customer rating:
|
Odio Vol. 5: La gran evasion / Hate Vol. 5: The Great Escape (Odio)/ Spanish Edition
Peter Bagge
Manufacturer: Public Square Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1594971374 |
Book Description
ODIO (HATE): 1991 HARVEY WINNER FOR BEST CARTOONIST, BEST NEW SERIES. The bestselling alternative comic of the 1990's, Odio (Hate) chronicles the misadventures, life experiences and repugnant habits of Buddy Bradley, oldest son of America's most dysfunctional suburban family. Buddy's moved to Seattle, which Bagge portrays as the grunge capital of the U.S.; a place of cheap apartments, cheaper drugs and plenty of lowlife, with rocker deadbeats working in used bookstores and organizing bands. American satirical cartooning at its most inventively hilarious. -Publishers Weekly I Love Hate. -Matt Groening creator of the Simpsons
Customer Reviews:
Of supernatural origins?.......2007-05-26
If you were to gather all the 100 most idiotic village idiots from the world's most idiotic villages and plop them in front of 100 typewriters for 100 years, they would not be able to craft a volume so perfectly idiotic.
Hence I am forced to conclude that, in writing this, the author must have had some sort of assistance from the Great Beyond.
Spooky!
I never knew my cat before I read this book.......2000-01-29
This is an ideal gift book for anyone with a cat -- even if they don't have any interest in astrology. The illustrations are beautiful, the text is well written, and both are wise in the ways of cats.
Average customer rating:
|
The Hip: Hipsters, Jazz and the Beat Generation
Roy Carr ,
Brian Case , and
Fred Deller
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0571138098 |
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|
Are You Normal About Food?
Bernice Kanner
Manufacturer: Griffin
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0312333471 |
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News of the World: World Cultures Look at Television News (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies, 4)
Klaus Jensen
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 041516107X |
Book Description
This collection is the first in-depth study of how television viewers around the world respond to the ever increasing mass of information available from news programs. News of the World describes and interprets the type of news available, the amount of news that viewers consume, and how it is understood in the context of everyday life in the United States, India, Mexico, Italy, Denmark, Israel and Belarus.
Book Description
An inspirational, one of a kind family love story in which a professor learns on the eve of his 59th birthday that he is to become a father for the sixth time. He quits his post in academia to play stay-at-home caregiver to a second set of three children well into his seventies. Written with wit, warmth and a poet's touch, this bonanza of true family values comes with a promise to readers: three laughs for every tear.
Customer Reviews:
It's True: Meyer Delivers Three Laughs for Every Tear.......2005-06-16
I loved this book! Meyer tells a heartwarming and, yes, sometimes heartbreaking story of a man grappling with his own mortality while raising three young children the second time around.
I especially loved the moments in which Meyer bonds with his young children: with his eldest daughter Molly and their shared discovery of words through great books; with his younger daughter Madeleine and her imaginative dabling in careers from lemonade-stand entrepreneur, to Bed-and-Breakfast manager, to house private eye; and with his youngest son Franz and their paired love of baseball. He recalls the events of his children's lives with such rich and simple descriptions that the reader expereinces these moments along with Meyer and his family.
Even in its darkest moments--say when Meyer relives several near-death accidents of his children; or when he faces the truth of his own aging, failing body; or, most chillingly, when he imagines the events of his children's lives he may miss--what shines through is a deep and undying family love.
I laughed. I cried. I was edified.
Hilarious.......2005-06-04
Larry Meyer's "Memoirs of a Geezer Dad" is both a touching and hilarious accounting of a 60-plus retired professor raising three small children. Larry, having already raised three grown sons, obsesses about his own mortality, weak knees and heart in this new stage of his life. His humor is honest, self-effacing and refreshing. This is not a how-to book; he is perfectly willing to admit defeat even when confronted by a precocious six-year old. This loving account of Larry's two grown and not-so grown children is a must read for all parents..
NO PALTRY THING.......2005-05-23
MEYER'S DIARY "NO PALTRY THING" IS NOT ONLY A WARM AND SENTIMENTAL JOURNAL OF FAMILY LIFE, BUT IT IS A HILARIOUS ACCOUNT OF A BORN-AGAIN FATHER. THE AUTHOR'S CAPTIVATING STORY IS ENHANCED BY HIS WIT AND TURN OF PHRASE. I JUST DIDN'T WANT THE MEYER FAMILY SAGA TO END. GREAT BOOK!
NINA TAYLOR
CORVALLIS, MONTANA
Writers Notes 2005 Book Award Winner.......2005-04-28
At age 59, Larry Meyer learned that he would be a father again. The news was both joyous and alarming. He was up for the task, sort of, but would he run short of years before he saw the fruits of his labor? And if not, would his children remember him? Or even worse, would he be sharp enough to remember them? Being an older parent adds its own special challenges, but the levity wrought by Meyer in his self-styled legacy for his kids is poignant, while carrying more than a few belly laughs.
Not just for parents or geezers.......2005-04-01
Being a childless geezerette of 53, I didn't expect to relate much to Larry Meyer's chronicle of geezer fatherdom. Was I surprised! His wit, wisdom and most of all, love of family transcend the chasm between parents and non-parents, geezers and not-yet geezers. As a newly minted "geezerette aunt", I shared his pangs of loss at the milestones he'll miss with this late-blooming brood. At the same time, I cheered his recognition of all that his older sons missed being raised by a "normal" Dad juggling career and family, and his determination to do things differently. How many of us have wished at one time or another that our parents could have "gotten it" the way he did? Although, by his accounts, he did pretty well by the older trio, too. Mostly, the book made me want to be a fly on the wall at the Meyer house, to share in the hijinks and all that love and respect they clearly have for each other. Don't wait for geezerdom - read it now! If all new parents of any age used this book as a blueprint, there could be a whole slew of happy, well-balanced kids on the planet. And that's no paltry thing!
Average customer rating:
- A straight shooter, reflecting on Balkan tragedy
- Why UN failiure preceeded NATO triumph
- Wrong
- Eyewitness account of extraordinary accuracy!
|
Dubious Mandate : A Memoir of the UN in Bosnia, Summer 1995
Phillip Corwin , and
Phillip Corwin
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0822321262 |
Book Description
A critical year in the history of peacekeeping, 1995 saw the dramatic transformation of the role of United Nations’ forces in Bosnia from a protective force to being an active combatant under NATO leadership. Phillip Corwin, the UN’s chief political officer in Sarajevo during the summer of that year, presents an insider’s account of the momentous events that led to that transformation. Dubious Mandate interweaves personal experiences of daily life in a war zone—supply shortages, human suffering, assassination attempts, corruption—with historical facts, as Corwin challenges commonly held views of the war with his own highly informed, discerning, and trenchant political commentary.
Sympathetic to the UN’s achievements, yet skeptical of its acquiescence to the use of military force, Corwin is critical both of the Bosnian government’s tactics for drawing NATO into the conflict and of NATO’s eagerness to make peace by waging war. He challenges the popular depiction of the Bosnian government as that of noble victim, arguing that the leaders of all three sides in the conflict were “gangsters wearing coats and ties.” Highly caustic about Western reportage, he examines the policies of various Western political and military leaders and gives a detailed account of a pivotal phase of the war in Bosnia, a period that culminated with NATO’s massive bombing of Bosnian Serb targets and ultimately led to the Dayton Peace Agreement. Without a proper understanding of this critical period, he argues, it is difficult to understand the greater scope of the conflict. Corwin also offers insightful portraits of some of the leading players in the Bosnian drama, including Yasushi Akashi, the UN’s top official in the former Yugoslavia in 1994–95; General Rupert Smith, the British commander in Sarajevo in 1995; and Hasan Muratovic, a future Bosnian prime minister.
Capturing the essence of a tense and difficult time, Dubious Mandate will interest diplomats, politicians, military personnel, scholars, and those still trying to fathom the continuing mission of the United Nations and the unfolding of events in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.
Customer Reviews:
A straight shooter, reflecting on Balkan tragedy.......2004-03-10
Philip Corwin is not a professional apologist, advocacy journalist, propagandist or self-aggrandizing Imperial shill, the kind one would expect writing a book about Bosnia. Corwin, an American in UN service, was the head of UNPROFOR Civil Affairs in Sarajevo during those crucial months of 1995 when the UN became NATO's handmaiden. As a result, he is a disillusioned, embittered witness to Imperial ascendance.
...Right from its very title, Dubious Mandate gets to the heart of the matter. As the Bosnian War unravels, so does the UN peacekeeper mission, whose mandate is self-contradictory, ill-defined, and under constant political and military pressure. From his position in Sarajevo, Corwin witnessed the disintegration of the last shreds of UN credibility and impartiality. His journal entries read like a Greek tragedy, with growing awareness of the impending disaster literally rolling in over the hills.
Arguably the best features of the book are Corwin's "hindsight" notes. Unlike other memoirs, Dubious Mandate
contains the author's reflections alongside the original writing, clearly marked to avoid confusion. This provides the readers with an insight into how Corwin thought then, and how subsequent events and understandings impacted his earlier opinions. It is exceptionally difficult to write an honest memoir, avoiding the temptation to spruce up the original notes with hindsight. Dubious Mandate has found a way, and it works extraordinarily well.
Corwin does not mince words. He is not anti- or pro- anyone, often describing the local Balkans leaders as "thugs in suits." But his insistence that there were legitimate concerns among the Serbs (even though their methods were reprehensible) and that the Sarajevo Muslims were far from angels, earns Corwin the undying hatred of the international diplomats, western Press, and, of course, the Izetbegovic regime.
Read the complete version of this review- and many more- at Balkanalysis.com
Why UN failiure preceeded NATO triumph.......2000-04-28
Ever wondered why the UN "failed" in Bosnia, only to be replaced by NATO? Ever thought about what causes UN missions to fail in some situations (as in Bosnia) and succeed in others (as in East Timor)? From historical evidence it appears that there is no inherent institutional flaw in the UN structure but that the Security Council, by assigning different mandates and rules of engagement, determines the likely outcome of various missions. Who interests does this kind of "peacekeeping" serve?
This book adds to our understanding of the critical role of outside factors in the partition of Yugoslavia. It sheds some light on the reasons for (intended? ) failiure of UNPROFOR and the subsequent insertion of NATO. It is required reading for anyone trying to understand the Yugoslav mayhem beyond superficiality of mainstream media coverage.
Wrong.......2000-01-12
It was only because of military intervention in Bosnia that the war finally ended. The fact that war ended had nothing to do with the UN's humanitarian mission, from the start a disgrace and a failure. It is amazing how hard it is to find UN personel willing to admit their policy, prior to military intervention, was disastrous. This year finally, the Secretary General, in a report framed by the massacre of Srebrenica, did admit the UN's total failure.
Eyewitness account of extraordinary accuracy!.......1999-10-05
Philip Corwin's captivating memoir reveals the dark secrets of the UN mission in Bosnia during its last days. By mid-1995, the UN had become resigned to playing mercenaries to the Muslim government in Sarajevo, harassed by the cheerleading international press, pushed around by Washington and held hostage by the local gagster-leaders. Corwin describes how the mission degenerated from a supposedly good-faith, impartial peacekeeping effort into an open war against one belligerent. His notes reveal the crippling internal politics of UNPROFOR and the enormous pressure of NATO to come in, guns blazing. Corwin escapes the temptation to moralize and preach to both the world and the Bosnians. Instead, he exposes the malicious incomprehension of the situation on part of the foreign factors, and blasts the thuggery of Bosnian leaders - Serbs, Muslims and Croats alike. Though he does not absolve the Serbs from a shred of responsibility for the horrors of the Bosnian war, by giving them a voice at all he has probably risked vitriolic condemnation by various "Muslim partisans," among whom you will find some familiar names... Corwin's book is not THE ONE BOOK you need to understand the Bosnian tragedy. But between him and general MacKenzie, the UN side of it is told as it was. If you want to know how today's world of mercenary peacekeeping and random bombing came to be, read this book. It is a must.
Amazon.com
This is the single best book available on the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Afghanistan responsible for harboring the terrorist Osama bin Laden. Ahmed Rashid is a Pakistani journalist who has spent most of his career reporting on the region--he has personally met and interviewed many of the Taliban's shadowy leaders. Taliban was written and published before the massacres of September 11, 2001, yet it is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the aftermath of that black day. It includes details on how and why the Taliban came to power, the government's oppression of ordinary citizens (especially women), the heroin trade, oil intrigue, and--in a vitally relevant chapter--bin Laden's sinister rise to power. These pages contain stories of mass slaughter, beheadings, and the Taliban's crushing war against freedom: under Mullah Omar, it has banned everything from kite flying to singing and dancing at weddings. Rashid is for the most part an objective reporter, though his rage sometimes (and understandably) comes to the surface: "The Taliban were right, their interpretation of Islam was right, and everything else was wrong and an expression of human weakness and a lack of piety," he notes with sarcasm. He has produced a compelling portrait of modern evil. --John Miller
Book Description
Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghanistan with an inflexible, crushing fundamentalism. The most extreme and radical of all Islamic organizations, the Taliban inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West. Correspondent Ahmed Rashid brings the shadowy world of the Taliban into sharp focus in this enormously interesting and revealing book. It is the only authoritative account of the Taliban and modern day Afghanistan available to English language readers.
Based on his experiences as a journalist covering the civil war in Afghanistan for twenty years, traveling and living with the Taliban, and interviewing most of the Taliban leaders since their emergence to power in 1994, Rashid offers unparalleled firsthand information. He explains how the growth of Taliban power has already created severe instability in Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and five Central Asian republics. He describes the Taliban’s role as a major player in a new “Great Game”—a competition among Western countries and companies to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets. The author also discusses the controversial changes in American attitudes toward the Taliban—from early support to recent bombings of Osama Bin Laden’s hideaway and other Taliban-protected terrorist bases—and how they have influenced the stability of the region.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent analysis on the talibans before the USA intervention.......2007-09-12
A very well written book detailing the rise of the taliban movement and the immediate political crisis that followed. These ignorant warriors were thought to be liberators of the afghan people but demonstrated to be highly inadequate to pacify the country and govern it. Also astonishing the complete lack of central asian policy from the USA government after the cold war ended. This was seminal for the growth of extremist movements and was a major cause in the strenghtening of Al-Qaida. Clinton government has a major responsability for tide of the modern day terrorism. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the best funders of terrorism and extremism but still they are the best allies of USA in the region...Highly recommended.
excellent book on the taliban .......2007-08-25
This is book brings in a clear picture of who the taliban is where it came from and how they came to give shelter to Bin Laden. There is a lot of names dates and places, making this book read a lot like a long journal article. This does not take a way from the work because it is a report of the facts that led the taliban to come to power. This book only gives the story pre 9/11 but it is needed for a complete understanding of how central asia has played such a pivotal role in islamic extremism and its ability to export terrorism on a world wide scale.
Good outlook but lacking ultimate judgement that they must be dealt with.......2007-07-22
yes a good book but it left out some of the most recent horrible actions by the taliban like the b-heading of teachers in the country. Of course the good thing is that this research is well founded and the documentation of the rise of the Taliban and their scope not just in Afghanistan, but the entire world is very good. So far I would have to say this is one of the better books on these ding bat goof ball chickens who hide behind babies and still think it is all in the name of Ah La. Barbaric ruling is brought to a whole new light and it makes me feel great I live where I do, can you imagine having your eyes gouged out because you pick what shows you watch for television?
Exhaustive, Invaluable, but could have used an editor.......2007-07-14
Read this book if you're_really_interested in the Taliban. You will be dizzied by the sheer amount of names and facts. Mr. Rashid covers it all and more. Since I am no diplomat or anti-terrorism official, I really wasn't in need of so much detail, so I found myself skimming large parts of it though. I also found myself frustrated by more than a few problems that a good editor should have caught. For instance, the map of Afghanistan in the front of the book does not show many of the towns, rivers and geographical features that the author references throughout the book. So, when the author was- for instance- explaining the geographical boundaries of the Pashtuns, I was completely lost since the map contained hardly any of the place names he was talking about. The author also seemed to be writing at such a hurried pace that he omitted seemingly important things or neglected some necessary facts about the subjects he was talking about. For instance, I wondered why he never mentioned the First Anglo-Afghan war, when a British Army was completely destroyed, but he mentioned the Second Anglo-Afghan War. We were also never told why the name of the Abdali tribe was changed to Durrani. He mentions several major events, like the overthrow of Zakir Shah without telling us when they happened. Still, this seems to be a definitive work and I certainly learned a lot from it, such as why the Taliban enjoyed such support among the Pashtuns and internationally; they were a vast improvement over their barbaric rivals in that Darwinian hellhole of Afghanistan. The American invasion was certainly a positive thing for our national interest and at least in theory for the Afghan people, but it remains to be seen whether the democratic government has the ability and ruthlessness to prevent the country from slipping back into a pre-Taliban anarchy.
Lord of the Flies on Steroids.......2007-05-03
I originally bought this book right after 911, but our early success in Afghanistan made it look as if the Taliban were toast and their history irrelevant. But, now that the Taliban are resurgent, this book proves itself essential to understand not only what happened in Afghanistan prior to 2001, but what will happen in Iraq once the U.S. withdraws, be it one, two, or ten years from now.
This book helped me understand that the U.S. invasion of Iraq will probably have the same consequences as the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. The Russians stayed almost ten years, before finally giving up on the idea of creating a friendly, viable nation state. Instead, as the author points out, Russian intervention created a "Lumpen Proletariat" of young, orphaned, ignorant, rootless, traditionless bandits, thugs, and drug smugglers who call themselves the "Taliban." The Taliban are boys without normal interaction with fathers, mothers, sisters, or extended family. Even Mullah Omar is a sad, lonely little wild boy in an adult body.
Try to imagine an entire nation governed by the type of boys described by William Golding in his novel, "Lord of the Flies." That is what decades of war have produced in Afghanistan. We are in the process of producing the same conditions in Iraq today. Based on the results of the "laboratory experiment" in Afghanistan, we can expect the same results from a similar volatile mix of ingredients in Iraq. After one, five, or ten more years of occupation, we will have Talibanized the entire middle east.
Rashid often refers to Roy Olivier's excellent study entitled "The Failure of Political Islam." I would highly recommend reading the Olivier study first, then the Rashid study. For those who do, it may seem as obvious as it does to me that the Western strategy of killing off charismatic Islamic leaders has the result of creating a vacuum that can only be filled by Golding's wild boys as best they can.
Militant Islam will not accept a national organization with a professional bureaucracy and constitutional government. It depends instead upon iron fisted dictatorships by charismatic leaders who appear to wear the mantle of Mohammed, as Mullah Omar pretends to do.
Rashid's evidence indicates to the discerning reader that Iran also passed through the "Lord of the Flies" stage after the long war with Iraq, in which over 1.5 million died. Iran today is a much more mature and consistent entity as a result of all that misery. Most of the Iranian wild boys grew up. In fact, one can hardly help concluding that a partnership with Iran would be far more productive than a partnership with Wahabbi exporting Saudi Arabia, which Rashid holds responsible for creating a Sunni extremism worse than any caused by Iran's Shia Moslems.
The most fascinating idea presented by Rashid was his proposed solution to the Afghan problem. Essentially, he proposed that each of the neighboring states each take responsibility for a slice of Afghanistan, with due consideration of the strategic interests of the other neighbors. He seemed to be suggesting some sort of partition composed of "trust territories" or "protectorates", in which each partition would be managed by a more or less benevolent neighbor state having a compatible ethnic identity. This parallels the solution proposed for Iraq by Senator Biden 17 years later. But Rashid takes the idea beyond the mere sound bite, providing real analysis to justify the proposal.
When one considers the application of the protectorate partition idea to the problem in Iraq, one immediately realizes one big advantage Iraq has over Afghanistan. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq's neighbors are relatively sophisticated nation states. Iran has matured. Turkey is a member of NATO. Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia are strategic partners of the U.S. Syria is a bit of a wild card, but not nearly as dangerous as a nuclear armed "failed state" like Pakistan.
The other significant contribution of Rashid's study is an understanding of the tremendously fragile condition of Pakistan. His musings on whether the whole of Pakistan is simply being manipulated by the Pashtun tribes is fascinating. He thinks that rather than Afghanistan providing strategic depth for a potential conflict between Pakistan and India, the situation is actually the opposite. Pakistan is providing strategic depth for the Taliban. So long as the Pashtun can hide the Taliban in their sections of Pakistan, the Taliban will never be rooted out of Afghanistan. Heavily infiltrated by the Taliban, Pakistan seems balanced on the knife edge of anarchy, with its nuclear arsenal up for grabs. One shudders to think what might happen there. Pakistan seems far more worthy of the sacrifice of lives and treasure than Iraq.
We have another 19 months before we are rid of our failed Presidency under our own wild boy, George Bush. Surely, the next President of the United States will want a foreign policy in the Middle East that is based on fact instead of fantasy. I would hope that anyone who plans to participate in the next administration will read Rashid and Olivier.
We don't have to speculate about what will happen in Iraq. It has already happened in Afghanistan. Let's plan accordingly.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Middle East Policy, published by Middle East Policy Council on December 1, 2001. The length of the article is 2046 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil & Fundamentalism in Central Asia. (Book Reviews). (book review)
Author: Christopher Boucek
Publication:
Middle East Policy (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2001
Publisher: Middle East Policy Council
Volume: 8
Issue: 4
Page: 144(4)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Birds of British Columbia: Passerines : Flycatchers Through Vireos (Birds of British Columbia)
R. Wayne Campbell ,
Neil K. Dawe ,
Ian McTaggart-Cowan ,
John M. Cooper ,
Gary W. Kaiser ,
Michael C. E. McNall , and
G. E. John Smith
Manufacturer: University of British Columbia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0774805722 |
Book Description
This much-awaited final volume of The Birds of British Columbia completes what some have called one of the most important regional ornithological works in North America. It is the culmination of more than 25 years of effort by the authors who, with the assistance of thousands of dedicated volunteers throughout the province, have created the basic reference work on the avifauna of British Columbia.
Volume 4 covers the last half of the passerines and describes 102 species, including the warblers, sparrows, grosbeaks, blackbirds, and finches. The text builds upon the authoritative format of the previous volumes and is supported by hundreds of full-colour illustrations, including detailed distribution maps, unique habitat shots, and beautiful photographs of the birds, their nests, eggs, and young. In addition, a species update lists and describes 27 species of birds new to the province since the first three volumes were published. The book concludes with Synopsis: The Birds of British Columbia into the 21st Century, which synthesizes data and information from all four volumes and looks at the conservation challenges facing birds in the new millennium.
The four volumes in The Birds of British Columbia provide unprecedented coverage of the region's birds, presenting a wealth of information on the ornithological history, regional environment, habitat, breeding habits, migratory movements, seasonality and distribution patterns of 472 species of birds. It is the complete reference work for birdwatchers, ornithologists and naturalists.
Customer Reviews:
TOO MUCH.......2005-10-22
This is actually a review of the entire four volume set that is The Birds of British Columbia. Clearly not restrained by limitations on space, the authors drone on endlessly. Finding useful information is like sifting river sand for gold flakes. It's there but requires a lot of work to accumulate. There are innumerable graphs, but these are just information blotted onto the pages without interpretation. One could easily get the idea that Mountain Bluebirds, for instance, are nearly as common on the south coast (where rare) as the interior (where common). Why? Because the graphs show total number of sightings, not adjusted for the overall effort (which is much higher in the populous areas around Vancouver and Victoria. The noteworthy sighting section often contains many sightings that leave me scratching my head as to why they are noteworthy. Pictures often seem included just because an author happened to have them on hand. There are lots of photos of bluebirds or phoebes nesting in manmade sites yet precious few photos of the birds themselves.
Rather than presenting every bit of data obtained, relatively unedited and undeciphered, the authors should have condensed the information into compact statements that focus on important points of status and distribution in British Columbia. The reader is left to do so on his/her own, which is at times is frankly impossible. Making all of this more onerous is the enormous size of the 4 volumes and the concurrent enormous expense.
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