Customer Reviews:
Conceptualizing the Discipline - Rethinking Art History.......2003-07-21
I was "anonymous" ... Robert Summers:
"In a word: Brilliant. In a sentence: This book has changed (and continues to change) the trajectory and velocity of "art history".
Without a doubt, the ideas that are explored, the questions that are raised, and the arguments that are made in this vastly important text MUST be reckoned with if art history is to mean and/or do anything in the present and the future -- as opposed to remaining on the track(s) it is currently on, which is like a Mobius strip in which "we" find ourselves in the same old places (indeed, "one place after another" that is in no way "new" or "other than"), and that are (repetitive) conservative ideas and ideologies.
In my professional opinion, anyone who works in and/or around "art history" and its corollaries (e.g., art criticism, museology, and "visual culture") will do well by engaging with this important work (of art [techne]-in its own right).
Now, whether you agree or disagree-or both, simultaneously-with "Preziosi," engaging, being-with, reckoning with what he brings up and which is contained-and not "contained" by-in this rich text will, I believe, bring a productive and fresh dialogue to this discipline we have been calling "art history" for over 200+ years (pace JJ Winckelmann).
I know this text has been published for over 10+ years, but I believe "we" must return to many of the ideas that are/were explored, the questions that are/were raised, and the arguments that are/were made in this timely/un-timely text, Rethinking Art History. It would also do the reader well to read "Preziosi's" recently published text The Brain of the Earth's Body, which were a series of papers, works-in-progress, notes, delivered as the 2001 Slade Lectures in Fine Arts at Oxford University.
As a brief comparison, just as the work of Judith Butler is to women's studies and queer studies and theory, and Peggy Pheland is to performance studies, the work of Donald Preziosi is to art history (and museology) and the radical (as to the "root") re-thinking of a discipline many of us have dedicated our (academic, personal/public, and political) lives to re-thinking and re-formatting."
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Perspective (Take-off!: How Artists Use...)
Paul Flux
Manufacturer: Heinemann Library
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Book Description
Everyone can use a daily wake-up call.
Now in bite-size mantras, the abridged empathetic wit and wisdom of the number one New York Times bestseller He's Just Not That Into You will recharge and inspire your dating outlook one wake-up call at a time.
For ages women have come together over coffee, cocktails, or late-night phone chats to analyze the puzzling behavior of men. Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo are here to say that -- despite good intentions -- you're wasting your time. Men are not complicated, although they'd like you to think they are. And there are no mixed messages.
The truth may be, He's just not that into you.
He's Just Not That Into You -- based on a popular episode of Sex and the City -- educates otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn't like them enough, so they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship. This book knows you're a beautiful, smart, funny woman who deserves better
Customer Reviews:
Productive Reminders.......2007-09-04
I loved this little book and I think it's very useful as a wake-up call on a daily basis. Intellectually the book's thesis that tryint to read between the lines is futile in a dating context is very simple - however since this acvtivity is emotionally fraught one is likely to selectively ignore such sensible advice. I think this rhyme heps as well!
A man who doesn't call
Or simply finds he can't
Is not a man at all
That I would ever want!
Greatest Book For All Women!! A Must Read!!.......2007-08-31
As a former private investigator, when I purchased this book, I was a bit curious as to what this book would say. When I read it, and saw just how brutally honest and straight forward Greg was in telling women the TRUTH about everything, I was plesantly surprised and appreciative that a MAN would dare to be that bold and that honest about things. I urge any teenager, woman or man to read this book for any pre-dating, divorce or widowed circumstance if they are thinking of entering the dating world. Greg said things that I myself have been telling clients in domestic cases for years!!
wake up girls.......2007-08-23
I think Greg offers very good advice in this book. Girls, ditch those losers! You deserve better and Greg will help you see the truth about those obnoxious, careless, what about me guys out there. Read this if you are having doubts about your man or always end up with guys that are losers. Greg sheds light on behavior and what it means.
your daily wake up call.......2007-07-06
This book was funny in some ways and serious in others. It certainly makes you think about stuff that is for sure. I bought it just to see what it was about and some of the sayings caught my attention. A great book if you have just broken up in a relationship or thinking of breaking up...it will make you think.
Great Book For Singles!!.......2007-06-02
I have really enjoyed reading this book. I read alittle each night especially if I am alittle down at the end of the day or a man has said something that has ticked me off, then I read a few pages and it all makes sense as to why he said what he said! LOL I would recommend this book to every woman that has been through a bad break up or divorce especially DIVORCE!! I love Greg for writing this I could hug him! It is a real pick me up or it is a real wake up call for a woman that could be in the dark as to why men are the way they are or as to why we act like we do with men, it's because He's Just Not That Into You! LOL
Book Description
Native Americans have thrown themselves into filmmaking since the mid-1970s, producing hundreds of films and videos, and their body of work has had great impact on Native cultures and filmmaking itself. With their cameras, they capture the lives of Native people, celebrating community, ancestral lifeways, and identity. Not only artistic statements, the films are archives that document rich and complex Native communities and counter mainstream media portrayals.
Wiping the War Paint off the Lens traces the history of Native experiences as subjects, actors, and creators, and develops a critical framework for approaching Native work. Singer positions Native media as part of a larger struggle for "cultural sovereignty"-the right to maintain and protect cultures and traditions. Taking it out of a European-American context, she reframes the discourse of filmmaking, exploring oral histories and ancient lifeways inform Native filmmaking and how it seeks to heal the devastation of the past. Singer's approach is both cultural and personal, provides both historical views and close textual readings, and may well set the terms of the critical debate on Native filmmaking.
Beverly R. Singer is a filmmaker and director of the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at the University of New Mexico.
Book Description
This in-depth look at the duo's career includes vintage record sleeves, a detailed discography, chart information and a complete annotated list of their songs.
Customer Reviews:
The One and Only - Bacharach in Print.......2003-04-15
Even though they were one of the greatest songwriting teams of the 1960's, there's never been a book written about Bacharach and David. "Burt Bacharach & Hal David: What the World Needs Now" is the first. It is full of strong archival material and includes Platts' interviews with Burt and Hal, plus many artists, including Dionne Warwick, Gene Pitney, and B.J. Thomas. The book is a detailed wealth of information of this songwriting team's body of work. A must read for Bacharach/David fans, musicians and music historians. The book tells the complete story of Bacharach and David's songwriting partnership, from the 1950s to their reunion in the 90s. The book includes color photos of record sleeves, a detailed discography, chart information and a comprehensive list of every song Bacharach and David wrote together. Robin Platts' style of writing is comfortable and concise. As a songwriter myself, I was inspired by this book.
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- Presented in the New York Times May 30, 1999.
|
What the world needs now is love: Poetic selections from the song of Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Burt Bacharach
Manufacturer: Blue Mountain Press
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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Customer Reviews:
Presented in the New York Times May 30, 1999........1999-06-24
What the World Needs Now is a Book ofbn.com Poems awakening us to the need for God's companionship through a heightened awareness of his divine reality.
Book Description
BradyGames' .hack Part 4: Quarantine Official Strategy Guide features comprehensive coverage of every sidequest and a detailed walkthrough. The Phantom event is also revealed, with tips to find the characters from the anime and get the rare items. Detailed maps point out every portal, treasure, and Gott Statue. Updated bestiary plus secret keyword dungeons are uncovered! Complete equipment, item, and skills lists. Root town maps, item trading list, books of Ryu and much more!
This product is available for sale in North America only.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome game!! ^_^.......2007-01-06
Another really awesome game!!! I love how the whole thing works and just everything about it. The guide has its idiosyncrasies. ^_^;;; However, its great to have around! I know I would be lost without it. ^_^
"Walkthrough" not "Strategy Guild".......2006-06-15
All the .hack games are short -- very short. So why get the strategy guide? Because "The World", where most of the plot in the game comes from, is vast. So vast that a strategy guide 4 time this size might be able to hold all the maps, items and everything. So why is it missing so much? Because it focuses on only the plot related zones and boasts that it has a "secret" zone. The fact is the combination of servers and keywords is unfathomable! And after the end of the game, every last one should be available. You might as the question, why would I want to go back to level 3 zones? Well, for completionists, that is very important because the Ryu Books of 1000 log so very much, and most importantly, how many zones you have completed (unlocked all the monster portals).
Perhaps I have just been spoiled by books like Star Ocean's strategy guide, but I find this guide to be a joke, because much more "complete" information about .hack is available online for FREE!
Never Mess With An A:rd*a Fe/th&r.......2004-02-21
This isn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last, where I point out that an excellent strategy guide is wasted on the game. In this case it depends on whether you entered the series at Part 4, or if you have been playing all along and started right out with a very high or maxxed out level. For high ranking characters, .hack//QUARANTINE is something of a cakewalk and play will be pretty linear. In that case, the guide will help you find some of the secrets, but there is nothing difficult enough to merit the guide's blow by blow support.
If you are new to the game the reverse is true. Each time you play the main story line you are going to find yourself facing some pretty fierce opposition. In this case, the guide is a game-saver. There arfe maps, combatant suggestions, and very detailed discussions of each of the bosses. And some other valuable tidbits as well. In this case the guide is well worth the price.
This guide is in exactly the same format as the previous guides in this series. Well made and illustrated, it will stand up to the frantic pawing which is the usual approach when you are in the middle of battle and out of your depth. It won't make the struggle any easier, but you will at least understand why you are getting pummeled. There are a couple of errors, but nothing that will interfere your progress.
Good, but a little incomplete........2004-01-22
Being a big fan of the .hack games, and wanting to make sure I got everything, I bought the guide. While the walkthrough is superb, and information pretty decent, there are a few flaws that bring down the book.
There are quite a few typos and misspellings throughout the guide, and I found a few pages were information wasn't all correct. Also, this guide only covers aspects from this game, so if you need detailed information for Grunty Races, Bestiary, etc for other games, you'll probably end up getting the other guide.
Probably the biggest flaw is the E-mail combos. They are correct, but Elk and Mia's combos are missing. In addition to the combos for all of the extra characters that you earn after beating the game. There is also errors with the new Grunties, as they misplaced information on one of them.
Despite the fact that you'll have to go online to look up some information, the guide is still worth the buy. It is still useful and informative. And it certainly helped me when I played through the game.
Amazon.com
Dave Eggers is a terrifically talented writer; don't hold his cleverness against him. What to make of a book called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Based on a True Story? For starters, there's a good bit of staggering genius before you even get to the true story, including a preface, a list of "Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of This Book," and a 20-page acknowledgements section complete with special mail-in offer, flow chart of the book's themes, and a lovely pen-and-ink drawing of a stapler (helpfully labeled "Here is a drawing of a stapler:").
But on to the true story. At the age of 22, Eggers became both an orphan and a "single mother" when his parents died within five months of one another of unrelated cancers. In the ensuing sibling division of labor, Dave is appointed unofficial guardian of his 8-year-old brother, Christopher. The two live together in semi-squalor, decaying food and sports equipment scattered about, while Eggers worries obsessively about child-welfare authorities, molesting babysitters, and his own health. His child-rearing strategy swings between making his brother's upbringing manically fun and performing bizarre developmental experiments on him. (Case in point: his idea of suitable bedtime reading is John Hersey's Hiroshima.)
The book is also, perhaps less successfully, about being young and hip and out to conquer the world (in an ironic, media-savvy, Gen-X way, naturally). In the early '90s, Eggers was one of the founders of the very funny Might Magazine, and he spends a fair amount of time here on Might, the hipster culture of San Francisco's South Park, and his own efforts to get on to MTV's Real World. This sort of thing doesn't age very well--but then, Eggers knows that. There's no criticism you can come up with that he hasn't put into A.H.W.O.S.G. already. "The book thereafter is kind of uneven," he tells us regarding the contents after page 109, and while that's true, it's still uneven in a way that is funny and heartfelt and interesting.
All this self-consciousness could have become unbearably arch. It's a testament to Eggers's skill as a writer--and to the heartbreaking particulars of his story--that it doesn't. Currently the editor of the footnote-and-marginalia-intensive journal McSweeney's (the last issue featured an entire story by David Foster Wallace printed tinily on its spine), Eggers comes from the most media-saturated generation in history--so much so that he can't feel an emotion without the sense that it's already been felt for him. What may seem like postmodern noodling is really just Eggers writing about pain in the only honest way available to him. Oddly enough, the effect is one of complete sincerity, and--especially in its concluding pages--this memoir as metafiction is affecting beyond all rational explanation. --Mary Park
Book Description
The literary sensation of the year, a book that redefines both family and narrative for the twenty-first century.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is the moving memoir of a college senior who, in the space of five weeks, loses both of his parents to cancer and inherits his eight-year-old brother. Here is an exhilarating debut that manages to be simultaneously hilarious and wildly inventive as well as a deeply heartfelt story of the love that holds a family together.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is an instant classic that will be read in paperback for decades to come. The Vintage edition includes a new appendix by the author.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing!.......2007-10-10
Dave Eggers has said he wouldn't recommend starting a writing career with a memoir as open and honest as this one but I beg to differ. His open honesty about his life is what made me an everlasting fan. To use your own life to show others they are not alone in this insane world is the greatest gift a writer can give.
If you haven't read this book yet, you are missing something great in your life.
a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.......2007-09-30
My high school book club wanted to read this book. It's a Catholic school and 2 students loved the book. I foraged through the whole thing looking for topics that would work with my students. Maybe I'm a prude but with so many expletives and other objectionable topics in this junker, I thought I could be hauled off to the "big house" if we read this book.
Yes, Dave Eggers has done a truthful account of his life and I did feel for him at times, but the ending really made me feel ripped off and used.
I tried to get my money back.......2007-09-18
I suggested this book to my book club without having read it first. Big mistake! All of us hated this book so much, that we wrote a letter to the publisher asking for our money back. Perhaps we don't understand Gen-Xers, but it seemed to all of us to be a book about NOTHING. At least Seinfeld made us laugh!
We now have a rule that no book is to be recommended to the club without having first read it yourself!
Wonderful, one of the best books I've read all year.......2007-08-24
Absolutely wonderful. This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read all year. Eggers' self-referential humor and heartbreaking asides weave a tapestry worthy of praise. I highly recommend this book to almost any audience. Audacious and thought provoking. An affirmation of living life and a meditation on mortality. It is probably the best example of what it is like to be a single twenty-something living in the U.S. in the modern era. Definitely worth the time.
Please read this book!.......2007-08-21
What an incredible account of the author's pain, hope, love, fears, hatred. It's the menoir of author, Dave Eggers, showing his life as guardian of his young brother after the death of their parents.
I don't think I have ever read anything so honest and stark in its emotional content. Particularily being a first-hand personal account of the events, the story shows the jumbles mess of emotions coming with such responsibility and stress.
Please do yourself a favor and read the book!
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on June 22, 2000. The length of the article is 338 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: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.(Review) (book review)
Author: Amy Havel
Publication:
The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2000
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: 20
Issue: 2
Page: 189
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Apache Nightmare: The Battle at Cibecue Creek (The Civilization of the American Indian Series)
Charles Collins
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
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Customer Reviews:
An inside account of the revolutions of '89.......2007-01-06
An often eye-witness account of the democratic revolutions of 1989 in Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia.
The writing is a little uneven but it provides an excellent inside account of exceptional historic events. Ash left me with a very strong sense of the contingent and uncertain nature of the revolutions. Miscommunications, errors, spur-of-the-moment statements, all combined to move events forward much, much more quickly than any of the participants expected.
Yet these succeeded in being peaceful revolutions, driven by a deliberate choice by their leaders to take and hold the moral high ground. There was a corresponding inner collapse by the existing authorities, who really had nothing to which they themselves were committed or could fight to defend.
I found this an inspiring tonic after reading Richard Evans' grim "The Third Reich in Power". Ash has left me feeling much more optimistic about human nature!
Solid read from an insider's perspective.......2006-08-01
A good snapshot of the mood during 1989 and how events in the four featured countries were connected. Also, thoughtful insights as to how to view this book, especially this edition, which is re-printed many years later. Ash's theory as to what, if any, learnings are to come out of how each government went about their transformation is especially relevant given the status of those same governments today. Not always the easiest read, nor the best on the subject, but a good companion for further investigations.
Very Informative.......2006-05-20
It was a very informative book, especially considering the author could write it from the point of view that he did. The only major downside, which I will point out is a downside on my part and not his, is that I sometimes would get a little confused when he mentioned too many foreign names.
Nonetheless, it was an excellently written book.
Before the Fall:.......2006-05-08
Eberhart - 1
Before the Fall:
A critical analysis of The Magic Lantern a book by Timothy Garton Ash
By: David C. Eberhart II
The Magic Lantern is a based on the events leading up to the fall of the soviet empire as
experienced from a first hand point of view. The title of the book is taken from a theater in Prague
called "the magic Lantern". This was where the reformers and revolutionaries came together to rid
themselves of the communist regime and to start anew. This is a common theme in this book. That
theme being one n which the reformers and the revolutionists work together with the communists of
old to recreate the old soviet satellite countries. According to Ash this "refolution" (p.14) worked
very well since the powers that be wanted to reform the system from above and the lay people wanted
to reform the system from below. As such changes of power were expected and reform was
implemented. However in each case; Hungary, Prague, Warsaw, and East Germany the unexpected
often cropped up. But the people and the communists worked together to over come these issues. In
effect this refolution and compromise brought about the end of the communist empire and ushered in
a new dawn of free market capitalism.
The book is divided into seven easily read chapters. But the meat and potatoes of the book is
written in the four chapters devoted to the Eastern European states held by the dominant soviet
oppressors. The language is often harsh but one must realize that this book was written shortly after
the communists were removed from power. The old hatreds are still fresh and this hatred is subtly
woven into the chapters. This is done by blaming the communists for most of the problems with the
economy, the stifling of innovation, and the backwardness of these areas. The most obvious of these
references is in the chapter on Berlin. Wall sickness (P. 65) was the name given to the general
malaise of the east Berliners. The fact that they were walled in depressed them and reduced the
Eberhart - 2
people to shadows. Once the wall is removed the people are instantly transformed into glorious
people.
The transformation of an oppressed and tired people into a glorious and productive people is
another common thread in the book. As if by magic the problems of the people disappear when the
communists are no longer in power. This is an odd facet of the book. Since the book also states that
the communists were always in power, even when they were not officially in power. The people may
have voted the communists out but the communists often controlled the military, the police, and the
economy. As such the reformers, the revolutionaries, and the communist party had to swallow their
pride, make compromises, and work together.
It was the right time to do this. Communist Russia was falling apart. Relations between Russia
and the U.S.A. had grown friendly and the Russians could not afford to toe the hard line between it's
satellite nations and mother Russia. So dialogue and compromise was often used to smooth the way
between the satellites and Russia. But this meant that Russia gave up it's last ace in the whole. That
being the truth. Instead of covering up and hiding the truth, the communists came clean. This mean
that when the communists lost the first free election in Warsaw they did not try and cover it up.
Instead they admitted defeat, validated the new government, and tried to work things out to the best
of everyone's ability. This might not seam so shocking today but in the later part of the 1980's any
compromise with the Communists was unthinkable. Especially when it was the Communists who
helped make the first moves towards openness.
To complicate matters as Russia and the Soviet Empire was evolving China was on the offensive.
When student demonstrators protested the Communists in Tiananmen Square the Chinese
Communist Party reacted with violence. Tanks, tear gas, bullets, and the combined might of the
Chinese army ruthlessly crushed this act of defiance. This was terrifying. For the most part the
Eberhart - 3
Chinese were viewed as the lesser of the two communists evils. Between Russia and the Chinese the
Chinese were viewed as the nice guys. If China was this desperate and ruthless in keeping control of
her empire then the question remained. Would Russia react in the same manner? OR would it be
worse? No one thought that Russia and the Soviet Empire would use dialogue and peaceful means to
restore order among the Soviet Union.
Instead of controlled markets the people wanted free markets. The Soviet Union was fragmenting
and instead of giving up power completely the party decided to work with the leaders of the
revolution and the reformers to create a new era of "good will" between Russia and her former
Satellites. After all with the economies of Eastern Europe heavily recessed who else was going to
trade with them but the former Empire.
However Mr. Ash tends to view things from the reformers side and not the Communists. Instead
of seeing how the Communists opened up and worked with the revolutionaries Mr. Ash instead tells
us that it was the revolutionaries and reformers who forced the Communists open. Ash , our author
and self proclaimed hero, takes the moral high ground in his writings and admits that he is on the side
of the revolutionaries. He admits his bias to sway the reader into his form of objectivity. But he is
not objective. Indeed he states very early in his writings that, "I cannot emphasize too strongly that
this is not a comprehensive history of the events of 1989 in Eastern Europe" (P. 20). By stating that
he does not have the entire history written here in his book he tries to trick you into accepting his
form of reality. After all the history of this time period, and specifically the year 1989 had a lot going
on but by only presenting one side and a very small side of this temporal period we are flooded with
his bias. By omission he taints what he writes faster than if he was more vocal on the subject. By
remaining silent he subtly influences the reader to side with him.
The problems with Mr. Ash is his optimism. He tends to play down the violence, the pain, the
Eberhart - 4
tears, and the awful fear that the Eastern Europeans felt under the Communists. Instead of trying to
focus the reader on the dread of the time Mr Ash gets you to focus on the positive. Things might
have been very bad but the was under the Communists. The image of hope, unity, and brotherhood is
stated in bright optimism. Perhaps this is how the people actually felt. After decades under the
Communists perhaps this is the breath of fresh air everyone wanted. But Mr. Ash contradicts his own
optimism in the Chapter on the Warsaw election. "My own . . . suggested that the main reason was a
deep tiredness and disbelief in the capacity of any political force." (P.31) So the elation Mr. Ash tries
to convey may have been his own optimism or perhaps he was picking up on the promises the
reformers felt but this optimism was probably not felt by the majority of people. Change is difficult
for anyone and instead of wanting a complete revolution most people just wanted things to get better.
The people got more than they bargained for when Communist Russia decided to give in to the
people's demands.
Even with Mr. Ash's cheery optimism one has to wonder if this man is truly qualified to report on
the events that are conspiring. All to often the reader gets the impression that Mr. Ash is like Forest
Gump. That being a man who is always in the right place at the right time and looked at for advice.
If he was a mover and shaker in the politics that transpired than his reporting of events is tainted.
Since he states that he used television, personal observations, and even telephone conversations to
reconstruct the events leading up to the events in the book one has to ask if the author is just making
his observations up. The majority of notes, telephone conversations, and meetings have nothing
documented to check upon. So it is the word of the author against the rest of the historical
community.
Most people have gone into a bar or spent time with a survivor from a great event. Whether it be
a war or a natural disaster. The common line most people use is "No Shi@#$%T their I was . . . "
Eberhart - 5
These stories are often colourful but based only slightly in fact. The mind can play tricks on your
memories of the situation and in the immortal words of Patrick Warburton, "Stories are not made up.
Instead they are made "Good". The idea being that a boring story or one that is uninteresting is
embellished to make it more palatable to the reader. This is obviously what has happened here in the
magic lantern.
Although an amusing read the book is not a reliable work for historical research. To much of this
book is based on faith instead of hard historical evidence. It is almost as if the writing style of the
author mirrors the movement of Solidarity. After all these brave men and women placed much on
faith and ignored the brutal history of the Communists party. Whether this was done on purpose or
if it was a side effect of living with these refolutionaries does not matter. What matters to the
historian is the ability to track the primary documents that this author's work is based on. Since these
primary documents do not exist you can not prove one way or another that what Mr. Ash says is true
or not true.
You then have a wonderful story that frustrates the historical community. The fall of the Soviet
Empire and the liberation of the Satellite nations could have happened exactly like Mr. Ash says it
did or it might not have. There is no real way to find out since the majority of Mr. Ash's sources are
all his friends or have a stake in presenting the history of these events as Mr. Ash has presented them.
In the end you have to take this book with a grain of salt and realize that it is only one piece of the
puzzle of 1989. To understand the whole you must research the entire time period and come to your
own conclusion. Sadly since most of the books written about these events are from first hand
accounts the majority will be biased. It is then up to the historian to look at all the materials
objectively in order to reconstruct the events leading up to 1989 and this time specifically. Still it is a
start and when used as part of a larger source of research this book is able to shed light on some of the
Eberhart - 6
mysteries of the fall of the Soviet Empire. But as a stand alone book this book alone is not sufficient.
The Magic Lantern, like the reference to Aladdin's lamp we learn one thing. That being when
you let the genie out of the bottle you can never stuff him back inside. The same was true of the
book. For when Communism falls and freedom comes to Eastern European everything is changed
forever. For good and for ill, for better and for worse, for richer or poorer. So saying the
Refolutionaries were an odd marriage between the locals and the communists. It worked and in that
manner so does the book. One only has to realize that, like a marriage, this book is often frustrating
at times and leaves you asking for more. Which is probably what the refolutionists felt, so in the end
you are able to feel what they feel as they experienced it. An odd feeling when reading a historical
work but one that is surprisingly justified for this work.
NOTE: I got an A+ on this paper and yet no one thinks this review is helpful. Go figure . . .
I've got better things to do tonight than die.
--Springer
I know not whether laws are right,
or whether laws are wrong.
All that we know
is that we who live in Gaul,
is that the wall is strong.
And everyday is like a year.
A year that is oh so long.
-- Oscar Wilde
A wonderful book.......2006-01-30
I decided to read this after finishing Tina Rosenberg's THE HAUNTED LAND and Slavenka Drakulic's CAFE EUROPA. Both of these books cite THE MAGIC LANTERN, and I see why. Timothy Garton Ash's reportage is personal, immediate, and fascinating. As I write, these events took place more than sixteen years ago, yet the book puts you right there. It's a good, lively introduction to these largely bloodless revolutions and well worth reading. The chapters on Prague and Warsaw are highlights.
Average customer rating:
|
A Bird Finding Guide to Ontario
Clive E. Goodwin
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0802064949 |
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