Modern Perspectives in Western Art History: An Anthology of 20th-century Writings on the Visual Arts (MART: The Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching)

Book Description

Originally published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1971.

Modern Perspectives in Western Art History: an Anthology of 20th Century Writings on the Visual Arts

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Modern Perspectives in Western Art History: an Anthology of 20th Century Writings on the Visual Arts
W. Eugene Kleinbaurer
Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H0K0JE

Book Description

Polyester's popularity in the 1960s and 1970s ushered in distinctive new styles in colorful print designs. Enthusiastic descriptions are given for hundreds of cheerful dresses, jumpsuits, bellbottoms, hotpants, and disco clothes. The social issues of the times are described to help interpret the moods that helped to popularize these new styles. You will delight in the variety displayed, from the pretty and conservative designs of the early 1960s to the granny dresses, patchwork designs, paisley patterns, and flag fashions of the 1970s. "Vintage" clothing is differentiated from "retro," and original designs by Emilio Pucci, Oscar de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lilly Pulitzer, and others are showcased. A foreword by Richard Martin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gives a nostalgic first-hand summary of this colorful era.

Customer Reviews:

Groovy Threads!.......2002-12-10

I can tell you from an I-Was-There perspective, that these were the street clothes girls and women were really wearing in those years. Or burned to own. (I only wish I'd had them all myself, with the exception of the paper dress). Sears catalog be damned, this is what the girls really looked like!
I also worked on a glossy influential fashion magazine (MADEMOISELLE)in the 1970s and so can distinguish from the wishful thinking of those magazines (and their advertisers) and the actual look of the time.
The real grrl models, and San Francisco setting complete the time capsule.
Great book!

dazzling fashions!.......2001-07-24

What an eyeful! This is a great book for enjoying 60's and early 70's fashions and for training the eye to find scores in vintage clothing shops and maybe even thrift stores.

The main problem with this book is that it is incorrectly billed as a collector's book "with values," but the values are only half a page of general ranges for various items. Though that part is misleading, the book overall is flashy and fun and definitely worthwhile.

It is also a good basic introduction to fashion terms and the histories of various styles. The San Francisco photography puts you right in the middle of the 60s, and though some of the styles are ... well ... atrocious, there are many styles that can be modified for today's wearing without having to go for the all-out retro look. Check out this book and prepare to drool.

Boiler-plate collector publishing at its worst.......2000-03-07

A great topic, ruined by horrendous art direction, amateurish writing & editing. Schiffer seems to grind out books in any and all topics as fast as they can, instead of putting out titles that are well-researched and designed. What a shame.

Words cannot express my dissapointment........1998-12-15

BE WARNED: Unlike other books in the Schiffer series (Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalog etc.), this one lacks the original ads, layouts and groovy models that made those books so fascinating. This has a few, granted, but unfortunately the majority of the book is filled with what looks like female residents of San Fransisco. And it's painfully obvious they're not models. Most look like rejects from a Gloria Steinhem convention.

I wish I had known before buying it. A sprinkling of original ads make it somewhat interesting, but these women do absoloutely nothing to enhance the clothes. And are in no way a suitable substitute for the real thing.

Maybe collectors will find this worth while, but fans of pop-kulture/60's & 70's fashions will lose their lunch.

Book Description

Russeau offers a beginner's guide to the ins and outs of cautiously investinghard earned dollars in real estate.

Book Description

The classic piece of cinematic blasphemy from 1979.

Customer Reviews:

WELEASE BWIAN !!!.......2003-08-25

Here it is MP fans, the screenplay from The Life Of Brian. Being out of print since 1979, I'm glad that Methuen Publishing has stepped up to get this screenplay back in circulation by putting it out in 2001. Illustrated with 19 b&w photos from the film, all your favorite lines from the movie are here to enjoy all over again. A solid effort by Methuen that they followed up a year later with the screenplay to Monty Python And The Holy Grail. And there was much rejoicing. Yea!!!

If you've seen the movie...........2002-12-19

The format is a mass-market paperback, but this isn't a novelization but rather the screenplay as the movie was made. You'll notice that last has a subtle distinction. Oftentimes screenplays differ notably from the movies as you see them--scenes are cut because they didn't work, cost too much to do, or just because of the limits of time. The screenplays of Brazil and Monty Python and the Holy Grail are full of wonderful little tidbits that didn't make it to the screen. Unfortunately, for Life of Brian, there's only the parts that did get made, which are funny indeed, but you've already seen them.

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Stanley Newman's Cranium Crackers (Vacation)

Stanley Newman's Cranium Crackers (Vacation)
Stanley Newman
Manufacturer: Random House Puzzles & Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crosswords | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid

ASIN: 0812934806
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Book Description

Crossword aficionados will truly revel in this next volume of 100 crosswords. Stan Newman continues to delight fans with puzzles that are sure to be welcome cold-weather companions. These compact crosswords can also fit right into a coat pocket!

Customer Reviews:

Stanley Newman's Cranium Crackers (Vacation).......2005-10-02

Good collection of challenging puzzles. I'm not an expert, but it's good to not have to wade through the super easy, word finds, etc. to get to the more interesting puzzles as would be the case in the supermarket mags. I'll be watching for more of the same.

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A book to read when you are stuck in a life jam

Thinking in the Future Tense

e-review

COM 660 Book Review- Thinking In the Future Tense

Can you recognize changing trends?

Thinking in the Future Tense
Jennifer James
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0684832690

Amazon.com

Much is said these days about building bridges to the 21st century, and savvy businesspeople are constantly on the lookout for ways to make this colorful metaphor into reality. Thinking in the Future Tense: Leadership Skills for a New Age, by author and business lecturer Jennifer James, clearly establishes the framework for a real-world transition. James suggests what conduct might be necessary for long-term success and explains how it should be implemented.

Customer Reviews:

A book to read when you are stuck in a life jam.......2006-02-24

Reading this book a decade later since it was first published in 1996, I did wonder whether the title still holds, however, I have to concede that Dr. James, an urban cultural anthropologist as well as a widely traveled business lecturer has had a keen vision that would challenge the modern minds of 2006. Good thing is that if we follow her practical advices she spells out across pages, we can not only open up our mind to accept and adapt to the change made in the past, and the changes taking place today, we can also prepare ourselves to become visionaries who could lead the next decade, especially in the world of business.

Author offers "know-how" and "know-what" to understand how the technological change leading to economical change which in turn affects our business and its position in the global world, as well as to adapt to a new society brought by demographic and cultural changes. There are many tips and advices and mind stretching exercises in the book but the author keeps emphasizing the key point is to keep our mind and eyes open. It is easier said than done actually and many of us may believe our mind and eyes are indeed open until we confront with her many thought provoking questions such as whether we feel nostalgia about earlier times. If we say yes to it that is not a good sign as she argues that nostalgia will trap and lock us in, and we become less adaptable in a rapidly changing time.

Author points out that while culture changes slowly unlike technology, economy, and demography due to its deep rooting in the past, it does change and she warns those who fail to accept the cultural change would run the risk of future embarrassment. Women attaining the equal status and gays gaining political power in our society are such examples she cites. For those who are engaged in the global economy, she advises to become aware of the myths and beliefs of each country and culture to which their goods are delivered. Today, a lack of cultural awareness is one of the big issues that managers of US global companies face while having their employees spread over multiple time zones. To stay ahead of the rest, she suggests that we relax our barriers towards new notions by shedding inhibitions created by age, gender, experience, and training.

Myths can interfere with our understanding of the world around us, she says. We assume others think like us when indeed they do not. Myths change as cultures change while myth awareness will increase our ability to look into the future along with the recognition of social trends and patterns that flow beneath the rapid current of change. To gain the power of myth and symbols (which is a summary of myths as she defined) she says to watch for new symbols and notice the shifts in advertising, children's books, new magazines, and best-sellers, and catch trends in sitcoms and know what's hot in other countries.

Corporate manager's ability to understand what's coming or what's in the pipe determines their success. The author provides a simple scenario making exercise for them in which she suggests getting experts' input, talking to a person who is part of the trend they are analyzing, and narrowing down the scenarios to one forecast. She says to learn form the customers and clients. Know answers to the questions such as how the trend affects the business and customers, how it creates new customers or who the potential customers are. The list goes on and the striking thing about her list is that today, many firms are looking to answer just that. To understand their customers and clients and to provide more customer centric services, firms have started implementing sophisticated analytic software such as customer relationship management and business intelligence.

Quite recently a local newspaper reported the result of a longitudinal study following up 698 children on the Island of Kauai for over 40 years. It says "resilience" is the key protective factor for at-risk children to make it into the future successfully. Those resilient people when faced with adverse life events would be able to look forward instead of looking back. I found she too is discussing the importance of being resilient; being able to bounce back and being able to accept mistakes and learn from them, which she says is an important skill to have to become a successful visionary.

One of the practical advices given is so applicable to my present life that I would like to share. It says, "when you're stuck, get out of your office, home, or wherever you are. You can do it through your mind by taking a nap, reading something, or watching a movie, but it helps to move your body as well. Sterile offices without windows shut down the imagination. You can improve your perspective by just standing up (P. 49)." The author indeed offers timeless tips and advices but she mostly wakes up our sleeping mind residing in our perceived norm of life. The book is an easy read and each of its 8 chapters focuses on one area of 8 thinking skill sets she claims must have to become visionaries, and thus chapters can be read in any order. "Seeing with New Eyes", "Harnessing the Power of Myths and Symbols" and "Mastering New Forms of Intelligence" are the 3 such skill sets I briefly touched upon in my review. I recommend this book to anyone who lives in this fast pacing world. It's a very inspiring and rewarding read.

Thinking in the Future Tense.......2005-09-02

James' book was required reading for my doctoral program. I found it enlightening and thought provoking. So much history and perspective packed into one little book. Makes the reader think about how and why events happen. The future is upon us and FAST. Those who fail to realize this will be left behind.

e-review.......2005-02-14

Thinking in the Future Tense is more like a psychological book rather than a future studies one. Just as the author said, this is a book about thinking skills. It does not talk a lot about the specific methods for future studies, but tells us how to adjust our minds, our ways of thinking, and our perspectives to the coming changes. It is a very good book for the managers in the business to improve their leadership skills and to improve the performance of the organization, as well as for other people to handle the problems in their daily life. Actually, throughout the whole book, the author only talks about one thing: how to handle changes in our life and furthermore how to foresee changes in order to make us well prepared for them.

In the book, the author emphasizes that the key to adapting to change is the "ability to think in the future tense". In another word, we need to understand how technological, economical, demographic, and cultural changes will affect our life and work and alter our perceptions. She offers us eight skills to improve this ability: (1) to have an open mind to change; (2) to recognize the patterns and trends; (3) to harness the power of culture; (4) to be flexible; (5) to look ahead; (6) to recreate security; (7) to master new forms of intelligence (8) to accept and profit from diversity.

In addition, the book also impressed me by: (1) the author is the first one I know who pointed out in the book that our society is moving too fast; (2) the most popular jobs of today has been accurately forecasted as early as in 1996 by some forecasters.

In one word, this book is worth being recommended to others to help them overcome the difficulties due to changes in their life, especially in terms of psychology, and help them get prepared to embrace changes.

COM 660 Book Review- Thinking In the Future Tense.......2004-02-20

Jennifer James, an urban cultural anthropologist, writes the book "Thinking in the Future Tense" with the goal of helping us break down mental barriers and helping us think about the future. The book has many examples of failed and successful strategies, along with explanations on why they failed or succeeded.

The author outlines several skills / strategies for dealing with change and preparing for the future. They include:

- Seeing with new eyes: The ability to see new things from a different perspective

- Recognizing the future: The ability to recognize trends and driving forces for change, and to predict what the future holds based on those trends

- Harnessing the power of myths and symbols: The ability to see man's symbols and stories as powerful contributions to one's culture, and the power to switch / change those myths

- Speeding up your response time: The ability to recognize change and react quickly, rather than being hesitant due to a lack of flexibility or under-informed preconceptions

- Understanding the past to know the future: The skill of seeing organizational histories and cultures, and having positive management / leadership skills for the future

- Doing more with more or less: Keeping a balanced lifestyle and maintaining positive energy in your life and workplace

- Mastering new forms of intelligence: Realizing that there is more to intelligence than standardized testing, and unlocking the power of one's thinking to allow for present / future (new) tasks

- Profiting from diversity: The skill and attitude of not discriminating against any minorities, and the realization that a diverse workforce will bring a broader perspective to a problem- thus allowing for better and more creative solutions

Each of the above skills is illustrated through the book with many examples of how one can succeed or fail by either following or not following the described strategy. I learned many good skills that will help me adapt to the future and become a better fit to a changing organization. Often one's reaction is to fear the future and the unknown, and to cling to the past since it is more comfortable. However, the reality is that the past is behind us, and clinging to it will make us mentally stagnant and unprepared to deal with the present and future.

I enjoyed reading the book and gained many new insights. Looking back I'm having difficulty remembering all of the mentioned examples, since there is almost one example every other paragraph. Some of the companies illustrated, such as IBM's inability to recognize the future of software instead of just hardware, were great at illustrating the skills one should develop for their futures.

This book didn't touch very much on scenario building or other future planning methods, but more on the personal and organizational skills that one should incorporate into their lives to better deal with the future and change. I found the skills presented to be very useful and would recommend this book to those who want a competitive edge in dealing with the changes that will inevitably have an effect on all of us.

Can you recognize changing trends?.......2004-02-16

Jennifer James' "Thinking in the Future Tense: A Workout for the Mind" is easy to read and comprehend, yet delivers on providing challenging exercises to assess one's own mind. Our perceptions are clouded by our culture and our previous experiences, and James offers ways to clear our perception.

James asserts that all change is bordered by changes in four areas: technology; economy; demographic patterns; and cultural transformations. Too often business leaders, and all people in general, refuse to recognize these changes and continue on the path of "business as usual" which can often lead to a company's demise. To better envision the future and take advantage of its opportunities which are necessary for ensuring a healthy and prosperous organization, James describes eight skills necessary to understand and adapt to change: perspective; pattern recognition; cultural knowledge; flexibility; vision; energy; intelligence; and global values.

By noticing that the lines for women's public toilets continued to get longer and longer, one might have realized that many women no longer remained at home and entered the workforce and began attending sports events. It took too long for experts to realize the changing women's roles in society, which was evident in the trend of growing public bathroom lines. Everyone passed these lines, but who took notice? By reading this book, perhaps you can prevent missing the signs that portend future changes. Reading science fiction books and looking at recent paintings are ways of helping to visualize the future.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on diversity. I agree wholeheartedly that eating Mediterranean cuisine is not the same as having interactions with Egyptians or Turks and learning from them. You probably work with or live near a great diversity of people, but have you taken the time to get to know them? Tolerance is not the same as acceptance, and we can all profit from experience with diversity. As the marketplace becomes more global, cultural sensitivity is paramount. This book is a must-read for current managers as well as all those preparing for the workforce of the future.

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Thinking in the Future Tense
Edward B. Lindaman
Manufacturer: Baptist Sunday School Board
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0805455914

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Thinking In The Future Tense - Leadership Skills For A New Age
Jennifer James
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RIV0U4

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Thinking in the Future Tense

Manufacturer: Baptist Sunday School Board - Baptist Book Stores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0805425594

Average customer rating:

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

Funny in Farsi

A perfect read

FUNNY IN FARSI

Funny in any language!

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
Firoozeh Dumas
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran

ASIN: 0812968379
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Book Description

This new Readers Circle edition includes a reading group guide and a conversation between Firoozeh Dumas and Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner.”

In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years here. More family soon followed, and the clan has been here ever since.

Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas’s wonderfully engaging family: her engineer father, a sweetly quixotic dreamer who first sought riches on Bowling for Dollars and in Las Vegas, and later lost his job during the Iranian revolution; her elegant mother, who never fully mastered English (nor cared to); her uncle, who combated the effects of American fast food with an army of miraculous American weight-loss gadgets; and Firoozeh herself, who as a girl changed her name to Julie, and who encountered a second wave of culture shock when she met and married a Frenchman, becoming part of a one-couple melting pot.

In a series of deftly drawn scenes, we watch the family grapple with American English (hot dogs and hush puppies?—a complete mystery), American traditions (Thanksgiving turkey?—an even greater mystery, since it tastes like nothing), and American culture (Firoozeh’s parents laugh uproariously at Bob Hope on television, although they don’t get the jokes even when she translates them into Farsi).

Above all, this is an unforgettable story of identity, discovery, and the power of family love. It is a book that will leave us all laughing—without an accent.

Customer Reviews:

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!.......2007-09-15

I PICKED THIS BOOK UP AT THE LIBRARY, JUST RANDOMLY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND LET ME SAY, THIS WAS THE FIRST BOOK TO EVER MAKE ME LAUGH OUTLOUD! THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD WITH IT WAS IT WAS TOO SHORT!...IT TOOK ME 1 WEEK TO READ IT ONLY BECAUSE I TOOK MY TIME SAVORING IT..OTHER WISE I COULDHAVE FINISHED IT IN A COUPLE OF DAYS..I WAS SO ENDEARED WITH IT, I HAD TO PRCHASE MY OWN COPY..IM JUST WAITING FOR HER NEXT BOOK.

Funny in Farsi.......2007-08-24

It was a cute book, and I would rate it between 3 and 4. Some of it was cute and funny but overall, I was a little disappointed.

A perfect read.......2007-08-23

The book was great, I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. The book runs stacatto, so you don't have the time to get bored with long, drawn out chapters. I think anyone can relate to this book.
A must read.

FUNNY IN FARSI.......2007-08-01

Delightfully funny, FUNNY IN FARSI is an excellent journey into what it is like to assimilate into another culture. It is not often we get this type of story told with delicious humor, the range of experiences, or the perspective from having lived in each of her home countries twice. As an insight into what American culture is like to the foreigner, Firoozeh Dumas deserves much praise.

My recommendation is strong enough that I will be using this book as required reading for my eighth-grade International Baccalaureate students this year when we look at the subject of Cultural Influence. I expect that they, too, will find her story fresh, hilarious, and eye-opening. To walk in someone else's shoes is necessary for understanding; this book accomplishes a lot towards that goal. Also, the serious discussion of what it's like to be a Muslim in America should hopefully open a few minds.

That said, I do have a BIG problem with how this book is structured. More of a collection of essays than the story of her learning how to be an "American," the author (and editor) have given us a scattered approach to the story of assimilation that seems to pooh-pooh any dedication to chronology. In one chapter she is ten-years-old and in the next she discusses her French husband. Huh?! The erratic organization of this book is frustrating for the reader, because Dumas's editor could have solved this problem easily, but failed to do so.
If possible, I would have given this book four and a half stars instead of five.

Nevertheless, this book will make you laugh out loud...more than once! It's a delightful collection of essays (about the size you'd find in a magazine) about a family of Iranian immigrants who experience life in a new country told perceptively by a writer who really should become a regular magazine humorist/essayist. This is a book you can really enjoy one chapter at a time.

Funny in any language!.......2007-07-26

What a great read! This book was required reading for a Sociology course on Minorities in the United States. This book was a delightful surprise from the usually dull assigned books.

Ms. Dumas is cleaver and witty as she tells the tale of her family's immigration from Iran to the US in the early seventies. I definately recommend this book to all.

Book Description

This quarterly journal, since its launch in 1972, has been regarded as the world's leading ship modeling publication. The mixture of articles, reviews, news and comment from model makers worldwide provides the best and most detailed information available anywhere, and is enhanced with authentic plans, clear diagrams and many photographs. Although the miniature ships are the most important feature of the journal, with articles explaining how individual models were researched and constructed, the other aspects of model making have not been forgotten - dioramas, modeling techniques, tools, and recent events are all covered.

Each issue of the journal comes complete with a free large-scale modelers draught with accompanying modeling notes, illustrations and specifications for a featured vessel.

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The cause of death is birth. Meeting is the beginning of parting.

A Challenge to Puritan Work/Love Ethic

A fun and funny read

Against the flow

Blame 'Sex and the City'

Against Love: A Polemic
Laura Kipnis
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Marriage & Family | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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House House

ASIN: 0375719326
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

Less against love than against the cultural constraints that leads us to create wrong-headed ideas of love, this is book is the perfect antidote to any lingering social guilt about being happily single. Against Love: A Polemic will both shock and irritate, especially when you find yourself nodding your head in agreement while laughing at another broken taboo. Laura Kipnis (author of Bound and Gagged, Ecstasy Unlimited) clearly enjoyed writing this; she lets her wit run rampage over classic married situations and human emotions with results that include comparing adulterers to freedom fighters (using sharpened spoons to tunnel out from under love's barbed wire fences) and referring to tearful confessions of cheating as "funny little couple rituals." These make it fun, but the iconoclastic beauty is in her questions. How did good relationships come to be considered work instead of play? Why, unlike most of history and many other modern cultures, do Americans assume love and marriage go hand-in-hand? What lead to infidelity committed by public figures becoming a source of outrage? Kipnis doesn't have answers. Although urging us to have more compassion for our own desires, she expects her readers are smart enough to supply their own in response to her ideas. That attitude itself is a treat--if you're prepared to keep up through a complex whirlwind of Freud, Marx, Gingrich, Wollstonecraft, and several generations of pop culture. Jill Lightner

Book Description

Who would dream of being against love? No one.

Love is, as everyone knows, a mysterious and all-controlling force, with vast power over our thoughts and life decisions.

But is there something a bit worrisome about all this uniformity of opinion? Is this the one subject about which no disagreement will be entertained, about which one truth alone is permissible? Consider that the most powerful organized religions produce the occasional heretic; every ideology has its apostates; even sacred cows find their butchers. Except for love.

Hence the necessity for a polemic against it. A polemic is designed to be the prose equivalent of a small explosive device placed under your E-Z-Boy lounger. It won’t injure you (well not severely); it’s just supposed to shake things up and rattle a few convictions.

Customer Reviews:

The cause of death is birth. Meeting is the beginning of parting. .......2007-10-02

Sometimes reading a great book of essays is like sitting down for a chat with a very witty and good friend.
A good friend sometimes tells you what you don't want to hear, but probably should. I was amused and bewildered by this little tome. To say "I love you" in the West sometimes seems to be shorthand for "I own you". This books does a good job of explaining why, and the fallacy in the belief that love and ownership are the same thing.
In my own idiotic way, I've come to think that really loving someone is when their happiness is tantamount to your own and sometimes more important than your own. Not the most original thought in the world, I will admit. But if you really love someone, I think their victories and successes and life bring you as much pleasure as your own.
She's quite right, love shouldn't be hard work, it should be a pleasure in itself. It's something you should enjoy on it's own merits and not expect to last forever. Well, until they package an effective dopamine surpressor , the best antidote we can have to falling crazy in love with someone is this book. It's a little subversive, too. I think I will keep in on a shelf with my own book, far away from my daughter, until she's about twenty...Everyone should have a chance to be blindly in love once in their lives.
The crazy and stupid love we are capable of in our youth is not such a bad thing. It's quite fun and always provides a good chance for spiritual growth, or at least learning to appreciate moody, depressing music.
The soundtrack for this book? Josh Rouse's "It's The Nighttime." Aimee Mann's "Deathly", Sting's "I burn for you" and of course, "Falling Out of Love" by Mary Guathier. Where is a dingy hotel room with hissing pipes when you really need one?

A Challenge to Puritan Work/Love Ethic.......2007-03-14

This is for people who skip the long-winded tantrums of opinion and want to know: what is this book about? Not everyone wants to read about reviewers indignantly gasping and spluttering that the book mentions adultery without condemning it and takes a dim view of "love". Duh. The author has an articulate, academic style, the kind of complex sentences one never gets speak out loud without being interrupted. This is a perfect foil for challenging our cultural assumptions, while suddenly slipping in humor here and there. The book starts out discussing adultery, and never stops - but that is not what the book is about. It is a challenge: maybe adultery and a 50 percent divorce rate are signs that something is wrong with our "love" relationships. (Hetero or homo, married or unmarried.) It's happening: spluttered protests to the contrary. It flows so well that it can be hard to pin down a summary of her polemic. The chapters - there are only four - also flow, and the title of them is not always a clear giveaway.

In Chapter 1, "Love's Labor's", Kipnis says that we tend to view the entire history of "love/coupledom/marriage" with all of our assumptions. A family used to be an economic deal to ally landholding families, and in "romantic" periods, usually the shining knight's romantic object of affections was not a spouse. Today, we think we are free because our marriages aren't arranged, or opposed to the death. We think we are individualistic, choosing freely. But are we? The best form of social control would not be a cop on every corner, but to condition people to want whatever was best for the economy and government structures. Valentine's Day displays, buying diamonds, then houses, then kiddie clothes, then school supplies... How convenient that we are "free" to marry the soul-mate we have "freely" desired. Then we work at our relationship, because, after all, "relationships are work". Love's labor has Only Just Begun. Kipnis ties the Puritan (American) work ethic to working at the relationship. Interesting stuff!

"Domestic Gulags" continues challenging domesticity: our enforcers of love's labor, our regulations - and that's all without a prenup ever mentioned. It's unwritten law, enforced by questioning and surveillance. We are so hidebound, that when we escape from unhappy love, the affair is an escape... TO... love. Is this: creative? individualistic? freedom? "The Art of Love" is not about anything resembling what you think it sounds like. It describes the structure of an affair, externally and internally (your emotions), as a way of showing that something is fundamentally wrong with the very structure of our coupledom. (To people who think you must have a solution before you're allowed to perceive that a problem exists: how often are you able to do that in your own life, let alone for a country of 300 million?) Since it ties them together, this book is as good for challenging Americans' notion of the work ethic as the only way to exist as it is for challenging our romantic structures - and strictures. "...And the Pursuit of Happiness" discusses exposed affairs of high-profile politicians - and of the hypocritical politicians who condemned them - and studies of marital dissatisfaction. It is not a solution book, although a one-sentence reference to a few alternatives reminds me of Robert Heinlein's novels, with marriage contracts lasting a specified number of years or until the youngest child is grown, with options to renew or terminate (the contract, not the spouse, and Kipnis discusses spousal murder). If we're so entrenched in couple-assumptions that it takes a strong person simply to challenge them, maybe we have to start with that in order to perceive solutions outside of the tiny, socially acceptable box. And of course it is not a book calling us back to the family values we have deserted - the point is that they've never worked yet!

A fun and funny read.......2007-03-10

I had to write a comment after reading some of the dreadfully earnest reviews above - I found Kipnis' book to be funny, clever and insightful. Its not a self-help book or a marriage counselling book. You should be able to enjoy the somewhat tongue-in-cheek diatribe against the absurdity of what relationships so often turn into, without becoming quite as defensive as some of the ealier comments.

Against the flow.......2006-12-25

Despite the negative reviews I've read on Amazon about this book, it is absolutely refreshing to read this argument against eternal love for another. I don't think Kipnis thinks it's impossible to attain, but she gives some real insight in to why it often is not successful. If you've ever been involved in an affair, you will recognize the description she gives as frighteningly familiar. It's fascinating to see the common thread that runs through infidelity. If monogamy, marriage and vows are so wonderful, why do SOOOO many people cheat on their partners? I think this is an amazing discussion of that question, and the book approaches the idea in an interesting and engaging way. There is something about many many human beings that doesn't want to be faithful to one person for the rest of one's life. This may not hold true for everyone, but it's unbelievably common. It's time some one stepped to the plate and investigated this honestly. I saw myself and my own relationships in this book, and I saw those of many friends. We share a commonality as humans. Don't believe the angry reviewers who hated this book because it threatened their moral values, and read it for yourself.

Blame 'Sex and the City'.......2006-10-16

Love is blind, and marriage is an institution....
Take this book for what it is: a witty summation of the 'supposed' state of relationships today. It's entertaining. But as was stated below by a much better reviewer than I, marriage and the 'stability' it can offer to people, and especially children, is indeed essential to a society that wants to function correctly. Take one look around and see that this is hardly the case anymore (if it ever was.) While fun to watch, 'Sex and the City' is symptomatic of the relationship world we live in today. I'm not hard hearted, and I won't totally blame people (ie: women) for the choices they make...it's the world we were born into, and grew-up in. (Albeit SATC is an extreme example.) In the end, for most, admit it, being forever single can be emotionally empty. I wish this weren't the case, but (sigh), it is.

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Against Love: A Polemic
Laura Kipnis
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXJIYC

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