Objects on a Table: Harmonious Disarray in Art and Literature

Book Description

In a series of four meditations on the still life, Guy Davenport blends art history with literary criticism, taking a close look at the iconic and symbolic functions of objects in the multiple ways they are represented in culture. As always in Davenport's eclectic and provocative work, specific themes or images that appear simple on the surface-apple and pear, a bust of Sherlock Holmes-resonate across human history to yield a rich interplay of meaning and story.

Whether ancient or modern-an image found within an Egyptian tomb or a painting by van Gogh, a verse from the Book of Amos or a passage from Joyce-the works that Davenport discusses are parsed and analyzed for the clues within silent objects (the fruit basket, the postage stamp, the clock) with brilliant erudition. Feats of maverick detective work, Davenport's readings of art never fail to surprise and inform.

Focusing on a genre that is ostensibly "static," these meditations reveal the dynamic forces that motivate and shape the use of still life, explaining why and how painters have employed this form to such vital effect. As Davenport says here, "Culture is like a magnetic field, a patterned energy shaping history. It is invisible, even unsuspected, until a receiver sensitive enough to pick up its messages can give it a voice. When Ezra Pound said that poets are the antennae of the race, he meant radio antennae, not insects' only." Readers, whether they are newcomers or devoted fans of Davenport's extraordinary work will discover that Objects on a Table broadcasts the energy of cultural patterns in a way that will awaken them to the music within.

Customer Reviews:

Found Treasure.......2002-08-03

Whatever reason guides our quest for information to discover small treasures, the rewards of finding writing as quiet and yet celebratory as Guy Davenport's OBJECTS ON A TABLE are immeasurable. This small volume of four essays on the intransigence of Still Life paintings and their concommitant relationship to music, philosophy, literature, history, poetry, and simply Life is satisfying on every level. While the art world strains to design the NEW trends/schools/movements that will incite or induce controversy and a step toward the now ubiquitous Warhol 15 minutes of fame, writers and lecturers such as Davenport (and Mark Doty, Norbert Schneider, et al) offer solace in the simplicity of beckoning quietly toward the centuries old yet very much extant art of the painted Still Life. Meditations on the significance of baskets of fruit, on 'memento mori', on non-visual artists who attempt to capture the simplicity inherent in the Still Life spill over the pages of this beautiful little book, and in doing so enhance our vision of the world about us. The writing here is superb, the pleasures of pausing to read solitarily the thoughts of a writer so well informed about so many issues makes this small volume a fine addition to the thinkers' librairies. Beautiful!

This is a book which draws lines in history & art........1998-11-26

This author is extremely atuned to the historical and literary 'trade routes' by which ideas and techniques are conveyed to our time. If you haven't read his "Geography of the Imagination", you have a treat in store. There are at least two sides to Guy Davenport: one is his 'own work' which consists of stories in a completely unique genre, and the other is his 'detective work' or book worm mode which yield astounding ties from one writer to another, or from painter to writer, or culture to culture. This is a work to treasure.

Book Description

Illustrates the religious and erotic significance of feet and footwear signifying the richness and diversity of ancient footwear.

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Real Estate and Financial Applications Using 1-2-3: IBM PC (Book and 192K Disk)
Frank Gallinelli
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Investments | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810477750

Book Description

Hollywood has exerted a profound influence on British style and design. From its earliest days, Hollywood glamour in the form of make-up, hairstyles, and fashion was mimicked by women throughout Britain. But the influence of Hollywood was more than skin-deep. Nearly every form of British material culture in the twentieth century has been influenced to some extent by American style, disseminated through the medium of film to a broad and receptive market. With the erection of the Chrysler Building in New York in the late 20s, representing the city and modern American urban life, the Manhattan skyline became an enduring icon in popular culture on both sides of the Atlantic. Not only Hollywood film, but jazz and American companies all combined to bring the new Moderne style to bear on Britain. The architecture of shops, cinemas, and factories all reflect this influence, as did various forms of transportation and the interiors of homes. Even as late as the consumer boom in the 80s, revivals celebrating the Moderne style were popular in Britain as well as abroad. This influence was naturally not without its critics. The very popularity of American design challenged the aesthetics and elitism of British high arts and remains controversial. Anyone interested in design, material culture, film or architecture will find this book to be a lucid and absorbing exploration of a popular aesthetic.

Customer Reviews:

Avante garde..not for novice.......2001-05-24

This is for filmography/Cinematographers,writ by a Brit,who rode BSA with Hell's Angels,she's insightfull,in Postscript-on impact of "Easy Rider". Intro is treament on feminism..ancestoral back ground...too academic.

Hollywood Beyond the Screen - Design and Material Culture

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Hollywood Beyond the Screen - Design and Material Culture
Anne Massey
Manufacturer: Berg, Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VZPQHG

Book Description

20 great songs for tenor voice and piano from the best-selling album. Songs include: Ave Maria, Celeste Aida from Aida, Che gelida manina from La Bohème, Di quella pira from Il trovatore, Di gigori armato il seno from Der Rosenkavalier, Di'tu se fedele from Un ballo in maschera, and Domine Deus from Petite Messe solennelle.

Lo mejor del espíritu romántico. (tenor italiano Andrea Bocelli)(TT: The best of the romantic spirit) (TA: Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli): An article from: Semana

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Lo mejor del espíritu romántico. (tenor italiano Andrea Bocelli)(TT: The best of the romantic spirit) (TA: Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli): An article from: Semana
Olivia P. Tallet
Manufacturer: Spanish Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000988N7U
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on June 18, 1998. The length of the article is 1259 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: Lo mejor del espíritu romántico. (tenor italiano Andrea Bocelli)(TT: The best of the romantic spirit) (TA: Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli)
Author: Olivia P. Tallet
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 18, 1998
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: v5 Issue: n278 Page: p10(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Am I missing something here?

THE BLOOD WAR AWAITS!!!

short yet somehow epic

Good Story, Evil Ending

This is the best book of the trilogy.

Abyssal Warriors (Planescape: Blood Wars Trilogy #2) (Blood Wars)
J. Robert King
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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BLOOD HOSTAGES (Blood Wars Trilogy , No 1)

Planescape: Torment

Sacrifice of the Widow (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 1)

Planar Handbook (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

ASIN: 0786905018
Release Date: 1996-06-18

Customer Reviews:

Am I missing something here?.......2006-08-06

The reviews thus far gave this book uniformly outstanding reviews. Me, I just don't get it--I'm a fan of the Planescape setting, but maybe I just don't read enough fantasy novels and my standards haven't been lowered by a bookshelf of mediocre fiction. This book was an absolute LABOR to get through--much of it doesn't make sense, parts that do make sense are genuinely stupid, and precious little seems to have anything to do with the Blood War--and sometimes not even the Planescape setting itself.

The plot (and I'm not giving much away here) has to do with a demon army attacking Sigil--which, last I checked, doesn't have anything to do with the Blood War. In fact, for a trilogy that's supposed to be about the unending war between demons and devils (the Abyss and Hell), there isn't a single appearance by a single devil anywhere in the story. (The devils make a cameo appearance in the first book, in a contrived scene that reads like the book editor told the author he had to have a couple of demons fight a couple of devils for a page or two.)

I virtually smacked my head in disbelief when one of the characters shouts, "The Blood War has come to Sigil!" That's like Iraqis shouting at British soldiers, "The Falklands War has come to Baghdad!"

The characters themselves are painfully, excruciatingly undeveloped, the kind that could be described by a movie studio executive who only speaks in two-word adjective-noun combinations (Boffo--"curmudgeonly gnome"; Jandau--"untrustworthy tiefling"; and so on.)

Other plot points are so bad as to be very nearly laughable: at one point, the characters climb into giant flying seeds and then have an aerial battle like X-wing fighters over the surface of the Death Star (no, I'm not kidding here); at another point several dozen demons get burned to death by hitting them with lamppost lanterns (still not kidding); and at another point an army of crazed demons invade another plane by shriking down to the size of 72,000 ants (kidding! Ok, no, I'm not).

And then there's the part where the tide of a key battle is turned by a set of musical instruments that suddenly have special properties never mentioned before, like how a bucket of water can suddenly melt the wicked witch...

The writing...well, this is always a matter of taste, but I thought the author was just an acolyte of clumsy writing and overwrought metaphors; goofy plot points can often be excused (or at least overlooked) if they're told with strong writing, but here, it's as if the author had a tin ear that he had convinced himself was made of gold.

All in all, a catastrophe, and one utterly unbefitting the trilogy that was supposed to launch a setting as excellent as Planescape.

--KRad

THE BLOOD WAR AWAITS!!!.......2004-08-08

Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Blood Wars Trilogy-Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers, brings to life the story of Aereas and Nina, two cousins, and their adventures in the "multiverse" that is the World of Planescape. The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another universe and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense.
The author has done a FANTASTIC job of both acquiring vast knowledge relevant to the Planes as well as presenting this material efficiently and successfully! His solid grasp of factual detail makes him very capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the very difficult task of writing Planescape novels, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors.
JR King has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies as well as RA Salvatore's Icewind Dale and Dark Elf Trilogies. Love, fiends, bravery, magic, swordfights and battles of epic proportion are all about. A great trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with Pages of Pain, sadly, the only other novel written in the Planescape setting.

short yet somehow epic.......2002-08-17

I'm not sure what he did, but JR king accomplishes in a couple hundred pages what the War of Souls trilogy couldn't do in around a thousand.

These books are like poetry in a strange way, even though they are product line fantasy novels. The author has a way of making you care about the characters even in the little time you spend with them.

The memory flashbacks play an important part, and were an ingenious device, just as they were in the last one. In this book, we are treated to the madness of two lands: The Abyss, where chaos and evil join, and the Beastlands, where Heaven is a place where wild things can grow without attacks from civilization.

Though he alters the basics of the Planescape setting, he does so in a way that truly invigorates it with a new flavor and new ideas. Even with all the strange reality levels of giant flies and crystal fruit-bearing plants, the book stays grounded in the story of love and betrayal. It may be a retelling of old stories, but it does so in a backdrop of worms that are homes, a universe of dead gods, and much more insanity.

As I've mentioned in my review of the first book, if you have kids who are hyperactive readers of fantasy, this is a wonderful book to open their minds to depths and beauty of imagination.

Good Story, Evil Ending.......1999-04-18

The "Blood Wars" books were my first exposure to the Planescape scenario, which I think rocks. Too bad "Blood Hostages", the first book of the trilogy, didn't get close to the potential of the scenario at all.

This second one, however, is captivating. It has been the first book in a while that I read in one sitting, dropping into bed at half past two. The story is compelling, and the characters are drawn much better than in "Blood Hostages". I agree with the other reviewers that it's especially the mad Nina, a powerful female character like you don't encounter in the Fantasy literature very often, that makes the book stand out. Finally, without giving anything away, the end of the book is brilliant and really evil, and I can't wait to read the final book so the characters can finally get out of this ugly situation. (I hope they will, at any rate.)

The reason why I'm not giving the book five stars is that it lets opportunities pass. After a third of the book, we are told about a special and unique power of the two main characters; but while one might think it should be, this power is never a driving force behind the storyline, it just comes in handy in some situations.

About the first book: I'd recommend to buy and read it before reading "Abyssal Warriors", even if it's substandard. You'll be much more able to appreciate this one afterwards (and not just because of the contrast in quality).

This is the best book of the trilogy........1998-03-17

There is an interesting twist in this, the second book of the trilogy. The heroine of the first book has gone mad. Because she has not changed that much, I found myself still rooting for her, although she is now the "bad guy". Another aspect of the book I liked was the character Phaeton, who is basically an angel. Through Phaeton, we see how sometimes beings of "pure good" can sometimes do evil, and how "right" can sometimes be wrong. Overall, this book was a welcome and refreshing change from the formulaic "action movie" first book.

Blood Wars Trilogy: Book One: Blood Hostages, Book Two: Abyssal Warriors, Book Three: Planar Powers (The Blood Wars Trilogy, volumes 1, 2 & 3)

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Blood Wars Trilogy: Book One: Blood Hostages, Book Two: Abyssal Warriors, Book Three: Planar Powers (The Blood Wars Trilogy, volumes 1, 2 & 3)
J. Robert King
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UCMGM8

Product Description

TSR FANTASY SERIES

Book Description

Thirty years ago, Henry Gadsden, the head of Merck, one of the world's largest drug companies, told Fortune magazine that he wanted Merck to be more like chewing gum maker Wrigley's. It had long been his dream to make drugs for healthy people so that Merck could "sell to everyone." Gadsden's dream now drives the marketing machinery of the most profitable industry on earth.

Drug companies are systematically working to widen the very boundaries that define illness, and the markets for medication grow ever larger. Mild problems are redefined as serious illness and common complaints are labeled as medical conditions requiring drug treatments. Runny noses are now allergic rhinitis, PMS has become a psychiatric disorder, and hyperactive children have ADD. When it comes to conditions like high cholesterol or low bone density, being "at risk" is sold as a disease.

Selling Sickness reveals how widening the boundaries of illness and lowering the threshold for treatments is creating millions of new patients and billions in new profits, in turn threatening to bankrupt health-care systems all over the world. As more and more of ordinary life becomes medicalized, the industry moves ever closer to Gadsden's dream: "selling to everyone."

Customer Reviews:

ver compelling.......2007-06-12

This book was a real eye-opener. The authors write very clearly, and it is well referenced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to just how crooked the relationship can be between 'Big pharma' and the medical profession.

Buying into SICKNESS.......2007-04-20

Ray Moynihan is a legend, and more importantly he appears to have some integrity and intelligence. While other so-called journalists unquestioningly accept what is spoon-fed to them from big Pharma, Moynihan bothers to look beneath the veneer created by PR and spin-doctoring. The book has been written so that non-medical people can understand it, but is referenced in order that health professionals can check the veracity of his claims - and he really doesn't claim anything he can't back up by referenced literature. I applaud Dr Pelton for reading the book at all, but feel a little sad that he doesn't go a little further and discover for himself that most modern theory of disease is based on little more than wishful thinking, huge profits and massive disinformation campaigns.

Think for Yourself.......2007-03-13

This book does an excellent job exposing where some companies have done wrong. I can write the same book about almost any industry in the country. Now how many of them have developed a life-changing drug like Enbrel? As others have pointed out, this book (and most others like it) do a miserable job of providing context. Our life expectancies are lower than other industrialized nations because we are the fatest people on the planet, I can only imagine what it would be like if we didn't take the drugs that keep us alive. Can people exercise and take care of themselves and avoid a lot of these issues? Sure they can-but they don't and then they go to the doctor expecting a miracle cure. Can they not feed their little kids pounds of high frucotse corn syrup and avoid turming them into 20 year old diabetics, sure they can-but they don't. Every doctor I've ever been to or talked to says they tell every patient to exercise and watch their diet first (before ever prescribing anything). When the patient fails to comply then the doctor does what they think is the best thing to keep their patient alive. Pharmas certainly do wrong things, like any other business, and they need to be policed, but they should not be the scapegoat for sensationalist journalists (who are, guess what, selling the news/books) and short-sighted politicians are are unwilling or unable to deal with the larger healthcare issues our nation now faces.

Read this book, but please read others as well (that ought to make Amazon happy!)-try some that don't agree with what the media has programmed you to think about big pharma-if you can find any.

Disappointed.......2007-03-08

The book presents ten examples of unethical conduct by pharmaceutical compnies in order to promote their products. The tactics include misrepresenting statistical facts, overstating health risks, influencing medical authorities, creating new medical conditions in order to sell drugs for them and so on.

All the facts in the book are true. But the impression the book creates is skewed. Modern medicine cannot exist without pharmaceutical industry, and the relationship between it and medical professionals is more complex than portrayed in this text. I also believe that most doctors deserve more credit when it comes to choosing treatments for their patients.

But opinions aside, the book actually is getting boring as it progresses, probably because it is clear how each chapter will end soon after the beginning. I also expected less political and more medical information. I also think the authors should have touched on other reasons of proliferation of drug culture in modern society.

Overall I was disappointed.

Should be required reading for ALL women and girls!!!.......2007-02-23

As a single woman writer with a very modest income, I have struggled and struggled for years to pay ever increasing health insurance premiums. Health costs are going through the ROOF and much of this is explained in "Selling Sickness."

And the coup de grace is Governor Perry's recent mandate that all 11 and 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer. In February 2007, USA Today reported that Perry *bypassed* the state legislature to force this law on the books. Three shots of this nice, new chemical will cost $360 and prevent only 70% of cervical cancers. Yet Perty is comparing this to the Polio vaccine?

"Selling Sickness" pulls back the curtain on the politically-charged (and financially inspired) machinations of the pharmaceutical industry and explains the mass manipulation. It's a very disturbing book, but also well documented, well researched and utterly fascinating.

Read it and weep - for America's health care system.

Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients

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Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients
Ray Moynihan
Manufacturer: Nation Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7B0Y0

Book Description

A sworn member of the Colombo crime family in New York City, Michael Franzese was considered the biggest moneymaker in the mob since Al Capone.

At age 35, he was number eighteen on Fortune magazine's list of the fifty most wealthy and powerful Mafia bosses in America. But then he did the unthinkable. He quit the mob.

Franzese met Camille Garcia, who turned his world upside down with her innocent beauty. He fell in love with her, married her, and began a new life that didn't include the Mafia. Nobody of Franzese's rank ever just walked away from the mob and lived to tell about it. But Franzese has somehow managed to avoid the grave after he turned his back on the past. But what made him leave the lavish lifestyle of the Mafia? And how has he escaped what should have been sure death after he quit the mob? Now, in one of the most fascinating books ever written about today's Mafia, Michael Franzese reveals the answers to the many mysteries surrounding his incredible life. Walk the streets with him and find out how and why he has done what no one else managed to do--and live.

Journey with him through a life defined by two blood covenants...
...The first bound him to the mob. The second set him free.

Download Description

A sworn member of the Colombo crime family in New York City, Michael Franzese was considered the biggest moneymaker in the mob since Al Capone. At age 35, he was number eighteen on Fortune magazine's list of the fifty most wealthy and powerful Mafia bosses in America. But then he did the unthinkable. He quit the mob.

Franzese met Camille Garcia, who turned his world upside down with her innocent beauty. He fell in love with her, married her, and began a new life that didn't include the Mafia. Nobody of Franzese's rank ever just walked away from the mob and lived to tell about it. But Franzese has somehow managed to avoid the grave after he turned his back on the past. But what made him leave the lavish lifestyle of the Mafia? And how has he escaped what should have been sure death after he quit the mob? Now, in one of the most fascinating books ever written about today's Mafia, Michael Franzese reveals the answers to the many mysteries surrounding his incredible life. Walk the streets with him and find out how and why he has done what no one else managed to do--and live.

Journey with him through a life defined by two blood covenants...
...The first bound him to the mob. The second set him free.

Customer Reviews:

The Blood Covenant.......2007-09-18

This is an amazing account of what can happen if you let God lead your life. Micheal found out the hard way and he is sharing his life story with you so you can go right to the top.

A better interview than book.......2007-05-16

I bought the book after hearing the author interviewed on the radio. He was phenomenal on the radio so maybe my expectations were too high. I felt like possibly he still couldn't tell the full story while reading the book. Also, while I respect very much his pursuit of his religion, the last third of the book got too preachy for me.

Great story.......2005-12-21

First off, let me say that a lot of these previous reviewers are missing the point of his story. Blood Covenant is not just about his days as a mobster, but about what how and why he quit the mob in the first place. To explain his reasoning he had to give a detailed look into his background. And he does an excellent job at that. I did some digging and what Franzese says in his book is true according to what was made public. I've seen both Goodfellas and Godfather and Franzese's story puts both those movies to shame because his story is the real deal. If anything, the movies were trying to portray the mafia life; it is not the other way around for those who think that Franzese is a liar.
As for the second part of his book, it does not surprise me that so many people do not understand and accept his explanation of how he came to know Christ and the role God played in his life. By telling you how he came to completely trust in God, Franzese does a good job of creating the message that God forgives EVERYTHING that you do that is not pleasing to him. Because many people do not accept the simple concept of God's grace, so many find this book to be a blow off towards the end. It is the exact opposite. Franzese's book explains God's grace and what it did for him in ways that most pastors and other religious leaders cannot explain. That does not make him a fanatic; it means he is telling the truth...a truth many do not understand and therefore refuse to accept.
Here is my message: if you are looking for an ending that tells how he paid everyone back or how he fell back into the life, then this book is not for you. However, if you are someone who wants to see a true example of God's grace and the way he can use one person to change someone's life while getting the bonus of knowing the insides of the mafia life, I highly recommend this book to you.

ripp off.......2005-12-08

I think this book is a compleet ripp off.
Michael Franzese is trying to sell his new book,but is realy selling his first book and added a few pages.
I think the guy is a compleet fake.

OK.......2004-03-11

For those who like books about the mob this is a reasonably good book. Be prepared though, Franzese is VERY determined to convince you that you should become a religous fanatic like him, and that because he is a true believer today, all his past sins are now forgiven. It is understandable why he would have that view on things, but depeding on your belief system, it becomes a bit of a drag in the end.
However, he is a great story teller and the book is easily read.

Book Description

The 56th N. C. Infantry was organized in the second year of the war. Composed of ten companies, it was mustered into the Confederate army in August, 1862. The regiment was raised in about twelve counties in North Carolina: Henderson, Rutherford, Wilkes, Pasquotank, Cumberland, Orange, Cleveland, Alexander, Iredell, Craven, Caswell, and Northampton. These counties extend from the mountains to the sea in North Carolina and the state as a whole was well represented. Its men came from every station of life.

At first, the regiment was assigned to a ceaseless round of guard duty at different garrison posts around the state. When they did hear the sound of enemy guns, they were always in a rear area, adding support to other units at the front.

But in 1863, the regiment at last saw action near Dover, North Carolina. The results were disastrous. In two battles just east of Kinston, the regiment was routed and it lost half of its men. It became a laughing stock among other units and its morale plummeted.

The 56th was gradually built back up to strength, but it was kept far to the rear for the rest of 1863, assigned the duty of rounding up conscripts and impressing supplies from the civilian population. The worse elements in its ranks came to the fore during this dark period and the regiment was relieved from this duty when it became evident that it was exceeding its orders. Governor Vance, in fact, threatened to call out the militia to expel them from the state!

But in 1864, things began to change. As the Confederacy weakened after Gettysburg and Vicksburg, it was no longer possible to keep unused manpower in the rear area. At the battle of Plymouth, North Carolina in April 1864, the 56th led a frontal assault on a heavily defended Union garrison and carried it -- one of the few victories the South could celebrate in 1864. Within two weeks, the regiment was on its way to Virginia.

The 56th was one of a few Confederate regiments that, in a three day and night battle, held Petersburg, Virginia against Grant's Army of the Potomac at bay until Lee could rush the Army of Northern Virginia to its assistance. The regiment played an important part in all the battles in the Richmond-Petersburg area until the end of the war. These included The Crater, Globe Tavern, Fort Stedman, Five Forks, and Sailor's Creek. And it was represented by a handful of men at Appomattox Court House.

During the last months of the war, the regiment was virtually annihilated in the final battles around Petersburg and Richmond. But in its final destruction, it found itself as a military unit -- its reason to be, as well as giving unexpectedly a final, more lasting message to modern America. And, as an added bonus, the novel describes these events that actually happened in realistic detail.

A major theme of the novel is the regiment s search for some kind of redemption or atonement. Ray shows that war brings out the worse, as well as the best in people. Atrocities were committed on both sides, but Ray demonstrates any wrong-doing is usually paid for in some way or another. He feels that the regiment, as with any military unit, was aware of right and wrong action and their the latter must be corrected in some way, at some time.

But even more, the final purpose of any action; the reason why such things as war and suffering must be experienced and endured, are questions that not only every soldier, but every citizen of the United States, then and since, have tried to answer. Why was all the devastation and loss of life in such a terrible event as the American Civil War necessary?

ACROSS THE DARK RIVER provides some interesting answers to these questions and does so in the words of participants themselves. Ray points out that "In a very real sense, the war is not over. Many of the issues that were first raised then have still not been settled. National unity, race relations, even the place women in professions -- every issue. we have now, they had then. Achieving equality is an on-going struggle."

The experience of Blacks in the war is also covered, not only in the Union Army, but also in the Confederate Army. Ray demonstrates sensitivity and pride in the contributions of Black Americans on both sides of the conflict. One of the novel's most reassuring qualities is the honest, but positive and conciliatory light in which race relations in both the Old South and modern America are addressed. The novel is a superb contribution to modern historical fiction. Characters are not only historical figures, but emerge in the book as flesh-and-blood human beings caught up in the drama of the moment, The action is not only realistic and graphic, but historically accurate as well. One reviewer stated that it is the most accurate writing on the war that he has encountered, adding it appears to have been written by a veteran of the war. Written in the present tense, the reader has the unique experience of knowing almost at first hand.

Ray uses the record of this unit to examine the personal experiences of historical characters in the war and the dominant issues that the war addressed and left for future generations to resolve. What I had tried to do Ray says, was to recreate a lost period of American history in the words and experiences of the men and women who lived it and to demonstrate that their experience still has relevance to the modern world. Almost every character actually existed; almost every incident in the novel actually occurred. In a very real sense, they tell the story. I was only the bearer of their ordeal.

Customer Reviews:

The Human Side of History.......2004-03-01

This book is a generous gift to anyone interested in not only the facts of the Civil War, but also how it was lived by those engaged in it. It depicts desperate battles that, though they may be listed as "skirmishes", were nothing less than horrific fights for survival for the participants. At the same time, it puts the reader in the trenches around Petersburg, fighting rain, sun, disease, mud, sharpshooters and monotony. This is not just good history, its a great read.

Excellent novel.......2004-02-02

Picked this one up through a friend, much better than Frazier's "Cold Mountain". Must-have for any Civil War buff.

A page-turner........2003-07-01

Great novel. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil war, American History.

Award Winner.......1997-11-13

Winner of 1997 Cader Cox Historical Fiction Award by the North Carolina Society of Historians

A CLASSIC STUDY OF THE CIVIL WAR-- MOVING, UNFORGETTABLE.......1997-09-19

This book will live. it is a work that transcends history or fiction. a book to treasure forever, it takes the reader into the American Civil War as no other has. I recommend it highly

Book Description

Program evaluations are more relevant when conducted by the people directly involved in the programs and members of the communities they serve. Learn how empowerment and participatory evaluation can help community programs deliver more effective services!

With this book, you'll examine theoretical models, empirical investigations, and case studies that highlight important aspects of empowerment and participatory evaluation in community programs. The first half of the book presents frameworks and tools for empowerment and participatory evaluation, with an emphasis on transferring skills and building capacity. The remaining chapters examine specific efforts to implement empowerment and participatory evaluation with a range of stakeholders, highlighting the ways in which community members collaborated with evaluators and were actively engaged in the evaluation process.

Covering various types of evaluations across a range of urgent social issues, this book offers practical steps for implementing evaluations and presents theoretical models as well as applied examples. The issues that Empowerment and Participatory Evaluation of Community Interventions addresses include:

challenges faced by community-based organizations in conducting evaluations of their initiatives—and solutions to those challenges, including the creation and implementation of an appropriate outcomes model
ways to build capacity for participatory evaluation within community initiatives
ways to promote the success and accountability of community programs
how collaborative process evaluation can improve HIV prevention services
evaluation techniques that illustrate the benefits of a collaborative approach—with a case study of the Conflict Resolution in Schools Programs
a pilot study in which empowerment evaluation principles are used to evaluate the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago's Youth Leadership Training Series (a program designed to train youth volunteers)

Presenting important information on program evaluation, community-based interventions and community empowerment, empowerment/participatory evaluation, community psychology, collaborative partnerships, program improvement, utilization-focused evaluation, consultation, and more, Empowerment and Participatory Evaluation of Community Interventions is a resource that everyone involved in community psychology should have!

Average customer rating:
Empowerment and participatory evaluation of community interventions - multiple benefits

Manufacturer: Haworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H629E2

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