Reclaiming the Spiritual in Art: Contemporary Cross-Cultural Perspectives (S U N Y Series in Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art)

Book Description

From Walt Disney World to the movie Natural Born Killers, this book explores uncommon indicators of the spiritual in contemporary art and culture. Drawing on a diversity of perspectives in philosophy and aesthetics to highlight conscious and unconscious manifestations of the sacred in art, this work makes a compelling case for its continued contemporary relevance.

Multiple perspectives are included to articulate dimensions of the spiritual that continue to be largely overlooked in mainstream philosophy and criticism. Western theories in philosophy and aesthetics are interwoven with examples of Native American, Latin American, and African American aesthetic and spiritual precepts and practices to provide a sense of the variety of cultural influences at play. Connections are made between art and issues of cultural, ethnic, and gender identity, suggesting the possibility for both affirmative and subversive relationships among art, artists, and spiritual traditions.

Book Description

Sports Illustrated Knockouts: Five Decades of Swimsuit Photography celebrates the art of that uniquely American institution, the Sports Illustrated annual swimsuit issue.Beginning with the inaugural issue on January 24, 1964, which featured model Babette March in a modest four-page spread, Knockouts goes on to document the evolution of the swimsuit issue through five decades of models who, largely by virtue of their appearances here, became celebrities, including Elle Macpherson, Cheryl Tiegs, Tyra Banks, and Kathy Ireland.Besides assembling a selection of the best photographs in book form for the first time, Knockouts offers an ample selection of outtakes and other previously unpublished photos, various quotes from models, photographers, art directors, and commentaries on the logistics and technical aspects of the shoots and the exotic ports of call in which they were staged.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificant girls, lousy binding.......2004-08-18

The women in this book are sexy and classy. It can't be easy to combine dignity and a bikini but they manage. The binding seems kind of weak.

Old School.......2002-12-09

There is a wonderful quote in this book from a journalist (and a female one at that) which says:

"All the SI bathing suit models are muscular and lean and authentic. They don't mind working up a good sweat. They're proud of the bodies they've worked into shape. There is nothing powdery or gushy about them. In other words the women in the swimsuit issue are not the worse role models a young girl could have."

And she's absolutely right. If I had abs like that I would show them off proudly too!!! Knowing a little bit about physical fitness...I know that it takes a lot of discipline and hard work to get your body to look that toned. The last thing in the world I would do is criticize them for this. I came to SI just by chance I saw the 1995 special on TV and was left majorly impressed at how the young women conducted themselves. They were definitely no ones "hoochies". Actually I was so impressed that when I saw several of them on the covers of various magazines etc.. I immediately remembered their names. And that is not something that happens with everyone.

I never understood the hullabaloo people make about the SI swimsuit issues. I think that it is absolutely wonderful. My favorite period was when Jules Campbell was the editor. The woman definitely had an eye for (tasteful) beauty. It was pure old school: In that while the models were certainly appealing-it was always in a DIGNIFIED WAY-everything about these ladies said "respect me". These women carried themselves with the confidence of Queens. They exuded assurance and implied that they had the world on a string.

The pictures in the book are absolutely exquisite and are worth every penny.

Believe it or not in a world where actresses and film stars often look as if they work in the adult entertainment business. The SI swimsuit models are not the worst role models young girls can have. Thanks ladies for providing such an inspiration to me!

Great Collector's Item, a must have for the bookshelf.......2002-09-27

I've been subscribing to Sports Illustrated for over 6 years, and it's been amazing to see how the "evolution" of the Swimsuit issue has gone through the years.

It was a treat to see the some old favorites, going from Christie Brinkley and Elle McPherson to current cover girls Heidi Klum and Daniela Pestova. Great addition to the library!

Not quite perfect.......2002-07-18

Some great photography of some beautiful subjects. If you've seen the swimsuit issues you know the style. The photos range from around the days of Brinkley to Casta.

The only reason I say it's not quite perfect is that they seem to have been a little too ambitious on the size of the book. Almost every photo is stretched to the limits of the pages, which can make for great impact, but some of the photos have lost a little quality being blown up that much. You can see some graininess in several of the shots; I think most of them are the older ones. Most of the pages are fine however.

It would also have been nice to see some of the body paint pics in here but they are absent.

Overall a nice book.

Very nice!.......2002-04-18

A few of the pictures are grainy, and some of the shots are unappealing. But of the good ones, they are truly unique gems of glamour photos. The models in this book are all beautiful, healthy, sexy; and they all have a very positive outlook in their eyes. A very pleasing book to thumb thru on a cold or cast down day.

Book Description

Good Grief!

A whole year of Peanuts gang! Now, That's Profound, Charlie Brown.

Customer Reviews:

4 1/2 Oh, Gilligan! A WHOLE YEAR OF PEANUTS!!.......2002-12-08

Here it is, a book which contains all of the Peanuts cartoons created in the year 1991. Some jokes come out flat, but most get smiles, chuckles, or even out-loud laughter for their creativity, orignality..and a good punchline always helps.

Sure, computer-generated strips are the new thing, but you can't really mess with the strip that changed comics...

Good times had by all.......2002-02-22

If you know anything about the Peanuts Gang, you cannot help but lve them. In this collection Schulz, has outdone himself again. Anyone seeking a good laugh or a smile brought to a cloudy day should take a look at this.

That really is profound.......2000-08-22

This is a most charming collection of the antics of the round-headed kid we all love. With comics from a year's worth of newspapers, including the Sundays, you'll have enough to read to keep you entertained, over and over again. Not only are the Peanuts Gang funny, but inspiring, touching, sad, and as the title indicates, sometimes even profound. With Linus' wise advice, Lucy's sassy attitude, and Snoopy's admirable imagination, Charles Shulz' creations give us insight to the most enigmatical yet simplest part of our lives: our childhoods. Read the comics once and laugh, but read them again, look into the words more, and see the other emotions buried underneath. Charles Shulz was truly a genius, and the world will miss him.

almost everyone is like Charlie Brown!.......2000-04-21

I could not put this book down. A whole year of this comic is so funny. i know that i can relate to everyone of the penuts gang.

I couldn't put it down! Good grief!.......2000-01-27

I enjoyed this so much that I read it in one sitting. I never realized how much more enyoyable the Peanuts strips would be when you read them one after another, rather than one-a-day!

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Now Thats Profound Charlie Brown
Charles M. Schulz
Manufacturer: HarperResource
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEN02M

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Preview the book at Uncommon Sense

Union mysteries explained, take a number machines exploited

A brilliant satire on leadership and politics in America. .

Great book buy a great writer of all time

1 Minute President: The Quickest Way to Advance Your Own Political Agenda and Still Have Everyone Think You're a Hell of a Nice Guy
Paul Fericano , and Elio Ligi
Manufacturer: Poor Souls Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0916296105

Customer Reviews:

Preview the book at Uncommon Sense.......1999-01-15

If you want to know why it is so difficult for presidents to keep their pants zipped, buy this book. It's not all about power. Some of it's about being just plain crazy.

Union mysteries explained, take a number machines exploited.......1998-07-17

Fericano breaks down how horrible union work is in his classic One Minute President. His views on the way our country should run are spectacualar. More people should write moving books like this.

A brilliant satire on leadership and politics in America. ........1998-07-14

The One Minute President is a political satire for our times. It not only sets the record straight about what the Reagan administration did to further the cause of buffoonery, but it's a primer for anyone who wants to learn the ropes about what it takes to be a successful leader. Brilliantly parodying the successful One Minute Manager bestseller, the One Minute President is a real classic and an excellent read. Note: Fericano and Ligi, founders of the notorious disinformation syndicate, Yossarian Universal News Service (YU)in 1980, were the real pioneers of parody news.

Great book buy a great writer of all time.......1998-07-03

We can all agree Paul Fericano should rule the country!

Book Description

Making a short film is one of the first vital steps to becoming a filmmaker. This book and DVD is a 'short filmmakers kit' for aspiring producers. It combines advice and inspiration with essential practical information as well as a real-world case study of the making of the short film, 'Ghosthunter', providing a rare inside view of the process.

Alison Reddihough and Simon Corris set up Amulet Films with ambitions to establish themselves within the feature film industry. They decided to learn as much as possible by seeking advice from the best in the business. Â`GhosthunterÂ' is an educational project that teamed up respected industry professionals with an ambitious and talented crew. This is the book that Simon & Alison felt they needed, but couldnÂ't find, when they were starting out and looking for advice and guidance on the process of producing a quality short feature film.

A free DVD contains
Â·20 minute long film 'Ghosthunter'
Â·A 25 minute documentary on the making of 'Ghosthunter'
Â·Special Effect show and tell with The Computer Film Company
Â·Sound on film with Robin OÂ'Donoghue
Â·Sample contracts and production forms
Â·Budgeting and Screenwriting Software

Based around a real production and written from a real-world stance this book and DVD tells the novice producer how it really is.

Â·A rare inside view on the process
Â·Contains essential first-hand advice and guidance
Â·A complete filmmakers kit Â- practical tips on reducing costs, techniques and tricks of the trade
Â·Learn from first-hand experience through interviews with cast and crew
Â·Ghosthunter was made with the invaluable advice and help of the following top industry talent:
Freddie Francis, double-Oscar-winning Cinematographer; Rodrigo Gutierrez and Trevor Coop, two of the most highly respected Camera Operators in the United Kingdom; Peter Lamont Oscar-winning Production Designer for 'Titanic', 'Terminator II', and the James Bond films; Barrington Pheloung, Composer for 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', 'Inspector Morse'; Robin O'Donoghue, Sound re-recording mixer for 'Madness of King George' and 'Shakespeare in Love'; Mark Auguste, leading Sound Editor, for 'Tea with Mussolini', 'Elizabeth'; Frank Finlay, BAFTA award winner for 'The Death of Adolf Hitler', credits include Â`The SinsÂ', Â`Bouquet of Barbed WireÂ', and Laurence OlivierÂ's film of Â`OthelloÂ' for which he was Oscar nominated.
Â…readers will also benefit from their advice in this book.

Ian Lewis is a freelance producer/director/writer who has worked on many low budget projects for both the BBC and independent companies. He has also made around 250 promotional, corporate and training productions.

Customer Reviews:

This book is from the U.K........2002-09-22

This is an informative book, in terms of breaking down what everyone does on a set, and giving tips on how to prepare for a shoot. However, the writers are in England, and base their experience on making a short film in England. So, be prepared for lots of "things are much different in the USA" for some of their advice regarding permits, insurance, contracts, and production resources.

Covers all aspects of creating a short feature film.......2001-05-23

Utilizing the feature film "Ghosthunter" as his example, Ian Lewis' How To Make Great Short Feature Films covers all aspects of creating a short feature film from the its inception, the script, to putting the production package together, financing and budgeting, pre-production planning, the shoot, editing the film, and the final touches for distribution. How To Make Great Short Feature Films is enhanced for the film student with a number of informative appendices including: the shooting script; shot list notes; Designer's sketches; special effects list; the budget; contracts for cast and crew; production forms; biographies of consultants and key crew; cast and crew list; Alison's "Ghosthunter" diary; useful addresses and websites; Amulet Films' e-mailing list; and who does what on a film set. The informative, superbly presented and highly recommended text is impressively augmented by an accompanying DVD that contains the 20-minute "Ghosthunter" film; a 25-minute documentary; budgeting and screen writing software.

How to Make Great Short Feature Films: The Making of "Ghosthunter

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How to Make Great Short Feature Films: The Making of "Ghosthunter
Ian Lewis
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ9YZ2

Average customer rating:

How to Make Great Short Feature Films; the Making of Ghosthunter
Ian Lewis
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ81BK

Customer Reviews:

Great Bio of Hendrix.......2007-08-15

I've read several books about the life of Jimi Hendrix and this is by far the best. Well written and researched, it is engaging and engrossing. Even the reference materials are facsinating. A great book about a very interesting life.

The research is there, but there is no insight........2006-04-30

Beware of a 'definitive' biography written by two fellows who never knew Hendrix. The 'facts' are there, but it's the approach taken to them that is lacking. Eddie Kramer condemns this book (see his seminars now posted on You Tube), and it's clear that the laundry list of tour dates, gig anecdotes and groupie/management tales don't provide any insight into Hendrix.

Ignore this book and purchase McDermott's biography 'Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight' (which, whilst heavy on Hendrix's legal woes, is grounded in the recollections of Chandler and Kramer). If you're after more, the best analysis of Hendrix as artist, musician and rock culture symbol is Charles Shaar Murray's 'Crosstown Traffic', which finally approaches Hendrix's art with the respect and insight it deserves.

Fantastic, yet strangely empty.......2005-11-29

The research is wonderful, the prose style is just fine, the detail is remarkable - I finished the book knowing more than I ever felt I needed to know about Jimi (and being grateful for the knowledge) yet no closer to any understanding as to what made the man tick. Any serious Hendrix fan must own this book, but it is, in an odd way - emotionally incomplete.

Excellent-best source book available on Hendrix........2005-10-18

This is probably the best book that has been written about Hendrix. I think it is co-written by the editor of the excellent Jimi Hendrix fanizine "Univibes", it's an excellent source book, with list and lists of guitars, equpiment, gigs, photographs anything you would wish to know really about Hendrix's career.

The large biography section is brillant and cannot be faulted-although I personaly don't ascribe to the writers theories about Monica Dannneman. I personaly don't think Hendrix wanted to marry Monica- or anyone in particular for that matter-or that she knew Jimi as well as she let on. Cathy Etchingham, Hendrix's London girlfriend for a number of years, dismisses her as stalker in her book. Coupled with the strange and often contradictory statements she made about his death in her hotel room-it raises a lot of questions about her place in Hendrix's life which are hard to guess at.

Awesome book!.......2005-08-27

This is an excellent book , if you like Jimi's music :buy it!
Remember that Caesar Glebbeek is the editor of 'Univibes' an excellent Jimi Hendrix-magazine .

Average customer rating:

Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy
Harry; Glebbeek, Caesar Shapiro
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTGAJM

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Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy
Harry; Glebbeek, Caesar Shapiro
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTHFSW

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Synopsis

English 1...nkb3 Systems
John Watson
Manufacturer: Hardinge Simpole Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

English 1...pk4

ASIN: 1843821451

Customer Reviews:

Synopsis.......2007-07-09

First published by Batsford in 1979. Volume 2 deals with all variations after 1 P-QB4 N-KB3 in which Black refrains from playing ...P-K4 or ...P-QB4 early on. In most books on the English, authors have ignored or only briefly discussed lines related to the Grünfeld and King's Indian Defences; but here Watson sets out this material at great length. Popular systems involving the move ...P-K3 are deeply researched and analysed, including the 'Queen's English', 'Nimzo-English', and Mikenas-Flohr Attack. Understanding the ideas behind these variations is essential for club and tournament players who wish to play the English or have to meet it with Black.
Watson's aim throughout has been to provide a practical balance of theory, discussion and examples. With encyclopaedic coverage and many original suggestions, this series gives the reader the ability to understand the complexities of the English Opening and to play it with confidence.

International Master John Watson is widely known as a player, author, and chess trainer. His books have won numerous awards including Book-of-the-Year awards for "Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy" and "Chess Strategy in Action".

Average customer rating:

Every manager OUGHT to read this book!

The First Book of Common-Sense Management
Diane Tracy
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

What Matters Most for School Leaders: 25 Reminders of What Is Really Important

The Monroe Doctrine: An ABC Guide to What Great Bosses Do

Bravo Principal: Building Relationships With Actions That Value Others

Monday Morning Leadership: 8 Mentoring Sessions You Can't Afford to Miss

Rethinking Leadership: A Collection of Articles

ASIN: 0688099998

Customer Reviews:

Every manager OUGHT to read this book!.......2001-12-04

"The First Book of Common Sense Management" is a title which says it all -"common sense". To me, that is 99% of being a good manager, using good old fashioned common sense. Unfortunately, too many managers don't see this and make numerous managerial mistakes, which in turn causes poor employee morale and turnover problems. If they had read this book, they would see the error of their ways and may even be better managers as a result.

In this day in age, it would benefit managers to know how to train and keep good help instead of making the kinds of mistakes that cause people to resign in disgust. Knowing how to empower your employees, stroke their egos and praise them for a job well done instead of constantly criticise and point out errors and problems is a big job, but one that a good manager ought to learn how to do. This book gives you the tools to know how to do those things and to foster good will and high productivity in your department or office.

Poor management has been the cause of more than one company's demise, and in these uncertain financial times, it is the wise manager who will read this book and keep his or her company afloat and keep good employees productive and happy. It may even be the difference between the life and death of a company. A company will survive that is well managed and has satisfied and motivated employees that will produce. Managers, this should be mandatory reading for each and every one of you. Pass this around your board room or management staff. Make everyone read it and read it again if need be. Yours is the choice - good company morale and high productivity or poor employee morale, low productivity and company death. Frankly, were I a manager, I would choose the latter.

Average customer rating:
The First Book of Common-Sense Management.
Diane. Tracy
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RUQ80Y

Amazon.com

Witness To Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II by George Weigel is as comprehensive a biography of its subject as can be hoped for while the Pope still lives. Weigel, a journalist who came to the Pope's attention after the publication of his book, The Final Revolution: The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism, wrote Witness To Hope with his subject's encouragement and assistance. Weigel had unprecedented access to the Pope's correspondence (with, among others, world leaders including Mikhail Gorbachev). He reports lengthy conversations with many members of the Pope's inner circle, and he occasionally reveals vivid details of the Pope's daily life (for example, at the beginning of each day, the Pope's adviser's hear moans and groaning from John Paul's solitary prayers in his private chapel).

According to Weigel, the Pope told him that other biographies "try to understand me from outside. But I can only be understood from inside." Unfortunately, Weigel's method for understanding the Pope "from inside" depends on psychological conjecture ("It may help to begin by thinking of Karol Wojtyla as a man who grew up very fast") and is weakened by his extreme eagerness to praise his subject ("the man with arguably the most coherent and comprehensive vision of the human possibility in the world ahead"). More troubling, Weigel does not ask some of the really difficult questions about this Pope--regarding his involvement with sects such as Opus Dei, for example, or the relationship between his innovative "theology of the body" and his conservative stance on homosexuality, or even the vicissitudes of prayer life. Witness To Hope is a valuable book because it reports many facts that others have not reported. But for incisive analysis of this Pope's theological and political significance, or for insight into his spiritual life, readers will have to wait until the principals in his life story are free to speak more frankly with some future biographer. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures –– some might argue the singular figure –– of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach to world politics –– and changed the course of history. As even his critics concede, John Paul II occupied a unique place on the world stage and put down intellectual markers that no one could ignore or avoid as humanity entered a new millennium fraught with possibility and danger.

The Pope was a man of prodigious energy who played a crucial yet insufficiently explored role in some of the most momentous events of our time, including the collapse of European communism, the quest for peace in the Middle East, and the democratic transformation of Latin America. This updated edition of Witness to Hope explains how this "man from a far country" did all of that, and much more –– and what both his accomplishments and the unfinished business of his pontificate mean for the future of the Church and the world.

Download Description

The Definitive Biography of Pope John Paul II

Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures -- some might argue the singular figure -- of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach to world politics -- and changed the course of history. As even his critics concede, John Paul II occupied a unique place on the world stage and put down intellectual markers that no one could ignore or avoid as humanity entered a new millennium fraught with possibility and danger.

The Pope was a man of prodigious energy who played a crucial yet insufficiently explored role in some of the most momentous events of our time, including the collapse of European communism, the quest for peace in the Middle East, and the democratic transformation of Latin America. This updated edition of Witness to Hope explains how this ""man from a far country"" did all of that, and much more -- and what both his accomplishments and the unfinished business of his pontificate mean for the future of the Church and the world.

Customer Reviews:

Jan Tyranowski.......2007-04-12

There is a fiery, mystical core to the young Wojtyla's faith. It is the deepest, darkest layer of the soil which has nourished him throughout his life. All his early heroes are passionate visionaries: the strange, otherworldly Jan Tyranowski; the Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross; the stigmatic faith healer, Padre Pio. Their emotional, poetic view of the world has sustained him throughout his life. This is a man for whom the great religious truths are viscerally experienced. Christ is alive and walks the earth; the Virgin is a real woman; the Devil is a person not an abstraction. Good and evil are powerful autonomous forces battling each other--the powers of darkness and light. As Pope, he has attended exorcisms, and even officiated at one.
Arguably the most important of all his spiritual mentors was Jan Tyranowski. He met Tyranowski on a cold Saturday afternoon in February 1940, at a weekly discussion group in the parish church; it was a crucial moment in Wojtyla's life. Tyranowski was a strange man--a forty year-old tailor with white-blond hair, a high-pitched laugh and piercing eyes. Neighbors spoke to us about his oddness and his intensity. He was a bachelor who lived with his mother in a small apartment across the street from the Wojtylas. Tyranowski's small rooms were filled with stacks of religious books, sewing machines and several cats. He would stop young men on the street and try to interest them in joining his "Living Rosary," a praying circle and theology discussion group for young people. He recruited youngsters so aggressively that one of them, Mieczyslaw Malinski, the future priest and seminarian friend of Wojtyla, remembers being alarmed by his intrusive personal questions and worried that he might be a Gestapo agent. Father Malinski told us that it took him a long while to warm up to "this bizarre character who talked in a high-pitched affected voice."
Wojtyla, however, was immediately gripped by Tyranowski's personality and the power of his ideas. Tyranowski and Wojjtyla spent an increasing amount of time together discussing the Scriptures and mystical philosophers such as St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Malinski tried to argue with Karol about this strange man and even brought up rumors that he had been in a mental institution. Father Malinski wrote about Karol's response in his own biography of the Pope: "Tyranowski has gone through a major life-changing conversion. Look at what is inside him, not his outward experience. Yes, he speaks in a slightly odd, affected manner, but look beyond that. He is a man who lives truly close to God." For Karol, Tyranowski was aflame with God--and this closeness to the flame was an irresistible quality for the young Karol and would remain so for the rest of his life.
Ultimately, Father Malinski grew attached to Jan Tyranowski and entered the rigorous world of The Living Rosary: "When Karol and I committed ourselves to this prayer group, it was all-encompassing. Every moment of the day was organized around activity and relaxation. We were asked to keep detailed records of our prayers and thoughts. Tyranowski took us through each stage very calmly and methodically until we reached the central core of his teaching--what he called the plenitude of inner life. His influence on Lolek was gigantic. I can safely say that were it not for him, neither Wojtyla nor I would have become priests."
Wojtyla later wrote about this defining experience: "What Tyranowski wanted to do was work on our souls--to bring out the resources he knew existed within us." Karol was particularly struck by the quiet, mystical core of his teaching and he remembered vividly the day and hour when his teachings sank into him: "Once in July when the day was slowly extinguishing itself, the word of Jan Tyranowski became more and more lonely in the falling darkness, penetrating us deeper and deeper, releasing in us the hidden depths of evangelical possibilities which until then we had tremblingly avoided...Tyranowski was truly one of those unknown saints, hidden among others like a marvelous light at the bottom of life at a depth where night usually reigns. He disclosed to me the riches of his inner life, of his mystical life. In his words, in his spirituality, and in the example of a life given to God alone, he represented a new world that I did not yet know. I saw the beauty of a soul opened up by grace. "
One of the Pope's most insightful biographers (and our consultant), Tad Szulc, believes that the influence of Tyranowski on the young Wojtyla flowed from their shared attraction to the mystical quality of spiritual life: "Tyranowski gave a wholly new dimension and understanding to Karol's instinctive mysticism and, as much as any profound experience of his young years, it set him on a course towards the priesthood...his mystical legacy to Karol Wojtyla was the 16th century poet and mystic, St. John of the Cross and the desire for the contemplative life." (In fact, after he became a priest, Wojtyla, on two separate occasions, requested permission from his superiors to enter a Carmelite monastery; each time they refused, believing his gifts lay elsewhere.)
On February 18, 1941, exactly one year after he met Tyranowski, Karol suffered possibly his greatest loss--the death of his father. Unlike his calm demeanor and stoic submission to God's will following the deaths of his mother and brother, the loss of his father provoked a torrent of tears and visible pain. He lamented bitterly that he had not been present when his father died. His friend, Maria Kydrynska, was with Karol when they returned home to discover that Karol Wojtyla Sr. had died of a heart attack in bed. She described the scene vividly to Tad Szulc before she died a few years ago: "Karol, weeping, embraced me. He said through his tears, 'I was not present when my mother died, nor when my brother died.'" The apartment was too painful to stay in alone, so he moved in with the Kydrynskas. Years later, John Paul II told the writer Andre Frossard: "I never felt so alone." His friend Father Malinski observed him going to the cemetery every day to pray at his father's grave and said to us, "Karol was so distraught that I was truly worried about him."
From that point onwards, Karol spent a great deal of time with his mentor, Jan Tyranowski, but it would take a year and a half for his vocation to take final shape. Years later the Pope would reflect on the mystery of his vocation in his memoir: "At 20 I had already lost all the people I loved. God was, in a way, preparing me for what would happen....After my father's death I became aware of my true path. I was working at a plant and devoting myself, as far as the terrors of the occupation allowed, to my taste in literature and drama. My priestly vocation took place in the midst of all that--I knew that I was called with absolute clarity."
His reticence--or detachment--is exemplified in his friendship with the theater director, Mieczyslaw Kotlarczyk. Biographer Tad Szulc has described him as "Karol's intellectual, cultural and thespian mentor, the most important person in Karol's life after his father and Tyranowski." For an entire year during the Nazi occupation when all travel was restricted, Karol and Kotlarczyk wrote letters to each other that Halina Krolikiewicz, an actress in the Rhapsodic Theater, would smuggle back and forth from Krakow to Wadowice. Karol's letters were unusually revealing--up to a point. "I surround myself with Books. I put up fortifications of Art and Learning. I work. Will you believe me when I tell you that I am almost running out of time. I read, write, learn, pray and fight within myself. Sometimes I feel horrible pressures, sadness, depression, evil." What is striking about this letter is that Karol could not share, or would not share, his great inner conflict. His friend Lorenzo Albacete described Karol's unusual detachment: "He lived in the most intense solitude, a burning loneliness, and to some extent it was self-imposed...it all goes back to St. John of the Cross, to his exhortation of emptying yourself, stripping away ordinary human supports..."

The classic bio of one of our greatest modern leaders.......2007-03-28

This book is simply superb. It is very long, but the length is justified by the importance of the material and the quality of its handling. Wiegel gives you a long, slow build which describes in great detail every aspect of John Paul II's life. He balances the different aspects of his material extremely well; he will jump from a description of personal events, for example, to a detailed discussion of a philosophic or theological point, but he does so in a way that is easy to read and easy to follow.

This book assumes very little knowledge on the part of the reader, but it conveys a tremendous amount of knowledge. This is a great service, because most of us know very little, for example, about early 20th century Polish culture, yet it is critical to understand this to understand John Paul II. In the same way, there are many subjects which you have to understand to understand John Paul II and Wiegel does a great job of explaining the basics of each, from 20th century philosophy to Eastern European communist politics, and from the political and theological leanings of the Amercan Church to the cult of Mary.

Too much of the time we get bios by writers who know nothing about their subject's areas of activitiy. We get, for example, bios of Napoleon by writers who know nothing about military affairs. We get bios of Plato by people with little understanding of philosophy.

This is not one of those books. Wiegel has made himself the master of all of the subjects needed to understand this amazing man. This book will take you a long time to read, but it is all time well spent.

Superior in every way.......2007-01-29

Its not often that one reads a truly great book, a book that is well-written,informative,moving, and inspiring. This book is such a book. While to some this book might be dauntingly long, it well worth the time and is really not a difficult read. I learned a lot about the papacy and pre-papacy life of John Paul the Great. The author does an outstanding job of capturing the spirit and spirituality of this great man. At the same time, this is not a book that paints an unrealistic portrait of history. It is so gratifying to read a book by an author that is obviously extremely well informed about his subject matter and passionate about it as well. I recommend this book to everyone, Catholic or no. I especially recommend this book to anyone interested in the historical truth about secularism/Nazism/Communism.

The Hope of Changing the Culture.......2007-01-08

A few years ago, I had the pleasure to meet George Weigel. During a Q & A with his audience, I asked about the oft quoted description in Witness to Hope of John Paul II's Theology of the Body (i.e., a "theological time-bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences...perhaps in the twenty-first century."). Of the hundreds of thousands of words in his book, Weigel playfully wondered what it is about that "munitions" wording that leads to such inquiries. Simply put, George, it is a wonderful line!

From what I observe, Catholics do seem to be waking up to the Theology of the Body. Much, much credit is owed to Christopher West, Jason Evert, and others for making the Theology of the Body more accessible. As John Paul II helped do for Poland in the years before the collapse of Communism, we are seeing some first glimpses of leadership for cultural change.

To a world ravaged by Naziism & then Communism, John Paul II was an incredible Witness to Hope. Weigel's work is magnificent and inspiring.

excellent read.......2006-06-22

great insight into the struggles and life of this amazing man! you will walk away with a profound respect for him, even if you didn't like him to begin with.

WITNESS TO HOPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life

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WITNESS TO HOPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
Avery Dulles
Manufacturer: Institute on Religion and Public Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on November 1, 1999. The length of the article is 3857 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: WITNESS TO HOPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Avery Dulles
Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1999
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 49

Article Type: Book Review

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Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II

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Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II
George Weigel
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF4WCS

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This book is the only comprehensive history of the total experience of the Russian Civil War. Focusing on the key Volga city of Saratov and the surrounding region, Donald Raleigh is the first historian to fully show how the experience of civil war embedded itself into both the people's and the state's outlook and behavior. He demonstrates how and why the programs and ideals that had propelled the Bolsheviks into power were so quickly lost and the repressive Soviet party-state was born.

Experiencing Russia's Civil War is based on exhaustive use of previously classified local and central archives. It is also bold and ambitious in its breadth of thematic coverage, dealing with all aspects of the war experience from institutional evolution and demographics to survival strategies. Complicating our understanding of this formative period, Raleigh provides compelling evidence that many features of the Soviet system that we associate with the Stalin era were already adumbrated and practiced by the early 1920s, as Bolshevism became closed to real alternatives. Raleigh interprets this as the consequence of a complex dynamic shaped by Russia's political tradition and culture, Bolshevik ideology, and dire political, economic, and military crises starting with World War I and strongly reinforced by the indelible, mythologized experience of survival in the Civil War.

Fluidly written, replete with new information, and always engaged with important questions, this is history finely wrought.

Experiencing Russia's Civil War: Politics, Society, and Revolutionary Culture in Saratov, 1917-1922.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Social History

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Experiencing Russia's Civil War: Politics, Society, and Revolutionary Culture in Saratov, 1917-1922.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Social History
Irina Mukhina
Manufacturer: Journal of Social History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Social History, published by Journal of Social History on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1184 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: Experiencing Russia's Civil War: Politics, Society, and Revolutionary Culture in Saratov, 1917-1922.(Book Review)
Author: Irina Mukhina
Publication: Journal of Social History (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Journal of Social History
Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Page: 780(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description

Taking stock of contemporary social, cultural, and political currents, Timothy Brennan explores key turning points in the recent history of American intellectual life. He contends that a certain social-democratic vision of politics has been banished from public discussion, leading to an unlikely convergence of the political right and the academic left and a deadening of critical opposition. Brennan challenges the conventional view that affiliations based on political belief, claims upon the state, or the public interest have been rendered obsolete by the march of events in the years before and after Reagan. Instead, he lays out a new path for a future infused with a sense of intellectual and political possibility.

In highlighting the shift in America's intellectual culture, Brennan makes the case for seeing belief as an identity. As much as race or ethnicity, political belief, Brennan argues, is itself an identity-one that remains unrecognized and without legal protections while possessing its own distinctive culture. Brennan also champions the idea of cosmopolitanism and critiques those theorists who relegate the left to the status of postcolonial "other."

Wars of Position documents how alternative views were chased from the public stage by strategic acts of censorship, including within supposedly dissident wings of the humanities. He explores how the humanities entered the cultural and political mainstream and settled into an awkward secular religion of the "middle way." In a series of interrelated chapters, Brennan considers narratives of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Clinton impeachment; reexamines Salman Rushdie's pre-fatwa writing to illuminate its radical social leanings; presents a startling new interpretation of Edward Said; looks at the fatal reception of Antonio Gramsci within postcolonial history and criticism; and offers a stinging critique of Hardt and Negri's Empire and the influence of Italian radicalism on contemporary cultural theory. Throughout the work, Brennan also draws on and critiques the ideas and influence of Heidegger, Lyotard, Kristeva, and other influential theorists.

Customer Reviews:

Injection of Antidote.......2006-07-31

This is the sober and mature analysis that is so sorely missing from the current political discourse. It deserves a wide popular audience; that the book's deserved audience will be found is not a given. We have slipped far from the standard that is displayed here and, given the sad shambolic state of publishing and the precious nature of contemporary reading culture, one can only hope.

Hardly more than a generation ago, a book of this nature might have been published and promoted by a major independent house and reviewed widely. Today, there is no such thing as a major independent house. We can only be grateful that the author is a professional academic and that hence there remains a publishing apparatus in place that assures this writer a platform.

Not uncoincidently, it is the political culture at the dawn of this very era and what has ensued to which the author has given his attention -- a cannonball into the turbid aether.

The author's proposition that the political far-right and the cultural and academic left have, in the end, much more in common with each other than one might be led to believe by simply taking all of the familiar polemics (theatrical and theoretical) at face value is one that, it is hoped, will begin to garner more attention.

Indeed, each is a self-interested identity group that finds cohesion and security in its own respective system of political belief. Each is exclusionary and steadfastly angles for influence and privilege beneath its own beneficent rhetoric.

Both actually behave as though political democracy is a bothersome obstacle to their ultimate political objectives.

A popular acknowlegment of this proposition could well be a cornerstone of genuine political reform in the U.S. and elsewhere, if such is to eventually ever come.

A book of this quality is not to be missed. It may well gain relevance over time. We should look forward to hearing more from the author. The ability to address real world issues across the political spectrum while bridging the abyss between the acadamy and the public with serious relevance is well-nigh a lost art. This is an admirable effort.

Intellectural View of Politics.......2006-03-09

This book is a very wide ranging look at the political spectrum. In one book he discusses Salman Rushdie's writings and the works of Edward Said, Antonio Gramsci, Hardt and Negri's Empire, Heidegger, Lyotard, Kristeva. In the way the book is written, it is almost presumed that the reader is familiar with these and other writers on our current world culture. As such, this is not a beginner's book. It's appeal, will I believe, be highest in academia as opposed to the rough and tumble world of politics where the title might lead you.

I also believe that the book presents a snapshot view of the political culture when it seems like the far right wing is in absolute control. It is almost a guarantee that American politics swings back and forth. The left leaning years that Roosevelt started have been followed by the Reagan years and now the Bush years where the far right has gained far more power than was neither expected nor can it be expected to continue.

Customer Reviews:

A pocket-size guide easy to use, ideal to carry along.......2001-04-13

This attractive pocket-size guide is an ideal travel companion reliable and full of information despite its light weight and small format. It is easy to use even for non specialists : texts and photographs are clear and thumbnail color outlines of family group allow for a quick identification of birds. However this guide is not meant to be exhaustive : some species are left-out and you won't learn everything about the birds described. But unless you are a true bird specialist you probably won't mind since the 88 species descibed are the most typical of the 102 occuring in the vast region covered (12 countries south of a line running from Kenya and Uganda to Namibia) and you are not likely to meet the remaining 14 species. For each species described the guide provides clear color photographs selected to show the variations associated with age, sex and color form along with illustrations showing birds in flight, distribution maps and an authoritative text describing key identification features. The text also provides some basic background on the birds habitat range, feeding or breeding habits. Ideally this guide could be used in combination with another pocket-size guide dealing with birds in general such as Ian Sinclair's "Photographic guide to birds of southern Africa".

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