Book Description
"It is not the lack of time that crushes our family lives, it is the lack of presence, stricken as we are with the tasks, anxieties and guilt of being in a family. But in between what we all struggle with: the parenting, spousing, cleaning up, working, and carving out a minute or two for yourself, how do you give yourself to your children in the conditions you find yourself in? This is how: by being present--not in every moment (we're tired enough!)--but in key activities such as play, spiritual discussions, tender physical attention and little daily rituals that can see us through the pace of life today to a strong, coherent, lived family life."
Gina Bria knows how to talk to families and make them listen and think. With a tone that is at once authoritative and compassionate, she gives us the steps for creating families that withstand the pressures of modern society. The key is to create a personal family culture around the domestic rituals associated with family, such as making your home your true haven from the outside world, really understanding how to play with your children and in your marriage, caring for each others' bodies--young and old, and finding a spiritual path to travel together. In essence, Bria shows us how to assign particular and special meaning to the everyday tasks that make up our home life and in so doing, build a family that can withstand the daily example of conformity, rejection and disillusion.
Customer Reviews:
Angel in Orvieto.......2005-08-08
Gina Bria, the ritual anthropologist, appeared in Orvieto, Italy, on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, in the spring of 2005, and declared, "The swallows are gathering."
It was an auspicious moment which filled the town with great scholars from around the world contemplating eschatological wisdom, and gifted theatre professionals from New York and Italian stages united in the re-creation of "Mystery Plays" from the 13th Century through the streets. There were many locals, only a few tourists and a few devotees of Luca Signorelli, whose exquisite paintings on the ceiling of the Duomo are as thrilling as his work in the Sistine Chapel in The Vatican, alongside that of his friend and colleague, Michelangelo.
My wife, Chantal and I were among the Signorelli devotees tracing my maternal ancestry.
Gina Bria appeared to us late one night as we followed the actors in rehearsal winding through the darkened streets and alleys of Orvieto. Unlike the actors, the light emanating from her was not a reflection of hand-held stage lights. It was an unmistakable rich, angelic glow of love and peace. During the week that followed many were touched by her angelic light.
That very glow also emanates from the pages of her book, THE ART OF FAMILY, and is, probably at this very moment, inspiring someone with the radiance of its words. Take the time to read this; you, and your family, will be enriched by it.
Ange Lobue, MD, MPH, BSPharm
A wonderful, heartwarming book for families and singles!!!.......1999-06-18
I have the pleasure of working with Gina in a children's program. I enjoy my time with her and was happy she put her wisdom into a book for me to have at all times. I have given this book to my sister and my friend who is pregnant for the first time. I recommend not only to people with families but to people like me whose friends are family. The book added a quality and richness to my everyday life. How I interact with people is forever changed...
i loved this book :).......1999-03-04
I had never been a true believer in marriage or family until i happened to pick this book up during a 30 minute break that i had at work. I savored every sentence and saw my emotions rise up. This book brought me to the realization that love/marriage/family are all part of us and they need to be nurtured/adored/respected as such. Not only did my views of marriage change from this book, but i am now engaged to be married!
Gina's style of writing is excellent and i hope she is writing more books!
Thought-provoking and insightful........1998-10-22
The Art of Family is one of the most thought-provoking and insightful books I've ever read. Through delightful, sometimes funny, and often poignant stories the author demonstrates how incorporating rituals, imagination and spirituality into everyday living can make for a fuller and richer family experience. This is a book I savored. Each paragraph gave me moment to pause and reflect. I have recommended this book to my friends, family members, and to those with whom I work. Everyone can get something out of this book.
The Art of Family is a gift of love!.......1998-06-30
While reading this book, you'll wish, like I do, that you were luckly enough to have the author in your own family, so inspirational are her stories! But she doesn't write a "formula" to happier family lives--instead, she describes with wit and much love the kinds of rituals, events, and attitudes that help families and their members create meaning for themselves, for entire lives. Using her unique perspective and her anthropologist's training in observing people, she blends the wisdom of her own experience (and those of her family and friends) with her knowledge of other cultures and traditions, from which we can learn a great deal. This book's hilarious and touching examples have given me the courage to actively contemplate and begin planning how my family's life together can be richer and more rewarding.
Book Description
In this pioneering book, Irwin M. Wall unravels the intertwining threads of the protracted agony of France's war with Algeria, the American role in the fall of the Fourth Republic, the long shadow of Charles de Gaulle, and the decisive postwar power of the United States. At the heart of this study is an incisive analysis of how Washington helped bring de Gaulle to power and a penetrating revisionist account of his Algerian policy. Departing from widely held interpretations of the Algerian War, Wall approaches the conflict as an international diplomatic crisis whose outcome was primarily dependent on French relations with Washington, the NATO alliance, and the United Nations, rather than on military engagement.
Wall makes extensive use of previously unexamined documents from the Department of State, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and heretofore secret files of the Archives of the French Army at Vincennes and the Colonial Ministry at Aix-en-Provence. He argues convincingly that de Gaulle always intended to keep Algeria French, in line with his goal to make France the center of a reorganized French union of autonomous but depen- dent African states and the heart of a Europe of cooperating states. Such a union, which the French called Eurafrica, would further France's chance to be an equal partner with Britain and the United States in a reordered "Free World."
In recent years the Algerian War has reclaimed its place in popular memory in France. Its interpreters have continued to view the conflict as a national, internal drama and de Gaulle as the second-time savior who ended French participation in a ruinous colonial war. But by analyzing the conflict in terms of French foreign policy, Wall shows the pivotal role of the United States and counters certain political myths that portray de Gaulle as an emancipator of colonial peoples. Wall's interpretation of the Algerian conflict may well spark controversy and will open important new avenues of debate concerning postwar international affairs.
Customer Reviews:
The International Angles of an Insurgency.......2007-02-07
Professor Wall's book is not so much about the Algerian national struggle against France, per se. Indeed, the Algerian National Liberation Front receives only passing attention in the book. (If you want a book on the Algerian insurgency, I recommend of course Alistair Horne's book.) Rather, Wall's focus is on the American effort to manage its relationship with France, and beyond France with NATO, despite the strains put on those ties due to the war in Algeria. As such, this is a diplomatic history, and it is a very good one. It is much less involved and less biographical than David Halberstam's "Best and the Brightest" about Vietnam, but both authors excel at explaining how policy is developed and implemented. Wall's book has the advantage of covering topic very few English speakers know much about.
Professor Wall's meticulous research through secret reports from 45 - 55 years ago shows how American leaders and diplomats tried to synthesize an approach that loyal to American principles calling for self-determination in the Third World without undermining a French ally determined to keep its prized colony. He explains how the Americans carefully weighed their political support to the French in venues such as the United Nations to help prevent the French Fourth Republic from collapsing under international condemnation. His description of the confrontations between France and newly independent Morocco and Tunisia, and how the U.S. intervened to prevent the Algerian conflict from spreading or pushing the moderates in Tunisia to bail and turn to the USSR and Egypt's Nasser are revealing. Later Wall assesses carefully the changes when DeGaulle came to power in 1958, putting forward a relationship in DeGaulle's mind between the sustained French effort to hold onto Algeria and French support for the American-led NATO alliance.
This is not a detailed assessment of broader French or American foreign policy; its focus is very much the friction between the U.S. and France over the conflict in Algeria. However, for those interested in seeing how day-to-day diplomatic work is undertaken, the readouts of once highly secret meetings between ambassadors, presidents and foreign ministers is rich indeed.
I found the writing and presentation easy to understand. My only problem with the text itself was the many names of officials in the U.S., France, Britain, the USSR and in North Africa. A glossary of names and positions attached to the text would have made tracking who was driving an issue against whom a bit easier to follow.
Was de Gaulle as arrogant as he appeared?.......2002-06-20
The material is well researched & the story is told with tightly reasoned clarity & in lucid prose. The specialized subject is covered in great depth, and Dr. Wall's backward look at the events of the late 50's & 60's is of great help in sorting them out. Their interest is further enhanced by contemporary tie-ins such as the Arab world & the Middle East today, & by their association with the American tragedy that was Viet Nam. I particularly enjoyed the analysis of motivation & intent of the western politicians & de Gaulle. The irony of all that careful planning & diplomacy, which came to nothing, yet, everything seemed to work out for the best anyway. So de Gaulle appears a seer & it's better to be lucky than smart.
Competent, kind of dull.......2002-05-23
Irwin Wall's book on American relations with France during the Algerian war of independence is a sequel to his book on how America supported (and manipulated) France during the Fourth Republic. It is not as interesting as that book, but it provides a workmanlike overview of the problem. It shows the Eisenhower Administration in its best light (it has much less to say about Kennedy). Overall Eisenhower was an intelligent man, much more so than was thought at the time, and he was personally decent, in striking contrast to most of his successors. But his administration was deeply unimaginative and unsympathetic and his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, was extremely narro-minded and dogmatic, very bad qualities for a diplomat. Notwithstanding these problems, the Americans soon realized that the French could not suppress the FLN and that ultimately autonomy and independence were inevitable. Here Eisenhower and Dulles are in their best light, tactfully offering advice to a French government that will not lessen, not (for once) being hoodwinked by the claims of the French to be fighting communism, and making their own contacts with the FLN. They are properly angry over the British-French-Israeli aggression at Suez, and understandably disturbed over the French attack on Sakiet, Tunisia, where it is not clear whether the army or the government is in control. Given the unreliability of the government they decide that it would not be that bad an idea for De Gaulle to take power and inaugurate the fifth French Republic.
Much of this book narrowly reads the available diplomatic materials and often reads as a paraphrase of rather inconclusive discussions between the Americans, the French and the British on such questions as Algeria, trying to revamp NATO to increase French power (unsuccessfully), and the question of a French nuclear deterrent. Wall does have an important new thesis: in contrast to the hagiography around De Gaulle, he argues that the president did not in fact plan in 1958 to eventually give Algeria independence, but in fact wanted to keep it as French as possible. Unfortunately for the reader, the book is more than half over by the time he encounters this. The thesis is interesting and is certainly plausible; De Gaulle did appear to wish to cover Algeria in new euphemisms for dependence. And if true, it would mean that De Gaulle prolonged the war with worse results than if the government had stared down the military rebels in 1958. Still it is not definitive, since De Gaulle spoke different things to different people. Wall's verdict on De Gaulle's foreign policy is largely negative, since he achieved very little. Wall does make the interesting comment that by concentrating on the prestige item of nuclear weapons, De Gaulle failed to modernize conventional forces which would have made France more effective in a post cold-war Europe. One problem with this book is that Wall is somewhat repetitive. Another, and more serious problem, is that one learns relatively little about the partner in America's negotiations. The contrast with Walter Lafeber's The Clash on Japan, or Piero Gleijeses' Shattered Hope on Guatemala, or Neil Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie on Vietnam is striking. There is some interesting information on France; there is much less, however on Algeria itself.
Not this time!.......2002-02-02
Why can't American Marxists leave Marxist interpretations to Frenchmen? Tbey are much better at it.
Average customer rating:
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A History of World Societies: From 1100 to 1815
John P. McKay ,
Bennett D. Hill , and
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Customer Reviews:
Very interesting.......2004-05-25
I had to use this book as a course textbook for a college class last semester. One of the things that I really liked about this book is that it is very interesting; it really presents history in a fascinating way - one that draws you into it as you read. However, one of the bad things I found is that with this approach, it is very difficult to read to find specific information (although the quite-extensive index does definitely help). If you want a book you can skim, I wouldn't recommend this one - yet if you have the time to really delve deep, I would recommend it.
Book Description
AN OUTRAGEOUS AUTOBIOGRAPHY PUBLISHED TO COINCIDE WITH THE MIRAMAX FILM STARRING DREW BARRYMORE, GEORGE CLOONY, AND SAM ROCKWELL, DIRECTED BY GEORGE CLOONY
Suspense, excess, danger and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris' unlikely autobiography -- the tale of a wildly flamboyant 1970s television producer, better known as the infamous host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris allegedly spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA.
Barris, who achieved tremendous success as the creator and producer of hit TV game shows such as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, claims to have joined the CIA as an agent in the early 1960s, infiltrated the Civil Rights movement, met with militant Muslims in Harlem, and traveled abroad in order to kill enemies of the United States.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is now a movie directed by and starring George Clooney, with Sam Rockwell as the author, but the original story is wild and gripping, spiced with intrigue, sex, bad behavior and plenty of great one-liners. It is destined to become a classic.
Customer Reviews:
Confessions of a fantasizing mind...........2005-11-30
Some fantasize what they would do if they win the lottery and some fantasize being a hitperson for the CIA.
One should most likely take this book with a few grains of salt. Even if it isn't true it is still entertaining. Quick reading.
the big question.......2005-10-14
Very good and interesting but of course I am a Chuck Barris fan. It is especially interesting to read the book and see the movie in the same week. The BIG QUESTION of course is: is it true or another Barris Production? And reading the book will still keep you guessing. I have a BA degree in Psychology and JD degree in law and still I cannot figure out if it is fiction or non fiction - the only disappointment I had was (after reading his first book) I wanted this book to be longer AND I wanted updated material and to know more about Penny (his wife). I hope he writes again!
Interesting - Regardless of the truth..........2005-01-17
Forget whether or not it's real. It's a good yarn that is convincingly told. Funnily enough, the parts of the story that concentrate on his role as a CIA agent are probably less interesting than his life as a gameshow producer and his own inability to be content with anyone or anything.
"The Homicide Game".......2004-12-12
I saw the movie "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" first and then I read the book. As interesting and well made as the movie is, the book is actually better. I was a regular viewer of Mr. Barris's television programs and watched them quite a bit when I was growing up along with millions of other boomers.
It is a strange leap from producing "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" to being a contestant in Barris' real life version of "The Homicide Game." Yet, this is precisely what this story from Mr. Barris asks the reader to believe. Yet something in the back of my mind tells me that it is not actually all that difficult to imagine Mr. Barris actually saying, "And now here's a prize selected especially for you. It's a three-eighty hollow-point!"
I always thought Chuck Barris did not deserve all the vile and spiteful things that were said about him during his television producer days by critics and so-called media experts. He was just giving America what it wanted. Compared to the infantile sitcoms of the day, his game shows were far more mentally engaging. The first book I read by Barris was "The Game Show King: A Confession" and I was amazed at how well he wrote. But then again, this is a well educated, well traveled mature man who has lived life above and beyond the everyday Joe since 1965, so I should not have been as surprised as I was. "Game Show King" is a better insight into his complex and fascinating personality than "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and does not get into the CIA angle at all.
That Barris is just plain wired differently from normal people is obvious to anyone who ever saw "The Gong Show." However accepting that what he wrote in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" could all be true is certainly a stretch. Yet Mr. Barris is clever enough to make his story very convincing and extremely entertaining. There are very few clues here that he could be making the entire thing up, but they are there for informed readers. For only one example, he writes about CIA operations which happened in the USA. Of course, this is specifically forbidden by law and they simply wouldn't do that. They would get the FBI to do it. There are other very minor details that are also questionable.
The true mystery of this book and its sequel "Bad Grass Never Dies" isn't whether or not the CIA angle is true. The real mystery is that since Barris doesn't need the money why does he bother to write these books at all? As of yet his true motivation remains a mystery, but I wouldn't be surprised if his next book is about why he wrote the "Sunny Sixkiller" books. I've seen him interviewed and he's been extremely evasive when directly questioned on the story's validity. None the less, this is one very enjoyable book that I had trouble putting down and finished in no time flat. I was left wanting more. I really enjoy Barris's writing style. I think he could have been an everyman's Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming if he'd really wanted to be. Instead of carving a literary legacy for himself, he will be remembered primarily as "Chuckie-Baby" Barris, the apparently deranged master of disaster on "The Gong Show." This is a pity as he writes so well. The ending of this book is really very good. The ending of the film it is just not as good. I would have enjoyed reading an entire "Sunny Sixkiller" series if he had written one.
Refreshing and Intriguing.......2004-10-18
Though I read this account two years ago, I still vividly recall of my impressions. This is not a book you soon forget. Though some say this is hype or improbable, I found it believable and think it was accurately written (however,I am sure certain details were left out). Mr. Barris makes no apologies for his behavior, which I found particularly interesting because to do what he did one would have to be able to be an emotionless sociopath or psychopath. He is obviously highly intelligent and for someone who created many of the game shows we still watch 40 years later, this was the ultimate game! Anyone who favors the genre of murder mysteries or finds True Crime intriguing, would not want to pass up this book. I also think those in law enforcement and the psychology professions would gain insight into the motivations of a hired killer.
If you enjoyed the movie, the book is much better!
Book Description
Previously unpublished eyewitness accounts and battle reports German, British, and Dutch archive material published for the first time Controversial reassessment of the whole campaign Here is a unique reassessment of the Hundred Days and a powerful analysis of the epic confrontation at Waterloo. The first of two volumes, this study is a thoroughly researched examination of the opening moves of the campaign from a new perspective based on evidence never before presented to an English-speaking audience. Hofschrer arrives at far-reaching conclusions about the controversial theory that the Duke of Wellington deceived his Prussian alliesand all subsequent historians of the campaign. By presenting events from the perspective of the Germans, the author undermines the traditional view of the campaign as one fought out by the French and the British and reveals the crucial role of troops from Prussia and the German states.
Customer Reviews:
German victory at Waterloo.......2007-03-17
Peter Hofschroer is by no means alone in his effort to set the historical record straight about Waterloo. Alessandro Barbero, professor at Piedmont University, makes it very clear in his book "The Battle, a New History of Waterloo," that Wellington was at the brink of being trounced by Napoleon when Bluecher came to his rescue and defeated the French. The British version of this historical battle misrepresents these facts. It celebrates Wellington as the great field marshal who saved Europe, when in fact it was Bluecher's forces that put an end to Napoleon's ambitions of a French dominated continent.
A nice change but to one sided to be an all rounder.......2001-12-09
This book is strong in its detailing of Prussian action, strong in investigating any mistakes that the British may have made but like most axe-grinders weak in describing anything that upsets his theory.
I can name countless examples of minor 'attitude' mistakes which include such delights as Prussia mistaken for Germany ( it is not a foregone conclusion that a greater Germany would form at this point and a lot of the Germans appear to hate Prussia anyhow but of course if the forces were split by country then the author would not be able to produce his tabloid headline to sell his book tsk tsk )
A complete refusal to view Prussian attitudes for what they were - example Prussia starts mobilising for war AGAINST Britain,Autstria and France ( because Britain still invlolved against america) 2 days AFTER these 3 make a secret defensive alliance and the author states how horrified Prussia was at this terrible action????? bizarre attitude.
French aggression is frequently mentioned yet Napoleon only actually started 2 wars ( however many he 'helped' ) and Prussian eagerness to avenge the 'Sufferings' on their nation are even more frequently mentioned yet its fairly clear that revenge for the embarrasment of losing was more of a motivating factor.
The most obvious and regretable part of the book lies in his ignoring of any evidence that counters his claim. A major example lies in his statement that Bourmonts defection made no difference to the campaign as the Prussians knew all Napoleons plans anyway. No mention is made of the fact ( bar a sentance later commenting on Gerards late arrival ) that he commanded the advance division of Gerards corps and his disappearance delayed Gerard almost half a day and that had this defection not occured the early engagement at Gilly would have been lost and Ligny would have started earlier and hence the campaign would probably have been lost. I know Historians should avoid what ifs but this statement is obviously ignored because it removes glory from the magnificent Prussian rear guard action.
On a positive note his description of the battles themselves are superb and well written and his destruction of Wellingtons attempts to cover his early mistakes in the campaign that caused the Prussian defeat are well documented and eye-opening ( Wellington shows himself to be almost a good a propagandist as Napoleon ) it is just a shame that his lack of accuracy whenever anything might tarnish the glory of Prussian arms and to quote his own book (replace de Ros with the author ;) )"if de Ros's account is inaccurate regarding this final comment, can it be trusted at all"
A Refreshing viewpoint.......2000-10-28
This book along with the second volume " The German Victory" seems to have touched a nerve ending among many readers.
The book covers the overall situation in Europe before Waterloo, the fragile coalition between the Allies, the fighting around Carleroi, Franses and of course the dual batlles of Ligny and Quatre Bras. Peter Hofschroer writes almost entirely from a Prussian perspective which is refreshing but at times a little frustrating (as I would have liked a bit more French input). He tries to convince the reader that the Waterloo Campaign was more of a German/Prussian victory than a British one based on the make up and numbers of the Allied forces that actually fought in the campaign. He also pulls no punches on the Duke of Wellington's performance in the opening rounds of the campaign and concludes from the evidence of his research that the Duke deceived his Prussian Allies into fighting at Ligny when he knew he could not offer any support.
I enjoyed reading this book which I found to be thoroughly researched and thought provoking and also made good use of maps. Peter Hofschroer has certainly come up with an interesting alternative view point which may polarize the way many people view how the Waterloo Campaign was won.
Vorwarts, Deutschland!.......2000-07-06
All authors, historians, and enthusiasts have their bias, prejudices, and favorite subjects. This is no secret, but it does not stop the conscientious researcher/historian from printing both 'good' and 'bad' information in a study, paper, or book.
Let me pause here to say, in all fairness, that the author and I have corresponded obliquely on different Napoleonic topics, and we neither agree nor do we get along. That, however, has nothing to do with the merits of this volume.
This book does concentrate on the Prussians, and other Germans, but it does so warts and all. Perhaps it is high time somebody does, for if the Prussians hadn't arrived on the field, Wellington would have been beaten, he as much as admitted it later. The author has no problem discussing unpleasant topics, such as the Saxon mutiny against the Prussians before the 1815 campaign began. His research is meticulous, he presents his subject very well, and he is enthusiastic about it, shcih to me is very important.
I was somewhat disturbed by the vehemence and prejudice that some of the reviews here have expressed. This book, and its sequel, have much to say, have been well-researched, and belong in every Napoleonic enthusiast's bookcase. This isn't 'revisionist history' in the sense that it is trying to change results or that it is making something up. It is a valiant attempt at deeper research that has succeeded, and succeeded quite well. This book, and its companion, have set a benchmark that all subsequent works on the subject will have to meet.
Looking at history - fact or Sharpe?.......2000-04-27
I have to admit to knowing Peter Hofschroer for about 20 years,but then we all have our crosses to bear! Seriously, in all the timeI have known him, Peter has been a stickler for accuracy and sourcing. I also have little interest in Waterloo per se, but that probably qualified me to look over the drafts. Peter took on board what was said by myself and others. The end result - and it came as no surprise to anyone who has looked at the Continental material on any Napoleonic campaign - is that a few porkies have been told, things have been distorted and many stories have turned up, which transpire to be based even on documents and stories which first surface years after the event. Closer examination of the regularly repeated tales then shows the clear inconsistencies. So, back we have to go to the original documentation in so far as it exists (and obviously some has gone missing). This was the task Peter set about in the wake of the Hamilton-Williams fiasco. Given HW, I was surprised that one ardent reviewer from Raleigh (who doesn't give his name) describes Peter's book as "amateur historiography that is sadly common in Napoleonic period: long on "data" and short on meaningful synthesis." I suggest he looks at much of the current output on the period. There any reader will find in fact a lot of books that are extremely short on data and long on meaningful synthesis - ie: copying out the more colourful accounts from one side with little hard, checked evidence, the vacuous gaps being filled with something owing its origins more to Sharpe than historical work. It never ceases to amaze me how, 200 years on, there is so much material that hasn't made it into English. Above all, Peter's contribution is to show the Prussian angle, which doesn't appear much anywhere else in English! Only when we have meaningful data can we draw any conclusions. I agree that it is time we had the full French view of these events (Bernard Coppens is giving us plenty on Waterloo itself, but I am sure there is plenty more). Inevitably, in what is an analytical work, the detail can get rather complex and even tedious, but if it wasn't there, wouldn't the criticism be that the author had failed to make his case? You are on a no-win with this. Peter was actually advised by myself and others that getting too bogged in the political run-up would overcomplicate his case and perhaps put off the Sharpe-battle narrative readers, Peter has made his case and like all theories, it must be tested and examined as it makes its way forward. Given the huge numbers of books that appear on Waterloo, it will be interesting to see what follows. Even if you disagree with the conclusions, it should be read if only so that the reader is aware that there is more than the "received wisdom". However, for all those who say Peter is too pro-German , doesn't Wellington come out of rather well, as he was clever enough to put a few over on those daft Prussians and then fool the British too! I'll give it 4-stars to show I am not Peter. END
Book Description
How should education respond to the challenges of an increasingly mediated world? How can it enable young people to become active, critical participants in the media culture that surrounds them? And how can it keep pace with the complex technological, cultural and economic changes that are currently reshaping the contemporary media environment? These are some of the questions that arise in the area of media education ndash; or media literacy, as it is sometimes called ndash; which is gradually becoming recognized as a key aspect of the school curriculum in many countries. This book takes account of recent changes both in the media and in young peoplersquo;s lives, and provides an accessible and cogent set of principles on which the media curriculum should be based, and a clear rationale for pedagogic practice. It outlines how media educators should respond to contemporary social, political and technological developments, and to the changing role and function of education itself. David Buckingham is one of the leading international experts in the field. He has more than twenty yearsrsquo; experience in media education as a teacher and researcher, and has lectured on the topic around the world. Media Education represents a distillation of his key arguments, and an authoritative analysis of the challenges that lie ahead for media educators.
Customer Reviews:
Buckingham's New Book Hits the spot.......2004-03-04
David Buckingham knows media education. This new text combines his vast knowledge of how media education SHOULD work in the classroom with practical theory. I think this is one of THE BEST texts available today!
What I like about this text are the practical examples he provides from his own work and those who work with him. He is also not afraid to be critical of others who claim THEIR way of teaching media education is the ONLY way.
For those of us in the US, this book is the bible; an essential guide for teaching media education and inplementing effective pedagogy.
It you are a novice or someone who has been doing media literacy work for some time, you will find this text invaluable. I highly recommend it. You won't be sorry.
Book Description
A vivid account of America’s first environmental cause célèbre, which illuminates our attitudes toward fundamental questions of growth, development, and our place in nature.
The building of the O’Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the middle of Yosemite National Park–despite the availability of less expensive, less technically challenging, and less politically complicated possibilities–set off a defining controversy in American environmentalism. From the early 1900s to 1913 Americans argued about proposals to dam the Tuolumne River and transform the extraordinary Hetch Hetchy Valley into a giant source of water and hydroelectric power for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a story of intrigue replete with political scandals and suspect tactics played out in the corridors of Congress, in San Francisco’s City Hall and its corporate boardrooms, and in the national media. The colorful cast of characters includes Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and John Muir, as well as a host of political bosses, West Coast boosters, East Coast patricians and publishers, big-business interests, newly formed environmental groups, and the American public.
Simpson also takes us through the building of the enormous dam and the extensive tunnels and aqueducts that carry water to the Bay Area, and the even more controversial hydroelectric project that still fails to deliver the “public” power that Congress mandated and about which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled. He recounts conversations with an array of people currently involved in the ongoing controversy over whether to manage, refurbish, repair, and enlarge the system, or to tear down the dam and restore the valley to its prior splendor. Simpson concludes with a reflection on what all of this reveals about American attitudes toward growth, development, and environmental stewardship.
Customer Reviews:
Forgot the story of the Native Americans of Hetch Hetchy Valley........2006-02-25
The problem with a lot of books written about Hetch Hetchy is that they leave out the original Native Americans of Hetch Hetchy Valley.
The Paiute Indian people were the original owners of Hetch Hetchy, but no one, especially the Yosemite National Park Service, does not want to mention that. Why is that?
Why do stories written about Hetch Hetchy always start AFTER the the Raker's Act. There were Indians in Hetch Hetchy before that. The Native Americans of Hetch Hetchy Valley were Paiutes.
Where is that in the story of Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park? The story of Captain Jim of the Hetch Hetchy Paiutes. The story of Joseph Screech the first European to enter Hetch Hetchy Valley meeting Paiutes there.
In fact here is something the Yosemite National Park Service does want people to know. The original Indians of Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy ended up in Paiute areas.
The truth is out there, but the injustice continues. The history of the true Indians of Hetch Hetchy should be included in all stories of Hetch Hetchy...the Paiutes.
A lively account of controversial battles which continue into modern times.......2005-11-07
After the great earthquake and fire of 1906, San Francisco was in desperate need of a reliable water source - and proposals were made to damn the Tuolumne River and transform the Hetch Hetchy Valley into a giant hydro-electric supply for the city. Others protested the changes to the environment. The two groups sparked one of the biggest controversies in American environmental history, and Damn! Water, Power, Politics And Preservation In Hetch Hetchy And Yosemite National Park charts the conflicts and eventual resolution, from changing attitudes towards growth and water issues to the American public's evolving interest in preservation. A lively account of controversial battles which continue into modern times.
The Waters of Empire.......2005-09-09
Portions of this book will be of great value to anyone interested in the history of the environmental movement, and the shifting political realities that environmentalists have had to deal with over long periods. Simpson explores the history and issues surrounding the Hetch Hetchy dam at Yosemite National Park, which was built to supply San Francisco with water and power even though the site was already protected within the national park. The unsuccessful fight against the dam, which flooded a beautiful valley that was the near-equal to the tremendous Yosemite Valley nearby, was the first major battle conducted by the American environmental movement. Simpson starts with a history of the national park and the twisted politics that resulted in the construction of the dam and its reservoir. This leads to some real insights into environmentalist history in America and the politics of the early 20th century, when the fight for and against the dam took place over several contentious decades.
After this enlightening start, the majority of the book covers the politics and issues behind water and power utilities in modern San Francisco. There is much to be learned here, though the specifics on San Francisco's unique challenges and practices become rather tedious and may not be that enlightening for anyone outside of the region. However, one of the great insights of this book is how San Francisco behaves like an empire, controlling far-away colonies for the extraction of resources that it can't obtain locally, especially fresh water. All of this was accomplished through strong-arm political tactics and flaunting the wishes of both the Federal government and millions of affected citizens. [~doomsdayer520~]
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