Book Description
This Third Edition text is a comprehensive, yet concise, guide to the development milestones of young children. The text offers incredible depth and range in the topics covered. It covers the physical, cognitive, and affective development of children from prebirth through age eight. Development is described in a nontechnical style that provides basic knowledge, informing students of what they can expect and how they can provide appropriate leaning experiences at each stage of development.
Customer Reviews:
IN THE TIME OF THE REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE.......2007-04-05
One of the enduring historical legends of the French Revolution that began in 1789 has been the tendency of historians and others to call the period of the reign of Robespierre, as the presiding genius of the Committee of Public Safety, the Reign of Terror. That the domestic situation in France at the time and, more particularly its position in European politics and the person of Robespierre himself were far more complex than that simple designation has only fairly recently become a serious factor in historical studies of the revolution. The biography under review here is one example of the more reasoned approach to the life and times of Robespierre. Although the author is clearly no admirer of Robespierre he is at least willing to give the devil his due, if only by comparison to the more disastrous policies that more modern `dictators' have had on history. For those, like this reviewer, who see the work of Robespierre, Saint Just and the other workaholic members of the Committee of Public Safety as critical to the lasting effects of the French Revolution, that is as an embryonic Republic of Virtue, this is all that one can ask for.
The author organizes his book around several themes and does a more than adequate job of presenting the social, economic, philosophical, literary and legal positions that influenced Robespierre over his career. Especially interesting and previously unknown to me were the possible influences of freemasonry, illuminism and rosicrucianism on the thought and actions of Robespierre all the way up to his taking of power. At this distance it is hard to tell how important these marginal concepts were but as is well known in revolutionary times all kinds of ideas float and gain a hearing that in more stable times are seen as merely eccentric.
The author also traces Robespierre's career into the law as one of the routes that the self-made revolutionaries of the period saw as a stepping stone to power; Robespierre's early literary and philosophical proclivities particularly his devotion to Rousseau; his rise into the revolutionary leadership as the revolution moved left; his reputation as the `incorruptible' man of personal virtue; his desire to create a reign of virtue highlighted by the cult of the Supreme Being; his personal mental and physical problems and their effect on his thoughts and actions; and, the inevitable controversy over the use of the death penalty and other repression laws to settle scores with very real enemies and mere political opponents. This more well-rounded approach toward his life may not win Robespierre, an admittedly hard character to warm up to, more admiration. However, it has the virtue of at least changing the debate from one of the `axis of evil' to one of a mainly rational approach to the problems confronting French in the early 1790's not the least of which was how to deal with those above-mentioned very real internal and foreign counterrevolutionary plots and military actions. Other men of the times like Danton, Marat and the Hebertists broke their teeth trying to solve those problems as well.
One of the major points that I have tried to develop in my study of the French Revolution is the `popular front' nature of the uprising that has lessons for the situation in France and elsewhere today. As a primer for those who do not know a popular front is a lowest common denominator political bloc of several classes whose interests do not necessarily coincide. The French Revolution as it moved left, a phenomena witnessed in all great revolutions, became less and less of a popular front, as we know it. Robespierre, it is clear, consciously made a decision to find support for his politics in the sans culottes masses of Paris. Others like Marat, the Hebertists and Babeuf also worked that same political vein. What makes Robespierre different in this regard from latter day revolutionaries like Marx, Lenin and Trotsky who were not from the lower classes either was that he was driven by the revolution itself into his position in defense of the lower classes whereas they formed their positions well before hand. That, among other things, may help explain why when he and his supporters were overthrown his support literally evaporated and the denigration of his reputation as a `terrorist' began.
Definitely in the critical tradition.......2006-01-05
Even if this biography of Robespierre is more nuanced than many, it is still written in the critical tradition of studies on the man. While Jordan writes in a manner that does rely on facts (unlike many other, especially past, historians), he tends to put the worst construction on any actions of Robespierre's, and doesn't give him a chance. As I have found to be the case with most English-language biographies of Robespierre, his view of Robespierre and the other revolutionaries can only properly be described as condescending; refusing to seriously consider the circumstances of the times, he judges the actions of the revolutionaries not in context, but with the hindsight of the 20th century.
Jordan clearly brings his prejudices with him in the writing of the book; despite having looked at the facts he still remains mired in the close-minded Anglo-American mindset in which works like the Scarlet Pimpernel have long thrived. Perhaps his views may best be described by the first paragraph of his essay from the collection of essays, Robespierre, edited by Colin Haydon and William Doyle, in which he describes Robespierre as "unworldly, resentful, vain, egotistical, susceptible to flattery, contemptuous of or indifferent to all the social pleasures except conversation, guarded and suspicious... inflexible, unforgiving, ill at ease in public, secretive, stiff and pedantic as a speaker (with an unpleasing and not very powerful voice), lacking the common touch, preoccupied... annoyingly fastidious, adroit and closely focused rather than original, prone to substitute Jacobin rhetorical formulae for logical steps, obsessively self-regarding... etc." He refuses to give credit where credit is due (but for a passage in which he grudgingly admits that Robespierre was not bloodthirsty, but takes every possible opportunity to snipe at the historical figure's character.
That said, The Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre is well-written and an interesting and informative read. Just don't mistake it for a neutral account.
A book that you must read.......2002-08-16
This book is the best political biography book I have ever read. When you read this book you feel that you listen and talk to Robesspirre the incorruptable. For any one interested in this great man and the French Revolution this book is the way to start.
Robespierre presented as misunderstood idealist.......2002-05-10
For all those who consider Robespierre the embodiment of "The Terror" and the personification of all the evils of the French Revolution, this book is not for you. David Jordan presents quite a different take on the self-styled "Incorruptible" and although he presents his case well, it's a familiar technique to make a bad guy look good. There's no doubt that the Thermidorians who were responsible for Robespierre's fall from power were as bad as he was and their hands were assuredly covered in blood. However, that certainly doesn't exonerate Robespierre for the outragous excesses that he and his committee were responible for. Robespierre was a man who's idealism ran amok and who lost sight of the reasons to have those ideas in the first place. His "ends justifying the means" mentality purposely and with great malice led France into the abyss in 1794 and the only way to reverse the trend was for his own quick and ruthless demise.
The false historians who made Robespierre into the only monster of this time are certainly misleading and inaccurate. His contemporaries such as Danton, Hebert, Desmoulins and the rest were hypocrites and deservedly suffered the same fate as most in those days: the guillotine. Nonetheless, their devious behavior shouldn't cloud the fact that Robespierre was as guilty as the rest of them and responsible for many innocent deaths all in the name of his so-called virtue. David Jordan may be somewhat correct in his assessment that, at least early on, Robespierre acted merely for the people and was not interested in his own personal power. Unfortunately, as the Terror continued, Robespierre's magnanimous attitude diminished and was replaced by his ever-growing ego and paranoia. For all of Jordan's arguments regarding this man, one simple fact eludes him totally: the Great Terror ended with the execution of Robespierre and his followers. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
Brilliant, comprehensive and well researched.......2001-04-02
One of the finest and most penetrating studies done on the French revolution as a whole and of Robespierre in particular. Too often readers only gleam their impressions of the period from Dickens and Thomas Carlyle. Then there are pseudo-historians like Stanley Loomis and Otto Scott, who instead of trying to interpret history simply make it up instead. It is so refreshing to read a thoughful, unprejudiced book rooted in facts. I can also highly recommend THE KING'S TRIAL by Jordan, one of the single best history books ever penned.
Book Description
Examining the emergence of the modern conception of free labor--labor that could not be legally compelled, even though voluntarily agreed upon--Steinfeld explains how English law dominated the early American colonies, making violation of labor agreements punishable by imprisonment. By the eighteenth century, traditional legal restrictions no longer applied to many kinds of colonial workers, but it was not until the nineteenth century that indentured servitude came to be regarded as similar to slavery.
Customer Reviews:
Changed my entire view of employment law.......2004-04-05
Steinfeld's book challenges the usual view of the history of American employment law. The usual nutsell account goes: For centuries there was laissez faire; now we at least partly protect worker's rights.
Steinfeld stresses that the at-will rule is a ninetheenth century invention and a radical one at that. He examines the period before the at-will rule to show that the background of modern employment doctrine is the quasi-feudal master-servant relationship, reflected in institutions like 18th century indentured servitude. Steinfeld's achievement is to pull together relatively well known facts and show step by step, how 19th century individualism reacted to prior law by creating the otherwise puzzling body of law known as the at-will rule. A must read for any labor scholar.
Average customer rating:
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The Theory of Stationary Space
Mark Meek
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Chaos & Systems
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System Theory
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Time
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ASIN: 0595339093 |
Book Description
With all that we know about the universe, why are there so many questions that we cannot answer?
If time is a dimension, then why can we not travel in it as we can in space?
Why can no physical reason be found for why the speed of light is what it is? Why, as Einstein told us, is it absolutely constant and is the maximum possible velocity? Why would the speed of light affect the mass of an object and the passage of time? Einstein told us the way the universe operates but did not tell us why.
What about matter? Why is there not just empty space? Matter revolves around two electric charges in the universe but why is there two charges and from where do they originate?
As it turns out, there is a simple model of the universe that answers all of these questions. This model also reveals that the way we perceive the universe is not only because of what it is, but because of what we are.
Download Description
With all that we know about the universe, why are there so many questions that we cannot answer?
If time is a dimension, then why can we not travel in it as we can in space?
Why can no physical reason be found for why the speed of light is what it is? Why, as Einstein told us, is it absolutely constant and is the maximum possible velocity? Why would the speed of light affect the mass of an object and the passage of time? Einstein told us the way the universe operates but did not tell us why.
What about matter? Why is there not just empty space? Matter revolves around two electric charges in the universe but why is there two charges and from where do they originate?
As it turns out, there is a simple model of the universe that answers all of these questions. This model also reveals that the way we perceive the universe is not only because of what it is, but because of what we are.
Book Description
Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was one of the most influential and popular painters to emerge from the cultural ferment that characterized Vienna at the turn of the century. Yet despite the appreciation of his art, the "real" Egon Schiele has remained elusive. This biography, first published together with Abrams' catalogue raisonné of Schiele's work, offers fascinating insights into the artist's brief and sometimes troubled life.
Basing her text chiefly on firsthand sources, many of them previously unpublished, Schiele expert Jane Kallir provides a vibrant account of the artist's childhood and early adulthood, his turbulent encounters with Vienna's patron class, his sexual escapades and imprisonment on a morals charge, his ultimately disappointing marriage, and his premature death at the age of 28. Interwoven with the story of the artist's life is a balanced presentation of his art-the mature and relatively placid pieces together with the turbulent Expressionist work-lavishly illustrated with 94 full-color illustrations and 107 duotone plates. Printed on extra-fine paper with extraordinary reproductions, this beautiful volume stands as the definitive biography of Schiele the man and the artist.
Customer Reviews:
The definite sum on Egon Schiele.......2007-04-07
If, like me, you like Egon Schiele, this is the definite work on this great artist. Jane Kallir, through her gallery Saint Etienne, has been the leading authority on Schiele in the United States for many years, and her text is an irreplaceable contribution to the understanding of his oeuvre. As far as I know, this is the best book available on the artist and, unless you have a Schiele drawing hanging over your bed, or a painting by him hanging in your living room, there is no better way to enter his world than to open and savor this wonderful art book.
Beautiful.......2004-01-17
Great buy--Just trust me. If you like his work--you will have much to indulge in. Ah Schiele--the original tortured artist--"In the name of art I will endure to the end!"
Average customer rating:
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Somatic: The life and work of Egon Schiele
Catherine Owen
Manufacturer: Exile Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
British
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| 20th Century
| Classics
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| General
| Historical
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| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
ASIN: 1550962345 |
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Shadow of the Dragon: Vietnam's Continuing Struggle With China and the Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy
Henry J. Kenny
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Imperialism & Independence
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ASIN: 1574884786 |
Book Description
Shadow of the Dragon examines the long historical cycle of tribute, domination, and independence that has shaped Sino-Vietnamese bilateral relations. After generations of bloody struggle for independence and a slow crawl toward prosperity, Vietnam has reached a crossroads. The Vietnamese can fall back into their historically predetermined fate of kowtowing to their large neighbor, China, or they can continue to stand alone, forging their own developmental path.
Henry Kenny outlines what role the United States can play in encouraging Vietnamese growth and prosperity while protecting U.S. interests and easing the Chinese hegemonic tendency without humiliating Beijing. The analysis addresses potential tinderboxes in the Con Son Basin, the Paracel and Spratly Islands, and the Gulf of Tonkin.
Book Description
The controversial, bestselling book (37,500 hardcover copies sold) that helps define the debate about one of the most important and hotly contested issues facing America: immigration.
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating look at American immigration policy.......2007-01-15
Peter Brimelow's "Alien Nation," despite its reputation to the contrary, is an intensely scholarly book, a fact that reveals itself just a chapter or two in. Loaded with charts and end notes, there are few statements he is unable to document, making this a very worthwhile purchase for those interested in defending the cause of immigration control (as I am).
Brimelow opens with a lengthy introduction describing his own roots as a British immigrant. He quickly dispatches some of the more pedestrian one-liners trotted out by immigration enthusiasts, from simple (and intellectually cheap) allegations of racism to historically inaccurate paeans to American history. With the philosophical piffle out of the way, he goes on at length about the history of American immigration policy; of particular interest is the bit describing the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act, which gave us our present immigration levels, particularly Senator Ted Kennedy's proclamation that the bill would not result in a million or more immigrants flooding American cities every year (more than a million do today, and Brimelow reports briefly on the mendacity and evasiveness of Kennedy's designated immigration aide when questioned about this fact; he also documents how Bobby Kennedy, one of the bill's chief supporters, fell to the bullet of an immigrant who benefitted directly from it).
Brimelow proceeds to dismantle, chapter by chapter, many of the illusions surrounding current immigration policy, addressing its demonstrable consequences on American economics, politics, culture, environment, and social cohesion.
Despite the heavy academic value of the book, Brimelow writes with sufficient sing-song mockery of the open borders lobby, whose weasly self-interested justifications he obviously takes great pleasure in disarming, to make it an interesting read. Some of the early chapters seem to drag on a bit, but once you get rolling, it's hard to put down.
This is a virtual must-read for all people with a stake in the grassroots immigration control movement.
Mostly good. All food for thought.......2006-11-12
I find it interesting that those reviling the book pretty much say "he's a racist bigot" and think that is a response to the ideas raised. I find little or no analysis of what Mr. Brimelow actually says in those rants. Just one example is a series of commments along the lines of "America is a nation of immigrants and has done just fine -- anyone opposed to further immigration is a (fill in the blank) [racist, hypocrite, etc.]"
Brimelow actually goes to great lengths to discuss this issue;
1. ALL nations are nations of immigrants, it's just that their immigration was quite gradual. Even the US (until recently) had a more gradual immigration pattern with periods of time between waves for assimilation.
2. There is currently no "resting period" for the new immigrants to assimilate.
3. There is now an active movement OPPOSED to assimilation (the cultural diversity folks).
4. This lack of assimilation is encouraged by the movement for bilingual education.
(He gives a sadly amusing story of the child of an acquaintance being pushed into classes taught in Spanish (New York City school system) because his first name was "Pablo." This despite the fact that neither he nor his parents spoke Spanish. This little factlet (his not being a Spanish speaker) was something that had not occured to those who in their zeal for multiculturalism were practicing an interesting form of racism.)
5. He then discusses the problems that arise from a failure to assimilate and the political and economic fallout of such.
This idea is further explored in Brimelow's discussion of the difference between "state," "nation," "polity," and other similar terms.
Brimelow discusses many areas of concern: social, political, economic, and cultural -- and many issues within each. For the most part I found his reasoning thoughtful and well-considered. I found particularly noteworthy his discussion of some of the commonly touted (and extremely positive) statistics on immigrant's economic contributions to the U.S. and how those measures are grievously skewed by the way the data is gathered and defined. He gives a detailed cost/benefit analysis of current immigration patterns and comes to very different conclusions.
While I did not agree with all this book says, I found much of it food for thought. Those disagreeing need to do more than name calling. Perhaps actually reading the book would be a good place to start.
Lessons not learned.......2006-04-18
Ten years ago, the paperback edition of "Alien Nation" came out in print. While some of the numbers may be off (the number of illegals doubled from than of 1996) the basic message remains. The Federal government has no interest in protecting the original character of the United States - namely, as a European republic. It has and continued to act against the interests of the race that that carved out a civilization superseding previous European civilizations. Peter Brimelow's book deserves a second reading, particularly in the midst of the current (one-sided) immigration debate that Congress desperately wants to avoid.
There are the myopic many that love tacos, curry and Thai noodles -- the raging cheerleaders of the "open borders" gang. However, they immediately shut up when the sieve that is our current immigration policy allows Middle Easterners to bomb or crash planes into our buildings. They turn a deaf ear to the fact that greedy businesses hire illegals at firesale wages and boost their own profits. Indeed, the strident open border crowd hasn't said anything about the recent massive demonstrations by Mexican flag waving illegal mestizos and non-white Hispanics -- other than "let them all in!". Senators Kennedy's and Javitz's pronouncement of 1965 was proven wrong: America's has dramatically changed and for the worse. The "Irish beer" swilling, taco eating Americans have learned nothing.
For those that protest too much.......2006-02-27
This is my favorite book to stir the blood to the point of boiling. It gets to the heart of the matter. Many facts about laws and policy. You begin to think your a stranger in a strange land, just short of Alice In Wonderland. And as Daffy Duck would say," Its dissspicccabbllle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IGNORANT AND NARROW MINDED IDEOLOGY FOR THE ENLIGHTENED BIGOTS EVERYWHERE!!.......2006-01-08
IN THIS ERA OF GLOBALIZATION WHERE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RULES THE WORLD. DOES AMERICA GET THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST MINDS. YES, THROUGH LEGAL IMMIGRATION IT DOES AND IS TREMENDOUSLY BENEFEITED.ARE THERE MASSIVE PROBLEMS DUE TO ILLIGAL IMMIGRATION. YES, AND IT NEEDS TO BE CHECKED. DOES THIS MEAN ALL IMMIGRATION SHOULD BE STOPPED? AMERICAN COLLEGES,COMPANIES,SOCIETY AND IN THE END THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL SUFFER DUE TO MEDIOCRE PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST. EINSTEIN WAS AN IMMIGRANT 60 YEARS BACK. SO WAS THE FOUNDER OF HOTMAIL FROM INDIA. SHOULD PEOPLE LIKE THAT SHOULD BE RESTRICED SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NON-WHITE AND NON CHRISTIAN? WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE BELOW AVERAGE ENGINEERS,DOCTORS,MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AS LONG THEY ARE NATIVE-BORN AND WHITE? WHAT HAPPENED TO A JOB GOING TO THE BEST PEOPLE INSTEAD OF POLITICAL APPEASING TO THE NATIVE ELEMENTS. THIS EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED 100 YEARS BACKS WITH A STRONG BACKLASH AGAINST THE IRISH AND ITALIANS. WHO WERE FOR THE MOST PART POOR AND UNEDUCATED AND COMPETING WITH THE NATIVES. THEY WERE ALSO DEMONIZED AND DISCRIMINATED AGAINST.WE ALL CAN FORM ALL OWN CONCLUSIONS AND CONFRONT THE INNATE XENOPHOBIA,BIGOTORY AND UNDERLYING BIAS IN A POST 9-11 WORLD REGARDING THESE MATTERS OR CANNOT WE?
Book Description
As the waters of the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain began to pour into New Orleans, people began asking the big question--could any of this have been avoided? How much of the damage from Hurricane Katrina was bad luck, and how much was poor city planning? Steinberg's Acts of God is a provocative history of natural disasters in the United States. This revised edition features a new chapter analyzing the failed response to Hurricane Katrina, a disaster Steinberg warned could happen when the book first was published. Focusing on America's worst natural disasters, Steinberg argues that it is wrong to see these tragedies as random outbursts of nature's violence or expressions of divine judgment. He reveals how the decisions of business leaders and government officials have paved the way for the greater losses of life and property, especially among those least able to withstand such blows--America's poor, elderly, and minorities. Seeing nature or God as the primary culprit, Steinberg explains, has helped to hide the fact that some Americans are simply better able to protect themselves from the violence of nature than others. In the face of revelations about how the federal government mishandled the Katrina calamity, this book is a must-read before further wind and water sweep away more lives. Acts of God is a call to action that needs desperately to be heard.
Customer Reviews:
Where The Real Blame Falls.......2006-12-23
Have "natural disasters" become more destructive ... or has economic development caused this alleged paradigm? Ted Steinberg investigates and confirms what private developers don't want you to hear.
As the population grows and moves to more hazard-prone locales (ocean-front properties in Florida and along California's fault lines), humans are creating a supply-and-demand environment with major catastrophes looming on the horizon. Steinburg digs deep into the annuls of American history to expose how hazard vulnerablility began and continues to this very day. While this book was written pre-Katrina, it eerily foreshadows the 2005 hurricane season and precisely predicted the magnitude of destruction that Katrina leveled on the city of New Orleans.
While this book is heavy on history and research, it is readable even to the average citizen interested in finding out how we put ourselves in danger. Steinburg washes away political-correctness and tells it like it should be in the many topics he covers (impoverished minorities, weather control, and problems between local, state, and federal governments).
This eye-opening book is a must-read for anyone involved in disaster management or concerned about the current state of disaster in the U.S.
Environmental expose' debunks myth.......2006-10-26
Ted Steinberg's sometimes heavy-handed diatribe against the real source of disaster in America (man)debunks the myth that God or nature deserve the blame. The environmental historian's thesis charges that cold-blooded class warfare was and is perpitrated by government and business interests against the dupes who don't know better. His polemic argues that government deception evades moral responsibility, thus natural risks are minimized and more people are actually put in harm's way.
I did enjoy this book, and in light of more recent events, learned from it as well. Part II details the rise of the guarantor state and indicts FEMA (familiar) with gross mismanagement. As another reviewer remarked, the chapters on weather control and the weather service began to lose me. While I recommend the book with some reservations, I appreciate the author's writing style. With a sardonic wit, he reports gleefully that FEMA had been turned into "a dumping ground for political hacks." Thus, Steinberg has created a particularly timely expose' of the abnegation of responsibility and rise of the nanny state.
Cynical, But Thought Provoking.......2006-06-02
When a natural disaster occurs, the focus of the tragedy is a pity for the victims and hope that the survivors can pick up the scraps to continue their lives. While some may attach some blame to Mother Nature, or even God, author Ted Steinberg would argue a different perspective. In his book Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America he wrote of numerous disasters that took place in United States history and attempted to show that they are "complex interactions between the natural world and social and economic forces," as opposed to being natural.
Steinberg's style of writing was helped greatly by his method of organization in the book. It helped to have the subsections within chapters to break down the topics. However, even with this, events may begin to blur together throughout the book, making it difficult to recall any certain disaster with clarity. This may be the result of his tendency to stress his argument rather than the history, which is his main focus anyway.
After the recent disaster from Hurricane Katrina (Which Steinberg's book predates), one may wonder why the people of New Orleans would want to rebuild in the same place that caused such devastation. On one hand, New Orleans is a port city and vital to our economy. On the other hand, New Orleans is below sea level and perhaps building in that location is begging for devastation. This book questions how dilemmas like these are or should be handled and is very thought-provoking for anybody with any political opinion.
However, one of the main downfalls of this book is Steinberg's allocation of blame. While he tries to come off as a politically neutral critic, it is apparent that he isn't fair with assigning blame. All throughout the book, but particularly in his one chapter subsection, Live Free and Die, Steinberg is an apparent lower class sympathizer. While he is quick to assign human responsibility to the government for the disaster, not once does he ever even imply that the lower class is responsible for their poor conditions.
The issue comes up that people living in trailers during a tornado cannot afford to live elsewhere, and therefore they don't have a choice. Should the government then use tax money paid by those who have worked hard to save those who mostly haven't? Steinberg's weakness is that these people did have a choice. The lower class, for the most part, has made decisions during their lifetime that has put them in financial devastation whether it is in education, work, morality, or budgeting. It may seem cold-hearted, but if they can only afford to live in a danger-zone, then they deserve primary fault for a disaster that hits them. In this sense, it becomes clear that Steinberg is not very consistent and is using natural disasters as a tool for socialist activism by attributing wickedness to the "bourgeois class" and capitalism in general.
Credit should be given to Steinberg for his deep thought, nevertheless. As a nation, how are we supposed to handle the forces of nature? Anybody who reads this book will find themselves pondering on the issues of prevention, aide, and the overall role of the government. Is there a difference between natural and man-made disasters? Whatever your opinion is, you will find the arguments stimulating.
Coupled with the rousing nature (no pun intended) of the text is the fact that not much is written on the subject of man and natural disasters in history. For these reasons, perhaps Steinberg's book is a well-suited textbook for a History of Natural Disasters course. However, the argumentative nature should cause readers to take Steinberg's opinion with a grain of sand.
from the city of burning rivers.......2001-02-23
This is a brilliant book -- well-researched, incisive, and passionate. It should inspire all of us to think more deeply and critically about how social oppression manifests itself in the ecosystem.
Essay on Mismanagement of Disaster.......2000-12-28
Ted Steinberg's book, Acts of God, is an interesting look at the handling of natural disasters in America. It shows how natural disasters may arrive from nature (as flood, hurricane, earthquake, drought, etc.) but it is the social and cultural context of American that truly turns these phenomena into disasters. This can result from such things lack of warning due to budget cuts, downplaying the effects of the disaster in order to support boosterism, or controlling relief efforts in way that hurts the poor, elderly or minorities. The unusually high proportion of death and loss of property of people in mobile homes is not, in fact,due to random, natural acts or some perverse vendetta against by natural forces against mobile homes but, instead, by purposeful acts by government and capitilists. These arguments are presented forcefully using examples from throughout American history. On occasion, particulary the chapter on weather control, the arguments can become a little muddied. It is, nevertheless, a fairly powerful indictment of the current system that will result in more disasters than it will prevent.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of the American Planning Association, published by American Planning Association on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 737 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: Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Ann-Margaret Esnard
Publication:
Journal of the American Planning Association (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: American Planning Association
Volume: 69
Issue: 1
Page: 102(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Recommended Books
- Rabbit Ears Treasury of Heroines: Annie Oakley, Song of Sacajawea, Finn McCoul, Princess Scargo and
- Hope Rising: Stories from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams
- Notes of a Dirty Old Man
- Last Puzzle & Testament
- John Shaw's Closeups in Nature
- Introduction to Cake Filtration: Analyses, Experiments and Applications
- On the Run: A Mafia Childhood
- David E. Kelley: The Man Behind Ally McBeal
- Islands at the Edge: Preserving the Queen Charlotte Islands Wilderness
- The Illustrated Six Pointer Buck
Developmental Profiles: Pre-Birth Through Twelve
Meeting the Challenge: Effective Strategies for Challenging Behaviours in Early Childhood Environments
Home, School, and Community
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (Naeyc (Series), #234.)
Early Childhood Education Today (10th Edition)
