The Night Gardener: A Search for Home

Book Description

Through these essays emerges a portrait of a mother, scholar, fly fisher, and gardener living each role with furious passion.

Customer Reviews:

The Storyteller.......1999-12-26

The final chapter of the book captured an image of my great-grandmother that had never been visible to me. I am the great-grandson of Francisca Rodgriquez, and my mother was a childhood friend of Ms. Sandor. As a child I would accompany my mother to visit my great-grandmother, but I have unfortunately never heard her tell me any ghost stories. Her warmth and presence have remained intimately with me. I see the volumes of history and experience in her hands and in her spirit. As a child, I used to play under the tables of her living room and laugh with her dog molly. As I have grown to the age of 19, I feel my maturity opening my eyes to her special place in my heart. It is only now, with the memoirs of Ms. Sandor to inspire me, that I wish to grab a hold of grandma's stories and ensure that as she turns 89 years old, her spririt, wisdom, and love live forever.

Marjorie shares her life with the extended family.......1999-12-23

As a member of a wide extended family, within whose ranks Ms. Sandor grew up, I found this book delightful in its woven tapestry of mysticism and real-life meditations on life's ebb and flow. Her stories evoke a gentle tug on one's spirit, while discussing things as disparate as gardening and fly fishing. I look forward to more of Ms. Sandor's work.

Beautifully written, but self-absorbed and ultimately sad.......1999-10-12

First the good points. She's an excellent writer. The stories are well-told, interesting, and her style is interesting. The personalities of many of the key characters remain obscure, yet we learn a lot about her father, Uncle, and a woman who helped raise her. I thought this was an interesting approach.

But the story is ultimately a sad one. For no apparent reason she leaves her husband to take up with another man. The writing starts to get very dramatic and maudlin. "The summer I fell in love and shouldn't have," is a phrase she repeats often. "But that is his story to tell," she writes about her ex-husband, as if he has the opportunity to write books explaining his side of the story. She ultimately wants to see a woman who once helped raise her, in part because this woman won't judge her.

The whole book left me feeling very sad. Sad for her daughter, he ex-husband, but not for the author, who did it to herself.

Book Description

Keyed to official highway maps, this richly illustrated guide leads the traveler to virtually every principal landmark associated with the war.

Customer Reviews:

Traveler's Guide to the Great Sioux War.......2006-07-29

Superb volume; spent happy hours reading about places we've been lucky enough to visit and reviewing ones still to come if we can ever cross the Atlantic again. Amazon is a fantastic storehouse for books on our favourite subjects.This one is a must as an aide memoire and a forward planner.

On tour of the Great Sioux War sites.......2005-10-11

This little book (only 126 pages) does many different things, all very well, and most better than books many times its size. Hedren has chosen 54 specific historical sites relating to the Great Sioux War and arranged them chronologically, with site 1 being the Grattan Battlefield in Wyoming (commemorating an 1854 incident which helped set the stage for later events) and site 54 being Sitting Bull's grave in South Dakota (he died in 1890). In addition to these 54 "official" sites, Hedren identifies and directs readers to many other related locations nearby.

Each site gets a number (which is also pin-pointed on a map), a brief description of the its significance, and directions to it (also whether it's on private property or not); then follows a longer historical account of the site's role in the War and a number of photographs indicating what a visitor to the site would see. It's a magnificent tool for anyone touring the area (most sites are in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska), but it's just as valuable (and exciting) for anyone interested in the Sioux War who can't leave his livingroom. A great book. Highly recommended.

More than a Travelor's Guide: Great Frame Work of Sioux War.......2002-03-24

This book is fabulous in that in that it not only charts the tour sites of the Great Sioux was with excellent maps, directions and fantastic pictures but also provides excellent mini-histories on what occurred at each site including bios on the main participants. Just reading this book gives you a good historical perspective for the great plains war with chapters that categorize the historical sites by period starting with the Gratten marker in Wyoming. The Gratten monument was for a Lt. and his company that threatened Conquering Bear's village over the alleged theft of a cow resulting in his death and his companies (1856). This book proceeds with sites and histories flowing the Red Cloud War of 1866, through the Little Bighorn Campaign period and aftermath, the summer and winter campaigns. Also includes historical sites after 1877 such as sitting Bull's Canadian sites with descriptions of the sites and pictures. Hedren covers every major historical site from old forts, some of which have been reconstructed and some have actual structures that he describes and has pictures of. You can virtually follow the expeditions of the army or find exact locations of significant village sites. This book adds an extra dimension to any trip as Hedren shows you additional sites, some obscure, right next door to the more publicized sites. A great example is Little Bighorn, just 30 miles away is the pristine Rosebud Battlefield site where Crook encountered the Sioux and Cheyenne in a desperate and critical battle a week before Custer. In addition, the Powder River Battlefield where Crook's forces struck first but lost the initiative in March is just further west of the Rosebud Battlefield. This book provides so much information and easy directions including those that are on private property (includes caution to seek permission) that an adventurous traveler can seemingly so it all in a long week but perhaps two. The book's pictures are better than many books that are dedicated to a specific battle. The pictures of the massive Bear Butte Mountain are incredible as its mass is seen along a flat plain. The also book includes pictures of the main participants and their places of rest. A book that Walter Camp would be proud of as he documented many of these sites almost 100 years ago before they were lost to obscurity. I wish I had this book when I visited the Little Bighorn two years ago; however, there is so much great information I would have had to stay west another week.

Book Description

This book describes how archival data inform anthropological questions about human biology and health. The authors present a diverse array of human biological evidence from a variety of sources including the archaeological record, medical collections, church records, contemporary health and growth data, and genetic information from the descendants of historical populations. The contributions demonstrate how the analysis of historical documents expands the horizons of research in human biology, extends the longitudinal analysis of microevolutionary and social processes into the present, and enhances the understanding of the human condition.

Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition and Genetics in Historical Populations (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology)

Average customer rating:

Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition and Genetics in Historical Populations (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medical | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0521020115

Book Description

Download Description

Many physical anthropologists study populations using data that come primarily from the historical record. For this volume's authors, the classic anthropological 'field' is not the glamour of an exotic locale, but the sometimes tedium of the dusty back rooms of libraries, archives and museum collections. This book tells of the way in which archival data inform anthropological questions about human biology and health. The authors present a diverse array of human biological evidence from a variety of sources including the archaeological record, medical collections, church records, contemporary health and growth data and genetic information from the descendants of historical populations. The papers demonstrate how the analysis of historical documents expands the horizons of research in human biology, extends the longitudinal analysis of microevolutionary and social processes into the present and enhances our understanding of the human condition.

Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition, and Genetics in Historical Populations.(Book Reviews)(Book Review): An article from: Human Biology

Average customer rating:

Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition, and Genetics in Historical Populations.(Book Reviews)(Book Review): An article from: Human Biology
Sara Stinson
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Sweden | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Human Biology, published by Wayne State University Press on February 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1207 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: Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition, and Genetics in Historical Populations.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
Author: Sara Stinson
Publication: Human Biology (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 2004
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Volume: 76 Issue: 1 Page: 163(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The book aims at presenting an exhaustive survey of the applications of Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (ETA-AAS) with Zeeman background correction in a variety of fields. The unique role played by the technique in solving important analytical problems encountered today is highlighted throughout the 29 chapters which make up this multiauthored work. The overall picture that emerges from this collection of contributions testifies to the maturity reached by this instrumental methodology and lays emphasis on its capabilities, still unrivalled for many elements in terms of outstanding detection power afforded and minimal amounts of sample required.

After an introductory chapter reviewing the major milestones of ETA-AAS over the decades, with special regard to the history and theory of the Zeeman effect and its use in background correction, the contributions which follow are distributed into four main categories, deali

Book Description

Wiley-Interscience Series in Systems and Optimization Queueing Networks Customers, Signals and Product Form Solutions Xiuli Chao, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA Masakiyo Miyazawa, Science University of Tokyo, Japan Michael Pinedo, New York University, USA 'Mathematically beautiful and elegant yet has much practical application' - Professor Richard Weber The first mathematical analysis of a queueing problem concerned the use of early telephone switches. Since then, emerging technologies such as those in telecommunications and the manufacturing industry have prompted considerable interest and activity in the field. Much of the current research has been enabled by recent, rapid advances in computer technology making large scale simulations and complex approximations possible. Today, queueing systems play an integral role in the performance evaluation and optimization of computer, communication. manufacturing and transportation systems. Includes:
* Discussion on the fundamental structures of queueing network models
* The latest developments in the field
* Thorough examination of numerous applications
* Exercises at the end of each chapter
* Coverage of queueing networks with signals
* Discussion of future research developments
With the advances in information technology, many networks have, in addition to conventional jobs, signals and messages circulating throughout the system. A signal carries information and instructions and may trigger complex simultaneous events. The objective of this book is to present, in a unified framework, the latest developments in queueing networks with signals, After introducing the foundations in the first four chapters, Chapters 5 through to 8 cover a number of different queueing network models with various features. Chapters 9 to 11 focus on more fundamental structures of queueing networks and Chapter 12 presents a framework for discrete time queueing network models. The text is illustrated throughout with numerous examples. Graduate students in operations research, computer science, electrical engineering and applied mathematics will find this text accessible and invaluable. An essential reference for operation researchers and computer scientists working on queueing problems in computing, manufacturing and communications networks.

Queueing Networks - Customers, Signals & Product Form Solutions

Average customer rating:

Queueing Networks - Customers, Signals & Product Form Solutions
CHAO
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5EXIC

Amazon.com

In 1963, before the law and his drug habit brought the curtain down on the comedian, Hugh Hefner asked then-superstar Lenny Bruce to write his autobiography. Lenny hired writer Paul Krassner to help him edit the book, which appeared in Playboy over the next two years. Though it's uneven, and somewhat dated, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People deserves a look, if only to balance the movie Lenny, which many of the comedian's friends say missed the man entirely. The book is, simply, Lenny Bruce riffing on his life--from a drab childhood in Brooklyn, to stints in the navy and merchant marine, and finally to the nightclub circuit and eventual stardom. Of course, the veracity of any single anecdote is highly questionable, but How to Talk Dirty and Influence People rises above that, revealed as a fascinating expression of how this comedy icon wanted to be seen. Namely, as a rough-and-tumble kid from the streets, as a hustler and ladies' man, and, finally, as a fearless detonator of society's hypocrisy. (Notice that addict and dissolute don't make the list.)

In the movies ... Everett Sloane was a tycoon. He would get his gun off disillusioning Joel McCrea, who wanted to publish a newspaper that would make a statement, and telling him: "M'boy, you'll see when you get old that it's all a game." And I used to think, "No, it's not that way, this cynical old bastard is bullshitting, there are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, the liars and the truth-tellers."
But Everett Sloane was right. There is only what is. The what-should-be never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it. There is only what is.

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People doesn't catch Bruce's charisma and vaguely sinister electricity--no book could--but it is an interesting, lively read. Bruce was one of the first performers to usher in the new, more honest, more permissive, and more indulgent brand of American art. For anyone who wants to understand our comedy and culture, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is well worth reading. --Michael Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Lenny Bruce is Not Afraid.......2007-01-05

I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. Lenny Bruce is an interesting guy and I think it's very insightful just of life and society in general and of all their inconsistencies. Though today, I'm sure, is much different than Lenny's era, most of what he has to say still applies. He can be really funny at times, but I'd say its a darker humor. I remember thinking it dragged just a bit when he gets deep into his legal battle near the end of the book but overall it kept me entertained.

"I am influenced by every second of my waking hour.".......2006-06-03

You could be forgiven for thinking that this book is by Eric Bogosian. Although generally okay, the Fireside edition spends more time talking about Bogosian on the front cover than it does talking about Bruce himself.

Too bad. But luckily for the reader, this book is pure Lenny.

More readable than the transcripts of his performance (since he intended this to be read)-- How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is part autiobiography and part diatribe. Bruce explains, jokes, cajoles and convinces as he writes. This is the story of his life from his birth until 1963 when it was written.

Lenny Bruce is a very important figure in the histories of performance and free expression. This book is a little bit sketchy to be a final remembrance, but is still worth the time and effort that it takes to read. In particular, the beginning sections of the book are magical-- funny, wry and moral. It loses the thread a little bit towards the end, as Bruce is more and more obsessed with the legal wars that he was then fighting on every front. Certainly understandable, but the latter chapters are much less open for the reader and seem to have been written in a much bigger hurry than the rest of the book.

If you are interested in Bruce, this book is a must-read. The Fireside edition is bound with an introduction by the aforementioned Bogosian and with a preface by Kenneth Tynan.

you don't even have to know who he is.......2004-08-16

You don't have to be a fan of Lenny Bruce to love this book, you don't have to really know who he is (I really only know him from a few recordings and by reputation). This book is funny. This book is still a valuable piece of social satire and criticism. This book is an interesting story. This book is a piece of history. This book is great. This book should be read.

A poet posing as a comedian.......2004-07-27

Lenny Bruce may have been the greatest poet of mid-Twentieth Century America, 'though he never wrote a poem, because he did what poets ought to do--make you see, make you feel, make you realize that "the great" did things that they didn't want you to know about. He alienated President Kennedy so much that J. Edgar Hoover was unleashed to pressure local police to bird dog Bruce's nightclub act. The cops would lurk in the back, wait till Bruce said something vulgar, then bust him for obscenity. In court, the fuzz would do Bruce's act so badly that Bruce was convicted for their lack. He beat the rap, at the U. S. Supreme Court, but it took a lot out of his native optimism. He shot up on heroin till he overdosed--assuming it WAS suicide. Remember Marilyn Monroe? What's easier than knocking off a junkie with an overdose? With Oscar Levant and Alexander King, Bruce is one of the three great wits of America at mid-century. Worth your time, because he repays you with insight wrapped in laughter.

Very good read.......2004-07-25

Lenny Bruce was pretty rare in that he always called it how he saw it. No, I don't agree with absolutely everything he says. (After all, no two people can concur on every possible subject) But, he always told the truth as he believed it to be without fear of repurcussion. Bruce did more for the first ammendment than anyone else in the 20th century and strongly influenced later comics such as Richard Pryror, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks.

How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is his autobiography. It reveals how ahead of his time, moral, courageous, humanly flawed, smart, and most of all how funny Lenny Bruce was. The majority of his assaults on how farcial organized religion and American justice can be still hit the mark even after more than forty years of elapsed time. This is counterbalenced by moving stories of his youth, time in the Navy during World War II, his ultimately failed marriage, and other aspects of his personal life. I won't go into too much detail as to ruin the book for others.

Bruce writes in a very concise manner, but not in a way that leaves the material short on content. You can probably finish this book in a day or two, but there's enough food for thought in How To Talk Dirty And Influence People to last for ages.

LENNY BRUCE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY (HOW TO TALK DIRTY AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE)

Average customer rating:

LENNY BRUCE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY (HOW TO TALK DIRTY AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE)

Manufacturer: PLAYBOY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ESNIWA

Average customer rating:

How To Talk Dirty and Influence People

Manufacturer: Playboy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HJP5DQ

Lenny Bruce an Autobiography how to talk dirty and influence people

Average customer rating:

Lenny Bruce an Autobiography how to talk dirty and influence people

Manufacturer: playboy press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HAX6LS

Average customer rating:

Witty, Irreverent and Serious
Some of us STAND when the conversation turns to Lenny Bruce.
Excellent--funny, insightful, inspirational

Lenny Bruce: An Autobiography : How to Talk Dirty and Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: AMS Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0404199275

Customer Reviews:

Witty, Irreverent and Serious.......2005-12-21

This witty autobiography makes for an amusing read. Comedian Lenny Bruce (1925-1966) was irreverent, funny, creative and daring - loved by many, but feared by others. In this revealing book he describes his upbringing, his struggles as a rising comic, and his near-obsessive love for his wife Honey. There's also an amusing yet serious look at his legal troubles on charges of obscenity - Bruce dared to use dirty words in front of audiences that paid to hear him. By today's standards Bruce probably wouldn't raise many eyebrows, but in the early 1960's he was highly controversial. Sadly, Bruce was also a troubled by depression and drug abuse. This book is an amusing and revealing look at a comic rebel.

Some of us STAND when the conversation turns to Lenny Bruce........1998-10-09

HOW TO TALK DIRTY AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE was the first book I originally read in paperback and liked so well I bought a hardbound copy for my permanent library.

To understand the friction--the accumulated sand and dirt in the gears of our forefathers' patriot dream of the new United States of America, "Land of The Free and Home of The Brave"--I recommend "How to" for every thoughtful American's permanent library.

Let us booklovers pray that Lenny Bruce will, like an intangible Ben Franklin, "appear again in a new edition"....

PS: If you read "How to" and would like to share thinking on how to clean out some of the dirt and sand in America's social structures, please check The Center for The Study of Social Structures' site at..

Excellent--funny, insightful, inspirational.......1998-09-04

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is an accurate simulation of a Lenny Bruce show. Both enlightening and entertaining, I damn-near have the entire text highlighted. Pick up a copy and learn from the greatest satirist/social critic/comedian of our time.

Average customer rating:

How To Talk Dirty & Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: PLAYBOY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDU0O8

Average customer rating:

How To Talk Dirty & Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: PLAYBOY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TXM0CO

How To Talk Dirty & Influence People 1ST Edition

Average customer rating:

How To Talk Dirty & Influence People 1ST Edition
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: PLAYBOY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VRUAU2

Average customer rating:

How To Talk Dirty and Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: Playboy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0D2P6

Average customer rating:

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People
Lenny Bruce
Manufacturer: Playboy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TYTJ72

Average customer rating:

An excellent educational text for school or home libraries

"Before they were stars"

Amazing stories about the early years of great generals.

First Command: Paths To Leadership
Dwight Jon Zimmerman
Manufacturer: Vandamere Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

ASIN: 0918339626
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Product Description

Washington, Lee, Grant, Pershing, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton are names recognized by everyone. They are among a select group of American military leaders that rose to the top of their profession and achieved unparalleled levels of greatness. But what was it like for these and other men -- and more recently, women -- at the beginning of their careers, when the path before them often held little promise and contained many obstacles? First Command presents the early exploits of important generals in American history -- pivotal moments in their careers that occurred before the spotlight of fame illuminated their lives. Some of the incidents that shaped these officers were part of landmark conflicts, others are now no more than footnotes in American military history, and still others occurred without the sounds of guns being fired in anger. But in all cases these men and women gained valuable experience and direction. A young adult book suitable for all ages, the book has received advance critical acclaim from historians and education experts alike. A television series, First Command, based on the book, produced by Weller-Grossman Productions is presently being shown on Discovery Channels, who have taken options for additional episodes to be produced in 2006.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent educational text for school or home libraries.......2006-02-11

Written for young adults yet suitable for all ages, First Command: Paths To Leadership by military historian Dwight Jon Zimmerman presents the early deeds of great American military leaders such as Washington, Lee, Grant, Pershing, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Patton, other figures of history up through the modern day, and even accounts of a handful of women who earned leadership responsibilities. Written in plain text and illustrated with black-and-white photographs, First Command explores the tremendous responsibilities that human beings had thrust upon them in times of war, and the courage and sharp thinking that distinguished truly remarkable military geniuses. An excellent educational text for school or home libraries.

"Before they were stars".......2006-02-06

"First Command" is one of those sleeper hit books, where you don't know it has what you didn't know you wanted to know.
A great history book for young adults learning and fleshing out American History, as well as for adults who want to supplement their knowledge or just know more.
Touching on all the major conflicts in American history, "First Command" gives you the moments before the generals you know became well-known; these are the moments that helped them become who they ultimately became: Washington, Grant, Lee, MacArthur, Pershing, Patton, Powell and so, so many more (and two female generals! Would you even have guessed, would you have known?!)
There was also a Discovery Channel show based on this, on their Military Channel. Check it out! (both versions!)

Amazing stories about the early years of great generals........2005-10-28

I am the author of the book. The reason I'm writing this review is that there seem to be some glitches getting all the information about it posted. We know what it was like for George Washington, Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower and other generals at the pinnacle of their careers. But what was it like for the men and women generals at the beginning, when the path before them often held little promise and contained many obstacles? First Command shows that these great military leaders, men and women of all races and creeds, had to start out just like everyone, facing many challenges and many unknowns. And it reveals through their diversity of background and experience that the opportunity for success is available to everyone. Obviously, I think this is a book you'll enjoy. But you don't have to take my word for it. We sent advance reading copies to a number of people. Here is what they said:

James M. McPherson: "A splendid book. The reader will come away with admiration for these remarkable individuals and greater understanding of America's wars. I commend First Command to readers of all ages."

Philip Caputo: "I found First Command to be engaging, interesting, and really captivating. There was a great sense of discovery reading it."

Thomas Fleming: "This is a highly original book, backed by solid research."

Jeanne M. Holm, Major General, USAF (Retired): "Employing a skillful blend of history, biography, and story telling, Zimmerman focuses on pivotal events in the early careers of some of America's most illustrious generals. A remarkable book."

Average customer rating:
The National Security Constitution: Sharing Power after the Iran-Contra Affair (Yale Fastback Series)
Harold Koh
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Civil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Civil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

War and Responsibility: Constitutional Lessons of Vietnam and Its Aftermath

The Powers of War and Peace: The Constitution and Foreign Affairs after 9/11

Presidential War Power

Foreign Affairs and the United States Constitution

The Constitution in Wartime: Beyond Alarmism and Complacency (Constitutional Conflicts)

ASIN: 0300044933

Average customer rating:
The National Security Constitution: Sharing Power After the Iran-Contra Affair
Harold Hongju Koh
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS4FJK

Book Description

The human impulse to religion--the drive to explain the world, humans, and humans' place in the universe - can be seen to encompass environmentalism as an offshoot of the secular, material faith in human reason and power that dominates modern society. Faith in Nature traces the history of environmentalism--and its moral thrust--from its roots in the Enlightenment and Romanticism through the Progressive Era to the present. Drawing astonishing parallels between religion and environmentalism, the book examines the passion of the movement's adherents and enemies alike, its concern with the moral conduct of daily life, and its attempt to answer fundamental questions about the underlying order of the world and of humanity's place within it.

Thomas Dunlap is among the leading environmental historians and historians of science in the United States. Originally trained as a chemist, he has a rigorous understanding of science and appreciates its vital importance to environmental thought. But he is also a devout Catholic who believes that the insights of religious revelation need not necessarily be at odds with the insights of scientific investigation. This book grew from his own religious journey and his attempts to understand human ethical obligations and spiritual debts to the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

Faith in Nature.......2004-07-18

First of all, Dunlap does not approach this necessarily from an "anti-environmental" viewpoint, (nor does he seem to have any radical agenda) but from a (limited) historical and cultural perspective. Dunlap uses William James's definition of religion (and the Hebrew Thought approach), though Websters defines religion as:
1) man's expression of his his acknowledgment of the divine; or
2) a system of beliefs and practices relating to the sacred and uniting its adherents in a community; or

3) something which has a powerful hold on a person's way of thinking, interests, etc. (is beer my religion?)

To Dunlap, "religion is how we make (ultimate) sense of our lives in the context of the universe", and he seems to support the possibility that any ideology or world-view can be thought of, and even benefit from, a religious approach. He uses sources from his own (devout) Catholic background to selectively define words such as "spirituality" (why not just use the dictionary), and litters the text with loaded language (preach, spirit, scripture, sacred, beliefs, etc.) that does nothing to justify assertions (because they can be inserted in critique of any ideology, movement or cause). For example, without adequate explanation or clarification, he says "people hung prints (of Ansel Adams)....in much the same spirit and...fervor as immigrant Catholics placing the Sacred Heart of Jesus..." (why was it similar, and why is this different than hanging a picture of MLK, or any other "honored" person, place, or thing), and states that action was needed to incorporate a quest for "scriptures" that expressed (environmentalism's) deepest convictions (as if there was a call to an environmental saint to write it all down). To his credit, he uses numerous endnotes, quotes, and references (though many are dubious in relationship to what environmentalism really "seeks" or how they support any but the broadest assertion).

As a limited historical documentation on the origins of the American environmental movement alone, this often disjointed account might be worth a read, and a few valid "similarities" between religiosity and environmentalism are presented; however, the fundamental assertion that "environmentalism is a religion" is not backed up by any significant compelling evidence (perhaps only if one is *very* loose with what constitutes religion). In his flawed analysis, Dunlap subscribes to notions such as "faith in science", a "Marxist faith", and even says that Steven J. Gould (among others) "argues" that "science is all we need", something that was certainly not SJG's position at all. He states that there was the need for an "environmental myth" (to form a coherent vision to counter incompatible modern environmental enlightenment and blind consumptivism, and because of some of the movements failures) that was played out by things such as exclamations about our bodies feeding the earth's cycles, the Good of saving the plant, and Evil destruction of nature's processes.

In short, his knowledge of American environmental history is deep, while his conclusions are forced. He asserts that environmentalists seek to answer ethical/moral questions (OK), and environmentalism is a religion because:
-*certain people* involved in the movement *have used* religious terminology;
-*some* view wilderness (as a state or place) as sacred, and the real connection (ecological, evolutionary, etc.) we actually have to the natural world is manifested in some as a "spiritual" connection;
-some seek to evangelically educate people and influence public behavior to change habits known to be detrimental to the biosphere; and
-most say humans are not the only important thing on the planet, and challenge anthropocentric assumptions.

Apparently to Dunlap, all of these "ideas", and more, prove that environmentalism seeks to find answers to basic religious questions (we came from and are a part of the earth), holds a belief in the sacred (i.e. wilderness as a temple) that results in worship of nature (road trip in the fall to "wild" New Hampshire to pray before the multi-colored maples), and tries to "convert" those that don't agree.

Worst of all, the book is "Amerocentric" in it's focus (barely touching on Europe and nothing about any other part of the world where environmentalism is a significant force), glosses over such fundamental complex issues such as those apparently confused religious environmentalists (Buddhists, Native Americans, Rev. John: Greenpeace member), fails to provide a coherent explanation as to what prayers, ceremonies, codes, scriptures, etc (all basic to any religion) Environmentalism as religion is based around, and does not even discuss his fundamental assumption (or methodology in religious analysis) as to why Marxism, science, atheism, capitalism, (ad infantum) may also be viewed on as religions (because this is critical to the analysis and his conclutions).

Though the book is pretty flawed and jumps around quite a bit, it's worth a read for anyone interested in religion, philosophy, and/or environmentalism.

Everything is a Religion.......2004-07-18

Though the book is pretty flawed and jumps around quite a bit, it's worth a read for anyone interested in religion, philosophy, and/or environmentalism.

Faith in Nature: Environmentalism as Religious Quest.(Bookshelf)(Book Review): An article from: OnEarth

Average customer rating:

Faith in Nature: Environmentalism as Religious Quest.(Bookshelf)(Book Review): An article from: OnEarth
Kathryn Morse
Manufacturer: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from OnEarth, published by Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. on June 22, 2004. The length of the article is 618 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: Faith in Nature: Environmentalism as Religious Quest.(Bookshelf)(Book Review)
Author: Kathryn Morse
Publication: OnEarth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2004
Publisher: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Page: 41(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books