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Crisp: Achieving Consensus: Tools and Techniques (50-Minute Series)
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Crisp: Achieving Consensus: Tools and Techniques (50-Minute Series)
Jon Scott , and Eileen Flanigan
Manufacturer: Crisp Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rules for Reaching Consensus: A Modern Approach to Decision Making

Coming To Consensus: A Case Study For The Churches

Crisp: Developing Instructional Design: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success (The Fifty Minute Series)

Crisp: Critical Thinking: Strategies for Decision Making (50 Minute Books)

Crisp: Team Problem Solving, Revised Edition: A Systematic Approach to Consensus Decision Making (Crisp Fifty-Minute Series)

ASIN: 1560523816

Book Description

The ability to work together, make decisions together, and implement them is critical for success in group activities. This book offers the reader a practical approach to consensus building, explaining the concept of consensus, why it is important, and how it fits with other decision-making styles. It explores how to reach consensus and alignment, and provides the reader with the necessary tools to help his or her team succeed.

Book Description

Clinical guidelines are moving fast and in cardiology alone, major new guidelines hae been issued in the past 18 months for hypertension, angine, myocardial infarction and heart failure. All these have altered the recommendations which GPs now give. Now in its fourth edition, this book continues to be a popular text book for trainee and established GPs.

How Did We Find Out the Earth Is Round? (First Look at Series)
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How Did We Find Out the Earth Is Round? (First Look at Series)
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy & Space | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books | Aeronautics & Space | Astronomy | Fiction
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ASIN: 0802761216

How Did We Find Out the Earth is Round?
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How Did We Find Out the Earth is Round?
Isaac ASIMOV
Manufacturer: Walker & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KRV9QW

Book Description

Biogeochemistry of Environmentally Important Trace Elements discusses fate, transport, and transformation in soils, waters, and plants in biogeochemistry of environmentally important trace elements, with a focus on arsenic, mercury, and selenium.

Book Description

All of the basic math that scientists and engineers need-now expanded and revised!

Whether you need to understand advances in modern technology, prepare for professional exams, or simply brush up on skills acquired long ago,

John Fanchi's quick reference guide to applied math is for you. He has updated his 1997 book to include probability and statistics in new chapters with exercises and solutions. Fanchi explains all topics clearly and methodically, from the ground up. He begins with straightforward concepts in college math and gradually progresses to more advanced topics, using practical applications throughout to demonstrate relationships between different areas. The wealth of numerical methods and illustrative examples further enhances the utility of this truly indispensable book. Math Refresher for Scientists and Engineers, Second Edition reviews:
* Algebra
* Geometry, analytic geometry, trigonometry, and hyperbolic functions
* Vectors, matrices, and linear algebra
* Differential calculus, integral calculus, and special integrals
* Partial derivatives
* Ordinary differential equations and ODE solution techniques
* Partial differential equations
* Probability and statistics

Customer Reviews:

A good refresher.......2007-03-25

This book is only useful if you have already taken the course material prior. It's been years since I've seen some of the topics and so the refresher may not be sufficient enough for me to re-acquaint myself to the material. But otherwise, it is a great reference that highlights the material in an easy to follow manner. I would recommend this as use for a quick reference and memory jogger.

A nice refresher, and useful as a reference, too........2002-05-08

It's been a few years since I graduated from college, and although I use mathematics every day in my work, I've realized, over the years, that I don't use some aspects of mathematics very much (formal proofs, for example) and that I've become a bit rusty in some areas. Mathematics has always been one of my passions, though, so when I found this book I bought it with the hope that reading it would help me brush up. I wasn't disappointed.

This book is, as the title says, a refresher. It's intended for the reader who has already complete course work in the material, but wants to review it, or use it possibly as a reference. Fanchi's book covers most branches of mathematics that the typical undergraduate is likely to encounter, with a few notable exceptions. There is no discussion about tensors and nothing on things like topology. The book's chapters follow what is probably the traditional route many of us took in our introduction to mathematics. The first chapter is a review of algebra, followed by geometry, trigonometry, and hyperbolic functions. These are followed by analytic geometry, linear algebra, and calculus (broken into chapters dealing with differential calculus, partial derivatives, integrals, and ordinary differential equations).

Since this is a refresher book, the author assumes that the reader has already been exposed, either through experience or course work, to the subjects being covered. So, the material is not introduced the way it typically is found in traditional texts. There is, for example, relatively little developmental material leading up to key concepts. This is both expected and appropriate.

The book excels in several areas, including the use of examples, which are found liberally throughout the text. I highly recommend readers work through these exercises, especially since many of them have solutions that are, themselves, important and useful material. Each exercise comes complete with worked-out solutions in the back of the book, so if you want, you can use this as a very effective book for self-education, almost as if you were going back to school to take a refresher course.

As with any book, reliability and accuracy is critical. Especially for a reference-type book that you are likely to use when you don't have a lot of time to question, or check, the accuracy of the material. Fanchi does an excellent job in this regard; I found almost no errors (and none that were serious). Another thing I look for in a reference book is a good index. I know that the next time I pick it up, it'll be because I remember reading something in it, and I know the answer I'm looking for is in there somewhere, but I cannot remember the page. The first place I'll go is the index, and with a good one (like the one in Fanchi's book) I should be able to track down the solution without too much wasted time.

There were a couple of pleasant surprises in this book. One was the three chapters on probability and statistics. The other was the section (in the chapter on ordinary differential equations) dealing with nonlinear dynamics and chaos. Frankly, I was surprised to see the subject of chaos discussed in this book at all (especially since tensors are not). My only complaint is that there is not an entire chapter devoted to the subject.

The book is easy to read, and well organized. I found it very enjoyable. It's the sort of book that you can easily read for an hour, cover 20 or 30 pages, and not feel too exhausted - if, that is, you are reading it as a review. However, as I said, I'd not recommend this as an introductory text for any of these subjects (and I think the author, by reason of his choice of title, would agree).

Excellent!.......2000-05-11

Indeed this is an excellent and unique reference. I have used it as a math review for the Professional Engineer examination. I would love to see an expanded 2nd edition that would perhaps cover the material more in depth (e.g., more sample problems) without making the volume too ponderous. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a more concise and useful reference.

An excellent one stop reference........1999-01-21

After returning to college after 8 years working I required a review of math concepts. Math Refresher provided all the relevant topics logically laid out in a single volume. The relatively low cost of this book compared to other math references was an additional bonus.

The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (Modern Library Classics)
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The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (Modern Library Classics)
Giorgio Vasari
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Vasari's Lives of the Artists: Giotto, Masaccio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian

The Lives of the Artists (Oxford World's Classics)

On Painting (Penguin Classics)

History of Italian Renaissance Art

Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy: A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style (Oxford Paperbacks)

ASIN: 0375760369
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Book Description

A painter and architect in his own right, Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) achieved immortality for this book on the lives of his fellow Renaissance artists, first published in Florence in 1550. Although he based his work on a long tradition of biographical writing, Vasari infused these literary portraits with a decidedly modern form of critical judgment. The result is a work that remains to this day the cornerstone of art historical scholarship.
Spanning the period from the thirteenth century to Vasari’s own time, the Lives opens a window on the greatest personalities of the period, including Giotto, Brunelleschi, Mantegna, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian. This Modern Library edition, abridged from the original text with notes drawn from earlier commentaries, as well as current research, reminds us why The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects is indispensable to any student interested in Renaissance art.

Las vidas de los mas excelentes arquitectos, pintores y escultores Italianos desde Cimabue a nuestros tiempos/ The Lives of the Most Excellent Architects, ... and Sculptors from Cimabue to Our Times

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Las vidas de los mas excelentes arquitectos, pintores y escultores Italianos desde Cimabue a nuestros tiempos/ The Lives of the Most Excellent Architects, ... and Sculptors from Cimabue to Our Times
Giorgio Vasari
Manufacturer: Catedra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Vasari on technique;: Being the introduction to the three arts of design, architecture, sculpture and painting, prefixed to the Lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors, and architects

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Vasari on technique;: Being the introduction to the three arts of design, architecture, sculpture and painting, prefixed to the Lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors, and architects
Giorgio Vasari
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007DONQ2

Henry M. Jackson : A Life in Politics
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Solid Biography but a bit too much hero worship

The decent, honest politician

A model biography of a good man

A great look at Scoop's influence on U.S. politics

Thought-provoking but sloppy

Henry M. Jackson : A Life in Politics
Robert Gordon Kaufman
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0295979623

Amazon.com

Henry "Scoop" Jackson may be one of the most underappreciated American politicians of the second half of the 20th century. He was certainly one of the Democrats' greatest cold warriors, and a man who might have saved his party from the doomed politics of McGovernism if he had only won the presidency, an office he sought twice. (He was, in fact, John F. Kennedy's first choice for a running mate in 1960, until Kennedy became convinced he needed a Southerner on the ticket.) The distinguished gentleman from the state of Washington began his congressional career during the Roosevelt administration, and it ended with his death in 1983 during the Reagan years--a tenure spanning nine presidents. Robert G. Kaufman's comprehensive biography sheds some well-deserved light on its neglected subject. Jackson fought against Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, for civil rights in the 1960s, and against détente with the Communists in the 1970s. He's best known for this last crusade: "Jackson contributed enormously to ensuring that the United States fought and prevailed in this epochal struggle against Soviet totalitarianism."

His views prefigured those of the Reagan administration, which was filled with Jackson's neoconservative admirers. Jackson was, in a sense, the very first Reagan Democrat. Kaufman cites Howard Baker, the onetime senator and Reagan's chief of staff: "Jackson made sure we did not lose the Cold War during the 1970s so that Ronald Reagan could win it in the 1980s." If Henry M. Jackson: A Life in Politics is an admiring work, it's because there's so much to admire. Our TV-driven culture tends to lavish its attention on the executive branch and showboating legislators, rather than uncharismatic men of principle like Jackson. That's why serious biographies like this one are so essential--so that history will recognize the role-players who shaped what we have become. --John J. Miller

Book Description

Henry M. Jackson ranks as one of the great legislators in American history. With a Congressional career spanning the tenure of nine Presidents, Jackson had an enormous impact on the most crucial foreign policy and defense issues of the Cold War era, as well as a marked impact on energy policy, civil rights, and other watershed issues in domestic politics.

Jackson first arrived in Washington, D.C., in January 1941 as the Democratic representative of the Second District of Washington State, at the age of 28 the youngest member of Congress. "Scoop" Jackson won reelection time and again by wide margins, moving to the Senate in 1953 and serving there until his death in 1983. He became a powerful voice in U.S. foreign policy and a leading influence in major domestic legislation, especially concerning natural resources, energy, and the environment, working effectively with Senator Warren Magnuson to bring considerable federal investment to Washington State.

A standard bearer for the New Deal-Fair Deal tradition of Roosevelt and Truman, Jackson advocated a strong role for the federal government in the economy, health care, and civil rights. He was a firm believer in public control of electric and nuclear power, and leveled stern criticism at the oil industry's "obscene profits" during the energy crisis of the 1970s. He ran for the presidency twice, in 1972 and 1976, but was defeated for the nomination first by George McGovern and then by Jimmy Carter, marking the beginning of a split between dovish and hawkish liberal Democrats that would not be mended until the ascendance of Bill Clinton.

Jackson's vision concerning America's Cold War objectives owed much to Harry Truman's approach to world affairs but, ironically, found its best manifestation in the actions taken by the Republican administration of Ronald Reagan. An early and strong supporter of Israel and of Soviet dissidents, he strongly opposed the Nixon/Kissinger policy of dŽtente as well as many of Carter's methods of dealing with the Soviet Union.

Robert Kaufman has immersed himself in the life and times of Jackson, poring over the more than 1,500 boxes of written materials and tapes that make up the Jackson Papers housed at the University of Washington, as well as the collections of every presidential library from Kennedy through Reagan. He interviewed many people who knew Jackson, both friends and rivals, and consulted other archival materials and published sources dealing with Jackson, relevant U.S. political history and commentary, arms negotiation documents, and congressional reports. He uses this wealth of material to present a thoughtful and encompassing picture of the ideas and policies that shaped America's Cold War philosophy and actions.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Biography but a bit too much hero worship.......2007-06-14

Full disclosure: I'm 26 years old but I'm a politically-engaged Democrat who is rather familiar with modern American political history. I was not alive during the late 1960s and 1970s when Henry "Scoop" Jackson was fighting against the New Left. During the 1972 campaign, I probably would have supported Humphrey and, during the 1976 campaign, I probably would have supported Mo Udall. That said, while I'm not a "Scoop" Jackson Democrat and I'm not a fan of his neo-Conservative disciples who wrecked such havoc in the Middle East as of late, I do think he was (in the total scheme of things) an admirable public servant who rightly put human rights and military strength on the agenda in his policy views towards the Soviets.

I think Jackson was correct that the Soviet Union was, indeed, an "evil empire" and reading this book, I was impressed with the consistency of his liberalism: at home and abroad.

It's understandable that a biographer admires (or even has affection for) the subject of his biography but Kaufman's very good academic biography felt compromised by this at times. His mention of Jackson's support of the Japanese-American Internment seems more to address critics than to provide any perspective of the indefensible - "everybody was doing it" doesn't seem to cut, especially given Jackson's moral righteousness on so many subjects). Confronted with critics who state that Jackson's political views may have been influenced by Boeing's presence in his state, we are simply told that Jackson's foreign policy views were in the national interest and that Boeing's needs simply corresponded with this interest. This may be true but I don't feel like these statements can be "definitively" made: we are simply told to believe in "Scoop."

In short, I recommend this book with that small caveat. It's - overall - a fine piece of academic/political biography.

The decent, honest politician.......2006-01-22

Henry (Scoop) Jackson was an unusual politician, in that even his rivals recognized his special integrity and decency. There are many who felt that America lost a great opportunity when his Presidential bids were rejected by the Democratic party.
I remember his courageous stands in defying the Soviet Union and helping Soviet Jewry achieve freedom. His strong stance in opposing Soviet tyranny played a role in the Reagan Administration's toppling of 'The Empire of Evil'.
He left the scene far too early, and to this day he is much missed by those who believe in, and care for fundamental American ideals of freedom.

A model biography of a good man.......2001-12-06

Henry `Scoop' Jackson is rarely referred to in contemporary political debate. The American polity and indeed the western alliance are much the poorer for his absence. This is a fitting - indeed, a model - biography of a notable American patriot.

Senator Jackson represented a distinctive, honourable and above all prescient tradition in American politics: that of the liberal hawk. He was unfortunate, in respect of his presidential ambitions, to hold consistently to his pro-western principles at a time when the Democratic Party was abandoning (or at least, compromising) the staunchly anti-Communist tradition of Truman, Kennedy, Johnson and Humphrey. Rent asunder by the experience of Vietnam and the rise of the New Left, the Democrats polarised around Jackson, on the one hand, and the party's disastrous 1972 presidential nominee, George McGovern, on the other. Only because of Watergate - and even then, only by a whisker - did a Democrat win the White House in 1976, and his presidency proved to be the most ineffectual in living memory.

Kaufmann describes this political background with a sure touch. He is unflinchingly honest in his depiction of Jackson's personal flaws, such as periodic irascibility with aides, but the essential Jackson - a man of deep humanitarian impulses, evident in such causes as his campaign for persecuted Soviet Jewry, and searing moral insight into the nature of Communist totalitarianism - shines through. The book is a fine political biography, but also a most touching personal portrait. It depicts admirably and with fine insight the circle around Jackson, some of whom later held office in the Reagan administration. I was unaware, for example, that the common view that Jackson's adviser, Richard Perle, was responsible for Jackson's unwavering support for Israel has it exactly the wrong way round. In fact, Perle, a secular Jew, came to see the urgency of supporting Israel because of the influence of Jackson - a Niebuhrian Protestant who understood better than any post-war American politician the moral import of a liberal democracy's struggle for survival while assailed by totalitarian states and terrorist organisations.

Jackson has the biography he deserves; I hope it is widely read and studied.

A great look at Scoop's influence on U.S. politics.......2001-07-14

There is no doubt that here in Washington state, the U.S. Senate tandem of Henry "Scoop" Jackson and Warren Magnuson were a valuable asset to Washington's - and the nation's - development in the 20th century. So much of our state's infrastructure, institutions, and industries can be credited to these political heavyweights. But yet, so little had been written about their immense legacies up until a couple of years ago. First we got a decent bio of Magnuson written by Shelby Scates. But then came this book - "Henry M. Jackson: A Life In Politics" - which is an outstanding portrait of the man and the legacy.

The author's main focus in this work is the profound and unquestioned effect Sen. Jackson had on U.S. foreign policy. The book brilliantly delves into Jackson's evolution from simple legislator to foreign policy guru. Much attention is made to Jackson's stances on a variety of foriegn policy issues, including his infamous battles with Henry Kissinger over the issues of detente, Soviet dissidents, and pro-Israel issues. Jackson proved a great foil for - and perhaps huge thorn in the side of - Dr. Kissinger, but with time and further examination, their debates likely benefitted U.S. foreign policy in the long run.

Make no mistake: while there is much on Jackson's foreign policy expertise, this is a solid biography of the man in total. We get a good look at his upbringing in and around Everett, his entry into politics, his failed presidential bids, and - eventually - his sudden and surprising death in the early '80's. Also included are the events at the infamous 1960 Democratic convention, where Jackson was very nearly chosen as JFK's running mate.

All in all, this is a very fair and solid biography, presenting an excellent look at the life of Sen. Jackson. This should be a must-read for political-junkies. Those of a conservative/Republican ideology should also make it a must-read, because it is made very evident how much of the current Republican stances on foreign policy were founded by Henry Jackson.

It has been said of "Scoop" Jackson that he was "the last good Democrat". For the citizens of Washington state, that is unquestioned and still lamented to this day. For the nation, the realization of this statement is slow to develop, but hopefully with this book, "Scoop"'s legacy will be recognized with the respect and stature that it truly is.

Thought-provoking but sloppy.......2000-12-03

Having seen "Scoop" Jackson's name in a dozen places yet knowing little about who he was, I thought I'd learn something about the man by reading this book. I wasn't disappointed. Kaufman's biography does a good job of detailing his political life, especially his role and legacy in foreign affairs. Yet the book is more than just an examination of Jackson's life, as Kaufman also offers an interesting examination of both Jackson's philosophical approach to Cold War foreign policy as well as the historiography of late-Cold War memoirs in an effort to award Jackson with the title of "Soviet Union-killer."

That being said, it was also a disappointingly written book in a number of respects. By focusing so much on Jackson's role in foreign policy and defense matters, Kaufman overshadows what the senator did in domestic policy. Moreover, after an initial examination, Kaufman virtually ignores Washington state politics, which leaves me wondering if the author might not have supplied a complete explanation as to how Jackson was so dominant in his reelection campaigns. Finally, Kaufman's habit of continually refering to political figures by their full titles was a little annoying, while the editing of the book was a little sloppy (every time I saw "Republic senator" on the page I wanted to grab a pen and add in the missing letters). In the end, it was an informative book, but not definitive.

Scoop: The life and politics of Henry M. Jackson
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Scoop: The life and politics of Henry M. Jackson
Peter J Ognibene
Manufacturer: Stein and Day
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books | 19th Century | 20th Century | 21st Century | African Americans | Civil War | Colonial Period | General | Revolution & Founding | State & Local
Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812818849

The Chimes of Shreveport: The Life of M.E. Dodd
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The Chimes of Shreveport: The Life of M.E. Dodd
Jewel Mae Daniel
Manufacturer: Providence House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
South | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1577362446

Book Description

M. E. Dodd was a prominent preacher in the Southern Baptist denomination and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport for thirty-eight years. Dr. Dodd was a founder of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the "driving force for the launching of the Cooperative Program". Billy Graham has said, "Dr. M.E. Dodd...was one of the great[s], not only to Southern Baptists, but to the church at large during the last generation. He had a profound influence on the lives of young ministers."

Book Description

As one of liberal theory's most important gadflies, Richard Flathman has during the past four decades produced a significant body of work that is iconoclastic, idiosyncratic, and increasingly influential. Flathman criticizes liberal theory's role in justifying a politics of governance that has drifted substantially from liberalism's central commitments to individuality and freedom. It is this challenge, and its implications for the future of liberal theory, that brings together the diverse and distinguished authors of this volume. Topics include the relationships between theory and practice, skepticism and knowledge, individuality and egoism, negative and positive freedom, Hobbes and liberalism, as well as the uneasy connections among liberalism, feminism, and democratic politics.

Contributors: Ronald Beiner, Jane Bennett, William E. Connolly, Peter Digeser, Richard Friedman, Nancy J. Hirschmann, George Kateb, Patrick Neal, Anne Norton, Richard Tuck, Jeremy J. Waldron, Linda Zerilli.

Bonnie Honig is professor of political science at Northwestern University and a senior research fellow at the American Bar Foundation. David R. Mapel is associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado.

Amazon.com

Walt Whitman's place in U.S. letters is unchallenged: he is the poet of America, democracy, and individual freedom. Yet Whitman and his work have been misrepresented by scholars and critics during the 20th century, and it is only recently that they have begun admitting the poet's homosexuality and examining its effect on his work. Gary Schmidgall's bold and well-researched Walt Whitman: A Gay Life presents abundant and irrefutable evidence of the poet's vibrant sexuality and details Whitman's sexual and romantic affairs. More important, however, he explains how Whitman's attraction to men was at the root of his poetic vision: in Whitman's work the "body electric" is more than a metaphor. Walt Whitman: A Gay Life is a vital addition to Whitman studies and critical work on American literature.

Book Description

Though Walt Whitman's poetry is known for its unabashed physicality and sexual energy, few biographers have directly confronted the impact of Whitman's sexuality and his cherished fraternal relationships on his art. Gary Schmidgall's fresh, insightful readings and innovative biographical technique illuminate the vital connection between Whitman's life as a homosexual and his legacy as a landmark literary artist. Through careful examination of contemporary sources and Whitman's own writing, including his letters and personal journals, Schmidgall explores Whitman as artist, lover, and friend. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a man of deeply sexual nature, ardently pursuing the objects of his desire in erotic encounters and love affairs that fueled his creative energy and inspired his seminal literary achievements. Candid, unapologetic, and deeply revealing, Walt Whitman: A Gay Life enriches our understanding of the father of American poetry.

Customer Reviews:

I... don't really think Whitman wanted us to ponder this.......2005-04-22

In a world where historical figures as prominant and as influential as Walt Whitman are thought to be Homosexual, its very unfortunate for people who study Modern American literature like myself that "Historians" jump to outrageous conclusions, spurred on by desire for fame and a savage media, as in this book.

Didn't Walt Whitman want his readers to be captivated by his beautiful use of the English language and criticize events such as the American Civil War? These overprivalaged "hisorians" need not take out frustrations on such great men. The fist of Satan on America and the rest of the world is tightening, especially with the reelection of an international terrorist in November and our little "War on Terrorism" which enters its 4th year in September. What we need is a War on Poverty, a War on Ignorance, and a War on Men such as Bush who do an excellent job of speeding up the decline of the American Empire. "Bread and Circuses" and constant warfare with people like the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. I think America will go out in a classical style and fear that another Middle Ages will haunt generations which will come a few hundred years after this is published.

Mr. Schmidgall, I must applaud you for trying to bring Whitman to another generation but I personally think you might've taken the words of Ginsberg a little too seriously...

Walt would love this..........2005-03-26

One of the things that people often do is to take their heroes and try to see within that person themselves. It's only natural. It's through someone else's greatness that we experience it, and often, find our own. So it's not surprising that many Whitman biographers have passively denied Whitman's homosexuality, or out right refuted it. It's also not surprising that Gary Schmidgall takes a different view, and sees Whitman through the eyes of a gay man, writing an impressive, passioned look at Whitman's life called "Walt Whitman: A Gay Life".

Based on a look on Whitman's poetry, letters, and other sources, Schmidgall tells a tale of a gay Whitman. This isn't a biography, however, which Scmidgall admits right away. His book attempts to describe Whitman during different phases in his life, particularly important ones that would have shaped his gay identity. Therefore, the focus is not broad across the span of Whitman's many years, but very intensely focused specific times, for example, Whitman as an opera lover.

Schmidgall admits upfront the task before him which is enormous; being that in all of Whitman's known correspondances, interviews, archival evidence, details on his sexuality and sex life is scanity at best. We have no big true confessional, and when asked directly about the sexual content of "Leaves of Grass", his pat answer is to let the work speak for itself. However, Schmidgall does an awesome job reconstructing Whitman, looking at everything through the eyes of a gay man, bringing the poet alive much more than other biographies which I've read.Schmidgall liberally uses the words like "imagine, think, suppose" when talking about his points, but you forgive him. The task is daunting, but well done.

Whitman is alive in this book as he never has been before. Whereas more scholarly books fail to adequately persue Whitman's sexuality, this one brings it alive, and therefore, brings Whitman alive in a wonderful sense. You can almost hear the poet chuckling in the background as you read some of the passages. Whatever the effect, Whitman has been drawn closer to my heart because of this book, and I highly recommend it.

not the only book on whitman, but..........2001-08-17

this is a great book to add to the growing collection of whitman biographies. don't make this the only one you read, however. that said, it does an amazing and passionate job that i think whitman would appreciate.

Finally, the Truth About Whitman.......1999-10-26

Undoubtedly, the most amazing thing about the many Whitman bio's (and there's certainly no shortage of them), is their denial of his homosexuality. This is why Schmmidgall's work stands head and shoulders above them all (including Jerome Loving's seemingly exhaustive bio that doesn't present Whitman as being gay). The trouble with Loving and the rest who would deny Whitman's sexuality is that they are either terribly homophobic, or that they never read any of Whitman's poetry. The only reason I gave the book a three star rating, is because I don't feel it's a good first-Whitman-book to read for the uninitiated. Rather, I would start with his actual poetry, maybe read a popular bio, and then end up with Schmidgall's "Gay Life".

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