Interviews Books

Maybe the more accessible book from William Burroughs, in an interview session with Daniel Odier, who talks about his art and life in form which opens the doors to his works and give many keys to the global understnding of the situation of his books and give many explanations about crude and violent experiments on the human race. William Burroughs maybe wants for this book to be the most "readable" of his writing career in the sense that there is no more codes in the complex jigsaw puzzle that the reader have to assemble in the end of the story.
This is an clear interview session documented with insertions of newpapers, books inserted where there is a point of reference, following the scientific evil discoveries of the last century, leading to the land of the deads, where radio waves and radioactivity is melted down with some global miliatry experiments. But this book didn't fall in the game of paranoia this is simply the radical and incisive views of Burroughs which the reade can share or not, but I think that this books really opens important keys in the vast literature of the author which is a huge similar story with various cut-ups and flash backwards.

An excellent compendium of Bill Burrough's interests and obsessions. Mostly focusing on the totalitarian nature of nation-states, The Job gives you all at once Burroughs being interviewed, Burroughs straight prose and Burroughs gobbledygook. He also explains--clearly--why his books are written the way they are. I don't know if I've ever learned so much--or at the very least had so many of my perceptions radically altered--from such a thin tome. Highly recommended.

I read somewhere that intelligence is the ability to make connections that others don't see. By that definition, and probably by any other, Burroughs is a philosophical and literary genius. Who else could make the connection between Mayan ritual calendars and the totalian nature of modern nation-states? Who else gives detailed explanations of his proven methods for dissembling reality?? For sheer brilliance and brutal truth about modern society, only Foucault approaches Burroughs. But Foucault never went to hell and came back to write about it.

"The Job" is a fantastic introduction to the obsessions and maverick idealism that characterize Burroughs' fiction. This is not a straight question-and-answer session; Burroughs includes liberal samples of text (his own as well as others') to illustrate his ideas. The final product is an effective, surreal manifesto urging all of us to break out of our private tunnel realities and confront social control systems with open, empowered minds. Especially fascinating are Burroughs' thoughts on language and his prescient examination of media-viruses.

"The Job" is often brutal, always controversial, and possessed by the author's inimitable knack for nailing his target. This is an unforgettable plunge into one of the 20th century's foremost countercultural intellects.

If you think you can take Burroughs' words in an interview seriously... If you think this has all the answers, you're wrong. This is the most difficult book of Burroughs to interpret. Short texts, interspersed with a supposedly truthful person-to-person interview with everyone's favorite writer. Some of what he says in plain language is a godsend because it does clearly communicate a message. But beware all messages. His cut-up texts are reassuring to me because at least I know to perceive them as texts. But Burroughs hated to discuss his writing, and he loved to f*** with people. Discerning any sort of reality in this man's writing is difficult, be cautious. I detect numerous "lies" in this one, and I can see a great big smile on his face. I hope you smile too.

"The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank" by Willy Lindwer was originally a documentary. The author and filmmaker's encounter with the women who knew Anne Frank, after her family was captured, left him with more material than could ever be told in a documentary. It is collected here in this powerful and necessary testament to the legacy of Anne Frank.

The book begins with a slight overview of Anne Frank's life. It then gives way to the stories of six women who knew her - some before her deportation to the camps, and all of them during her final days at Bergen-Belsen. The collection begins with the reminiscences of Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Goslar, Anne's childhood friend (who she wrote about in her diary), who later threw her Red Cross packages across the barbed-wire fence of the camp when they miraculously encountered one another again. The stories the women have to tell are similar - their treatment in the camp, the way they met Anne and Margot - and all of them were inexplicably touched by her life. Some felt an overwhelming sense of failure at not being able to do more to help these poor sisters, but there was little they could do, especially when both were fighting typhus and had little will, or strength, to survive. At least one even made comment that had Anne known her father was still alive, she might have fought a little harder to see her beloved Pip once more. Anne was the 'apple of her father's eye' and his life after the liberation of Auschwitz was to let her words bear testimony for her.

These women all have powerful and miraculous stories to tell. The fact that they survived the death camp is a miracle in itself. One of the women's husband survived Auschwitz with Otto Frank and many of them had the privilege of meeting him after the war; and one had the sad 'honor' of confirming Anne and Margot's deaths. Perhaps the story of Rachel van Amerongen-Frankfoorder is the most compelling for her witness to not only the girls' final days, but to their deaths as well. Both the Frank girls died of
typhus a few short weeks before the liberation of the camps. "The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank" is a crucial examination of an amazing life cut short by unimaginable cruelty, and to the miracle of those who survived to tell it in their own words.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. A must read for all ages. These ladies are some of the most courageous people in the world. They perserved knowing that their demise could be any day. But living was too important to them so they dug deep within themselves to keep their spirit alive and they succeeded. Hooray for them!!! Miep Gies is also a very courageous person. She is right up there with these ladies. "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold is also a wonderful book. If you are looking for excellent reading and a time frame for the life of Anne Frank, then by all means read this book. I don't know if I could handle the pressures that these ladies went through to live, and I hope that I never have to endure their suffering, but if I do, I will take these 7 women with me and draw on their strengths and spirit to keep me alive.

"The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank" is only periphally a book about Anne - but it is pointedly a book about Anne's experience in those last months of her life. With the exception of her close friend Hannah Goslar, who talks about her at length, Anne is mentioned only in passing by the other interviewees, all of whom were acquainted with her. But their individual stories of what they endured in Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen is also her story, and illuminates her time in the camps as she herself would have - but never got the chance to. A good addition to a library of Anne Frank material, or an excellent compendium of personal experiences during the Holocaust, whichever way is more valuable to the reader.

"How can I find tranquility?
Years later, the tumult of the men resounds,
The swishing of their whips,
Above the people being pushed along,
And stamping of boots,
Cries of anguish.
I have seen so many go to a desperate death,
Across a dirt path, on which their weakened feet
Dragged them to the gate
Smoke cannot speak,
From the chimneys they slip out, formless above my head,
And are taken by the wind,
Robbed of their bones.
Since then, despite my clothes, I am naked.
And remain exposed to synonyms.
Therefore it is not tranquil within,
The whips are still lashing,
And at the most unexpected times,
The packing paper pictures come forth,
Chilly, yellowed, gray from smoke,
And stiff with death at night when I want to sleep."
Ronnie Goldstein- van Cleef,

This novel was an eye opener for me of the Holocaust and all that the Jewish people were made to bear. Death looked them all in the eye, and from day to day, no one knew if they would see another day. They were humiliated and dragged down, stripped of their self-esteem and their strength as never before in their lives. Husbands were separated from wives, and some children from their parents. Many got sick and died before reaching the gas chambers. Many looked already dead in skeletal form breathing their last breaths.
I applaud the six women who gave interviews from this book. These women saw Anne Frank and her family and sought to help them any way they could. These were brave women, who endured the suffering of the death camps and came out alive. Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Gosslar, Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper, Rachel van Amerongen-Frankfoorder, Bloeme Evers-Emden, Lenie de Jong-van-Naarden, Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef, we thank you for sharing this horrible time of your life. It must have been very hard to relive, so thank you. Thank you so much for your courageousness.
Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 07/03/07)

Anne Frank's name is one of the most known names in the world. She stuned the world with her diary. But there were still so many unanswered questions about what happend after they were betrayed? Everyone knew that she died at a consintration camp, but what did she die of and so many other questions ligered in the minds of the millions of people who have read her diary. Finally Willy Lindwer took up the challenge of finding out what happend in the last 7 monthes of her life. I recomend this book to anyone and everyone, but I recomend reading her diary first. This book picks up where her diary left off and continues to the day that she died.This book is told by the women who knew Anne Frank and her family at the concentration camp and not only tell what they know happend to her, but their story as well. It is truly and amazing book and a must read!

At the end of this book, author Andy Hamilton reassures Konitz that it will become a classic of jazz literature. I guess Hamilton was speaking at least half tongue-in-cheek, but, for what it's worth, I also think he's probably right.

As it's been said elsewhere, the author's editorial prowess is phenomenal, and the proof is that the book is extremely easy to read, while, at the same time, it is packed with information and insight. Hamilton has also been able to engage Konitz in some interesting discussions, like his views on several musicians - Anthony Braxton, most memorably - or his assessment of his own playing, and on the actual physical and psychological aspects of the process of improvising music.

This is pretty close to my ideal book on a jazz musician, where the subject has the chance to tell his story while speaking freely to a knowledgeable counterpart.

Highly recommended.

I found this book to be one of the most clear, informative and honest books in jazz literature that I have ever read.
Lee comes across as a candid, humble man, a servant to his art.
Through the conversational and well researched style that the writer Andy Hamilton adopts, Lee Konitz offers many realistic, straightforward insights into his life and study: and the lives of those around him.
As a jazz musician myself, this book opens many doors of perception.
It cuts through the myth and hyperbole that often surround the lives of the truly great ones in this wonderful artform.
Highly recommended!

In this book of lively conversations on the improviser's art, Lee Konitz talks about all aspects of his music, from his beginnings (as a student of the clarinet, during the late 1930s) to the early years of the new century, and he does so with great candour. There's lots about the Cool School of playing and Konitz's musical mentor, the blind pianist Lennie Tristano. Tristano's music ran on a parallel track to bebop, but because it wasn't such a hot, sweaty affair it's been dismissed as a pallid version of the real thing, cerebral and abstract, disconnected from feelings, a music to be analysed by beard-strokers rather than enjoyed by foot-tappers. Konitz dismisses these false distinctions and emphasises both the vitality and originality of Tristano's music - points supported by several musician-contributors to the book.

The criticisms and comments that Konitz offers are frank, thoughtful and well-argued. Several of the chapters cover specific decades in his career. Others include: Formative Influences; Working with Tristano; Early Collaborators; The Art of Improvisation; The Instrument; The Material. Embedded within each of the chapters is a series of brief interviews with musicians, most of whom have worked on the bandstand with Konitz or recorded with him, including John Zorn, Phil Woods, Mike Zwerin, George Russell, Clare Fischer, Sal Mosca, Alan Broadbent, Sonny Rollins, Rufus Reid, Ornette Coleman, Harold Danko, Wayne Shorter, Paul Bley, John Tchicai, Greg Osby, Martial Solal and Evan Parker. Although this is fundamentally a book of interviews, Andy Hamilton provides scene-setting introductions to each of the chapters, explanatory links between subsections, and brief comments that help the reader better to contextualise the interview material. His contributions are considerable, but they're done with such a light touch the attention remains firmly on Konitz throughout.

Although Konitz broke with the Tristano school, Tristano's foremost `disciple', tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, remained in a strong creative partnership with him until the late 1970s. Marsh is undoubtedly the saxophonist whom Konitz admires most, and Konitz's aesthetic, sound and approach to improvisation owe perhaps more to Marsh than any other player. He contrasts Marsh's approach with that of several other major players, including Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, whose solos relied to some degree on pre-prepared material. Throughout the book, there's much useful discussion about the philosophy of music-making.

Konitz is a great talker, with lots of interesting things to say about his own music and the music of Marsh, Tristano, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Parker, Coltrane, Charles Mingus and a host of others, and the book is peppered with valuable comments about `the jazz life'.

This is clearly one of the best books about jazz I ever red. I'd put it next to P.Pettinger's "How My Heart Sings", J Szwed's "Space Is The Place" or E.Jost's "Free Jazz".
Pretty differently, here author chooses an original, extensive interview format, augmented by short essays written with the complete approval -and corrections, is said- of Mr.Konitz himself. Many great insight and analisys of this great, epocal musician are offered for a good work of comprehension of the complexity of Lee Konitz music and his belonging to jazz tendencies such Cool Jazz and Tristano's and others, his relations to many major jazz figures.

Despite Lee Konitz's illustrious career, there had not been a book-length treatment of his music and life until Andy Hamilton's book appeared. There have been numerous published interviews with him, but none is as informative, thorough, or enlightening as this book. Considering that Mr. Konitz is much better known in other countries than in the U.S., it is no wonder that an Englishman decided to write a book on him. One of the things that I liked about the book is that the artist got involved in the process, for example, proofreading the text himself. This lends a high degree of authenticity to the book. In addition to the interviews with Mr. Konitz, there are a number of shorter interviews with other musicians, which are also intriguing. This is an exciting and enjoyable book and I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book for my sister for her birthday because is is a Die-Hard MJ fan and she just loves everything about this book!!, The pictures, The Interviews she says that it even has MJ opinion about how he felt about the his earlier hits. So I say this is a very excellent book to purchase for yourself if you too are a die-hard fan of MJ'S or even if you know someonre who is they won't be disappointed.

P.S. It even has his lyrics to certain songs. So how can you go wrong? this book was worth every cent I sent to it knowing how happy it made my sister.

this book is basicaly a bunch of facts on the star with itntrevew tranacriptions and some nice pictures thown in although the way the book is set up is a little odd and the typing errors in the first few chapters lead me to belive that it was rushed to prir This book iss not a bio it was a book put togther by a big fan that becaily said michael jackson is cool and heres why after quickly going over his personal life (and not in much detail) it basicaly breaks down what hes done with somerarelly seen at least in some areas of the word intervieews printed

This is a beautiful book from the front cover to the back. It's a down-to-earth, no-non sense read on the entertainer. It's a keepsake for the bookself.

This 300 page book is not just another book on Michael Jackson! This book is unique and a mile from the rest! It's packed with detailed information on the life and career of the entertainer. It's a well-written book that can be housed in any public library or on any high school bookshelf. Yet, I have noticed that this clean book on Michael Jackson doesn't appear to be selling as well as all the other books that are on the market about him. What a pity! This book is more of a literary work on the Superstar life and career than any of the others that I have read. But it's missing one main ingredient - Trash! It doesn't really get into throwing stones and pulling what-ifs opinions out of the wind.
But that's the world we're living in. Give the people what they want, and what they want is dirty laundry over good writing! Decent works like this one get left behind!

this Book is very Detailed&the world Owes Michael Jackson as does the Media a Big saying they are Sorry.He is One o fthe Greatest Musicians Ever. He has Broken down many barriers.Michael Jackson is a Civil Rights leader&Strogn Pressence that will never be denied.almost 40 year career.He is the King of Pop&this Book goes into many areas acknowledging His Genius&timeless Musical Qualitys.

Terrific writing! Whether you HAVE children and you want to prepare yourself with this book, or you want to give it as a gift to friends who face the challenges to which these authors provide solutions, you can't go wrong by getting this very easy and fun to read book.

I wish I had read this book before my now 18 year old and now 14 year old sons had started kindergarten. It would have saved me many worries and much fretting. Susan has a wonderful style of combining valuable information from experts, quotes from parents and others, and her own self revealing and humorous anecdotes. It is delightful and invaluable reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone with kids who are about to start or who have already started school.

I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone with a child of kindergarten-age (or soon-to-be of that age!). Like her earlier book, "The Mommy Guide: Real-Life Advice and Tips from over 250 Moms and Other Experts," Susan Bernard has a distinctive and eminently readable way of shedding light on the trials and tribulations of childhood. The book is full of great advice for parents, humorous stories, and lots of sources for further reading and study. I give this new "Mommy and Daddy Guide" an enthusiastic FIVE STARS!

I have a friend who got this book and we were reading it, as her daughter is about to start school. It is an amazing book about EVERYTHING you need to know about kindergarten, etc. My friend was very pleased with it and so was I. I wish I had this book when my child was going to school!!

The Mommy and Daddy Guide to Kindergarten is wonderful. I love Susan Bernard's essays, ranging from age-appropriate behavior, to choosing a school, classrooms, computers, first-day jitters, testing, report cards (and the like) are entertaing year heartfel.The list of subject matter experts is impressive, including some of the best child development specialists, educators, teachers, educational psychologists in the country. And the quotes from parents are funny yet practical. Definitely a must-have book. I've already bought it for friends whose children are starting kindergarten next year.

This book is an interesting study of human nature. Showing the best and worst things about our selfs and others we work with.

This easy-flowing, light read is just about the most insightful business book I've read in a while (and I've pretty much read them all!). In the same way that product design people say "products don't get created, they get discovered", Moran's book leaves one fulfilled -- with the sense that one has put words and structure to half-formed insights that were rattling around in one's brain the whole time. What started off as a reading exercise turned into some pretty deep introspection. Best business book I've read since "The Goal" a couple of decades ago!

I found this book to be very entertaining, as well as a good resource for business life. Anyone who has worked in an office environment for any length of time will relate to many of his analogies. Plus, it just plain made me laugh! Those of us who live in cubicles 90% of our day can use a good laugh now and then, don't you agree? I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who works in an office or knows someone who does! It's much more than a good laugh, however. Rich hits the nail on the head with his many great ideas illustrating how to be successful in the professional world.

Rich Moran's book is a "bible" for business professionals. He provides tips and advice based on true-to-life business world experience. I have worked for a large corporation for the past 25 years and I have recently purchased a number of copies of this book to give to the newly hired college graduates who have recently joined our company.

Those who inhabit corner offices would do well to read it and gain insights into the "unwritten rules" that may be getting in the way of their company's progress. We need rules to avoid chaos but occasionally we need to purge the dumb ones. Management and staff could use this book to help open the kind of dialogue that would help everyone realize they are all in the same boat. Once that happens the boat could be streamlined for success by dumping excess rules. Highly recommended by this CEO.

I found this book to be very informative. A big part of my job is interview and interrogation. This book was able to put into context what I have already been doing for a number of years. I found that I was referencing the book in my head as I watched the people I was speaking with and knew by their actions how truthful or untruthful they were being. If this is the type of work you do the book is a very good read.

I went to the Wicklander seminar recently. The book was just as great as the class, I'm very fortunate to have been able to go and receive the book. Thanks!

This is an excellent referecne book for anyone involved in both private and public sector interviews.

I have twenty years of investigation experience in both law enforcement and the private sector. Never have I seen such a well written and insightful book on the art of investigative interviewing. Drawing on sound psychological theory and good old fashion practical nous; this book fully explains and provides an investigator with a solid foundation to work with, but the flexibility to move in any type of interview or interrogation setting. Sadly, Australian courts and those in the UK would render any confessions (criminal prosecutions) using this technique inadmissible, due to what some critics say is psychological thuggery. However, the technique has seen an increasing use in the private sector with excellent results, especially in the investigation of insurance fraud. Much like the Reid Technique, but more open and flowing - learn this excellent interviewing system and benefit from reading this investigative masterpiece.

As a practitioner in the field of investigations, it has been my experience that there are two excellent choices for investigators when deciding on what type of style they will employ. W-Z (Wicklander Zulawski) and Reid. I "grew up" in the W-Z system and employed it with great success. I found it to be flexible and able to approach a wide variety of scenarios thanks to the variety of interview styles it employs. Unfortunately, I also noticed that the variety of interview styles it employs generates a steep learning curve, and an expert at one style may wander into an interview that needs to turn an unfamiliar direction and find themselves drowning as they try to keep up with the change in style. I recently attended the Reid seminar and joined their association immediately. Reid and W-Z differ in a distinct area. Reid interviews and interrogations are always the same, only the *theme* changes, whereas the entire interview or interrogation changes under W-Z. Under both systems, a mistake can be fatal, but the consistency of the Reid technique introduces fewer areas to make mistakes in, and allows quick mastery of the styles needed to successfully interview. Both systems provide good (but not perfect) methods of detecting dishonesty and between the two systems, W-Z is slightly more flexible. That said, if you want to become very good, very fast, Reid is a better choice. Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation is a good book, and serves as a great reference for those who have already attended a W-Z seminar. If you are looking to get into investigations, are newly hired into an investigations position or just want to know more about what to expect if you're ever investigated, this book is not a good choice for you. You should be familiar with phases of an investigation, interview and know the difference between an interview and an interrogation before you pick up this book or you could be easily confused. That said, if you are familiar with investigations, this is a good resource to have on hand for both review and pre-interview or interrogation preparation. 4/5 stars because Reid's Investigator Anthology provides easier to read and more concrete, repeatable insight and experience.

This is an absolutely superb book, comprised of recollections of the Jim Crow years in the form of oral histories. It can be read through, or picked up at any part. There is an appropriate amount of historical introduction to each chapter.
This material needs to be read, and remembered. There was a long time in our history when, although there was no more slavery, African Americans were treated as a separate serf class, under constant pressures and reminders of their lower status. Whites used pervasive legal and social downward pressures to keep African Americans out of an equal education, and equal access to public facilities, much less the right to equal jobs and the right to vote -- and then claimed that African Americans' lack of achievement was a racial fault. If an African American violated one of the many social taboos, the sanctions ranged from a beating, to loss of job, and even being lynched.
While whites benefited from Jim Crow, the whites, also, were trapped in the system. They were also forced to abide by legal segregation, and were subject to social pressure if they were too liberal (being called "n* lover," "white n*," etc.).
What led to the mindset that the end of slavery should lead to continued legal and social oppression of African Americans? It was part of white American culture. Lincoln himself said that he was not "in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry.... [T]here must be the position of superior and inferior. I am as much as any other man in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes traded the end of southern post-war Reconstruction for the electoral votes he needed to win the presidency. Southern states then were free to institute the Jim Crow system.
I believe we are more subject to peer pressure than we would like to believe. Although reviewer McInerney asserts that "no civilized person" would benefit from Jim Crow, I feel many otherwise-good people were trapped and/or blinded by their own interests and surroundings. When allowed, and even encouraged, their evil side showed itself. On this topic, see John Griffin's _Black Like Me_, on the different faces that whites showed to other whites, and to African Americans.
While we are certain that we wouldn't go back to that system, we shouldn't be so sure that we, also, wouldn't be trapped by it if we were born into it. Consider that Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy (to a large extent) didn't take effective action to end segregation.
This book is excellent. Those dreadful and shameful times -- and the vestiges which still continue -- must not be forgotten.

Any illusions about the freedom and equality that were alleged to have been given to African Americans in this country following the Civil War were just that, illusions. The reality of America's version of Apartheid was legitimized in 1896 in the United States Supreme Court with the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson. When the de-facto segregation that Plessy allowed was added to the de jure laws that followed, whatever emancipation had been promised was firmly repudiated. It is even legitimate to go back to 1877 when Rutherford B. Hayes and his party sold out, and swapped the presidency for the removal of federal troops from the south.

"Remembering Jim Crow", is a brilliant collection of first hand accounts of life under Jim Crow by those who were victimized by its laws. A large cast collected these verbal accounts over several years, and they accomplished no less than the preservation of a sinister part of this country's history. A time that W.E.B. Dubois characterized as, "living behind the veil". Combined with the book, "At The Hands Of Person's Unknown", which I commented extensively on, these two books, and if you choose the accompanying CD of the interviews, provides a wide, if horrific view of these eight decades.

These testimonies are also notable for the speakers who identify by name the people and families that victimized them. This is not ancient history that many would like to forget. These people who survived and speak of Jim Crow are alive, and so a presumption that their tormentors are alive is reasonable. The end of the book includes portions of a documentary that was made as part of this project with National Public Radio. Happily some of the whites that were interviewed in Iberia Perish in Louisiana remember and look with regret on what they did and did not do. Their willingness to speak on the record is admirable. But lest anyone think that all is solved there are also people who went on the record bemoaning their never having enjoyed the privileges that Jim Crow gave whites. A man named Barrow expressed himself thusly, "That was awful nice, you know, you'd go hunting, "Boy clean those ducks", you know, "Skin that dear", uh, "Shine my shoes". I believe I could have gone for that. Yeah I think you could have too".

No Mr. Barrow, no civilized individual from any state could, "have gone for that". However I am sure that many appreciate your confirmation that even now, ignorance, arrogance, and racism are alive and well.

This is an interesting angle to present a sad era in America's history. This book does not give a history book type of fact presentation, it presents the facts from the people who actually experienced it.

This is a vital book if for only one reason, so that the children born after this era know what it was like so it is never repeated.

I enjoyed the oral history that is presentated and I would recommend this book if you want a greater understanding of this time.

REMEMBERING JIM CROW is a colletion of first hand accounts of life in the Jim Crow south. The stories are compelling and at the same time sad.

The stories create the atmosphere that one is sitting in one of the elderly story tellers living room listening to them.

This book is especially worthwhile for non-African-Amercians readers, because virtually all African-Americans that have roots in the south, know these stories all too well.

This slipcased book and 2-cd set supplements the written word with oral history, gathering the voices of men and women who were firsthand witnesses to segregation in the south. Stories by men and women from all walks of life reveal how blacks fought against the system, built communities, and ran businesses in a society which denied them basic rights. Remembering Jim Crow offers the reader a comprehensive, involving, highly recommended presentation.

Incredible chronicle of Ginsberg's own evolution and that of the writers and friends close to him. Ginsberg's words are always expertly chosen, his insights both revolutionary and compassionate. Introductions and footnotes are helpful and interesting and overall the reader can tell the familiarity, knowledge and care taken to select and compile these interviews on the part of the editor. A life changing read.

Here is where Ginsberg's brilliance is perhaps best shown. In conversation, he revealed his passion and sharpness for all topics. His "poems" should probably not be called poems, but instead exercises in poetic freedom, which is ultimately a futile task, especially when approached for the mere sake of asserting more freedom. One is baffled at the mere badness of his poems, which are not in the Whitmanian vane at all, but in the vane of bloated mounds of words. Nonetheless, Ginsberg, the "excitable visionary Jewish Budhist," is beautifully and swiftly rendered in these interviews.

"Spontaneous mind," a collection of interviews, is an uncensored perspective of Allen Ginsberg's life, work and the events of his time. The poet felt the interview was an art form, an opportunity to discuss and teach about writing, music, spirituality and whatever topic may surface. Although some celebrities may shun the interview, Ginsberg clearly held a passion for the medium which is quite palpable throughout this collection. In fact, Ginsberg does not flinch at any of the questions, but instead attacks them with fervor and honesty.

The editor, David Carter, includes several vigorous and worthy spars. A conservative William Buckley begets a heated discussion about America in 1968 concerning drugs, censorship and the Vietnam War. A stoic Christian confronts the Buddhist devotee with God's Word. Ginsberg patiently reaches for truth and understanding with compassion in every interview. He is generous with his thoughts but at times the interviews are long-winded. This is the inherent danger of being spontaneous, the cliche of beatniks being free-spirits who spout non-sequiturs off the top of their heads seems eerily true at times. However, the text is a lucid portal for the reader to glimpse the beatnik world through the eyes of one of its gods. Ginsberg's history is an indelible part of beatnik culture. William Blake, Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac and numerous other notable influences are also discussed.

Bohdan Kot

Brilliant, transformative and mind expanding like Allen himself. The freedom he sought and found and shared is here. A most generous heart. I also recommend Beat Writers at Work, especially for the chapter on a semester in one of Ginsberg's classes.

This book is loaded with information and after almost 600 pages later; here I am with an overview. Most of the books I read tend to be around 200 to 300 pages, so this book is like two or three books put together, consisting of different interviews from the 1950's to the 1990's and a very mixed bag, packed with intriguing thoughts of poetry, prosody, prose, Ginsberg and the Beatific scene that emerged from the late 1940's that subsequently influenced the psychedelic generation of the 60's.

There is some real insightful information on poetry here, very educational and foundational to the beatnik poetic movement, and poetry in general. Ginsberg relates his influential poets that inspired him, molding his thought processes and way of life. From Ezra Pounds, Walt Whitman, the painter Cézanne, William Carlos Williams, Gertrude Stein, Rimbaud and from 1948 a mystical experience with the words of William Blake, whose voice appeared to him after masturbating and subsequently experiencing some other mystical visions and awareness. Blake, although not a living person from our time era, became Ginsberg's guru upon the advise of an Indian teacher. In some cases of poetry and linguistic teaching of stanzas and crescendos, I was reminded of Peter Eckermann's, Conversations of Goethe and their discussions.

There are great explanations of the spontaneous style of poetry, the Buddhist flashes of thoughts that come from the spaces between thoughts, that spring up in the perception of the moment, the present flash to be written down in that precise way, the style of momentary thought speech converted into writing and there you have Kerouac and Ginsberg and Burroughs, except with Burroughs it is with flashes of mental pictures converted into words. This is not the conventional style of sitting down and organizing formal structures, nor a laid out novel or rhyming poetry, no, it is spontaneous and attempts to capture the sudden flash of idea - "first thought, best thought" as Ginsberg's later teacher the Tibetan Buddhist Lama, Chogyam Trungpa shared with him, or visa versa, and it was Trungpa's school that also endorsed the Kerouac School for Disembodied Poets. Even Shakespeare was the spontaneous poet, "every third thought will be my grave," unlike the mechanical, arid, conformity of what was taught in the Universities when Ginsberg attended in the 40's. So I say to this, hey, I guess Kerouac wasn't a babbling, rambling madman, but instead he was actual, solid, writing real bits of consciousness, at least according to Ginsberg. His words were like the jazz, the bebop of bits of everyday sudden speech, spontaneous.

Also are some great stories of the crew: Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac, Cassidy, Snyder, and Orlovsky. Some of this gets rather explicit. Ginsberg was gay and I don't think that should be censored from this amazon review. In this book he is explicit in describing the love acts of himself and Kerouac, Orlovsky, Cassidy and others, including his acknowledgment of Walt Whitman homosexuality. Interestingly, in one interview, Ginsberg relates the highest love as a nonsexual male relationship - this sounds like Socrates at the Symposium.

There are also interviews relating to the Chicago Seven and it's political opposition to the conformity of the masculine police state mentality. Great thoughts on censorship, sacredness, hippie flower power, LSD, Yage, peyote, prosody, Bob Dylan, the Teton Mountains, Buddhist conceptions, the Cabala's ultimate science of ZimZum, detachment, karma, Ezra Pound, Dionysian orgies, the Berkley Renaissance, explicit sex (censorship), belly breathing, anger control, Visions of Cody, Hinduism and Woodsworth.

Of course there's a lot said of Ginsberg's poems such as Howl, Kaddish, Wichita Vortex Sutra, Fall of America and their influences and styles. There are also scores of book references that would take years to read, but nevertheless, great leads to book buying and increasing comprehension and insight into poetry, Ginsberg, Kerouac, Snyder, McClure, Corso, Ferlinghetti, Snyder, Burroughs, and the beatnik frame of no-mind.

This book teaches a lot and I am impressed at the amount of insight Ginsberg had, intellectually, emotionally, and poetically and if I can use the word "spiritually."

Without a doubt one of the Baddest Books that i have ever read.this book talks about my Favorite ERA.it explains the importance of these films&Artists.cuz at the time Tinseltown wasn't happening.the Black Artists here&their Films kept the Lights&Power on.this book sheds Light on Many Topics.the Impact of the Images have Lasting Impact.I'M Glad that Many Artists in the book said that they couldn't stand the term Blaxploitation.I Agree.Hollywood is a Business if the films weren't happening&Making Profit they wouldn't be on display.No Impact,no Word of Mouth they wouldn't be Happening.not everything was cool or worth watching but it was the kind of Charge that is needed to Level the Playing Field.it left a Lasting Impression on Me&Countless others.this is a Must have.very Detailed.

If You don't know about all the '70s films,this book will let you know.I was blown away with this book it's a must have for all black film fans!

I was expecting this kind of book because I'm now deep into Blaxploitation era, but also curious about Black movements of the 60ies and 70ies. In a way I learned a lot of things. A big deception is Ron O' Neal (aka Priest in "Superfly") isn't there, and the authors could also have gotten Tamara Dobson, James Brown, the late Curtis Mayfield and Willie Hutch. But that's life ! A big book, great value for me

I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork in this book. I wish they still made movies like they did back in the day.

Great book about the 70's black movies. I thought I seen them all but this book talked about movies I did'nt know about but would like to see, if I could just find all the videos! The art work alone is worth the price of the book! If you plan or get invited to a 70's party use this book as a guide to get that true afropicking,bellbottom,platform shoe wearing look.