Lee Clark Books

"Sister Carrie", to begin with, is written in a most curious fashion. Theodore Dreiser, an author I'd never heard of before, writes in a very interesting and distinct style. Some would probably feel frustrated with it, as well as his rather blunt way of writing, but it's rather different and certainly good.

A story of a girl's slow and steady rise, "Sister Carrie" will capture readers first with its intrigue. Obviously, the idea of young Carrie whisked away to the city and within moments as a wealthier man's "wife", will have raised a few eyebrows. The way her life progresses is interesting too, from extremely low, to good, to almost better off, to bad, to better, and then finally to excellent. Her personality, though relatively static, is curious to follow as well. At first, as a meek, shy, pretty girl, she gives off the very image of chastity. At the end, she is a strong, independent woman. The change is slow, and yet Carrie does not ultimately change all that much.

Above all, though, it's a great read. It's written in such a way that's easy to read, and though there are the usual dry spots of an early 20th century novel, it reads well. Characters are impressive in their realistic qualities - their weaknesses, their faults, their virtues and their beliefs. The story progresses smoothly and will keep the reader hooked.

A great read, cool writing, and a curious story. All in all, a pretty awesome book. I wish I'd found it sooner. Recommended!

This is about life for a single woman at the turn of the century, when a good marriage or poverty were the only two choices a woman had, along with needlepoint. Yes, times were difficult for a single woman who had to go it alone; I will give that point. However, I don't see that as excuse to throw morality out the door, to use and be used by other people, and be constantly on the prowl for somebody better or more, prettier "things". I had a dislike of Carrie from early on. Dreiser repeatedly tries to portray her as a little country innocent when she was, in fact, a shallow, dull, weak-minded but evidently physically attractive woman. She uses her sister then dumps her; she uses her first "live in" boyfriend, then dumps him for a married man; she uses the married man but is on the lookout for another. She is always looking for happiness by latching on to someone else's money and finery. Wouldn't you know it, she manages to become a self-supporting actress after using everybody along the way. Oh, but she is innocent and naive the whole time--yeah right. Dreiser uses Carrie as a vehicle to attempt to show capitalism as being vulgar, selfish, and self-destructing. If Carrie were typical, he would have a point.

The book is a little over-the-top, in my opinion. Carrie is just too pretty, too "innocent"; the men are incredibly stupid to be lead around by the nose by this creature. The married man's collapse and ruin over his failure with Carrie is over done. The characters are all dislikable and hard to identify with. The book left a sour tast in my mouth.

'Sister Carrie' is about a naive girl from the boonies, circa 1890, who travels to Chicago to find more out of life. She runs into men, gets swept into going to New York where her life goes through great changes when the man she is with, who happens to be her sole provider, completely unravels emotionally, spiritually and financially. Carrie's life proceeds in a manner very atypical of heroines of that era. The story builds to a very fine conclusion.

My only complaint with 'Sister Carrie' is that it does take some time to "warm up", and the author's writing style not especially fluid. I also felt after reading the book I never completely understood Carrie or the men in her life, ... but maybe the author left it to the reader ponder over afterwards??


Bottom line: certainly a remarkable piece of literature in its day, and thankfully the material hasn't aged a bit. Recommended.

Written at a time when women still lacked the right to vote, Sister Carrie offers an uncommon (and not initially accepted) commentary on women and independence. It also addresses that timeless theme of how the city changes the individual. Dreiser's turn of the century novel chronicles the young adult life of Carrie Meeber, who leaves her small town home for a more exciting life of Chicago. Taking residence at her sister Minnie's meager apartment, Carrie is immediately plunged into a pit of lower class struggles; to pull her weight she takes a job as a factory girl in a shoe shop for wages that can barely afford her basic necessities let alone the simple pleasures of Chicago life. Not quite used to the rigorous demands of intense manual labor, she yearns for something greater. By chance, she bumps into a wealthy, flirtatious gentleman - Drouet - whom she had previously met on her train ride into Chicago. His initial courting is unsuccessful but he eventually takes Carrie on as a kept mistress. Their relationship is at best superficial. He offers material things and compliments to her beauty.

Without spoiling the rest of the story, Carrie's raw and innocent drive for success takes her on a series of relationships and adventures first in Chicago and later in New York. As a historical piece, Dreiser provides vivid descriptions of these two cities right down to the street level. He treats the city as a state of mind, with narrative insights weaved between powerful stretches of dialogue.

100 years later, present-day readers might see Carrie as a heroine, despite her unabashed materialism. This was the very reason for its lack of marketing support; the historical fact is that the wife of Doubleday's CEO was upset by Carrie's bachelorette success going "unpunished" by the author.

As was mentioned above, the "city" has transformed her into a woman who is set in her ambitions. Dreiser's style allows us to see things from the point of view of many characters and not just Carrie's. There are snippets of moralizing here and there which give the reader a sense that Dreiser was in some ways a prophet - he foresaw the unbridled potential of American individuality, its drawbacks, and how it is generally actualized in the American city. And for the time period, this was a paradox for women. But Carrie shamelessly lives her life they way she wants to. Classism and sexism aside, Carrie Meeber carries on the American dream.

"Increase of material comforts, it may be generally laid down, does not in any way whatsoever conduce to moral growth." Mahatma Gandhi

"She (Carrie Meeber) wanted pleasure, she wanted position, and yet she was confused as to what these things might be." p. 145 "Sister Carrie"

Critics may scoff at the immorality of the main characters, the persistently subtle, yet always stinging slams at the evils of Capitalism, or how depressing the novel is. But despite it all, my interest never waned from the first page to the last. Yes, Dreiser's super-duper liberal (although liberal back in 1900 is a tad different than what we consider liberal today), but this man could sure write beautifully! At times, he's almost a poet, as I found myself reading some sentences and paragraphs two to three times over for their sublime brilliance.

Dreiser's prose is both honest and brave. He develops his characters beautifully, at a slow, methodic pace, carefully unraveling the mysterious air of each of the three main characters until the very last pages. Yes, he's iconoclastic. Yes, he gets a bit too preachy toward the end of the novel. Yes, he's a bit dark and discouraging. Yes he's a bit too liberal for many folks. And yes, his bitter, but many times brilliant observations are a tad too cluttered with sarcasm and irony. Yet for me, I just couldn't put this one down, nor forget about it when I finally did.

Carrie, Carrie, Carrie ... it is so easy for all of us to sit back and judge you. You slept your way to the top in many people's eyes. You sold your soul to become successful in our material world. Yet most people who have become successful in our society have led far worse lives than Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" and many of them are lionized. We have to ask ourselves, is it our jealous, judgmental nature that makes many of us go tisk-tisk about the lack of this gal's morals? My glass house is waaaay too thin to do this. Yet, I do not advocate in any way, shape or form using others to get what you want in life. The pursuit of materialism should never mean the sacrifice of one's ethics, morals and values. However, I do believe that Carrie was coming to this realization toward the end of the novel. In order to not disclose too much to those who haven't read this yet, I will say no more.

As I stated above, this classic definitely isn't without its imperfections. If you are a staunch conservative, there's a good chance this writer will irk you a bit. I also thought Dreiser was a bit too harsh in regards to the fate of the book's male protagonist, perhaps punishing him for being the quintessential all-American, conservative Capitalist that he represented early on. He also is a writer who tends to be idealistic to a fault, getting way too preachy and sanctimonious for most of us mere, marred mortals to handle at times.

Overall though, I really, really dug this classic novel. This is the first time I have read Dreiser, and I greatly admire his compelling, penetrative style. The story is well written, no real action, very little plot, mostly a character study of some very realistic people whom we all have known in life. The beauty of this simplistic story is the way it plays on just about every emotion imaginable, which made it for me, never a dull moment.

I loved it. 5 Stars!

Fascinating book! It's a great summer read. If you're not a big fan of dry,boring historic accounts--this is the book for you! Very entertaining!

This novel is by far one of my favorites and I have re-read it twice, just trying to get all the details of the story of this famous but little known woman, Sacajawea. Anna Lee Waldo is one of the best historical researchers of our time and in this book she goes above and beyond in creating a tale based on one of the reputed fates of this incredibly brave Native American girl that led Lewis & Clark across the continent with her baby on her back. A must read for all lovers of American history.

I first saw this book when it was given to my mother as a Christmas present in 1978. For years I would stare at the cover of the book on the shelf, promising myself that one day I would read it. I finally did in 1989, a freshman in college.

I found it again on the shelf recently, and spent 2 months reading it during lunch at work. It was everything I remembered. Waldo's vivid imagery truely puts you on the trail with Lewis and Clark. You *become* Sacajawea in all her trials, tribulations, and triumphs.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for early American history. It's not often I read a book twice, but this one was worth it.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. A book you just don't want to put down. I lost track of my original copy over the years lending it out, but saw it in a bookstore in Wyoming and quickly bought another.

If you like this type of novel another great book is Follow the River by James Alexander Thom. This true story is about Mary Ingles' capture and eventual escape from Shawnee Indians in 1755 Virginia.

I read this book 30 years ago and somewhere lost track of it. Oregon is rich in history of Lewis & Clark, and Sacajawea so thought it was time to re-read this book. The book is well-written, long as it may be. Nice read ion those gray days in Oregon.

Henry James lived most of his life in Europe. When he was 36 years old
he wrote a novel about an American millionaire named Chrisopher Newman who was also 36. The novel of manners opens in Paris where Christopher
(named for Christopher Columbus) is enjoying his fortune, visiting art galleries and looking for a suitable wife. The Civil War veteran is a non-intellectual who is a version of an innocent abroad. He will join the countless characters in Jamesian fictions who are innocent Americans dealing with the old world culture of European sophistication.
Through a friend Mrs. Tristam he meets the Bellegard family. He falls in love with the enigmatic Claire Bellegarde courting her for several months. She agrees and then refuses to wed him. Claire retreats to a nunnery in Paris. Claire had been "sold" by her family to the rich and old man Cintre but he has died. She is used as a pawn by her evil mother and odious older brother. The reader will learn why she rejects Newman, the secret of the Bellegarde family and gain an appreciate of what society was like in the 1870s in Paris.
A secondary plot deals with the young Valentin Bellegarde who fights a duel over a prostitute. He befriends Newman introducing him to his formidable mother and brother.
The book is very understandable "The American" is not like the later James works of
"The Wings of the Dove, "The Ambassadors", and "The Golden Bowl" with their dense prose and convoluted pyschological style of probing the consciousness of the major characters.
Henry James was a genius who sought to understand the human heart. In this novel of 1876 the master has produced a fine book. This book is a good introduction to the world of James. Recommended.

What does a confident, energetic, single, self-made American millionaire do after amassing a fortune while still in his thirties? In the case of Christopher Newman, the good-natured, optimistic protagonist in Henry James' The American (published 1877), our hero (as James labels him) takes his money and makes on an extended visit to Europe, in search of culture, amusement and excitement to complement his exceedingly practical commercial past. The primary storyline centers on Newman's tireless efforts to marry a French woman, Claire, who is the woman of his dreams. Although the relationship goes passably well at first, despite obvious differences between Newman's straightforward American ways and Claire's aristocratic family, events abruptly take a turn for the worse about two-thirds of the way through the novel. Ultimately, Newman's "commercial side" is too much for the class-conscious Bellegardes to bear, and Claire is forced to reject Newman and retreat to the confines of a nunnery.

For anyone with an interest in understanding the clash of American and European society, values and culture, particularly in the late 19th century, The American is a worthwhile read. While the language and style of the work are at times a bit tedious, James' classic novel succeeds in elevating a common literary theme--man meets woman--onto a higher, more expansive cross-cultural stage. Though a happier resolution may have made for a more popular work of fiction, the realistic, less romanticized ending, with Newman pensive and melancholic and Claire cloistered away and out-of-touch in the nunnery, is exemplary of our universal human condition--a bittersweet affair in which openness and honesty do not necessarily win out over the inevitable prejudices, societal norms and sometimes even ill intentions of others.

One element of the story that I was hoping to find but did not was at least an inkling of how Newman, Claire, the Bellegardes or any other character in the novel go about finding a sense of "deeper meaning" in life. Newman has money but seeks an ideal wife. Claire appears to have the choice of marrying but is really being controlled by her family and ends up seeking solace (and maybe even emotional freedom?) in religion. The Bellegarde family have social status but are too embroiled in internal strife to be content. Beyond his cross-cultural (American versus European) social commentary, could James also be hinting that neither money, nor status, nor family, nor religion can bring us lasting satisfaction? If not any of the above, toward what higher objective should we all--individuals and societies alike---spend our waking hours striving toward?

Why read Henry James? He can be quite difficult, and his 19th century world was so very different from ours... or was it? This novel, among other things, poses an eternally relevant question: Can money buy everything? Like Edith Wharton, young Henry James was fascinated by the precise effects of wealth, power and social position on interpersonal relationships. He gives us a character, Christopher Newman, who he calls "a powerful specimen of an American" - a tall, handsome, charming, intelligent self-made businessman of incredible personal wealth. He comes to Europe to find the one thing he hasn't got -- a perfect wife, "the best article in the market." He settles in Paris and is befriended by The Tristams, two unhappily married expatriates. The husband is too much of a boor for Newman to tolerate much, but he develops a friendship with Mrs. Tristam, who claims she knows the perfect woman for Newman: a widow from a semi-impoverished aristocratic family. Claire de Cintre is everything Newman is looking for, and he falls in love during a slow courtship consisting of chilly fireside teas with her creepy family, who make it clear that he is a totally undesirable suitor, in spite of his vast wealth. The mere fact that he has had to WORK for his money renders him too "vulgar" to even consider marrying into a family with the blood of archdukes, no matter how hard up they are. It's seriously strange to even imagine a world where great wealth could be seriously second-guessed in such a way. Yet James seems to suggest there is something laudable in even such extreme snobbery. "I must say, to give the Devil his due, there is something rather fine in that...They wanted your money, but they have given you up for an idea." James, an expatriate himself, foresaw the 20th century American Empire and the triumph of pure filthy lucre over corrupt aristocracy, and (also like Edith Wharton) he was ambivalent about it. This is an early James and easier to read, and much less complex, than his later greater novels like "Portrait of a Lady" and "Wings of the Dove." But it's worth the modicum of effort, because the ending of the story hints at his potential for deeper psychological subtlety and ambiguity. Did Mrs. Tristam deliberately set Newman up with a woman she knew was unavailable because she was in love with him herself? And how much did that very unattainability influence Newman's attraction? "I don't believe you would have been happy... I wanted very much to see, first, whether such a marriage could actually take place; second, what would happen if it should take place." -- "Say I should have been miserable then; it's a misery I should have preferred to any happiness."

In The American, Henry James attempts to convey the differences between the market-driven republicanism of the United States and the monarchical traditions of Old Europe (France in particular). It seems that whenever anyone explores differences, stereotypes precipitate from the mix, and even the careful craft of Henry James is subject to this law of language. Yet one gets the sense that James is aware that presuming to accurately describe actual differences carries with it the risk of proscribing inferred differences. Thus, the novel seems to be more about the act of writing about differences - and not just nineteenth century differences - than anything else.

At the end of The American, neither "side" truly wins or loses in any definite sense, and this becomes emblematic of Modernity - the inability (futility?) inherent in attempting to reconcile past traditions with new ideas. Ezra Pound's mantra, "make it new," gave a center to Modernism, and The American shows us that the desire for newness inherently involves negotiations with the past: Those who carry old traditions desire to render their time-worn customs as eternally of the present while those seeking new ideas must remember the ideas of the past so as to break from them. The overwhelming questions remain: When should one drop outdated customs in favor of something new, and how can one recognize traditions worth keeping?

This is about a successful American businessman in his thirties who leaves the USA, having made his fortune in copper and railroads, to travel around Europe and to find a wife. He encounters an old friend in the Louvre who takes him home and introduces him to his own interesting wife. Mrs. Tristram takes Christopher happily under her wing, absorbs him into her circle of friends, and tells him of an old friend who'd be just the perfect wife for him - a young and beautiful widowed countess of unimpeachable descent. Christopher meets Claire de Cintré and from that moment his one obsession is to marry her.

An attractive hero, he possesses remarkable talents. In fact he has pretty well every virtue except exalted antecedents; he is, for example, tall, good-looking, urbane, well-mannered, forthright, intelligent, thoughtful, considerate, persistent, good-natured, generous and rich. At their first meeting he conquers Claire sufficiently to be allowed to continue to visit her, instead of being shown the door. Actually, his dogged audacity is pretty amazing; he simply asks her to marry him after about the fifth meeting, because he wants everything to be above-board. She says No and he promises not to mention the matter for another six months. He then succeeds in making a bargain with her mother and brother, the most rigid and narrow dyed-in-the-wool aristocrats, that they will not stand in his way or say anything against him until she accepts his hand. Marquise and marquis make no secret of their dislike of him ("a commercial person"), nor of their horror and disgust at the entire proposition. These are two different worlds. Christopher is aware of it but is confident that their differences can be overcome; after all he is very rich and he knows this is important to them. He sees no reason why sensible individuals would not agree in time to a straightforward and sensible offer.

Matters seem to proceed well or better than can be expected, and when the six months are up Claire graciously accepts Christopher's proposal. A dramatic turn of events, however, obstructs their happy plans.

Henry James is a joy for those who like a sedate plot to unfold slowly, carefully and thoroughly. His psychological observations are minute; his characters drawn with deftest strokes, and one or two lighter subplots fill out the general late-Victorian picture. Bigoted aristocrats, unprincipled upstarts, impulsive young noblemen, impassive secret-keepers, loquacious duchesses, these and many other finely-drawn characters fill the pages of this enthralling story.

Although this book was written especially with seniors in mind, a person actually needs to want to get a better memory. A need to want to get better is motivated by prior experience.

My mother had neither the best education nor the most motivating parents, so I can see how see how a senior with better upbringing could make good use of this book.

As for those like my mother who prefers TV and videos for intellectual stimulation I believe that the Memory Workbook could easily be formatted to a learning type DVD.

In fact, I believe a video would be even more effective in the style of NLP mind control experts like Derren Brown and Keith Barry. Mind Control (along with proper exercise and essential nutrients) is at the core of a good memory and can be affected within a few minutes with the proper programming.

If you are a boomer growing concerned about remembering where you left your keys, don't waste money on this book. Perhaps this was written for the very elderly who have never learned to improve their self-esteem, but that's old news for boomers. This book is very poorly written (the grammar is atrocious) -- it shows that anybody can write a book in these days of desktop publishing and cheap printing. It is filled with clap-trap, and never delivers what it promises to sell. Two thumbs down!

My wife and I decided to investigate our aging memory and started with many other books and programs before finding "The Memory Workbook". This was the last book that we purchased. The book is long and at times difficult and challenging but what a difference we both notice in our memory! This is hands down the best hands on self paced memory program out there. There is a nice section on specific memory disorders and resources.

Worried because you forgot some of the items you were supposed to pick up at the grocery? Afraid that your memory lapses may signal impending Alzheimer's disease?

Ease your mind. This book will help you do just that by explaining memory and providing some very helpful techniques for memory improvement.

Along with the surprisingly enjoyable exercises, Mason and Kohn address the kinds of memory loss that are reversible and discuss why certain types of memory degrade with age. They discuss specific drugs that elderly folk often take and explain what their memory consequences might be. They also discuss the role of diet in memory and offer tips for diet and supplements backed up by the latest research.

Instead of giving up and giving in, help an elder improve their memory. Help yourself to a memory like a steel trap instead of a spaghetti strainer. Get this book, do the exercises, and develop a great memory - no matter what your age!

Five stars!

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D.
author, "How to Find Great Senior Housing"
and
"128 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's and Other Dementias"

I now have the skills to better understand how my memory works and how to utelize it

This is a must read for everyone who either considers or is implementing EJB-based software. It is not a tutorial, it is the essence of experience, what to do and what not to do (or at least what to watch out for). In a team setting I would make this a mandatory reading.

If you are already experienced EJB developer then you will appreciate the good wisdom and advice in this book. I found it is not a problem solving kind of book but a problem avoiding one. Read before you start your next project and like me you will save many hours of frustration.

I give 4 stars because some chapters are not as useful and overall the book could have better organization. But these are small points. Definitely you should read this book!

As a consultant that's worked for a few big companies that are doing EJB Architecture, I'd like the Architect read this book. Then maybe they would put down the "golden hammer" (EntityBean) and pickup a useful tool. There is too much bangging around with those expensive hammers.

Good book - and I could relate to the adventure stories that open many chapters - I found them interesting and pointed!

I was disappointed by Tate's "Bitter Java". But "Bitter EJB" is totally different story.
I would strongly suggest everyone read it also get "Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and
Development". These too books compensate each other very well. Both of them obviously
favor JDO over Entity Bean. Is JDO the future? still unsure:-)

This is definitely a book for the advanced Java programmer looking to refine his understanding of the pitfalls of EJB, and more generally J2EE, development. I was tough on Bitter Java because of it's technical editing. This book is decidedly better in that department but I can't give it all five stars because the difference in tone between the chapters and between the authors is noticeable and somewhat distracting. In addition the anecdotes about white water remain and I think they are unnecessary. That being said, if you are a J2EE programmer, this is a required book.

Thie edition by North books is a good quality hardcover with a rather plain dust jacket. Overall, a good buy for the money.

I found this book to be very engaging for the most part, very easy to read compared to other books I have read recently. But I found Dreiser's Sister Carrie to be more compelling and more ultimately satisfying. Jennie Gerhardt is the story of a remarkably innocent, caring, beautiful but very poor young woman who -- because of her unparalleled beauty and loving, simple, humble, trusting, compliant nature -- has "illicit" affairs with two older, highly reputable, influential men, one leading to the birth of a child out of wedlock. Kind of a Cinderella story, but where the Prince doesn't marry Cinderella. This was of course shocking stuff for a 1911 novel. And, because it describes how "proper" people thought in that bygone era, it makes us understand clearly why it was so shocking. Dreiser also does some philosophizing here and there in the book, stepping back and decrying the injustice of society, or inserting some general paragraphs regarding his thoughts on how puzzling life truly is. It is a compassionate, honorable, worthy book with a ponderous, thorough style to it, following the lives of the key characters through to the bitter end. But I felt that the book lost some of its power as it labored on to its conclusion, which seemed to be that there is no conclusion... other than, of course, what the reader makes of it.

This edition of Dreiser's JENNIE GERHARDT attempts to "correct" the text that appeared in 1911 when the book was first published. Back then the editors at Harper's agreed to publish the novel only if they could make substantial changes to the text, softening Dreiser's criticisms of organized religion and the rich, and diluting the "immoral" behavior of the main character. Dreiser reportedly didn't like the changes, fought to get some of them re-instated, but eventually had to yield since no other publisher would touch the book. Using preserved typescripts, this edition is closer to the one Dreiser submitted before cuts were made.

Jennie Gerhardt has an out-of-wedlock child by Senator Brander, which she is able to keep secret from the wealthy socialite Lester Kane, whom she takes up with. He finds out about the child, however, and is unaffected by the news. He continues to live with her in a complicated arrangement, until Jennie finds out that Lester's father will basically disinherit him if he doesn't stop living with her and forces him to leave (echoes of WASHINGTON SQUARE by James and the subsequent movie version THE HEIRESS here). He marries Letty Gerald, a woman from his own social class, but is miserable. When he becomes ill and is alone, he summons Jennie and declares his true love for her.

The novel is an interesting one. Lester is a pessimistic, cynical, atheistic man while Jennie is much simpler and has a mystical belief in the goodness of life. The "battleground" on which these opposing beliefs are fought over is made fascinating by Dreiser. Also Lester's struggle with his own wealthy class system, which he is never comfortable with and rebels against, is handled admirably and honestly by the author (it became a major theme in fiction by WW I). This was Dreiser's second novel after SISTER CARRIE; it's not as good as that first book, but it's a solid work of fiction nonetheless.

Truly, Jenny Gerhardt has a lot of heart.

Though she makes some bad decisions and often lacks the confindence that could have reinvented her in the magnified binocular-eyes of society, Dreiser's love for the character shines and we, the readers, grow to love her also. Several glimmers of why Dreiser is the transcendent novelist that he is peek out from the fast moving story of Jennie Gerhardt.

"She was not, like so many, endeavoring to put the ocean into a tea-cup or to tie up the shifting universe in a mess of strings called law."

"The loveliness of seventeen is centuries old. That is why passion is almost sad."

"So this little household drifted along quietly and dreamily indeed, but always with the undercurrent of feeling which ran so still because it was so deep."

I admit to you, I have never been very interested by the sometimes dry prose offered in the writing of earlier time periods. But Dreiser seems to me a rare gem in the world of early 20th century fiction.

However, the one reason I am writing a 4 star review is because of the ending of this novel. After several mini-climaxes, the book ends. --just like that. With a grim display of "if only". And although most, if not all of us, identify with that theme, I felt like I MUST have read 366 pages for something other than that.

However, I would still recommend it. It is a delicate work of art whose power and beauty cannot be denied.

This was the first novel I ever read by Theodore Dreiser. The reason why I selected it was because in the film, American Splendor, Harvey Pekar mentions the novel and he's shown finishing it in the film. I wanted to know and feel what Mr. Pekar felt. And I believe I did. The tragedy of Jennie Gerhardt's life resonated with me. I was anguished over Jenny's loneliness and the fact that Lester could never make up his mind to marry her. I cried. Dreiser's observation of turn of the century high society and their view of the poor as pariahs still seems relevant today. We still live in a time of social and financial inequality.

Dreiser's writing style is definitely not modern. And his phrasing is not structured in the active voice. It's more long-winded. You need to enjoy his descriptions and his philosophical speculations that do make the novel more meaningful. You can't take the social critic out of Dreiser. If you can make time in your life to sit down and read this novel, you will come away having been moved by Dreiser's heartfelt portrayal of the human condition. May each and everyone one of you be as lucky to love as deeply as Jennie did.

I loved reading about the life of this fascinating woman

This book reminded me of the question, "If someone wrote your life story, would anyone read it?"

Well, here is one person who lived a rather normal life and her story is no great Earth shaking drama, just her getting on with her life and doing what God wants her to do. From the book cover, ect., a lot of people want to read her story, so, in as much as we are all special and do special things in our lives, maybe not worthy of great notice, but worthy of note, yes, if someone wrote about any of us, people would want to read it.

Ms. Logan tells about her life growing up, becoming a midwife and how she learned to midwife the best. She had the great privilege and advantage of wonderful parents who taught her to live by God's word, be humble, giving and to not try to be 'white'.

There are some seriously sad parts in this story, but they are part and parcel of being black and human in this country. The most important part of her story is what she wanted to pass on to future generations on how to be a better midwife. She had learned a lot from God's directions (when she needed some, He gave her some directions) and from her own experiences.

All in all, she has had a wonderful life and is glad to have lived it. This book is a joy to read.

In 1996, while pregnant with my first child, I was researching the different options available to me for childbirth. I read book after book, borrowing them one after another from my local library. Only in my first trimester, I had already been told by my OBGyn that I had a 1 in 4 chance of C-Section "just because that's the way it is." There HAD to be another way, so I searched. Then I came upon THIS book. Far from being an argument for a method or an analytical textbook, Motherwit was an intensely tender, human story that made childbirth come alive for me. This book fed my soul as I laughed and cried my way through it. When I was done, I knew how I wanted my baby to come into this world: with a midwife. I've never forgotten it... and after all these years, 2 children later, I'm buying my own copy, so my daughter can read it too, when her time comes. I'd rather have a woman like Onnie there with me, than any Ph.D. Both of my children were born peacefully. Both came with the help of midwives like Onnie Lee.

AS AN ASPIRING MIDWIFE AND FELLOW CHRISTIAN I WAS AMAZED AT THE CANDOR AND EASE WITH WHICH LOGAN LED US THROUGH 70 YEARS OF HER LIFE. HER STORIES TAUGHT WAYS TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS THAT ARISE OCCASIONALLY DURING NORMAL HOME BIRTH. HER CONSTANT DEVOTION TO GOD WAS VERY UPLIFTING!

Motherwit is a fascinating glimpse into the life of Onnie Lee Logan, Alabama's last "granny midwife". She is a wise and skillful midwife, meeting the needs of Merengo County, one of the poorest in Alabama. Her service to the black population is at first appreciated, because the doctors weren't interested in treating them. As midwifery and homebirth grows more popular, many well-off white couples hire her to deliver their babies at home, and soon she and her fellow midwives are no longer granted liscences to practice midwifery. The midwife will enjoy Onnie Lee's wisdom and compassion in caring for her clients; the African-American will appreciate her struggles to claim her place of service to her community. Christians will appreciate Onnie's frank faith in God, Who called her to midwifery and designed to process of birthing babies.

For an anthology "based" on the style and stories of CAS, I felt most of the stories in this book were as fascinating and strange as Smith's. Without the hamperings of technical descriptions and reasonings of a "Dying Sun" scenario, the stories just naturally fall into prosaic form, dealing in the macabre and and the darkly fantastic. Better than most of the "inspired by..." anthologies. A good read!

For lovers of fantastic literature, the name Zothique no doubt revives pleasant memories of hours spent reading the stories of one of the genre's masters, Clark Ashton Smith. Smith was truly sui generis--although his work contained echoes of Howard and Lovecraft, he was in a class by himself. His short stories are more accurately described as highly compressed novels--he conveyed in short, densely detailed narratives what it would take others hundreds of pages to accomplish.

Thus, I approached THE LAST CONTINENT: NEW TALES OF ZOTHIQUE with more than a little trepidation. My worries were unfounded, however--editor Pelan has done an admirable job in assembling stories from a diverse group of authors including Gerard Houarner, Brian McNaughton, Jessica Almond Salmonson, Don Webb, Gene Wolfe, Brian Stableford, Lucy Taylor and Karl Henrik Johnsson. Most contributors wisely avoided the temptation to mimic Smith's style; to do so most likely would have proved disastrous. Instead, they chose to seize on the energy of his ideas, using them as springboards for their own tales. The result: a truly entertaining batch of stories featuring necromancers, magicians, strange diseases (remember the Silver Death?) and even stranger beasts.

I won't belabor this any more, except to say that this is an excellent collection, a fine, eminently readable tribute that can be enjoyed by Clark aficionados and neophytes alike.

The Last Continent is a collection of new tales in the theme of Clark Ashton Smith's classic "Tales Of Zothique". Gathering up such talented writers as Gerard Houarner, John Pelan, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, and Mark McLaughlin, The Last Continent takes us on a journey through the last continent of Zothique that was originally created by Smith.

You will feel the weak red sun as it dies, taste the dust of deserts on your lips, and tremble in the wake of strange magics. The Last Continent crosses the fantasy/SciFi/horror genres like a savage bee pollinating blood-tinged flowers, and the memory of these tales will sting you in pleasing and painful ways, perhaps even hang around awhile like a lump of swollen, poisoned flesh.

Here are the stories you will discover in The Last Continent.

1 - To Wake The Dead In Nypholos by Gerard Houarner.
A strange woman with mystic abilities visits the city of Nypholos, charming her way past the city's guardian. But when her charms are diverted from him to the Xipe Uthala, the guardian proves he is true to his city over all others.

2 - The Decibel Circus by Rhys Hughes.
The last acolyte to the demon god Drigg journeys to a cold desert where stylites pose on pillars and speak in tongues that can arouse changes in men and earth. Ximbus must use these stylites to bring his god back to life before his own body fades from disease.

3 - The Benevolent Emperor by Brian McNaughton.
An arrogant emperor discovers the consequences of arousing the wrath of the Gods, and must watch his kingdom die.

4 - Where The Past Lay Buried by David B. Silva.
When a man sets out on a journey to discover his beginnings, aroused by a prophetic vision, he discovers more than he bargained for and unleashes an unholy force on an innocent village.

5 - The Temple Of Captured Gods by David Niall Wilson.
Even a Priestess can be mistaken, and when coveting a contained God, even a King must listen first to his heart.

6 - The Connoisseur Of Corpses by Dan Clore.
A fantastic tale of a necrophiliac who gives his all to his God in order to become more involved with the dead, a deal that causes him to prosper in more ways than one.

7 - The Vainglorious Simulacrum Of Mungha Sorcyllamia by Mark McLaughlin.
Mark McLaughlin is one of my absolute favorite short story writers. He always manages to bring in a glimpse of humor to both his titles and his tales. In this tale, a gifted man becomes enamored by a painting made in his class, painted by a traveling girl with secrets to hide from him. Nevertheless, they fall in love, and Mungha eventually winds out using all of his gifts in order to see this sensual beauty once more.

8 - The Scarlet Succubus by Edward Lee and John Pelan.
Two of the most talented horror writers come together for this oddly surreal tale. One of the best in the collection. A vile King with dissatisfied vassals pushes them over the edge with his decedent indulgences. While Taquin Narr, the king's wizard, has the answer to uproot the vile king, he remains unaware of the King's secrets, passed on from generation to generation, secrets that keep the kingdom safe.
Spectacular achievement in scifi/fantasy/horror cross-genre.

9 - Hode Of The High Place by Jessica Amanda Salmonson.
A simple boy manages to infiltrate the strange, spiraled palace raised up on an impossible plateau in the midst of an ignorant, rural town. But in ignorance he rules his high place like a barbarian, and forgets from whence he came.

10 - Serenade At The End Of Time by Don Webb.
A thief or an acolyte, what will Fulbra be? Where will his desires lead him, and at what price will he be distracted?

11 - Blue Roses, Red Red Wine by t. Winter Damon.
One of my favorites. Cirdaith, strangely bound by magic to his harp called Shadowdreamer, sails off with his companions to find the City Of Blue Roses. Though they arrive in caution, they stay in decadence, indulging their physical and spiritual fantasies with the mysterious and irresistible nymphs they find there. Blood will flow and hearts will be broken, but the city will live forever with its hunger.

12 - A Traveler In Desert Lands by Gene Wolf.
Another favorite. The price of a jug of water in a desert wasteland turns into a lifelong prison of madness.

13 - Jolerarymi's Rose by Geoff Cooper.
Love knows no bounds, but can love also see through all treacheries? Stonecarver Jolerarymi wants only enough business to eek out a living and please his girl Sheleen. But Sheleen, greedy for the things Jolerarymi cannot buy her, prostitutes herself for goods and coin, making Jolerarymi very jealous. When Jolerarymi is given the contract of a lifetime, his visions of he and Sheleen together forever in a comfortable life are shattered by his murder. Sheleen takes Jolerarymi's corpse to a Necromancer to reanimate. But did she do it for Jolerarymi? Or for herself? Now that he's dead, will Jolerarymi know of her deceit?

14 - The Judgement Of Tsaran by Polagaya Fine.
A man finds his punishment to be incomprehensible, isolation on a deserted island with a strange altar that calls to him.

15 - Ashes Of Longing, Ashes Of Lust by Lucy Taylor.
Another favorite. Xi-Lan abandons his lover Gamede on their journey to the fearsome city of Cienta, leaving her in the middle of the night after a horrible nightmare. When Xi-Lan hears of Gamede's death, he vows to make the journey to collect her remains. Gamede's last wish was to have her ashes scattered from the Mountains of Arden, and for Xi-Lan the road from Cienta to Arden is fraught with horrible danger and unspeakable mutilation. In the end, will he travel with Gamede again?

16 - Love & Death At The End Of The World by Mark Chadbourn.
A band of cutthroats kidnap a beautiful girl to be used as a sacrifice to a demon isolated inside a tower of bones. But when Rathsamman decides that redemption is better than power or riches, he may discover that he is alone.

17 - The Leper King by Charlee Jacob.
Another favorite. Lyrkatra is a young witch intent on building her powers. She is a homely girl, who lives with her goatherd lover Komtai in the mountains that rise up above a fetid leper colony. Where most witches seek knowledge to destroy, Lyrkatra is a gentle soul who seeks the knowledge to create. Komtai discovers a fortune in jewels hidden within the crags of the mountains, and leaves poor Lyrkatra to become a great and wealthy king. Years later, when Lyrkatra is brought before the king to entertain him, she is able to show Komtai that creation is the most powerful magic of all.

18 - The Light Of Achernar by Brian Stableford.
Wow. This is the first story I have read by Brian Stableford, and he has earned a healthy round of applause from me. One of the longer and more stylistic stories in this collection, The Light Of Achernar is a real treat.
`Light' is a complex story surrounding the astrologer/sorcerer Giraiazal, who was exiled to the Isle of Cyntrom. Here, he performs his predictions and declarations of fate for two merchant princes, who are in reality brutal pirates. At the prince's request, Giraiazal tracks down the heirs to the palace throne, two young men whom the prince's are confident they can control.
Lysariel, as the oldest, becomes king, and his brother Manazzoryn comes to live in the palace with him. The brothers each marry a daughter of the pirates.
But Giraiazal sees only misfortune in his readings of the stars, the fell star of Achernar holding its foul sway over the futures of the new royals. Giraiazal does what he can to prevent his predictions from taking place as this complex tale of magic, love, and fate unfolds. But Fate is a tempestuous mistress.

19 - The Triumph Of The Worm by Karl Henrik Johnsson.
This last story left me feeling as though the collection had suddenly flattened out, dropping away from its consistent splendor. One of the most irritating things about this last story is that it, outside of the others, was very poorly edited. Life was constantly misspelled as Fife, many times. And the author took Smith's flowing style and turned it into a chaotic and discordant mess. Each and every sentence was so long and drawn out that the prose lost its music.
In `Worm', Zothique finally dies, leaving only a long-dead and decomposing madman to witness the sun's last throes.

The Last Continent is an original reading experience, utilizing not only Smith's vision of Zothique but his stylistic, flowing prose. These authors, like Smith, were able to breathe life into this dying world.

The book has a nice introduction, "Grim News From The Far Future", by Donald Sidney-Fryer, beautiful cover art by Rob Alexander, and intriguing sketches within the pages by Fredrik King. It is a limited edition of 500 copies, numbered and signed by each author. The layout is very nice, a friendly format, with an easy to read font and tight binding.

While the price is a bit formidable, I have hopes that this book will be picked up by another publisher and made available to the general public at an affordable price. In the meantime, if you are into rare collectibles that have actual, enjoyable content, do not miss out on The Last Continent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Enjoy!

This is a tribute anthology inspired by the works of Clark Ashton Smith. Having not read one piece of fiction by Smith, I anticipated missing some of the underlying themes. This was not the case. John Pelan has selected stories that while being in the tradition of Smith's stylings is easily accessible to those of us not entrenched in the ways of Clark Ashton Smith's fiction. As in all anthologies there are gems, good stories and a few dogs. This collection has a higher incidence of the first two.

David B. Silva's "Where The Past Lay Buried" is an effective meditation on guilt and the price it extolls. Geoff Cooper's "The Jolerarymi's Rose", a sculptor is betrayed by his wife and he enacts revenge. Edward Lee & John Pelan's "The Scarlet Succubus" waxes poetic on politics, betrayal and some evil aquatic monsters. This one takes you one way then twists the ending so you don't know which way is up. "Ashes of Longing, Ashes of Lust" is a fast moving, beautifully written selection that made me feel I was beside the characters. Here you find a man on a mission and the toll an old girlfriend's last wish takes on him. Mark McLaughlin spins a tale of obsession in "The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia". Brian Stableford turns in a stellar novella of passion, love and betrayal in "The Light of Achernar".

Other standout tales are written by Charlee Jacob, David Niall Wilson, Gerard Houarner, Dan Clore, and Gene Wolfe. The book contains some outstanding cover art by Rob Alexander and some nice interior illustrations by Fredrik King and Allen Koszowski. Highly Recommended.

I really like to recommend this anthology to all history and Korean studies interested people. The authors address to a very contentious and emotional topic of modern Korean history: the period of Japanese colonialism from 1910-1945.
However, this book doesn't cover this old and long well-known history what you maybe could expect. Deeply understanding the master narrative about political and cultural suppression or suffering what Koreans still maintain and the path to modernity from the Japanese side authors like Gi-Wook Shin, Michael Robinson or Clark Sorensen or Kenneth Wells turn to issues of Korean modernity and colonialism that are usually not covered by historians.
Indeed they attempt to initiate another kind of historiography: topics of everyday life, peasants, media (newspaper), human rights movement (Paeckchong), literature and the reflection of modernity, telecommunications network, policy of assimilation, significance of the Korean Nation after liberation and so on.
These historians break new grounds in Korean history in that they examine a history from below (!) concerning movements, everyday life during colonization or the quest for modernization, i.e. usual people's participation (instead of the aristocratic Yangban) on modernity. Nevertheless, they aspire to maintain the holistic claim. These authors try to relate the mentioned issues with the big political ones and concrete policy and thus underscore how various kinds of history (like political, social, media or literature) could be interwoven.

Modern Korean history has often been looked upon as a long, dark chapter with the darkness eminating from Japan. This has been increasingly the view put forth in Korean education and scholarship the further Japan's rule of the peninsula fades from actual memory. Nationalism was used in post-war Korea as a useful and powerful tool to rebuild the country, and now is perhaps having the exact opposite effect: leding to many blind spots in terms of what the Japanese reign of Korea actually meant to the country, even on an academic level.

This book takes the first steps towards pulling away the entrappings of nationalism from historical inturpretation, critically examining what exactly it was the Japanese were doing in Korea from a more objective stance.

Research of this kind was too long in the coming, and it is hoped that this will not be the last to analyze an all too often misunderstood (if realized at all) part of Korean, Japanese, and East Asian history.

This is the story of Gettysburg, from the Confederate viewpoint. The author conducts a searching examination for the reasons for the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia and examines the behavior of many confederate participants. His central thesis is that Lee lost because a) inferior battlefield commanders were available to Lee in the execution of his battle plan and b) subordinates failed to execute either adequately or promptly.

Who was actually at fault has always been a hotly contested debate: Early, Heath, Longstreet, Ewell? All are evaluated and found wanting. But the key figure, Lee, appears to have never been considered. No matter. This is a remarkably well written description of this battle. It is a very good work. Clear, crisp, very descriptive and concise, the writing is quite engaging. Despite the scapegoating, this has to remain one of the seminal works on this battle.

Is it possible the Yankees were actually that good? The idea apparently never enters the author's mind, but again, no matter. Clifford Dowdey does everyone a serious service; this is one of the better Gettysburg accounts, if not the best, you will find anywhere.

This book reads easily, and manages to give the reader not only a clear picture of the three days at Gettysburg, but also probes into the commanders and their personalities and decisions. The book not only tells of what happened during the battle, but also what was "supposed" to happen and didn't. It goes into the personalities of such generals as Ewell and Longstreet and how they affected the outcome of key engagements and eventually the entire battle itself. Lee's abilities, and short-comings, is shown, and also his frustrations with the shrinking numbers of good Confederate commanders. All in all, if you've never read about Gettysburg, or if you've read extensively about it, this book is as enjoyable as it is informative.