Cultural Books

The focus of Greek civilization, the Parthenon captures viewers imaginations even as it conceals its true meaning. In his ground breaking work, Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. author of ATHENA AND EDEN: THE HIDDEN MEANING OF THE PARTHENON'S EAST FACADE demonstrates that when Athena is seen to be Eve, then Greek mythology becomes narrative art. Consequently, the marble sculptures on the east pediment of the Parthenon relate the story of the origin of mankind, matching the Genesis account in detail.

Johnson asserts that scholars have previously been unsuccessful in identifying most of the figures in the east pediment because they have failed to connect Athena with Even and the story of Eden in the Book of Genesis. Through careful research, Johnson demonstrates that we do have the literature and art to serve as a source of reconstruction. Painstaking comparison demonstrates shows that the sculptures of the eastern pediment depict the Garden of Eden, the birth of Eve, the Great Flood. Furthermore, the goddess Athena, whom the Greeks worshipped as the one who brought the serpent's wisdom, is the same person the Book of Genesis calls Eve.

Johnson, a West Point graduate, author, teacher and public speaker based his research on surviving sculptures, the ancient writings of Homer, Hesiod, Pindar and others, plus myths, vase art and the work of numerous experts. His controversial approach will certainly garner attention from all who are interested in the classics, religion, art, and mythology. Indeed, Johnson's unique perspective will provoke avid discussion among academics for years to come, yet is easily approachable by any who hold an interest in our origins.

I don't profess to know enough about Greek history or archaeology to say that the author is right on target; HOWEVER, his theory does fit the facts of Greek mythology and Biblical revelation.

The author's premise is that Greek mythology is really the story of Creation, the Fall of Man, and the Great Deluge, except told from the side of Evil. There are a lot of photos of various aspects of Greek art to back up his theory, and he does a good job of explaining it in terms a novice can grasp. This work has piqued my interest and I'm going to have to do a lot of further reading.

One thing the author didn't point out, but which I've theorized for years, is that the portions of Greek myth typically referred to as "The Clash of the Titans," was a perversion of the true story of Lucifer/Satan being cast out of heaven. I'd like to see Mr. Johnson chase that rabbit in the future.

I have accidently seen this book in Tampa Museum of Art downtown, and intrigued by its title, I bought it. Little did I know how revealing this book is.....

I always pondered about the ancient fascination of womanhood, and modern condemnation of womanhood -- where and why it all changed?

Well, the author nicely connects the ancient female divinity emphasis and the one the Bible gives in the garden of Eden.

Indeed, because of Eve's choice to be seduced by the Serpent, humankind serenity of life ended. Later generation, perhaps out of deperation and mystic of new life birth, elevated woman again, and Athena (a-thanassos -- immortal) carries the symbols of woman 's fall from the garden, yet, in sense that through the Serpent she gave humanity freedom from God, and then presented a new connection through her outstretched hand.

So strange why females were so elevated back then----Cybele and Kaabala connection (Muslim worship of black stone just like in Ephesus Artemis and black stone)...

I am often shocked to see how ancient beliefs carry over to nowadays...

D.Barbara Zapal

Athena And Eden: The Hidden Meaning Of The Parthenon's East Facade by author and educator Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. offers the non-specialist general reader a unique, accessible, and provocative look at classical artwork and human spirituality. Athena And Eden focuses on the majesty of the Parthenon and its mystical connection to the Book of Genesis. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs of Greek artistic treasures, sculptures, and pottery, Athena And Eden is an original, seminal, ground breaking, unforgettable, and highly recommended perspective that will be of particular interest to students of Hellenic art, architecture, mythology, and religion.

If you know who "the prince of the power of the air" is then you will probably find this book very interesting. I came across the book almost by accident on an Amazon list and found it to be very well reasoned and argued.

The author's main idea is that greek myth and religion consists of a retelling of the story of mankinds origins (familiar to us through the first 12 chapters of the Bible) from a greek or humanist point of view. Wow, he got me right there!

The book shows how many of the seminal events of human history such as the original sin, the murder of Abel, the flood etc. were depicted on the sculptures decorating the Parthenon. However, they have almost the opposite meaning and sentiment as the biblical depiction.

If you are interested in ancient history and how it intersects with the bible you will love this book. I bought the author's second book Athena and Kain. It supposes to make the same basic points looking at a wider selction of Greek myth than found solely on the Parthenon. However, as many follow up books do it spends a lot ot time covering material from the previous book. That's ok if you have not read the previous volume but tedious if you already have.

The book is also well illustrated.

this book is good enough to get a good view of how SD is going and should go. Though much has changed since this book has been published. Globalization has taken SD in directions that were not previously predicted.

Don't miss reading this book! When I read conventional economics, I constantly find myself asking why most economists use such ridiculous assumptions. Herman Daly's book tells why, and gives a start of what to do about it. Mr. Daly's work convinced me that economics will soon be undergoing a revolution like that of physics in the time of Einstein. As a patent attorney with a biochemistry degree, I can tell you that Mr. Daly is right on the money when he discusses the importance to humanity's future of discarding GNP as an economic measure. If you didn't realize before that understanding entropy is essential to economics, Mr. Daly will tell you. There is plenty of other great stuff here, too.
I don't agree with all of Mr. Daly's points. One of his major themes is that being truly concerned about the environment and the future of humanity requires reverence for the Earth as God's creation. Since I am an atheist, and I am very concerned about the environment and the future of humanity, I find this viewpoint a little hard to swallow. Don't let that stop you from reading this great book, though.

I can't say enough about how moved I was by this book. Having worked in a corporate setting for a number of years, I have wondered how growth can always be the goal of business and how the world can keep expanding and still accommodate everyone's needs. Herman Daly breaks down the problems with economic growth and how fraudulent it is for measuring economic health. Daly advocates sustainable development from a number of economic and social angles. His explanations become abstract at times, but he effectively challenges established economic thinking and offers alternatives.

Without recognition of physical ecological parameters, economic growth as we know it, including GNP, does not measure economic reality. The concept met with opposition from economists at the World Bank where Mr. Daly once worked (as of the mid-1990s when this book was written). The book starts with a passionate rebuttal to the World Bank and their "preanalytic vision" that the economy operates separately from the environment. In the remainder of the book his frustration is aimed more broadly at neoclassical western economists for ignoring the environment and the laws of thermodynamics. A great example is not accounting for environmental costs during the "throughput" process where products go from raw material to final waste.

I learned how important size or "scale" of macroeconomics is, but not accounted for even though it is surpassing the "carrying capacity" of our planet. Daly refutes modern developments such as an "information economy," to replace depleted resources. Also, lack of natural materials can't be substituted with efficiency: "One cannot substitute efficient cause for material cause--one cannot build the same wooden house with half the timber no matter how many saws and carpenters one tries to substitute," (p. 76).

Globalization, Daly argues, opposes the goal of sustainable development as does free trade, overpopulation, and inequality, all of which are closely analyzed. Globalization and free trade came across to me as particularly harmful because they limit a nation's ability to protect its people, culture, and environment. Daly recommends "maximum wage" to limit inequality. Justification for this concept uses biblical references in a religious-based section, which might seem inappropriate for an economics book, but I found the points made important and well presented.

His solutions for change have the goal of creating a "steady state" economy. With such an economy, humans are able to live on the earth and use amounts of the resources that can be maintained indefinitely. This difficult goal includes principles that may seem radical like population control and limiting inequality. But accounting for our environmental costs in our economy is not radical; it's common sense.

I appreciate the perspective the book takes because it proves that the loss of natural resources isn't just anti-ecological, but also anti-economical. Probably one of the most important books I've ever read.

I've read a *lot* of economics books in recent years, some good, some not. But Daly's is really in a class by itself for seeing the big picture and explaining it clearly: traditional economics is broken. Neoclassical economics today is like high energy physics: all the trusty laws that held so true in normal energy physics, or 19th and 20th century economies, mysteriously start to fail us. I love the simple, yet compelling logic of Daly's insight: take the existing neoclassical model of economics--the circular flow of income between households and firms--and then draw a box around it, to acknowledge that the world is of finite size. Once you do that, analyze however you wish...the recognition of a finite world leads inexorably to the notion of an optimum size for the national and global economy. I like how Daly uses tools from mainstream economics to make the point: we all remember from Microeconomics that every firm has an optimal size, based on the size of the overall economy. Economics has the notion of limits to growth embedded already, we just need collectively to apply that logic without flinching.

Something that impressed me was how Daly in 1997 used his intellectual model to forecast the concentration of asset ownership in the U.S., with the consequence of increasing class disparity and declining real wages for the middle class. That would have seemed like outlandish poppycock in the mid-90s, but now in 2007, lo and behold, it's coming to pass (per the CIA and the Economic Policy Institute, and BLS.gov statistics) for all the reasons Daly outlined 10 years ago. The man is onto something, and policymakers would do well to listen to him.

Even better, I think, is that reading between the lines of Daly's book there is a real and believable message of hope. The world of the future that acknowledges limits, and embraces development over growth (think "quality" not "quantity" of the economy as the goal) is a better place than the world we live in today. Instead of the world becoming a planetary Los Angeles or Hong Kong, where life is crowded, expensive, polluted and mean, what I took away from Daly's book was a clear intellectual architecture for a world that is beautiful, full of possibilities for interesting life work, and full of hope and things to look forward to. I sincerely hope that Daly's vision helps shape the world my daughter grows up in.

This book is well worth reading for Daly's explanation of "ecological economics." Rather than looking at the economy as a system existing in a vacuum, where an infinite amount of exchanges are possible to create an infinite amount of economic growth--as neo-classical economists believe--Daly places the economy within the physical environment. This environment of course is a place of limits: limits on raw materials and limits on places to store pollution. Thus, Daly shows that the economy must observe limits too.

Common sense, right? Yet, our whole economy is premised on the opposite idea, that we can just keep growing forever. Think of compound interest and then move on from there and you get the idea of how pervasive growth is in our economic mindset today. Offering an alternative is what makes Daly's theory radical.

But the bonus in the book comes at the very end, where Daly offers economics (rightly understood with limits) as the intermediary between the physical world and religious belief. The latter, Daly believes, is necessary to offer humans the inspiration we need to radically change our current society and save our species. Some parts of the text are rough going, but if you're not an economist you can skim them to get to Daly's truly novel integration of heart and head.

There are people who will swear by this book, there are people who will hate the book. There is no middle ground, i have checked and tried it out. Either you love it or you hate it. Poetic Nonsense in finesse and the finest form.

This will cure your longing of the cluetrain manifisto stuffs. Beautifully written and meaningless at some point, but you goona love it i guess, you gonna crave for more, and then subscribe the newsletter.

GO buy the book, and immerse yourself. I have read some part of the book more than 3 times. Amen.

I just finished Bombastic Transcripts, so if you have bothered to read this at all you're probably wondering so what did this monkeyboy think? Good question, honestly I am still pondering it mulling it over in my head and probably will for a bit. It is a quick read, it's an interesting read, but fundamentally it's not a light read. It takes a little time for digestion and pondering... I suspect I will read it again in the next month or two and reconsider, hell maybe throw this whole review out.

So here's my advice go buy the book, RageBoy needs the cash. If you like Tom Robbins, Hunter S Thompson, and the Gonzo style read away, you'll enjoy it. Perhaps you will find some stuff to digest, even without ingesting any substances on the Schedule I drug list.

If you didn't like Cluetrain Manifesto, Gonzo Marketing, or any Gonzo writing buy the book anyways, for the reasons stated above. Then hide the book in your bookshelf and wait until a really dark night, one in which your soul is screaming for mercy while the night rages in a Category 5 Hurricane and your only fresh reading material is a copy of Reader's Digest you have flipped through already 15 times. Your mind goes hungry, for something unanswered and unknown, and you will recall this book hiding in some dark corner of the bookshelf covered in dust and a three month old edition of Fast Company magazine. You will pull it off the shelf and find yourself drawn to the words expressed inside and the walls of illusion come crashing down inside your mind. Either that or you'll take a gun and pull a Hemmingway. Doesn't much matter to me, if you survive reading it you might even find yourself signing up for Entropy Gradient Reversals, but let me warn you the shotgun is alot quicker and painless, but it's not nearly as much fun.

I only have one thing to say about this: "The Solution is Poetry". Excellent reading. Warning, you may not get it if you consider yourself too smart and significant.

This is the crash course in understanding the fundamentals of the necessity of change as seen through the eyes of the author, Christopher Locke. Everything you previously thought was lore is turned on its head in riotous fashion in The Bombast Transcripts. Each chapter takes apart some standard you thought was a given, an immutable and constant attribute of practically every aspect of life in the western world.

The best part is that Chris does it in so many different ways in one book. There's flat out ranting and there's cutting ridicule including interviews with himself, Rupert Murdoch and the famous one with Mr Ed. (Yes, the horse.)

Using those cliched critic's terms of rollercoaster ride or rollicking good yarn don't do this volume any justice whatsoever. In fact, this book defies any label you might care to ascribe.

In fact, I defy anyone to come up with a label for this book.

That was my introduction just over a year ago to Entropy Gradient Reversals and the evil genius mind(s) behind it, Christopher Locke/RageBoy. From that first mind-blowing, breathless reading of his newsletter, I was alternately charmed, alarmed and disarmed by the decidedly unpretentious Chris Locke. His new book, the Bombast Transcripts, a collection of essays previously published to the Entropy Gradient Reversals mailing list, contains that first newsletter that caught my imagination, and so many more.

As I've read through this book, I have found myself again reacting to it in the visceral way that I had to become accustomed to as one of his faithful Valued Readers at EGR. While some may call him pompous and crass, I find him to be merely open and honest. Then again, I've always had a soft spot for intelligent, over-indulgent, semi-vulgar Don Quixotes. His chosen windmills are big business that don't have a clue (IBM et all, no small potatoes here) and, while a book about business practices would normally make my eyes glaze over while putting me in a semi-catatonic state, I find this book to be human and engaging at every turn. Each essay stands on it's own as either a rant or a screed, yet each could also be expanded into its own little book. Irreverent, engaging, transforming, contemplative, hilarious....and each page is more of the same.

While I read Locke's words, I get the feeling that I am a part of something much bigger and more important than anyone can guess, especially those that think the internet is nothing more than a collection of chatrooms and porn sites. No, I get the feeling I'm getting a glimpse of a creation, a rapturous inferno of truth and emotion, two key elements that, when exposed to each other under the heat of RageBoy's passion, cause a brilliant flash of evolution that could change the world as we know it. What a wonderful world that would be.

Idealistic? Maybe. Bombastic? Hardly. Evil Genius?? Indeed.

One of the most informative and interesting books I have ever read. A must read for every woman of child bearing age well before she considers having children and then again when she becomes pregnant. I wish I had read it sooner.

Dettwyler's book: Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives is an instant classic and a must-read for any health personal, parent or anyone else interested or somehow involved in breastfeeding (aka everyone!)
Dettwyler opens our eyes, not only to breastfeeding, but to many misunderstandings and wrongdoing in our society, when it comes to raising our children.

I'm currently writing a book about breastfeeding in my native language danish, and Kathy Dettwyler is quoted several times. In Denmark child upbringing is generally a far cry from natural upbringing. Hopefully the book, with Kathy's assistance, can help change that.

Thank you Ms. Dettwyler!

No other breastfeeding book compares to this one. Every woman should read this book because the information contained within is invaluable. It gives background for how and why breastfeeding works like it does. It's powerful information not found in any other book I've read.

One of the most interesting books I read on the topic of breastfeeding was Kathy Dettwyler's Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives. Besides being incredibly well-researched and thorough, it also presented an amazingly logical (yet somehow overlooked) idea: breastfeeding as an evolutionary adaptation. Breastfeeding benefits the survival of the baby and the human species - not only because of its nutritional benefits, but because it keeps mother and child close during a time of vulnerability. It also fosters the mother's ability to cue in on her child's needs and respond to them quickly and efficiently-one might say, instinctually. The modern concept of "attachment parenting" is really a very ancient, practical, and life-sustaining practice. Dettwyler's book presents solid scientific evidence from studies in biology, anthropology, and sociology that reinforces this ages-old concept.

This book has changed my life! There is so much evidence and sound facts about why it is so important for a child to be breastfed until the age of 2.5- 7 years of age that a person would have to be deaf, dumb & blind to at last not consider it. It is because of this book, that I am going to continue to exclusively pump for my son until the age of 5 (he never latched). I would highly recommend this book for any breastfeeding mother that is considering whether or not she should continue to breastfed beyond the age of 12 months. Read this book. It will change your life. When I read it, not only did I see how humans create their own destruction, I saw the face of God.

Fast service received book in stated condition. Thank You

As a practicing clinician and college professor, I cannot overstate the importance of this book. As I read it, I realized that we all make quick and often inaccurate assumptions about one another, even when from the same culture. This book forces us to look at all of the ways in which we can oversimplify the behaviors or appearances of others and often jump to false and dangerous conclusions. It is certainly a book that anyone working with people from cultures other than their own (that means most of us)should read. it speaks both to the complexity and importance of the work and challenges us to look more carefully at what we do.

I have been a forensic interviewer at a Children's Advocacy Center for 9 years now. I train in the area of Forensic interviewing and specifically Diversity. I cannot say enough about the importance of Ms. Fonte's work here. From the perspective of a CAC Forensic Interviewer she is speaking directly to me and my needs in the field with this work.

CAC Executive Directors will find this book invaluable for the Standard Criteria regarding Agency Cultural Competancy. The Standard itself is addressed directly in one full chapter. If you have read this book when your review comes around and worked with it in relation to your Agency, in my humble opinon you will be on the cutting edge of the available thought and practice of Cultural Competancy at your Center. You will get it even if you can't implement it in your area just yet. This is your primer, and a MUST READ for Agency Cultural Competancy.

Ms. Fontes does talk specifically about Puerto Rican and Latino cultures in this volume more so than others, but do not discredit any part of the book for that. There are FAR reaching concepts and a paridigum shift talked about in the introduction by Jon Contes as going beyond Cultural sensitivity into more of an action and result based competency. And the book lives up to that at minimum as a GREAT PLACE TO START.

This book should become a Standard Classic in our field along side of others like Lamb and Poole's book on interviewing from the 90s, and Shame on us in the field if it does not. An interviewer dare not walk in to court anymore without have read and understood Lamb and Poole at least where if fits historically in forensic interviewing. One day this book will be of the same kind of importance.

BRAVO and Thank You To Lisa.

I work with a lot of abused children and their families who come from all over the world. I also work with children and families with other problems in a healthcare setting. This book is fabulous, and not just for issues of abuse.

Despite the heady topic, it's a good read. HIghly interesting and engaging. I especially liked the chapter on punishment, discipline, & abuse in different cultures. These are delicate and complex problems and Fontes does a good job explaining them with clarity and wisdom. I now understand why we have such difficulty tackling this issue at work, and I have ideas about how to handle it differently. This book is intelligent and practical at the same time.

Every chapter ends with some questions to "think about and discuss." At first I thought it might be a little corny--but I have brought this book to my workplace and we discussed several of the chapters and the questions. They provided an easy route to important conversations that we had never had before.

I'm going to use it in a social work class I'm teaching next semester! I think it works for beginning students and experienced pros--this is ENTIRELY NEW material and much needed. This author has done her homework!

Dr. Lisa Aronson Fontes has written a unique and extremely helpful book that is a must read for anyone who works with children and families. I had my graduate students in school counseling read and discuss the book this past year and they found it to be extremely practial, enlightening and applicable to their work. It really engaged and challenged them and sparked an extremely rich and useful dialogue. I have been looking for a book like this for some time now and I am thrilled to have finally found a well researched, compassionate and clearly written book which speaks respectfully to the complexity of these issues.

The other reviewers who also gave it 5 stars said it the best. I'm just adding my emphasis that you should read this book. It was inspiring and just a very memorable and eye-opening story of native people growing up in the "white man's" world. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

A proud but impoverished Alaskan Indian family struggling to move into modern white society from its ancient culture filled with spirits -- deeply moving, humorous, tragic, yet inspirational.

I absorbed Cold River Spirits in a flurry of intense reading. Once the book was opened, I could not put it down. The stories were compelling and engaging, full of warmth, amusement, charm, sorrow, and tragedy. I was drawn into the lives of this Alaska Native family and rejoiced in their triumphs and commiserated in their troubles. The icon of the family, Louise, embodied the power, strength and wisdom of the Alaska Native woman. Louise's thoroughly modern daughter, Flora Jane, determined, bright, and plucky, became the first Alaska Native, man or woman, to graduate from the University of Alaska! These real life stories reflect the difficulties and challenges of the Alaska Native people as it has in more recent times interfaced with the pervasive and dominant white culture. But Cold River Spirits is not just an ethnological family history; it has much broader appeal, for it crosses cultural and racial lines, and the reader senses the deeper message of the themes of humanity that unify us all.

An informative and important ethnographic work giving a glimpse of one family's life experiences in interior Alaska. A story well crafted and researched by one of the descendants of an Athabascan/Irish family filled with the realities of the sometimes harsh aspects of life in the north but yet also filled with the joys of living with strands of hope. It demonstrates how people cope with the clashing of cultures and how people on another level recreate their identity with one foot in the past (belief in Cold River Spirits) and one in the present. This book is highly recommended as a prime example of how to do ethnography. At times an air of expectancy is created and much like Louise, a central character in the family story, we get a sense of what's to come. It was story told with candor and helps to give us a snapshot of the cultural landscape of her people.

COLD RIVER SPIRITS is a wonderful and welcome addition to my library. Jan Harper-Haines writes with wisdom and humor. She tells the story of her family with candor, helping readers appreciate the challenge of living in two cultures. The book is a fast read; I couldn't put it down. As a result, I gave several copies as holiday gifts to friends and family. COLD RIVER SPIRITS deserves five stars.

Why? This question arises more times than one can count in A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse. This is a book about tension and contradiction in American pop culture, namely, between our hearts and minds. To put it differently, how do we reconcile our beliefs with our reason, faith and ratiocination, philosophy and theology? There are two ways of illustrating these dichotomies and their collapse: The cult classic Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and the lyrics of the Brit por-rockers Coldplay.

Let us begin with Fight Club. "Within the soul we find Tyler Durden... He is nothing. And he has a gun in our mouths." (112) It is stark sentences like these that that make A Consumer's Guide to The Apocalypse worth reading. Velasquez reads Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club as an apocalyptic novel, as much about destruction as it is about re-creation, a man's quest for himself that ends up in nihilism. He reads deep into Palahniuk's novel to show he is not just writing about a group of guys who like to beat each other up. Velasquez highlights Palahniuk's "murder-suicide thing", which the author shows is Palahniuk's mediation on the crucified God. We are in the grips of an image of self-slaughter,
which Fight Club exploits in the service of our own personal not Godly redemption. We must be nothing before we can be something.

There are echoes of Fight Club in Velasquez's examination of the music of Coldplay. Before you listen to your copy of A Rush of Blood to the Head again, read the Chapter "Beyond the Edge of Reason." Coldplay reaches beyond the here and now, longs for some transcendent emancipation, which at times ends in love and at others in nothing. Love and self-forgetting are intimately related. Love is not a means for an end in itself. But Colplay lingers on mania as a way of life. And it is here that Velasquez takes Chris Martin and his gang to task. "We are not responsible for our irresponsibility" says Velasquez of Chris Martin's (the lead singer and mastermind) struggle with the meaning and reason for our existence. Though couched with beautiful ballads that at time elevate our souls, there are glimpses of "Destruction, death, and suicide," in Coldplay's music says Velasquez. This urge to destroy is "precipitated by meaninglessness." Velasquez uncovers the rage that permeates much of popular music. As to the question of meaningless, consider the
words: " `Running in Circles / chasing our tails / Coming back as we are.'" Here is a reference to the eternal return of the same, with allusions to our biological endowment. The music video for The Scientist is backwards. He starts in a city, and rewinds to him in nature, concluding with his car wreck. Are we perhaps no more than an accident? Is this a meaningless universe filled with unsolvable puzzles?


What Velasquez wants to point out is that if you look deeply, today's artists are Not simply "entertaining." The artists deftly examined in this book highlight a recurring theme; the self-destructive human propensities, the curious affinities between this propensity and Christianity - So where do we go from here. Reasders looking for easily packaged answers will not be satisfied. The answer is untold because it is unknown. It is hard to find answers when you don't know what to ask. A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse proposes put us on the right track, for at the very least we now know what questions to ask.

A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse, by Eduardo Velasquez, comprises an insightful examination of several works of popular culture intertwined with reflections on the affinity between faith and science, good and evil, and something and nothing. The book is divided into two parts, Science and Theology, which, curiously enough, serve to elucidate the innate bond between the two. Velasquez endeavors "to restore what has been torn asunder in order to arrive at a premodern or Platonic conclusion"; that is, reason and technique are inherently tied to creation and intuition (xxvi).
Part I consists of three chapters, treating I am Charlotte Simmons, Copenhagen, and the music of Coldplay, respectively. The chapter on Copenhagen contains a particularly discerning appraisal of the role of faith and intuition in the apparently rational fields of mathematics and science. A conscientious reader comes to understand that uncertainty is inevitable, as science can be no more perfect than the language and observation which describe its phenomena. As uncertainty has moral benefits, morality is necessarily interwoven in empirical results. As with morality, intuition invades rationality. This is demonstrated when Velasquez quotes Heisenberg from Copenhagen: "Decisions make themselves when you're coming downhill at seventy kilometres an hour. Suddenly there's the edge of nothingness in front of you. Swerve left? Swerve right? Or think about it and die? In your head you swerve both ways..." (41). One cannot apply a rational, scientific model to decision-making in this situation. No driver, having found himself in this situation, would proceed to consider the cost-benefit analysis of each of his options. He will think fast and do what he "supposes" best. He puts faith in his ability to make a decision.
If science cannot be independent of faith, then the converse is also true. Part II's three chapters consider the music of Dave Matthews, the novel and film Fight Club, and finally Tori Amos' struggle to reinterpret Christianity. In the chapter on Fight Club, Velasquez notes protagonist Tyler Durden's belief that "to die is not to die (105)." He adds that "we are the past and must therefore usher the past back in order to annihilate the past (107)." We must seek emptiness to free ourselves from the fettering chains of our progenitors' burdens. But what is this emptiness that we seek? And how to attain it? Velasquez's reference here to Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is fitting. If our search for the provenance of mankind will bear fruit, it must defeat evolution and creation, science and theology. As Velasquez puts it, "Fight Club the book is an attempt to take us back to that beginning, the beginning in which chaos, creation, destruction, love, and hate exist in peculiar relation to one another (117)."
The conclusion of this book is the seduction introduction of a replacement for the question of "To be or not to be." We are, concludes Velasquez. "But what does it mean to be and live in between?" He addresses the problem of the beginning, noting that we seek this nothingness, this origin, as the vehicle for something. Nothing is not nothing, but the inception of something?
This book will repay the time you put into it, so don't begin it until you have the time and desire to think about the possibility that Velasquez might not be wrong.

A Consumer's Guide To The Apocalypse would, at first impression, seem somewhat wild. To say that the title alone is not intimidating would be a complete lie. The idea of the concept of the apocalypse is an extremely heavy burden on the world and all its inhabitants to begin with. The Apocalypse defined by Merriam Webster is one of the Jewish and Christian writings of 200 b.c. to a.d. 150 marked by pseudonymity, symbolic imagery, and the expectation of an imminent cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil and raises the righteous to life in a messianic kingdom. The subject matter is not light. The idea that pop-culture has anything to do with it is honestly simply too much for many people to deal with. Of course, many people of our population simply are not ready to think of the idea itself. But for those minds interested in looking at a completely different perspective, this is where Doctor Velasquez makes his argument hit home. He uses excellent examples of modern media to validate his points perfectly.
The book unveils common pop culture in a new light that is almost never contemplated by the everyday person looking for a bit of entertainment. Doctor Velasquez dissects many aspects of life and brings out what is most relevant to the apocalypse. Starting with Tom Wolfe, the most immediate draw is the concept of brain imaging. This idea that the concepts of an undesirable mind can be discarded and replaced with desirable qualities is one to ponder - and believe it or not - extremely relevant to the apocalypse. What do you think of that? Why would we as humans want to take away some of the fallacy that makes us human. Everyone is different and no one is perfect, would you really want to change that and make us ridiculously similar? If everyone became similar, the idea of the apocalypse is certainly nearing - just as Doctor Velasquez may suggest. This is simply one of the media examples Velasquez does an excellent job unfolding.
At this point in the review you may be saying to yourself, "Tom Wolfe, great. What else does this guy have?". My answer for you is that this section is just the beginning. Moving on, Velasquez takes a look at the play Copenhagen and the idea of quantum ethics. As humans, we all crave power, glory, and providence. and the idea of quantum ethics. As humans, we all crave power, glory, and providence. Yes, many will argue - the atomic bomb was completely necessary for putting a halt to World War II. Velasquez seems to ask, what is the ethical affect of this device? The answer is not outlined for you, stimulating thought about what is right and what is wrong in the world. What is necessary and what is not? Does the capability to blow the hell off the face of the earth make us better people, or does it simply explain which direction humanity is headed.
I could simply go on for days about how thought provoking this book is, but I don't need to. Velasquez makes the book speak for itself. At times you find yourself so immersed in the topics and ideas presented, you would often forget that there is an author behind it all directing a journey of ideas to encounter and contemplate. I will cite one more example, simply because it is one of my favorite movies and that is Fight Club directed by David Fincher. Once again, let me remind you that this movie is viewed by many simply for afternoon enjoyment - entertainment - to kill time. Velasquez takes absolute advantage of the start of the movie where Ed Norton is contemplating how to deal with his emotional instability. Norton is insecure and reverts to some ridiculously screwed up methods such as going to the "support group for testicular cancer" as a start for his solace. Norton's sick need for solace which comes through many "questionable activities" seems absurd, but a second thought would reveal that Norton's method in dealing with his insecurity in similar to the methods of pleasure for many people.
Velasquez does an excellent job tying in modern media references as evidence for a world that we see crumbling in front of us. He brings us to question ourselves in areas of ethics, human knowledge, religion and science. The fact that we as humans encounter this media every single day is a testament to the fact that the world is changing rapidly - and it does not seem to be for the better. Velasquez promotes the intelligence of these symbols of modern media in a nonchalant manner and certainly encourages us through the book to take a look at the way we live our live. If you don't give a crap about the world you live in - be quick to discard of this "ridiculous idea", but for those looking to add to their catalogue of worldly ideals and philosophy, this book is a must read that opens up a different side of modern media.

Richard Saum

This book is controversial. If you don't have a thick skin, don't read it. If you're at all mildly interested in modern culture and you can take the heat of controversy, give it a try. You may get something out of it if you are open-minded enough.

A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse deals with the two topics of academic and daily life that shroud 21st century America: science and theology. It seems as though the struggle between these two apparently juxtaposed fields pits individuals against each other as they choose one over the other, but this book has no place for dogma. The close-minded evolutionary biologist and the Catholic bishop find themselves absent from this book. And for good reason.

CGA's first half devotes itself to the failure of science as a means of explaining human existence. The author refuses to accept that the study of cell structure and the activity of molecules define humanity, and in doing so, he may step on a few feet of those working in laboratories who devote their lives to atomic structure. But reverence is not the theme of the book. Self-understanding is. And self-understanding may at times be necessarily ruthless.

CGA's second half devotes itself to the failure of theology as a means of explaining human existence. Drawing from the anti-Christian lyrics of Dave Matthews, the nihilism of Fight Club, and the rebellion of Tori Amos, the author manages to repulse every right-wing Bible-believing Christian since Saint Augustine. And even though the Christian reader may be far from amused, he may appreciate the wildly opposing viewpoint. The interesting part is that on many occasions, the author does not state his own opinions, but analyzes the artists' views and lets his own conclusions speak for themselves through the artists. Some may call this cowardice; others, brilliance.

And then we arrive at the grand conclusion. Laying science to one side and theology to the other, we pick up a new mentality that finds itself to be a happy medium between these two, and although not specifically stated, appears to be "spirituality."

The connection with various modern philosophers is apparent and Velasquez pays homage to them in the bibliographic essay at the end of the book. The reader will discover many flirtations with existential and nihilistic philosophers throughout--the words "beyond good and evil" seem to make an appearance every now and then. And the book of Genesis also finds its place throughout, especially in the conclusion, which is entitled "A New Genesis."

Do not read this book for answers. Read it for questions. CGA manages to pose thought-provoking queries of relevance for today's society that seems overly immersed in aesthetics over existence. Socrates would be proud.

Velasquez's A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse is a collection of commentaries on various aspects of modern popular culture, specifically the dark religious undercurrents of the song, movie and novel industry of America in the last decade. A fascination with Nihilism permeates American culture that is most easily seen in an assessment of these modern "artifacts," as Velasquez calls them. These artifacts include Tom Wolfe's I am Charlotte Simmons, which depicts the deconstruction of human individualism, soul and spiritualism, at Dupont University. Velasquez then looks to Michael Frayn's Copenhagen as an "illustration of the gap between Word and Self"(36), a continuation of the discussion of science and its affect on the human. From there we are led to an encounter with the British rock band Coldplay. We travel through the cosmos, to the tops of trees, searching for the beginning, for God, and for answers. The reader is then confronted with Dave Mathews' demonic and suicidal obsessions. Then, looking at Fight Club, God is found in the basement of a church at a men's support group. Sexually ambiguous, somewhat female and somewhat male, Bob, the testicular cancer survivor, shows us the confused, chaotic God of today. Coming through the fog of confusion we find ourselves faced with Tori Amos describing the divine feminine. The fascination with demonic imagery, with the "progress" of science turning us into machines to be disassembled for inspection, the confusion about God, and the longing to return to a beginning, are elements of American culture, or a Jungian collective subconscious even, that Velasquez lays out on the table for discussion.
Both Frayn and Wolfe's work deal with conceptions of scientific progress. Wolfe deals with reductionism that goes on not only in the field of science, but also in our institutions of education. Our passions and desires turn into synapses in the Amygdala. "Neuroscience redirects our attention back to the body" attempting to "prove" in a matter of speaking, the soul does not exist (6). Wolfe's protagonist Charlotte looses her identity in the classroom as well as in the flow of the university. She is reduced from a thinking being to an ID number on a university swipe card. "Wolfe's reduction of the various protagonists to animals...is his way of deliberately evoking a reaction against the scientific reduction of human beings to their bodies"(19). Frayn's commentary in Copenhagen on the uncertainty and complementary principals of physics lays next to uncertainty and complementary in human actions. We "do not know ourselves fully" and therefore require outside perspectives (xxii). From this uncertainty comes the possibility for a "negative theology"(xxii).
Velasquez takes us to the lyrics and images of Coldplay and Dave Matthews. Coldplay sings of the modern interaction with technology that is so much a part of our lives today. They sing of "the predicament that afflicts us as children of the modern world"(57). The struggle between humanity and science, human searching for our origins as humans, and a search for some sort of religion or spirituality are topics Velasquez confronts using Coldplay's own lyrics. From the Genesis aspects of "The Scientist," wishing to go back to the beginning, searching for some illusive answers, to "The Speed of Sound" looking at evolution for the same end, we see the theme of the Cosmos and the human state of being therein lost. In the same way we are lost with Dave Matthews between Jesus being crucified and the devil. Matthews aggressive confronts God on several occasions, by calling into question the expectation of Heaven. "the solution to our internal conflict" Velasquez suggests "is to abandon, release, even surrender"(85). Here again is the haunting Nihilism, giving in to the idea of nothing-self annihilation as Velasquez puts it.
From the Godlessness and confusion of Coldplay and Dave Matthews comes further confusion about the role and even gender of God and a "yearning for rebirth"(102). In Fight Club we find God at a support group. With newly grown breast and lacking intact male sexual genitalia, Bob or "God[,] appears as an emasculated male"(115). Here the narrator "returns to the womb" in Bob's embrace (116). What a confused depiction of God! We must further examine the female aspect of this newfound deity. The narrator also makes visits to female support groups. These images of the divine feminine brings us to Tori Amos' discussion in her works of the just that topic. Amos examines the two Marys, the virgin and the prostitute and wonders what it is about societies conception that disallows a unity of spiritualism and sexuality. Velasquez goes on to bring out her words to the affect that "we need a new genesis to go with our contemporary apocalypse"(136). Which is what he, Velasquez, proceeds to give us. He suggests where to go from here, accepting our current relationship with religion and the so-called modern enlightenment of science -- "We seek renewal"(148).

Papanek, like his mentor Fuller, took on a guru like status where rhetoric became more important than the reality. He bends facts and contradicts himself several places in this book.

Here are a few that jumped out at me

Misrepresentation of the facts -

Page 89 - The Hyatt collapse wasn't bad design rather the builder changed the construction and inspectors weren't doing their job.

281 - He talks about farm implement companies' negative reaction to his walking tractor proposal. Troy-Bilt Rototiller has around since 1937, was and is building a 10 HP tiller very similar to the one pictured.

Contradicts himself -

Page 6 he says, "Design must be meaningful. And meaningful replaces such semantically loaded expressions as ... "ugly"... "cute"...

Page 93 - he describes gum as "tawdry

Page 246 - He asserts that humidifiers are bad because they are "costly, ugly, and ... wasteful of water"

Granted there are a lot of dangerous, overpriced, impractical, and generally unnecessary products on the market, but except for ranting about what he considers to be wrong, he doesn't offer much in terms of direction to others who want to be socially responsible.

I first heard a lecture by Victor Papanek about 20 years ago, shortly before this revised edition was released. He was a very impressive speaker, drawing from a seemingly bottomless well of ecological design ideas. His work has taken him far and wide and in the process allowed him to revamp many of his views on environmental design. This book is an extensively updated version of his seminal book on the subject. It has become a bit dated in the 20 years since its release, especially in regard to computer software design. But, most of the material he covers is still relavent to the present, as we have only begun to scratch the surface of sound ecological ideas.

Having read the more recent books on ecological design by Sim Van Der Ryn and William McDonough, I was surprised to see that neither mentioned Papanek, who prefigured many of the ideas they present in their current books. Papanek long ago advocated the lease/use principle, which makes much more sense in a rapidly changing technological world than does the buy/own principle that continues to dominate our social thinking. Papanek notes the many cultural and psychological blocks we have created for ourselves when it comes to ecological design, but also illustrates how we can overcome these blocks with methods such as bisociation, first proposed by Arthur Koestler. But, what really makes this book stand out are the great number of illustrations that Papanek uses to demonstrate his ideas. This is one of the most practical books written on environmental design.

While Papanek was an industrial designer, his ideas are equally germaine to the field of architecture and biology. He advocated a multi-disciplinary approach, feeling that our universities had become too compartimentalized and were stifling creativity, which needs cross-pollination in order to thrive. The book is as inpiring as his lectures. Papanek challenges the reader to explore new avenues, not continue to follow the status quo, which only results in creative dead-ends.

one of the best books on design ethics till date!

I first spotted this book while studying in Denmark last year, where my host parents had studied under Victor Papanek. I would have studied under him at the University of Kansas, if not for his untimely and unfortunate passing. This book is one of the best books on the principles and ethics of design. It illustrates both the designer's responsibility and the potential to affect real change in the world through design. This most renowned of works by Papanek focuses on industrial design in two parts: How It Is, and How It Could Be. Papanek encourages radical thinking in design, and most of the topics in the book are easily translated to architecture. To my knowledge, reading this book has never been a required part of the core curriculum at the School of Architecture and Urban Design here at KU, but in my opinion, it should be.

It has been many years since I read this important book. I hope this book will be made a compulsory read for all design students. If only more designers would adopt Mr Papanek's approach to socially-responsible design, the world will be a much better place to live in.

I have read several historical biographies and never has one taken me by the heartstrings as much as this one. I remember over 30 years ago seeing the magnificent painting by Romney of Emma in Straw Hat at the Huntington Art Museum and wondering at this lovely woman. At that time all I ever could find on her to read was about her flamboyant lifestyle as a mistress and dying a shameful death in debt and alcoholic. This book in all it's wonderful research has proven those past books entirely short sighted. I'm certainly relieved Kate Williams has set this womans life to rights and we can finally see what a truly soft hearted, lovely woman she was, just born before her time.

I saw the film "That Hamilton Woman" as a teenager, and was curious about the real Emma. After reading mixed reviews about previous biographical works on Emma, I decided to wait it out, and I'm glad that I did. This book is wonderful, and I think that many people of all ages and backgrounds can identify with Emma's plight. I agree with the previous review that mentions some of the maybes, what ifs, and other uncertainties that are discussed in the book, particularly with Emma's early life. That said, I think that the author tried to put Emma's life in a context, giving the reader a picture of what typical life was for someone in her circumstances. Many of the specifics of Emma's early life are long buried, it's nice to have a glimpse of what life in Hawarden was like for a working class family, etc.

This book is a wonderful read; I found myself fretting over her ordeals, because the book is written in a way that really connects with the reader. If you like historical biographies, you'll probably enjoy this one. I consumed both Marie Antoinette and Georgiana very quickly, and this one was no different!

I was looking forward to reading a life of Lady Hamilton. The work was relatively well done; I did have some problems with statements made in the opening chapters.

`Henry probably had to'. "... and like most men in Ness he drank and probably beat his wife." "It is possible that Henry killed himself in a fit of drunken despair."

Why speculate? No one knows how Henry died or what type of man he was so why engage in this conjecture? It takes away from the work.

There are several excellent reviews above. I shall not endeavor to repeat them. I just finished the book this morning, and I came away from it kind of melancholic. What a sad death for someone who had given so much to her country. She died an agonizing slow death at age 49 in France, of all places, ignored by the government, ignored by many of her so-called friends, and brutally ignored by Nelson's family. Nelson himself comes off not quite as heroic as his reputation would suggest and one obviously seeking glory and fame and Emma, for that matter, all for himself. His brother ignored the terms of his will and Emma as well, leaving her destitute, but with the facade of living well. Even her husband, Sir Hamilton, though he comes across as stoic and remarkably accepting of "the situation" between Emma and Nelson, lays the groundwork for her financial demise by claiming credit for the intelligence she provided to the British government. Everyone, it seems, was at her doorstep with their hands out, yet no one helped her when she needed it. I think she had some of her own issues. She wasn't terribly organized and was somewhat self-indulgent, but this was part of her overall charitable nature: She just couldn't say no, to herself or others. I've come away with a lot of respect for Emma Hamilton, and not much for anyone else who knew her, and even less respect for the press, which acted then as they do today, with no responsibility for what they say. An excellent read, (and good writing by Williams as well) even if it leaves you feeling a little bleak toward the end.

I must say at once that I'm very impressed with Kate William's writing. She writes in a modern style but with no discordant notes to take away from the period to which she is transporting the reader. Emma was born to an impoverished family in England in 1765. After a hard battle just to survive as a child, she spent a short stint as a domestic before following her natural bent as a theatrical, eventually ending for a short period, as a "woman of ill-fame". She then was taken up by dissolute aristocrat, Charles Greville, who used her casually and tried to pass her off to one of his relatives when she became pregnant. Luckily for Emma, the relative was Sir William Hamilton, a rich diplomat in his late sixties who lived in Naples and who, recognising her theatrical talents, honed her dancing and singing skills with excellent teachers so that she soon became a favourite at the Court of the King and Queen of Naples. Hamilton married her after a few years, much to the chagrin of his family who resented the potential loss of his fortune. Their marriage was a happy one, even though he was unable to give her a much wanted child, as she nursed him devotedly through bouts of ill health and generally made his life happy and contented. In 1793, the renowned Admiral of the British fleet, Horatio Nelson, sailed into the harbour at Naples and the rest is history. They fell passionately in love to such an extent that even Sir William bowed to the inevitable and, rather than lose Emma, agreed to live in a menage a trois and accept parentage of their daughter, Horatia. After Nelson's death, Emma's so-called friends who had been only too willing to accept her hospitality and generosity, now totally shunned her, leaving poor Emma ill, penniless and alone, to die in great pain in Calais. Like another reviewer, Michael Schuyler, this book left me feeling melancholic and very bitter towards grasping predators who use and abuse the famous and perhaps naive.

This book is not only a history lesson on copyright, but it shows how big corporate enterprises obtain and used material, through the same methods they now want to deny the general public, in order to get to the powerful presence they are today.

Example: Disney using lots of old fairy-tales which were in public domain. And today they fight for everything never to go into public domain in order to keep profit to themselves, while at the same time going after creative use that would expand our culture and art.

This book is worth the price just to hear the constant process of American culture - be a pirate, fend off "the man" to build your industry, become "the man," then go after the pirates who are presumably cutting into your business. Money makes hypocrites of us all. Please, RIAA, don't sue me for reading this book (although I'm sure you'll find a way, if there aren't any grandmothers or poor college students you can harass).

This book is excellent. Lessig's argument is thorough and well-developed, showing why the copyright laws affect all of us, from producers of copyright material to consumers and creative innovators building off of previous work. A great, and important, read for anyone, especially those interested in learning how Big Media in bed with Congress has successfully limited the freedom of typically law-abiding citizens to empower the old corporations and enfeeble the upstarts.

Whether conservative or liberal or anything in between, the book should really "strike home" and make you understand just how important it is to have a free culture.

This is an incredible book. I agree so much with the discussions that Lawrence gives, and the material is a great look at issues related to the special interest groups and some of the things they have pushed and are trying to push through Congress.

I heard Lawrence Lessig speak at a conference earlier in 2006 and it was one of the best presentations I'd ever heard. So it will come as no surprise that his book is written in the same to the point, easy to follow and conscise style.

It's historical research sets the foundation for a look at things to come on the Internet as new technology threatens established media, much the same way as Lessig points out it did in previous centuries. The pirates of yesteryear are the corporations of today who threaten the pirates of today. He is humble as he describes his defeat in the US Supreme Court and proactive as he puts some suggestions forward to resolve the current crisis affecting copyright on the Net.

Couldn't put it down and have already purchased Code 2 by the same author.