Cultural Books


Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Literature-->Cultural-->29
Related Subjects: Latino Native American
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250
Cultural Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Cultural
A Plague on Your Houses: How New York Was Burned Down and National Public Health Crumbled (Haymarket)
Published in Paperback by Verso (2001-11)
Authors: Deborah Wallace and Rodrick Wallace
List price: $20.00
New price: $6.00
Used price: $1.31

Average review score:

Groundbreaking study
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-12
This was as comprehensive a study as I can imagine possible on how New York City, under the guise of urban renewal, allowed certain poor areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan in the 1970's and 1980's to burn down, displacing huge numbers of people, and resulting in the spread of TB, and AIDS throughout New York City, the surrounding areas, and beyond.

A tad thick in places, but worth the read
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-26
Especially of interest in its detailed analysis of how and why New York's poorer neighborhoods were pushed over the cliff of decline thanks not only to the city, but to (who'd have guessed?) the RAND Corporation. "Urban renewal" will never look the same again. geocities.com/singlepayerweb

Wallace, or bravery
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-29
The significant feature of this magnificent book - the last shape taken by an ongoing series of studies into the results of neo-liberal public policy by Roderick and Deborah Wallace - is that the authors know what they are talking about. Their expertise in statistical studies, developped in a completely different field of study (zoology) is such that, when they first by chance found themselves reading the so-called statistical arguments for expenditure cuts in fire prevention and other services, they KNEW - not as bleeding-heart liberals, but as professional statisticians - that what they were reading was incompetent, pseudoscientific, ideologically motivated nonsense. Since then they have waged, in a string of devastating publications, a truly heroic struggle against the powers of prejudice, governmental meanness and big business-motivated press disinformation. If the the poor stupid general public that reads the newspapers and elects the politicians were ever allowed to know about the Wallaces and their battle for the truth, they would have long since been recognized as among the greatest names alive. Think about it: why did they take it upon themselves to fight this fight? Not, by any means, to advance their career: their career was in another field, and might even have been endangered by their taking controversial stances on public matters. Not for self-interest; and not for a thirst for fame - for they carried on for decades in spite of being completely ignored by the major media. They acted only out of pure civic passion and a sense of right and wrong. Therefore, known or unknown, the Wallaces are genuine living heroes, and their names deserves to ring as nobly as that of old Sir William of that ilk, who also fought for the downtrodden and ignored when there was nobody else to fight for them.

Fascinating
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-16
The Wallaces document the effects of the reduction in fire service and planned strinkage of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I would have liked to see statistics included in how many fire deaths (civilian and firefighter), major injuries, families left homeless, etc. Another not to be missed book is Report from Engine 82: written in a totally different style, but brimming with empathy for the inhabitants of the area, it's the memoir of a fireman who fought fires in the South Bronx during this era.

How public policies can destroy communities
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-19
This book gives a thorough analysis on how public policies were the catalysts for the socioeconomic destruction of low-income communities of color in New York City. Necessary reading for those who still do not realize that activism and organizing are important vehicles through which marginalized communities keep in check the forces that seek to further fragment and disenfranchise them.

Cultural
Poop Culture: How America is Shaped by its Grossest National Product
Published in Paperback by Feral House (2007-05-01)
Author: Dave Praeger
List price: $14.95
New price: $8.87
Used price: $8.69

Average review score:

I Never Knew There Was So Much I Didn't Know About Poop
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-03
I'll be honest. When I got this book, I mostly expected it to be a compilation of funny stories about poop void of any substance or usefulness (much like feces itself).

Alas, I found myself continually intrigued by Praeger's unique research, and in the end I found that I was surprised that I had learned so much regarding the subject. To say it changed my life might be overstating the fact, but it certainly did change the way I considered one constant aspect of it.

The book was also well written, educational and thoughtful without being dry or stuffy. And the humor in the book is well balanced, managing to be clever without being over-the-top.

Poop Culture is a fun, quick read, and you will learn more than you ever thought you would about crap. And that's a good thing.

this poop don't stink!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-11
This book will change the way you feel about poop. Not only informative, but very funny. I purchased multiple copies to give to my relatives.

Smart Poop
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-12
Although this book contains a lot of humor, it also provides lessons on history, art, literature and environmental science. This is an enjoyable read, especially if you want to learn something. If you are looking for poop jokes, it's got some of those too, but that is not the book's primary focus. Some of the chapters read more like a college term paper, and sometimes the book is a little preachy when it comes to the environment, but overall, it's a good read.

The Review
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-04
This is a very funny, well written book about a bizarre subject. I found myself laughing out loud......

Get a whiff of the knowledge within
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-17
Once you pick it up and stick your nose in it, you will be permanently stained... with knowledge and insight!

This book is both entertaining and informative, and scientifically argues why no one else will touch the subject matter.

This makes the ideal gift: I handed my Poop Culture over to my mom, and she loved it.

Cultural
Private Yankee Doodle: Being a Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier
Published in Paperback by Pub Center Cultural Resources (1979-12)
Author: Joseph Plumb Martin
List price: $2.95
Used price: $2.50
Collectible price: $39.95

Average review score:

No PC Here!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-17
A very exact and daily account of the EIGHT years of our war for independence. I have seen Morristown and Jockey Hollow and bought this book there and so can place myself into the actual scene of some of this story.
A great book that answers the question of why people fight for freedom in spite of opposition and nay sayers. Perhaps the military understand best what is at stake because it is so clear and simple when you are doing the fighting and encountering the foe and friend alike, the hunger and fatigue. It is a wonder we won the war but thankfully there were a lot of private Yankee Doodles out there who knew the score.
I am glad they did not change the language and left it as it was written with minimal footnotes. Much more enriching that way. Buy it and you'll love it.
M Smith

A Forgotten Treasure
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-19
Written a lifetime later by a man who had spent his teenage years fighting the British from New England to Virginia, this is the most fascinating and well-written account of the Revolution I've read. Mr. Martin's narrative voice is so matter-of-fact and wryly humorous that it's hard to believe it's coming to you from the distant past.

There is as much social history as military here, as Mr. Martin describes his inoculation with smallpox, his shock at being introduced to a white Connecticut farmwoman's black husband, and the ubiquity of alcohol.

One is struck, in Mr. Martin's account, by how seldom the British /Hessians and American/French ever bothered to shoot each other. There seems to have been a consciousness of the enemy as a human being which made shooting him difficult. This could be hindsight on Mr. Martin's part, but it does jibe with the fact that the total combat death toll for the war (excluding disease and starvation) was around 5,000 on both sides.

Mr. Martin himself seems to have spent much of the war starving. He was only paid twice-- once when he signed up in 1776, and once in 1781 by French officers who dipped into their own pockets to give him a month's salary. Nor was he ever paid anything after the war by a grateful nation. Then again, given that American troops were fed by commandeering groceries, liquor and livestock from local farms, much of the nation may not have been that grateful.

You might be, though, after reading this book. I was. And it's good to remember that fighting for our nation's freedom, once upon a time, meant fighting on our own land instead of other people's.

A chance to walk in the shoes of a Revolutionary Solder
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-07
A fascinating low-level perspective from the eyes of a soldier. Mr. Martin has a terrific sense of humor and shows how much in common modern day people have with our Revolutionary ancestors. The Editor George Scheer provides a high level view of the same events through footnotes. The dialog can take a little getting use to but the reader will find themselves comfortable with it in short order.

Early American Rebel
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-16
I was looking for a soldier's account of the Revolutionary War and came across this rare memoir in the Jamestown, Virgina Nationa Park Service bookstore. I sure was glad I did.
I have read many soldier's memiors from from all periods of time but never during the Revolutionary War. We have heard about the sufferings of our country's first soldiers but Martin tells us like it was as he lived it. There is not a lot of battle descriptions but he is a master story teller who will take you back in time to the days of the colonies and George Washington's army during America's struggle for independence.
If you love good personal history narratives and want to learn about the Revolutionary War then get this book. This would be an excellent book for classroom study or home school.

Meet A Man Who Made "US" Possible
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-26
Private Yankee Doodle, the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin, is an excellent account of the Revolutionary War told from the soldier's view.

Martin campaigned almost continuously from the beginning of the War through Yorktown (with the exception of the first winter after his initial three month service). He lived much of what have become the hallowed tales of our epic struggle for nationhood. He was at the Battles of Brooklyn, Harlem Heights and White Plains, endured Valley Forge (though for most of that winter stationed away from the camp as a forager), Monmouth, the other terrible winter encampments and Yorktown to name a few. Through it all, Martin marched, froze, starved and suffered for his service. It is remarkable that he kept at it for most of the war. (One reads of the constant lack of food (often for two or days) and is amazed that more soldiers didn't simply just quit.) It is more remarkable that he kept at it in fairly good humor - though he did parade with the Connecticut troops who conducted a minor mutiny over the lack of provisions. (An incident that Washington reported to Congress as more worrisome to the cause than the British force occupying New York.)

Martin is a good storyteller and raconteur. The reader will not find detailed accounts of battle here. In fact, battle is mentioned rather matter-of-factly. What is delightful to find is an account of the day in and day out hardships of life in Washington's army. Stories abound of camp life, foraging, marching, guard duty, scrapes with Torries, the hunt for clothing and the other ever-present challenges that soldiers had to endure and perform to simply survive between battles.

This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

Cultural
Raise Up Off Me: A Portrait of Hampton Hawes
Published in Paperback by Da Capo Press (2001-11-09)
Authors: Hampton Hawes and Don Asher
List price: $15.95
New price: $2.98
Used price: $3.98

Average review score:

Hawes is an inspiration
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-23
This is one of the most honest portraits of a human being you will ever find.. I would recommend this along with Charles Mingus' 'Beneath the underdog' for a taste of the 'jazz life'. It is amazing what these guys lived through - and still created such beautiful music!

He Just Can't Raise Up Off That Needle!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-24
This was the first jazz biography I have read. Hawes does a great job of portraying the terrible effects of heroin addiction. I knew some jazz musicians were busted for heroin use in his time. But I didn't understand how rampant heroin use was in the industry. This book gives great insight into the life of a wonderfully talented jazz pianist. But more importantly, it gives insight into the tumultuous life of a drug addict. Initially, the piano seems to be Hawes' only love. But then there is the realization that heroin is his real love. It is his only motivation to even play the piano.

Touching, sad and beautiful
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-24
This book is all of these things and more. This is the story of an essentially decent person fighting his own demons. A beautifully crafted book written in the subjects own idiom. A must have for anybody wanting to get inside jazz during the be bop era.

Raise Up Off Me: A Portrait of Hampton Hawes
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-07
I love this book. Remember, back then when you played this music, it wasn't exactly a sweet world for the musicians (Black ones). I'm glad he let everyone know how hard it was out there. Drugs took this Bad Boy out the game and the world passed him by. Musicians like Brother Hawes, will never be acknowledged for their great playing in the U.S.A.

If there was a dumb remark in this book, I didn't see it. Again, think back to the times he was living in. He talked about Jimmy Rushing and the way he thought about things. Jimmy Rushing came out of a different era, yet Some of his thoughts were not far behind. When he described Black people, some were light skninned, some were black... The book is not dated, it's just good.

Great book about the life of a well-known jazz musician.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-18
I enjoyed reading this book very much.

It is first of all Hampton Hawes biography of his life as a jazz musician. It tellls us of his way from being a little boy attending his father's church on Sundays to a highly acclaimed jazz pianist, his downfall because of his heroin addiction, his 10-year jail sentence (which was reduced to six after Hawes had written to John Kennedy!), his way back up on the European market, his love relationship with Jackie, and his new found love after separating from Jackie after almost two decades. The very last sentence of the book speaks about his ex-wife Jackie - and it is very touching and shows that Hawes indeed must have been a nice man.

There is only one really dumb remark in the book that I felt was disgusting. (Find it for yourself... ;-))

Hawes repeatedly talks about Black issues. I personally feel that those statements are very intelligent, and can therefore recommend this book not only to those of you interested in jazz, but also to anyone into Black issues.

Cultural
Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River
Published in Paperback by Epicenter Press (2003-09-01)
Author: Velma Wallis
List price: $15.95
New price: $7.90
Used price: $7.90

Average review score:

A family history and their adaptation to the advances in society in Alaska.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-03
A very intense story of a family's history. The author told everything, she did not hide any of the family problems. It was very hard to put this book down once I started to read it. What it was like in Alaska before any real public services were available. The depth of drinking and diseases that came with the white man. And the other social problems that existed because of no government or social structure to help the people deal with these problems.

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-13
All I can say is that it was hard to put down. I enjoyed learning about her life's experiences and her "coming of age" as a Native in the "modern" culture. Highly recommended read.

The Facts of Life in An Alaskan Village
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-29
This is Velma Wallis' third book. Her previous works, "Two Old Women" and "Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun," deal with traditional stories told by the Gwich'in people of Fort Yukon. Her latest, "Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" is an autobiographical account of her growing up in Fort Yukon, Alaska. The book offers a very open and candid look inside not only the community of Fort Yukon, but also into the intimacies of her immediate and extended families.

For thousands of years, the Gwich'in people lived semi-nomadically along the Yukon, Porcupine and Black rivers until, within the course of two generations, they found themselves settled into a static community surrounded by evidence of modern day life. Wallis represents this "lost generation" caught between wanting to move forward into the modern world and yet yearning to retain the traditional ways of hunting, trapping and other forms of traditional knowledge. Through her, an outsider can see the struggle within the village and it's people as they are forced to adapt and evolve to the new ways.

The major issue that strikes the reader squarely between the eyes is the epidemic of alcoholism in Fort Yukon. It is not something that only affects the adult community, but as Wallis points out, teenagers and even children in some cases. One paragraph in particular brings the issue home:

"After days of drinking and fighting came the slow, painful task of sobering up. My mother's swollen face would gradually heal. My father's face would go blank as if nothing had happened. That was an emptiness about our cabin as in the aftermath of war - a war no one had won." (p. 107)

As a result of her parents' almost continual drunkenness, Wallis and her siblings were forced to quite literally raise themselves as best they could. Relying on their ingenuity, and each other, she and her fourteen siblings managed to make it to adulthood (a fifteenth child had been killed in a tragic accident).

"Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" paints a fantastic story about growing up in bush Alaska. Descriptions of children cutting firewood, hauling water by the bucket from the river to the cabin, and even the family outhouse hold the reader's attention and keep the pages turning.

Wallis herself paints a picture of being a self-reliant, rebellious individual who, right from the start knew that she would have to take on the world on it's own terms. Somehow she managed to avoid many of the pitfalls through her own tenacity, and win. In the end, the book is obviously an attempt to deal with not only her past but that of her people as well, to begin the process of breaking away from the demons and healing the wounds of alcoholism.

Thank You, Velma
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-10
I can't really say anything else. Just Thank You. My mother grew up during the "Great Depression" here in the USA. She raised several children alone. Your story is very much like hers. My oldest sister doesn't "read books" (????!) but I made her read the book jacket on this book, and she cried.

Oh the trials and tribulations we go through as human beings. And all the feelings we share. I look forward to more stories from you, and THANK YOU AGAIN, lovey. Thank you.

Sad, but true.....
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-19
This story reminded me of my own growing-up years, not in Alaska, but on a reservation, nevertheless. It is a powerful book and reminds me of the strength our people have to survive, despite the odds, and interference of another culture. Velma, thanks for sharing in an honest and sensitive way, and letting us know we were not alone.

Cultural
Steal This Book: And Get Life Without Parole
Published in Paperback by Common Courage Press (1999-09)
Author: Bob Harris
List price: $13.95
New price: $2.15
Used price: $0.03

Average review score:

Timeless
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-27
Prgressive political commentary plus wicked sense of humor equals a thought-provoking and entertaining read. Even years after the publication, Bob Harris's observations on politicians, big business, oil, and the environment are just as prescient and dead-on as ever. Plus, you'll laugh harder than you have in weeks.

Hilarious
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-02
This is a really, really funny book. And you can see it's very, very well written because it gets a 5 star review from every single person who has ever read it. Bob Harris is really, really smart, as most of the earlier reviews have attested, and it shows in this very, very funny and very, very clever book. He really should have his own TV talk show, because this book is much funnier than David Letterman. Or maybe he should be a movie actor, and then maybe a movie director, the world would be much better place, and funnier too! :)

Surprisingly funny
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-29
I got this book as a gift, and to be honest I had never heard of the guy, but I found myself laughing out loud in a lot of places. The essays are all short and bounce around between subjects, so it's an easy book to have around and read in short stretches. I don't always agree with everything, and if you like Molly Ivins or Will Durst maybe it's a fun read.

Great advice on Investments (and Babes)
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-29
I really liked the chapter about the stock market, and how you can tell which way stocks will go by using very sophisticated ratios like that put-call ratio. I also thought that I should add a review since no one seems to have written one since September, and that's a shame for a book with so many incindiary insights.

A radical concept.....political humor that's funny.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-15
For too long political humor was synonymous with cranky old men complaining that the audience stank. Bob Harris is young and full of piss and vinegar (organic) and not content to merely whine from afar. He tells you what Alex Trebek is really like and he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He goes into the trenches to show how campaign financing really works and under the President's desk to show.... No one is spared. Doctors are dealt with appropiately (like self centered over indulged children) Pols are afforded as much respect as they deserve and no one or nothing that could possibly hurt you (science, media, economists, world leaders,oncologists etc.) escapes the cocked eyebrow of Bob Harris. What a tasty read.

Cultural
Taste of Romania: Its Cookery and Glimpses of Its History, Folklore, Art, Literature, and Poetry
Published in Hardcover by Hippocrene Books (1997-05)
Author: Nicolae Klepper
List price: $24.95

Average review score:

New Wife
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-08
I just married a Romanian while he was on tour in the U.S. for six months. Having only been here for a year he was terribly homesick. After ordering the book I was able to surprise him with a full Romanian meal, and it was so easy! Highly, highly recommended!

Excellent cookbook
Helpful Votes: 19 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-21
This book is an all-around great cookbook. To be honest, I had never heard of Romanian cuisine before and picked up the book on a whim. I'm glad I did because the book introduced me to a delicious culture that I had never sampled before. The recipes in the book are grouped into the following chapters: appetizers, salads, egg dishes, soups, polenta, fish dishes, meat dishes, poultry dishes, vegetable dishes, dumplings, sauces, desserts, wines, preserves, and Jewish dishes. I found good recipes in each chapter, some fancy, and some that can be whipped up in minutes. Interspersed throughout the book are short history lessons about Romania, fairy tales, and poetry, as well as Klepper's comments explaining the cooking culture. The book also includes a bibliography, a place and personal name index, and English recipe index, a Romanian recipe index, a brief pronunciation guide, an English-Romanian-French food dictionary, and even an American-British food dictionary (surprisingly useful!). If you're looking for a Romanian cookbook, this is a great one. And if you're just looking for some interesting and tasty new recipes, you'll find some here.

Some fundamentals are still missing...
Helpful Votes: 28 out of 31 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-05
Somehow, everyone in Romania seems to believe that their heaviest food is also the tastiest. In Romanian restaurants both in Romania and accross the US, in cookbooks -- all I'm finding are the stuffed grape or cabbage leaves, the pork products, the mamaliga. What happened to all those seasonal (in Romania) meals centered around the great vegetables that abound in Spring, stuff that a family would actually eat everyday at home? The light and flavorful zuchinni with yoghurt, the spinach puree, all the many ways to prepare mushrooms, celery roots, even the lowly potatoe? The great sour soups that wake one up with their taste? What about some of the staples, like bors (not to be confused with Russiona borscht), the sour grain vinegar that is so good in those soups? Or all the pickled vegetables that spice up ones winter meal? Also, there are all the holiday preparations, such as a stuffed goose, duck on sourkraut, and, for the kids, the "sweet bites", sort of like a gingerbread cracker, but thicker and with a soft, molasse-like consistency (turta dulce for those of you out there who know :-)...
I'm not a great Romanian cook myself and I bought this book hoping to fill in some of my childhood favorites. It does do a good job of the recipes it presents. I handed the stuffed grape leaves recipe to the chef in charge at my wedding and it ended up being a favorite with my (mostly non-Romanian) guests!
The other complain I have is that some of the ingredients have been "adapted" to suit most American supermarkets. I won't complain about getting some of the fat out (although most of it stayed...) but what about the tarragon, the lovage, dill --they're all available here, with a bit of effort. Why not do what many asian cookbooks do and require the original ingredient, with an easy-to-find alternative where in doubt? And what about those simple salads that "parsley-up" and liven up any Romanian family's dinner?
Maybe it depends on the region -- Transylvania does have its share of heavier food, and with no outlets to the Black Sea, people there don't really enjoy eating fish. But Romanian cuisine has so many other flavors that I constantly see neglected, yet they are the easiest to include in a balanced diet...
And a final word of praise: the romanian wine list at the end is worth the price of the book -- and brings the stars rating to 4. I've been looking for something similar for a while, and I was really glad to find it in this book.

Great cookbook
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-03
This is a fantastic book. So many of the recipes I remember from my mother's and grandmother's cooking. It's also nice to get a little bit of a history lesson, along with Romanian poems and folktales. I purchased it for my daughter and sons. Since I left Romania at 15 (over 18 years ago), it's nice to remember some of the Romanian cooking I grew up with.
Now, if I could only get my American husband to try some of the recipes, that would be a victory indeed. :o)

Amazing book!!!!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
I am Romanian and have lived in the US for just a short time. I got this book as a Christmas gift for my mother in law who is American. She loved it and wants to try cooking some of the recipes in there!!! It has great traditional recipes and some history lessons to help a novice understand Romanian culture. I was so happy to find the book on amazon and I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Romanian culture.

Cultural
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens
Published in Paperback by Cool Springs Press (2003-06-19)
Author: Felder Rushing
List price: $24.99
New price: $15.19
Used price: $14.94

Average review score:

a must have
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-03
I saw this book at a local bookstore but waited for the savings at Amazon. It has wonderful photos and discriptions. In fact I can't keep it at home much because my friends keep borrowing it! It contains tried and true southern garden plants my mom and grandmother had plus some surprises I never thought of before. I would highly recommend this book!

A terrific resource for wanna-be gardeners
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-04
I moved from a shady lot in the bitter-cold North to a new house with full sun in the South. I had to re-learn nearly everthing I knew about gardening, and this book got me through. It gave me a wonderful roadmap of where to start.

The book is filled with tips on specific plants. Some of these plants are things you see in everyone's garden, but quite a few are unusual beauties. The author tries to keep things simple, such as the confounding (to me) subject of pruning roses. Information is presented in a surprisingly humorous way. Even my husband--who has zero interest in gardening--was reading it and laughing out loud.

Also, with a new baby sitting on my hip most of the day, I need low care plants. Maybe I will become a master gardener someday, but I don't foresee it happening for about eighteen years! In the meantime, I can still have a beautiful garden, with the help of this book.

Tough Plants for Southern Gardens
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-29
I love this book. I'm always referring back to it. I would love to find more books like it.

for new and experienced gardeners alike
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-30
Felder Rushing is my personal gardening guru. This book explores a vast selection of plants that are nearly unkillable, from houseplants, annuals, perennials, and tropicals. He's one of the more humorous garden writers around, to boot.

Very handy reference
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-28
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens Having this book around the Southern Home is kind of like having a neighbor that knows a lot about plants. A neighbor who has a beautiful yard with beautiful plants, but they don't seem to do a lot of yard work. When you ask them, they have lots of neat ideas and helpful little hints. They always know the common names for plants and when to plant them.

The book, of course, covers the South. Those of us who live here know that there's a big difference between even northern Mississippi and Alabama and southern Mississippi and Alabama. Plants that are tough sometimes need to be tough against heat, humidity, and sand, or tough against cold, dry winds. This book will tell you which plant is which and it's a good field manual to take to the nursery with you.

Cultural
Treason: The New World Order
Published in Paperback by Cassandra Press (1996-08)
Author: Gurudas
List price: $14.95
New price: $322.57
Used price: $94.49

Average review score:

Treason: The New World Order
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-19
Brilliant synthesis of hundreds of books detailing the Establishment's deadly war against the American people, their liberties, and their families.

My highest recommendation!

STUPID,GREEDY,ADDICTED
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 35 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-26
Mr.Gurudas has created a very informative decription of the corruption of america.Bush is not impeached because the coporate state,big and small business do not have to pay tax,or be regulated.This includes anyone who benefits from the selling of america.The supreme court,senate,congress are corrupt and bought by industrialist and commercialist.Big and small contractors less not forget.Free Trade circumvents the laws of the U.S. and the constitution.The senate and congress let this happen.CAFTA fast tract vote.Dubai 6 ports,sell oil company to china,sell technology to china that can be used by military.The coporate state and our representatives are in violation of the constitution they are commmitting treason,violating the security of U.S.Illegal immigration,violation privacy act,and allowing coporate to get around the constitution,also not following constitutional law for the congress resulting in subverting the U.S.for Greed and corruption,blackmail,etc.The war we are in is illegal because there were no weapons of mass destruction.The war is for Isarel,U.S.,England,for security profit and control of oil.Coporates benefit at expense of the people,senate and congress support the coporate state which buys them.This is update since Mr.Gurudus wrote this book.The book title Treason The New World Order is appropriate and the references are available for research 833 foot notes.The statements in this book are true.The coporate state is a thing of the past,but does not know it.They will not succeed in the NWO.Federal Reserve is in violation of constitution,we would not have deficit if the government was in control.We would not be paying interest.The bank of england is a city unto itself.It rules.We have a constitution.Why did they let the feb be private,so
they could ripe us off the elite and rich.it works for them.Thats why.People are affraid to say anything.Power corrupts.The governments need to take back their banks.International bankers need to stay with their merchant banker friend.International bankers are the controlers of the world.They control by shares and front men puppets.

Mr.Gurudas uses term multiculturelism,which means immigration legal,elegal.He states that this is used to destroy our culture.One of the means to overthrow the constitution for the new world order.Education another The U.S. is amoung the lowest in the west in science and math.Student today do not know their history.They do not know who they are.Civis,physical education,english,being proud to be an american are not encourage especially if you are western european.Mexicans say they are taking back southwest.We have foreigners from all over the world telling us what we can do in our country,and the U.S.government supports them,they have more rights than a U.S. citizen.Welfare benefits,school,elegallly working.Protected by police.The tax payer pays.You have company unions,jewish organization,protestant,catholics,bishops,and others crying let them come in even if it cost your job, security,culture,and bankrupts the states.We should be ashame to be western european.

The banana republic are the fault of the coporatesThe coporation exploit these countries so they come to U.S. to work.These people who come here gererate 25 to 35 percent of revenue for their country.You the tax payer subsidize the elegals country,and support them when they need help here.Look at outsourcing by U.S. to boarder towns.At last count there was only 10 million industrial jobs left in U.S.El salvador contra were given green cards and now are worst gangs in LA.Compliments of U.S. governmentThis is the way you destroy the european culture in U.S. and western europe.Immigration.

Back to education.we have to go back to prior 1963.If a person does not have the ability to learn there is no point in keeping them in school.They need to go to tect school or to work.This can be done in government programs age 14 8 years of school.They can work in programs to help the country until 18 yrs.50 percent probably do not have ability to finisn high school.Allowing people to be in school that cannot perform is crazy and a disruption to those who have ability.Everyone has the right to opportunity,and to be treated fair,but,you are born with your IQ,and it will influence your life greatly.This does not mean you have to do demeaning jobs.All should do what they do best.The military uses IQ test,and the have been proved to be a good gage of ability,there are always exceptions,you can retest at a specified later date.

Multiculturelism is not working,and everyone knows it,but greed pravails.Third world people need the world bank and IMF to help them at home.The coporates have to be regulated.We support dictators all over the world.Shell oil in Africa now with uprising of people that shell totally exploited,gave the country nothing.Slave labor.General Butler in thirties stated that the coporates are criminal.It is worst now.Those university grants,and rich families,no wonder the educated are worthless.Brainwash and stupid like the rest of us.They have the knowledge to change the government.Batra The great Depression 1990.Gives method to control the coporations.Alternatve energy,a just distribution of the wealth.Take care of the environment.Did someone say I love those excessive profits to much,let them eat cake.That is what the King and Queen of France said,the aristocracy took a fall too.You know last man standing,with elite every body can go down.

Westpoint Mr.Gurudas hopes you will help us you are suppose to uphold the constitution.The other military schools as well,you are not stupid,you are well educated now.Of course the elites buy those with potential.It could be necessary to kill your family,and friends.Mr.Gurudas says government people a military installations were tested and ask if they would fight for UN ,and do what they were order to do.No UN forces should be in america that have authority over our own military,or for any other reason.The UN will be the international army,and you will do its bidding.Are you getting alot of floride in your drinking water.Marine base San Diego,NOV,DEC 2005 had dangerous amount of lead or some poison in their water,Maybe it help the jarheads.WE need a draft for brotherhood.Let everybody do two years no university exceptions.

Mr.Gurudas wants us to form organizations,join the minutemen,
boycott,have marches,report elegals,form unions,voteout those who support immigration,Free Trade,out sourcing,importing,and selling the U.S.

HR4437 stop immigration and take back america.The coporate say they have to have slave labor,the upper classes need them to,baby sitter, maid in the garden.Do not feel sorry for anyone.The coporate will hurt if it can.It is infantile.It needs to go to the wood shed for a talking to.The gang of four B,C,R,L should be in jail and Blare,straw,Isarel has to stop being on land that is not theirs.Fox guards hen house,bring in U.N. troops .A terroist is a terroist.Stop spying on U.S. Start paying back all that money you owe U.S.POllard,USS liberty.Who is a racist,anti,Dubai.we are racist because we do not want 6 ports.Veto.

Brainwashing police tactics coporate games,NWO end.There are people that imply that we are quilty even if not born.A nation is quilty for what the government of their country brainwashed them to do.These people use this tactic to stop any criticism.There are laws to stop people from talking about the subject.These people commit acts every day that are criminal,yet it is okay.The UN said they were racist they had it remove with help of U.S.What do you see on TV,they say stop the terroist,which ones,which side.No you are not responsible for the past crimes of your country,if that were so we would all be in jail.Human nature is bad,pain is the normal state,pleasure is abnormal,happeness is very temporary.Hobbs said we are liberated in the second we acknowledge our wrong,and are sorry.Hume said character is fixed,and to change it would cause damage,and when you were not on guard,the old self would return,mans nature is one.We are of the same making.Do not expect other wise.WE know that if Hitler was in charge we would do what he said,he would be the authotity.Cornel University,or other proved that people will on a percentage do what authority says.Also they will kill you if you do not do what they want.Would you say kill me,or would you comply.Do you want to go to Russian Front,or be hanged.

Mr.Gurudas talks about government,military experiments.Biologica
l,chemical weapons,radiation exposure.He gives many authenic cases.Aids,smallpox,Gulf war illness,agent orange.LSD,and other mind experiencements.many of these studies were without consent,or they were not given correct information.They also put agents in the air in towns no warning.Hypnosis and drugs to have a fall guy,VA has cause many veterans problems,refusing to acknowledge the problem,agent orange which resulted in many defects,and long term suffering,as did the Gulf war illness that is causing same suffering.Gulf war injection was past by FDA without before full trail was completed.People who did not want injection and refused were in trouble.They did not follow up in many programs so they did not no ramifications to individuals.

Restoring Constitutional government.Democratic socialism is solution.The government has to have power over the coporation,they must be regulated.The people have the right to full empoyment with a decent living wage.Free medical.Government
car insurance,and pensions.The reason why you do not have this now is your stupid.The profits of the coporates and business you would not believe.It an employer cannot pay decent wage he should not be in business.Did you not know that France the work 35 hrs maybe 6 weeks vacation,Germany very good benefits.England and U.S are worst for social benefits,and england has socialize medicalEngland the want them to work long hours.Has anyone wanted to know why germany is doing okay now,but was in a depression.The vote no for EU did the bankers and coporates depress the economy until the no vote.They will do anything.They want slave labor.The elite care nothing for the people,we should treat them in kind.The governments have the money,or they can get it start taxing the coprations and make the rich pay there fair share.Stop free trade,immigration.The coporates will fight,but we will win,if they violate the laws they can go to jail,they can get out of the country and stay out.International Bankers these are not the people we want in our government.

Mr.Guruas talks about the CIA,FBI,NSA,ets These are the police for the elite,Police work for business interest all over the world and do the dirty work.There are no limits.morality does not exist.There is no compassion,explotation is the game.What mr.Gurudas says about them is sufficient,the real world.

Mr.Gurudus would tell you hr4437,stop immigration,no free trade.No compromise,SAVE AMERICA,VOTE THEM OUT




Awesome book
Helpful Votes: 19 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-05
This book covers pretty much everything in a well documented fashion. If you only read one book on the new world order, this should be it. The author doesn't just spout out claims and expect the reader to believe him, he backs them up with reliable footnotes that you yourself can use to corroborate his info. This is a far cry from books from people like David Icke, who while he writes interesting books, I just can't take him seriously. This book goes into the Oklahoma city bombing, Ruby Ridge, Waco, the militia movement, CFR, bilderburgers, etc... This is a book written by a serious, entirely sane NWO researcher. If you're looking for UFOs and reptilians, look elsewhere. It's a shame he is no longer alive to write more.

This MUST be really Good!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-23
I ordered it 5 months ago, and STILL haven't received it.
It MUST be good!
I'll give it a 5 star rating, since apparently it's inaccessible.
I mean if Amazon can't get ....
THAT tells me something!


Superb Reading 10 stars !
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-20
Book is a Tour de Force in revelations ! I can understand now why he was executed. This man was a brilliant writer and this book is a crowning achievement. This book triumphs None Dare Call it Conspiracy !, which should be the 1st conspiracy book you read.

10 thumbs up on this one !

Cultural
True Tales from Another Mexico
Published in Paperback by University of New Mexico Press (2001-08)
Author: Sam Quinones
List price: $22.95
New price: $14.95
Used price: $14.95
Collectible price: $22.95

Average review score:

Chalino is the bomb!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-09
IN MANY OF THE STATEMENTS THAT I READ I SEEN THAT MANY SAID A LOT ABOUT THE WRITTER WELL WE ALL HAVE MANY OPINIONS I PERSONALLY HAVE MY OWN OPINION I THINK IS ONE MY GREAT BOOKS THAT I HAVE TO READ IN MY FREE TIME LIKE SCHOOL OR JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE BUT JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I LOVE CHALINO AS THE PERSON HE WAS A WHILE BACK WITH HIS MUSIC I ADMIRE HIM AS A FATHER AND I AM IN LOVE WITH HIS SON 4-SHO!!!

Not the tourist destination, not the paradise for expats
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-03
Another reviewer pointed out that Quinones' accounts are "researched", and this is true; he's done what he needed to do to find his facts. But I would add that the overwhelming note, for me, is that the man has "been there". I heard about "True Tales" from a reviewer of Elijah Wald's "Narcocorrido", and would now agree with that reviewer that the Quinones piece on Chalino Sanchez tells us a lot more about his world than Wald's book, valuable but a bit touristy, a bit arch, and a bit academic. There is an immediacy in these chapters by Quinones, of grittiness, suffering, delusion, terror, helplessness, of all the qualities of the many Mexicans Quinones met and listened to. His description of the lynching is the most direct, realistic and frightening I've ever read; this can happen anywhere, anytime. These stories are unadorned realities of Mexico and the Border, and the entire world as well.
As Edward Abbey said, of the same country, "this is the real world, muchachos, and you are in it."

Leadership in plural in Mexico.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-25
It is clear from the book there is more than one Mexico. It's not what you think. The border is a focus but hardly all. Gangs are a focus. The book raises a major question. Is Mexico changing and how?Quinones presents many portraits from gangbanger singer Chalino Sanchez to the dead women of Juarez. Each sketch adds a different and fascinating dimension to a complex perception of what Mexico is. No other book presents that plurality as well. The book is a page turner, a fast paced quick read. It is not, however, superficial but in-depth coverage. It is fascinating.

Give us more!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-31
This book will blow your mind. Quinones is able to totally take you into worlds rarely heard about before. Who knew there was a thriving basketball hotbed in Oaxaca that has been transported to LA? The whole genre of narcocorridos (basically, traditional Mexican "country" [ranchero] music with a gangsta slant) started in LA, too.

The topics of lynchings in rural Mexico, the popularity of telenovelas at home and in Eastern Europe(?) and the religious cult at Neuva Jerusalen are all so fascinating and far beyond anything anyone has probably imagined Mexico to be.

He has an inate ability to dig up and find the most fascinating stories in the most out-of-the-way places yet also show how they often are a microcosmic reflection of how Mexican society operates in general.

The question is: When is Sam Quinones going to compile a Tales 2?

A must read.
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-07
This book is fantastic. I don't often actually buy non-fiction because I usually don't plan to re-read it. This is a rare exception. Quinones is 1st & foremost a great storyteller. You'd hardly notice that it's all true if it weren't for the fact that these tales are simply too good to be fiction. Quinones has a knack for noticing the seemingly invisible. The best example being the tale of Chalino Sanchez (who graces the cover). How could someone who completely misses the U.S. radar of popular culture become a folk hero and single-handedly create a musical genre selling millions of copies of albums in the process & then having at least 1,500 songs written about him? Quinones manages to make it sound perfectly believable. If you're anything like me you'll be mesmerized by these essays.


Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Literature-->Cultural-->29
Related Subjects: Latino Native American
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250