Cultural Books

This volume of the Routledge History of the Ancient World by Cornell is simply brillant. I read it three times and I will surely read it again. It provides a fascinating comparison between the myths and legends of archaic Rome and the reality that lies behind it. One of the most beautiful examples is the part when Cornell analyses the historic bases of a figure like the Roman king Servius Tullus. He cites a stunning piece of scholarship of the emperor Claudius where he explains to his fellow Romans that Servius Tullus was called by the Estruscan Macstarna (which may mean in Latin "Magister" signifying that he was the right hand of the king serving as a magister equitus at that time of his career), information that lets you "feel history" when Cornell then makes you look at a drawing of an Estruscan wall painting showing possibly this Macstarna involved in some action of killing enemies. Everytime when I read this passage of the book I get a chicken skin...to my mind the author really understands to tell a story out of some facts that may themselves be rather dry.

An informative and thorough discussion of the history of early Rome. "The Early History of Rome" provides an intense discussion of archaeological and legendary evidence and attempts, with great success, to separate actual history from the legends. A must have book for any student of Rome and of things Roman. A standing ovation to T.J. Cornell for an excellent study.

This is an excellent book that I think is primarily intended for a scholarly audience (experts in the field, professional historians and archaeologists, etc.) but is also very valuable to an interested amateur like myself.

Cornell goes through the early history of Rome and sets out what the evidence is and what we can reliably conclude from it. One of the best features of the book is his willingness, all too rare even among scholars, to recognize when the evidence is inconclusive and to admit that we have no way of knowing the answer to a particular question. He is also clear about the limitations of archaeological data, and recognizes the way it is often misused to support historical theses when, in fact, it is rather the histoprical ideas that allow for the interpretation of the archaeologucal data in the first place.

However, while Cornell is pretty good about presenting the narrative historical tradition, the book generally covers the history with fairly large brushstrokes and jumps from one large topic to another without trying to string together a coherent narrative. Because of this, this book is best used as a second reference on early Roman history. That is, it shouldn't be the first book you read on the topic. I think you'd be best served by first reading a good narrative history to provide the framework, and then read this work to fill in the details and show up any inaccuracies.

It is well written and suprisingly readable, not at all dry. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who has some knowledge of early Roman history but would like to learn more about the "state of the art" in that field.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. And I do not mean just books about ancient Rome or history books. I have read it three times and just for the kick of it. I am neuroscientist and not a classical scholar but I love history and this is history writing at its best: scholarly, fair, witty, and elegantly written (sometimes donwright dazzling). Cornell lets the readers into his secret cabinet and shows them the raw materials the professional historian works with. Amazingly, this does not detract from the magic of the "story" but makes it all the more enthralling. Don't walk run and buy this book!

A book that was much needed in the field. Scholarly but not overly pedantic and certainly not impenetrable.
The author relies much archeology and offers no easy solutions to theoretical problems.
The conclusions offered are in various shades of gray depending on the reliability and amount of evidence. However the reader should be aware that certain theories are being pushed here with which many might disagree.
Rome certainly did not come from a monolithic source and the author provides a survey of the many cultures that inhabited that peninsula as well as the outside civilizations that colonized it. However the book is not without certain controversies.
One of the author's great strengths in this book is his knowledge of current archaeological discoveries Etruria and in Latium as well as period of orientalization and early Iron Age. Thus, the book's greatest strength is its careful synthesis of historical and archaeological data for the period preceding the republic; and it is likewise excellent concerning Roman external affairs and conquest of Italy. Perhaps the books biggest weakness is its insufficiently critical treatment of the ancient literary sources .
The book's 15 chapters are methodically presented and are augmented with very helpful illustrations and tables. A brief overview of human culture in Italy from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. The author's treatment of the importance of ascribing cultural difference between inhumation and cremation I personally found somewhat controversial.
In this reviewers opinion he rightly dismisses some of the value of the written tradition of the formation of Rome.
Further controversy is raised in chapter four with the authors contention that the clan did not proceed the city-state and heroic graves but were enmeshed together. It does give one something to think about.
Yet another controversy offered in this book which personally I take issue with is the minimization of the influence of the Etruscans on Roman culture.
Actually there is quite a bit to chew on here yet I do not what to dissuade the reader form picking it up. Just be aware that there is a lot of theory in this book some of which many academics might take issue.
One thing the book successfully establishes is that by the beginning of the early third century B.C. Rome had acquired the political structure which laid the foundations for its later greatness.

One would hope the reader after being inspired by this volume would look into authors that offer equally compelling alternative theories.
Highly recommended.

A great book and great pictures. Berlin has deeply changed in the last 150 years and all this has been documented precisely by great photographers: this the easiest way to show how. Texts are exhaustive too into describing "typical" life of a city.
Maybe Berlin has changed more in the last two decades then ever before: the last chapter of this book could be more fascinating and explorative, including the fact that there are a lot of pictures about it but it'd had took another book, perhaps. Maybe Berlin has changed again yet and is changing again now... so I'm waiting for a second edition.

This is a beautiful book! The photos are not only outstanding but they have zero pixillation. You can discern details such as the company name on the back of a horse drawn cart in a crowd. The turn of the century through the 1930's I thought were the best. You can stare at one and with out much effort find yourself slipping away into the photo.

The National Socialist period is not covered in depth nor do I think it needs to be. There are far an away plenty of books for that on the market. This is a book that can not be digested in one sitting. Take your time and look at each photo. The small details are fascinating.

My only problem with the book is the blue page stock that some of the entries is written on. It made it difficult to read the text. That is a minor quibble, especially in a book like this. If you buy a used copy make sure you check the price of shipping as this book weighs as much as a small childs school backpack.

What a book! My mother as well as her sisters were born in Berlin during and after World War II, so I grew up hearing family stories of this amazing city. This book provided a tremendous visual aid to all these stories. Looking at the images I could picture my grandmother as a young woman, and my aunts and my mother in the postwar years.
If you have any connection to this amazing city, this book will bring tears to your eyes, for all the hardship and challenges it has faced, and with what fantastic grace it reemerged like phoenix from the ashes.

I purchased this as a gift for my little (20 yo) brother's birthday. He was born in Berlin. First of all this book is HUGE! I love that the explanations of the pictures are written not only in English, but in German. What a fantastic masterpiece.

I left Berlin, early in 1937, aged five and a half, not to return until 1983, as a visitor, but I have childhood memories of the city, some of which go back to before I was three. Reinforcing those memories were tales I heard from my parents and the occasional, non-war-related movie. To see pictures of the streets and the faces, the clothing and the shop displays going back to before the First World War has been a source of continuing fascination for me. As is only proper in a book of this sort, the horrors that beset Berlin under Hitler and during the Second World War are also given their proper place in this book, a reminder that even one of the world's most sophisticated cities can be all but destroyed in degeneration and nevertheless, with appropriate assistance, as, for instance, the air lift, be resurected and restored. The photos were excellent, and the commentary, in English, German and French, insightful and instructive. Priced in the mid-thirties, the book sold at a substantially lower price than it did at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Blueprint for Black Power details a master plan for the power revolution necessary for Black survival in the 21st century. Blueprints posits that an African American/Caribbean/Pan-African bloc would be most potent for the generation and delivery of Black power in the United States and the World to counter White and Asian power networks. Wilson frames this imperative by deconstructing the U.S. elite power structure of government, political parties, think tanks, corporations, foundations, media, interest groups, banking and foreign investment particulars. Potentially strong Black institutions as the church, media and think tanks; industry; collectives such as investment clubs and credit unions; rotating credit associations such as Afrikan-originated esusu, tontine and partner are analyzed. Pan-Afrikanism, Black Nationalism, ethnocentrism and reparation are assessed, often misused and underused financial institutions as securities, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, underwriting, and incubators advocated, thus elucidating oft-negated opportunities for economic empowerment.

Blueprint for Black Power details a master plan for the power revolution necessary for Black survival in the 21st century. Blueprints posits that an African American/Caribbean/Pan-African bloc would be most potent for the generation and delivery of Black power in the United States and the World to counter White and Asian power networks. Wilson frames this imperative by deconstructing the U.S. elite power structure of government, political parties, think tanks, corporations, foundations, media, interest groups, banking and foreign investment particulars. Potentially strong Black institutions as the church, media and think tanks; industry; collectives such as investment clubs and credit unions; rotating credit associations such as Afrikan-originated esusu, tontine and partner are analyzed. Pan-Afrikanism, Black Nationalism, ethnocentrism and reparation are assessed, often misused and underused financial institutions as securities, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, underwriting, and incubators advocated, thus elucidating oft-negated opportunities for economic empowerment.

ECONOMIC DESTINY DETERMINES BIOLOGICAL DESTINY!This book although big and thick it really is the blueprint for power. It expands on what BLACK Labor White Wealth by Claude Anderson PHD talks about. This book covers all the bases. Mr Wilson's book shows how insightful he is about the problems we face today. He shows several ways how we can have heaven while we LIVE overnight if we do what he suggests. It shows how the power is within our grasp if we will only wake up and raise our consciousness of what is really going on, I was awakened several times in this book; Wilson names names of the organizations and the people in the organizations that are anti black. He names the black leaders that are anti black too. He explains what's going on and why it continues unabated. He talks about how the nation uses psychic warfare to keep African Americans down. He explains how they deliberately keep blacks out of higher education; yes, we do get an education but there are different levels of education. There's the education that will teach you how to use a computer and then there's the education that will teach you how to make a computer from raw materials. Big difference! He talks about how blacks have very few people who have this very high level of knowledge that can be used by blacks to be more valuable to the world. He explains how too many blacks have a consumer mentality not a producer mentality. He has charts and references galore showing startling comparisons between blacks and whites that should not be missed by anyone of african ancestry. He goes deep into the obstacles that are holding blacks back in spite of drive and determination to succeed(Think and Grow Rich a black choice IS NOT the last word on success). He really made me rethink whether or not it is probable not possible to succeed when starting with no money. Wilson says the odds are against it. Of course you can always find someone who has succeeded from all the ghettos in the world but what about the other people in the same situation who didn't have any money, no inheritance from parents, no references, no relatives, no insurance money coming to them because their parents just died, no money coming to them from an injury and no one to give you advice. This is why so many blacks find themselves in jail or working menial jobs according to Wilson. The author suggests an african centered consciousness that will help the weakest one of us and help all of us to see immediate progress. This book is truly shocking; over and over again he talks about the consequences of not raising ourselves up:BIOLOGICAL DEMISE! Really this is no joking manner; the author has me convinced and Black Wealth White Labor says the same thing that if we do not learn how to compete with white people we will go the way of the indians. It is imperative that we adapt this philosophy before it is too late.

The late Amos Wilson wrote a blockbuster with this book. In in he states why African-Americans are economically powerless. He also states how they are to achieve power. A book well worth reading.

A lot to read, but well worth the investment. This book, if taken to heart, should be required reading for all Blacks and anyone interested in the advancment of Black people. Every thing you ever wanted to know about the who, what, when, where and why of the Black condition and how to rise above White dominance is right here.

This is a wonderful book, particularly for men and teen-age boys who have difficult relationships with their fathers. In their sequel to "The Pact," the three doctors -- Jenkins, Davis and Hunt -- give an open and honest account of how they learned to forgive and reconnect with their dads. In a unique twist, the fathers' stories also are told, revealing how a generational curse such as fatherlessness is hard to break. The women's guild of my church read "The Bond" for a recent book discussion. We had a great conversation with author Margaret Bernstein.

"The Bond" is a story about three African-American doctors who lived in Newark, New Jersy. Drs. Hunt, Davis and Jenkins all show what srtuggles of inner-city life can bring.

The three doctors have taken their time to discuss what has become a big problem in the U.S. and the world -- absentee fathers. Their fathers didn't "measure up" to their idea of what a father should be. Whether it was as a result of the fathers not being at home, unmarried, alcoholism, drugs, jail or simply not knowing how to communicate, one thing is for sure, it's not okay to bring a child into this world solely to fend for themselves.

The Bond by the Three Doctors, as they are more affectionately called, is an extension of their first book, The Pact. In The Pact, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt tell how they became friends in high school and ultimately, how they promised to stick together and graduate from college to become doctors. The Bond goes even further into the friendship of these three young men.

Davis, Jenkins and Hunt were able to become friends because of what is considered a growing epidemic in the African American community - children growing up in single family homes. Each doctor tells the reason why his father was not present in his home. They also give their fathers an opportunity to share their stories. They learn that their fathers either grew up in the same circumstances or they did not know themselves, the impact they were passing on through each generation. The doctors discuss how they struggled to learn about developing relationships with women, building confidence, and peer pressure and to learn a simple task such as how to fix a tie or picking out a suit without the guidance of male presence in their lives. They also discuss their devotions to their mothers, who sacrificed to keep their families together. Despite not having a male role model, the doctors basically learned from each other. The Bond tells of their need and desire to understand the reasons why their fathers were absent and what they have done to begin to build relationships with their fathers. Dr. Hunt stated "even though they missed out on a portion of their lives, parenthood last a lifetime".

The story was very compelling and thought provoking. The Doctors also describe the ways that they have set out to mentor other children who are growing up in similar homes. This is a recommended book that can be read by both males and females who are living in single family homes and are struggling to come to terms with an absent parent.

Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

In Newark, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt met as fatherless children struggling to survive ghetto living without a male mentor or role model; they formed THE PACT in high school to help one another make it and they succeeded as each became a doctor.

In THE BOND, the physicians look into the most prevalent disease destroying America's family: no father. The trio does this by seeking their dads, who never had a role in their lives. The threesome separately describe growing up fatherless and how difficult that is to overcome, but do not add any new insight than they already described in the PACT. However, their recommendations to youths suffering from this pandemic illness are solid especially to go out and find a role model to mentor you. However, the most poignant segments are the sections written by the absentee dads, who offer no rationalization as to why, but explain their failures in depth. Especially discerning is that each of them also grew up fatherless. THE BOND is a moving autobiography and though anecdotal should be must reading for everyone who wonders what has gone wrong with the American family unit as generational repetition is difficult to turn around.

Harriet Klausner

The Bond is an excellent read for anyone who has experienced the heartbreaks from having an absentee father. Dr. Davis, Dr. Hunt, and Dr. Jenkins really captured the emotions of this growing epidemic in the African American community. Two thumbs up.

I read this book when I was 19, and I still remember it vividly. It tells you about China's Cultural Revolution from the perspective of a Chinese young man. The author writes about his experiences as a witness, a perpetrator and ultimately a victim of those crazy times. He doesn't gloss over his own crimes, everything appears vivid and touchable, like you were there at the time. His fight with his father, destroying 1000-year old temples, humiliating their teachers and being humiliated themselves. Ultimately it leaves you with a sense of bitterness of the story not continuing and glad that most things have changed for the better in China. Get this book for a firsthand account of the Cultural Revolution from a perpetrator who has redeemed himself by writing about his experiences.

Gao does a wonderful job in writing a really engrossing memoir of his experiences during the Cultural Revolution. His is a story that should be told.

I was a bit surprised by other reviewers who saw this book as evidence of the stereotypical "easily-brainwashed Chinese." Such generalizations feed an overly simplistic view of history - if you read this (and other books on the Cultural Revolution) without attempting to project preconceived notions onto the characters, I think you'll find that Gao and his friends had their own reasons for their actions, and the story will seem much more rich for it.

Two things have always amazed me in people's attitudes toward dictatorships: (1) The lengths to which supporters, particularly intellectuals, of the ideology (usually state socialism) go to refute, ignore, explain or justify the brutalities occurring under those regimes. (2) Once sanity has returned, there is an utter lack of apology, self-criticism and recognition of support for such evil.

Unlike Germany, neither China nor Russia have been particularly singled out by the culturally elite, despite the recognition that both nations behaved abhorantly toward the academic and intellectual community. This was nowhere more true than in the "People's Republic". How is it possible for such an ancient culture to descend into madness on such a grand scale? But in a hermetically enclosed place and with an ideology that promoted irrationality people, and particularly youth, can be manipulated into performing awful deeds.

Yuan Gao was away at school and was swept up in a fervor that gripped a nation far worse than any religious trauma. China was turned into a nation in which every citizen was suspect unless they participated fully in the madness itself. It was something so horrible and so unbelievable that even today the subject is rarely broached. The human cost of communism is a subject that should receive more attention (but hasn't) and this story, as terrible and heart-breaking as it is, should help this lack of focus.

In the end, he did escape the madness but the horrors of those times will remain with him - and CHina - forever. It is only slowly that Mao has been transformed from a god into something approaching his true, unstable self.

Here Gao Yuan provides a personal account of the political insanity of China's Cultural Revolution, which he was swept up into as a teenager. Chairman Mao's instructions to the youths of the countryside to ferret out those who weren't "revolutionary" or "pure" enough quickly lead to the real-life "Lord of the Flies" scenario that we can see in this book. Now I'm certainly no expert on Chinese history, but Mao's attempt to lead the people to a glorious revolution through the elimination of so-called enemies hardly made the population stronger and ready to move forward to his glorious communist future. This would require teamwork and cooperation among all people. Instead the Cultural Revolution made everyone suspicious of everyone else, as people were desperate to prove how righteous they were by ferreting out class enemies. If you couldn't find any enemies, you just made them up. Whoever was the loudest and most violent won the battle, and proof went out the window.

Gao Yuan was swept up in this insanity, and in the beginning of his narrative he enjoyed proving his revolutionary zeal by "outing" the teachers at his school who supposedly were not righteous or revolutionary enough, and participated in destroying many of their careers. But Gao stopped having so much fun when the lives of his friends, his family, and finally himself were destroyed. Instead of the unified force of revolutionary youth that Mao envisioned, the logical outcome was the disintegration of the youth movement into smaller and smaller factions, who merely used Mao's instructions as an excuse to bully each other and consolidate power. Gao is not afraid to admit to his own evil acts, such as when he participated in the beating of a teenage girl, pulled a meat cleaver on his own father, or when he helped destroy a hospital, all because he was lead to believe that his politics were more righteous than everyone else's. He then watches helplessly as the countryside descends into factionalism and anarchy. Some parts of this book are quite alarming, as the youths digress into torture and warfare, and many of Gao's friends are severely injured or killed in the factional fighting.

One interesting side effect of this book is Gao's descriptions of the personality cult Chairman Mao built around himself, and how he bullied the people into worshipping him as a supreme deity. This man succeeded in making a billion people think he was a god. That's an interesting study in politics and sociology.

"Born Red" is a fascinating and horrifying book recounting one boy's experiences during the Cultural Revolution. As an American, steeped in our culture from birth, I find it is nearly impossible to truly grasp a culture that would permit the kind of reflexive parroting of official party line to take hold as it did in China (and continues today in North Korea).

The book does a fine job of painting Mao as a cult leader that succeeded in making himself a virual infallible god in the eyes of the citizenry, pushing one socialistic national program after another that were universally irrational and doomed from the get-go. The book showcases a unique traditional asian culture that promotes/permits this lemming-like following of "the leader", migrating blindly into disaster.

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of "Born Red" is the apparently honest and heartfelt attempts by the citizenry to, at one level, mentally embrace and pursue the communist paradise promised by Mao while, at a much more personal and everyday level, actions that are more practical, rational, pragmatic, selfish, carnal, and capitalistic prevailed. In "Born Red" one sees students memorizing entire books written by Mao, formally criticizing others/themselves endlessly, and violently persecuting those that are PERCEIVED to be even one iota less than 100% loyal to the official party line (as they see it) -- all the while these same students guiltlessly steal, cheat the system, seek and peddle influence, lie, rape, even murder. The contrast is striking and impossible to reconcile.

The other horrific lesson one takes away from "Born Red" is how easily these chinese students (representative of the entire nation) could so easily be compelled to completely and quickly alter, even reverse, their allegiances and internal mindsets -- those who were enemies could, overnight, become allies; that which was wrong one day would (upon authorized dictate) be considered right the next day; a political system (Capitalism) that was seen as the greatest evil in the world would, within a decade, be officially lauded as the road to national success -- all of these flipflops seemingly being accepted by everyone without the batting of an eye or otherwise questioning the irrationality of it all. This aspect of the tale is strikingly reminiscent of Orwell's "1984".

My biggest single criticism of "Born Red" is the level of detail in which the author recounts his lifestory. Countless conversations are recalled word for word; minute details, complex sequences of events, names & places are described in apparently flawless detail in spite of the decades that have passed. I don't begrudge dramatic reconstructions "based upon factual events" but I do think they should be identified as such.

"Born Red" is a quick and easy read -- it should be manditory reading for all High School govenment or social studies classes.

Don Bajema's writting is f**king amazing, plus he looks sexy on stage. What a MAN!!!

I heard him read an excerpt of it on the radio and was quite impressed. The guy can tell a story! The book is a collection of remembrances from a tortured and somehow hopeful boy turning into a man. It's raw, sincere, and is guaranteed to hit any person who ever grew up sans silver spoon right in the gut. If you're not reminded of certain periods in your life and the hell they were, then you certainly have lived a charmed life. Man or woman, this reading will clear a few things up. And buy a copy for a friend.

this book is a collection of images, memories, and stories centered around a young man named eddie burnett...but it is truly a book about AMERICA - about our ugliness, hope, war-lust, gender and race tensions, as well as the dream that we are all created with: to be air-borne.

a fantastic read. bajema is a master in this verbal mosaic.

An awesome read. I developed a real relationship with the main character as he goes from youthful dreamer to a loaner on the run. Truthfully, it reminds me of those sharp little bits of my past that I can still vividly remember. Of course all characters and events are entirely fictional...

Mr. Bajema captures the feelings of being American in a time when those feelings were unmatched in intensity. From the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, and the aftermath of each. Eddie Burnett becomes a classic character in American letters.

I am planning to build a log cabin in Alaska, and did not know anything about it. After buying at least eight different books, I found that this one is the best at inspiring me, at teaching me, and at showing me how great my cabin could be. His explanation of why and how to proceed at each step of the building process (from choosing the site and felling the trees, to stove selection and outbuildings) is very clear, even for a non-carpenter like me. And he LOVES log building. It shines through his descriptions of 600 year-old European log houses and through all the beautiful color photographs of cabins built by him and his friends in Alaska. So it's a great read too. Then, I was able to tackle Robert Chambers' "Log Home Construction" book (which is widely believed to be the best guide to log construction available) and understand all of the details of state-of-the-art scribe-fit logwork. Before reading Walker's book, I would have been intimidated by the more serious Chambers book. So together they have given me all I need. All the other books contained little information beyond what's in these two, if you are planning on building yourself in a remote area such as Southcentral Alaska. The only other great source was the free guide "Alaska Log Building Construction Guide" which is available online from a number of sites. I found its organization confusing, though, and would recommend reading the books in the order of Walker, Chambers, and the Guide. Even if you are contracting your house and not building it yourself, read these and you will know what questions to ask to get the best house.

I just talked to Alaska Northwest books, they said it will be avalible in April,$37.

Well written with no nonsense and easy to understand terms. Actually exciting to read because the author lends brief, interesting stories from his own experience of building log homes. Sufficient details of the building process and appropriately explains why certain methods work better than others. Nice pictures and diagrams to support the text. Found myself wanting even more information than the book offered, such as techniques/considerations on building an outhouse in very cold climates, construction of the roof around joints/vents/stovepipe, suggestions for optional building materials in areas where items cannot be trucked in. Regardless, the book was thorough and I highly recommended it.

Excellent all color on glossy high quality paper. A real pleasure to read with lots of information. Concise chapters dealing with most every aspect of building. A great history section in the back. Not as much technical info as some but the pictures make up for it.

I called the publisher, Alaska Northwest books (ph# 1-800-452-3032). They will do another reprint of this book toward the end of the summer of 2006 (Aug/Sept). The cost of the book will be $29.99 plus shipping and handling. So why is the seller judioops trying to sell a used copy of this book for $87.99? If you want this book, wait until the publisher releases the reprint or call the publisher directly and place a order for this book.

Butterflies of the Night is the first hand account of one American woman's journey into the Japanese world of the nightclub, where friendship and sex is offered. For a price. From the sleazy sex clubs to the high class geisha houses the author reveals much through interviews with club owners, hostesses, strippers, gangsters and even customers. The system seems to allow men to find relief from stress, find emotional support and even do major business deals. It also allows some women to find social and economic freedom outside the normal world of low paying jobs and marriages.
My only problem with the book is that many of the chapters were published in magazines in the late 1980s and the book was first printed in 1992. I would like to know how things changed or have not changed since than. What has happened after the boom economy has popped? I guess I have to find a book from the late 90s or early 21st Century for that.

This is the best book on hostess clubs that I've read. It was entertaining, informative from a first persons perspective without being biased. If you are interested in the Japanese nightlife get this book.

This is another book that i happened to stumble upon while looking through the Japanese history section of a large used bookstore. This was a fascinating book about women who entertain men for a living in Japan. Everything from geisha to girls who work at soaplands. Nicely detailed with delightful although sometimes disturbing interviews. Ms. Louis has written a fine book for those who want to know a bit more about Japan than just salary men. There is even a chapter on the notorious Yakuza. I must say, however, that those who are worried about feminist issues might not like this book. Not the writer, but some of the ways in which the Japanese men talk about women. Wives and geisha are called property. Also I am not saying that all Japanese men say this just some of those who are interviewed for this book. Too bad this book was never reissued in paperback I'm sure that it would have reached a receptive audiance. Also I wished there had been a bibliography of further books to reference, but since this book is based on personal experiences and interviews i guess a bibliography would be unnecessary.

The author Lisa Louis is an American who traveled to Japan and actually lived there for a number of years. When in need of some extra money she dabbled in the night life profession herself as a hostess at a bar where she poured drinks and entertained men. She is also fluent in the Japanese language. It?s because of these things that I think she was able to write such a compelling book. Since she has been a part of both cultures she is able to explain things to an American audience in a way that we can relate to.

I also really like the layout of the book. She starts out with her story and what compelled her to make the book. But without assuming she is all-knowing on the subject matter. She recruited numerous others to tell their stories as well.

I got the book because of my interest in Geisha but learned so much more than I ever expected to. I had no idea of so many of these things! It was quite a page turner as you?re eager to learn even more.

This book is the result of a limited sociological research of nightlife (mizu shobai) in Japan by an American woman who knows the business well because she worked in it.
As she states '... supply the material for a man's dreams and desires. Being able to keep a man believing that he has a chance, a possibility of making love, and yet always tactfully turning him down in such a way that he enjoys his time, is a hostess's true talent'. (p.50)
It is a lively and very interesting inside look into this more or less hidden part of the Japanese society.
This book covers all the strata of the Japanese sex/entertainment business: from 'top of the bill' geishas to heroin hookers. As Lisa Louis states 'the mizu shobai stage reflects a bizarre mixture of humanity, including top company executives, power-wielding gangsters, ranking politicians, Buddhist monks, preservers of ancient tradition, curious Westerners, third-world economic refugees, desperate women, and lonely men.' (p.206)
But it also gives indirectly a good picture of the Japanese society in general: lonely men, lonely wives, women who work at night for their parent's old days, the subordination of women.
Not to be missed by those interested in the Japanese society.
For a more general vieuw of the erotic aspect of the Japanese society I recommend 'Pink Samurai' by Nicholas Bornoff and the books of Ian Buruma.

Great book for kids. I bought this book for a student who had won the foul shooting competition in his age group for NYS. He has not been able to put it down. He dreams of becoming a basketball star himself. I wanted him to read about someone who has achieved this dream. Very Positive Book!!

I just finished the book and i thought it was amazing. I thought it gave a lot of information about his life while teaching very important life lessons. I also learned a lot of information about Carmelo that I didn't know before. For example I learned that Carmelo's father died when he was only two. Before I read it I thought his father left him. I also thought that the fun facts at the bottom of the pages where really interesting. i really found the one about him being able to play for Puerto Rico in the Olympics really interesting. All in all I thought it was a really good book.

Carmelo Anthony is the best new nba player i've ever seen and it's great that he has shared his life story with us. After reading the book it made me like him even better and i found out i have something in commom with him my dad was puerto rican too, i didn't know that about him. Writing this book made carmelo more aprochable to his fans and it lets us know he's a real person just like you and me and that he really cares about his true fans. I love the book i can't stop reading it's awesome. The book is very inspirational he tells us to never give up and work hard for everything we want to be, he's just a great person

This book is an amazing book. For him to have shared his inner life with all of his loyal fans.The book contains 48 full pages of pictures fans will love not to mention the autobiography. I think his book helps children like me to remember the better things in life and to stay focused because as is saying goes "Halfdone isn't Done" short sweet to the point.

I ordered this biography of Carmelo Anthony as a Christmas gift for my son, a serious sports nut. After fighting over who would get to read it first (his sister is a big Carmelo fan too), he dove in and began to read. Several days later my son said to me, "Mom, this is a good book for me to be reading since Carmelo had struggles as a kid, too." (My husband and I recently separated and he's been struggling with that change.)

The book hit the spot (for both my children) in every way. It is well written, has great photos, is very timely and of great interest to kids.

Highly recommended!

Great idea -- update de Tocqueville for a new millenium.

But shoddy execution. Instead of coming to find out about America, like de Tocqueville, the author arrives with a bundle of preconceived notions, assorted prejudices, and a bushel of statistics. He doesn't seem to like America, or most Americans, very much. His interviews just don't ring true, and he just makes stuff up (I haven't been to Flint, Michigan lately, but I doubt you find elm trees lining the streets 40 years after Dutch Elm Disease moved into the midwest).

And talk about bad timing for a publisher -- scheduling a book dumping all over America for a November, 2001 publication date!

'Chasing The Red White And Blue' is a likeable examination of the American dream in an age of inequality and social conflict. The book is written very much as a piece of journalism rather that social science, so it is not to be treated as a report but a human-centred portrait of modern America. I don't agree that its scope is too broad, because it isn't a comprehensive study; it's almost a personal reflection illustrated by encounters with everyday people. Its conclusions are not all pessimistic, and the author has great sympathy for American ideals, but he does question the inequality and consumerist individualism of modern-day America. Whether you agree with this or not, it is thought provoking and never overly didactic.

It almost strikes me as a blend of socio-political theory and travel writing - it is very much a cross-sectional account and it draws the reader in with humour, emotion and a conversational tone. It is a somewhat personal account in which Cohen draws on his own experiences and perspectives as a half-British, half-South African journalist. It does raise important points, though at times it can be selective, obvious or not engage fully with opposing ideas. This actually isn't a massive problem however, for the type of book that it is. It remains interesting and extremely readable.

Having lived in the US for the last couple of years, and originally from South Africa, I couldnt put into words exactly what I felt was right/wrong with the US. David Cohen expresses it perfectly, and gives a great insight into the mindset of todays Americans. In order to live and adapt in America you have to understand America, and in order to understand America, you need to read this book!

Could Tocqueville have forseen what America would be like a hundred and fifty odd years down the line? In a well thought out and painstaking endeavour, David Cohen has literally followed the trail taken by Tocqueville, almost lived the part, and has documented his findings in an exceedingly engaging, objective, and lively fashion. Filled with interviews with local people, perceptive insights into the American way of life as it is today, compared to what Tocqueville found and documented, this book is a delight to read. For those of us, especially non Americans, who have not read Tocqueville himself, this will be an interesting insightful introduction to aspects of early American life together with a factual and rather wry view as to where the capitalist and democratic way has in fact led. And it is not always very pretty. Do the fine developments of the past century and a half outweigh many of the rather dreadful aspects of American life David Cohen has found and so perceptively documented ? Is this what the American dream envisaged? Or is this the decline of the west that we are experiencing?? Well, this is distinctly required reading, so read all about it.

My alternate review title was "Disparity, but not Despair-ity" but I settled on what you see above. One thing this book says loud and clear is that the once direct relationship between hard work and the American Dream has never been more fragile. Things have changed, and are ever changing!
Cohen's book shows us that for some, the American Dream is alive and well... but for a larger percentage of Americans, the dream has become a nightmare. This work is a real eye-opening 20/20-like expose, and one that reads like a freight train blasting through myth. "Chasing" in the title is an accurate description of the pace.
The premise is brilliant and engaging. Cohen, an award winning British/South African journalist comes to America to retrace the 170-year-old steps of Alexis De Tocqueville, writer of the famous treatise "Democracy In America". The itinerary includes New York City; Flint, Michigan; The Ohio River Valley; The Mississippi Delta; The Deep South; and Washington, D.C.

Cohen diverts from Tocqueville's original journey only by adding California, the new frontier and command center of the information age.
What struck Tocqueville most, back in 1831, was the "equality of conditions" among the Americans then. This, and "self-interest, properly understood" were Tocqueville's greatest impressions and formed the basis of his praise of the American way of life.

Cohen is an expert on Tocqueville and is well-versed in the great man's journals. As he makes his way across America he interviews a diverse sampling (in my opinion, a well sought-out cross-section of the have's and the have-not's) and compares these findings against the fulcrum of equality Tocqueville described.
What does Cohen find?
An ever-widening gap between the have's and the have-nots!
Things have changed. He finds that Tocqueville's work is full of unqualified conclusions and summary statements that do not possibly reflect the general populace of America in the last half century. Beyond being out dated and inaccurate when applied to modern times, it's questionable whether it was even all that accurate at the time it was originally written. By marginalizing his findings on blacks and Indians, Tocqueville trivialized them. By failing to qualify his conclusions he helped to perpetuate an idealized view of America that he never saw.
Tocqueville's findings are further skewed (says Cohen) because the people he interviewed were not a balanced group. Not an unbiased cross-section of "Americans" at the time. They were always successful, professional elite (privileged aristocrats of the time) always male, and always white.
Cohen wants to avoid a similar mistake this time around... and I applaud his riding of buses, to find the pulse of the common man/woman. Every indication seems to point toward a widening gap between the rich and the poor in America, and the author tells the story in an engaging, (humorous where appropriate) way. There is a section where he sends fictitious e-mails to Tocqueville and I just loved this section. The whole book is a gem, and no part lags.
By the way, it is just as NOT anti-American as it is NOT pro-Anything Else... it is just disturbingly truthful. Amazingly, in spite of the facts, it shows that the American spirit is alive and well... as I mentioned above, there is unquestioned disparity, but not despair-ity!
But perhaps the prevailing message of this book can be expressed by the guy right there in Chapter One, the chapter on New York. There was most assuredly a time when any American would have said that a million bucks would be enough to quit working forever. This guy in New York though, he says "Twenty million and I'll walk."
Twenty million!
That's how far we've progressed along the "wealth" continuum... some people honestly feel that they will need twenty million before they quit chasing the red, white and blue!
All aboard!