Cultural Books

My 6 year-old has just become aware of Harriet Tubman and is fascinated with her story. Of all the books we found in the library this did the best job of really "telling" the story. It takes some liberty with describing her thoughts and feelings but it's authentic to Harriet Tubman's struggle and achievement. And, it's honest without being too scary for a youngster.

This compelling work of historical fiction describes the childhood and the dangerous journey of Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) along the Underground Railroad to freedom. The story describes Tubman's life from age 6 to 24. The author supplies vivid details about Tubman's parents, overseers, and her journey. An Author's Note and generous Epilogue supply an overview of biographical details not set out in the story. Numerous rich full-page pencil drawings by Karen Ritz enhance the text. I recommend this book to any school community.
Review by Don K.

5. The book is about Harriet Tubman and her getting free. She got taking away from her mother when she was young. She thought she would never get to see her mother again. But one day she got sick and they let her go back to her mother. She didn't have to go back because she never really got well. She finally got well enough that she could go outside.
6. I think the story is a great story and I thnk anyone should read it.
7.I think the story had irony in it because I didn't think that she would see her mother again and I didn't think she would get sick either.
8. I rated the book five stars because it's the perfect book to read and the book is for anyone.

My book is Go Free or Die. wrote by Jeri Ferris. The main person in it was Harriet Tubman . Harriet wanted to be free. Because she was a slave. She has been sold but they did not keep her long . Because got hurt to much. She does something about her wanting to be free. My favorite part is were she told her friend she went only were the lord send her. She said this because she had saved over 19 people and never lost one.

For school I was doing a report about Harriet Araminta Ross Tubman Davis. I looked up Jeri Ferris for a book because I had already read the one on Sourjourner Truth. When I read this book I got alot more info. than I thought I would. I did my report with no holes of info. missing. This book helped me so much, on my report I got an A+. It really really helped.

Bruce Thornton has written a wonderful book cataloging the many intellectual achievements of classical Greece in the realms of reason, science, ethics, political freedoms, law, historical documentation and art. The author also does an excellent job refuting two common charges against this monumental civilization: 1.) that the Greeks were whim-worshipping hedonists who would never pass up an opportunity to indulge in short-term sexual pleasure and 2.) that the distinguishing characteristic of Greek civilization is that they were all slave-owning misogynists.

The chapters refuting these claims are worth the price of the book alone. To address these claims, the author encourages the reader to reflect upon the content of classical Greek law and classical Greek art. The author argues that there were in fact many laws prohibiting sexual relations with minors and there were popularized Greek myths where the moral was the dangers of hedonism (e.g., the immolation of Heracles.) Moreover, the author identifies how women were often portrayed as cunning, witty and capable of using their minds to achieve noble political ends in both Greek myths and Greek theater (e.g., Aristophanes' Lysistrata.)

Needless to say, the author does not attempt to claim that the Greeks were flawless and nor should he. However, the author does exhibit that he understands that the Greeks have made numerous monumental intellectual contributions to Western Civilization. Moreover, the author seems to understand that while certainly flawed by many of today's standards with respect to the rights of women and slave ownership, the Greeks should be judged in the context of their time and in that frame of reference were overwhelmingly good.

For these reasons, I whole-heartedly recommend this well-written and delightful book!

How could one not love the civilization that has contributed the foundations of the West and so much to the world we live in? Bruce Thornton analyses the achievements of the glorious Greeks, from their earliest history to their attitudes toward homoerotic love. This book is a must for all classics, history, anthropology, art history, philosophy, and political science students......or for anyone who wants to be enlightened. There is something Greek in all of us!

The controversy about whether Greek civilisation was the main source of western civilisation's ideas about freedom, rationality etc... doesn't rage as much here as in the US, where a number of writers have, unconvincingly in my view, sought to argue that the Greeks borrowed much of their ideas on rationality, logic, freedom etc.. from other civilisations and in particular from Egypt.

So when I wanted read more about Greek influence on Western civilisation I dreaded a book which was merely a defense against these and other politically correct theories. Instead, although the author makes reference to this controversy, the book stands on its own in describing Greek civilisation and its enormous influence on today's world. The author does not pretend that the Greeks formed a cultural monolith, where everybody was convinced of the power of reason. But his very wide range of sources is persuasive enough that many of the ideas that were necessary building blocks for the rise of Western civilisation, such as that there should be a rational explanation for natural phenomena, originated with Greek thinkers. The fact that some of these paid for their ideas with their life (like Socrates) does not diminish the fact that the Greeks were there first.

What did I miss in this book ? I would have liked more about the transmission of Greek ideas to the West, i.e. how we lost much of this philosophical heritage only to regain it at the time of the renaissance. Secondly, although the author on a number of occasions asserts that other contemporary civilisations had not reached such and such a level, I would have liked to see more detail on this. I also thought that it was odd to devote the first 2 chapters (almost a sixth of the book) on sexual relations in ancient Greece, an area where I think Greeks did not influence the West much. I also think that the long section on the Greek's treatment of slaves has to be seen more in the US context (anything to do with slavery is highly sensitive and pays to be seen to have been good with slaves) than as an influence on Western culture.

Although J Roberts' Triumph of the West sets out a more eloquent case for the rational influence of ancient Greece, this book makes argues for a much wider influence, i.e. not just Rational Man, but also Political Man, freedom of expression, etc... For this it deserves to be read. It is far from perfect, but it is also fairly concise

The author is a relly good writer. I read this book a couple of years ago and it really awoke my interest in the classics. This book should be required reading for college students.

I was truly enlightened while reading this book. Not only did it give me new information, but it also got me interested in reading other books about the Greeks.

Green Cultural Studies was selected as a Choice magazine Outstanding Academic Title of 1999.

From Booknews: A work of cultural criticism arguing that destroying the boundaries between animal and human, between nature and technology, as mainstream green critics propose, would promote culture over and against the needs of nature. Offers instead a new way of thinking about difference. Also contends that the differences between culture and nature impact the treatment not only of nature, but also of human groups currently coded as race, class, gender, and sexuality. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

cultural studies managed to ignore it and stay just the same, after all.

"Because it is one of the first sustained studies to use the analytical tools of cultural studies and to focus entirely on the environment, this volume is an important contribution to the literature. Hochman engages the greening of cultural studies, and in so doing strenuously foregrounds nature. In these highly adroit analyses, nature stops being backdrop and becomes primary subject. The author looks at many texts, including primary works such as Women in Love, Deliverance (the film), Beloved, and Silence of the Lambs and such scholarly discussions as Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology (Ch, Jul '77) and Donna Haraway's Simians, Cyborgs, and Women (1991), the latter (along with Alexander Wilson's The Culture of Nature, Ch, Dec'92) a theoretical antagonist that informs Hochman's study. Ultimately, Hochman rails against the theorization of nature, insisting that the natural world is more worthy by far than to be commodified and diminished. Though Hochman at times indulges in overly sophisticated and ingenious readings and portmanteaus ("worldnature," "culturescape") and provides no clear rationale for separating the bibliography into two parts, this groundbreaking book is highly recommended for all upper division undergraduate and graduate programs in literature and environmental studies. It should greatly widen the appeal of ecocriticism.-B. Adler

Introduction

PART I: Theriomorphs and Anthropomorphs

1. A Theriomorphic Bestiary: The Silence of the Lambs

2. Human Parsites in Animal Hosts: Women in Love

PART II: The Forest and the Trees

3. The Forest Primarily Evil: Deliverance

4. A Peculiar Arborary: Beloved

PART III: For Land's (Not Property's) Sake

5. The Deed and Its Undoing: The Conservationist

6. Owning Up to Belonging: Daughters of the Dust

PART IV: Nature, In Theory

7. An Environmental Impact Report: Of Grammatology

8. Beyond a Creeping Metonymy: Simians, Cyborgs, and Women

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography/Filmography I

Bibliography II

"For anyone seriously interested in Haiti, it is an indispensable work. it belongs not only in one's school/college/university library, but in one's personal collection as well." -French Review

This book truly is the very best introduction to Haiti I can possibly think of. If you want to learn about Haiti, start here. Each entry is short, carefully chosen, and typicaly riveting. SIX STARS on this work, and my thanks to Arthur and Dash.

This book truly is the very best introduction to Haïti I can possibly think of. If you want to learn about Haïti, start here. Each entry is short, carefully chosen, and typically riveting. SIX STARS on this work, and my thanks to Arthur and Dash for putting it together.

Reviewed by Brian Concannon Jr., Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Libète is a wide-ranging and compelling anthology of writing on Haiti. As the title suggests, the Haitian people's struggle for freedom from oppression is the focus, but the editors manage to weave a lot more than history and politics into the work. The selections are interesting and concise, and well organized into chapters with equally concise introductions. Libète is invaluable as an introduction to Haiti, but also will fill in knowledge gaps for most Haiti veterans, and is a handy reference on the bookshelf.

The book's breadth is striking: 187 selections, mostly excerpts, are grouped into ten chapters, including history, politics, rural and urban life, refugees, culture and literature. The selections are well chosen, and represent much of the best that has been written about Haiti. Selections date from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 20th; their authors hail from Haiti, Europe, North America and the Caribbean. The selections include primary and secondary non-fiction, as well as novels, poetry and photographs. The writers were (and are) participants, chroniclers, anthropologists, scholars and artists.

Libète's brevity is equally impressive: all that is crammed into 352 pages. Each selection can be read in a few spare minutes, each chapter in an hour or two (I first read it over a month of breakfasts). The price of this breadth and brevity is depth: although the editing is skillful, no skill can distill a book adequately into a page or two, especially a great one, nor adequately treat a complex subject in two-dozen pages. In this sense, Libète is not an end in itself, but a starting point. The reader should keep this limitation in mind, and use the book as inspiration and guide to further reading.

Each chapter begins with a short introduction by the editors, which places the selections in context and fills in some of the gaps between them. Libète ends with a comprehensive index and citations for all included material. It does not, unfortunately, contain a bibliography discussing the useful material that did not make the final cut.

Although the various authors represent a diversity of perspectives, Libète is assembled consciously from an activist point of view. The principal editor is the coordinator of the London-based Haiti Support Group, and a long-time supporter of Haiti's democratic transition. The book reflects an activist's adoption of Haiti's poor majority as the starting point for analysis, as well as an emphasis on the adverse impacts of a host of "isms" - colonialism, imperialism, racism and capitalism - on Haitians' struggle for freedom, especially freedom from poverty.

About half of Libète chronicles the series of oppressions that have kept Haiti's majority vulnerable to exploitation. They include outsiders, from Columbus' explorers to the French slave-holders, the occupying U.S. Marines, and the current enforcers of neo-liberal economic policy. They also include home-grown oppression - brutal political and military potentates, and the economic elites they served. The book shows how the poor in Haiti were kept in their place with force, including slavery, war and civilian massacres, but also with law, politics, diplomacy, land tenure, social structures, the economy and the education system.

Libète does not, however, treat Haiti and Haitians as mere objects of these large forces. Its other half chronicles the courage, creativity, resourcefulness and persistence of Haitians as they wage their perpetual uphill battle for freedom. This resistance uses brute force when it has to, but also art, literature, song, politics, social organization, work and even botany where it can. Although it often seems to be losing the war, Libète points out the many areas where the struggle has carved out space for freedom to express, to create, to vote and to live. The book highlights Haitians' agency by featuring Haitian voices, in works of fiction, newspaper articles, interviews and essays, many of them for the first time in English.

Libète does not speak directly to some of the current debates raging about Haiti, but that may be one of its strengths. By focusing on the issues that are important over the long-term, it provides an example of looking past the petty internecine battles that have plagued Haitians' struggle for freedom, to the more vital long-term work to be done. The long view also extends the book's shelf life: by not depending on today's events, the selections, and the editors' analyses ensure their relevance for a long time to come (sadly, until "Libète" is achieved).

Libète is an excellent introduction to Haiti, possibly the best in English. A student, visitor or solidarity activist who had read nothing else on Haiti would have a pretty good idea of what was going on in a variety of fields. It is equally useful for veterans: it points out the gaps that we all have in our knowledge, and shows where we can go to fill these gaps. It is also a good reference for the specialist's shelf, for quick access to subjects outside one's expertise.

"Libete" is a comprehensive and concise anthology of writings on a wide spectrum of topics, including the history, religion, art, and politics of the country. It is a good introduction for those new to Haiti, and shows those wanting to deepen their understanding where to look.

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightend awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and related to people. I can see some real possibilities for applying in a business context.

the first time that I have found an approach which looks at humans holistically and systemically. It is not a group of personality characteristics describing superficial behaviours, but a way of understanding and recognising internal processes particular to various human dynamics. It therefore goes much deeper than any other personality assessment technique I have seen and because of this can not be reduced to a paper and pencil test. However, the gift this approach brings is that it can be taught to everyday people and can provide access to better relationships and a greater understanding of how to release our judgement of others. A truly life changing book.

If you have found most personality tests insignificant, unhelpful, or unrevealing, then perhaps this book is for you. Human Dynamics goes into much more depth and provides a greater understanding of human communication and actions than any simple personality test. While people can be placed into certain "dynamics," these dynamics are not nearly as restraining or stereotypical as personality tests tend to be. Rather than explaining one's personality, dynamics explain how groups of people tend to process information, not necessarily how aggressive, passive, or "likeable" they are. This book helped me in terms of personal discovery, and has also helped me understand why it always seemed that so many people "just never seemed to think like me."

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightened awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and relate to people. I can understand why this work is being applied internationally, especially in business and education.

Models to describe human personality are presented. Each model has it unique characteristics, its strengths and weaknesses. Each model will respond most effectively to certain modes of communications. This understanding of the different models presented will help a manager, a teacher, a student or just about anybody to understand themselves and people around them better. This will enable better communication of ideas and thoughts. Students will learn better and managers will be able to communicate more effectively with individuals. The models can be taken up to an organizational level. The applications of this book are far and wide. It is also simply and clearly written.

I enjoyed every moment of this nostalgic ride back down memory lane. Dr. Crosby is telling it like it is, without pretense or exaggeration. Well done my sister and keep em coming.

Antoine C.

This is the best biography that I have ever read. Dr. Crosby pens sheer passion and political poetry as she describes her awesome life. This hynpotic book defined, validated, and soothed all of the pain and isolation that I have ever felt as an African-American womanist. It also expertly exposed rabid colorism, sexism, and elitism in Egypt. This book is a masterful gift to womanist word singers and wounded African-American female souls...

[...].

Dr Crosby: Thank you for penning this masterpiece!

Alicia Banks

Dr. Crosby's self-examination of feminism, class divides, and sexual power struggles in "If My Soul Be Lost", was an amazing and raw journey to read. I find it very inspiring for someone to bare all, while keeping the context intact. No melodrama here. For me, it was a chance to think even more critically where I fit, as a feminist, as a gay, white male, and as a professional who is looking for more. Excellent national debut, what a beautiful portrait.

If My Soul Be Lost encapsulated everything that I think, breath, and feel as an educated, young, feminist, black woman. Thank you for writing an inspiring self-portrait that provides a place for me as well. Few contemporary works are able to accurately and poignantly depict the realities that many young black women face as this text has. So intensely profound I read it in one sitting . I cannot say much more but that I loved every letter of it....

A well-written piece, that will/does capture a portrait of many lives. She reminds you over and over again, that she is still becoming a whole person, which is something most forget. Dr. Crosby speaks to every women/man struggling to create themselves from the inside out. This book kept my attention, with humor and a well-captured, well-executed sadness. She uncovers feminist concepts and ideas we all question, but "no one ever says so outloud." I recommend this book to anyone who has ever questioned their journey as a women, but most of all as a women.

What an incredible story! The four generations in Isle of Canes have touched me in a way I can't forget. Mills has a true gift for creating characters whose skin you can crawl right into and feel their pain and joy.

Behind its idyllic façade, Isle of Canes is a frank and gripping look at issues America has preferred not to deal with-particularly the world of slaveownership by those who once were slaves themselves, its motivation (some would say, necessity), and the conflicts of conscience that lifestyle created. A major underlying theme is the world of sexual servitude, which Isle explores in multiple ways, some of which turn stereotypes on its head. Both issues are presented on a stage history has ignored: the cultural conflict of Creole (French and Spanish Catholic) America versus Anglo-Protestant America in the colonial and antebellum South. Mills brilliantly shows the consequences of the white Creole vs. Anglo conflict upon America's racial history.

I highly recommend this book to those who have any interest in genealogy, history or just enjoy reading the saga of a family. Excellent reading. Very enjoyable. Difficult to put down.

Isle of Canes has been called a cross between Gone with the Wind and
Roots. It's a grand epic to rival both, but it goes far beyond GWTW's
moonlight-and-magnolia image of the South and it explores complexities of
slave life that Roots' ignored. The sexual tension of Isle is more akin to
Monticello's Thomas and Sally than to Tara's Scarlett and Rhett, and the
masters who occupy the "big house" were once slaves themselves. Mills
explores raw and painful sides of America's past, but she has done it with
a grace and style and rhythm and emotion that held me spellbound.

A magnificent work. Mills, America's preeminent genealogist, has evolved into a passionate and successful writer of historical fiction. The Isle of Canes deals with the little told story of the Creoles of Louisiana. Mills shares the story of a family, the Metoyers, people of color, as successive generations live and prosper in the unique environment of Spanish and French Louisiana. We see and feel the changes in their lives as the impact of the Civil War comes to the Isle. The story richly weaves the tensions of slavery, multiracial families, and economic upheaval in the antebellum South. This novel is of enduring importance, and will come to be part of the classic literature describing Southern history. If you enjoy a compelling, and entertaining story, based on real families and events, and if you like to be more than entertained i.e. learn something about our history, you will thoroughly enjoy this novel.

The following comments are taken from reports made by a 5th grade class in an inner city school in Oakland, CA:
Mel:
"The Kidnapped Prince" is an autobiography about Olaudah Equiano, who was only 10 years old when he is taken by a slave ship. I think this story is exciting and it has a happy ending when he was freed when he was 21 years old.
He wrote this book so others could learn what it was like to be a slave.
Alonzo:
I admire Olaudah because he is honest and brave. He had a good attitude with his masters and confidence in himself.
Dedriana:
Olaudah worked hard for his masters, but he always wanted to be free.
Fardos:
I like this book because Olaudah was caring about people and he worked hard to gain his freedom.
Jakaria:
This story begins in 1755 when Olaudah was 10 years old and was kidnapped into slavery and it describes his tavels in America, England and on the sea. I adamire Olaudah because he is brave, honest and intelligent.
Nicoya:
I believe Olaudah waon his freedom because he is tough, honest and trustworthy. He is reliable and everyon can count on him. I like this book because it is full of life and friendship.
Kahlil:
Olaudah Equiano, the Prince of Nigeria, was kidnapped and this story tells about his life as a slave. I admire him because he is honest and a great idol to look up to.
Ali:
I liked this book because it was interesting and I learned how hard it was to be a slave.
Trevante:
Olaudah was brave and self-sacrificing. I think Olaudah would be a good role model for anyone who reads this book.

"The Kidnapped Prince is set in the triangle of trade. It is about a boy who was seperated from his family and sold into slavery. Three character traits Olaudah had are honest, cunngness, and in telligence. I liked everything about him!"

The Kidnapped Prince is an autobiography that tells about Olaudah Equiano being kidnapped and taken on a slave ship. Equiano has a lot of characteristics that helped him gain his freedom. Even though he suffered many injustices, he was honest. He was respectful and loyal. He was a hard worker. I thought the book was outstanding. Equiano kept going and went through many horrors of slavery. I learned to never give up and always keep trying. I would recommend this book to all the little kids like me, so they'll learn their lesson, never give up. (Alex, 5th grader in Oakland, CA)

The Kidnapped Prince is an autobiography that tells about an African boy's life and how he was carried into slavery and then became free. Olaudah's bravery, hard work, and honesty helped him become free. I didn't like the book. It was boring. I would still recommend it to other people because they may like it. (Tejenae, 5th grader, Oakland, CA)

The Kidnapped Prince is an autobiography that tells the story of an African boy who was kidnapped into slavery and how he found his freedom. Equiano was respectful, loyal, honest, and brave. These qualities helped him find freedom. Equiano taught me that you should be grateful for what you have. Equiano lost both of his parents and his sister but he was grateful for what he had. I would reommend this book because it teaches you things you don't know. (Alaezia, 5th grader, Oakland, CA)

The Kidnapped Prince is an autobiography about a young boy who was kidnapped from Africa and taken into slavery. There were many characteristics that helped Olaudah Equiano become free. He was sad, brave, and smart. This book showed me how slavery happened. It made me sad, because Equiano was separated from his family. I think others would like this book, so they could learn more about slavery. (Raven, 5th grader, Oakland, CA)

The following reviews are excerpted from book reports written by a 5th grade class in Oakland, CA.

Jamar:
This book is really good and interesting, but sometimes is difficult to understand. I admire Olaudah because he was extremely hardworking and brave. I would like to read this book again because it is very authentic.
Edwin:
Olaudah learned many things. He learned to speak English well and he learned to read and to write. He also learned to fire the gun on the ship and he learned navigation. Olaudah helped his master a lot. That's why he won his freedom at 21.
Da'Quan:
The main characters are Olaudah Equiano and the slave masters. The main idea is about an 11 year old boy who was kidnapped and taken into slavery in 1755 and who won won his freedom when he was 21 years old. I admire him because he he is spiritual and hardworking.
Rattana:
Olaudah is an example to others because he is smart and loyal. This is what led him to what everyone, of any race wants: FREEDOM.
Rudy:
I really liked this book because it actually felt like I could picture what was happening at times. The book seemed like an action/adventure kind of book.
DeSean:
I liked this book because it showed real events going on in the 1700's. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in adventure books and books about slavery.
Mayloni:
Olaudah is brave because he stood up for himself in some places. He is strong and hardworking. He is honest because he has never tried to run away from his masters.
Tyler:
Even though he was a slave, Olaudah worked hard for his masters. He worked harder than the free white men who got paid for their work.
Clayneisha:
This story started in 1755 when Olaudah and his sister were kidnapped from their home in Africa. But early in the morning he was separated from his sister and Olaudah cried and cried. Olaudah was scared. People stole his fruit and stuff and he wondered why they would do that. And he wondered about his sister. After awhile he learned not to be scared and he was always honest and hardworking for his masters.
Robert:
In conclusion, Olaudah Equiano is a good man. Throughout all his travels he still was strong. His sprituality did not fade but got stronger. Olaudah is my hero. I love him as a friend.
Carla:
Oluadah bought his freedom by buying and selling goods. He was also hardworking, honest and persistent. These are the reasons he was able to gain his freedom when he was 21 years old.
Mercedes:
Olaudah Euiano was smart and honest and his masters liked him so he bought his freedom. I liked this book a lot because I learned a lot about slaveery.

"The Kidnapped Prince" is about Olaudah Equiano, an African prince who was kidnapped into slavery in 1755. Equiano was caring, honest and brave, and that is why I admire him a lot. These qualities helped him become a free man.

What I learned from his story is to be more brave, more honest and more caring. These things could help me have a better life. I recommend this book to people because I want people to read it. It is a good story.
Leo, 5th grade.

havnt read it yet... but needless to say its a good book..

Over a decade ago, a friend in LA mailed me an LA Weekely column called Letters at 2 AM about a man partaking in a ritual with friends and I'd never forgotten it. When I stumbled across a book by the same title as the article at the library, and realized it was the same author, I rejoiced. (Yes, reprint this book! I want my own copy!) I skipped the first part of the book, essays on current (now past) events, in favor of the last part of the book, more personal essays on alcohol, ritual, syncronicity, friendship, relationships, and other things that our minds - well, mine anyway - contemplate at 2 AM but don't have words for, let alone articulate so beautifully. I was moved and inspired by his unflinchingly honest reportage on his life.

Michael Ventura teaches at my school. Often he has read things to us in his writing class, and sometimes they have been things he himself has written. He is incredibly wise, wheather he knows it or not, and is a voice that should be heard. Buy this book because, and trust me on this as a student of his, you will not regret it.

I not only have read this book, but I also work for the publisher.

To start, I would like to say that this book is not out of print.

Personally, at Spring Publications (the publisher) we do some pretty heavy, dry writing. But Michal Ventura lightens things up just a bit with his looks into the American way of life. His essays range in topic from the neo-pagan rituals that he has participated (The Witness Tree) in to his own alcholism (In Defence of Alchol). (in his words, "I don't like to drink alone, I love it.")

For anyone looking to find good left in America, Letters at 3 A.M. is just the thing. In my eyes, it is one of the top five books I have ever read.

This collection of essays blew my mind in a big way when I first stumbled onto them in the early 90s. Of course, I was a fan of Ventura's "LA Weekly" column, from which many of these essays come. And Ventura read these essays on Pacifica's KPFK here in Los Angeles, so hearing his magnetic voice read these be-boppin jazz-style essays was a double plus. No one else, at that terrifying time in America, seemed to be saying the things that needed to be said about the Gulf War, mental illness, the fact that our jobs are killing us, and the need for a spirituality of compassion in the barren American landscape of the post-Reagan years. Ventura's essays on Las Vegas are fun. I re-read them every time I venture off to Sin City. I often have my students read Ventura's essays to see what voice and presence in writing are all about--he's got it.

These essays now might seem a little bit dated and heavy-handed; but they can still pack a wallop to the sophomoric mind and those just starting to struggle with life issues--Ventura is perfect for those in their 20s--or their midlife crisis. Put on a Mingus or Parker CD while you read, and it'll be quite an experience.

Ventura is a truly American voice on par with Dos Passos or Randolph Bourne (who? )

It is great to have a look into Mao's China from the eyes of a child. I agree with many of the good things said, and just want to say this is a great book. Lyric, and a child's view, and great insight.

It's one thing to read the history of China's Cultural Revolution, quite another to see it through the eyes of a little girl who lived through it. In "Little Green," Chun Yu, born the year the Cultural Revolution began (1966), chronicles the first ten years of her life, from the revolution's inception to its ending with Mao's death.

What's startling about "Little Green" - the title comes from Yu's childhood nickname - is not just the vivid clarity of her memories but the beauty of her words. Written in verse, the book has the crystalline luminosity of Peter Matthiessen's prose and David Whyte's poetry. On one page Yu will speak eloquently of the gift of a blue silk ribbon; on another she'll share her pain - without being overly sentimental - at having her family's garden torn out after the state decided that private gardens were capitalistic.

"After a whole spring and early summer
of planting and watering,
the tomatoes were just starting to ripen under the green leaves.
Some melon flowers were still blooming on the fence.
The biggest melons had grown to the size of my little fists.
The sunflowers along the roadside
were only a couple of feet tall,
with tender yellow flowers following the sun around.
Nainai [Grandma] sighed.
'It hurts the conscience to destroy these crops.
What crime did the plants commit?' "

In this slender volume, Yu shows how her family is affected by the Cultural Revolution. Her mother, a teacher, becomes a target of the anti-intellectual movement; her father is sent for several years to a reeducation camp. In "We Saw Baba Only Twice a Year," Yu writes:

"Baba lived in May Seventh Cadre School,
where he was being reeducated.
The cadre school could only be reached by boat,
slowly moved by a long bamboo stick.
It took a whole day each way.
We saw Baba only twice a year,
in the summertime
and Chinese New Year.
After not seeing him for a long time,
it felt so strange to call him 'Baba' again."

The cover quote, from Maxine Hong Kingston, calls "Little Green" a "miracle" which initially sounded a bit over the top. But as I read the book and learned Yu's story, I didn't find this to be an exaggeration. For someone who learned English as an adult and spent much of her time in this country studying science, "Little Green," written with elegant simplicity in English, truly is miraculous.

I found "Little Green" so enjoyable that I began rationing it, reading just a few pages a night, to make it last. Thankfully, this is the first book of a trilogy, and Yu says she's already finished the second volume. I'll eagerly await its publication. Until then, I'll return often to Little Green's clear, bright lines.

Little Green is a wondrous work of art, like an ancient Chinese painting brought forward into modern time. Where a Western painter might fill up the entire canvas with paint, traditional Chinese painters used sparse brush strokes to vividly illuminate the very essence of their subject. So does Chun Yu use her poetry to bring to life the world of a ten year old child in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Like the unfolding of a Chinese scroll, to read her verse is to journey across the landscape of that time. We see her family, other children, revolutionaries and "counter-revolutionaries," political struggle meetings, war trainings, cold streams, warm meals, forbidden ancient poetry, and the sound of snowflakes falling past her ear.

Little Green is suitable for all ages, both children and adults. From her readings in the San Francisco bay area, I also learned that this book is the first in a coming trilogy. I give it five stars.

This book powerfully tells what life was truly like under Mao and his cohort. Chun Yu brings a new voice with an amazing ability to enable the reader to imagine life inside China during the Cultural Revolution.

This is a fresh and new voice to the history of that era.

PS I am not a kid although submitting a review as a child is easier as there is no password stuff to climb through.

Chun Yu's "Little Green" is a great corrective to much of the highly effective propaganda that emanated from China during Mao Tse-Dong's Cultural Revolution. Chun Yu has achieved this with a unique voice and with a unique literary form that is unusually poetic and that is not in itself a propaganda piece.

I believe that "Little Green" should be classified as suitable for all ages. While children will undoubtedly enjoy and learn from "Little Green," I think it ought more properly to be included with literature also intended for adults.