Cultural Books

Dr. Leary maintains a high ground in his defense of the value of the psychedelic. This is the early work and a must have.

Wow! What a book! Leary is a real psychedelic guru, not in the orthodox sense, but really a man ahead of his time, a Galileo in the charter exploration of the mind and consciousness. He started off as a conservative Harvard professor, yet not so conservative, as he had his own ideas. But after his religious experience, and that's what psychedelics do - the expanding of your consciousness to a religious experience - he became aware of the societal and cultural chessboards - the games - and here became outspoken apart from the Harvard rationalistic mindset which rests on only one static frame of a multi-dimensional, dynamic existence.

I read this book smiling, over and over again. I walked down the street with a smile, mostly for Leary's optimism, then his frank and bold statements, which in most part I agree with. His style sometimes just makes you laugh and smile and say to yourself "I wish I had the guts enough say this." And although his predictions did not come true, you can't help but subjectively comprehend the 60's atmosphere, enveloped with the baby boomers in their youth taking up the majority of the population and their experiential drug use in psychedelics, which in turn, brought forth all the femininity of creativeness, patience, tolerance, peacefulness and artistic development that was permeating the entire American culture and spreading around the world and thus brought on the male dominated aggression of control and police power. So Leary's optimism and predictions were really a good assessment of the time despite their failure to come true. And nothing makes me sadder than to see his predictions fail from the creative mind expanding youth to our current male power, controlling and agressive society.

You can write Leary off as a kook from the conservative's point of view, the rationalist who never "experienced," and that's the KEY here - never experienced a trip under favorable circumstances and environment. Leary is the same as other heretics and kooks of history, a Galileo of mind exploration and conscious expansion, a Guttenberg of exoteric enlightenment, as in this book as well as one who clearly recognizes the need for new symbols that relate the esoteric experience of LSD, of cellular memories, of DNA language outside the mind, of experiential journeys that can only be told under a new language, as the microscope discovered new world had brought forth, as quantum physics brought forth and every other new fields of exploration that can only be described outside the current symbols we currently use.

Leary on page 141: The lesson I have learned from over 300 sessions, and which I have been passing on to others, can be stated in 6 syllables: Turn on, tune in, drop out. "Turn on" means to contact the ancient energies and wisdoms that are built into your nervous system. They provide unspeakable pleasure and revelation. "Tune in" means to harness and communicate these new perspectives in a harmonious dance with the external world. "Drop out' means to detach yourself from the tribal game. Current models of social adjustment - mechanized, computerized, socialized, intellectualized, televised, Sanforized - make no sense to the new LSD generation, who see clearly that American society is becoming an air-conditioned anthill. In every generation of human history, thoughtful men have turned on and dropped out of the tribal game and thus stimulated the larger society to lurch ahead. Every historical advance has resulted from the stern pressure of visionary men who have declared their independence from the game.

On page 196: My philosophy of life has been tremendously influenced by my study of oriental philosophy and religion. Of course, what the American, regardless of his religious belief, doesn't understand is that the aim of oriental religious is to get high, to have an ecstasy, to tune in, to turn on, to contact incredible diversity, beauty, living, pulsating meaning of the sense organs, and the much more complicated and pleasurable and revelatory messages of cellular energy. To a Hindu, the spiritual quest is internal.

Different sects of oriental religion use different methods and different body organs to find God. The Shivites use the senses; the followers of Vishnu are concerned with cellular wisdom, contacting the endless flow of reincarnation wisdom which biochemists would call protein wisdom of the DNA code; Buddhist manuals on consciousness expansion are concerned with the flash, the white light of the void, the ecstatic union that comes when you're completely turned on, beyond the senses, beyond the body.

On page 202-203: What we're doing for the mind is what the microbiologists did for the external science 300 years ago when they discovered the microscope. And they made this incredible discovery that life, health, growth, every form of organic life, is based on the cell, which is invisible.

You've never seen a cell; what do you think of that? Yet it's the key to everything that happens to a living creature. I'm simply saying that same thing from the mental, psychological standpoint, that there are wisdoms, lawful units inside the nervous system, invisible to the symbolic mind, which determine almost everything.

And I don't consider myself that mystical - unless you'd call someone who looks through a microscope a mystic, because he's telling you about something for which you don't have the symbols. Or the astronomer who detects a quasar and speculates about it.

On page 208: Every time you take LSD you completely suspend - you step outside of - the symbolic chessboard which you have built up over the long years of social conditioning. And you whirl through different levels of neurological and cellular energy, continually flowing and changing.

Your symbolic mind is flashing in and out. You never love your mind during and LSD session. It's always there, but it's one of a thousand cameras that are flashing away. Of course, the LSD freak-out, or paranoia, is where the symbolic mind freezes any aspect of the LSD session and defines a new reality, which can be positive or negative.

Read this book.

This is the single most influential book I have ever read. Completely legitmizes and encourages religious experiences through psychedelic means. Anyone currently using psychedelic drugs or interested in them should read this to gain greater understanding of their power. Learn why LSD and other are really illegal, the government knows they free minds!

...if you wish to stay the same because believe me, once you read it, you never will be. I got this book when I was about 26-27 years old when I felt as though I was just passing through life and not really living it. I felt like everything was "ho-hum". All of my senses were set to dull. Inside of me there was just this gnawing ache that there has got to be something more...not just "out there"...but "in here"...in my heart, in my soul, in my mind...

And then along comes Timothy.

Irreverent, Rebellious,Smart-Ass Timothy Leary espousing the Truth that all advancement in life is already in our very DNA. It dwells deep within the very marrow of our bones because we, as a species, were not meant to stand still...we were not meant to live lives of quiet desperation...we were meant to behold a world that burns and sparkles with Light.

People tend to think one is hallucinating when one sees vibrant colors, when everyday things seem to shine with a new brilliance, when even the song from a songbird feels like a musical triumph, but this is how life really is, boys and girls! We are hallucinating when we think that the world is dull and thick and leaden...we are hallucinating when we think that we are just these heavy clods of biodegradble clay that stalk the earth. We are here to discover...or should I say, uncover the paradise that is already within the invisible realms of the ancient mind that dwells within us and we in it.

Does this mean you have to take LSD in order to experience the jewelike radiance that all of life is made in and out of? Not neccessarily and I am not advocating that you do. What I am advocating is that you allow yourself to get enthused about life. Enthusiasm literally means to be filled with God. God wants to know Itself as you...as me...in each and every moment of creation.

Read Timothy Leary. Marvel at his excitement for life, join him in the mind & soul rebellion against flaccid governments and soul controlling religions and their warped politics and dissapointing creeds both of which are more than happy to think and decide for you, laugh in joyful relief that you are not a body with a soul, but you are a soul with a body,and be willing to stray from the pack of lemmings that's headed for the edge of the cliff only to drown in the shallow seas of mediocrity.

Open your eyes.
Open your mind.
Open your soul.
Open your heart.
Open this book and let the tingling in each of your 40 trillion cells remind you are here to do more than exist, you are here to LIVE and to LIVE WELL.

Peace & Blessings to this this place we call the world.

This work is a hallmark for questioning authority, pursuing individual freedom and happiness, and working to build a more enjoyable and enriched world. Lovers of liberty would be well-advised to study this work thoroughly, and then pass it along to the nearest religious extremist. It will surely get a reaction.

I thought this book was great. I respect and love Dyson as a thinker and leader. There were a few things in the book that I dont necessarily agree with Dyson on, but who cares, thats life. The only person I need to agree with 100% is God. Overall his thoughts are deep, logical and thought provoking. Dyson is my favorite writer and Black Leader.

I met Michael Eric Dyson at UNC. I did a book report on the African American Church last year and got a lot of my information from Race Rules. He has a lot of ideas to strengthen the black culture and in his book he shares some great views on why black churches fail and why some don't. There was a part in the book about black leadership, but I was dissapointed that he didn't talk about Tupac becasue he was a leader in rap music and he was a voice for black people.

Dr. Dyson is amazing as he explains race in America. At first when Dr. Dyson started talking about OJ Simpson I started saying to myself "oh no, not again." However, that touchy subject was not too bad and I did not get as angry as in past conversations, books or reports. There were comparisons and constrasts between Farrahkan and Colin Powell pertaining to the million man march that seemed very insightful. Such as Colin Powell thought the million man march was a good conceptual ideal, but due to the fact that Farrahkan was the march's organizer he boycotted the million man march. This book actually makes you think about things in life and it is not one of those books that you just read and then put down and don't think about anymore. Race Rules has me now reading "I may not get there with you" and I am already so into that book. Dr Dyson keep up the good work.

There is absolutely no doubt that this is a great book. The author, as is evident from the book, is a keen thinker and is as intelligent as he is funny. This book was a great reading experience for me, especially because I am neither black nor white. I loved the first part where Mr. Dyson talks about the O.J Simpson trial and how that has changed the playing field. He very deftly, avoids passing judgment on O.J, the man. Even though the author cannot be accused of justifying O.J's actions, he most certainly can be credited for trying to paint a picture in which O.J's actions can at least be objectively understood. This, to me, was extremely interesting. As far O.J. Simpson is concerned, Mr. Dyson has been successful in evoking a response of "Why not?" as opposed to "Why?" The book covers important topics like the failures and successes of the black church and the deficiencies in the present black leadership. One thought, which runs throughout the course of the book, is the author's consistent support for women's causes. A self-described feminist, the author has been very effective in talking about women's issues, specially the state of black women and the inequalities they have had to face due to not only their race but also their gender. Mr. Dyson gathers enough courage to criticize black men for the treatment they have meted out to the women folk. However, at times, Mr. Dyson sounds like he is desperately trying to gain support from black women as their only true sympathizer. I had the feeling that the author was sacrificing sincerity to gain a little goodwill. Mr. Dyson has taken a middle path solution to the question of racial equality. He agrees with both the integrationist ideals of Colin Powell and the separatist beliefs of Louis Farrakhan, but denounces both as being the only road to racial salvation. He tries to be politically correct so as not sound as either a rebel or a wimp. The author's discussion of the popular culture can be counted as another plus of this book. I specially liked his treatment of the subject dealing with the politics of nostalgia and how the elders blame the black youth for all the ills and reminisce about the 'good old days in the hood'. Probably the author's support for hip-hop and rap endeared this book more to me. As a great fan of rap music, I couldn't agree more with the author. However, I was disappointed at the fact that the author never mentioned Tupac Shakur, who I think has been one of the most important players in the history of rap music. Throughout the course of the book, I got the impression that the author was trying to prove to the world that he does not shy away from calling a spade, a spade. But whatever his real intentions, Michael Eric Dyson has been very effective in painting a true picture of the realities of race in this country and how it still dominates our life, more than we want or imagine.

Heard the taped version of RACE RULES, written and read by
Michael Eric Dyson . . . it is a collection of essays that deal with
the problem of racial division in America, as well as with divisions
within the black community.

Dyson, a former welfare father and now an ordained Baptist
minister and professor of Communications Studies at the University
of North Carolina, starts by talking about O.J. Simpson . . . I recall
initially thinking, "not this subject again," yet was pleasantly
surprised by how he got me to realize that there was more--a lot
more--to the subject than the media presented . . . another essay
dealt with the sate of black women and the inequities they have had
to face due to not only their race but also their gender . . . lastly,
I found it fascinating how Dyson agreed with both the integrationist
ideas of Colin Powell and the separationist beliefs of Louis Farrakhan--and
then denounced them both as being only road to racial salvation.

Dyson made me think about subject matter that ordinarily isn't on my
radar screen . . . for that, I'm grateful.

I have known the author since pre-school. When I heard of this work it all made sense. Simple Genius!

Being a person who has a morbid curiosity about the less-than-pleasant things in life, taking a look at this book was inevitable. Interestingly enough, the book was much more informative than I anticipated. It took a somewhat clinical approach to the subject, but also had it's moments of humorous and less-than scholarly observations and anecdotes.

Sure enough, the book discusses those wonderful things we excrete, (sweat, sebum) cast out (feces, urine), reject outright (vomitus) and circulate within us (blood and bile)- and gives some interesting (for me, quite compelling) information concerning these fluids. The author covers the recorded history of such materials or things relating to them, like the story of Thomas Crapper's modern flush toilet.

The author also did surveys of peoples' bathroom habits (how much TP they use, whether they look after they're done, etc.). Also included are moments of human excretion in literature and the arts, as well as TV and film- remember the Barf-O-Rama scene in `Stand By Me'? Or eating beans by the campfire in `Blazing Saddles'?.- but only up to the book's publication date of 1993, before bodily relief became the big thing on the tube & silver screen. If a new edition is ever to be released, covering the `potty-time' moments of trendy favorites `Beavis and Butt-Head' and `South Park' alone would add more than a few pages...

There's some strange moments too, like methods of proper urination when genital piercings get in the way, the advent of urine therapy as a treatment for certain ills, and other off-the-wall practices and notions concerning one's bodily castings.

But probably the most interesting part of the book, at least for me, was the glossary of slang terms for the various types of bodily expulsion... half of which I never even seen or heard of before! Now I have a whole new arsenal to study and learn... heh.

`Late!

The perfect mixture of scholarship and humor, this book, with its "icky" topic, is worthy of serious attention. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that the reason I love it most is that it makes me laugh-- on several occasions I laughed so hard that I woke up my wife, who was trying vainly to sleep next to me. As Spinrad's sources tell about their own habits regarding their precious bodily fluids, it's impossible not to recognize how much we share in regards to these daily substances-- and impossible not to laugh at how we treat these taboos.

Spinraid is a genius and his guide to bodily fluids is totally brilliant. He deals with countless taboo subjects with a sanity and clarity that many 'mainstream' publishers would be proud of. Anyone with any vague interest in how their body secretes and excretes and the sociological aspects of bodily functions (think about it - that must be everyone in the whole world) should buy two copies of this book, because one copy of this magnificent tome will be stolen.

"No matter how ready your minds and souls are to live in an eternal abstract world of language, reason, truth, beauty, and card games, you're still trapped inside an aging meat machine," says author Paul Spinrad. While the book covers mucus, saliva, sweat, vomit, urine, pooting, poo, earwax, toe-cheese, and others, its main focus remains on poo.

How were things "handled" before toilet paper? Ever contemplate the history of the enema? Did you know that loose bowels were once treated with opium? Learn the story of Joseph Pujol, "The Fartiste", famous for his flatulence. Is vomit an "involuntary food review"? Drinking urine is a cure? An antiseptic? (the ammonia in unine) Did you know there's much more to mucus than just a few boogies?

How about bodily functions in literature (Shakespeare, The Marquis de Sade, Dante, Picasso, James Joyce, Mark Twain, Burroughs, Selby, and adding one of my own, modern writer Edward Lee), or in classic cinema? What is Cockle Bread? What about Freud's connection between poo and $exuality?

There are poo quotes from famous people from Shakespeare to Tiny Tim, an extensive look into the invention of the toilet, a glance at toilets across the world, poo in religion and folklore, and even poo in art. The world of poo is amazingly artistic and intellectual world. There's even a brief mention to the hilarious cartoon 'Ren & Stimpy' in the 'Art, Music, & Criticism' chapter, showing an elaborate research from ancient to modern references.

This book includes Spinrad's Survey Methodology, a copy of the survey itself, a detailed 'Recommended Reading' section, an extensive Bibliography, and a full Index. Unfortunately, there are no pictures, and I felt that a few pictures would have spiced up the book a little bit. At only 121 pages, the book is large sized but slim, making reading easy and enjoyable. So ... Enjoy!

Here are four in-depth conversations, most centering on art and politics, published in 2001. Considering the tidal wave of events since then, it's astounding how these interviews still resonate with contemporary issues. Depending on your point of view you'll find Rollins, Biafra, and to a certain extent Billy Childish, insightful or exasperating in their politics, but its hard to miss the passion in their arguments. Ferlinghetti, by far, takes the longest view of events past and present, and suggests solutions (some new, some old), sounding the most conservative by comparison. Many will consider these four exchanges as nothing more than preaching to the already converted, but in this political season they take on the character of voices crying in the wilderness.

Wow. This collection of interviews is amazing. Though I had heard very little about any of these men when I picked the book up, I found their words very interesting. Even where I disagreed with their messages, they caused me to think about why I disagree. Many times I felt like putting down the book and going out to either create or protest. Even though all four of these men are politically active and radical, they each provide very different perspectives that, when presented together, have much more power than they could on their own. I recommend this book for anyone in search of inspiration to question and act.

I've been familiar with Biafra/Rollins/Childish and Ferlinghetti for a long time, but can't say I'm a huge fan of any of the four, but in reading through these interviews, I have a whole new respect for all of them. Vale talks about so many issues of political importance, artistic integrity, life, and everything with them. What comes through is not esoteric or academic, not something only appealing to punks or poets, but a feeling of being alive. All four are very smart, funny, engaging and interesting individuals and Vale really knows how to bring out their personalities. This is like a bible of common sense from 4 great prophets of the eternal underground. If you yearn to be creative and find your own happiness outside of the constraints of a 9-5 job and mainstream culture, this book will hopefully be an inspiration to you. It's also refreshing to hear people talking about important political and philosophical issues in a way that makes you believe that you can be involved and help make culture and live how you want. We also glimpse into their lives outside of the public eye through some wonderful storytelling. Vale helps to put the nail in the coffin of the "dumb punk" notion: these guys are geniuses. You need this book!

[paragraph missing]

Essentially, the best thing about "Real Conversations No. 1" is that it's just that -- a good chunk of honest dialogue between a guy and four other guys who sound like they're pretty close friends with him, talking about what's on their minds and in their lives (both theirs and his) in ways that are sometimes entertaining, sometimes thought-provoking and sometimes even illuminating. And, yes, at least two of the people talking in this book have figured somewhat prominently in the entertainment and pop culture landscapes for the past few years. But guess what? They actually say stuff that doesn't totally sound like part of their act! Henry Rollins, for all the macho, stoic bluster that he gives off, turns out to be pretty funny and down-to-earth, as well as enthusiastic to the point of geekdom when it comes to archiving bootlegs of bands that he admires and/or played with. Jello Biafra's comments are obviously more political and exhibitionist, but he does make light of how he got that way in the first place, and how he was just as inspired by other people in the anti-WTO protests in Seattle as they were by him. Besides that, the most wholly "inspirational" words probably come from Billy Childish, who advocates "doing it yourself" (and "thinking and taking responsibility for yourself" as well) not just as a moral or even as a craft, but as something that fits into enjoying the simple fact that you're alive. And Lawrence Ferlinghetti comes off almost as the wise grandfatherly figure who has a wealth of stories to tell about the past but knows pretty clearly about what the future entails.

But really, the total effect of all these conversations for me wasn't so much hero worship or a privileged glimpse into the workings of complicated minds. It was more the idea that, if I ever had the chance, I'd wanna hang out with these people and talk about some of this stuff with them myself. (Of course, in some ways, I'm not sure that I could even get a word in edgewise, but that's another matter.) I guess that's one of my personal reasons for being glad that I bought this book directly from Re/Search in San Francisco, almost beyond the whole deal of supporting the independents: When I called the place up to inquire about my order right after the attacks happened, I thought at first that I'd gotten a particularly thoughtful and conversational assistant who sounded vaguely like Jello Biafra on the phone. It turned out to be Vale himself, and we talked for maybe half an hour about the attacks, how they'd played out on CNN and the likelihood that any chance for progressive politics was dead now. He seemed as interested in what I had to say as I was in what he had, and I think it probably helped get us both out of the shell-shock and thinking clearly again.

So maybe some of these good things still aren't quite out of reach yet. Or, if they are, then maybe now we'll scramble a bit more to get hold of them again.

2 noted ex-users turned full time cranks Biafra-speed, Rollins-ritalin fronting 2 good punk bands DeadKennedys and BlackFlag are getting old. Their legacies are questionable.
They both never met a microphone they didn't like. They talk more than little girls. Both are way too serious and need to lighten up. They're in the entertainment industry yet yearning for artistic integrity (then stick to arts and craft shows).

Rollins complains about book/album sales, his business, and his own niche marketing scheme. The guy brags about hard work, working out, and dislike of everything hokey and cheesy. Typical manic depressive straight edge loudmouth. Relax buddy, you need a rest guy. He turned out just like his parents, but he can't settle down. Hence the mass confusion running out of his head. Every job has it's ups and downs. They get monotonous and draining. Worrying about money [stinks], so you compromise nearly everything up to and including you're very being. Hank likes being "commercial" because big corporations pay well and promptly. Movies and commercials are money on the table. It's easy and if he doesn't take it someone else will.

Biafra is one man publicity stunt show. Running for mayor(truly funny and creative). Including a poster of sodomy in records and calling it artistic freedom under the holy grail of free speech. I don't know anyone who buys a record expecting or wanting such a thing. The poster is funny but is by all definitions pornographic. Not everyone has a dirty sense of humor. Jello fought and lost for our right to do such silly things. Now he worries about his company's future as a b-music distributer especialy with the rise of this internet file sharing thingy (more punk than the whole punk movement combined). He's made a living as a paranoid alarmist worrying people to death.

Bottom line, everyone's replacable, independent. Past succes doesn't guarantee future success, but that's who gets better odds. Like it or not. Whether your stuff has critical mass approval or not. Carrying the torch will get you burned both up and out. These guys are one trick ponies branching off into other areas. A good perspective on 2 long winded spotlight hogs. Their music speaks or itself. JB's album with no means no and doa are worth buying or downloading. Black Flag is good clean fun. RESEARCH/VSEARCH always put out good stuff.

This is a wonderful book for anyone at any age. I have read it four or fives times since may father gave me his copy in 1957. His grandfather gave it to him in 1931, so the book has become somewhat of an heirloom. It is the view of a childhood that is quite a contrast to the video gaming, televison oriented life in which children grow up today. It may even make you wish you grew up with Henry Shute.

I have a 1903 edition (7th printing) that my mother (born 1911) read as a girl and passed on to me. I read it as a boy (1950's) and again recently (2004). It is an easy & enjoyable read for any age reader. It is a time-machine that will transport you to to the 1860's through the eyes of a young boy. You get his candid view of life, neighbors, family, events. Get it for yourself, your kids or a good friend. This is reading recreation and an escape from the 20th-21st centuries.

My grandfather gave me this book in 1970 when I was 10 years old. I have read and reread this book many times over the last 28 years and still get as much enjoyment now as when I was a young boy. I consider it one of my dearest treasures and will present it to my son when he is old enough to read.

My grandmother had this book and it was the first book I had ever read in one sitting (at the age of ten!) My mother, sister and I would laugh about the misadventures of the characters as if they were our own friends.Now that both my grandmother and my mother are gone, my copy of the book sits in the bookcase with scrapbooks and picture albums. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

I was given a copy of this book when I was 11. I somehow lost my copy over the years. On my 60th. birthday, my sister gave me a copy that had a 1909 publishing date. After I broke out in tears, I vowed I wouldn't lose track of this one.

Remember that? This is a must read/item for those that have lived the history. If you've been part of the ride, then you know the story. But Jerry Reynolds has filled in the blanks with information that you could only get from... well, from Jerry Reynolds: The front office background on the Terry Tyler and Derek Smith trades; Bobby Hurley's potential and toughness; the head coach candidates; actual Bill Russell conversations (apparently he could talk... and laugh). What? We could have "stole" Detlef Schrempf!?!? The book even helped explain my "unique" encounter with Jawann Oldham on the day he was cut loose by the Kings.

Aside from all the great Kings gems that have been unearthed, there is some foreground on Jerry himself as well as documentation of his "rise" up the organization. Like everyone else, I would have liked for the book to be longer--182 pages for 20 years is just not enough. Oh well, Reynolds Remembers is a great and easy read, but to the Kings fan, it's truly great literature--the man did minor in English after all.

The details within "Reynolds Remembers" paint a vivid and entertaining picture of what life was like for a struggling and then reborn NBA franchise. It was filled with anecdotes and humorous observations of true events. I enjoyed it very much.

Although, I wish there had been more than a single page describing Jerry's "the Carly Simon period." Maybe we'll hear more in a sequel.

Jerry Reynolds and Don Drysdale's Reynolds Remembers: 25 Years With The Sacramento Kings is for any interested in the evolution of a shortstring operation which couldn't compete to a model NBA franchise. The Kings are celebrating their 20th season in Sacramento, California - and Jerry Reynolds was part of them before their rise to fame. His memoir celebrates their growth and provides a powerful leader's first-person experiences.

I have been a Kings fan my whole life and I truly enjoyed reliving the past 20 years with Reynolds. It is amazing on how fast we forget the early teams and players and how soon we get used to 50 win seasons. Reynolds uses the same humor and great one-liners in the book that he uses in his telecasts. I just wish the book contained more personal stories and memories and I can only hope that a sequel is in the works. Here's to another great 20 years of Reynolds and to another book.

A riveting read. I could not put this book down. A truly must read for all Sacramento Kings fans. A book any real NBA fan should enjoy. Being able to learn some of the inner thoughts of a real NBA insider is rare.

If only there had been more amusing stories and anecdotes Reynolds is so well known for. These reflecting the personalities of NBA players few of us fans ever see. Maybe this will be in Reynolds next book "Reynolds Remembers More" ?? We can only hope!!

Born in Autaugaville, Alabama in 1923, Bob Motley chronicles his exciting and interesting life as a professional athlete. As an umpire in the Negro American League in the 1940s and `50s, he ran the gauntlet from top-flight professional baseball players to the Ku Klux Klan.
His birth in the heart of "Jim Crow territory," with all the restraints of segregation and prejudice, could not hold back his physical ability, positive attitude, and intellect, which powered him to be the best in his select profession. In that era, baseball was segregated far longer than other major sports. That forced the premier athletes of the time into the formation of the exclusively black Negro American League. Men like Elston Howard, Satchel Page, and Willie Mays turned the all-white Big Leagues on their ear after Brooklyn Dodger star Jackie Robinson broke the 80-year color barrier in 1947. Great black players who had been concentrated in the Black Leagues took the country by storm and elevated the game of baseball to infinite heights.
Motley umpired them all. His autobiography not only chronicles that story, but his story of success, in spite of unbelievable odds, with fortitude, personal discipline, patience, and guts. From my own personal view, having grown up playing ball with anyone who could swing a bat, I always wondered why such talent should be separated and thereby limited. My black high school teammates and I, although just two or three years from "integration," never gave that separation a thought when we took the field. Bob Motley, in this book, shows us what great a victory has been won by all Americans.
Even if Motley had not been with the Kansas City Monarchs, if he had not personally known Buck O'Neal, Roy Campanella, Hank Aaron, Joe Black or Cool Papa Bell, his story is that of a man who is in my Hall of Fame.

As a novice to the subject, I found this a most enjoyable read. It is full of lived history, love of sport and great humor. I highly recommend this book.

THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN BY BOB MOTLEY, WHO WAS AN UMPIRE IN THE NEGRO LEAGUES. HE TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCES AND LIFE AS A BASEBALL UMPIRE. THIS IS A GREAT READ BY MR MOTLEY AS HE TELLS US OF SOME IMMORTAL GREATS AS SATHEL PAIGE, JACKIE ROBINSON, ROY CAMPANELLA AND MANY MORE. PLUS MANY OTHER STORIES ON THE JIM CROW LAWS AND HIS EXPERIENCE IN UMPIRE SCHOOL AND THE MANY BROKEN PROMISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS HE HAD BECAUSE OF HIM BEING A NEGRO IN WHITE MAN'S WORLD. I HIGHLY ADVISE THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS.

A must have book on baseball history, and what the Negro Leagues went through.
It's an amazing life that unfolds as you turn the pages. Hard to put down as
each chapter will leave you wanting more.

It's great to focus on some great moments in history. Bob Motley has lived an incredible life. Well worth reading and admiring!

It is no easy feat to define savages and civilisation literally. The author brought us back right to the origin, ie. the formation of continents, the climate changes, changes of food chain, the formation and usage of tools and fire which subsequently change homo sapien's nature to hunt and forage into farming. With gradual changes of homo sapien's tendency of mobilisation into stagnation, infrastructure is needed to sustain their activities and thus, the formation of cities. The author used examples from Australia, Russia, South America, Pacific Islands, et cetera to illustrate to us the points that he was making and I find those components to be of interesting read. He continued on to explain about what we have known all along about people from countryside that shifts in huge numbers to the cities for better opportunities to the extent that it overextends the infrastructure and thus, the destruction of the Great Nature. Subsequently, the original city slickers move further away from the degradation that has become of the city. With advent of sophisticated technology, those city slickers are not worse off as they can both play and work at the same place nowadays. What he found shocking was the so called "tribes" or gangs that formed themselves in cities to carve up their own territories. His example was relevant and notorious ie. Washington D.C. Continuing on, tribes no longer need to be held in one place as technology allows the tribes to continue embracing their own cultures no matter where they are. For example, Asians that are living in USA are still able to watch TV programs from China through sattelite TV these days. He striked to the heart of the matter when he said that indigenous people are viewed like curios nowadays where people visiting specially allotted reserves to view how they live their day to day lives. The answers are not found from there but rather, from the displaced indigenous people that are trying to sustain their livelihood in the big and hostile cities. To summarise the book, it is to say that the countryside people have an uneasy relationship with the city people and vice versa. It is no longer relevant to separate people through religious affiliations, cultural differences, national borders. With the emergence of globalisation, it is becoming clearer that we are neither countryside nor city people but simply people. And to ensure the survivor of our species, we simply need to respect one another. A simple lesson of live and let lived. Alas, very few people take heed of this lesson these days. Highly recommended.

Educational and entertaining. If you love this, you will love his new book about "Genghis Khan". This complete and concise reintroduction of 850 years of glorified Mongol history will be shocking and eye opening experiences for you. According to his long journey of tireless research, Genghis Khan had established our modern civilization. What a history, what a extraordinary work.

I have taken one class from Prof. Weatherford, and plan on taking another this coming year. He is one of the most popular and well-liked professors at Macalester College because he is, in a word, fascinating. He combines an immense field of knowledge with an engrossing lecture and discussion style. He does the same in this book, penning a book that both broadens awareness and understanding, and entertains. I would often intend to read one chapter then go to bed, but would end up many chapters later wondering what happened to the time. If you want a book which is written for those not steeped in anthropology, and which contains a great amount of educational material of interest to people from all fields of study and interests, this is an excellent book to buy, read, and enjoy.

I have taken one class from Prof. Weatherford, and plan on taking another this coming year. He is one of the most popular and well-liked professors at Macalester College because he is, in a word, fascinating. He combines an immense field of knowledge with an engrossing lecture and discussion style. He does the same in this book, penning a book that both broadens awareness and understanding, and entertains. I would often intend to read one chapter then go to bed, but would end up many chapters later wondering what happened to the time. If you want a book which is written for those not steeped in anthropology, and which contains a great amount of educational material of interest to people from all fields of study and interests, this is an excellent book to buy, read, and enjoy.

Jack Weatherford has written a wonderful book on the topic of tribal or "primitive" cultures, generally nomadic, often pastoral ones in world history and today, seeking to explore the relationship between tribal peoples and the people of cities and what is thought of as civilization. The fact that these people have gone by so many names throughout history, whether stigmatic names like barbarian, savage, pagan, or heathen or more modern less pejorative names like ethnic group, folk tradition, or national minority shows that urban cultures have generally had a difficult time coming to grips with those outside the mainstream of global civilization.

Weatherford covers a great deal of history in his discussion of tribal cultures. He visits with and discusses the Australian aborigines; those that still have their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle, he writes, with slight modifications, could have lived almost any time in the last 200,000 years in the temperate and tropical zones of Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia (covering something like 99 percent of human history). The modern Aleuts and Inuit of North America, the Sami or Lapps of Scandinavia, and such northern Siberian peoples as the Yakut and Chuckhi represent remnants of the thousands of such groups from the last Ice Age, groups that had to give up foraging and worked in groups to hunt the massive megafauna of the Arctic regions, whether mammoths or whales.

The fact that tribal peoples did not settle into the dense concentrations that urban peoples did and many tribal groups had relatively few domesticated animals would have a profound impact upon world history. An interesting point he makes involved pastoral people and disease; virtually every infectious or epidemic disease known among human has a close animal counterpart (smallpox is similar to cowpox in cattle and myxomatosis in rabbits, measles has similarities to distemper in dogs and rinderpest among bovines) and those cultures that did not have much in the way of domesticated animals (such as the Polynesians and Native Americans) were free of these epidemic diseases.

Weatherford wrote that the political and technological interaction between the wandering tribal peoples and civilized peoples for the three thousands years between 1600 B.C. and 1500 A.D. was the focal point of Eurasian civilization. Once indigenous people played a huge role in world history, one group occasionally assimilating the other or forcing millions to move in vast relocations. In some cases the nomads were technological innovators (inventing the horse-drawn chariot and the stirrup, for a time dominating urban peoples until they in turn assimilated these new inventions), in other cases acting as conduits for technological change (the Mongols for instance borrowed animals, ideas, and technology from all parts of their territories, spreading them from Europe to China). For centuries there was, despite the conflicts, a symbiotic relationship between farmers and nomads, as one helped the other (the former supplying cereals, tea, sugar, metal-working, and chemicals for leatherworking, the latter important in bringing in exotic items and introducing new products and ideas); this has been obscured by the fact that most written records about the nomads were left by the settled agricultural peoples and were often biased against the nomads. On occasion this was recognized; North African scholar Ab-ar-Rahman Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) wrote the first historical analysis of the relationship between tribal and urban people; he said that the city people needed the tribal people because the latter reinvigorated the civilized world, bringing in new blood and new ideas (such as Islam and Judaism). They brought a simple, direct, honest way of dealing with the world, a strength that accounted for the success of the Hebrews against the Canaanite cities, the Arab Bedouins in the Middle East, and the Moors in Spain (among others). However, the longer tribal people associated with urban people, the weaker they became. Weatherford makes the point that this assertion of Ibn Khaldun's was predated by the Old Testament of the Bible (evident in how the Hebrews viewed the corrupt cities of Jericho, Sodom, and Gomorrah), unique in being one of the few texts by a nomadic group.

Weatherford definitely wrote what some might call a "big picture" analysis of world history. He devotes several chapters to how eventually the urban peoples of the world came to complete dominate tribal cultures. He wrote that it took roughly 8,000 years for a truly world economy to emerge, the time between the first agricultural village and the start of the first trans-Pacific route from Acapulco to Manila (via the famed Spanish Manila galleon). This process required three major technological and social breakthroughs; the unification of Asia and Europe via the horse (made possible by the invention of stirrups, bridles, and saddles), the connection of sub-Saharan Africa with the Mediterranean world via the camel, and the voyages connecting Europe and Asia across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (made possible by the mastery of celestial and compass navigation and by paper and the invention of the printing press and movable type to maintain contact over thousands of miles and to aid in the creation of modern nation states by standardizing language, culture, and national identity).

I can only give a very brief introduction to this book. Though a quick read, it is epic in scope. Later chapters are devoted to how tribal peoples were treated during the age of imperialism, the advent of anthropology (the "study of the exotic by the eccentric"), and the future of tribal peoples today (which ironically may be aided by technology as it has aided widely separated people to maintain touch with one another and facilitated broadcasting and printing in tribal languages).

I enjoyed how the author opened many chapters with personal experiences. They ranged from traveling by camel in the Sahara to drinking chicha (homemade corn beer) in the isolated town of Pocona, Bolivia, to recounting experiences with the Kuna of the San Blas Islands of Panama, the only Native Americans visited by Christopher Columbus that are still alive. A great book.

Every day it seems the world looks a little more broken to me. It helps so much to read a few pages of Wendell Berry. He is a fantastic example of someone who thinks for himself; and really strives to get to the core truth about the important issues we face as a civilization. It should be required reading for everyone in the United States - IF we want to get on a path to restoration and healing of our society. But that's where the scary part comes in. I'm beginning to think people would put this book down and give up on it a few pages in. Even if they did get all the way to the end, not many would be willing to put the ideas into practice in their daily lives.

I picked this selection for my book club, and it was very interesting to watch the responses of the participants. You could sense the tension - watch them wiggling in their chairs. They were so relieved when we were finally done with the book; and not because it was poorly written; just because it requires an examination of how far we've all fallen from what is true. I will continue to encourage people to read this excellent and important book, but it will never be an easy sell...and that's a shame.

This, I think, is a difficult book to review. There are so many diverse themes throughout the book that it is hard to describe what the book is "about", and my reaction to the book was a mixture of excitement, personal conviction, and intellectual challenge. Yet, hopefully I can get something coherent down for you.

The book is a collection of eight essays written by Berry, all of which deal (sometimes loosely) with the degradation of community. "Community" is a term of art for Berry; it is more than merely a group of people living in close proximity to one another who happen, from time to time, to bump into each other at the store. Rather, community is a defined group of people who live together in a particular place, over time, in a way that fosters a strong sense of togetherness. People who have this type of community have experiences together in everyday life, such as work, play, tragedy, and joy. In community of this nature there is a sense of belonging that most Americans today would not be able to relate to.

Berry is not the only intellectual (a label I would guess he'd hate hear applied to himself) to suggest not only that our communities are deteriorating, but that this deterioration adversely effects the quality and essence of our lives. For a more empirical approach to the subject, see especially Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. I think when Berry's book is read in light of Putnam's we see not only a picture of the problem but also a recipe for the remedy.

Berry is a challenging author. He is at times very radical, and he sometimes employs demagoguery to press his point. However, when taken as a whole he approaches his topic from a position of humility and honesty. There is even a sense, after coming to grips with this humility and honesty, that Berry comes to his subject with righteous indignation. He is clearly passionate about small, rural communities like his own, and his passion easily rubs off onto the reader. After reading this book, I feel like I have a heightened sense of compassion for people who are trying to keep their communities alive.

This book is probably not for everyone. I would recommend it to people who already have sympathies for the rural, self-sufficient lifestyle and those especially who have concerns for the quality of our environment (a topic that Berry hits upon numerous times). This is not to say that this book cannot change minds. However, many people who read this book from the point of view of an average modern American will dismiss Berry's ideas as utterly and hopelessly out of date. This is because Berry criticizes the way in which most of us (including himself, he admits) tend to live our lives. It takes a special intellectual state of mind to read such a book, in which you are being criticized, and keep an open mind. I hope that, if this book is for yourself, that you do keep an open mind, and allow Berry to convince you that he is right, and to show you a better way. Happy reading!

This highly stimulating collection of Berry's essays contains some of the most important things Berry has written. The essay "Christianity and the Survival of Creation" is one of the most insightful and important theological statements of our day. It is in everyone's best interest to work to see that the organized churches take Berry's essay to heart. Of course, the book is also notable for the beauty of Berry's writing -- not coincidental, since he argues here and elsewhere for a recovery of the idea of work as sacred and for beauty as a measure of "right livelihood."

If you're a content postmodern, don't read this book. It will leave you unsettled. The title essay from Berry's book is worth the price of the whole book. If you were to read only one book this coming year to guide both your thinking and your behavior (aside from the Bible which undergirds Berry's thinking), this would be a great choice. If the following snippet from the title essay resonates with your spirit, you'll want to pick this one up.

"If you destroy the ideal of the "gentle man" and remove from men all expectations of courtesy and consideration toward women and children, you have prepared the way for an epidemic of rape and abuse. If you depreciate the sanctity and solemnity of marriage, not just as a bond between two people, but as a bond between those two people and their forebears, their children, and their neighbors, then you have prepared the way for an epidemic of divorce, child neglect, community ruin, and loneliness. If you destroy the economies of household and community, then you destroy the bonds of mutual usefulness and practical dependence without which the other bonds will not hold."

Why is it that we have our best thinkers like Berry running old family farms, and our worst thinkers running our national government? Sigh.

...thinkers I was exposed to in high school while researching for an essay report. His well-balanced thoughts on various agrarian and community-based themes are the most eloquent I have found from a single writer. His words and rationales spring from the land and argue pursuasively for more restraint for the betterment of the world by the human animal. The most compelling living philospher I know of is Wendell Berry. I recommend all of his written works.

This is an astonishing book, one that defies easy categorization or even any categorization at all. It is by turns
thought-provoking, horrifying, and inspiring, and the buyer will never regret the money spent on it. This book will stay with the reader for a long time to come.

I haven't read the book yet, but the cover image is amazing!

I read this book a couple of years and found it amazing!
It's heartbreaking, bloodchilling, and inspiring, all in one
book. These are stories that often remain untold and hidden in our culture, yet they are a distinct and vital part of
our national experience. I read the first edition, by the way,
and I now plan to buy the second, updated edition, which I
anticipate will deal with the World Trade Center attacks, the
Pentagon attack, and the Shencksville, PA, air crash. If you
buy one book this year, buy this one!

Excellent overview of why we choose to designate tragic events in some cases, and hush-up others shamefully. Poignant, original...no other book so comprehensively covers the geography of painful memorials. An interesting sequel could be written regarding domestic terrorism, not just in America, but regarding other countries' place-memorials of such events.

If you arrange your library by category you may have trouble with this book. History? True Crime? Cultural Geography? Anthropology? Sociology? American Studies?

The book covers the sites of disaster, assassination, murder and accident all across America, including nearly every site and shrine in Texas. We review it not just for it's interesting content, but its coverage of a most unusual type of geography. It's a thought-provoking book at how, why and in what manner we deal with the sites of violence (and tragedy).

The individual stories of the incidents are told completely, but without distracting from the book's theme.

It's a unique book and should remain so for some time. Foote's thoroughness guarantees that.