Cultural Books

I had just finished reading this book when I learned Rosa Parks had died, and I couldn't help thinking that, much like Rosa, Lincoln Perry also paved the way for African-Americans, only sadly, his life wasn't as honored.

This is truly a wonderful book. I read it, and am just now purchasing a copy for my son because I think he should read it too. When Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won their Oscars, they owed a nod to Lincoln Perry. This book gives you a whole new perspective on race in Hollywood. V. Bane (Littleton, CO)

This is a well-written book about a fascinating subject. Even if you've never heard of Stepin Fetchit -- or especially if you haven't heard of him -- you'll be glued to this one.

As a casual, curious reader, I found Champ Clark's selective recounting of Steppin Fetchit's life crisp, graceful and entertaining. Rather than bury the reader in a mountain of biographical facts, Clark presents only the key salient facts, plus many until-now unreported, unpublished stories and remembrances of many people still alive who knew the entertainer. In this sense the book is unique and quite moving emotionally.
-Ron Arias
Hermosa Beach, CA

With this first rate piece of journalism and cultural history, Champ Clark has done a great service not just to cinemaphiles but to anyone curious about the dark paths we have traveled as a country. While Clark makes fine use of primary and secondary sources, what makes this book unique and truly invaluable are the extensive and exclusive interviews with the men and woman who knew Stepin Fetchit, some of whom passed since being interviewed by Clark. As the story unfurls, it becomes clear that the Stepin Fetchit story is indeed the tragedy of the title, but not simply in the way that we all know. Like so many who have come before since him, Fetchit was a victim of first fame, and his swelled head and inflated sense of self kept him from, among other things, starring in a series of Hal Roach shorts that would have undoubtedly propelled him to the first ranks of early cinema clowns. Instead, he became one of the saddest and most lasting symbols of Jim Crow America. The only thing missing here are more extensive citations so we could know what came from where and learn the full extent of Clark's interviews. Still, this is the one essential book needed for anyone who cares about Fetchit's story in specific and the history of African-Americans in pop culture in general.

This book was an eye-opener in many ways. It makes it possible to see beyond Stepin Fetchit's lazy slow-moving character to the talented black man who found a way to experience success in white men's movies. Here was a man who played the fool, while positioning himself center stage. Clark brings this man to life through synthesizing first-hand interviews with family and friends along with media and other accounts to give a well-rounded picture of the successes and the pain. More than that, it explores the relationship of the artist to his audience, the challenge of succeeding in a world where someone else makes all the rules, and the bigoted world as Stepin Fetchit experienced it. Plan to be enthralled by the story of the man and the richness of the descriptions of the settings and the people of the time.

Ajrak is a traditional shawl used by both Sindhi men and women.Making of Ajrak is a very long and tedious process. This book provides information about Ajrak and how it gets its final shape.This is perhaps the only book of its kind.

San Francisco, CA , August 12, 1997 This book is a marvellously illustrated history of Pakistani texitle printing from the area of Sindh. Anyone interested in textile design, printing or dyeing or art history of South Asia will be fascinated by this book. The Ajrak printed textiles have been found in the tombs of Egypt but are still being printed today in Pakistan. The use of indigo and alizarine is outlined as well as the development of the designs

I just received a much anticipated copy of the second edition of "Sindh Jo Ajrak". This is one of the few books I have seen in a long time, that I didn't even have to open to be overcome with sheer joy.

The book has a cloth binding, with a 3"x4" piece of the famed Sindhi Ajrak very tastefully framed into the the cover itself. When I did get myself to open the book, I found page after page of absolutely beautiful color pictures detailing the ancient tradition of Ajrak making, showing artisans hard at work, and putting it all in the context of the Sindhi landscape. The book is appropriately dedicated to "all the anonymous artisans of Sindh, who over the centuries have contributed to the creation and perpetuation of a rich and sensitive art-form -- the making of an Ajrak."

The significance of the Ajrak to the Sindhi society and culture is described very nicely in the introduction:

"The continuity of Ajrak production and use over the centuries is maintained only because it is an integral part of Sindhi culture. Its usage is evident at all levels of society, and the cloth is held in high esteem, with the utmost respect given to it. I trust the world will give protection to preserve this incredible process and this precious ancient craft tradition."

Readers may also want to look for a film on the Ajrak apparently produced by the author, that was shown at the South Asian Film Festival in Nepal last October. The film is titled: "Sun, Fire, River: `Ajrak' - Cloth from the Soil of Sindh".

San Francisco, CA , August 12, 1997 This book is a marvellously illustrated history of Pakistani texitle printing from the area of Sindh. Anyone interested in textile design, printing or dyeing or art history of South Asia will be fascinated by this book. The Ajrak printed textiles have been found in the tombs of Egypt but are still being printed today in Pakistan. The use of indigo and alizarine is outlined as well as the development of the designs

I just received a much anticipated copy of the second edition of "Sindh Jo Ajrak". This is one of the few books I have seen in a long time, that I didn't even have to open to be overcome with sheer joy.

The book has a cloth binding, with a 3"x4" piece of the famed Sindhi Ajrak very tastefully framed into the the cover itself. When I did get myself to open the book, I found page after page of absolutely beautiful color pictures detailing the ancient tradition of Ajrak making, showing artisans hard at work, and putting it all in the context of the Sindhi landscape. The book is appropriately dedicated to "all the anonymous artisans of Sindh, who over the centuries have contributed to the creation and perpetuation of a rich and sensitive art-form -- the making of an Ajrak."

The significance of the Ajrak to the Sindhi society and culture is described very nicely in the introduction:

"The continuity of Ajrak production and use over the centuries is maintained only because it is an integral part of Sindhi culture. Its usage is evident at all levels of society, and the cloth is held in high esteem, with the utmost respect given to it. I trust the world will give protection to preserve this incredible process and this precious ancient craft tradition."

Readers may also want to look for a film on the Ajrak apparently produced by the author, that was shown at the South Asian Film Festival in Nepal last October. The film is titled: "Sun, Fire, River: `Ajrak' - Cloth from the Soil of Sindh".

I enjoyed this well-written, informative book. The author placed medicine shows in the context of American society and culture. Who knew that medicine, advertising and show business were so intertwined? A fascinating, fun read. I highly recommend this lively book. Ms. Anderson has a wonderful way of relating a subject that did not, at first, sound like one that could hold me for a whole book. It left me wanting to know even more. A terrific and entertainingly researched tome!

Ann Anderson has done her homework. Finding information about early medicine shows is about as easy as finding a fossilized T-Rex's tooth. Anderson has done a superb job with this work and I recommend it very highly to anyone interested in the "beginning entertainment" of the United States.

Arkansas Red-Ozark Troubadour
Eureka Springs, Arkansas

A thoroughly entertaining and informative book with a subject matter I never thought would interest me. Having an advertising background, I was intrigued and facinated by the history of the medicine show and the impact it has had on our culture from a media standpoint. Well written, incredibly reasearched, and fun to read. Read it!

August 6, 2000

Book Review - SNAKE OIL...GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YA!

Ann Anderson SNAKE OIL, HUSTLERS AND HAMBONES The American Medicine Show

McFarland & Company,Inc., Publishers

As an avid reader with very eclectic tastes, I found Ann Anderson's SNAKE OIL, HUSTLERS AND HAMBONES to be highly satisfying to my literary pallet. I am an actor who has made a living over the years doing T.V. commercials. It has long been of interest to me to know just how this crazy way of marketing came to be. However, any person that has ever watched a T.V. commercial, an info-mercial or read an advertisement in a magazine or newspaper, and wondered why ads are everywhere, will get a kick out of this book. This wonderful, funny, deliciously informative book is simply chock full of "Oh, I didn't know that!" and "So that's how that got started!" moments. She has also thought to delight our eye by including many authentic labels, illustrations and flyers from the periods she discusses. She has managed to be fastidiously scholarly in her research with out being at all dry or dull. Ms. Anderson's writing style is so accessible and real, it makes one feel you're having a cup of coffee and sitting down for a long lively chat with a very interesting friend. It's full of factual information both serious and humorous. It runs the gamut of historically profound and fancifully trivial information. She provides for us the "missing link", as it were, of how we got from there to here. SNAKE OIL, HUSTLERS AND HAMBONES is a darned good read. I'm looking forward to her next book.

This terrific book is as fun as it is informative. Anderson's exhaustive research is evident on every page, and her writing style is perfect: spare enough to let the color of the topic shine through, but never dry. As she relates the history of the medicine show, she shows how modern medicine, advertising and entertainment evolved together; her skill at illuminating these linkages gives the book even more weight and depth. It's an outstanding work of scholarship...and a damned good read!

A collection of essays wrote by african american and biracal young adults. The essays are about struggles the writers have been through while growing up, and on college campues. I throught all the essays were good.

A collection of essays wrote by african american and biracal young adults. The essays are about struggles the writers have been through while growing up, and on college campues. I throught all the essays were good.

A collection of essays wrote by african american and biracal young adults. The essays are about struggles the writers have been through while growing up, and on college campues. I throught all the essays were good.

This book is a very well-done sociological study of African American/bi-racial college students and the telling of their stories to get to this point in their lives. The stories are diverse yet similar. Bright, misunderstood, sticking out like sore thumbs because they were of color and intelligent. That is not the way it is supposed to be. Why is it African Americans are ridiculed for being smart. I read Kunjufu's book some years ago when my daughter was in middle school, Black Peer Pressure: To be Popular or Smart. Why must you choose. I am trying to remember my childhood experiences. I cannot remember being ridiculed for doing well in school. It seemed that was the norm for my group and the kids seem to have more respect for one another. I know this is unusual. I think about my brother who is now a well-known cardiologist in the Bay Area and when I look back on it, he must have felt isolated because he was one of those super-smart, gifted students. From the first story of Prince which was heart-wrenching. He was truly a testament to the poverty and hardship. He proved he could succeed against the oods. So, it is with Malik who had a drug-addicted mother. These young men's stories is in contrast to some of the more affluent of the group. Maria, Rob, and Steve had all of the amenities to have a good head start, well-eduacated, financially secure, and good neighborhoods. However I must say, I was disappointed that these students felt they had little in common with other black students because of their status. And it seemed their attitudes were reinforced by their parents attitudes who seemed to feel if it's white, its right. I am trying to reconcile these parents with the generation that had to strive for basic civil rights in housing and education. Where was the pride in being black. Why were they not going to black churches and putting their children in contact with other young black people with groups such as Jack and Jill or church youth groups? I always thought it was the generation these students that lost the black pride, not their parents who I guess are in their forties, fifties, and sixties. Claudio and Alessandro had to do with the problem of being both black and Latino and all the trials associated with being of a double culture. So often in Latin cultures, children are told they are Latino and then they get out into the world where no one will let them forget they are black. That can be a rude awakening when culture and color clash. The bi-racial students angst of being between two world, not knowing where they belong. This story was also very well told in "Black, White,Other" by Lise Funderburg. Christina and Susanna's black fathers evidently had problems with their black identities. It seems in these and many bi-racial families they do no discuss race, as if not talking about it, it won't be a problem. But as they find out, these issues need to be discussed. Sure these kind of parents say they just want their children to grow up to be good, healthy individuals, regardless of race. Not in America where race and race matters are so pervasive. The editors forewords before each chapter, Janie Victoria Ward and Tracy L. Robinson among them were provacative, intelligent studies. I would highly recommend this book to high school and college student of African descent as well as their parents and students of black sociology. Very well done.

Souls Looking Back is a thought-provoking, engaging and critical work that solidifies the validity of personal narrative as form of interpretive research with a focus on critical race theory. Anyone who may posses any questions regarding the power of such representation should read, ingest and reflect upon the stories of the young people presented in this book. The editors splendedly synthesized these educational and personal memoirs within the context of personal identity, critical race, critical feminist and critical race feminist perspectives. I would strongly recommend this book for all those with sincere interests in anthropology, sociology, psychology, African-American/African-Carribean/Afro-British studies, and education. This book truly exemplifies the multiplicity of lives our young people of color experience.

An unusual but delightful collection about Ms. Hurston. Listen to her sing and talk. The book is beautiful. Her works are wonderful for everyone--not only women.

This is really great addition to my library. I have several of Zora's books. The pictues ,copies of handwritten notes are great. I really feel more connected to Zora with this edition. Great as a gift!

In 2003, fans and scholars of Zora Neale Hurston's work were given the invaluable opportunity to rediscover this writer's life and authorial genius through a much-awaited collection of her letters. This year, that same audience is treated to another book of admittedly different purpose and scope. Comprising only 39 pages of text, Lucy Anne Hurston's SPEAK, SO YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN offers a concise and compassionate portrait of Zora Neale Hurston as a gifted writer, a dedicated anthropologist, an impetuous lover, a reticent maid and, perhaps most of all, a fierce and uncompromising individual. Therefore, this book provides the novice with a clear and accessible digest of Hurston that will then, ideally, enable one to conduct further, more in-depth investigation.

But what really distinguishes SPEAK, SO YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN from a run-of-the-mill digest are its many valuable reproductions of photographs, contemporary reviews, and handwritten manuscripts. All of these cherished documents are either laid out clearly on every over-sized page, or are folded carefully into a sewn envelope attached to the page. Whether one examines a duplication of the author's handwritten chapter "Love" from DUST TRACKS ON A ROAD, or studies the hand-penned poem of the same title, or thrills to see "John Redding Goes to Sea" as it looked in the May 1921 issue of The Stylus magazine, SPEAK, SO YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN provides all readers of all levels with a fascinating glimpse of the material evidence of a by-gone era.

If, as an armchair historian of Hurston's life and work, I discovered little in the text that I didn't already know and occasionally (as in the case of Zora's artist-patron relationship with Charlotte Osgood Mason), noted a need for development, I was nonetheless graced with so many precious artifacts from the Hurston estate. There is even a CD attached to the inside cover where one can hear the author being interviewed, reading from various excerpts of her work and performing her legendary "crow dance."

In its dimensions and design, then, Lucy Hurston's literary biography of her Aunt Zora is as much a scrapbook/photo album as it is a sympathetic summary of one of America's most cherished writers.

--- Reviewed by Tony Leuzzi, Monroe Community College

This is sheer magic. Just magic. For teachers of Hurston, it's a fantastic opportunity to hook students further into the life and times of Hurston and the fascinating (albeit simulated) feel of working with primary documents.

Lucy Anne Hurston, the neice of Zora Neale Hurston, in a collaborative effort with the Estate of the great writer, has produced a beautiful tribute to her aunt and also a collector's item for fans of Zora Neale Hurston. Not only does it include biographical sketches of the famous author, but also live interviews, as well as a CD of folk songs sung by Hurston.

The pages of this book are rich in heritage, painting a kaleidoscope of her life. Touching on her childhood, her days attending Howard University, and of course her writing, the reader is able to see that even though Zora Neale Hurston wrote about memorable characters, she too could have been one of the characters she wrote about. Because of the replications of original letters, maps, photos and writings, the reader is given a more detailed account of her life, told by someone who knew and loved her. Each of these are in pull-out sleeves and envelopes, easily removed from the book to allow closer inspection upon, or displayed vividly on the full color and black and white pages of the book.

SPEAK, SO YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN is a fascinating keepsake of a writer who means so much to not only the Harlem Renaissance and to African-American readers and writers, but also to literature as we know it. Through this collection, readers are offered an intimate portrait of a literary legend.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

OK, first and foremost, this is not a language learning book. What it is is a "learning aid" book that motivates your interest and curiosity of the structure and origins of the Chinese written language. What do I mean? If you are learning Chinese, it describes many relationships between characters that enhance your ability to remember them, as well as recognize insights to meanings of characters you do not even know. In some ways it is a narrative version of another excellent book, the more dictionary-like "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Guide to the Chinese Writing System" by William McNaughton and Li Ying. Both excellently address the origins and relationships between characters, but with very different styles.

Chang and Chang colorfully, interestingly, and amusingly describes contrasts, contradictions, and anomalies in character formation. It is a charming book that I would highly recommend to the language student.

Even if you are not learning the language, the book still offers interesting discussions about characters. Western languages, and many others, are truly different from the "phonetic" languages so many of us know. Chinese construction is old, yet novel, so meaning-rich, that it presents an interesting discussion and perspective. And the writing itself remains unchanged over a much longer period than western languages.

Read a few of its pages and see if you don't agree.

The subtitle sounds daunting, doesn't it? But this clever little book is so well written, in a friendly, colloquial voice, that you'll turn the pages as quickly as you might while reading a frothy novel. At the same time, the book is jammed with information--about the basics of the Chinese language and how it has managed to survive without an alphabet; about various dynasties; about Chinese folklore and everyday life. If you're thinking of visiting China, if you're interested in languages, or if you've adopted a child from China, this book is a wonderful introduction to a land and culture that we Westerners tend to dismiss.

Excellent! This little book is packed with information and is easy to read and follow. Topics covered: The written and spoken language, its historical roots, household communication, the future of the language and the impact of technology. I have perused other Chinese language books, but this one is by far the best I've seen.

This book is great for learning about Chinese language construction and writing. And its relationship to Chinese culture and history. But not for learning specifiaclly how to speak or write Chinese.

With that said, this is a very entertaing book and hard to put down.
Among the subjects it covers are:

* Langage construction. For exaample how questions are asked
in Chinese. And general sentence structure.

* How pictographs came about and how archologists traced their
orgins.

* How Chinese pictographs are taught to children in China.
(They have to memorize them--each one.)

* Chinese tongue twisters.

* How Chinese writing styles differ from the spoken word,
classical and contemporary. How this related to testing
for government officials, and how the Communist revolution
changed this.

* How Chinese language construction differs from English
language.

And much more.



I have been working at teaching myself Chinese, and it is so different that there is a lot of the concepts that I was not able to grasp until reading this book.

If you are going to study Chinese, I would highly recommend reading this book first.

If you are interested in Chinese culture, I highly recommend reading this book. Culture and language are intimately tied togeather.

I write as a newbie to China and its ancient language, who used this book as orientation and as a break from the rote work that learning Chinese demands.

The book is a well-written overview of the written and spoken languages which provides a "top-down" overview of the terrain that language learning neglects for drill in basic conversation. In particular, "business" Chinese can be easily a form of Klingon, an oversimplified language informed only by current concerns, which may create the very misunderstandings it pretends to avoid.

But as a Western educator I disagree with an implication in the chapter "Old Wisdom, New Technology", and this is that because "technology" is "Western", Chinese students are better off learning Pinyin and computers than writing the characters...or, perhaps, that we must accept this naturalized development.

The continued survival of the abacus and the fact that it's faster than electronic calculators in the hands of a skilled operator should teach us not to reify Western Technology, that is, to treat it as a natural force like global warming to which we must necessarily, perhaps with a sigh of ai-ya, demur.

Understood as an extension of culture, the Chinese up to about 1750 had MORE technology in the sense of practical solutions to problems of daily life than did Europeans.

The "complexity" of Chinese characters is not an absolute. It is relative to the origins of the Western encoding of "all" characters in 256 bits, the "ASCII" code, which in the early 1960s simply ignored the fact that most people use a richer "character set".

Complementary to the complexity of Chinese characters is the fact that their mastery imparts information handling skills at an early age and results in the self-discipline which has made Chinese software developers, for years, highly successful at creating "Western" solutions.

In general any claim that a system of writing is "too complex" needs to be classified with Plato's original charge against writing, that it was marginal and unnecessary to the conduct of affairs, and, as Derrida has shown, this charge is bad faith since it can only be made in writing, in traditional Chinese terms, by a vermilion decree swaying all under heaven.

As a professional photographer, I can honestly say that this is a wonderful book! It is full of fantastic photos of a culture that is struggling to survive. I highly recommend it!

This book is beautifully shot by a truly skilled photographer -- a must have for anyone with an interest in photography or of the people of Tibet.

San Francisco Sunday Examiner and ChronicleBy Linda Watanabee McFerrinFreelance photojournalist Alison Wright's vivid portrait of Tibetan life in exile will kindle the warmth in any heart. In her vibrant visual sojourn with the Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, India,she reveals lives rich in reflection and celebration, and creates a doorway into a culturethat survives in spite of travail. Nuns, monks, musicians, yak herders, children, the survivors of political prisons and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, animate the pages. Her compositions are stunning, the color and light with which she adeptly enflames her subjects exuding both strength and intimacy. A short forward by the photographer underscores the spirit of the composition, but truly this is a book that needs few words. Wright, whose work appears frequently in the Examiner, is most articulate in her photography; and that is worth countless lines of text. "Good intent very important. Most important in all that you do. Never forget, " the Dalai Lama advises her in a garden encounter in Dharamsala. In her work, Wright makes it clear that the message is, indeed, unforgettable.

As a photographer and teacher of the photo arts it is easy to realize the quality of capturing the humanity of the people in this beautiful book. Alison Wright has done an excellent job. Place this in you home so that the tragedy that has been inflicted on the Tibetan people by the brutal and ruthless government of China is not forgotten.

Additional reads on the subject should include Tears of Blood / A Cry For Tibet by Mary Craig and for those who like their history in the style of Hollywood check out Kun Dun by Martin Scorcese, 7 years in Tibet, and Little Budda.

This book will move you to write your elected officials and ask them to support policies that will get China out of Tibet. You may also want to visit the official website for the Government of Tibet in Exile.

Ever since I read Heinrich Harrer's "Seven Years in Tibet" six years, then the later "Return to Tibet" by the same author, I was hooked to Tibet, the Tibetan people, the Tibetan land, the Tibetan mountains, the Tibetan monasteries, everything Tibetan. I have cultivated an unspeakable tie to this unique land and its people. I began screening movies such as Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet. I have imagined and pictured Tibet according to Harrer's lively and mindful description during his residence in Lhasa. "The Spirit of Tibet" graciously allows me, for the very first time, to see Tibet unveiling its mysterious yet solemn beauty. A few other readers have complimented on the artistics and aesthetics of this collection. The collection really touches me because it communicates an unfailing passion. After the Chinese invasion in 1950, it is the Tibetan spirit and passion that sustain and unite the country and its people. When you look through the pictures, try to look into the Tibetans' eyes. Behind these eyes you will free yourself from the ordinary and see their life struggles, one and one, rooted deep in their mind and soul.

This tome covers corn "ear" to toe. I love the sassy tone and contrarian viewpoints.

I must admit, I am actually a beet person (well, root vegetables generally) and bought this book to get ammo to goof on my corn enthusiast friends. But how the worm has turned! Corn and human history are inextricably linked, a bonding of nurture and social evolution. This book lays down the facts.

I guess in retrospect my "hubris" about beets was misguided and wrong. I now think the lesson I learned, whether it pertains to vegetables, politics, music or whatever, is that YOU SHOULD NEVER UNDERESTIMATE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. It's too easy to do, and is an easy way to miss out on fundamental truths.

In that sense, this book transcends it's core audience of corn folk (cornies?) and teaches a much deeper lesson if you are not really interested in corn - that well disciplined research into unfamiliar topics can instruct and delight the receptive reader.

Read it, enjoy and reflect.

Food historian Betty Fussell's survey of corn history blends folklore, anthropology, botany and social and art history to provide a lively blend of anecdotes and facts about world corn, from its influence on war and ritual uses in the Inca and Aztec worlds to its use as a key ingredient in different cultures' cuisines. The Story Of Corn isn't a cookbook; it's a specialized food history which will appeal across many different lines, from students of anthropology and sociology to culinary enthusiasts and history buffs.

Everything you want to know about corn is found in this book. And I mean everything. We see corn growing in fields everyday but do we actually stop and think about it? Do we pull over to the side of the road and LOOK at it? It's amazing how corn has been around longer than anyone will know. This book covers an overwhelming amount of detail. If you don't find it interesting you're just not a corn person. In fact, the only thing it doesn't answer is why I threw up over a bad cob one time. I don't throw up.

I love corn. Whether it's cobbed, creamed, breaded, or popped. This book is non-stop corn!

Written by Robert W. Drago (Professor of Labor Studies and Women's Studies, Penn State University), Striking a Balance: Work, Family, Life is not a self-help book for the individual, but rather a scholarly examination of the modern societal problems of the care gap (too many children, elderly, and disabled, particularly among the poor, are not getting the care they need), the gender gap (women are forced to choose between success in their careers and providing adequate care to their children, or any other form of care work for low or no pay) and the income gap (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer). At the heart of these problems is not just cold hard economics, but also societal norms - the "motherhood norm" that insists women should provide care for little or no pay; the "ideal worker norm" that conditions employers to expect their workers to put in long hours up to an inhuman level; and the "individualism norm", a society-infused belief that the government should not help those needing care. Striking a Balance prescribes society-wide remedies to these growing problems: paid family leave, early childhood education and child care financing, guaranteed health insurance, and a minimum wage increase indexed to inflation, and the simple importance of allowing men and women from all walks of life to have their voices heard. Extensively researched, Striking a Balance: Work Family Life is a persuasive academic treatise about the need for social change, and highly recommended for reading for not only college library shelves, but also anyone looking for a better understanding of why the government needs to pay more attention to minimum wage, health care, and paid family leave issues.

This excellent analysis of the current state of working and trying to live at the same time in America is a great wakeup call from the overwork hypnosis reining for too long. Unlike in other advanced nations, we've never had a real national conversation about the impacts of large numbers of caregivers in the workplace and skyrocketing workweeks. Drago makes those repercussions of work without end very clear, in imploding families, skyrocketing health costs and absentee lives. Armed with a trove of research, he shows us not only the downside, but also a way out, when we can see the unconscious norms that skew our value system and sanity--the ideal worker norm, the motherhood norm, and the individualism norm. This much-needed book should should be required reading for every exec, congressperson, and presidential-candidate policy guru in the land.

This is one of the best sociological books I've read in years--which is saying quite a bit, since the author is an economist! Bob Drago's latest book is both scholarly and eminently readable. He pulls together the best analysis of the challenges confronting women, families, and workers--which pretty much includes all of us, now doesn't it?--with the most enlightened thinking about what we need to do to change the structures that produce those challenges. The book is written in very clear prose and presents a persuasive argument that gets right to the point. I think just about any reader concerned with social problems (the working poor, strains on families, gender inequalities) will find plenty of cause for optimism here. And readers who just want to make sense of why life is so hectic for themselves, their co-workers, family members, and neighbors will come away from this book with a clearer understanding and ideas for action. I highly recommend this book.

Bob Drago has long been recognized as a leader in the work-life balance world through his work with Take Care Net and on the Work and Family Bill of Rights. After decades in the wilderness, many of us have reached a shared vision of what does and doesn't help us to lead balanced lives. Drago captures this new consensus, explains why it has taken so long for us to reach this point, and provides a blueprint for change. Anyone stressed about their own lives, and what to do about it, should read this interesting, insightful, wise, and humorous work, and then join with Drago and others to change things.

This book is for anyone who feels that life is complicated and getting more so all the time. In clear language Drago gives data to show that Americans are working more and defines 3 important gaps Americans face: a care gap, a gender gap, and an income gap. These are interrelated, of course, as Drago makes clear. And he contributes to our understanding of the gender gap by expanding it to include the gap between women who are involved in actual care work (whether paid or not) and those successful in professional jobs and hence not directly involved in care. He anchors his discussion in three norms, all of which contribute to these gaps: motherhood, ideal worker, and individualism, and supports his discussion with both data and stories. A particularly interesting formulation is his definition of balance, by which he means involvement in all three of paid work, unpaid work, and leisure. He describes the kind of social infrastructure necessary to support such balance for all people in our society and ends with a work and family bill of rights. A great discussion of the challenges we all face.

Couldn't put this book down. Delgado tells a touching and troubling story: I was touched by how openly he spoke about his fears and feelings. I was troubled by the reality in Iraq that he revealed. Delgado was relatively fair and honest in portraying his superiors and peers and situation in the Army--it is not easy to talk about such an important moment in your life with objectivity. It shows a great amount of maturity in such a young author.

If you are for or against the war, Buddhist or not---this is a book about the moments in your life that change who you are forever. Delgado's was a beautiful and painful transformation from a confused, naive college student to a Buddhist, veteran and activist.

Everyone should read this book.

I found Aidan Delgado's willingness to share both his evolving convictions as well as his weakness and doubts throughout the Iraq experience to be deeply touching. His transparent honesty is unexpected and moving. This sifting, without pretense, of the humanity out of the horror of Abu Ghraib gives us all a glimpse of our own potential...either way.

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib is a vivid description of a soldier's life in Iraq, and also of the life that led him to war and brought him back as a conscientious objector. An American Buddhist serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, Delgado stuck out among his fellow soldiers as well as among Iraqis, and his book highlights the difficulty of a lonely, disassociated soldier trying to disentangle himself from what became for him an intolerably immoral war. Even if often ridiculed for his Buddhist principles, made to feel embarrassed about his application for conscientious objector, and even called a "terrorist sympathizer", Delgado describes how some soldiers - even the ones he least expected - were honestly understanding and even sympathetic, and this was the real love and brotherhood he found in the Army. Ranging from hilarious accounts of the absurdities of life to gloomy and disheartening stories of the real face of war, The Sutras of Abu Ghraib flies the reader from sandy deserts in southern Iraq, to sunny beaches in Florida, back through the dark bowels of Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, and into the heart and soul of a naïve soldier turned peace activist. A must read for anyone interested in the realities of the war in Iraq and in the hopeful possibility for personal growth and triumph in face of the worst challenges of life.

This well-written book will hold your attention from beginning to end. A true story that reads like a novel with a range of "characters" that you care about - or strongly dislike. Mr. Delgado helps one to understand the situations and attitudes that make the abuse that took place at Abu Gharib (and other places) possible. He can feel proud that he took a stand to live up to his principles.

Aidan Delgado's book is not about THE war - my brother's book is about his war.

Filled with some great moments, many comic and dreadful at the same time, Aidan's book shines brightest when he shows us his war, internal and external, through his eyes and then again through his hindsight.

To some, his insights and reflections may initially come off as precocious if not awkward, but as you come to know the writer, come to see him as he no doubt sees himself, you find the juxtaposition appropriate. A young man too smart and too wise for the insanity of the situation and too self-conscious and self-aware to lose himself to THE WAR. In the tradition of books like "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" a reader growths along side the writer until, at the books conclusion, you feel the mixed relief and emptiness of "what next."

Even in the writing of the book, Aidan seems to recognize this inherent clash between his youth, his paygrade, his growing wisdom and thoughtfulness and the over-wrought social context into which his words fall. Normally, books like this are penned by seasoned men, graying at the temples and we are ready to accept their memories and insights. Despite Aidan's youth, his "voice" is truly captured in his writing.