Cultural Books

I was attracted to Portraits of Our Past in order to expand my knowledge on the true history of the founder of my company, Berlitz. However, half way through the first chapter I had forgotten all about my first motives as I found myself totally absorbed into a world where oppression and second rate citizenship were unable to dampen down the spirituality and ingenuity of German Jews. Portraits of Our Past contains a detailed look at the everyday lives of the writer's own family and friends dating back over the last 3 centuries. A must read for anyone with an interest in history, community, ingenuity, business and spirituality.

This is a moving book! After I turned the first page, I could not put it down until late at night. Beginning with two oil portraits, I journeyed into the past, walked through small Germall villages of centuries ago, and I lived within a rich tapestry of lives and events.

Regardless of personal religion, Christian (this reader), Jew, Muslim or any other faith, this book carries the reader into the common cultural past and heritage of family we all share. The attention to detail is meticulous, but this book is more than a historical dramatization. Reading it is to experience German village life with its wedddings, joys, fears, hopes and excitement. We look forward to a sequel by Ms. Rose which will bring us forward and closer to our own time.

Through first-hand research in the archives of 18th and 19th century Wurttemberg, Germany, Emily Rose has produced an engaging journal of lives of some real Jewish families in the environs of the Black Forest. The lives she traces from the early 1700's in southern Germany to Davenport, Iowa and the near-north-side of Chicago are those of some of her ancestors, a fact that she uses to great advantage by correlating detailed familial knowledge with objective data from government records and publications of the times. The stories are embellished with over 75 unusual illustrations. The 200 year transition of the Jews in the book from despised beggars and peddlers to established merchants and professionals is told in an authoritative voice, supported with statistical data. There are several instances of Jewish leaders gaining a good measure of esteem in the Christian community, despite a generally hostile public. The author describes the formation of Jewish community organizations, sanctioned by the Wurttemberg government, to cope with medieval anti-Semitic feelings extant in the countryside. In this connection, there emerge several accounts of strong disputes between a central Wurttemberg government that seeks to reduce the restrictions on Jews, against various local governments that oppose such relaxation, acting out of anti-Semitism and commercial competitiveness. As the Jews are permitted to progress from peddlers to more acceptable occupations, and as they begin to assimilate into the larger community, one can see the beginnings of Reform Judaism take form in the Wurttemberg countryside. Good biographies and fascinating history.

This is a wonderful, warm, caring book about life and family and problems in the old country and about coming to America to start life anew. The author was inspired to write the book by the two old portraits of ancestors that hung in her childhood home. For five years she researched in the U.S. and Europe about her own ancestors and about the social, political, economic and religious forces that affected them. What she produced is a marvelous book that uses her own ancestors as a sort of everyman to take the reader through the experiences of daily life, social and political struggles, economic disruptions, religious strife, etc. in rural Germany in the 1800s. Anyone with German or German-Jewish ancestry will find this book enlighting, heartwarming, and sobering. The author truly succeeds in the difficult task of making history come alive. Other features of the book include lots of interesting and unusual illustrations, appendices on traditional Jewish life in the villages, guidelines for famly history researchers, and a lengthy bibliography.

My father was born in 1904 in a house next to the synagogue in a small village in southern Germany. As the only child and a male, he was born "with a silver spoon in his mouth" and enjoyed his status by constantly getting into trouble with his friends and cousins. But not only did he describe his childhood pranks in an idyllic way, he also told tales of a small place where all the inhabitants knew each other and where Jews and Gentiles lived in harmony. Since my father's stories were in such contrast to those memoirs written later I often wondered if his wonderful boyhood was only the product of his immediate world or if life in these remote villages was so much better than the anti-Semitism of the cities. As a librarian and a tenacious researcher I began to look for an answer in the literature but could not find anything written in English about the history and society of rural Jews from non-rabbinical families.Just recently I have found a meticulously researched and detailed look at the lost culture of the Jews in rural southern Germany. Portraits of Our Past: Jews of the German Countryside by Emily Rose (Jewish Publication Society, 2001) describes the socioeconomic, political and historical lives of my grandparents and great grandparents and opens a window to a distinctive way of life not previously documented. This discovery is even more ironic since the author is a descendant of a family that settled in Chicago in 1857.From 1994-1999, the author spent two months each summer in Germany discovering her heritage and the lost world of rural German Jews. She eventually located 2,600 documents in Wurttemberg archives, some with only a line or two of relevant information, some with hundreds of pages. She examined 1,600 books in English and German. Materials had to be laboriously translated from Judeo-German, Hebrew and German, and about 30 people helped to translate the materials.The historical material is complemented by an excellent chapter on traditional Jewish life in the villages and small towns providing interesting information and local details of social and religious life. The final chapter, a "Blueprint for Researchers," is important for all researchers of German families. The author's work took years to accomplish, and knowledge of precise research techniques would have saved her "many hours of frustration."A notes chapter and a bibliography complete the book, which offers more than 75 photographs, maps, drawings, and documents. Many additional families are mentioned, a boon for researchers of the area, particularly when one realizes that 54 Jewish communities and 32 religious elementary schools functioned in 1871 in Wurttemberg. Portraits of Our Past is a unique example of how a simple genealogical research project developed into the social history of a lost community and culture.(Jerusalem Post 10-19-01)As a librarian I recommend Portraits of Our Past as an excellent scholarly resource that is accessible to all readers...

This book on the Portuguese history overseas is not a boring record of past events but a lively account of the intense movement of the Portuguese in the so-called Age of Discoveries, from Madeira to Brazil, to Japan and to Korea. It is a fascinating and well-documented record of the constant flow of people and commodities between Portugal and Africa, Asia and America. The superb illustrations help bring to life this constant flux and reflux. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am very happy to recommend it to anyone interested in Portugal and its people,of today and yesterday.

Well written and researched. From the preface to the last chapter the learner in you will be rejoicing. A great account of one of histories great exploration eras and the impact on the exploring nation and those they came in contact with. Great job.

This is a lively account of the Portuguese sea discoveries in the 15th and 16th century, arriving at new lands and meeting new people, the trade and other exchanges that followed, all presented in a most interesting manner. Movement, colour, adventure make this book engaging reading. I also have Hermano Saraiva' s "Portugal a Companion History", another excellent book. I think they go very well together, one for the overseas history the other for Portugal itself. These are two books that bring history to life.

In terms of scope of work, Russell-Wood's Portuguese Empire -World on the Move is a welcome addition to the "holistic" study of Portuguese overseas enterprise. To be sure, Portuguese scholarship has "caught up" with developments in Western historiography in the last two decades or so; there is also no shortage of area studies. Yet coverage remains uneven and this is especially so where English works on the subject is concerned

In terms of Western historiography, global history remains a nascent field. The diversely and globally located formal and informal enclaves does not mean that the overseas experiences belong to the Portuguese people alone, they were not to be claimed exclusively by Asians, Africans or Brazilians either; but as one scholar remarked -it was a shared memory

Like its more "matured" British counterpart, Portuguese history is increasingly interacting with indigenous and primary sources. Russell-Wood's Portuguese Empire is built on largely secondary sources, as expected; including afew Portuguese primary materials. Mastering the languages and the necessary paleography remains a daunting task for any historian. Eventhough the perspective might be Portuguese, the issues dealt with are global in nature; qualifying it in the category of world history. Russell-Wood also clarified from the beginning that he will not be probing too much into the political-administrative-military aspect but with explore the technologies, geography, demography, economics, ideas and dynamics of ecology (ie flora, fauna and disease)

In terms of perspective, the Portuguese Empire does indeed take on a "new history" approach, looking not only at the business of "the high class" in society (ie administrators and clergy) but also at the individuals and the voiceless

Whether in terms of human experience or traffic of goods, Russell-Wood has woven the international nature of the Portuguese empire well into the book. In an illustration of the former, there was a father and son team who were given appointments from Brazil to Africa to Goa and Macao and even returning briefly to Portugal to participate in the War of Spanish Succession (p 70-1). In the terms of trade, cloves from Ternate were carried to Malacca, to Cochim, then to Lisbon, reloaded there for Morocco and exchanged for wheat which became a further part of the exchange system of the South Atlantic (p 134). Excellent maps and tables were also interspersed in the book to explain the flow and traffic of commodities exchanged between the Portuguese and their hosts or that of the complicated wind system of the Atlantic or Indian Ocean

In some ways, the largely non new primary resource based and reinterpretative nature of the book meant it will still resonates afew outdated ideas. For example, the book continues to portray a planned approach by which the Portuguese were undertaking their overseas enterprise (p 21). Even the historians of the more "successful" British are conceiting that the formation of its First Empire might be more haphazard that what have been previously believed. Granted, the Portuguese venture had seen more of the state/crown intervention in the beginning than the private enterprise approach of the British; logistical and technological challenges of the time forbid a more coordinated effort

The book professed to look at development of the "Portuguese Empire" to the eve of the Napoleonic Wars just on the onset of nineteenth century (beginning of modern era?). Space does not permit it to treat the entire period with justice even on the secondary sources available. On trying to tie the Portuguese world together, the book did a splendid job and certainly complement, as the author humbly acknowledged, Boxer CR's magnificently written Portuguese Seaborne Empire as well as many other research done to date on political and military aspect of this human experience

What an empire, the first truly global empire! The Portuguese impact and acheivements in the world deserve greater recognition and this book will detail them. Before the British, the Dutch and the Spanish the Portuguese had achieved so much. Even today the past can be seen all over the world.

Great read. This book shows deep thought about the role of Jews in America. The author gives new insight to sensitive issues important to all races and religions. It is a welcome addition in my library.

Eric Goldstein's book demonstrates the thoughtfulness and intellectual courage of a deep thinker. This pleasant and readable book is accessible to both lay readers and scholars alike. Kudos to a bright, young talent!

This engaging study should be required reading for anyone interested in the fields of American History, Jewish History, and Race Relations. Eric Goldstein's work is a tour-de-force that belongs on college syllabi and the bookshelves of intellectually curious readers.

This book is a fascinating read. I learned many new things about American Jewish history. Everyone should read this book.

This book deals with a number of different issues sourounding Jewish identity in America at least partly as it realtes to the white majority and the black minority between which they found themselves in New York City and during the civil rights movement.

The most original and inishgtful argument here is that Jews attached themselves to the white melieu and abandoned their 'coloured' identity of belonging to the minorities, such as Blacks, Asians and Hispanics. However this is where the major problem begins. It is not just Jewish identity that became connected to 'white, european western civilization' but rather a process whereby European-white civilization decided to craft the Jews into a white identity in the post-Holocaust period. Under the guise of arguing that Hitlers racial theories were lies there was a drive to create a 'new Jew' whereby Jews had to be assimilated into the white majoirty, thus the Jews became 'white'. But this book doesnt see the two sided process. It also doesnt ask the central question: "is race merely a contrived fake idea, created in the 19th century and perhaps worth abandoning?" The author assumes that whites see themselves as seperate from the 'others' but this is a ludicrous idea that only exists among the leftist-white upper classes who see everything in AMerica based on varying degrees of skin color. Logical people realize ethnicity and race are mostly self identity frauds.

Seth J. Frantzman

Ray Wikstrom writes from his heart. He has the courage to write out against, what seems wrong and immoral to him. What most of us conform to, without even questioning why? Purpose! The Forgotten Principle examines everything from parenting to the military in a logical and objective way that will amke every American rethink their position on several topics. Though I didn't agree with Capt. Wikstrom on everything, he made me think critically about my positions. I truely recommend this book, for everyone, conservative and liberal, it doesn't matter, this book will make you question how America has declined so far without us knowing it!

Ray puts what most people believe in print. If you think the vocal minority have it wrong and family values have declined this is the book for you. Easy to read and stressing back to basics... PURPOSE! is right on.

Ray Wikstrom puts it on paper what most of us feel! The heads of all branches of government should read it. When I read Ray's book I thought of mayself. He is preaching to the choir! Only the choir isn't singing! Ray is the one singing. The silent majority in America are thinking as Ray is but we are too quiet about our displeasure with todays leaders and with lack of responsibility and the eroding of family and citizen values. "Purpose" is extremely well written but it is not a cleancut answer to solving our countries' decline in values. Asking the question, as Ray has, what is the purpose of law,rules,discipline, manors,actions, values and conduct ,as though we are effecting lives and attitudes in a positive way and can turn the corner to bring back basic values,We see a meed for change and reform!

In Purpose!: The Forgotten Principle, Raymond Wikstrom sounds an overdue and much needed wake-up call to the necessity of elevating public political and social discourse to a new level of integrity as we proceed through a new century. Wikstrom's entertaining, informative, and challenging essays are declarative demands for moral leadership arises from his many years of experience as a leader of sailors and marines in and out of wartime. Purpose!: The Forgotten Principle takes on the vanities of the Conservative Right as embodied in the NRA, Oliver North, and Newt Gringrich, as well as the intellectual and philosophical failings and posturings of the Liberal Left.

I like the pithy comments.

I took a Sociology of Minorities class in college. This was the required reading and I found it to be incredibly intriguing. This book does a very thorough job presenting the information.

I taught this as an undergraduate sociology course at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and I looked through about 20 textbooks before I found this one. It's the ONLY textbook on race and ethnic relations that doesn't only or primarily focus on the United States. Race happens in other countries! Americans can be so U.S.-centric. One can only really understand one's own country when comparing with others. Especially with race, which is so ingrained in us, it greatly helps to step out of the box and then be able to come back to our society with a more balanced perspective.

Also, Marger's writing is crystal-clear, insightful, organized, and very balanced and knowledgeable. You won't believe the number of textbooks which never adequately and clearly define the basic and complex concepts such as race, ethnicity, prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination. Also, Marger is one of the few authors who talks about the mostly-overlooked concept of the importance of form of contact (e.g., voluntary migration, forced migration, annexation, conquest) in determining the character of ethnic relations.

With most textbooks, students come away with, "Blacks are like this, Whites are like this, Hispanics are like this, Asians are like this," but with no overall understanding of the nature and social forces of ethnic relations. With Marger's book, the reader is able to make broad generalizations that characterize ethnic relations and understand the conditions which produce various outcomes.

I am super-impressed with this book, and I look forward to continuing to use it for years to come.

I don't know much about this book, but I do know that Martin N. Marger is a class act tride and true. Had his class my freshman year at Michigan State University and really got a lot out of it. Great person

I have read this book and must say that Mr. Marger is brilliant. This book is fantastic if you want to learn about all races and ethnicities. I was so attached to this book each day that I read the material, it was very hard to place down, even for a second. I now have a clearer understanding and sincere respect for other races and cultures.

I first read this book my junior year of college when I took a sociology class titled "Racial and Ethnic Relations." I learned so much information from reading this book, and I recommend it to others who either teach college-level courses or who are writing research papers and need a good reference book. As an anthropologist, I am extremely critical of the way my field inadequately handles the scholarly study of racial/ethnic conflict - particularly anthropology's lack of a coherent theoretical framework for analysis of prejudice and discrimination. Fortunately, Marger introduces students to various psychological and social theories and does so without employing heavy, technical jargon. Another great aspect of this book is its cross-cultural examination of racial/ethnic relations in Brazil, Canada, Northern Ireland, and South Africa.

Reading this book as a junior in college fueled my intellectual curiosity to comprehensively examine racial and ethnic relations.

I have read this book and really enjoyed it. I have also read this book to a grade 1 class and they really enjoyed it. I feel that this book is great for all ages. I love the story-line and the fabulous illustrations. This will be a great addition to any collection.

One of the most delightful books I have ever come across!

No other book I have ever seen has illustrations that bring dragons to life like this one. As an artist, I had searched everywhere to find examples of expresive, interesting dragons that had a benevolent and inquisitive nature, and at the same time retained their reptilian appearance. The fact that the drawings are accompanied by such a well written story is a bonus!

I wandered through the kid's section of a book store and stumbled upon this book. It was the beautiful imagery on the cover that first caught my eye. I flipped through to see that these wonderful images are carried throughout as well. I turned back to the beginning and read the tale of Ignis as he tries to find himself and his flame and fell in love with this little dragon. His journey to find his flame is fun to read and fitting for the age this book targets (4-8). Simply put, I found the tale endearing and the artwork captivating to explore. Very enjoyable indeed!

This is my daughter's most-requested book, and it is so enjoyable I truly don't mind reading it five days in a row. I can't say that for any other book we own. The illustrations are beautiful, the text is very inspired, and I like the theme of perseverance. Ignis's personality seems so real, as does the little girl Cara's. With two children, I've bought or borrowed countless children's books, and this goes at the top of my favorites list. I wish Gina Wilson and P.J. Lynch would team up for another story.

"Ignis" is fabulous dragon book. The inspirational story is all the better due to the enchanting, beautifully drawn illustrations on each page. I love reading this book to my 5-year old son as much as he loves to hear it. This is a must read and must have book for all dragon lovers: both young and old. I highly recommend the purchase.

British brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair set out in the 1960s on a marvelous, thought-provoking, ten-year adventure through the 3,000-mile length of the remote Indonesian archipelago. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Alfred Russell Wallace's The Malay Archipelago -and his nineteenth century voyage of scientific exploration and discovery--their unforgettable odyssey set sail out of the Celebes (Sulawesi) for the Spice Islands on a perilous schooner crossing with the seafaring Bugis. Tossed to and fro from home port Makassar to isolated Aru Island-stalked all the way by rotting ship beams and the specter of pirates-they were rewarded with one of the rarest sights on earth-the fluffy white plumage of the elusive Bird of Paradise.
Metaphysical, anthropological, and intellectual in tone-with a healthy dose of dry wit and humor-the Blairs take you along as they confront komodo dragons, chew betel nut in Sumba, witness a traditional Pasola battle, and herald the annual arrival on shore of the sacred nyale sea worms. Full of naive courage and boundless curiosity, they sought out Asmat headhunters/cannibals in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Undaunted, these dream wanderers went eye to eye with the fiery blast furnace of simmering Krakatoa. They commandeered a longboat upriver and trekked through the leech-ridden jungles of Borneo with native guides on an arduous land search for the secretive, traditional Punan hunter-gatherers. Ring of Fire chronicles their cultural encounters on Java as they visited the sultan's court (and sacred "kris" knife) and an acupuncturist who harnessed yin/yang energy to heal the sick with self-generated electric charges. Open-minded and non-judgmental about the diverse religions and customs they encountered, the Blairs became deeply enchanted by trance, and by the shadow screen nether world of the wayang kulit. Their travels took them back to Sulawesi for the funeral of the last king of Tanah Torajah-into a unique architectural-animist pocket where boat-shaped roofs rise out of the cool forest floor representing ancestral sky ships on their descent from heaven to earth.
The thrill-seeking, nomadic Blairs unexpectedly found themselves permanently landlocked and suspended-mind, soul, and body-in the island Shangrila that they discovered in Bali. An artist friend in Pengosekan-a vibrantly creative community of farmers and painters-invited them to build a new house on his land. In true, cooperative Balinese style, the brothers had only to pay for the necessary raw materials (bamboo, coconut wood, and elephant grass) and the religious celebration at the completion of the structure. The people of Pengosekan freely contributed their skilled labor and artistic expertise; this shared investment in and commitment to each other's dwellings works to further bind the village together. Sleeping and learning in their open-air platform obervatory perched high above the sculpted jade rice terraces, the Blair brothers came to call Bali their very own, lifelong island of the gods. They would return time and again-in between sometimes dangerous, always enlightening meetings with natural peoples along the equatorial frontier-to their permanent home base in Bali. It is here that they fell in love with one culture and one island out of the hundreds that they visited. Lawrence and Lorne fully explored their adopted pied à terre-from startling footage of the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, to the cremation of famous 116-year-old Balinese artist Lempoad, to the opulent funeral procession of the last rajah of Gianyar. (When Lorne died on his beloved Bali in 1996, he was cremated and his remains returned to the sea in accordance with Bali-Hindu religious rites.) Their amazing adventures (available in book or video format) are the stuff of storybook legends-from the hidden rainforest peoples of Borneo, to islands where magicians still hold sway, to the sun-speckled spiritual haven of heart-shaped Bali.

Goes beyond your usual "travel tale", it is a marvelous adventure and thought provoking regarding the natural peoples of the earth. The chapter on the Dream Wanderers of Borneo will open doors of perception for an alternative world view. The author writes with clarity and quite a lot of humor. The entire book is very personal in its tone and gives the feeling of actually having shared the experience of the amazing journey.

This book and the companion videos are near and dear to my heart. It kept my dreams of returning to Indonesia alive through a long a crippling illness. Lawrence and Lorne Blair were the adventurers I wanted to be. Openminded, good humored, and willing to try new things. This book kept me good company through some baaaad times. But there is far more to recommend this book than armchair travel lust. The writing is excellent, photography spectacular, and all in all a great story. I highly recommend it to anyone curious about Indonesia. I did finally get to go back and even explore a little. I'm forever grateful to the Blair brothers for this gift of a book!

An incredibly interesting tale and at times quite deep account of a 10-year joureny through the remotest islands in Indonesia. I wonder if the author is aware of how couragous he and his brother were to go to the places they went and meet such people as cannibals and headhunters and come back to tell the story! Not to mention the more subtle metaphysical comments here and there about the various religions they encountered and all of it presented with a very dry wit.

I was blown away by this book, as much by how spiritually aware it is and how well it was written. Wow! What an adventure!

The Companion is a comprehensive collection of essays on this complex topic. The first part addresses different aspects of Postmodernist thought,creating a complete picture. I found especially useful the last part, a glossary of terms and key figures of the postmodern movement. A fully enjoyable amd instructive read!

Having purchased the massive Routledge Companion to Aesthetics, I was expecting another book of that stature. To my pleasant surprise, this book is a wonderfully smaller introduction to the concept of Postmodernism. The structure of this book, with its history and cultural context forming the first part followed by the relevant people/terms/meanings in the second part is brilliant. I no longer have to sit in class with that glazed look that every student seems to get when trying to absorb 'stuff' that seems to whizz over everyone's head. This book has become my new best friend when I am uni. (the companion to Aesthetics is too heavy to carry-that stays by my bedside!)

This book is of great value to readers struggling to familiarize themselves with the postmodern. The first half of the book provides interesting explorations of how the postmodern is at work in culture. The latter half is of particular value to anyone unfamiliar with the multitude of artists and theorists whose work and thought is significant to the postmodern. The collection of entries in the dictionary serve anyone reading primary postmodern texts well by opening up otherwise opaque allusions.

When I first ordered Stuart Sim's `Routledge Companion to Postmodernism', I was expecting a narrative discourse on postmodernism, most from a philosophical standpoint. What I received was quite different, but quite wonderful, and an indispensable resource as I study theology and philosophy as they relate to postmodern ideas.

The text, edited by Sim, who is a professor of English Studies at the University of Sunderland, has dozens of contributors drawn from the academy and professional ranks. They provide an insight in the broad and varied diversity of postmodernism, which is far from being a monolithic enterprise. There are two main sections to the book - first, a series of 14 essays on sources and developments in modernism, and the second, a critical dictionary of names and terms.

The first section of essays includes essays such as Postmodernism and Philosophy, Postmodernism and Politics, etc. The topics deal with feminism, science and technology, art and architecture, many aspects of popular and current culture (cinema, television, literature, music, lifestyles), as well as the general idea of postmodernity vis-à-vis modernity and traditions of criticism and dissension. Each of the essays is interesting and engaging, brief enough to be read in one sitting, yet thorough enough to be the sort the interested reader will return to again. Postmodernism can be defined in various ways, but Sim gives the definition out of Lyotard as the rejection of `grand narratives' and universal theories -- the sort that science, metaphysics, mathematics, and other such disciplines have tried since the Enlightenment (or even further back) to support and impose. There is a strong antifoundational sense to postmodernism, that often makes it controversial.

One of the really useful aspects of the essays is that the text includes words (names, terms) in boldface when they are included in the general dictionary in the second section. There are brief biographical sketches of key intellectual players in postmodernism (Derrida, Lyotard, Barthes, Baudrillard, Foucault, etc.) as well as creative and artistic types (Pound, Carter, Rushdie, Vonnegut, etc.) contained, as well as figures who, while not postmodern themselves (Kant, etc.) nonetheless provide necessary and significant pieces to the postmodern project.

Rare is the book that will contain references to both Derrida and Heidegger's destruction/deconstruction as well as MTV and the rock band U2. This is truly postmodern! The cross-referencing makes this book a real pleasure to use; both the index and the bibliography make this of real value to scholars as well. The text is difficult at times (given the subject matter, there is no escaping that) but not needlessly so; the careful reader will find value regardless of the lack of previous critical and philosophical training.

I began my interest in postmodernism as a piece of theological investigations arising out of narrative theology. This book goes much further afield than that narrow disciplinary focus, but I am grateful for that, for it opens up a broad vista on the subject, and asks questions that need to be addressed in intellectual pursuits and cultural/creative tasks across the board.

This is the single most essential volume for anyone who wants to familiarize his or herself with the huge field of postmodern theory. Most people realize that postmodern theory is incredibly controversial with opinions ranging from the positive to the negative to some theorists who claim postmodernism doesn't even exist. Some of my professors have gone as far as to claim that the term "postmodern" itself is meaningless, that it cannot be defined. Anyone who reads this book will understand exactly why that is a ridiculous statement: there are plenty of answers available and even if there is a multiplicity of interpretations and understandings, there *are* definite, defensible positions and you'll discover them here.

I must stress that this is excellent as an introduction: of course no one would use this as their only source on postmodern philosophy. The point is, this book introduces you to the influential theorists, their ideas, and their work. Following that, you can go and explore them on your own. The best thing about this book is that it gives you a manageable overview without reducing a rich field of discourse to a few key ideas and people. There are shorter guides to postmodernism, but they're typically the work of a single author from a single perspective. Stuart Sim does a great job compiling articles and dictionary entries here.

The articles are largely descriptive so you don't need to worry about hidden agendas and biased information. The writing style is conducive to understanding and communication. Concepts learned here will help you tackle the more difficult primary sources later when you're ready for more specific readings.

It's also a great reference. Even after studying postmodern philosophy for a few years, I still return to this book to remind myself of certain facts. I've recommended it to a number of friends who found it very useful as well. This is great for students and for those with a casual interest in continental philosophy, postmodern theory, or our contemporary world. I highly recommend this.

While taking an African American literature course in college I was introduced to this novella written by William Craft. It is a must-read for American and African American history classes. The novella is a quick and easy read, with the capacity for great discussion and in-depth analysis. Humor, suspense, mystery and action is all provided in this wonderful tale of escape and hypocrisey.

Ellen and William Craft were a young (mid-20's) slave couple who made a daring escape to freedom. Light-skinned Ellen cut her hair short and dressed in the suit and tophat of a white planter. Since she was illiterate, her husband William made a sling for her arm, so she had an excuse not to sign hotel registers. And since she had a womanly voice, the couple devised a poultice tied around her jaw indicating she had a bad toothache and could not speak. William played the role of his white massa's slave. And the couple traveled by train, steamship, and wagon to their destination in the north. They soon became popular lecturers in the United States and Europe. This is a remarkable story of daring and bravery and should be read by everyone. Anyone who wants to introduce their children to good historical fiction should get them The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave.

This book is a captivating account of the injustices of slavery and a amazing story of two fugitives running for there freedom. This book is a great story that should be taught in schools and should not be ignored in American History classes. It opened my mind to the horrors slavery actually caused. It represents a part of our history that should never be repeated. 5 plus stars.

I read this for a college history survey course before it was mistakenly announced that the book was out of print. The book was dropped from the syllabus, but I am glad I read it anyway.

The first and shortest part of the book is William Craft's powerful account of how he and his wife Ellen executed a daring escape from servitude in Georgia. Their plan was remarkable in its ingenuity: The almost white Ellen, outfitted with a master's clothes and a poultice on her face to prevent incriminating speech with strangers, and her husband William, disguised as a servant, escaped to freedom in the north. Travelling by rail, the pair exultantly crossed over into Canada and from thence headed for England.

The second part of the book is a third person summary of the couple's travels after their ambitious escape. It follows them from Georgia through the slave and free states, in which they were well received and protected (especially in Boston), up to Halifax and across the water to England. I found the final two thirds of the book the most enjoyable, as it treated of foreign travel, in which I have a keen interest. Both portions of the book are beautifully written and often gripping. I hope a few of my classmates read this before that announcement. This book is both pleasurable to read and historically vital.

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is a must read for all American history students and should be required reading at least at the high school level. This book gives the reader a first-person view of that "Peculiar Instition" known as slavery and to what lengths one will go to achieve personal freedom. This book will change your view of slavery forever.

This was a required book for a Russian class at SUNY Brockport.It was in good condition and delivered in a timely fashion.

It cannot be easy to describe an entire country, its People, its culture and its customs, in 400-odd pages. Nonetheless, that is exactly what Ms. Gerhart has done here.

She covers not only the basics, the "everything you want to know about Russia" -- she delights her readers by covering several things they may not have realized they wanted to know. For instance, the intelligentsia ordinarily shies away from discussing slang and "mat", perhaps thinking it beneath them. Yet Ms. Gerhart recognizes that, as a practical matter, this is something that simply has to be covered for people visiting or living in real-world Russia. You may not want to use bad words yourself, but you certainly want to know when the gentlemen in the flat-top haircuts and leather coats, walking towards you outside the metro station, are using them towards you... So in a completely proper and not at all vulgar manner, she tells you everything you really need to know about cursing in Russian -- along with a clear injunction to "not try this at home" yourself.

Personally, my favorite part of the book was her discussion of tools used in woodworking, a hobby of mine. I found the translations of these words, not commonly needed by a tourist in Russia, invaluable when I went on a short shopping spree seeking locally forged axes and chisels in podmoskovia. This section may not be for everyone, but it is demonstrative of a point I wish to make about the book as a whole: While not everything in the book may interest everyone, everyone who reads the book will find something that interests them -- perhaps something they never expected to find there.

Having lived in Russia for the last two years, and dealt with Russians and Russian life daily, I believe the author has accurately summarized everything you should know prior to arriving or doing business here. Useful for both the unstudied tourist and students of Russian language.

I have the 1974 paperback edition, and I can't give it enough praise. It's simply awesome! It gives a unique insight into the customs of Russian people as related to their history, their land, and their language. In the preface, the author states that her goal is to "explain in what physical ways the Russian world differs from [the American], both the given world of nature and the world of objects the Russian and his forbears have created to cope with it." In this she has succeeded beautifully. In many ways, everyday Russian life is powerfully affected by environment and tradition. Here is everything you need to know before you go. One of my travel tourguide books claims that many American visitors are "ultimately disappointed" by Russia. This is because they do not experience the *real* Russia, nor even know what to expect. If you are planning a vacation trip, read this book first and your visit will be much enhanced. If you stay there with Russian friends and associates, this book will enable you to understand and appreciate their quite different customs. And if you are learning Russian, this book gives a fascinating insight into the relationship between the language and the people who speak it.

This book can be used by students at any level form beginner to advanced as well as by tourists or other travelers to Russia who don't speak the language, but want to understand the people. The author touches on sensitive issues while remaining relatively non-judgemental, which is unusual and refreshing to find.