Cultural Books

A collection of short stories of the Mexican diaspora, saddening, uplifting and inspirational by turns that challenge the stereotype of the illegal immigrant on US media outlets. Hopefully readers will be able to bring rationality and even humanity to the immigration debate after reading these insightful stories.

Border fences do not squash the kind of raging desire for a better life that the characters in Quinones book seek and find. If you are inspired by stories of simple people who accomplish amazing things against all odds, you will love this book. This is not a book about politics, it is a book about people and it just might add dimension and perspective to your opinion on border issues.

In 2002 Ruben Martinez published "Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail". The book did a wonderful job of telling the story about an extended family separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. Sam Quinones' book "Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream" is an equally compelling and well written, researched book. The three part story of Delfino Juarez is without comparison. Plus, the chapter on migrants from Atolinga, Zacatecas to Chicago who entered the non-Franchise fast food industry is GREAT. My only concern about the book is that Quinones sets out to tell tales about the things Mexican migrants (to the U.S.) want. Ok, generally speaking he succeeded. I was bothered by the fact that Sam seems to lose focus on migrants to the U.S. For example the book has chapters that address such topics as the rise of Opera in Tijuana, Velvet painting in Juarez, and drug smuggling into U.S. and Canada. While the chapters are facinating and well written, I felt these topics did not tie into Quinones' stated objective. Aside from this concern, Sam Quinones obviously poured his heart into the project. Kudos to him. A very good read!

Sam Quinones is the best journalist about Mexican immigration, and this collection shows it. But even if you don't care about Mexicans, the writing here is brilliant--all the essays. Great book!

I had to read and review this book for a class, and I thought it was great. I had not read any of the books referenced by Ms. Marcus, so it was difficult to tell how sucessfully she represented the authors, but thats really my problem, not hers. I would say that I don't like such heavy use of literary sources in these types of books, but it is usually because I haven't read the books.

I'm happy I chose this book to review, between the nasty review and its mention on the board, (and Ms. Marcus's rebuttal) this will be an easy book review to write.

In Apartment Stories, Sharon Marcus takes the reader on a stunning tour of the interior spaces of the nineteenth century novel. The views that Marcus offers are always exciting. Following her from behind as she weaves her way through dark regions of apartment houses is often exhilirating. Particularly pleasurable is the way she bounces around London. And although sometimes she seems to bend over to make her point, even this rewarding

In an elegantly written and persuasively argued volume, Sharon Marcus uses the idea of the apartment building as a tool to comb out two sets of terms that tend to clump together in discussions about the 19th century: man=city=public, woman=home=private. In a work made pleasurable to the general reader through her clear and careful writing and her judicious use of footnotes, Marcus proposes a world of 19th century men, women, homes, and cities, that interact in more messy and interesting ways than we've learned to expect. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

There has been a recent interest in theories that undermine the undertakings of the Enlightenment and Modernism toward presenting a world made up of clear definitions and distinctions. This trend has thrown light upon those cultures and periods of history previously dismissed as irrational, decadent, or retrogressive. Further, owing to Post-Structuralist interests in language, scholars have increasingly turned towards realist novels and literature from the period being studied to unearth peculiar social environments that have remained concealed in the purely formal analyses of historical accounts.

Sharon Marcus in Apartment Stories identifies the novel as a significant mirror of everyday life. Literary criticism and cultural history, for Marcus, are intertwined disciplines that feed on each other. In Apartment Stories she uses an analysis of the nineteenth-century realist novel to illuminate a discourse about (not `on') apartment houses of the time. Employing texts that she calls `atypical', as a heuristic device for exploring the range and complexity of nineteenth century debates on domesticity and urbanism, Marcus sets herself the ambitious task of questioning conventional conceptions of the distinctions of private and public, interior and exterior, as well as masculine and feminine. She probes the text not only in terms of seeking social and physical implications of the described spaces but also in terms of the manner in which the narration itself inscribes spatial relations and establishes zones as exterior and interior, private and public, mobile and fixed.

Apartment Stories is divided into three parts. The first part, "Open Houses", discusses the apartment house as a space that refutes readability as a private, opaque, and interior space. The second part, "The City and the Domestic Ideal", discusses the cultural preference for the single-family house over the lodging houses (that resembled apartment houses) of Londoners. The third and concluding part, "Interiorization and its Discontents", deals with Paris during the Second Empire. The author claims that Paris became interiorized after 1850 and thereby challenges the established interpretation of the Second Empire Paris as one of spectacle, flânerie, and circulation. She also questions the famous notion of the Goncourt brothers that "the interior is going to die. Life threatens to become more public". Marcus, in view of the Parisian apartment house, explicates the impossibility of ever fully interiorizing the home.

Sharon Marcus's Apartment Stories provides interesting insights into the world of the bourgeois in nineteenth century Paris- though her ideas are not always convincing and not always substantiated with documentation. Her elaborate endnotes that occupy 81 pages at the rear of the book fail to provide the convincing evidence that more architectural drawings and photographs might. The book leaves the readers constantly searching through the text for `real' images of the physical character of the apartment houses to which they may correspond the analysis of the novel. In the absence of such documentation, the author herself feels the need to stop every now and then in order to summarize and locate within the overall scheme of the book what she had just written (which is also what makes the writing of the book-review easier). These impediments that occlude the understanding of her new insights are further assisted by what could be considered a methodological oversight. Her structure of discussions of the interior and exterior space rest upon the individual descriptions of interior and exterior space. The discussion does not flow from one to the other and that, I feel, strengthens the distinction between the two. A discussion of the in-between transition spaces, apart from perhaps the character of the portière, between the street and the house, that one would expect in a discussion of interior and exterior spaces, is also absent.

Marcus works from an impressive bibliography, one that partially compensates for her deficiencies in documentation and illustration. Apart from a slight error in quoting the publication date of James Stevens Curl's The Victorian Celebration of Death as 1872 instead of 1972, the bibliography, along with the book, becomes a wonderful resource for any scholarly study of nineteenth century France and England in the fields of feminist theory and criticism, geography, urban studies, architectural history, literary criticism, and interdisciplinary research on everyday life.

The best companion to one of the most fascinating collection of tales in history. Irwin's work is also a great socio-political study of both the times that The Arabian Nights was written in and the times that it was finally translated into the west. If you have the The Arabian Nights and this book then I highly recommend Irwin's other book, Night & Horses & the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature, and Edward Said's Orientalism.

The history of the Arabian Nights (1001 Nights) is often appended to the various translations available. They tend to be brief and often reflect the focus of the editor and/or translator. The Arabian Nights: A Companion by Robert Irwin is very substantial. The author often makes conclusions but always includes the thoughts of those with whom he disagrees. This is a must for anyone who really enjoys this collection of stories and will be rewarded by its fascinating history and the history of its translation...almost as enjoyable as the stories themselves.

As someone who loved the "Arabian Nights" since childhood, I eagerly read this book as well. For the most part, I wasn't disapointed. It does a wonderful job of setting the scene, discussing its origins, its distortions, and showing how the stories relate to medieval Arabian life. I was particularly impressed with the section discussing the connections between various story collections in both Asia and Europe. In short, this book helps the reader better understand this complex (and often confusing)work. The chapters are all clearly laid out and well argued, and the book as a whole is easy to read. He has complex ideas, but is able to communicate them fluidly.

One idea I would challenge, however. I believe the scholars who argue that the more "complete" manuscripts probably arose from increased European interest in it. It makes sense that writers would add filler to reach 1001 nights in response to consumer demand.

An interesting read for fans of "Arabian Nights."

This is one of the more interesting companion books I have read. It goes into great detail of the history and the formation of the 1001 Nights collection, and provides an interesting window into Arabic culture. However, one thing I found to be really interesting is that the 1001 tales of Arabic culture were primarily oral tales. The professional storytellers who would tell these books would have manuscript versions which they would use as notes, so there were no official versions--each telling would be elaborated and expanded on depending on the audience. The version that we are familiar with in the west was formalized in France in the 17th century, and may have more relevance to the European expectations of Arabic culture than to Arabic culture itself. In fact, several tales which appear in the European version do not appear in any Arabic manuscripts and may have been written by Europeans to fill the demand for fantastic tales. Overall, this book is quite interesting and I really recommend this to those who would like to see how a lose collection of oral tales becomes a work of literature.

One of the best when I was a kid, and still be the best for my kids.

Very old fashioned but very engaging. I remember spending hours with this book when I was little.

I learned to love math from this book and the Baldor Algebra back in South America. Now that I have reviewed some current math books I can tell the huge difference. Baldor is to he point, plain math concepts and exercises. No graphics, calculators, nonsense philosophy or PC garbage.

This is the BEST no-nonsense old-fashioned arithmetic book ever. The examples are extremely didactic. This book takes the reader through a gradual and logical process of arithmetical awakening. Of course, it assumes that the reader speaks and understands Spanish fluently. I wish that if this book is ever translated, it never loses its efficacy with a poor rendition into any other language--which is unfortunately the case of several translations of extremely good literature from its language of origin. The book does a remarkably outstanding job at teaching the true art of arithmetic. I recommend it to any serious child or adult who really desires to learn mathematics.

Cannot go wrong with the art book about Chinese art. It's an excellent one, used a lot as a textbook both by university art teachers as well as teachers of Chinese culture and history.

It is difficult to write "Short History of Chinese Arts". Suppose that an honest scholar start preparing his lecture note of " Chinese Arts", he shall struggle with selecting subjects and plates. Moreover, for example, he feels that he be an expert on ancient bronzes, and a beginner of export wares in 17th century. Leaving the purgatory, he would want help to a standard textbook.

Among English books, this noted book may have used in many college courses. 1st edition(1967) and The revised edition(1973) were welcomed by many students and scholars. Even a japanese translation had been popular for many years. In this 4th edition, 84 old respectable scholar still attracts me with lucid style.

For beginners, this should be a good introduction. Appreciating artifacts in Museum, finding something in antique shop, or reading books/papers/articles about a particular subject, it needs some elementary background knowledge for chinese arts and history. This offers such COMMON SENSE.

For experienced scholars, this is an interesting reading. This might look a mean textbook for them. Before reading, I minded I become tired for many facts already learned, but I enjoy this book even in commute train, although this edition format is too large. Because not only this is Readable for a japanese, but also gives many (sometimes implicit) skeptical suggestions. At 258p, about Wan Hui (1632-1677, painter), "The Palace Museum collection also contains a number of clever pastiches of tenth-century and Northen Song landscapes that are almost certainly his work"; keen insight!.

I should regretfully notice that some illustrations/items might be inadequate, blurred, or damaged. I hope that they will be changed at next chance.

The colour illustrations in this book are lovely to behold. Many show restored artifacts from China's long history. Vases, stoneware, flasks, paintings, handscrolls and much more. From the paintings, you can see where the traditional misty style of Chinese landscape paintings arose. There are even genres, like bamboo painting. Just like the Europeans developed portraits of horses and landed gentry.

Naturally, there is also extensive coverage of porcelain plates and containers. Beautifully decorated. The items that the Europeans would call "china"; so close was the identification of the objects with China itself.

But more than just objects, the narrative also gives insight into the various Chinese dynasties from which these arose. And also the provinces, like Jiangsu and Anhui, that were artistic centers.

The book, The Arts of China, was book I needed to purchase for a college level Asian Art History class focused on China. Each chapter was divided into dynasties and within each chapter sections were written on: background history, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and other various topics. There are lovely color pictures with high resolution, which are an essential to any student or scholar studying this art. The writing is clear and even enjoyable. I'd highly reccommend this book!

An excellent overview of what it is to be Asian American in America today. Joann Lee writes beautifully and puts you in touch with the individual struggles and victories of her subjects. A must read.

This book by Joann Lee is an excellent book on Asian-Americans. It tells the life stories of Asian-Americans without so much stereotypical baggage found elsewhere.

It shows Asian-Americans as people. Instead of the shallow, stereotypical views found in the movies, it gave me a deeper view of what it feels like and means to be a person of Asian descent living in America. And it does so honestly. It gives the reader a view into a very intimate but often overlooked part of life in America.

I recommend this to all who are interested in this topic.The book reads well and easily.

Enjoy!

This book provided many personal accounts of Asian Americans. The people and their experiences are very different from one another, but they are all considered as one category 'Asian American' perhaps because of similar social problems they've encountered living in america. The accounts portrayed truthfuly, and give an honest look at racism and prejudice, and the complexity of the issue. very inspiring

Studs Terkel meets Asian America. The author, affiliated with Queens College at the time the book was compiled, records oral histories from first through fourth generation Asian Americans from China, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and Pacific Islands. (Chinese immigrants began to officially arrive in 1848; they were not allowed to apply for citizenship until 1943. Japanese and Koreans were not allowed citizenship until 1952; Filipinos and Asian Indians beat them by six years) These histories are grouped into three major section: Living In America; Americanization; and Refections on Interracial Marriage. In "Living In America", selections include Will Hao on being a true Hawaiian, and Andrea Kim on being born and raised in Hawaii, but not being Hawaiian. Sam Sue, a Chinese American lawyer, talks about growing up bitterly in Clarksdale Mississippi during a time of segregation. The Americanization section includes stories of escape and exodus, the bumpy road of acculturation, 3 stories just on run-ins with traffic cops (driving while Asian), and over 9 stories on Americanization, racism, tension, being Asian versus being American, and even on being a minority within a minority. Cao O discusses life as an ethnic Chinese in Vietnam and being Chinese-Vietnamese in America and dealing with social service agencies in Chinatown that is staffed by Hong-Kong born Chinese. In "No Tea, Thank You", Setsuko K. discusses the subtleties between the generations, such as politeness and their hidden meanings (when "no" means "yes", and "yes" means "no"). In a sub-section of nine stories about family, Cao O discusses the idea of `obligation', while Hideo K talks about the "Company as Friend". Tony Ham discusses Mah-Jonng as a family social focus. In a sub-section on religion, there is an interesting piece on Koreans and church membership. In one of eight stories on "Interracial Marriage", Jody Sandler writes talks about "So He's Not a Jewish Doctor", in which a 23 year old Woodmere Long Island Five Town girl marries an Asian America and faces pressures from family and friends, and contrasts Tony's values with those she grew up with in Five Towns.

This book is an excellent summary of the holocaust and the controversies which have arisen around it in the past years. Everybody who has ever had any doubts about the holocaust should read this book to realize how dangerous is to deny a historical event for the collective memory of the people. Vidal-Naquet is brilliant in his sociological-discoursive method. A first-class historical treatise.

Great insights on the truth about the Holocaust

This book is an excellent summary of the holocaust and the controversies which have arisen around it in the past years. Everybody who has ever had any doubts about the holocaust should read this book to realize how dangerous is to deny a historical event for the collective memory of the people. Vidal-Naquet is brilliant in his sociological-discoursive method. A first-class historical treatise.

This is a commentary on our age as much as it is a series of essays about the people Vidal-Naquet calls assassins of memory. And a sad commentary it is. For it features some of our greatest minds and some of our most revered institutions.

Here is Chomsky, proudly proclaiming that "It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies"... shortly before penning a preface to Robert Faurisson's book--a book that denied the Holocaust. (Chomsky later realized what he had done and frantically called the publisher to omit his preface).

Here is an institute that finances revisionis activities offering $50,000 to anyone who could prove the existence of a gas chamber. A gentleman who had seen his entire family murdered accepted only to find that the conditions of "proof" were set so high that only a person who HAD been gassed could, in fact, prove the existence of a gas chamber.

Here is Jean-Paul Sartre's report on genocide--a report which omits the Armenian genocide so as not to offend the Pakistani and Turkish authorities.

Here is the origin of the book's title for those who would deny the Holocaust, "chose their target well: they are intent at striking a community in the thousand painful fibers that continue to link itself to its own past."

Here is the French Court struggling with the concept of "crimes against humanity" on December 20, 1985.

And here is the state of the French libraries. "Neither at the Sorbonne nor at the Bibliotheque Nationale can one find fundamental documentation concerning Auschwitz, which has to be consulted, for the most part, at the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaire, which itself is far from possessing all that it should."

It seems Vidal-Naquet is amply justified in concluding "Will the truth have the last word? How one would like to be sure of it....."

This book gives a comprehensive overview on the Island's environments, geology, weather patterns, and history. The book is filled with up-to-date maps of all kinds and color photographs. The book contains statistical information that is difficult to find in any of the other publications concerning the Hawaiian Islands.

Don't be deceived, this is not just a book of maps. This title is a comprehensive look at Hawaii: its physical environment from geology to earthquakes, its biotic environment from animals to plants, its culture from archaeology and history to religion and architecture, its social environment from land use to communications, and complete with appropriate tables and statistics. Color pictures, graphs, and excellent maps add to the quality. The only shortcoming in the book is that there is only a one paragraph discussion of VOG, volcanic emissions that cause significant pollution on the island of Hawaii and that are sometimes blown to other Hawaiian Islands, as well. Since this is likely the main source of air pollution in the islands, a more serious discussion would have been worthwhile. Aside from this, this is an outstanding work, by two University of Hawaii-Hilo professors. A must have for people that love Hawaii.

Hawaii is one of the remotest locations on the face of the earth...However, this much awaited new Atlas of Hawaii has been prepared in such a style as to intrigue the reader to explore deeper into these islands, combining events of cultural significance with statististics it instills a closeness that one does not get from a typical atlas. From the turning of the first page, the feel of the premium stock, the wonderfully drawn cartography in conjunction with the up to date color photography, and the hundreds of sources and contributors leaves little doubt of it's quality. This is a serious endeavor a remarkable achievment that will be the ultimate reference tool for the islands.

The subject matter is broad and the graphics are well placed.
However the demographic and statistical data is dated (ten years old) and not reflecting the more recent changes in population and density.

It is so enjoyable to see your culture, with all its blind spots and weird traditions, through someone else's eyes. The author looks and listens with keen attention and wry wit, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable read. You will learn about both Aussies and Americans in this delightful book, laughing at her funny observations, comical bafflement, and witty style.

People could be mistaken for thinking that Australia and America have so much in common....but it is so far from the truth. As I was reading the book I laughed out loud at situations the author was describing....was she somehow spying on my life? In true Australian style we are able to laugh at ourselves and our differences. Thanks Anne for a truly enjoyable reading experience. I gave it to an American friend to read and it opened her eyes to the challenges we face between our cultures too.

So, you're an American planning to visit Australia or suddenly exporting yourself down under. Or you're an Aussie thinking of coming to America. Read this witty book before you step into the thick of our cultures' differences. I wish I had laughed and pondered my way through this book before my first trip to Australia.

This book is most likely the best book that I have never read. I know the author quite well, and am proud of her accomplishments, who knows why she told me that I could write her a review on Amazon? The only complaint that I have about her book is that it does not properly disclose the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, or how prevalent this "syrup" is in America, as an Australian visiting this country, likely naive and bushy-eyed, they will have no idea of the detrimental effects! I am quite outraged by this omission, but none the less, I'm sure it was a great book. Oh, and I'm only guessing that she omitted this.

A compilation of essays about Balinese religion and culture, author sometimes ends up repeating himself (though he does warn the reader of this, right off the bat). But it's really a wonderful volume for anyone who wants an in-depth understanding of the Balinese.

Eiseman is thorough in his detail, but the style is not at all dry and academic. There are lovely little personal anecdotes, and it really comes from the heart of a man who has spent much of his life in Bali.

Cosmology and religion are covered in this volume, such as an explanation of how a home is built with respect to cosmic forces and directions. There is a valuable guide to festivals, complete with calendar. Especially fun is Balinese astrology, and the author writes extensively about this.

A possible approach: read the Lonely Planet cultural section first, then go to Bali, then read Eiseman.

This book covers Balinese religions and culture in ways that are both informative and useful for the serious traveller/tourist or casual student of Bali.

Having spent six months in Bali in the '70's and having read extensively, I am even more enthusiastic about this book.

Volume two covers more limited and esoteric topics.

You should get a good map to accompany this book.

Although it won't tell you where to stay or which restaurant to visit, the book is a great, unpretensious guide to the elaborate daily rituals of the Balinese, written by an American who's developed something of an obsession with Bali. It offers the clearest descriptions available of mask making, Balinese dance, temple rituals and offerings. The book is so good you'll find it on every coffee table in Bali.

I am Balinese and live in Ubud in the cultural center of Bali.

In the Eighties I used to see Fred Eiseman, with a notebook and pen in his hand, at temple ceremonies all over the island, and in my restaurant, taking voluminous notes. I often wondered what he was up to.

Now I know. He has produced the most detailed descriptions yet of most aspects of Balinese life and culture. He lives down in Jimbaran on the south coast, so many of his descriptions relate particularly to that area - practices change a bit in different places.

He understands the Balinese language, which is not the case with many academics, who visit Bali briefly and write learned treatises, and don't always get it right.

Fred's book is extremely well researched, and my only criticism is the detail (in places) and the repetition. That is because the book is a collection of essays. It does mean, however, that you can dip in and out of any chapter. They are self-contained, and that is useful.