Oliver Books

I just loved this book. Somehow it opened an intimate window into the life of Molly Malone Cook, without ever disrespecting the sacred nature of her life. Mary Oliver does this with grace. They clearly shared their lives together, yet still kept their individuality intact. Mary Oliver remarks, towards the end of the book, on her own recognised gift for attention. She goes on to pay tribute to Molly for teaching her this: "attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openess - an empathy - was necessary is the attention was to matter." This tribute inspires me to continue the journey towards greater presence in my life.

Simply the name Mary Oliver causes a shift in my countenance and my being. My steps are different when I am present to who she is as a writer and human being, so it shouldn't surprise me, what happened this morning.

I was minding my own business walking across my local bookstore when I heard the sound of wind rushing from my mouth. It was like the jolt happened so quickly my brain couldn't quite orient around the words, "Our World" and the names Mary Oliver and Molly Malone Cook.

I had no choice. I had to stop all my other book plans and sit with this one, just be with it, soak it in, allow it to do its work on my soul as I knew intuitively it would.

Last winter I became the self-appointed one woman marketing machine for Mary Oliver's "Thirst" - a collection of poetry written as she grieved the loss of her life partner, Molly Malone Cook, someone who I never knew yet felt I knew through reading Oliver's work. I stood at a bookstore crying as I read that book, sobbing, openly - aching and simultaneously being stunned by the beauty of the poetry.

Now, in this volume, not only do I have words - I have Molly Malone Cook's photography.

It is like being invited into the most intimate chambers of a lifetime soul-love affair. It is deeply personal, extremely intense memoir of love. That energy is on each page as Oliver builds a model of appreciation for Molly Malone Cook for us all to follow.

Now, the "other" juicy stuff - photos by Molly Malone Cook that show a deep love and appreciation of books, of learning, of activism, of art and of the "faces of the world" - one of her early childhood ambitions, so it tells us in the text "was to see every face in America."

Well, in these photographs "every" face is, indeed, communicated.

We see photographers, playwrights, restaurateurs, activists and places the writers and artists among us dream about seeing.

There are too many numerous memorable quotes to share here - and I don't want to take away your own discovery of words that speak directly to you.

I know I will be forever grateful for the work of Mary Oliver and this volume amplifies that gratitude by bringing Molly Malone Cook to life for me in a more vivid way than in the past.

I can only hope there will be many more opportunities for my heart and breath to be swept away, simply by seeing this author's name on a book jacket.

You know you have a good book in your hands when you are torn between hurrying to finish so you know what happens next and wanting to slow down b/c you just aren't ready for it to be over. :) Great storyline! The characters were very real to me. I will be looking for the sequel!

This book is well-written with unforgettable characters and an intriguing plot. It is a fast-paced read and one that a reader doesn't want to put down.

I purchased this book for a birder friend that never reads poetry and she absolutely loves the book! The book is filled with the sights, sounds, and imagery of nature (in both essay and poetry) as only Mary Oliver can breathe them into life through uncomplicated words and a genuine love of all things.

Pulitzer-Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver, demonstrates that in a world of "leaves and feathers, and comfort, and instruction" (p. 3), paying attention "is our endless and proper work" (p. 27). With a poet's gift of observation, and a naturalist's eye for detail, Oliver devotes this collection of verse almost entirely to birds. Just as the recent documentary, WINGED MIGRATION, captured the truly amazing nature of birds on film, Oliver captures the fascinating beauty of birds in verse. She compares goldfinches to "fragile bells" reminding us to bow our heads and say a prayer (p. 7), herons in a frozen marsh to "blue smoke" (p. 24), little wrens to "blue sailors" (p. 46), herons on a leafy bank to a "blue preacher" and "an old Chinese poet" (p. 48), an owl to "an angel, or a buddha with wings" (p. 54), starlings to "acrobats in the freezing wind" (p. 56), and an unknown bird that has left a egg to "a tree angel, perhaps, or a ghost of holiness" (p. 60). For Oliver, "the path to heaven doesn't lie down in flat miles," it's in "the imagination with which you perceive the world" (p. 11).

G. Merritt

The Planet is indeed well served by this magnificently produced volume worth buying for the photography alone.

This book has not only some of the most inviting golf course photography ever - by world-class Australian Photographer David Scaletti, but a collection of very well-researched, concise and precise reviews by Darius Oliver, one of Australia and the world's most able golf architecture writers. A must have book for all golfers that will even start the architectural education of the uninformed. This book is not only incomparable but affordable.

This collection is beautiful. I was initially reluctant because of the price but it was worth every penny. Reproductions are incredible.

This is a beautiful book, replete with high-quality illustrations and in-depth studies of all the works displayed in the 2007 exhibition it illustrates. It is a treasure trove of information on early Flemish painting, stressing technical as well as stylistic details, recalling the historical context of every work and showing how the image of man was, little by little, superseding that of god.

This book is destined to become a collector's piece. Undoubtedly one of the best recent art publications, as far as illustrations and scientific research are concerned.

Holly and Quinn thought they'd gotten lucky, finding a summer job in a Hawaii hotel. But luck like that comes with its own price. Why, after all, would two girls from L.A. get chosen for such a position? Perhaps because they didn't know the hotel's reputation?
A marvelous read, this book combines the pacing and thrills of the best Goosebumps novels with the language and humanity of Harry Potter. A young adult novel that an adult can enjoy.

It's a summer fairytale for Quinn Hunter and Holly Gates. They have it all--a job at a hotel in Hawaii, a cute boy named Jaxon who is staying at the hotel, and, well, their best friend (each other.) Things start off perfectly on track in the business area and the love area. Holly and Quinn both make perfect impressions for Mr. Barrington, the owner of the hotel. Also, they are really getting to know Jaxon, and between you and me they spend a lot of time staring at his gorgeous face. When things are just starting to go right, though, the tables turn.

Things go missing, weird writings show up on mirrors, cats jump out from nowhere, secret passage ways appear, and someone has a secret.

When Jack Trainor, the mail carrier, fills Quinn in on the suspicious haunting in the hotel, she thinks nothing of it until both she and Holly start seeing things.

Things get worse when Quinn suddenly realizes she's hanging over the edge of a balcony.

This is an amazingly written book that will send shivers running up the back of your neck. K.C. Oliver is a wonderful, descriptive writer who knows how to get you hooked. This is really the book for you if you love to read thrillers and haunting stories that will keep you excited the whole way through.

Reviewed by: Holly

I must say I have read all of Greg Olivers wrestling related books and the guy is tops in his profession when it comes to Pro Wrestling and knowledge of its culture, of the sport and colorful characters. Greg does his homework and these books will and should be used as reference books on the sport for a long long time. I recommend this book and all his others to anybody.

Greg Oliver's The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadains is a informative look a the wrestling greats that have called Canada their home. My only complaint is I wish it was another 100 pages longer. The top Canadian Wrestlers of all time are given several pages each and the author goes in depth into their careers. Such stars as Whipper Billy Watson, Killer Kowalski, Mad Dog Vachon and Gene Kiniski are among the Canadain greats that we learn pages of highlights of their careers. The great Families in Canadain wrestling like the Rougeaus, The Harts and Vachons get good coverage. No book on Canadain Wrestling History could be written without mentioning Jack Britton and his midget wrestlers. Little Beaver and Sky Low Low get the extra coverage as they deserve.
The rest of the book gives short biographies that range from a few paragraphs to several pages. Here Greg covers the next teer of Canadain stars like Gilles Poisson, Billy Red Lyons and Rocky Johnson. Chapters are devoted to Managers, Tv commentators and adopted Canadains like Sweet Daddy Siki, Baron Scicluna and Wolfman Willie Farkas (Who I got to meet in September 2004 in Toronto and is a great guy. Even the Canadain stars of today like Chris Benoit, Chris Jerico and Steve Corino get biographic thumnails of their careers.
I highly reccomend this book for the wrestling history buffs out there. Excellent resource for the who's who in Canadain wrestling history.

As a psychotherapist in numerous clinical settings over the past twenty years, I have just recently discovered this book and have found it to be an invaluable addition to my "go to" resources.

This volume, should- no, needs to be on every shelf of those of us who work with and try to help those who suffer with psychotic disorders.

Whether the etiology is one of biology or that of other factors, this easy to work with and practical book explains, in very simple yet highly educated terms, all that is involved with this difficult clinical topic.

From assessment, to treatment planning, to current and historical psycho-pharmacological interventions, this guide needs to be next to any clinician's "DSM-IV" and their "How to Conduct a Psychiatric Evaluation" resource.

Although this book has been written for doctors and psychiatrists, it is a book that every family who has a loved one suffering from any form of schizophrenia should have. It's format is straight forward, the writing is concise, the information is thorough- it covers ALL aspects of this devastating illness. Best of all, it is down to earth, highly readable by the lay person, and includes helpful practical advice on how to handle sensitive and challenging aspects of this disease. Clearly, Dr Freudenreich has good, solid common sense and cares deeply about his patients.

Fifty years plus after publication, Cox's "Caste, Class and Race" remains the single most important book ever published on American racism. Cox is just a brilliant thinker and writer--both--and in CCR he lucidly lays out a materialist, functionalist interpretation of racial formation that, I think, gets it right on all the fundamentals. This is the analysis of racism that increasingly dominates modern scholarly thought in the U.S.; Cox got it right first--at least a couple of decades ahead of anybody else! And to this day, nobody has done it better.

Note that "Caste, Class and Race" is not the current title. That's because "Race" is actually only exactly that: 'Race,' the third section of the original volume, published on its own. Yes, the first two-thirds of the book is missing here!

That's a very mixed blessing. First the good part, and the rationale for carving out 'Race' as a stand-alone: Cox designed the original three-part schema to take on and discredit the then-reigning 'caste' theory of racism--today a pretty irrelevant task, since Cox was right and all those tenured Ivy League then-prominent academics were wildly wrong. (The basic idea was that the U.S. racial order is largely the same as India's caste system, a ludicrous notion attractive mainly because it allowed the White establishment to look away from the reality of homegrown racist oppression and exploitation.)

But the 'Class' section, also omitted from this edition, is really CCR's foundation. In it Cox lays out his somewhat idiosyncratic "Marxian"--not doctrinaire "Marxist"!--materialist analysis of modern Western historical development, cogently presented in its own right. That framework then forms the basis for the third section's masterly analysis of Western racism, growing out of the inherent dynamics of industrial capitalism and imperialism--in the U.S., out of slavery in particular, of course.

By the way, if, perhaps, you're put off by the idea of a Marxian orientation--do get over it! Approach Cox with an open mind, and you'll soon appreciate that the hallmark of his writing is its wonderful logical and rhetorical sure-footedness, and tough reasonableness. Again and again while reading, especially the 'Race' section, I'd think, "Well, here's a paragraph that just doesn't add up," or, "He's chosen the wrong word this time--he means..." And then I'd read the passage again, sometimes again and again--and then I'd get it. Cox hadn't been wrong, he'd just been thinking three or four steps ahead of me. Once or twice in these moments of recognition I felt my head spin 'round 180%--paradigm shift!

He does, admittedly, get it wrong once or twice, mainly when he tries to predict the future. Cox didn't see a non-violent, Black-led civil rights movement coming, largely because his Marxism told him to expect a working-class coalition of Whites and Blacks, led by Whites, the stronger, more numerous force. Wrong! But there's much more he nails cold.

Which book to purchase, "Race" or CCR? I'd recommend buying the original, CCR, and skipping only the Caste section. (Unless you're interested in what's undoubtedly one of the best DETAILED explorations of the Indian caste system ever published.) Or just splurge and buy both--"Race" has a good intro by journalist Adolph Reed, Jr., and a helpful biographical essay on Cox as well. If you do choose CCR, the best available edition (all are sadly out-of-print/used) is the 1959 Monthly Review hardback, since the 1970 paperback is a bit too compact yet thick for its own good--kind of unwieldy, a bit like trying to read a brick.

But anyway--read it!

Cox's work is somewhat provocative as he seems to ignore the psycho dynamics of racism and stands by the causal factors of racism's matrix is in the economic stucturation of society. Whether one concurs or not, Cox is nothing less than genius. Its tragic that his books are so expensive. Another one of his most insightful works is 'Capitalism and American Leadership'. Both books are excellent reads.

If you have boys, You have got to get this book. This is a must read. Great Great Great buy.

Raising Sons and Loving It has become a helpful tool both in raising two sons and being a child and adolescent therapist. The information found in this book is so helpful when trying to understand the dynamics of my sons. The parents of my clients who have read this book have also come to a new understanding of how to understand and enjoy their sons. This book stresses both the father's and the mother's role in the development of a boy. It was very insightul into male development in the areas of sexualtiy, spirituality and the role of testosterone in aggression. It is a very insightful and helpful book in understanding a son.