California Books

A quick impression of the photographs by Lueders-Booth might cause one to remember conversations about 'colonialist gaze' and other such Postmodernist concerns with the representation of foreign cultures. The photographs, however, are much to powerful and engaging to be defeated by such narrow arguments. They present the people of Tijuana, Mexico, living in and around the large municipal dumps that surround their town. Children play, adults search for valuables or burn wood, while makeshift cemeteries are created from scraps and a broken baby crib.

There is a sense in all of these images that there is nothing foreign here at all. In truth, Tijuana is but a stone's throw from the U.S. border, and there is little about these people or their lives that cannot be found inside our borders. They are the faces of poverty, of destitution, and their representation here makes them doubly powerful as symbols of repressive capitalism and the victims of economic oppression.

If it's true that one picture is worth a thousand words, then Jack Lueders-Booth presents us with a 69,000 word book that you can finish in less time than it takes to read the last night's box scores--or that you can linger over in wonder, page by page, giving yourself over to each, and to the stories implicit in each, for many minutes at a time.

The border has become the topic du jour, and by now the very word border conjures up a reality apart from what, for most of us, is daily life. It's not a particularly evocative or unsettling image, the border, when referring to the dividing line between Italy and Switzerland, or Uruguay and Brazil, or even between two countries claiming, with occasional cross-border skirmishes to italicize those claims, each a piece of the other.

But talk of the border here and it's one and only one you mean and you cross it, north to south, at your own psychic risk. Fictional characters have been discovering it as far back at least as D.H. Lawrence and as recently as Cormac McCarthy, and as actual characters have learned, and continue to learn every day.

Ambrose Bierce was probably not the first and Jack Lueders-Booth will surely not be the last--but Jack's is just as surely as stunning a document of that mythic crossing as we're likely to get.

Now, mythology tells us that heaven belongs to god, hell to the devil, and the borderlands, the wastelands, the shantytowns, the DMZ's, the dumping grounds, the scabby, toxic, orphaned frontier places neither flanking country will acknowledge as its own--these belong to neither the one nor the other but to the trickster.

Call him Hermes. Call him Legba or Exu. Call him Coyote or Lord of the Crossroads. They are one and the same for all their many names. And the Tijuana dumps in "Inherit the Land" seem to have been the classic trickster crossroads for Professor Lueders-Booth.

For it was here that the god unblocked the path to a reality other visitors, perhaps, have experienced, but whose visionary intensity no one's camera ever captured quite this splendidly before.

McCarthy's border trilogy is a masterpiece of modern American prose. Luis Urrea's "Across the Wire," "By the Lake of Sleeping Children," and, now, "Inherit the Land"-is no less a masterpiece trilogy of modern American prose and photography.

Now, we often hear photographers--those who poke their lenses into the sores of the world, that is--accused of aestheticizing their subjects. Yet the poet Rilke tells us that in beauty is the beginning of terror. And the formal beauty of these pictures serve, to my eyes at least, to expose, not distract from, the terror--the terror and the humanity both. And expose them not once, but time and again, keeping them, as only great art can do, fresh, the pain and the beauty just as revelatory on the twentieth viewing, or the hundredth, as on the first.

Anything, however initially exotic or extreme, appalling or enchanting, becomes familiar over time. And while it doesn't necessarily breed contempt, familiarity usually breeds, even worse, complacency and indifference, even oblivion. Oblivion literally in that we forget what first surprised, engrossed, appalled, and bewitched.

"What surprised, appalled, engrossed, bewitched me when I first went to live and work in Calcutta--yet another world," in the words of Luis Alberto Urrea's Introduction, "of stench and dirt and mangled dogs and untouchables--became old hat, hardly noticeable, six months down the line. Even three."

It's up to the artist to keep the knife-edge of perception, reaction and emotion sharp. And that knife's edge is as sharp, in "Inherit the Land," as the light of Mexico itself.

This book by Lueders-Booth was one of the 10 best of last year as rated by American Photo. I take their recommendations with a grain of salt, but this is really first rate documentary photography. Lueders Booth has such respect for his subjects who are struggling to live--with some grace--under the most difficult circumstances. He never
milks the situation, which so many photographers do today. He's also a photographer's photographer. His way of relating people to their environment is informative, moving, and memorable. The images stay with you. This is a book to own and live with. I can't recommend it more highly

A moving essay about the families living on the dumps of Tijuana by a courageous and talented photographer. Every single photograph is testament to the photographer's commitment to bring us closer to the circumstances of their lives. The portraits are poignant, honest, and beautiful.

Love the animated street map. Will not cover all of San Diego, but will hightlight the popular sights.

I don't think I'd go to a new vacation city without the MapEasy Guidemap. I've used them in Seattle, San Fran and now San Diego. They've helped me find interesting places to visit, tasty food and even parking!

This easy to read and informative map shows all the cool spots in San Diego. Great for first time vistors or locals who want to know more about what America's Finest City has to offer. Makes a great gift! Illustrations make this a unique map.

This Mapeasy shows the tourist where things are in the tourist-visited areas. It is not intended to help you find your way if you are lost, though the major routes are there. It has a detail of Downtown La Jolla, downtown San Diego, and Balboa park, with a blow-by-blow of all the shops and restaurants on Prospect and some the streets that head inland. This is the clearest rendering of Balboa Park I have seen yet and I have several other current San Diego travel helps.

It is made of a plastic material that is more durable than paper.
It is worth the current $6.95 amazon price.

...and that is actually saying quite a bit, considering that he is one of my favorite detective fiction writers.

Written in 1968, this is Macdonald at the height of his skills. It features all the classic elements of inherited guilt, needless loss, corrupt manipulation and class barriers. Instead of stumbling over 1960s culture (as so many lesser writers seem to do), it makes free love and drug culture just two more things to be misused by the wrong sort of people.

Tough, smoothly written, well plotted. A must read for fans of Lew Archer and a good place to begin with Macdonald if you have not yet discovered his work.

Sandy Sebastian was only a kid-a lost, lonely, unhappy young girl who ran away with another equally lost kid called Davy Spanner. One was a homicidal killer. Both were kidnappers, and Lew Archer was hired to stop them before anyone got hurt. Archer had followed bloody trails before-but never one as bizarre and terrible as this...The Instant Enemy.

The Instant Enemy is the quintessential Ross Macdonald novel. Why? Because it incorporates so many of the elements Macdonald held near and dear to his heart. These include:

-Family tragedies that repeat themselves over the generations.
-Unexpected familial relationships between characters.
-A young person's journey to claim a birthright unfairly denied.
-The notion that one's destiny is largely determined at birth, if not before.

The book starts out with Lew Archer being summoned to the Woodland Hills home of Keith Sebastian and his wife Bernice. Their 17 year old daughter has run away and they want Archer to find her without involving the police. Archer soon learns that the girl is traveling in the company of a 19 year old delinquent named Davy Spanner. What's more, it appears that they are planning to commit a very serious crime against Sebastian's boss, the fabulously wealthy oilman Stephen Hackett.

Archer wends his way up and down much of the California coast steadfastly seeking to unravel the truth behind the shocking series of events that rapidly ensue. The fast paced narrative unfolds quite smoothly as one unexpected complication after another is brought to light.

And Macdonald's prose is first rate. Whether depicting the scenic landscapes of the California coastline or the changing face of American society as it reflects the turbulence of the 1960s, the writing is remarkably deft and descriptive.

Thoroughly engaging, suspenseful and rich with surprise, The Instant Enemy ranks among the finest novels written by Ross Macdonald. Do yourself a favor and read it.

It seems that the cases Lew Archer takes on are rather straight forward looking at the outset and startlingly complex as he gets into them. This one ranks among the best of the series because of the characters involved. This time, he's hired first by a runaway daughter's father and runs into a plot against the father's employer. A subsequent kidnapping and threat of murder gets him also "hired" by the intended victim's mother. The alert reader will figure out aspects of the whole picture before the revelation, but chances are that reader will run into a few surprises.

The puzzle is definitely an important part of the total story, but it's the depth of character and the implicit tragic developments that make a Ross MacDonald story the rewarding experience that it is.

I'm a Taiwanese myself. Even though the content of this book is not new to me, it still provides a fantastic read for me personally and I can imagine it'd be more fantastic for someone wishing to know more about Taiwan. Because Taiwan is so isolated in the international arena, books such as this one is highly recommended for the average person. The only aspect I did not like about this book is the first part of this book's title: "Is Taiwan Chinese?". I'd just like to inform readers that all the population in Asian countries (east, north and south east) all originated from China. So basically everyone is Chinese, so it doesn't just apply to Taiwan. It is like saying: Is Australia British? Nevertheless, a rather informative book for all.

"The "one China" policy officially supported by the People's Republic of China, the United States, and other countries asserts that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it." The Description of this book is Misleading.

United States acknowledged China's claim but do not agree with "Taiwan is a part of China". United states position is the resolution shall be peaceful.

At last, a book that covers an aspect of Taiwanese history and culture not often discussed until recent years: the Taiwanese people are a hybrid people. Many have some Plains Aborigine blood (traced on the maternal side). But, with cultural stigma, many Plains Aborigines and part Plains Aborigines forfeited their identity and were absorbed by "Han" identity. I've been waiting for a book in English to discuss this area and am glad Melissa Brown published this book.

If - like me - you are interested in the title's answer, Ms.Brown's is the book! Quoting some of her words: " Many events are completely unknown to us, many events are known only through extremely biased perspectives, and many events are so contradictorily reported that is difficult to reconstruct even a chronological sequence of what occurred". And - believe me! - Ms. Brown interviewed people - in Taiwan ( living there) and interviewed people - in China !!! We are talking about an Stanford University Professor. Congratulations and thanks to Amazon .

Simply put, there is no book like this about rap in Los Angeles. From KDAY to the Watts Prophets to Death Row, this book covers EVERYTHING you know about Hip Hop in LA, a story that is distinctly different from Hip Hop in New York. It features interviews with LA's biggest - Dre, Eazy, Cube, Ice-T, Cypress Hill, etc. - and leaves nothing out. This is a story that's rarely told, which is strange when one considers that LA rap was the force that mainstreamed Hip Hop. Hard to find, but a must have for any mainstream rap historian.

I have to give it up to Brian for the very honest and understanding picture that he paints of the early to middle development of the westcoast hip hop scene. Through his interviews and writings, hip-hop fans get a real sense of how rap music developed on the west coast and they hear the stories directly from the artists themselves. This book is priceless and a definite must have for all music fans. In fact, somebody stole my only copy so I need to buy another one. Cli-N-Tel

My bedroom in the Picture section LINK'S Room with the SP1200 from back in the days

West Coast Style LINK

Freestyle Fellowship's Mikah 9 is the preeminent freestyle rapper of all time. He is the John Coltrane of the modern era.

Jerk, CaliforniaJerk, California tells the fascinating story of high school senior Sam Carrier's search for the truth about his life. Rejected by his stepfather after being diagnosed with Tourette's as a child, Sam has endured plenty of bad treatment at home and school has been worse. His best, and only release from the constant betrayal of his body's constant movement is in running.
A mistake and a fortunate fall introduce the lovely Naomi into his life of chaos and the beginning of a most memorable year for Sam.
After graduation, the surprises continue as Sam discovers a job, a new home, a friend and mentor and a different identity all in the form of George, the town "coot" (who also has a connection to Naomi). The more Sam learns about his past the more he feels an undeniable desire to separate the lies he's always believed from the truth of his past.
As he and Naomi follow a mysterious map across the nation Sam literally drives into his father's history. Following a trail of windmills, small towns and unforgettable characters eventually winds them up in the seaside town of Jerk, California and a long lost family member.
My favorite part of Jerk, CA, was the beautifully written characters. They were real and honest and had you rooting for them all the time. I also loved the unexpected twists and turns of the plot as it took me from Minnesota to California. At the end of the book, I find my self reflecting on the character of Sam. His determination to live his life on his own terms unafraid to be who he really is reflected that he "may have Tourette's, but Tourette's doesn't have him".

Jerk is the story of a young man who is freed from a cruel prison. I'm not talking about Tourette's but everything and everyone around him who beat him down with it, including himself. I found myself cheering for Jack (Sam), balling up my fists and wanting to fight for him and alongside him. As Jack becomes free from his prison, he frees others with him. His grandma. His mom. Naomi. Lane. And in a very real sense, baby Jess.

It is the story of a beaten down boy who learns to stand tall and stright. A boy who quietly joins the ranks of men who have earned the title Hero. Not because of some glorious moment in a sporting event, but because of his choices, his character, the man he becomes. This was the most enjoyable read I've had in a long, long time.

I expect this book will be one that becomes required or recommended reading in high school classrooms all across the U.S. And it ought to be.

Jerk, California is the story of Sam Carrier, the kid who can't sit still. He jerks and twitches, in near constant motion. The only time he feels in control of his limbs is when he runs. High school is a nightmare. No friends, nothing. Then he meets beautiful Naomi, the girl who makes him feel like he can't remember which way is up.

But everything changes after his embarrassing graduation. New job, new name-- well, not new. Suddenly he finds himself on a cross-country trip with only his questions and Naomi for company.

I loved this book. Seriously. I read it in about 24 hours. I even read parts out loud to my husband-- the butter scene is hilarious!!

By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked on Sam. He's funny and his struggles were so real and heartfelt. In reading the story, I felt like I could understand how it would feel to have Tourette's. It's definitely worth reading. I'm sure I'll read it again!

I received my copy of Jerk, California, on Sunday and finished it in three days! I couldn't put it down. Thrilling twists and turns. Gritty. Heart-wrenching. I absolutely loved the book. Each character drew me in. I felt Sam/Jack grew to be a good friend--felt myself pulling hard for him and wanting him to win! I didn't want the story to end. Great truths and life lessons all the way through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who can relate with pain--looking for a powerful, uplifting story! This book reminded me that healing truly can be found!

I have no idea why "Therese Thau Heyman" review of world war two posters is on John Lautner's book page. Also, one of your two reviews is listed as refering to an out-of-print edition, rather unusual since this single book just came out rather recently

John Lautner, who passed away in 1994, designed some of the most innovative and daring buildings of post-war America. For many, his work is among the greatest statements to the the California lifestyle of the 1950's and 60's--bold, shaking off the past and looking to the wide-open future. Lautner made use of cast concrete, steel and glass to create dynamic stuctures that few architects or clients dare conceive today. Think Lautner, think Jetsons. This book shows us his work with outstanding photographs from the 1940's through the 70's and is peppered with Lautner's comments on the various projects. Whether you're an architect or a fan of the space age, this is one book that you're sure to leave on the coffee table!

Lautner's designs defined post-war architecture; bold, shaking off the conventions of the past and looking towards the future. Think of George Jetson--Lautner would have designed his house. If you drove a car with fins and it looked like a rocket, you would certainly park it in the driveway of a Lautner designed home. His designs made use of the new materials that came out of World War II stainless steel, cast concrete and aluminum. He designed houses perched on the hilltops around Los Angeles, with wide expanses of glass and wild rooflines. His commercial designs included restaurants, schools and municipal buildings. Lautner's style is distinct--his structures stand out from the rest. Buy this book! It's a great retrospect of his work, loaded with fine photography and commentary. Put this one on your coffee table!

Any Lautner enthusiast will be captivated by this book. It covers more buildings than any of the others, and includes Lautner's own comment on each, making it an invaluable record of Real Architecture.

Most of the photos in this book appear to have been taken shortly after the buildings were completed (and some during construction), so it makes a great companion to "The Architecture of John Lautner," which has mostly rescent photographs. Together, the books give a facinating "the and now" contrast, and demonstrate the timeless quality of Lautner's work.

This brilliant, witty little book is simply the most penetrating essay ever written on the greatest novel of the 20th century, James Joyce's Ulysses. For some odd reason, no critic before Kenner (or since) ever paid much attention to the most salient feature of Ulysses: its stylistic variousness, from the limpid Edwardian tones of its opening chapters through the long internal monologues of Bloom and Molly to the countless genre parodies interlarded throughout. All other critics have been content to dismiss it as a mere humorous quirk by Joyce, unrelated to the main point of the novel. Kenner shows that, in fact, it goes to the very heart of the novel: it is how the modern artist reinvokes the muse.

Kenner's explanation of Joyce's choices is absolutely brilliant. And along the way we get an insightful short history of the objective style and its problems, as well as numerous witty, perceptive asides on sundry matters. This is how literary criticism ought to be written.

What a shame this great little book is out of print. If you're even slightly interested in modern literature, grab a used copy immediately.

I want so much to like Kenner and his fine, early and original work in Joycean scholarship. But I discover myself arguing with him to the point of violent blows. Perhaps this comes from his having something to say.

These chapters originally comprised a series of lectures delivered at the University of Kent at Canterbury in England as part of the TS Eliot Memorial Lectures in 1975. Like Eliot, who based the authority of his early commentary of Ulysses (Ulysses: Order and Myth) on the fact at the time no one in England nor the USA were permitted to purchase the work, Kenner makes several outrageous statements completely opposite the facts of the book at hand. For one thing, addressing a mob of BRitish academes, he plays court jester and appeals to their prejudice regarding the Irish, including their absolute ignorance of Irish literature, myth, history, etc., by stating the Irish, including Joyce, shared that ignorance. For the British the Irish have no history, nor literature, nor mythology, whereas, as later studies such as The Irish Ulysses have proven, Joyce based his novel almost exculsively upon its archetypes, the real reason Joyce removed the Homeric Chapter titles at the last moment, in order not to distract us, instead of the assumptions Kenner presents here.

This brief volume is interesting as a milestone in JOycean scholarship, but its conclusions and judgments must not be taken at face value, as with anything Joycean. It is essential to read the later criticism which refutes, defuses, confuses, complements and deines the statements offered by Kenner. Nevertheless, as noted in other reviews upon this page, Kenner writes in an engaging and a breezy manner, happily opening doors, even if those doors lead on to bricked up passages and cellars without stairs.

Thus, approach this slim collection with caution, and get the more recent commentary, such as Rejoycing, which directly addresses the Uncle Charles Principle which Kenner first presents here.

Worth a reading in an idle moment upon your heroic and indeed Homeric adventure with Ulysses, before engaging in the more serious hand to hand battle with more substantial and later work.

Buy this book cheaply, and read it at your leisure. Then write your own commentary as to how you perceive it so horribly wrong. Unfortunately Professor Kenner is not close at hand to argue with over a small Jamesons. If anything Joyce achieves at least one goal in providing such excuse for lively scholarly conversation as he forges the conscience of our race within the smithy of his soul.

I could not put this down, unlike much of Joyce commentary. I had to read it to the end; it is that engaging. Please see as well his more comprehensive A Colder Eye written nearly ten years later at greater leisure than this brief lecture series, yet with the same engaging brilliance and wit and valuable insights and information. In fact his Colder Eye is as enveloping, enchanting, informing and entertaining as Ulysses himself.

If you're a modern day graduate student (or worse, a professor), you know that modern scholars aren't allowed to write the way Kenner wrote. More's the pity, too: Joyce's Voices is one of the most illuminating short works of criticism, even by New Critics' standards, which for stylistic agility were remarkably high. As Kenner said, he was almost solely responsible for putting the university at which he worked on the map, and it was that level of nonchalant genius that permeates this work.

Viewed first through a comparison between "objective" or "empirical" treatments of experience by other authors, Kenner shows the ways that Joyce sought to illuminate observed experience through a new means: the lens of style for its own sake. Without resorting to the jargon or jingoism that so commonly pervades academia, Kenner reveals Joyce's talent for pursuing his muse through a panopoly of styles and stylistic gestures that leaves one more capable of understanding, and therefore appreciating, Ulysses than ever before.

Well-written essays, concise, and enlightening. Some of Kenner's points blew my mind--and I've been reading Joyce for 20 years (already). Definitely worth a shot.

Dr. Ward's work adds much needed academic perspective on America's cultural history. This is not a book you can just breeze through, but the payoff is high. Dr. Ward writes with a true passion for the music as well as a subtle wit.

Brian Ward is currently teaching "The Southern Civil Rights Movement" at the University of Florida. As a scholar his knowledge on the civil rights movement is exhaustive. Not only that, Ward knows his music. In Just My Soul responding Ward displays extensive knowledge of black music ranging from fifties R&B and Doo Wop to seventies Funk & Soul. Not surprisingly Ward has written several publications on the relation between mass media and the civil rights struggle.

"Just My Soul Responding" focuses on the relation between the struggle and Black music, and black popular music to be precise. Ward doesn't take Jazz into his analyses by stating that this was music for the intellectual crowd. Ward is more interested in the influence popular music had on the advance of the movement and what it meant for race relations.

The strength of this publication lies in the fact that it's not burdened by a drive to prove cultural imperialism. Some scholars on the subject of black music at times tend to get blinded in their effort to show how the white co operations tried to steal or destroy black music. Although Ward acknowledges such mechanisms, he paints a much more subtle picture. Ward shows us how black and white music influenced each other, that the lines weren't always as sharp as they seemed. Most tellingly is his analysis of Southern Soul, now often seen as the epiphany of black music. Ward dissect Southern Soul and shows how much of it is actually a multi-racial effort. A lot of the music was backed by integrated bands. White musicians brought Country into Soul and vice versa. Ward doesn't take the road of easy analyses but tries to pierce the way segregation worked, and how far it extended. Through the course of the book we get a picture of where the racial lines blurred and where the space of advancement lied.

Ward's publication is interesting reading for those interested in the civil rights movement but also for those just interested in the music as well. The book is littered with amusing anecdotes of Black music's most influential artist. Going though the book it becomes clear that for true appreciation of Black music knowledge of the civil rights movement is essential.

what i dig about this Book is it's honesty.Music along with Sports have brought people of all Races together but when it's over folks go back into their Enviroment.The Music Speaks of Being Free&that's How People Get into Music but not Viewing the person as a Human Being is very sad.this book points that out&more.it's cool to Emulate James Brown, but being him?the business has always been Unequal.the charts have Pop,R-N-B/Rap(now Lumped as one)then Country,etc.....this is a Must Read.I Understood it all&then some.

I found this book informative and readable; a thoroughly documented guide to black music in the 50s, 60s and 70s by someone who is evidently a fan yet who does not allow his passion for the music to lead him into simplification or wishful thinking. Some parts of the book are a very useful corrective to this tendency in other books I have read - for example his treatment of black consumption of white music. He is particularly interesting on the subject of the sexual politics of the music and its relation to the social and political background. An accessible and entertaining book which maintains scholastic rigour throughout and is never guilty of sloppiness or turgidity.

Jae-eui Lee, Kwangju Diary: Beyond Death, Beyond the Darkness of the Age (UCLA, 1999)

How much do you know about modern Korean history? Unless you studied it in school, probably not a great deal. Especially if you're younger than I am; I was alive and old enough to be politically aware during the Kwangju uprising. I don't remember hearing about it on the news at all. Not once. In other words, don't blame yourself for your ignorance. You live in America; your lazy, apathetic media will not educate you. You must do it yourself.

When you do, however, always remember to take everything with a grain of salt. It should be relatively obvious to the average reader of Kwangju Diary that you're not dealing with a fair, objective account of the uprising. (Asking such of the author--who was actually involved in the proceedings, unlike the disinterested-reporter news media--would be far too much.) But still, hearing anything about an event of this magnitude that went all but unreported during its time period (and has been followed up on only sketchily afterwards; the afterword is penned by a journalist who covered the incident, and notes that the New York Times, who gave the incident a great deal [relatively] of coverage as it was happening, has completely ignored follow-ups that strongly implicate the American government in the proceedings). Besides, even allowing for a bit of hyperbole and the emotional state of the author when writing, this is a devastating indictment of the Korean government's actions in Kwangju in May 1980 (and, by implication, an indictment of the American government in May 1980 who allowed it to happen--if only, as the afterword seems to imply, as a sin of omission).

In any case, for those unaware of the incident itself: Kwangju, a city in southwestern Korea, was under martial law, and the citizens didn't like it. It started with student rallies, peaceful demonstrations calling for the end of martial law; it escalated when paratroopers were called in to aid the police in quelling what the government considered riots. Who exactly committed the atrocities is uncertain (though Lee lays the blame for most, if not all, of them at the feet of the paratroopers, which is probably accurate), and the overall death toll is not clear, but it's reasonable to say hundreds of Korean civilians were killed, a number of those tortured beforehand. It's probably not too unreasonable to increase that to "thousands." At one point before the final crackdown, Lee tells of a committee overseeing the tallying of the dead, and the number two thousand is mentioned. The death toll itself, though, is not the true indicator of the depths of depravity here; Lee speaks of shallow graves, some unfilled when the military retreated before it had time to bury the bodies. He speaks of bodies left in basements and alleyways, of bodies too destroyed for there to be any identification (in one particularly ugly scene, Lee relates a story, later backed up by other witnesses, of paratroopers attacking a school bus full of activists, killing all but one high school girl).

All that said, Kwangju Diary is not just a list of atrocities; the other, and more important, part is the days of liberation between the day the rebel militia ousted the paratroopers, police, and government and the final paratrooper crackdown that brought the city to heel. Once again, one has to make allowances for the emotional state of the author at the time, which make the waxing poetic on the utopia brought on by communism (though anarchy, being post-state communism, would be a better description) somewhat excusable. The middle section of the book is a paean to the triumph of the risen oppressed over their oppressors, but in no way does it ever seem to veer off into fantasyland; there are still skirmishes at the borders, impromptu leaders who need to rise and figure out how to ration scarce items like auto fuel, and much planning to be done to try and keep the liberated city from falling back into the hands of a despotic government. There is infighting, there is intrigue, there may even be foreign spies. (Lee discounts the idea that North Korean infiltrators were in the city, but let's face it, government agents did infiltrate the city, and wouldn't the North Koreans have been likely to use civil unrest as a basis for infiltration? Whether the idea that North Korean infiltrators would have been a bad thing or not, from Lee's perspective, is a topic which will remain unaddressed in this review.) A spontaneously-generated communist state born of strife and revolution, Lee wants us to know, has its share of difficulties as well.

Perhaps even more important is Lee's quick, and seemingly unconscious, treatise on how media spin can make even the most sanguine outlook an entirely different beast. Lee repeatedly reports that the media, both Korean and international, refer to the spontaneous demonstrations and victorious uprising as the actions of a mob minority (one wonders how many people actually live in the city, given that the numbers of demonstrators on some days swelled as high as an estimated one hundred fifty thousand). He also stresses that, during the period of liberation, crime in Kwangju was at an all-time low, hardly an indication of mob mentality. Even allowing for the heat of the moment from some of the international journalists, referring to the citizens of Kwangju as a mob is a move calculated to bring the rest of the world's opinions on the citizens of Kwangju to the lowest state possible. Disinterested observers indeed.

This is important stuff. If you don't know about it, you should. *** ½

This detailed, almost moment-by-moment account of the Kwangju rebellion is a fascinating read. A student protest leads to a vicious government crackdown so extreme - using elite paratroop forces against simple protesters - that the people of the city give up their lives and eventually take up arms to take their city back. The introduction provides a capsule history of South Korea, and the afterward an account of the American government's cowardly behavior before, during and after the rebellion. It's a fast read but will leave a lasting impression.

This book leaves the reader forever changed. It tells the story of the Kwangju uprising--one of the most important events in the history of the struggle for freedom in the latter part of the 20th century. Beyond a history of Korea, this book and its story is of utmost importance to all human beings.

This is an important book for anyone interested in Korea, human rights, or political movements. An excellent introduction by Bruce Cumings establishes the context; an equally excellent afterward by Tim Shorrock addresses the incident from the viewpoint of US foreign policy. But it is the diary itself that is truly unforgettable.