Hand Clapping Books

An offbeat, thought-provoking allegory, this made-up story is written concretely, vividly. Its sequel is being penned, I can't wait. . . Robert Stein, Author, BLACK SAMARITAN, VENGEANCE EQUATION

OHC is written by a man who has the integrity and ability to both see and solve for himself some of the mysteries of the mind. William Wythe succeeds in laying bare the soul of a tormented man whose search for the meaning of life leads him through psychiatric treatment, therapy, drugs, alcohol and all the pressures associated with turbulent life in the 60s-70s. The main character, Mauris, persists with his illusion of reality until he realises that reality is no more than illusion. The road to self-knowledge is far from straight and leads to the shock conclusion that, "NOBODY KNOWS REALITY", yet still, a shattered faith in human nature is restored.

With a personal interest in psychology, philosophy and metaphysics, just hearing about this book instantly made it a 'must read' for me. I've seen comparisons and references drawn to such titles as 'Catcher in the Rye' and 'Celestine Prophesy', both of which I have read and enjoyed for different reasons. In my opinion, 'One Hand Clapping' is, at the very least, those two forementioned titles rolled into one... and then some!

This is not a book that you simply sit down and read; this is a book that you experience. You can comprehend the reality of the problems faced by the main character and his continuing, internal struggle with what many perceive as madness. You read this book once and the enormity of it hits you like a bolt of lightning. You read it again, almost judging your own sanity, and then you call a friend to discuss it the way you would a major newsbreaking story.

I was fully aware of the sexual content and the fact that 'One Hand Clapping' is an allegory. I was prepared for the adult theme, but pleasantly surprised that it in no way degraded the book or deflected from the storyline. The sexual content is entirely relevant as it metaphorically conveys the necessary raw emotions called upon by the deeper meaning. OHC should be classed as an adult, modern day parable, not simply a book about sex and confusion. It portrays a general disillusionment in society, yet with a genuine understanding of the muddled lives and confused minds in which many are trapped, tormented by a constant search for 'freedom'. The story resolves around the eventual, grateful realisation and acceptance of the true self. 'The truth will set you free', as has often been said in the past. The cataclysmic, potentially catastrophic freeing of the mind can release you to new heights... Mauris could fly. This book has every perceivable emotion from the morbid lows of depression and self hate to the ecstatic highs of love and true happiness.

William Wythe merits proper recognition for having the foresite and courage to write this story. 'One Hand Clapping' opens up chapters of real life whether we accept it for ourselves or not. I challenge any reader to experience it and deny that there isn't a hint of their own true self hidden in there somewhere, and would highly recommend the title's addition to the reading lists of anyone with an interest in human nature.

Best book of it's kind I have read!

This is a breakthrough novel, inspirational in its scope, breadth and ingenuity. It is astonishing that this is the author's first attempt at the genre: here's hoping for more!

This saga is the tale of a young man growing wise. In it Mauris Wangler is caught in an age of misplaced reality. The late 60, early 70's time period brought out the worst and best in young people. It was a time of enlightenment, rebellion, happiness, sadness, and above all, true soul searching. For those of us who grew up in that era, what we thought we were searching for, to this day, we most likely have not found. The prose in the book is sophisticated and spicy, the characters and their mannerisms well thought out and believable. The Hawaiian setting adds a worldly romance to the plot along with that of the main characters and the mispaced reality that eludes Mauris. Realilty is an individual perception and the story teaches us all that it's our duty to place it where it means the most....in our hearts. Thumbs up, and a 10 rating!

A great read and a must for anyone who remembers those strange and exciting times (and those who don't or can't, for that matter) the late '60's early '70's. I can't wait for his next one.

Sometimes it's so obvious we can't see it. Coming from a Christian background, when I first bought this book, it was impossible to see the simple threads that run all through these stories: patience of the little child awaiting a persimmon, the nun being turned away and then beholding the splendor of nature itself. The stories are simple, easy to read, and deeply profound. The artwork is insightfully accomplished. Most of us have had experiences which parallel the stories, and therein lies the power of this wonderful book!

This book is full of great storys full of wisdom. the best part is that no matter when you read them or what your going through these storys offer insight for everything! amusing and colorful!

I read this book while sitting in a book store one day after not being able to put it down. It is a compilation of simplified tales and fables from the Zen perspective. Though this is a book intended for children I think many adults would appreciate this book to and this would make a great book to read to a child. The tales are very simple yet hold a lot of deep meaning and one could think about them a long time while gleaning new insights. The illustrations are neat too. Over all a very gentle and beautiful book which I would highly recommend. I am getting a copy for my mom for Christmas!

I cannot agree more with the previous reviewer.

This truly is an edifying book for those who want to reach out the vast realm of spirituality, education, and human experience. I have read the Dalai Lama's books and been wondering what kind of education would create a creature of intellect and spiritual with unfathomable wisdom? This book helps me to sneak preview the 'mistery' yet it challenges my own perceptions about rituals and religions, as well as my belief systems. Religious disciplines and devotions are always inspiring, but in this book, they are taken to the next level because they are narrated through a man from the other side of the hemisphere, then in his early 20s, whose soul-searching quest took him to this incredible journey.

Moreover, Georges Dreyfus was raised in the west - French speaking region in Switzerland - which makes his ardent spiritual transformation through the Ge-luk scholastic approach to Buddhism (let me say it) much more prevalent. He has crossed the threshold of west and east in a pious way, many would have thought it is impossible, and yet, when he returns to our mundane world, he can see that there is, for instance, humor in debate practices in monastery scholastic tradition. Unquestionable, not all of us can take the risk of being defeated in a harsh and thought-provoking debate lightly, with humor!

This is not a `how to' book, yet the description of such a strenuous 'memorization tradition' as part of the scholastic curriculum is more than didactic. I am tempted to say that those Monks will score very high in GRE and SAT tests. Yes, this book is not a self-help one, but it is definitely the one that I will take out of the bookshelf every so often.

Georges Dreyfus is a scholar of truly prodigious learning. In this book he reflects on his unique experience studying in various Ge-luk-ba monastic education centers in the Tibetan exile community in India, particularly at Drepung Loseling and the Institute of Dialectics. Dreyfus displays his great erudition in a fashion that is illuminating and not pedantic.

Most of the book is occupied with a historical and philosophical analysis of the Ge-luk scholastic approach to Buddhism. In particular, he focuses on two tensions within Ge-luk-ba. The first is the tension between exegesis and debate. The second is the tension between doctrinal allegiance to canonical texts and free and open inquiry into ideas. The picture of Ge-luk-ba scholasticism that emerges from Dreyfus' careful analysis of these twin tensions is a conservative institution that produces brilliant, and sometimes daring, thinkers.

This work is extremely valuable to scholars and dedicated practitioners alike, because it provides a unique insider's view of Tibetan Buddhist monastic education. Dreyfus is not only well steeped in the tradition he analyzes; he also maintains his scholarly rigor and critical acumen.

Dreyfus explains many practical aspects of Tibetan Buddhism that are not frequently discussed in Western scholarship. For example, I found it very illuminating to learn that, for scholars, Lam Rim texts and the related "Grounds and Paths" Prajnaparamita literature are not typically treated as literal, programmatic instructions on meditation courses. Rather, they are regarded as presenting systematic, overarching depictions of the Buddhist philosophical universe. This book is filled with important observations of this type.

If there is a weakness to this book (other than its rather unfortunate title), it is admittedly one-sided in its sphere of interest. It struck me as highly significant that the word "compassion" scarcely appears in this book. I believe it can be read in part as an apology for a style of monastic engagement, which places an enormous emphasis on study and debate, while not formally encouraging meditative praxis. This book focuses on the development of prajna on the basis of study and reflection, but strongly underemphasizes the soteriological aspect of Buddhism.

Of course, it is the author's prerogative to focus on their area of interest, and Dreyfus has done so with a magisterial understanding of the issues in question, carefully honed by decades of research.

A wonderful book.

WHEN an ordinary Joe from a used car mart parleys his photographic brain into a couple of hundred thousand dollars, the fun begins. When ordinary Joe (Howard, really) and his ordinary Janet visit the expensive, exclusive playgrounds of the world, the fun continues.

But when the root of all evil begins to sprout leaves and flowers -- watch out! As Burgess fans already know, behind the smile of the tiger, the jaws bit deep!

From the inside front page...

"The best first thing to do, when you've got a dead body and it's your husband's on the kitchen floor and you don't know what to do about it, is to make yourself a good strong cup of tea. So I put the kettle on and got the tea-things down from the shelf, having to step around Howard to do it. I made myself a really strong pot of tea and I opened a tin of evaporated milk to have with it, more like cream than milk. I don't know why I wanted that instead of milk, normally we just had it with tinned fruit salad, but I felt that I deserved a special cup of tea somehow. Then I sat down in the living-room, sipping this tea and wondering what was best to do. I should really get dressed and go for the police..."

One Hand Clapping is an intimate, thoughtful, and occasionally inspiring collection of verse drawn from the greatest works of Gerda Hoover. I Sold Your Car!: I sold your car!/Now there's another empty space/where you used yo fit in my life.//In the garage my car stands alone,/her nightly companion is gone--/My car does not feel my loss, my pain/it responds to my control/in sunshine and rain--/Lucky car!//Sometimes you sat beside me,/now I drive alone/you, My beloved, are gone--/yet my heart remembers happiness,/embraces, bliss,/your smile, your kiss/with such intensity/as though all were still reality./Lucky me!

This slender work is actually mainstream (for Vassi anyway) and deals with a hetero couple who want to recharge their relationship. One is focused on Zen meditation; the other is focused on her acting; they go to a summer retreat to try to deal with these issues and rediscover passion. A brooding/psychological novel full of uncharacteristic restraint, I compare it to Alberto Moravia's masterpiece, Contempt.

I've been writing a critical study of Marco Vassi's works and have come to the conclusions that his novels don't equal the quality of his short stories (which tended to have more focus and more emphasis on aesthetics than on plottedness and erotic philosophies). Many of his novels (however talkative and lyrical and engaging) don't seem to go anywhere. However, this one is tightly focused and ultimately one of the most satisfying. It's more about Zen spirituality than eros, but Vassi fans will discern the usual themes here as well.

For another Vassi work with similar themes, see Sensual Mirror.

My mother used to sing the rhyme to me, and now I sing the book to my 17 month old daughter. We read it over and over and over. She loves the bright pictures and the repetition of the words. She can't quite say all the sounds, but she asks for "Mary MackMackMack" again and again.

My daughter can not get enough of this book! She loves all of the repetiton and pictures!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter is in love with this hillarous illustrated book. We checked it out from the library and it has become her favorite. We read it two times before nap and again two times before bed. I even catch her reading to herself!I also like it because at the end of the book there are questions and ideas that focus on different areas such as rhyming. I know we will be purchasing this book before we have to take it back to the library.

I wanted to like this one. I really did. My son loves hand clap games and board books so it seemed like a natural fit. He just seemed to hate the repetition in this one. The sounds/words/rhythm are the same page in and page out and by page 5, he was acting like he does when I try to read a book to him a second time to avoid getting up to get another. (He's seen it before and he knows it.)

My 2 1/2 year old twin boys always ask for "Mary Mack" before they go to bed. Although the story is outlandish, the words are catchy, and the tune is great. The illustrations are equally odd, and I don't think the kids learn much for the book, but they continue to want to hear/read it. I sing and the three of us clap to the music and wiggle our fingers in the air between pages. We have the board book edition so it is also durable. I only wish the book came with a CD or tape of the song to help us sing.

This is a sad story of the Buloh family, new arrivals to Australia.
It is told by Sonja, whose mother leaves her when she is three years old to be raised by her father, a drunken and abusive man.
This book tells of life in Australia from the 1950's from the perspective of a new immigrant, and how high hopes can be dashed with unfortunate realities.

It is hard to imagine a more beautifully written novel than this one. Any simple description of the plot is likely to sound very bleak. After all, a story of an abusive father-daughter relationship hardly seems promising as an uplifting tale about the human condition. But the remarkable thing about this novel is that a thoughtful reader does not loathe Bojan, and in the end, the novel speaks to the healing powers of love. You see that he and Sonja are wounded creatures who need each other but do not know how to find one another. The novel's resolution is artful and moving. This is a book to savor.

This book is depressing. But what's worse, it strives to be oh so politically correct. I'll think twice before I read another book by this author, who seems to be trying to wring the accolades from award-givers by writing on a topic that's supposedly popular and frontline - the subject of migrants and the pain they apparently suffer in their new homelands. Oh, please.
To give it its due, though, it is well-written. I just found it pretentious and painful.

Bojan Buloh isn't a cheery bloke. A "reffo wog" [immigrant from Southern Europe] in Tasmania, he lives a disenchanted life. His taxing job is meaningless, his quarters squalid, his friends and co-workers equally hopeless. His wife, Maria, has disappeared into a blizzard, leaving him with three-year-old Sonja.

Bojan's grief at the loss of Maria is compounded by memories of his early years. As a young Yugoslav partisan messenger, he witnessed war in all its viciousness. These aren't the fond childhood recollections of most of us. In Tasmania, he confronts the realities of immigrant life - exploitation, scornful neighbours, reduced status and few opportunities. A lesser man might cave in under such pressures, but Bojan is a tough bloke. Being tough, however, makes him neither happy nor successful. He survives with the help of the bottle, all the while expressing his resentment at the vagaries of his life. Some of that resentment falls, as it must, on Sonja. She represents the missing Maria.

Maria Bull's fading into a snowy Tasmanian night triggered dark guilt in Sonja - which she carries through her life. Their shared grief doesn't bring Sonja and Bojan closer. His drinking and violence only compounds Song's sense of detachment. She withdraws, although the spark of affection for Bojan never quite expires. Fleeing to Sydney, Sonja tries to shed the past, living the present intensely. Her grief is little assuaged as she uses a succession of men to compensate for, in effect, the loss of both parents. The ember of regard for Bojan dims feelings she might hold for another man. Cruel, drunken, cynical as he is, Bojan remains the one solid aspect of her life. It is to this lodestone she returns at last, in an attempt to take charge of her life. If "it is written," she determines at last to do her own writing.

Reviewing Flanagan inevitably evokes the tired clichés - "powerful" or "intense." While both terms apply, neither sufficiently addresses the quality of Flanagan's writing. One phrase, rarely applied to today's writers is "clarity." Although the story of Sonja and Bojan Buloh is told through broken chronology, Flanagan is able to hold the reader's attention throughout the tale. Skipping from present to past in a narrative is too often a distraction, but Flanagan manages the feat with unusal precision. Given the depth of feeling presented, he deserves high praise for his accomplishment. His story disturbs, sometimes repels, the reader, but the tale is never false nor the events contrived. His writing contains no cliches, nor is it tired. Only the reviewer is guilty of those sins.

The reviewer below who recommends that this novel not be read lightly or quickly has hit the nail right on the head. It's not so much that the subject matter is hard to grasp -- it's the fact that the author's well-crafted images, and the portrayal of the deep emotions experienced by the characters demand the reader's full attention. This is not something to be read lightly.

The novel is set in Tasmania, and centers around a young woman named Sonja Buloh, focusing on three periods of her life -- as a very young child living in the company of both her parents; as a slightly older child living with her father, after her mother walks out on them both during a fierce snowstorm; and as an adult, returned to Tasmania from Sydney, pregnant and filled with questions about her relationship with her difficult father, Bojan Buloh, an immigrant from Slovenia.

Much of the difficulty in their relationship stems from the intense pain and suffering experienced and witnessed by her father (and her mother, Maria) in their homeland, Slovenia, during World War II. The atrocities they have witnessed have scarred their psyches forever, like white-hot wires laid across their memories. Maria basically shuts down at long last, giving up on the dreams she has entertained about a 'new life' in Australia, seeing her husband slaving away on a hydro dam project -- work that seems to be reserved for 'wogs' like themselves.

Bojan has no idea of how to deal with the pain inside him. He feels inadequately eqipped to speak of it -- words mystify and then anger him in his inability to weild them to his satisfaction. After his wife disappears, he attempts to care for his young daughter as best as his abilities, finances and emotions will allow -- but his frustrations with his 'new land', his backbreaking work, and the horrors he has witnessed drive him to find a way to bury them all. He finds a way to do this by drinking himself into a stupor as often as he is able -- and when he gets drunk, the anger and pain find their way to little Sonja, who suffers terrible beatings at his hands. She resolves that when she can, she will leave and never return.

Sonja herself finds little to satisfy her emotionally in Sydney, where she settles as an adult. She has a relatively good job, working in a TV studio -- nothing glamorous, but steady -- but she feels that her life is empty, without direction. She returns to Tasmania, to visit her childhood home -- and Bojan, her 'artie' (in the old tongue) -- in an attempt to find herself, to answer some deep questions about her life.

The novel is mesmerizing, taking the reader on a journey both by Sonja and Bojan -- told in the present tense as well as in a series of flashback chapters, filling in the gaps, letting us in on the story of their lives, the whys and wherefores, the pain, and even a little joy. Working through their old memories and old issues -- and the disappearance of Maria, Sonja's mother -- is a painful process for them. Sonja almost gives up, then, almost on a whim -- or perhaps by instinct -- she decides to keep the baby she had previously decided to abort, and to stay in Tasmania.

The journey through all of this pain is a hard one to watch -- and it is a life-changing one for both Sonja and Bojan -- but it is a beautiful one, and inspiring. On p.358, it occurs to Sonja that perhaps she has misunderstood the concept of lost innocence: 'There was about Bojan Buloh that strange evening something that approached the most curious innocence. As if innocence, thought Sonja, were not something one had before it was lost, a natural state into which one was born before life sullied it forever, but rather something that could only be arrived at after one had journeyed through all the evil life could manifest. He was lost and condemned to loss, he was damned and lived with the damned, but somehow, somehow because of what he had lived through he had acquired an innocence.'

Finding innocence at the end of a road built almost exclusively on pain -- this is a blessing to discover.

This book is entertaining and well-written -- and well worth the time it deserves to experience fully.

as compared to the whole new language invented for Clockwork Orange but a decent effort that English readers would indentify with more than Americans and what was the horse racing system?

Not his best work. A journal of sudden wealth, told first-person by an uneducated English housewife. I found it predictable, and the narrator's voice, funny at first, grew tiresome well before the end. If you've the desire for a good first-person book, read 'A Long Way Down' by Nick Hornby instead.

From the very beginning this book has wit, well defined characterizations and a fine sense of place and atmosphere.
As the story moves along you are taken into the world of the character's loves, hates and desires which ultimately underscores the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for" in a wonderfully delicious black comedy the British seem to do better than most. One is tempted to read it through in one setting because it is hard to wait to find out what will happen next.

I can't disagree more with something12_2@hotmail.com. *One Hand Clapping* is a terrific book, funny, profound, and memorable. Although I read it several years ago, I think about quite a lot -- and remember quite vidily the pleasure I had reading it. I highly recommend it to both Burgess fans and those who have never read him, or think he just wrote *Clockwork Orange.* It's good to see *One Hand Clapping* is still in print.

One Hand Clapping is a short, bitterly humorous look at a British working-class couple who strive to win a fortune on a TV quiz show, then spend their fortune in a rather peculiar fashion. Although Once Hand Clapping was written in the early 1960s it's satiric message still rings true. I loved it.

However this novel is not for everyone. Firstly, the book has a very British feel about it. Much of the wording is not used in America, and is even distinctly old-fashioned here in England. But otherwise One Hand Clapping is an excellent introduction to the brilliant world of Anthony Burgess.

Toby Young is still starstruck. Following on from his ill fated adventures at society gloss mag, Vanity Fair in Manhattan, chronicled in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (the movie based on that coming out later this year), Toby returns to London with aspirations to make it as a screenwriter.

Unfortunately for Toby, he lacks either the talent or the dedication to achieve genuine success. On the cusp of fatherhood, he muses greatly on the 'pram in the hall' theory of literature, how his family commitments will deny him the time to write, even though he has no great literary ideas anyway - the sure fire symptoms of a wannabe writer who sure as hell ain't gonna make it. Toby sort of knows this, and compensates by being a brat in the media establishment with a hysterical penchant for getting people's backs up and saying the wrong thing.

In this volume, Toby is older and wiser, and his voice in self deprecating status anxiety hits a nice tone (some great riffs, such as when his wife drags him away by the ear from a mid air champagne rendezvous with Gordon Ramsay) . The only trouble is - now that he is so good at it, can he really continue to parlay this brand of loser lit and not make it seem affected?

He is truly mingling with the high life now, with movie on the way. As Boris Johnson (one of the many media luminaries portrayed in this book) said, when removing his 'no life' Spectator column, the jig on that is well and truly up.

While not quite at the level of "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times while reading this one. However, I must say I was almost disappointed to see Toby becoming somewhat more of a nice guy towards the end!

Boring, not as good as the first one. Would make you think the first one was a bore too. Sorry Toby.

After reading first book, "how to Lose friends ..." Disappointed with second book from Toby Young. thru out book references to "my First" book. and what was humorous in his first becomes annoying in the second.

We learn in this witty self-deprecating memoir that it is vulgar and uncool to say "the Industry" when referring to Hollywood films; we must say "the Business." This is one of many funny lessons Toby Young learns when, minding his own business in London, he gets a strange call from a mysterious unnamed Hollywood producer who, having read Toby Young's first book How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, wants Young to write a screenplay about an obscure entertainment figure. Enticed at the prospect of making millions in Hollywood, Young disgruntles his new wife with his chimera quest. The book alternates between Young's Hollywood fiascos and his marital tumult, including the birth of of his first child. The most priceless moments are his correspondences with his friend, the Hollywood writer Rob Young, who teaches him, among other things, how to take a Business Lunch and the "vast repertoire of hand gestures" needed for equals, higher ups, and super bigwigs. These funny moments are part of Young's growing-up process as he becomes disenchanted with the Hollywood Beast. This has the same self-deprecating humor as his first book. For another memoir of disenchantment, check out The Working Stiff's Manifesto by Iaian Levison.