Indiana Books

Done Into Dance: Isadora Duncan In America by Ann Daly (Associate Professor of Dance History and Criticism, The University of Texas, Austin) is the exciting story of that legendary American dance icon, Isadora Duncan. Examining Isadora's international fame, as well as her profound and pervasive influence on a rising generation of American women, Done Into Dance links Isadora with the social and historical currents of her era, including her own personal association with feminism, and her racial notion of "Americanness", while striving to answer just what it was about her dancing that captivated so many people. Numerous excerpted sources and black-and-white photographs round out this telling and highly recommended biographical portrait.

I was surprised to find that no one had reviewed Alvin Rosenfeld's _A Double Dying_. Along with seminal works by Lawrence Langer, Sidra Ezrahi, and James Young, this is one of the foundational texts in the study of Holocaust literature.

One of the strong - and interesting - features of Rosenfeld's work is that "literature" includes many genres - memoir, fictive memoir, novels, and poetry. There are close readings of important primary work and a theoretic structure that is clear and convincing. There is particularly evocative discussion of the usefulness of linear narrative versus non-linear poetic forms in conveying the destruction, as well as the fate of genres themselves in the course of retelling.

In my own initial work on survivors' oral recounting, there is probably no text that served me more than this classic by Alvin Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld continues as one of our most important teachers.

Although this book bears the legend `The Rise And Fall Of The KKK In Middle America' it's really the story of the rise and fall of charismatic Grand Dragon David Stephanson and the Klan of Indiana. Of course, that is not a bad thing, because the story is quite fascinating, and as the author deftly points out, still relevant today.
Stephenson, something of a near do well, finds success and almost unlimited power through the newly reborn KKK of the twenties. Although he seemed to have little use for the philosophy that drove the organization he still was able to use it to propel him to a position of prominence similar to political bosses like Tweed or like minded populists like Huey Long. He even dreamed of one day becoming President, and according to some accounts, a strong man in the style of Mussolini.
The Klan of the twenties had little relation to either its predecessors or it's ancestors of today, except for the ceremonies, the hood and the hatred. In fact, they had more in common with Christian right groups like The Moral Majority. The Klan of the twenties, modern sympathizers may want to note, was more concerned with the dangers of papists than of blacks. Indeed, the anti-catholic nature of the Klan was the probably the predominate feature of the organization, and one of the reasons they opposed Democratic President aspirant Al Smith. The other reason of course was `demon rum'. We tend to forget the importance of wets and drys in the era of prohibition, but the KKK of the 20s were as much about moral crusading and nationalism as Catholic bashing. Made up of WASPs of the fundamentalist persuasion, they attempted to impose their moral values on everyone, much like right wingers today, and much like right wing groups today, their leader failed to live up to the diktat's he wished to impose on others.
Stephenson, himself a drunk and slut, fell from grace after causing the demise of a young girl whom he desired. He kidnapped her, he raped her, he bit her viciously and did not bother to get her help when she took poison in response to his amorous attentions. Stephenson's minions mostly abandoned him at this point, except those that denied it ever took place. Indeed, despite his overt threats, even the politicians that he owned were willing to be exposed rather than defend him. One might think that moral crusaders of our own time could learn a lesson from this true-life parable, but that is perhaps asking too much.

This is a very nice book with great pictures and old print ads. It also provides considerable written information on the history and progress of the company and glass making.

I learned a great deal about Carnival glass and my ability to identify specific pieces was greatly enhanced because of this book. Highly recommended, especially for the beginner to Carnival glass.

This is one of those rare books that gives an objective study of the development of halakha (Jewish law) within the context of observant Judaism. Rabbi Gordis discusses the main features of Jewish law, including the primacy of ethical and moral concerns; He discusses revelation in a non-fundamentalist fashion; and shows the creative role of rabbis in their formation of the main codes of Jewish law, the Mishna and Talmud.

He then examines how halakha has developed from Talmudic times to the medieval period, and then shows us Judaism's reaction to the Enlightenment, which produced the modern denominations.

He has several chapters which particularly address the concerns of women in Jewish law, especially marriage, divorce, annulment, and the role women as rabbis and cantors.

For Britons, the first decade of the 20th century was one of great change. Traditional concepts of age, class, and gender faced increasing challenge, and the response ultimately transformed British society. In this book, Paul Thompson analyzes the changes British society underwent during those years. Using hundreds of interviews with people who lived during that era, he seeks to chart the lives people lived during that time, and what those lives can tell us about the evolution of British society during those years.

To achieve this end, Thompson divides his study into four parts. The first covers what he terms the "dimensions of inequality,' considering those elements of age, wealth, and circumstance that defined the lives of men and women during that time. The second section, titled "Edwardians", recounts the lives of a dozen people from across the social stratum, ranging from the wealthy to those mired in poverty. From there he describes the social, economic, and political elements that were changing the lives of the Edwardians, from the suffrage movement to the onset of the First World War. Finally, he concludes with a look at how these transformative forces shaped the lives of the people, from their family dynamics to their quality of life.

Taken together, these elements combine to provide an illuminating portrait of life in Edwardian Britain. Through his judicious combination of interviews and statistics, Thompson provides, a well-rounded examination of the people of the time and the changes they underwent. What makes the book especially worthwhile is his use of the interviews to breathe life into the people, as the individuals he singles out give definition and form to what otherwise could be just an anonymous mass. It is this which has helped to make this path-breaking social history such an enduring work, one that rewards reading for anyone interested in the people of the era.

Indy and his father and mother go to Egypt in 1908 and meet T.E. Lawrence or Lawrence of Arabia. They all go on an expadition and find the tomb of Kah and when the man responsable for guarding the tomb dies, Indy fears the curse of the mummy's tomb has come true. You, dear reader, will be taken on adventure to the Pyramids and you will meat some facinating people along the way.

Its one of the best Mystery story books I ever read. It brings action to life just like in the book says. Its cool in many ways like the tv characters coming to life in the real Eerie. All I got to say is that its one good book.

Man,this is good! I mean better than Goosebumps (which to be perfectly honest I don't think is any good)! Still, though I'd like to talk about how good this is I really hate it when people don't talk about the plots when they review some thing so... well it's basically about these two kids who discover that a new kind of produce is turning people into plants. If you don't read this book you don't know what you're missing!

Philip Silverman, an anthropologist with a PhD from Cornell and a long career in aging and other fields, has organized a book that provides us with a splendid overview of the field. Particularly valuable is his coverage of the comparative study of aging in different cultures, a topic usually neglected. Silverman's research and fact-checking are thorough and his prose uncomplicated. Recommended for home reading or classrooms. A fine job, all around.