Minnesota Books

Another Corcoran O'Connor book that I enjoyed. Same good character development and relationships between characters. There was a stronger element of looking at faith in this book, an interesting change.

More than the other books I've read by this fine author, "Blood Hollow" is deep, nuanced and bold. The author takes the death of a girl in the Boundary Waters country of Minnesota and weaves a compelling story of intrigue and suspense. The characters are well-drawn and the plot moves steadily forward without resorting to plot devices that strain credulity. Krueger treats the intermingling cultures of the Ojibwe and the western inhabitants of the area with skill and respect, and in this book, he handily employs the religions of the two groups. Religion plays an important role in this book. With this book I believe that Krueger places himself among the best mystery writers of the day, and I eagerly look forward to reading more of his Cork O'Connor books.

William Kent Krueger won me over with this Cork O'Connor mystery. The narrative style is deceptively calm, almost peaceful, until the reader suddenly finds herself embroiled in the conflicts of Aurora, Minnesota, and it becomes imperative that she, along with Cork, find out who is committing murder. I did figure out the killer earlier than I wanted to, but I enjoyed the story so much this wasn't a deal breaker for me.

Highly Recommended.

I've read Blood Hollow twice and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. You can always count on Krueger giving you a book that is multi-layered, you'll experience the settings and the weather, come to love Cork O'Connor and his family, and be mystified while trying to figure out who the real bad guy is--something that I couldn't though I'm usually able to when reading a mystery. I also love the Native American mysticism that is woven into each of the Cork O'Conner novels. Blood Hollow will keep you reading.

Marilyn Meredith

Krueger is a wonderful writer. The first two chapters paint a vivid, intense picture, and really got me excited about my first reading of this author. And the writing holds up throughout. I can't say the same of the mystery, and certainly not of the suspense. The mystery is captivating when it gets started, and maybe it is enough to carry the book, but if so, the story needed more suspense to make me care more. Like another reviewer here, I was left dissatisfied by the resolution.

I think you will interpret the overt spirituality in the novel in light of your personal thoughts--I didn't care for it, mainly because its importance to the story is negligible, and I felt too much like it was an author offering his views. I suspect some readers will enjoy that aspect more than I did.

In the end I'm giving the novel four stars, mostly because he is a strong writer. I don't see this novel being an award winner, but I think the writer is certainly capable of writing award winning novels. I will read another of his novels soon, hoping to find a better mystery.

Another Corcoran O'Connor book and a very good one. The number of characters seemed a little more manageable in this one, in terms of allowing them each to be developed. I liked the strength brought out in women and children in Purgatory Ridge. I also liked some of the twists in the book that I really didn't see coming.

I was very pleased with my products. They both were in excellent condition and arrived promptly. Thanks for the great service.

"Purgatory Ridge" is one of those books that grabs you at the outset and doesn't let go till the end. And you won't be disappointed. Krueger writes a gripping novel, set along Minnesota's rugged shores of Lake Superior. Not only will you get a sound reading of the local environment, you'll also learn a lot about the modern Indian culture of the region. Krueger's characters are vividly drawn and he doesn't allow for too much nuance. The good guys are very good; the bad, very bad. The plot has a lot of twists and surprises, especially at the end. And for the most part, Krueger eschews serendipitous coincidences to move his plot forward. This is my first Krueger book and I found it surprisingly engaging and compelling.

The book did hold my interest most of the way through; it definitely was a fast-moving story. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the setting and the characters. It started out to be a pretty good mystery, but didn't deliver in the end, and here's where I differ from previous reviewers. The blurbs describe the book as full of plot twists and surprise endings. I didn't find this to be true. I figured out fairly early on what Bridger was up to, and it didn't take a genius to guess who his secret accomplice was. So much for surprise endings. In addition, I found the dialogue to be clunky and awkward at times; AND, I wonder, does anyone proof the book drafts before they go to print? Does the author get to see a proof of his book cover synopsis? I wonder because on the back of this book it says, "When an explosion kills the NIGHT WATCHMAN at wealthy industrialist Karl Lindstrom's nearby lumber mill..." As anyone who has actually read this book knows, it was NOT the night watchman who was killed, but another individual. Just another example of shoddy editing...

I read Purgatory Ridge and Boundary Waters over the weekend. I won't rehash the plots as other readers here have already done a great job of that. Just want to add my highest praise for this author. I can't think of one negative thing to say. The characters are human and realistic and the description of the surounding area is captivating. But most importantly, WKK's mysteries are also great stories.

Well written, certainly, but this is identity literature: if you want to step inside the world of an aging homosexual lecturer, grim, drinking, depressed, at a mediocre college, with an occasional crush on some of his students, this may be a suitable book. It is richly furnished with all the details, sensitivities and grumblings. I did find it excessively preoccupied with itself and that particular perspective. It is an account of a peculiar solitariness, with a few good moments. If you are trying to read something within this distinct genre -- perhaps only for a change of perspective -- this book may be worthwhile. But expect that you may not be swept off your feet if you cannot empathize sufficiently.

Deceptively simple, this classic of gay literature from 1964 is a funny, sad, smart, political, and strangely prophetic read. A dynamic character study and day-in-the-life novel of cantankerous George, a 58 year-old gay widower and literature professor living, lusting, and loathing in California. The book engagingly explores the various roles he plays and displays to the world and hints at the reality of the role we all play as human beings. A SINGLE MAN is utterly fascinating, full of intriguing observations, poignant, and just as deep as you want it to be. It's a true work of genius.

This short novel follows one day in the life of George, a 58-year-old English professor at San Tomas State College in Los Angeles, CA. From the moment he wakes up and shuffles to the bathroom, we are immediately thrust into his perception of life both as a gay man in the 1960s, and without his partner Jim who died in a car accident. His views are based upon both of these events, sometimes viewing the world as a big, happy joke, and other times as a very hostile place.

It's a great character study into something I think we don't read about too often: the life of a gay man in his fifties. Too often, gay books deal with men in their twenties and thirties, and if someone older than that appears, he's a caricature or stereotype of the dirty old man. George is very human and is presented in a very realistic manner.

Beautifully written. Definitely worth reading.

I dunno why this one just isn't one of my favorites. I think the writing was gorgeous, the characters were fabulous, and the story was good enough to keep me hooked. And I realize that the point of the book is to be rather mundane and maybe alittle melancholy (?) but it wasn't something I particularly enjoyed reading. It seemed like instead of focusing on some kind of story or plot it was focusing on ridiculous details. Plus there's nothing particularly deep about it. I was left at the end like, "Oh, ok . . ."

But if you're into that kind of book then go for it, honey!

Because of "Cabaret," Christopher Isherwood is mostly remembered for his "Berlin Stories" and its inimitable Sally Bowles. But "A Single Man" is, I think, far and away his masterpiece--a Southern Californian counterpoint to "Ulysses" and (especially) "Mrs. Dalloway." But, if you're intimidated by stream-of-consciousness prose, don't let the references to Joyce and Woolf put you off; this novel is nearly a breezy Malibu beach read by comparison.

Isherwood details twenty-four hours in the life of an aging college professor who had lost his younger lover the previous year. "Waking up begins with saying 'am' and 'now,'" opens the first chapter, which describes the emerging corporal awareness of this initially anonymous id and which closes with the line, "It knows its name. It is called George."

The novel sticks to the mind of its protagonist as he embarks on his daily rituals: preparing for a class he must teach (Huxley's "After Many a Summer" is the subject and the students' apathetic ignorance provides much of this section's mirth); lunching with his colleagues; visiting a dying friend in the hospital; going to the gym and flirting with its teenaged patrons.

His routine begins to leave its expected track when he meets an old friend for dinner and they get uproariously drunk. Afterwards, he intends to head home but, "How to explain, then, that, with his foot actually on the bridge over the creek, George suddenly turns, chuckles to himself, and with the movement of a child wriggling free of a grownup," he heads to the local "nonconformist" dive--and runs into one of his students.

Like Clarissa Dalloway readying for a party, George lives a lonely, lackluster existence occupied with petty details, inconsequential annoyances, and unanticipated pleasures. But Isherwood instills every sentence with beauty, every character with immediate empathy, and every encounter with so much tension that "A Single Man" is, indeed, Everyman. The unique particulars of George's declining years may not be familiar to many of us, but the struggle between hopefulness and disenchantment is.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU'RE SELF TEACHING!

This is book is required for my general chemistry for science majors class. What a terrible book, I hope that there is a better chemistry text out there.

My first complaint is the large number of mistakes I've found in the book, usually a missing division sign or unit. Without searching I've found at least five in the two months I've been using this book. This is a fourth edition, for the price of the book and this many reprintings I expect a better editing job.

Secondly it is written from the stance that the reader has a science background and often I find myself puzzling over a single problem for up to an hour trying to figure out how the author arrived at the conclusion (And I have a science background). The writers make too many assumptions when writing out an example problem and don't adequately explain their reasoning. Each concept has two example problems, the first has the solution written out. IF you want to know the solution for the other "example" you're going to have to buy the solutions manual for an additional $65.

Third, the solutions manual has mistakes as well, even comparing the answer from the back of the text to the solutions manual the authors are not consistent.

There are not very many simple problems to drill a student with a concept, the authors approach is the exact opposite. Assume the reader "gets it" after a single example problem and then at the end of the chapter increase the difficulty level of the problem ten fold. The problems are good if you want a challenge and want to develop problem solving abilities, but are useless for developing the fundamental concepts that the book is supposed to teach.

I would recommend the Silberberg text to someone who wants a refresher, but if you're new to chemistry, avoid at all costs!

along with chemistry the central science by brown, this is a great book. i think using both books in tandem is well worth it.

It is a very good text book and it was cheaper than the bookstores at the university.

Although this book essentially starts from scratch, I'd recommend it to people who have already had high school chemistry. If you haven't had that, you should still do okay, but you may have to spend some extra time and effort since some of the most basic concepts are only skimmed over. They spend much more time on the material that you probably didn't cover in depth in high school chemistry.

First off, I would say that the book's content is excellent. It is an introductory (sort of) textbook, but it covers most of its topics in plenty of depth (at least as much as you would expect from an introductory general chemistry textbook). Also, the book does a great job at explaining the material in a clear fashion and it provides tons of illustrations. It is a very visual text and the author is obviously aware of the fact that visualizing chemical structures is extremely useful in understanding many of the concepts. This is especially useful in the section on covalent bonding.

The book also provides tons of useful exercises at the end of each chapter. The exercises range from very easy to fairly challenging, but they never seem too frustrating. Generally, I'd say that the exercises leaned more towards "easy" and are mostly just straight-forward applications of the material. Note: If you're having trouble, check out the ChemSkill Builder site. The exercises help a lot and it gives you useful feedback.

Whether it's for a class or for self-study, I would pick this book over any other.

This book is in very good shape. It is a paper back version but the contents are exactly the same as a hardback version. The pages and chapters are the same. The cover of the book has slightly curled edges due to it being used. Other than that, the book is in good condition.

My daughter ordered and read this book then referred it to me. Boy am I glad she did. The writing is really good. Susan grabs you at the very beginning of the book and doesn't let you go! I loved how she peeled back Joe and Mona's layers in honest portrayals of two people who have been hurt, yet willing to expose themselves one last time. The ending is really good whether your are a Christian or not. I am eagerly looking forward to purchasing and reading many more of Susan's books.

The cover of this book appealed to me immediately - books and coffee - and it was incredibly colorful and cute. The story beneath the cover was just as clever and colorful and appealing - in fact, it was as if Susan May Warren looked into my heart and put my wildest dreams on paper! She is such a creative, funny author who has a knack for presenting spiritually valuable life lessons in an understanding way.

Mona is madly in love with Jonah! Unfortunately, Jonah is the fictional hero of her favorite author's successful book series. When Mona begins to realize her dream of owning a book store in the sleepy little town of Deep Haven, she hires a handyman who begins to take Jonah's place in her heart. Upon his arrival, costly "accidents" begin to happen and Mona's dreams are nearly crushed. Is her handyman trying to sabotage her? Or has she met the real love of her life?

Happily Ever After is a sweet story with beautiful characters. It is some of the best hours you will spend in a book.

I just finished this book, and I have to say it is one of the best love stories I've read in some time. I love reading Christian romance stories, so when I found this new series by Susan May Warren, I was thrilled. The book is about Mona, a woman who has a dream of opening a bookstore/coffeeshop in an old Victorian house that is in need of many repairs. Enter Joe, a rugged, handsome, and charming handyman who can make Mona's dream a reality. The trouble is, Joe has secrets, secrets he has worked hard to keep Mona from finding out. Mona has a few secrets of her own, and as the story goes along both Mona and Joe struggle with those secrets, and the distance it puts between them. You'll cry with Joe as he learns about forgiveness, you'll cry with Mona has she's put through one trial after another, and finally, you'll laugh and rejoice with both as they finally find themselves in each other's arms!

I picked up this book expecting great things but found the premise totally unbelievable and it bugged me right to the end. How many dedicated fans are there who don't look at the back of the book, see the author's picture and memorize whatever details they can find? This woman, a bookstore owner, no less, doesn't even recognize a superstar author when he walks into her?

Sorry but I couldn't get past the inconsistencies.

Great. Great. Great. Great. There were so many elements in this book that I never expected. Romance, mystery, intrigue, Down Syndrome. Seriously. And it came together with such grace that I wanted to move to Deep Haven. Amazing book.

Well, any book that requires you to know a lot can be accused of being pretentious. This book expects the reader to have a passing knowledge of Latin American geography, botany, zoology, religion, some classical music, some 20th century world history, some vocabulary.... well, it just expects you to be a literate reader. You know, the kind of person that would read The New Yorker instead of Seventeen.

This, to me, is the most fascinating thing about "Pasos Perdidos/The Lost Steps," in that it challenges the reader to apply everything that he or she might have learned along the way in life, and get a thrill from doing so.

Carpentier is one of the neobaroque writers who explore how the Latin American landscape and political culture contribute an entire new aesthetic to the world heritage, taking certain elements from the Spanish baroque but hybridizing it in a new climate, with new indigenous elements to form a completely new style of baroque culture. The moment, for example, that the narrator begins composing his original score, is the moment that he emerges from the Roman Catholic Mass in which he has been baptized (previously he was a cultural Lutheran), and gazes upon the liana vines hanging from the trees, and remembers strains of a Palestrina counterpoint. This fusion of American landscape, Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation ideology of incarnation and European aesthetic heritage is what (in)forms the American Baroque for Carpentier.

Yeah, I love a good excuse to be "pretentious" myself, now and then. Thanks for the opportunity! :D

This great adventure novel was first published in 1953 and many of the scenes in this book seem prototypes for others I've come across in Latin American fiction. It is a story of a modern, educated, well traveled man, fleeing from the horrors of Europe leading up to WWII, to the Americas, who is then transposed into a world where the people still live in the stone age, a hidden city in the jungle and a bubble in time.

Our hero & narrator dreamed when young of becoming a great musician, but has long since sold himself out just for the sake of earning a living. He rarely sees his wife, an actress, because they both have busy schedules that seldom coincide. One day a fated encounter with a museum curator he knew in his youth leads him to a mission into the jungle to find and bring back the most primitive of musical instruments and to gain anthropological insights on the origins of music. The musician, who begins the trip with his mistress, ends up on his own cut off from civilization. In the jungle he at last able to find an inner peace and happiness, he finds a new woman, regains his health & vigor and at last is able to release the musical score he has always known was inside him. By the time his wife has a plane sent in as a publicity stunt to rescue him, he does not want to return.

This novel is deeply philosophical, in the end our musician can no longer find a place in either world, and the message is we can't go back, also theories about early humans which have been arrived at only by studying archaeological artifacts can only be flawed, to quote "New worlds had to be lived before they could be analyzed".

I've read thousands of novels that I cannot remember clearly, and this is one that has stayed with me for more than 20 years. I have thought of it repeatedly the last few months while walking in the woods and observing how the trails change with the seasons (a crucial part of the plot) and thinking about what life would be like if we were cut off from civilization the way the main character in this book is. The theme of this book is as beautifully executed as a classic opera and is especially meaningful if you are a music lover. I'm delighted to know that the book is still in print so that I can easily reread it and give it as a gift to people important to me.

This book reminded me lots of Malcolm Lowry's "Under the Volcano". In both books the self-destructive main character sort of moves from fascinating episode to episode, while the overall plots are seemingly not that relevant. In both books, these episodes take place in exotic, vividly described Latin locales. Also, in both books, there is bunches of deep philosophizing and erudition, which don?t make for the easiest reading around.

All in all, I enjoyed "Lost Steps" as I enjoyed "Under the Volcano". Somehow I feel Lowry?s work is the greater. Perhaps the autobiographical tint in "Lost Steps" contributes to somewhat mundane finale. And some of the moments of philosopy do get grating. But this is still very good stuff, and I do recommend it for those inclined towards very serious fiction.

I first heard of,'Lost Steps' about the time of its author's death in 1980 and ticked it off for a future reading that has waited more than two and a half decades. It's a big prize winner, carrying cult status. But these attributes notwithstanding, I found it too ponderous to raise an hurrah.Latin American 'magic realsim', I suggest, was more of a novelty when,'Lost Steps' made its mark. Jaded bougeoise seeks to revamp his creative energies in Amazonian jungle by contact with 'primitive' indians, their instruments and culture. Within the text the narrator flags that this surrealist motive had wearied during its halcyon days of the 20s and 30s. More than once Rene Daumal's,'Mt Analogue' sprang to mind with similar 'deep' pronoucements and promises of and from an enchanted world. One could say the piling of metaphor upon metaphor entirely expresses the fecudity of tropical forests or the baroque tendencies of an angst-ridden, fatigued intellectual. But why don't these similar excesses beleaguer Cormac McCarthy's great,'Blood Meridian'? Is it that McCarthy's sensibilities are closer to ours and that for all his biblical portent, he is more open to the aesthetic and moral disorder that we inhabit? Carpentier refuses to drop his moral superiority during brilliant reveries of geology, birds, music, and whatever. And he doesn't like 'back there' in the city. For me, the battle wasn't with the musical erudition but the canopy of hyperbole that shaded too much of the ground life. The action was sluggish, and the presumtions that the reader might be enlightened by strings of proper nouns that lack explanatory power, a trifle too demanding. Perhaps the narrator's prayer for a poetry of the city equal to that of an Amazonian snail shell was answered within a few years by Bobby Rauschenberg's art. He ferreted stuff from New York's gutters and junkshops to make a gregarious art that would stupify Carpentier's stuffy, opinionated narrator and render those earlier Surrealists' excursions into the second hand as so much preciousness.

The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (Theory and History of Literature, Volume 10) With this essay Lyotard introduced the notion of 'postmodern'in philosophy. An easy readable introduction.

Lyotard begins what has come to be regarded as the signal epistemic statement of Post-Modernity (post 8/6/45) with these words: "Our working hypothesis is that the status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postindustrial age and cultures enter what is known as the postmodern age. This transition has been under way since at least the end of the 1950s..."

How has the status of knowledge altered? It has become, continuing the assertions of Adorno, Horkheimer, Luckacs and others, "commoditized". The attainment of knowledge, in our desperate moment, is no longer ever regarded primarily as an end in itself, a process, as well as a product, but rather, as a defeasable means to an end. And whose end? Of course, there are contextual variations on this theme. We are essentially curious. But even when questions of ontology and semantics are answered -those answers have taken on an air of pragmatic disenchantment.

While Lyotard's philosophic standpoint owes much to his reading of the seminal, Dialectic of Enlightenment, a work really prerequisite to this one, and the Frankfort School in general, he transcends commentary. He takes his theories into the real world. In a world where information is power, and egoist, corporatized, technocratic totalitarian social forms dominate - in the struggle for the all important tech edge, scientific information, esp military related scientic information - is the pearl of great price. The great ethical issue thus becomes its legitimization, or examination of the truth conditions which engender our valuations of it.

I could not enter this review without citing, what has to be among the most remarkable passsages. Please note that this work was published in early 1974:

"Already in the last few decades, economic powers have reached the point of imperilling the stability of the state through new forms of the circulation of capital that go by the generic name of multi-national corporations. These new forms of circulation imply that investment decisions have, at least in part, passed beyond the control of the nation-states." The question threatens to become even more thorny with the development of computer technology and telematics. Suppose, for example, that a firm such as IBM is authorised to occupy a belt in the earth's orbital field and launch communications satellites or satellites housing data banks. Who will have access to them? Who will determine which channels or data are forbidden? The State? Or will the State simply be one user among others? New legal issues will be raised, and with them the question: "who will know?"

Transformation in the nature of knowledge, then, could well have repercussions on the existing public powers, forcing them to reconsider their relations (both de jure and de facto) with the large corporations and, more generally, with civil society. The reopening of the world market, a return to vigorous economic competition, the breakdown of the hegemony of American capitalism, the decline of the socialist alternative, a probable opening of the Chinese market these and many other factors are already, at the end of the 1970s, preparing States for a serious reappraisal of the role they have been accustomed to playing since the 1930s: that of, guiding, or even directing investments. In this light, the new technologies can only increase the urgency of such a re-examination, since they make the information used in decision making (and therefore the means of control) even more mobile and subject to piracy.

It is not hard to visualise learning circulating along the same lines as money, instead of for its "educational" value or political (administrative, diplomatic, military) importance; the pertinent distinction would no longer be between knowledge and ignorance, but rather, as is the case with money, between "payment knowledge" and "investment knowledge" - in other words, between units of knowledge exchanged in a daily maintenance framework (the reconstitution of the work force, "survival") versus funds of knowledge dedicated to optimising the performance of a project."

The promise of freedom and stability through corporatized ownership of the world's resources and markets (globalization) is a metanarrative we can simply no longer afford - and the putative effectiveness of corporate modelling as a structural principle for social organization is a uptopian myth which must be publically debunked asap - for our survival requires a new level of caring - a new ethical concientiousness. We cannot afford acts of ecological carelessness or unconscious, blatent disregard, in the name of outworn ideology. We cannot continue to curtail access to knowledge through some sort of cultural spin, weighted to the random prefrence of the status quo. The current push toward media consolidation is yet another symptom of the same terminal trend to smaller and smaller group decision-making. If knowledge is power, which is what enlightment and its signal socio-ecomonic cultural expression, capitalism, avers, then power must remain accessible to all sentient beings, at least within the purview of their aspirations.

The basic analysis is correct. For some time the conditions of information-overload, de-legitimation of authoritative sources, lack of acceptibility of grand stories about reality or human history, has resulted in a condition of dislocation/disorientation, reaction, and disempowerment that is very confusing, and very bound up in abusive power structures, the confusions of language and over-loaded symbols and games of language, and struggle to communicate.

The text is very difficult to process, it is a translation from French, and his use of very large conglomerate terms makes it difficult to join together the meanings contained within some of his terms, reading it often is an experience of information overload built into his language.

The challenge he presents is relevant whatever one may think about 'postmodernISM' itself. There is great value in the descriptiveness of his explorations and speculations. He saw years ago how the coming information overload and delegitimation of authoritative sources was coming, and now in the internet age he is as relevant as ever, particularly with the challenge faced between the dis-communication between Islamic culture and the West.

I do not affirm or endorse 'postmodernISM' or the sort of radical relativism or extreme focus upon language games that are associated with postmodernISM -- I find these troubling. But I also find the conservative reactions to postmodernism to be extremely troubling. The condition of information overload, delegitimation of what was once considered authoritative information, the erosion of confidence in grand metanarratives of human nature or history, the symbolic overload resulting from contact between cultures and symbol systems, all of these conditions are very real, and the internet age has made the crisis more acute. There is no hiding from it, yet it is not pleasant to behold, to affirm it/endorse it as good, or to try to deny it as if one can return to some past simplicity, is equally problematic/impossible to maintain.

I think this work is very important to sorting out the problems of our times, albeit the answer is not clear, and reading Lyotard makes clarity seem yet more distant. Yet read Lyotard we must, if we wish to deal with these issues.

If, as William Barrett once remarked, existentialism is "philosophy for the atomic age," then the atomic age's look into the future - by way of Jean-Francois Lyotard's The Postmodern Condition - is nothing short of a nightmarish vision of what post-nuclear philosophy would be like. If the Cold War was ultimately the product of two totalizing visions - the two remaining totalizing visions of the modern age, namely liberal democracy and socialism - locked into prolonged, agonizing conflict behind facades such as international diplomacy, then the postmodern condition is the worldview of a world brought back from the brink of total annihilation. Postmodernism, claims Lyotard at the beginning of his book, is "incredulity towards metanarratives" (xxiv). Rather than seeking a new way of understanding the world en toto - a new totalizing vision/metanarrative - the postmodern condition backs away from the philosophical One and seeks what it seeks - itself or, rather, the disparate fragments that indicate the existence of itself - among the philosophical Many. As Lyotard also writes, postmodernism "refines our sensitivity to differences" - the exact opposite of the totalitarian visions that caused so much death in the 20th century.

The Postmodern Condition is a work that is as fascinating as it is complicated. Lyotard is heavily interested in the question of legitimation - specifically, how knowledge is made and validated. What defines knowledge? One could, in many ways, see this work as fundamentally epistemological, for he spends a considerable amount of time in this work focusing on how it is that the university system, in particular, can survive if knowledge is both under the sway of the forces of capital and no longer considered emancipatory. I am not entirely sure if Lyotard wants a return to a pre-postmodern world; the book is written in such a straight, matter-of-fact style that it is hard to tell whether or not he is for or against that which he writes of. Perhaps there is some irony in the fact that he appears so disinterested in describing a worldview - or, perhaps better, an anti-worldview - in which the notion of disinterested knowledge or unbiased reporting is conceived as being nothing more than a fiction. If there is any irony here, it is of the driest sort.

There is a certain Marxist hue, however, to many of the analyses contained in these pages. The ability of economic interests to determine the shape of research in a university with the subsequent result that some knowledge is found to sell and other kinds aren't - that which sells is therefore seen as more legitimate than that which doesn't - causes Lyotard considerable concern. Rather than philosophy or metaphysics being seen as capable of validating claims - truth, he notes, is no longer the main concern - science proves itself by way of its functionality. What it does and how that makes life on earth better becomes the sine qua non of our own material interests - and knowledge is therefore conceived as material, rather than ideal/metaphysical. There is no meta-language game that serves as the ground for other games: what matters is what you can *do* with a particular type of research, or a given object. Science is thus isolated from other fields, just as philosophy is. There is no longer a "queen of the sciences." Knowledge, in a holistic sense, is thus fragmented and all is placed under the final sway of capital - or, more specifically, market forces. Lyotard's analysis is nothing short of brilliant.

Included as an appendix to the present volume is one of Lyotard's most widely re-published essays: "Answering the Question: What is Postmodernism?" A short work - not quite 10 full pages in length - it is a perfect compliment to Lyotard's longer consideration of the matter. However, unlike the Report, the appendix deals little with the question of scientific knowledge, and much more with aesthetics. Whereas the Report is concerned with academia, the appendix turns towards popular culture, specifically fashion: "Eclecticism is the degree zero of contemporary general culture" (76). Thus, the appendix can be scene as something like the popular counterpart to the more densely argued Report - popular in its focus, and in terms of the audience that it is geared to. Whether or not this means that postmodern philosophy is ultimately intended to leave the academy - the philosophical-institutional One - where knowledge cannot be validated and live, instead, among the philosophical-cultural Many remains a point of debate still today. Perhaps this is good reason for believing, then, that we do live in a postmodern age - and Lyotard's The Postmodern Condition remains as prescient (future anterior) for understanding that age as ever.

This work, by Jean Francois Lyotard, is one of the signature works of postmodern theory. Say what you will of this perspective, this book is necessary reading in understanding the subject. This is not an easy work; however, those who persevere will be rewarded with interesting insights, whether or not one agree with postmodern thinking.

Lyotard defines Postmodern thought in contrast to modernism. Modernism, he claims, is ". . .any science that legitimates itself with reference to a metadiscourse of this kind [i.e., philosophy] making an explicit appeal to some grand narrative, such as the dialectics of Spirit, the hermeneutics of meaning, the emancipation of the rational or working subject, or the creation of wealth." Postmodernism, in turn, is ". . .incredulity toward metanarratives."

Science and technology, especially information sciences based on computers, are increasingly an important commodity and the focus of worldwide competition. Knowledge and political power have become linked. Thus: ". . .[W]ho decides what knowledge is, and who knows what needs to be decided? In the computer age, the question of knowledge is now more than ever a question of government."

A central issue then becomes who has access to the information, since access will produce power. Lyotard sees it as inevitable that bureaucrats and technocrats will be the ones to master this basic resource of power, information. This will strengthen their hand in political circles. Research is expensive, and the pursuer of truth must purchase equipment to make the scientific process work. Thus, wealth begins to set the agenda for the scientist; scientists will go where the bucks are! The criterion for research becomes less the quest for truth and more "performativity," what is the immediate or intermediate payoff, performance value, of the scientific process and of technology. Power helps to shape what research gets funded.

Lyotard argues that the Postmodern moment should emphasize "paralogy," or dissensus. He argues: ". . .it is now dissension that must be emphasized. Consensus is a horizon that is never reached. Research that takes place under the aegis of a paradigm tends to stabilize; it is like the exploitation of a technology, economic, or artistic 'idea.'"

Postmodern science, in his view, encompasses: "The function of differential or imaginative or paralogical activity of the current pragmatics of science is to point out these. . .'presuppositions and to petition the players to accept different ones. The only legitimation that can make this kind of request admissible is that it will generate ideas, in other words, new statements." Thus, new statements, new presuppositions maintain science as an open system of discourse, characterized by paralogy (dissensus) as individuals strive to generate new knowledge, not imprisoned by existing consensus on what one should study and how one should study it.

This book is difficult reading, but to understand postmodernism, this is one of the works that demands that readers confront its arguments, whether in agreement or not.

This is a must read for all people who struggle with religion and have to deal with the "fakers" who give religion a bad name.
You don't have to be Jewish to understand Neal's journey back to the fold.

In my personal life, my wife and I struggle with those who forget what religion means. Karlen sums it all up with the "It's not Judaism that I don't like; it's the Jews." He follows up with his quest to me a "mentsch," which is Yiddish for an upstanding person. My wife and I couldn't agree more.

We live in a world today where many of us have lost our moral compass. We judge wach other by what neighborhood they live in, the clothes on their backs, the car they drive and where they send their kids to school or camp. What happened to family values? Respect for our fellow man? Or the power of silence - when we should just shut up.

There's a little bit of Neal's Yiddishe Hartz (Jewish heart) in all of us. This should be a must read for all those trying to keep up with the Jones, Schwartzes, etc.

I agree in particular with what reviewer Adamchik aready stated about this book. The book would be more understandable to me if Karlen came from a less knowledgeable background. In fact, it's difficult to ascertain whether his background is Orthodox, Conservative, or somewhere inbetween. While there are people who were raised Orthodox who go "off the derech", that doesn't totally appear to be the case here. And then, Rabbi Friedman takes over the story. I've had the priviledge of hearing him speak - he is awesome, even if I'm not personally into Lubavitch. But all in all, the book seems a bit directionless, even if it is painful/funny at times.

I read the book. I kept thinking throughout, this guy is lonely, single, in his 40's, redeeming himself in the hope of finding a nice jewish wife.

I don't really believe most of his account.

This could have been posted on eharmony.

A truly exceptional page turner. Not only is the book light and humorous, but it also has a more deep level with lessons for us all. I highly recommend this faced paced and easy reading story to members of all faiths.

This is an honest and moving account of a man's journey away from and back to his Jewish roots. It's a story of redemption, and of the restoration of a father-son relationship.

You don't need to be Jewish (or speak Yiddish) to enjoy this book. In fact, gentiles may find that this book helps them understand some of the challenges and contradictions faced by modern Jews who seek to connect with their ancient faith.

Karlen's very conversational writing style makes this book an easy read. His own humor, plus one-liners borrowed from Henny Youngman and Steven Wright, provide comic relief despite the very serious issues addressed in this book.

At the end of the book I found myself wishing there were just a few more chapters (and perhaps a soundtrack album so we could hear this "nigguns" mentioned in the book). This is the story of a journey that seems to end before the final destination has been reached. Perhaps that's because the journey continues. But while it may seem a little unfinished, it is nonetheless a very satisfying book.

I read this for a class at Southwest MSU where Sutter himself was a student way back in the 70s... he is the only author who has won the Minnesota Book Award in three categories: fiction, non-fiction (Cold Comfort), and poetry.
I love this collection of short stories. For those who are scared of essays, this is amazingly easy to read. Short, straight forward, poignant, and hilarious at times. You don't have to know the places to enjoy the essays.

This is one of the best works of Duluth's Poet Laureate.

An excellent book, and to think that if I had never lived in Duluth I would have missed out on such a great author. He reminded me of Bill Bryson in a way, another one of my favorites!

I was lucky enough to have Barton Sutter as an English Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and he read some of this book in our freshman english compostion class. The book gives you a sense of the Duluth/Superior area. Sutter is a great author and he comes highly recommended for english classes in Superior. So if you are looking for a book at that area..get this book!

I attended college at what was then called Wisconsin State University-Superior in the late sixties. I was from Philadelphia and I quickly got into this college to avoid the draft. So did many eastern draftable men. Imagine my surprise when I landed at Duluth Airport in January and stepped into a sheet of frozen air that made the hairs in my nose stiffen like pins.
Barton Sutter describes Duluth and Superior exactly the way people live there. Yes, people live there and they are nice people, but as Sutter shows, they ain't like you and me. They live in snow drifts nine months of the year.
Then there's Lake Superior or as Barton describes it, GOD. The lake is an ocean and it's everywhere. Barton describes fishing, hiking ,canoeing, and reading maps for a hobby. Somewhere in those dark winters he gets a divorce, is involved with a suprisingly active art community, and then gets married again. The prose is perfect. The description of rugged Minnesota and Wisconsin is terrific. Forget Vanity Fair and the New Yorker. Experience ice fishing at thirty below.

Barton Sutter is an amazing writer. He uses his creativeness to express his feelings about the beautiful city of Duluth. Not only did I enjoy "Cold Comfort," but I enjoyed learning more about Barton Sutter. He seems to be a brilliant man with a lot of positive energy. The book highlights points of Duluth and Lake Superior that I've never heard of before or considered. I'm new to the city of Duluth; during my winter break, I'm going to take some time to visit the places that Sutter talked about in "Cold Comfort." He really inspired me about the city of Duluth and I look forward to getting to know the city better!

Excellent cozy reading. I just love this series! This one kept my attention very keenly and I enjoyed watching Betsy unravel the mystery. Very believable. I love all the characters in this series, and it is like visiting with old friends. This is the best one so far in her series (it is the latest one I've read, any way!).

I was able to solve the mystery early, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of reading this book. The motive behind the killing was quite interesting.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I quite enjoyed it, although I've read better mysteries. I found the information about handwork (embroidery of various kinds) informative and interesting -- and not too much or too little.

The plot involves an artist found stabbed to death at a lakeside art fair. The police quickly arrest a teenager who is a likely suspect, given his record, demeanor, and the physical evidence involving cash stolen from the booth. Betsy, who owns a needlework shop, has a reputation for solving crimes, and his parents (unbelievably) unlist her help in proving his innocence. Betsy has a hunch he's innocent and begins investigating the artist and any possible people with a motive to kill him. THis could include the man's estranged wife and even his son -- not to mention various other characters.

The perpetrator was pretty easy to guess, I thought, and it would have been a better book with more red herrings. The charm and cosiness of the characters and setting were sufficient to offset this, at least for me.

...so why not five stars?

Simply, the "mystery" solved itself far to early in the story. I want to guess about the villain, not be able to finger him half-way through. Because of some fine descriptions of the background against which the tale is told and because there are some red herrings about the murderer's real motive, maybe this is more of a "why-dunnit" than a "who-dunnit".

Still, it was an enjoyable diversion. Various subplots weave through the story and some of the characters, such as the victim's teenaged daughter, come to life in spare, but tremendously evocative descriptions. Kudos to an author who summons stereotypes apparently to help readers look beyond appearance and cliché.

And cheers, too, for taking on arts and crafts beyond the series' "specialty" of needlework. Metal sculpture, wood carving, and the interminable tension between art and craft receive broad play here and offer readers a glimpse at the world of so-called public art.

This was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading it: hence, four stars. But it was not exactly a mystery.

As a needlework person, I've truly enjoyed the previous books in this series. Compared to this one, however, they're appetizers. This book is so meaty, so inclusive, it's like a huge Medieval tapestry in comparison.

Medieval tapestries usually have one central theme, but if you look carefully around the edges, you'll find numerous little episodes featuring other characters and scenes. So it is with this book. Central to the plot is Betsy Devonshire's needlework store, Crewel World. Since she owns the building that houses her store and her apartment, readers come to feel at home wherever she is. We've also come to know her employees and customers, and several of the local (Excelsior, Minnesota) town folks as well, including the local police persons.

This time, Betsy finds herself in a non-needlework-based mystery. Rather, it's in the field of art; specifically an Art Fair, in which one of the exhibitors is murdered. Artists are all a little nutsy, I think, and while finding it difficult to accept criticism, can also easily find justification for their own motivations in many directions. While Betsy is sorting out the various clues and non-clues, she gets an education into what is-and isn't-`true' art. Chapter 18 should be required reading for anyone with an interest in any of the Arts. It is illuminating, fascinating, and I think, sensible, all at the same time.

Still, however, this is a mystery novel, and I found it excellent on all levels: the writing is engaging, the characters are fully-fleshed out and appealing, while the plot was very realistic. Some erudite folks may have known `who-dun-it' way before the end of the book, but the killer's motivation surely came as a surprise.