Social Studies Books

Not knowing much about this period, I was quite interested to find out more on this era.

This book gives us an over view of what is known of the time. I was stunned to find how little is known of this time. What we do know is that the period went though some dramatic changes? However how we don't know. There are unfortunately few written sources of the period and the archaeologist have little at present to help us.

An Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons A.D. 400-600
Christopher A. Snyder
The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998
ISBN 0-271-01780-5

This is a wonderful book to bring to life a cohesive mosaic of the two centuries that followed the removal of Britain from the Roman Empire to the arrival of the papal mission under Augustine in 597.

Published within the past few years, this book bring together many of the latest elements in the trail of King Arthur available to the modern scholar. His book is filled with the most credible theories based on academic consensus, drawing from the most recent translations and comparisons of ancient sources.

What is most singulary worthy of this book is the lack of judgement on the topic of Arthur and Merlin. After laying out the entirety of the context within which Arthur and Merlin may have lived, these two characters are dealt with only in a brief three page appendix. Snyder describes the historical basis for the two characters then ends his brief discussion without trying to postulate who they actually might have been. "What the historian can contribute, however, is a better understanding of the period and place in which Arthur and Merlin may have lived for those who wish to pin down these legendary figures to time and space."

Indeed! This is precisely what he has done. Anyone interested in playing Pendragon or reading Arthurian literatute will appreciate how he frames the era in terms of these "tyrants" -- self-made men who usurped traditional authority to re-establish order and deal with the chaos of the dissolution of the Roman empire.

As a scholar what I like is that the author has made a thorough documentation of where he gathered all of his information. This book itself is short, at 260 pages of text including appendices. Yet it then has 124 pages of rich and curious notes and a lengthy bibliography from which he cited his information.

Christopher Snyder is Associate Professor of History and Chair Department of History and Politics at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

It is very refreshing to read a book about this period of British history that is not obsessed with the Arthurian legend, interesting though that is. Mr Snyder uses the little written evidence there is from the 410-600AD period to try and form a picture of the conditions at the time. The second part of the book discusses the archaeological evidence in depth and the final part constructs a coherent picture of what life must have been like in post Roman Britain using the evidence of the first two sections. Arthur and Merlin are mentioned in an appendix and at a few points within the text but only to point out that the historical evidence cannot say one way or the other whether these personalities existed.

Mr Snyder has settled on the title "An Age of Tyrants" to describe the era as being preferrable to "Sub-Roman Britain". I'm not sure if this title is adequate but it is superior to the somewhat demeaning "Sub-Roman" description. This period was clearly not as savage as has previously been thought.

My only minor criticism is that I would have preferred to see more illustrations of the archaeological sites and artefacts but overall I found this an extremely interesting book that was difficult to put down.

Christopher Snyder says the inhabitants of what is known today as England, Scotland, and Wales would not have called themselves Britons before the arrival of the Romans. In pre-Roman days they would have been known by names associated with their tribal affiliations. Many of the individuals might have referred to themselves as 'Combrogi' or 'Cymry' the latter a Welsh term referring to friendship and/or love of place. The Romans named the "big" island across the "English" channel Brittania. About 400 years after they arrived, the Romans formally withdrew from Britain and left behind a changed place (and probably a few ex-Romans) -- including the name by which the inhabitants knew themselves.

For a long while scholars referred to the period following the departure of "official" Rome and the final "conquest" of Britain by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes the 'dark ages'. More recently, scholars have referred to this era, which stretches from about 400-600 A.D. 'sub-Roman Britain'. Christopher Snyder says he would prefer to call it the Brittonic Age, although his book title names it AN AGE OF TYRANTS.

Snyder's book is divided into three parts. First, he explores the written record -- the writings of Britains Patrick (5th Century) and Gildas (6th Century) and other non-Britonic witnesses. He discusses Latin terms from the extant written material, such as the word "tyrant" which was construed differently by different people in different places speaking different languages. Snyder suggests the "tyrants" described by St. Jerome or the Honorable Bede may not have been as badly behaved as the negative connotation of theit term suggests. In fact, Snyder says the tyrants distant churchmen described may have been more akin to the "tigern" or Celtic lord.

In the second part of his book, Synder discusses the archeological record of the Brittonic Age--which has been overlooked and undervalued as it falls between the rich material record of the Roman (Cirencester, Bath) and Anglo-Saxon (Sutton Hoo) periods. I found this section of the book illuminating as Snyder has systmatically inventoried and synthesized the evidence from a many "digs" into a coherent whole.

In the third section of his book, Snyder uses the material from parts 1 and 2 to describe life in the Brittonic Age in various kinds of settlements (towns, villas, forts, etc.) and the social structure of the people including aspects of government, religion, military, and economic. He says the Britains were a Romanized-Christian people who did not revert back to the tribal behavior that existed before the coming of the Romans.

Snyder is a professor at Marymount University and for all I know he is a member of a religious order, but having graduated from Georgetown University myself, I know that religious affiliation does not mean one cannot be objective. However, Snyder's conclusion that pagan ways disappeared in the Brittonic Age as the population became Christianized may not be exactly accurate.

Based on a reading of the material in Snyder's book and other material, I suspect Celtic ways and the Christian ways merged into an entirely new religion. According to Snyder, Pope Gregory suggested at one point that as the clergy converted pagans they should adapt "pagan temples and rituals to Christian usage in nonviolent ways." I think that is exactly what happened, and I think that explains in part why The Blessed Virgin Mary became so important in Great Britain--which Snyder, a professor at MARYmount might have noted.

I must admit, like so many others, I was originally drawn to the post-Roman period by the "historical King Arthur." But the period is a rich and diverse one, worthy of study in its own right--not only as "Arthur's Britain." In this incredible volume, Chris Snyder--probably the greatest expert on post-Roman Britain alive today, in my opinion--paints a picture of Britain that is anything but a "sub-Roman" "Dark Age." If you ever raised an eyebrow when your history textbook skipped from the Romans in 400 CE to the Anglo-Saxons in 800 CE, then you should read this book. If I had begun with a volume like this when I began my foray into post-Roman Britain, my how farther along I'd be now!

Spoon-fed news by large media corps, few were aware that Winona LaDuke ran for the vice presidency under Ralph Nader in the 2000 elections. Even fewer know that she is also a Native American eco-philosopher with a critical perspective on the health and future prosperity of America. All Our Relations is particularly instructive, in that LaDuke surveys the entire American landscape (and by landscape, I am not merely referring to the political landscape), showing the deep connections that exist between local cultures, their environments, and the corporate-governmental giants that often compromise their health. Although LaDuke has specifically focused on Native American communities, the stories are engaging and instructive for Americans in general. Informative, powerful, and transformative, LaDuke here provides an antidote for our increasing alienation from the land and biota that sustain us. A must read for any conscious American.

ALL OUR RELATIONS by Indigenous Activist Winona LaDuke is a must read for everyone who cares about our earth. LaDuke presents the state of the environment focusing on several land, treaty rights and toxic exposure struggles on reservations across North America and in Hawaii. Since I met Winona when she was an economics student at Harvard, she has been at the heart of struggles and gains made by indigenous communities, always bringing a keen intellect, diligent research, unswerving commitment, and a broad vision of the whole circle to community and tribal issues.
Because I've known many of the people involved in the essential work LaDuke describes in ALL OUR RELATIONS, it was a personal pleasure to read this book and catch up with what Susannah Santos and her cousins are doing on the Columbia River, be updated on Luana Busby and Melani Trask and the Hawaiian indigenous movement and to get the inside details of the complex political fight Winona's son's father and his people are up aqainst at St. James Bay. But this book will fascinate anyone who cares about our earth, families and communities. It is one to read from end to end, then keep around to re-read again and again.
LaDuke calls the work these tribal communities do to protect their people and landbase from pollution and corporate greed, "soul-retrieval." It is work that we all need to do whatever our ethnic background, since as LaDuke's reportage on the presence of PCBs in mother's breastmilk in the Northeast attests, everyone is affected by what we are doing to the earth. Winona is a mother who has no illusions about how the choices we make as consumers affect the earth and our communities' health. What is most inpiring about LaDuke's writing and life is that she offers solutions. Each chapter not only outlines the problem, but it talks about solutions that are being implemented and suggests others that should be employed. Winona walks her talk. LaDuke has been a strong proponent of wind energy and has worked to engage major corporations like Ben & Jerry in developing wind energy projects on Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Native Harvest and White Earth Land Recovery Project have reclaimed White Earth land and developed sustainable reservation businesses that employ and train White Earth tribal members. Winona LaDuke would be a great President because she is the only public figure who has a sensible plan for economic self-sufficiency, the clarity to explain it to the American people, and the discipline and steadfastness to enact it.

If I could, I would thank Winonah LaDuke in person for writing such an important, informative and engaging book on the travesty that is the North American government's view of native land and those who inhabit it. The numerous tribes who make the land their home are forced to co-exist with the insensitive, selfish and literally toxic decisions made by government and corporations who dump tons upon tons of toxic pesticides in their water and on "abandoned" land. These lands are also subject to divebombings from military jets. These are illegal decibel levels that drive those within hearing range to points of mental instability, as well as potential hearing loss.

One of the most important quotes from this book that I remember (since I read this book a couple of years ago in a Native/African-American Women's Studies course) was from a Seminole leader who said, "Selling your land for a price is like selling a piece of your mother." [I paraphrase this.] I couldn't agree more. When I remember that quote, I think about all of the animals, vegetation and tribes (consisting of families and friends) who have lived off of the land of the United States, as well as Canada. How can one possibly put a price on something that can't truly be owned by anyone and is its own autonomous entity. Even if people have the illusion that they can occupy land as territory (because of treaties, as an example) does not mean that it is ever their to keep. LaDuke makes several strong examples of this in the book. We can't continue to pollute, abuse and neglect land without paying a price environmentally or in terms of human quality of life and mortaiity. I believe everyone should read this book, regardless of occupation, national origin or territorial location. We need to face the damage done before more of it goes unacknowledged. Thank you, Winonah.

Winona Laduke ran as vice president alongside Ralph Nader. It would be truly amazing if this woman had become our vice president (for many reasons). It is my hope that some day she will be our vice president (or president). Her views on the environment and its effect upon animals and people (particularly babies, children and pregnant/nursing mothers) are exactly how I feel. She expresses these views eloquently in these quotes by Lil'wat grandmother Loretta Pascal, "Where did you get your right to destroy these forests? How does your right supercede my rights? These are our forests, these are our ancestors."(p.5), by Ted Strong, "If this nation has a long way to go before all of our people are truly created equally without regard to race, religion, or national origin, it has even further to go before achieving anything that remotely resembles equal treatment for other creatures who called this land home before humans ever set foot upon it...."(p.5), and by Katsi Cook, "Why is it we must change our lives, our way of life, to accommodate the corporations, and they are allowed to continue without changing any of their behavior?"(p.12). Reading this book you will feel sorrow, and be inspired to action. Most of what was said in this book I already knew a little about, but through this book I understood the depth and complexity of all the factors. I can not recommend this book enough. She tells the truth of our world with a powerful clarity. She tells the stories of many Native American Tribes throughout North America (Canada and the United States, including a chapter on Hawaii). She ends the book with the optimism that it is possible for us to make change, but it is up to us.

To think this woman could be our Vice President today. Most people don't even know that Winona LaDuke ran for Vice President on Ralph Nader's ticket. An articulate and passionate writer, LaDuke presents an awareness of the plight of America unsurpassed by any other. She knows what's wrong. She knows what needs to be done. She knows who is doing the work, how and why. She presents her advocacy as human, heartfelt and real. I learned things about what is happening to this country that I would never have known otherwise. You certainly don't see it in the news, and you don't learn about it in school. We're in trouble, folks, and it's not too late to do something about it. With more power she could have made such a difference! But she continues to work on the issues, and it is so important that more people are aware of her work. Please, please, please read this book. It is the most important book you will read all year.

Highly recommended. Reading this book I learned a lot about the history of Congo and the suffering of its people. Once you started reading you can't really put it down. But be warned: The stories about gunboys, militia and so on are really cruel and reading about their atrocities makes you want to throw the book against the wall or shout at somebody.

I read this book in May and still find myself haunted by it. Episodes like the Kinshasa Fight Club or the surreal appearance of Jessica Lange at a triage camp will stay with me for a long long time.

Mealer tenderly renders the humanity of a situation most of us would prefer to think of as inhuman.

You owe it to yourself to take a look.

I had to put the book down several times because I felt sick. Bryan's writing was so real that I felt every terrifying and treacherous moment along the way. Just when a dangerous jouney ended, another began. I am so overwhelmed with what Bryan experienced in the Congo. I know him personally as well as his family, and I can't imagine what they all went through at their own levels.
I applaud Bryan Mealer for the excellent portrayal of a dire situation. I admire his wife, Ann Marie, and family for living through all of the reports, emails and contacts from Bryan throughout his entire journey.
BRAVO, Bryan, for the intensity, honesty, and real depiction of the situation in the Congo that we should all be aware of and concerned about.

Bryan Mealer has penned a brutal memoir of his three years as a reporter in the Congo, three years when teenage gunboys roamed the countryside and city streets, when UN peacekeeping forces faced mystical leaders operating from jungle mountaintops, when rebel militias and government forces alike pillaged their own nation. It was a horrible time in the history of a country that has seen little else for the last hundred years.

While Mealer writes about the bloody atrocities he witnessed, the real story he tells is about himself. He's drawn back to the Congo three times, apparently addicted to the extreme discomfort and random violence he endures. His travels cover nearly the entire country from the capital of Kinshasa to the mineral-rich southern provinces to the guerilla-infested eastern region where an alphabet-soup of militias, foreign armies, and UN forces fight a never-ending war of terror, rape, and mutilation. He rides a newly-reconstructed rail line and even follows Conrad's trail up the Congo River via barge. At one point, he and his adventure-junkie buddies take off through the jungle on bicycles.

While Mealer tells us the names and stories of many Congolese he meets along the way, he never really gives much insight into them as anything other than victims. He says as much when he reflects on his bicycle journey:

"...once in the jungle, my own basic needs and level of comfort had stood in the way of learning anything. I didn't even know my riders' last names or anything about their families. I'd simply been too exhausted and hungry to care. It wasn't my proudest moment, and even now, those last days on the trail leave a sting of regret."

Still, All Things Must Fight To Live puts the reader close to the action and accurately reflects the aftermath of war and colonialism in one of the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophes.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

I recommend this book for many reasons--Mealer's lyrical, colorful prose, insight into some of the most magnificent and heartbreaking events and places in the DRC, and finally, for a first hand account of how, why, and when news reaches us out of Africa. I'll recommend this book to my colleagues who study Congo, but also to family members who would like a window into this fiercely captivating and complicated place.

Cuneo is very accurate with his facts (I should know, I was there), and he also has an excellent writing style.

This December, ten years ago, while a hostage to a group of terrorists
in Lima Peru, my name was called for me to come down from the second
floor of the Japanese Ambassador's residence. I was to be released.
It happened at 11 am on a Sunday morning at the same time a special
prayer service was going on at my church in Lima. My pastor was asking
for the safe release of all the hostages. He asked that the Lord to
intervene and gain the release of me and other church members held
hostage. It was already happening as they prayed.

All of us have our own stories, we know there's power in prayer.

I thought of all that when I read "Almost Midnight" by Michael Cuneo.
The book is about Darrell Mease, a criminal in Missouri who brutally
killed three people in a drug deal (crystal meth). Mease was convicted
and sentenced to death. He had received the Lord at an early age and
his mother was still active in the Assembly of God church. She led
prayers for her son. Mease turned to the Lord again and made what many
considered to be a sincere conversion. A blue grass musician received
a word from the Lord that he was to speak to Mease and tell him that
the Lord was his lawyer and that he was not to worry he would not be
put to death. After the musician visited him in jail, Darrell Mease
had a revelation that he was to be spared the death penalty. Time went
by and his execution date was scheduled for late January 1999. He
never lost faith that he would be spared.

With only two weeks to go before his execution, the date was suddenly
changed. It seems that Pope John Paul II was scheduled to visit
Missouri on the same day as the original execution date and Governor
Mel Carnahan had it changed to early February to avoid embrassing the
Pope who was a strong opponent of the death penalty. The Papal staff
were aware of the change in the execution date for Mease. The Pope's
visit was a one day stopover in St. Louis. During the visit, the Pope
presided over a special prayer service attended by Governor Carnahan.
As the service concluded, the Pope slowly made his way to the Governor,
took his hand and whispered in his ear, "Please have mercy on Mr.
Mease."

Amazingly, Governor Carnahan commuted Darrell Mease's death sentence
based on this personal plea from the Pope.

One of the pastors who had attended the interfaith prayer service at
which the Pope had descended from the altar and talked to the governor
had also ministered to Darrell Mease on death row and had urged him to
make peace with God as his execution date approached. Darrell had told
him that God had been clear that he would not allow his execution. The
pastor said, "I was blown away -- Darrell had never asked the pope to
say a word on his behalf. He'd simply continued to pray. Absolutely
remarkable. And I thought there was a lesson here for all of us. The
Scriptures are radical, and God's mercy is boundless. But most
Christians don't truly appreciate this. We're too timid in the our
faith. We needed someone like Darrell Mease to drive it home."

The story went on with other strange twists. A few months after he
commuted the death sentence, Governor Carnahan was killed in a plane
crash as he campaigned against John Ashcroft for the US Senate seat
from Missouri. Carnahan, although dead, received more votes than
Ashcroft on election day a few weeks later. The new governor of
Missouri named Carnahan's widow to fill her late husband's Senate seat.
Ashcroft went on to be named Attorney General of the United States.

God answers prayer -- "Almost Midnight" made me remember that again.

Michael Maxey

"What on earth is a Canadian of northern Italy Jewish descent teaching at New York's Fordham University researching a meth-related multiple murder in the Ozarks?" I asked Mike Cuneo as he sat across from me in Branson's Bob Evans Restaurant. He was in the tourist town researching the Darrell Meese case for a book. Meese was sentenced to die by lethal injection in 1990 after the brutal shotgun murder of three people, Lloyd Lawrence (a man many locals admitted "needed killing") his wife, and their paraplegic grandson. A drug kingpin might deserve it, but two innocents?
Governor Mel Carnahan had just recently made news for his commuting Meese's death sentence, after having met with Pope John Paul II in St. Louis during the Pope's visit. Cuneo,
"I don't know why Carnahan would do that. He's killed himself politically, I would think," I told Cuneo. Little did I know that the governor who saved Meese's life would lose his own in a tragic plane crash during a race for senator-and still beat opponent John Ashcroft.
Like the Meese case, Almost Midnight, Cuneo's "American story of murder and redemption" is filled with sudden turns, surprises, and ironic twists. It's interesting and riveting investigative journalism. For Ozarkers, it shows a subculture that exists in the land of Bible belt religion, country music, and family-friendly tourists, a subculture unknown to many residents unless they are involved in law enforcement or social services. Cuneo covers the events that lead up to the murders, Meese's hair-raising road trip to the Southwest that only leads him closer to justice back home and death row, and the trial itself. He also looks closely at Mease's time in prison, where the convicted murderer rediscovers religion. It is there that he professes "God is my lawyer" and is miraculously delivered from lethal injection-just as he predicted he would be.
It sometimes takes an outsider, or a novelist, to show us the family skeleton we deny exists. Cuneo takes us on the real wild ride in actuality that Dan Woodrell does in fiction in Tomato Red. For those who are Ozarkers, the book is interesting to read just to see "if Cuneo misses the mark" in capturing a portrait of an area and a culture. For non-Ozarkers, it's an interesting portrait of the Ozarks and its denizens that, unfortunately, can add to the stereotype that exists. Cuneo's Almost Midnight, with its detailed descriptions of the virtues-loyalty, self-reliance, family, and faith-and the negatives-violence, chemical dependency, and lawlessness-of our Ozarks' culture presents a remarkable portrait of Meese and ourselves.
The tourist area that prides itself on family values and a friendly atmosphere while hosting almost 8 million visitors annually has a below-the-surface reality that's hard to confront. All it takes is a Meese incident, or an incident like the triple murder of the Husman children and mother at Kissee Mills, Mo., this last March, to let us know now shallow is the soil that covers what's beneath. Michael Cuneo probably has material for another riveting book.-Fred R. Pfister: Editor, The Ozarks Mountaineer

I was reading a lot of books with the word MIDNIGHT in the title when I stumbled across this one. This is by no means the worst one of the bunch. In its own unique way, it's a fine study of redemption, breeding, and forgiveness.

And marketing too, for it seems almost as though the late Pope John Paul II was the victim of a marketing scam when he decided to pardon Darrell Mease, the killer at the heart of this wonderful biography. He was coming to St. Louis on a once in a lifetime trip, and a local cleric decided that he would gain some press by picking out a convicted killer and seeing what JPII could do for him.

It helped that the circumstances of the crime indicated that Darrell was himself well loved in his community (in the fields of rural Missouri) and that the man he killed, Lloyd Lawrence, was hated and feared. On the other hand, Lawrence's wife was killed too, as well as a poor paraplegic boy who hardly ever did anything hurtful to anyone.

Methamphetamine, the scourge of the Ozarks, was behind the killings. Darrell, who served time in Vietnam, was one of those who couldn't get it together after his tour of duty. He had a surface charm and affability, but inside, he was troubled. We get all of this through multiple narrators, people in the community who tell us his whole story from birth to the present. Like CITIZEN KANE, ALMOST MIDNIGHT gives us a constantly shifting perspective on a hidden corner of America. The popular TV sitcom MY NAME IS EARL will come to mind when you read this book, for the multiple murders that claimed the lives of the Lawrence family are just one more twist removed from the wacky trailer-motel life of the MY NAME IS EARL characters. Or, Johnny Depp in CRY BABY.

Roughly the first half of the book concerns the life and crimes of Darrell Mease, hard-partying hillbilly 'Nam vet and would be meth cooker. The detail in which Mease's life is recounted makes it hard not to sympathize with him and to understand his crimes, a feeling which the author appears to share.

The second half of the story explores Darrell's trial, imprisonment, conversion story and ultimate pardon from execution. In that part, Darrell is portrayed less sympathetically, and there is even a suggestion that he is undeserving of his eventual pardon from death row.
This apparent shift in viewpoint is appropriate to this complex tale, though, where Darrell comes to represent something different to everyone who comes into contact with him: death penalty opponents, Ozark locals, the victims' family, law enforcement, even Pope John Paul II!

It's a fine book, ultimately, and explores a lot of the issues (religion and government, death penalty, small town policing, veterans' problems, rural poverty, drugs) raised by this unusual case. Well written, compelling and highly recommended.

As an adult convert to Catholicism struggling for now five years with infertility, a non-American and the daughter of a founder of my hometown's Family Planning Association, I ordered this book wondering if it would help me sort out my mixed feelings about abortion. When it arrived my heart sank: though I had been interested in the topic, it looked long enough to remind me of the first-grader's book report, ``This told me more than I wanted to know about penguins.'' But it's so well-written, well-peopled and thoughtful it's a joy to read. When Cynthia Gorney describes a pro-choice activist she does it so carefully you feel certain she's pro-choice, and certain you must be. But when she describes a pro-life activist, you realize she might be pro-life -- and so might you be. If we were all be so generous and balanced, so readily able to enter into the subtleties of other people's positions, abortion might never have become a ``war.''

This book was wonderful. Though on first glance it seems very long and likely dense and dry, it is anything but. Gorney does a fabulous job of presenting both sides of abortion evenly and without bias. And she ties in the thoughts and feelings of the players with the actual battles of the day so smoothly that the book ends up being an easy and very enjoyable read. It should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in, interested in or having an opinion about abortion.

Before Roe vs. Wade thousands of women a year were getting illegal, unsanitary and oftentimes dangerous abortions. Articles of Faith does a great job of presenting both sides of the abortion argument. The book focuses on the abortion wars in Missouri. It starts in the 60's with Judith Widdicombe, who is an obstetrics nurse and who had an abortion herself. She is a key figure in the underground abortion world in St. Louis. She recruits doctors and she directs women to doctors. Her opinions on abortion are formed from personal experience as well as occupational experience. She was strong in her opinions that a baby and a fetus were different. She had seen hospital beds full of women dying of infection from getting illegal abortions. This led her to her calling.
While Judy was directing women to safer but still illegal abortions, the laws state by state were slowly starting to break down. This created a movement of concerned citizens who were against abortion. These citizens would give presentations using medical and scientific information to support their position that life begins at creation. As to drive their point home, they would show pictures of aborted fetuses. These pictures featured a trash can full of little fetuses and a bloody mass of appendages. What they didn't realize is that people like Judy Widdicombe looked at the same stuff, in real life-not in photographs. She would bring women with gauze and bandages stuffed up their vaginal cavities and let them miscarry in her home. She would then examine the remains of the miscarrage and make sure there wasn't anything left inside the woman.
After Roe vs. Wade, Judy set up a clinic specifically for performing abortions-the first one of its kind in Missouri. She wanted it accessible for all women, and wanted a warm and medical environment that set women at ease-they knew their situation was understood and they knew they were safe. This is where Samuel Lee is introduced. He arrived in St. Louis in 1978 intent on studying theology at Saint Louis University's seminary. As soon as he arrives he becomes involved with the Franciscans. They hosted a meeting of people planning a protest on the steps of an abortion clinic. This was how Sam became drawn into the abortion argument-he was exhilarated by it. Sam researched both sides of the abortion argument, but the more he read the more he became convinced that abortion was never justified-it was putting an end to human life. He left the seminary and became engulfed in the protests and the research-he would protest and be arrested until there was no longer a need to protest abortion.
The abortion argument came to a head in the 80's when Sam and Lou DeFeo wrote a bill that was passed by the Missouri state Senate and the House. It became a Missouri law in 1986. The bill stated that public funds may not be used for abortions and public employees may assist in abortions. The bill also stated that life begins at conception, unborn children have interests that should be protected and the parents of an unborn child have protected interests in the child. But that's only the beginning. The bill says that unborn children at any stage of development should have the same rights of all of other people. This was the first attempt to reverse the ruling of Roe vs. Wade, and it seemed well on its way.
One month before the law took effect, a lawsuit was filed against the bill by Frank Susman. He approached Judy, who had been fighting for almost 30 years for the woman's right to choose, and she was hesitant to join the lawsuit. She was tired of the fight, but she couldn't turn her back on this lawsuit-this one was too dangerous to reproductive health. The judge in that suit came back in 1987 declaring that every provision in the bill was unconstitutional. In 1989, the law suit went to the U.S. Supreme Court for appeal and the justices left Roe vs. Wade alone. The problem with this ruling is the vagueness of the language in the ruling-saying that parts of Roe needed to be more defined, but that it needs to be argued for years to come. When I read the ruling in this book, I really didn't understand exactly what it meant. It almost seemed like the judges had very definite opinions, but they were all different from each other.
After reading this book, I was more affirmed in my own opinions of abortion. It was really interesting to read the other side of the argument. There's no arguing that at life begins at conception-just like a every cell in our body is life, so is a zygote. However, the foundation of my belief in the pro-choice movement lies in the belief that a woman has the right to decide if a fetus should be born. One of the best bumper stickers I've seen about abortion is "Don't like abortion? Don't have one." A woman deserves the choice, that's it-PERIOD.

Written in 1998, and criticized for stopping its retelling of the abortion story in the U.S. several years before that, Articles of Faith is nevertheless still an important book and may be increasingly so if the abortion debate heats up again now that George W. Bush is President. A completely even handed retelling of the history of the abortion debate in the U.S. from the 1960's through the 1990's told through the lives of dedicated partisans of both sides. Yet the author tells this story with sympathy to both sides. Its hard to read this book, your emotions swing from side to side in the debate as Gorney shifts her focus from chapter to chapter from pro choice to pro life. Each side is presented forcefully, but not stridently. Its an excellent book.

Once in a while, there's a rare book that'll smack you in the noggin, grab you by the lapels and scream, "This is how it really is! Now learn something!"

Articles of Faith is one of those books. You'll learn abortion is never nearly so clear cut as "either side" would have you believe; you'll see how each side's arguments, legal status, movements and, later, extremism are developed. But most importantly, you get the honest truth about what it's all really about, or not about. Despite the serious of the issue, I was never even able to get a glimmer of what Gorney's own view is of abortion. It's not simply objective; it never fails to delve into the details of each side, while coming up with an occasional fresh insight.

I became a fan of Leonard Pitts after reading his column in the Miami Herald while visiting Florida. I like his style of writing and thinking and after reading this book, I now purchase it for young black men who have just become a father.

Written by Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., Becoming Dad is a discussion of the need for black fathers to step up and become positive male role models in African-American society today. Pitts recounts both his personal life (he grew up with an abusive father) and vignettes from dozens of men that he interviewed across the nation. Becoming Dad blends both personal experience and journalistic cross-examination into a powerful whole that embraces the joy of truly being a father and caretaker. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this highly recommended tribute.

After watching Mr. Pitts interview on Tony Brown Journal. I became one of the first people to order his book on Amazon.com.
I would like this book place on the recommended reading list at predominately Black High Schools, colleges and universities. It would be nice to also see a few copies available in prisons, church libraries and military PX stores. Mr. Pitts, "Becoming Dad" offers God-send messages to Black Men seeking answers, However, others can benefit from this book. In conclusion, I would like "Becoming Dad" in every conscious-seeking Black man's library.

I was first drawn to this book after watching a television interview of Leonard Pitts, Jr. as he discussed the book. What an interview! What a book!

I once heard a person say, "Real Men don't have to prove it." This certainly speaks of Leonard Pitts, Jr. He doesn't have to ask anyone's permission to be who he is and he doesn't have to prove to anyone else that he is a man. He is able to be vulnerable and strong at the same time. Those whose stories he writes are equally brave and candid. He is a man with straight-shooting, hard-hitting advice for a new generation of African American men, and some advice for women as well. His frustration with men who blindly accept the stereotypes placed on them by a thoughtless society comes through loud and strong. Men do have a choice. And women do have have a choice as to where they place their standards.

Because this book is aimed at African American culture, it will not have as strong of an emotional impact with those who are in a different culture. Pity, because strip away the cultural references and his message is one that needs to be heard by everyone.

I read this book back in January and thought about how different a life I had compared to Leonard Pitts Jr. Pitts spoke about how his father held the family a gunpoint twice and about how he beat his mother and siblings whenever the father became intoxicated. Pitts basically stated how once his father died of cancer he was basically forgotten about, but never forgiven for the things he had done to make their lives so complicated for his family.

Pitts speaks to other men in a focus group setting about their relationships with their children and the mother of their children. Some of the relationships seemed as if the father really did not know what to say or do with the children and some of the children felt who is the mystery man? My heart went out to so many of the men, women and children who never got acquainted or tried and failed. I believe that so many men make children and probably fallout with the mother of their children. So many men see the "baby mama" as an obstacle who makes them feel inadequate or uncomfortable.

I had a friend who fathered a child with a woman and had not seen the child in the tweleve years that the child has been on earth except for the day he was born. My friend received a letter one day from his son wanting to see him and my friend wanted to go out and buy everything in the mall for his son. I explained to my friend that money can't buy love and I said that the most valuable gift you can give to your son is history. I explained to my friend that he should tell his son where he came from, his family, and take the boy on a trip to see where his father grew up. The boy is curious to know about his father, but also about himself and so often we lose sight of that by purchasing expensive that could never fill the void of family history.

This book is priceless if you love editorial cartoons. There is everything and more.
The cartoons and biting sarcasm and wit are effectionate. The art is top rate and
and the humor is too. You will laught all night. When you get a chance also visit his
website to find more :)

Cagle's website is the best place on the internet for political cartoons, and this book is the best of the year that was. Nice to have a low-tech version for browsing anytime.

Great variety of subjects and cartoonists, even those you love to hate. Am looking forward to the next edition...

Since the day, I visited Cagle Cartoons Inc website through print cartoons appearing in Asian Age, I became a great fan of Daryl Cagle. I could not resist writing to Daryl for placing Political Cartoons on mjakbar.org but somehow I landed up signing up for Cagle Free Daily Newsletter with Cartoons. Hold Your Breadth! Daryl Cagle's Pro Cartoonist Index Page is Amazing to explore. But here, the Book 2006 is gonna be full of exciting 150 Cartoons, chosen by Daryl and his staff - humorous and sometimes sad look of the events. It will re-live memorable moments like the Michael Jackson trial, steroid and baseball, the rise of gas prices, Terri Shiavo, the Tsunami, and much more in this book that is sure to be a great gift for you or your favorite political junkie. Why I say this before a read of Cartoons 2006 is because I've gone through each and every Cartoon Newsletter of Cagle and heaven's bless, this syndicated 700 newspaper Cartoonist is a raging success with the Tsunami, M Jackson, Bird Flu, Bush, Where's Osama and earlier, the Keryy vs Bush, Ronald Reagan, Yasser Arafat, etc.

Political cartoons has always been an important American Art form. 2004 was an important year with the presidential campaign, the war in Iraq, and terror: terrorists attacked a Russian school, killing scores of children and killer hurricanes, Athens Olympics & so on like war, terror and politics - the 2005 book covers up all the 2004 happenings in almost 288 pages from a collection of 800 cartoons on site.

Cartoons are an art form that chronicles history and reflects the attitudes of the public with a depth that can't be achieved in words alone. The website is a state of art and the Books are great buys for Library reads and gifts especially when you want to say no words - Daryl Cagle's cartoons speak a lot! Great Must Picks!

-ilaxi

I have been a fan of Daryl Cagle's cartoons for years. His latest collection of political cartoons is a "must see". I enjoyed every page!

A great pictorial history of the year as seen by the top editorial cartoonists! This 2005 edition offers a variety of viewpoints on such topics as the Janet's Boob fiasco to the the war in Iraq, the presidential camapign, Kerry vrs Bush and so much more.....I am hooked!

by Dashini Ann Jeyathurai,18

When I first received my copy of Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing in the mail, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. On one hand, I had seen the creative talents working on Blue Jean Online but on the other hand, I had read many paltry attempts of young women attempting to address issues they knew little of. I should have known better than to doubt Blue Jean.

Numerous young women individually mold subjects that are close to their hearts ranging from the meaning of feminism, the attention deficit disorder to the dilemmas of mixed parentage. The success of their writing lies in a simple formula that each young woman adopted and that was to write about something that they knew and felt intimately about. Dina Rabadi, 21, dispells the myths of studying in a women's college through her honest insight into the hidden benefits of studying at Smith College. I find myself re-evaluating my own choices for college and wondering why a women's college is conspicuously absent from my own list. It is this kind of writing that compels me to look inward and to reflect instead of simply heaving a sigh of relief at the end of an estrogen pumped collection of works. Erica Bryant, 16, reaches beyond the pages of the book through her mature outlook on "Black Feminists Talkin' Back". Being an Indian, I found myself unconsciously nodding my head as I read her piece that tackled the double prejudice of being a colored woman. When I read the various pieces, it wasn't so much the writer's creativity or fluency that captured my attention, but the sincerity with which they wrote. With Lida Haber-Thompson's piece on the attention deficit disorder, there is a conscious effort to take this condition out of a medical journal and put it into the words of a teenager. What made me want to know more about the disorder was the turmoil within Lisa's that is reflected in her words. Anne Preller, 15, presents an informative and passionate piece on sexual harassment that made me stop to think of the times I may have dismissed something I was not comfortable with for fear of being called school marmish or priggish.

Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing is crucial in creating a sense of solidarity amidst young women who are separated by geographical and cultural boundaries. That leap in one's heart to see that "I'm not the only one who feels this way" is what a collection of such works offers young women everywhere. It's captivating to read the way young women have jumped at the opportunity to defend their own beliefs and to stand up to the flawed images of women that one is constantly bombarded with by parents, boyfriends, tradition and the media. Sarabeth Matilsky and Danielle Kabelle, both 16, look at the manner in which gender stereotypes are instilled in us from childhood and whether size determines beauty, respectively. Such writing is living proof that while there is a majority that strives to achieve Barbie-like proportions, there is a significant minority that determines success and beauty by their own standards.

Alongside these key issues, Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing showcases young talents in creative writing that build new worlds for us to venture into through the words on a page. If I could, I would go on and on about what a feast this book is for the reader, but I think Julia Rodriguez sums this book and what it represents beautifully in the last two lines of her short story "Lilacs Bloom Every Spring". "We will find our right to be. Until then, lilacs bloom every spring".

by Shayla Price

I was absolutely astonished by how young women, like myself, are making a difference, coping with life, and just simply having fun. Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing is more than just a book; it is a resource that will guide and teach you about situations you may face in this challenging world. It is full of insight that goes beyond fashion and cosmetics and touches on young women's dreams and accomplishments.

Throughout the book, true-life experiences are discussed to inform, involve, and empower you. "Suffering in Silence: Sexual Harassment" gives an outstanding investigation of sexual harassment in schools, while touching on many different viewpoints. My spirit was uplifted and brought to a new level as I read "The Key to Confidence". The story,"Black Feminists Talkin' Back", really touched home because it expressed the conflict of how African-American women feel separated between sexism and racism. The amazing question and answer section, "Dear Dr. Beth", gave great advice on difficult everyday experiences that young women deal with. These are just a few of the many terrific articles that will make you really dig deeper in learning about who you are as an individual.

Additionally, the book devotes a section on how you can publish your own zine, reviews of other zines, and information on how you can contribute your writings to Blue Jean Online ....This book should be in every young lady's collection. After you read Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing, you will have a greater awareness of society, and your perspective on life will truly change.

In her introduction Sherry S. Handel writes, "The success of Blue Jean is and always has been due to the involvement of girls who make it all happen. Without them there is no Blue Jean. I'm often asked, 'How did you get such a great idea and what inspired you?' The answer is simple...Girls and young women should be creating their own media. To me it is obvious and should have happened a long time ago."

Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying and Doing, a compilation of articles from back issues of Blue Jean Magazine fully captures this feminist spirit that Handel describes. It reveals the originality possible when media is created by its own demographic. No mainstream teen magazine can compare in authenticity and honesty to Blue Jean because Blue Jean is the only publication teenage girls control and write for themselves. It reads like a breath of fresh air.

I was very impressed by the "do it yourself" message promoted in many of the chapters, especially in chapter one, "Volunteerism and Activism." In this chapter there is a nice balance between essays by girls who have experienced hands on the pleasures of creating something themselves, and appreciative reports about the activism carried out by girls around them. For example, in her essay "Chix with Sticks," Courtney Martin describes how she and her peers formed a Women's Lacrosse team at her high school. By narrating her own struggles and successes, she offers sound advice and encouragement to girls who may want to start their own team. Alternatively, Larissa Masny's aricle, "Insight into the Seeing Eye," focuses not on herself, but another girl's efforts working for a Seeing Eye dog center. The combination of first hand stories and second hand reports in "Volunteerism and Activism" suggests how important it is for girls to do things themselves, but also recognize achievements in others.

I particularly enjoyed chapter three, "Feminism." I liked reading how different girls answered the question, "What does feminism mean to you?" There is no better way to understand the complexities of feminism and the women's movement than through reading a variety of opinions. By creating a written discussion on feminism, the article mirrors the sort of debate girls will experience in the real world. "Feminism" is a highly contested word; a fact Blue Jean does not efface, but rather embraces by encouraging so many different responses. Victoria Nam's essay, "Why We Love and Fear the F-Word," was similarly impressive. She thoughtfully approaches the topic of "girl power" feminism. She neither completely dismisses "girl power" feminism as might older feminists, nor does she shield it from criticism. She concedes, "Girls are recycling words and wearing clothes that have been used against women in the past, but this time they are using them to their advantage" but still insists that "relying on T-shirts and stickers for inspiration and meaning celebrates the present and erases the past." I am encouraged and inspired by Victoria's insightful commentary.

In the introduction, Handel includes a letter written to her by Kristin Purdy, one of the girls originally involved in Blue Jean. Kristin writes, "Blue Jean is an intangible grassroots global network of girl power -- uniting girls and young women (and some old women also). In a way it carries a spirit that made me realize we are all feminists." Kristin's words underline Blue Jean's greatest accomplishment: it creates a lasting sorority among young women. Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing motivates feminist thought during a key transistion -- adolescence. The result is the creation of a feminist community that is broad and undefined, but because it is formed at such a pivotal moment, permanently connected.

by Mary Kate Brennan, 15

Empowering, inspiring, and stimulating. In a world full of beauty do and don't magazines and other superficial publications, this compilation is purely refreshing. Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing allows for teenage girls to read about significant issues that pertain to all, not just what shade of pink is in for this spring. This anthology starts with a bang, and influences readers to get out and actually do something. In the first chapter, volunteering and activism is addressed. It tells of actual things that young women have already accomplished, such as the one with girls assisting with a seeing-eye dog project. This book goes beyond simply telling, it encourages activism, not just dreaming, doing.

Between the pages that bring down feminist stereotypes and help for the mind and soul lay the true feelings and emotions of all girls. Though targeted at the 14-19 set, Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing defies age barriers. It is a collection of illuminating words that evoke dreams, hopes, and stories. Most importantly, it explains that common phrase "if you don't succeed at first, try, try again." Rather then put pressure on women, Blue Jean uplifts and helps girls shape themselves into independent, self-sufficient women. It does not make women feel as though clothes, makeup, and hot-dates define who we are, rather it coaxes our inner spirit and drive to challenge and overcome setbacks.

Abby Buck, 19, Twin Lakes, Wisc.

I checked out this book [Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing] at my local library and was intrigued by the idea of an alternative to the beauty magazines that are out there for young women. This book does not tell a young woman how to snag that "perfect" man or how to spend hours putting on make-up. Young women are bombarded enough by these images that tell them they must improve their looks because, of course, their looks are not good enough to be the object of a man's desires. Instead this book shows how young women are changing the world one voice at a time. The book is written and edited by young women who are questioning the world around them and not just blindly accepting it. They are activists. After finishing this book, my heart was warmed and my spirits raised by these courageous young women who voiced their thoughts. It gave me the confidence I needed to believe in my ideas and opinions.

Thank you Blue Jean for making available a safe place where young women can voice their concerns and views on the world. As a young woman myself, I am proud to call myself a feminist.

I love this book - the pictures are beautiful and there are lots of goddesses represented here. The brief summaries of each one are perfect to whet any appetite and I have bought this book several times for gifts.

Beautiful book well presented. However I was after the book that explains the tarot cards and not the description of each goddess. Because they have the same cover I picked the wrong book.

If you haven't seen the revised and expanded anniversary edition of Waldherr's renowned Book of Goddesses, this is a book you do not want to miss! The new version is packed with gorgeous artwork and informative, empowering text. Waldherr includes both familiar and unusual goddesses within a beautiful framework of multicultural mythos. The book includes both full color portraits as well as halftone illustrations--with additional border illustrations lending to the narratives.

It is well researched and put together. Another particular strong point is the fact that Waldherr includes "related goddesses" at the end of each section. The addition of comparative mythology helps to exemplify the universal nature of the feminine divine and makes this book seem unique in its presentation. The pricepoint almost seems low for this visual masterpiece--as it is a timeless creation that is sure to please generations to come!

Prepare to be beguiled. This is not an ordinary book.

Finding it was a happy accident while I was researching artistic responses to the myth of Persephone and Demeter. I knew Kris Waldherr had written a children's book about Persephone ('Persephone and the Pomegranate'), but it was out of print and had become a hard-to-find collector's item. So I turned to this more recent book of hers instead, and was captivated by it.

The book is designed as a complete whole, from its richly coloured endpapers with their jewel-like illustrations through to the lovely organic patterns of flowers, leaves, shells, rocks, birds and trees that run along the outer border of every page. Open it anywhere, and you'll see straight away that each double-page spread has been arranged with great care and sensitivity. Pictures are creatively balanced with text in a deeply satisfying way, from the evocative little vignettes inserted among the letterpress that give the words space to breathe, to the large richly coloured full-page illustrations. It doesn't matter if you think you're not interested in goddesses, and you don't have to be a woman to enjoy it; the book is so lovely that it will entice you in. Before you know where you are, you'll be immersed in the world of divine feminine archetypes that Kris Waldherr has laid before you.

This book is a wonderful demonstration of what can be achieved when an author/artist/designer has the inspiration, talent and vision to understand the potential of modern book production techniques, and take full advantage of them. 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful', advised William Morris. The Book of Goddesses fits both criteria, and here's the wonder: anyone can afford to buy one.

Love everything Kris Waldherr does! Her artistic abilities shine in this loveliest of presentations. A dramatic and heartfelt sense of timing from those whose stories have deeply touched all of our lives through the mediums. It has become my first favorite deck, the second being the Goddesses.

Cause for Success recently won FIRST place for "Best Business Book" at the Nautilus 2005 Awards ceremony that honored books that contribute significantly to conscious living and positive social change.

According to the editors at Marilyn McGuire & Associates, Inc., the company that hosted the awards: "There is hardly a wasted word in this succinct homage to ten corporate exemplars who prove that "conscious business" is not an oxymoron. These high-purpose companies are changing the face - and the principles - of standard business practice with a diversity of commitments to ethics, partnership, economic justice, environmental wisdom, and service to a greater good. In a world of rampant corporate malfeasance, it's heartening to know that companies with a soul do exist, and are thriving because of it."

Cause for Success was a most inspiring book. Ms. Arena helped me to realize even more ways to better run my business. It helps to know that the big guys are working hard to do what they can too.

Thank you Ms. Arena for writing an articulate, interesting and exciting book.

As a corporate social responsibility professional, I am always reading to expand my CSR tool belt. "Cause for Success" proudly joins my list of "must read". In her book, Ms. Arena provides specific examples of the strong business case and social need for corporate citizenship. Each case study includes valuable reflections from business executives, and measured outcomes of the organizations program. While the entire book is worth reading, Ms. Arena also provides several boxes in each case study that highlight program components and quotes that are extremely useful for future reference. For me, it is a great tool that will assit me in presenting the case for CSR initiatives in an enterprise. Thank you Ms. Arena.

"Cause for Success presents fascinating insights into a new paradigm for business success in the twenty-first century. It shows how a leading set of "high-purpose" companies moved beyond charitable giving and used constructive social engagement as the central means of improving their performance in the marketplace."
- Bradley Abelow, Global Head of Operations, Goldman Sachs

"At a time when business confidence is depleted and cynicism about corporate conduct rampant, Christine Arena raises our sights and expectations. She reminds us that the companies which seek to make both a difference and a profit are the same ones that attract the most gifted, committed and ambitious people. The cycle of virtue she describes is rooted in real case studies, not wishful thinking. Cause for Success is a cause for cerebration as well as celebration."
- Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner

"I loved this book. It will help all leaders redefine success in broader, longer-term ways previously overlooked in traditional business analysis."
- Jonathan S. Lavine, Managing Director, Bain Capital

"The way that businesses are run has a profound impact on the lives of pretty well everyone in the world, including those in the poorest countries. Christine Arena's book shows through the use of inspirational examples that companies and their leaders can establish a powerful new role for business in society. An important call to arms for all business executives to recognize the vital responsibility they have in this world."
- Philip Rowley, President, AOL Europe