Social Studies Books

This book was a real revalation to me. To read a firsthand account of a gay man's journey, back in the late 1970s, was truly a rare, and positive experience. This was the era when gays were fiinally getting positive public recognition (at least on TV and in the press) other than being labeled "not normal," mentally ill, or other negative call-words. These were the days of gay marches, people "coming out" publicly, and the dawn of a new and positive age for homosexuality. Reading this book was a very
mind-blowing experience. To read, and understand, David Kopay's struggle and coming to terms with his own sexual identity, "coming out" to his parents and family, and the discrimination he experienced in searching for a job in the sports field, truly shows the social climate of the times; and also might show others that the human experience is similar to most people.
Perhaps "straight" people, right-wing Republicans and religious fantaics of the Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell types might gain some insight into the human condition by reading this, and similar, books. Too much time is spent on negativity and extolling people's differences by some groups and people; when there is still homophobia and gay-bashing still going on -- as shown by the sad episode of Matthew Shepherd, not too many years ago.
This book is a must-read for any gay man, also friends and family members of gay persons. The book may just show people that there isn't much difference between people, whatever their race, sexual preferences, or even religious beliefs. Even though I read this book almost twnety years ago, it's message is still strong, and I highly reccomend this book to anyone who has a gay family member, a gay friend, or if you are a gay person reading this.

You don't need to be a gay man or a football fan to connect with this emotional and enlightening page-turner. Bravo to David Kopay and Perre Deane Young!!!!!!

This book is of a true hero, David Kopay. What a story of courage and inspiration. If you want to be inspired, read this book. One of the best!!

Before Dan Woog's "Jocks," before "The Front Runner," before the whole genre, David Kopay rocked the homophobic world of sports by coming out and telling his story. An amazing personal journey and a great historic account, this is a must-have for your gay library. Not as sexy as you'd think, instead it's a harrowing and touching tale of the first pro football player - the first jock of the 20th century - to come out big time. We all owe this man a lot, but beyond that, this is a compelling story.

This is David Kopay's account of growing up gay back when there were very few books or support groups to turn to, which makes it stand even taller. He describes his experience as a college and professional football player as well as being in a fraternity. I find him candid, readable and likeable. He never asked for any special favours, just the right to live his life his way and do what he knew how to do.

I'm proud that David is a fellow Husky; his name adds honour to the reputation of the University of Washington, both as a hard-nosed athlete who hit like a freight train and as a man of courage. Just about anyone could benefit from reading his book.

Tuhiwai Smith's masterpiece is a must-read for any discipline. Her work questions the most basic assumptions upon which academic research lies; her influence is widely felt in fields as diverse as anthropology, social work, women studies, film studies, indigenous studies, psychology, history, sociology, and ethnic studies. Smith is the Fanon of the indigenous world, and the contemporary academic cannot afford to miss her work.

The chapters are absorbing and surprisingly straight-forward for theory, and can be read separately or in sequence. The work is accessible enough for undergraduate students, but rich enough to serve as a valuable addition to the graduate student's bookshelf.

She reaches both Native and non-Native audiences, and concludes her work with indiginizing projects that detail real alternatives to current practices. An investment you will not regret!

I first read this book for a course in Sociocultural Theory in Anthropology. It has stayed on my shelf ever since. Linda Tuhiwai Smith provides insight and deeply meaningful commentary on the field of social research and its place in the indigenous community. This work should be required reading of all students in the social sciences.

This book outlines important and useful methodologies for decolonization, and should be required reading for anyone who makes public policy.

Smith provides a coherent and detailed alternative perspective for those researching in fields related to indigenous populations. She presents both a theoretical framework and offers very practical suggestions. I have found great value not only in what Smith presents but also in following up readings through those she references. I believe this is a necessary book on any shelf of those involved in such study.

Looking at Western research practices from the �underside� of a positivist paradigm deeply entrenched and diffused throughout public and private educational, governmental, and corporate tentacles, Linda Tuhiwai Smith is a Maori (New Zealand) intellectual presenting a counter-methodological narrative stemming from a collective indigenous historical cynicism and whose voice bespeaks the refusal to be objectified by an inherently racist and imperialist mode of constructing knowledge and re-presentations of non-Western peoples. Deconstructing Western research paradigms is simply an act of defiance and resistance for Smith, particularly since she constructs a radical alternative methodology rooted in self-determination, social justice, intellectual property rights, and active participation in all knowledge-making, contributions to the research processes, and dissemination of �findings�. The exigency of articulating a research methodology aimed at critical praxis for Western and non-Western peoples interested in indigenous issues emerges at a point where globalization and neo-liberal imperial practices and investments are opening new spaces for the unilateral and/or predominant benefit of Western research regimes that continue capitalizing and objectifying indigenous peoples through racist and incorrigible projects that erase human dignity, i.e. Human Genome Diversity Project.

The book can strategically be divided into two main sections: the first section explores the contemporary and historical legacy of an imperial tryst between Western scientific, economic, and ideological formations shaping relations with alterity (Chapters 1-5); the second section outlines a radical alternative methodology for conducting research on indigenous peoples and issues (Chapters 6-9). The first chapter reveals the �Enlightenment� and positivist threads that weave imperialism, history, writing, and theoretical practices that continue to shape current research and socio-political policies on an international level. Smith states: �research within late-modern and late-colonial conditions continues relentlessly and brings with it a new wave of exploration, discovery, exploitation, and appropriation� (24). Deconstructing the historical legacy of imperial practices is also a call for rewriting and rerighting history with indigenous perspectives. The second chapter outlines the Baconian processes by which Westerners come to view the world as a standing reserve of objects for empirical inquiry, discursive appropriation, and mimetic comportment processes aimed at subjugating and �controlling� nature and indigenous peoples with an intellectual will to power stemming from racist ideologues who trace some form of theoretical lineage back to Bacon, Kant, Hegel, Hume and others. Borrowing from Stuart Hall, this process moves from classification of the world and others, to collapsing images for a convenient system of representation, to presenting a reified model for comparative analysis, and, finally, establishing criteria for hierarchical positionality. Chapter three delves further into deconstructing research, as viewed through imperial eyes, and how this methodology produced a self-perpetuating apparatus comprised of multifarious disciplines for the construction and future survival of colonial �knowledge� and all those who invest in these truth regimes that purport to be �universal�, �neutral�, objectively sound, and constructed on a foundation of �absolute certainty�.

Chapter four and five highlight many instances of how imperial research regimes continue to invest in the discursive and �scientific� construction, re-presentation, and exploitation of indigenous peoples for profit and social control. The globe has become one large information colony where research is the means to inscribe social and ideological control and Westernized fabrications of history on the backs of indigenous peoples around the world. The most infamous example of how the imperial research regime continues to exist is through scientific projects stemming from private corporate entities mainly subsidized by governments. The Human Genome Diversity Project attempts to subjugate indigenous peoples by mapping and reifying DNA and possessing it as �intellectual property� for future use. The attempt to patent the genetic make-up of the Hagahai people (New Guinea) by the U.S. government is indisputable proof of how these scientific projects threaten the future, autonomy, and human rights of indigenous peoples.

The second part of the book focuses on constructing an indigenous alternative to decolonize indigenous peoples from Western regimes of research based on emergent tribal social issues, practices, and beliefs. The center of this decolonizing project is constructed through Polynesian metaphors of �space-time�. The center of social activity and identity is an archipelago comprised of self-determination in terms of tribal autonomy on a social, economic, and research level, as well as the full participation in inter-tribal and inter-national relations. Healing, decolonization, transformation, and mobilization are the four main �directions� that frame the spaces of this project. Survival, recovery, and development are the main �tides� that connect and transform all directionality of the project. This methodology is intended to transform indigenous peoples from passive objects in Western research to active-participants in an indigenous process of reconfiguring themselves and the world around them. Respect becomes the main affective principle for the survival of indigenous peoples and the project: �through respect, the place of everyone, and everything in the universe is kept in balance and harmony�the denial by the West of humanity to indigenous peoples, the denial of citizenship and human rights, the denial of the right to self-determination�all these demonstrate palpably the enormous lack of respect which has marked the relations of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples� (120). Without respect, there is no dignity.

Chapter seven outlines a means of articulating such a project to indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and the challenges associated with it. Chapter eight provides a list of current indigenous research projects. Chapter nine provides a case study of the Maori peoples in which the method outlined in chapter six was put into practice. Chapter ten details with the methodological transformation of passive objects to active agents and lists tactics for strengthening and sustaining critical research for decolonizing processes.
Generally, when the researched become researchers, self-determination and healing can take place, communities can create and control research processes and the subsequent naming of the world, and they can define their relationship with others and the environment.

If a critical theroetical/methodological �flaw� or problematic of this decolonial methodology exists, it might come to presence from a post-structural disdain for outlining a process by which people can �liberate� themselves from Western imperialist research regimes. But then again, post-structural thought is mainly a Western construction and/or response to
'modernity' and its discontents.

Y ENSEÑARLES, PARAS SIEMPRE, EL CAMINO CORRECTO A LA FELICIDAD Y, UN DIA, AL CIELO!

and happy peoples, translated into TEN PROMISES we vow to keep and make our children learn... A very special book to teach the children: You can't imagine how they enjoy "promising " and what good it does to their lives !

la extraordinaria IDEA DE DIEZ PROMESAS...
DIEZ PROMESAS QUE, CON TODO AMOR, HABRAN DE HACER NUESTROS NIÑOS.
Todos sabemos que, lo que se fija en la mente de los pequeños, no desaparece jamás...Y estas son promesas PARA UNA VIDA BONDADOSA Y FELIZ !

CON ESTE TIENES!
Si logras que te hagan estas diez promesas SOBRE NUESTROS PROPIOS VALORES,
..TUS HIJOS SERÁN UNA LUZ PARA SUS PADRES, PARA QUIEN LOS CONOZCA Y PARA EL MUNDO !

EN ESTE LIBRO Y HACE MUCHOS AÑOS !
Cuando pequeñitos, los encaminamos para que ante Dios, hicieran estas maravillosas diez promesas.
QUINCE AÑOS MÁS TARDE... TODOS LOS EX NIÑOS LAS SIGUEN CUMPLIENDO !
Un libro extraordinario y un resultado DESLUMBRANTE

i loved this book. i felt as though i was right there with him and his family through every phase of their lives. this book had everything going for it, sadness, chaos, happiness, tragedy. it was so personal and you just felt as though the author let you in to share with him.

This book will be enjoyed by all who read it for it is a story of survival from the ashes of the Holocaust. This book is also an excellent book club selection that will spark much thought and conversation.

Joseph Berger has written a story that needed to be told, but he has included too much extraneous material about his own life. Much of what he tells reveals what it was like growing up as the child of a refugee, but who cares whether or not he dated in high school?

The best parts of this book were those about his mother's life and about how she managed in the United States as a refugee. Berger's writing is more journalism than story telling. He's got all the facts, but none of his descriptions flare above the mundane. His mother's reminisences are far more artistic, and reveal more than the words on the page.

New York Times journalist Joseph Berger has created a masterful, evocative and moving account of the ever-present duality of his life: his identity as an acculturated American child of Holocaust survivors. This duality gives his account of his mother's life and his own evolution from a bewildered refugee child into an accomplished American a poignancy and power. "Displaced Persons" will stand as an important contribution, not only to our understanding of the long-term implications of being a survivor of the Holocaust, but of the unique burdens, pressures and responsibilities children of survivors inherit from their parents.

Berger is acutely aware of "the unmentioned sorrow that was the subtext to everything [his] parents said or did." Haunted by memories, devastated by enormous loss, handicapped by their arrival in America in their twenties and driven to provide security for their families, Holocaust survivors often perceive their children as replacements of beloved family members who perished and as repositories of hopes and dreams denied them. Worried about their children's safety, happiness and future, Berger muses about his parents' perspective, "What could I say about the dread and suspicion with which they encountered a world that had proven maliciously fickle?"

As the author emerges from childhood, he begins to chafe from his mother's protective, controlling instincts and desires to assert himself as his own man. Berger's wrenching analysis of his status becomes the overarching theme of his memoir. "I saw myself now an an American...I would no more be the timid refugee boy with one leg planted in the fearful shtetls of Poland, with a mother ever vigilant that no more perils come to the remnants of her kin." It is this unspoken loving tension between Joseph and his mother, Rachel, that gives "Persons" its dynamism.

Alternating between two narratives, one his own and the other the gripping account of his mother's survival, Berger deftly intermingles past and present. Aware of his distinct heritage, the young Berger recognizes others in his impoverished Manhattan neighborhood who share his background. "We knew one another, knew in our young bellies that our parents were the same dazed and damaged lot, had the same refugee awkwardness, the same whiff about them of marrow bones and carp." Now attempting to wrest coherence in America, Holocaust survivors tend to frustrate Berger with their problem solving techniques. Berger prefers the American way of standing up directly; survivors "were always scraping by on a willingness to do what was necessary to survive, even if that meant surrendering pride or principle."

Raw emotion floods "Displaced Persons." Rachel's symbolic mourning of a dead child in Warsaw at the onset of World War II serves to remind us that she has no "mental picture" of the actual murder of her family. Unspoken grief undulates throughout the memoir. Berger's stoic father Marcus scarcely articulates his unfathomable sense of loss; nearly half a century passes before he can utter the names of his sisters. Guilt ebbs and flows in Rachel's description of her survival. Anguished over refusing to bring non-kosher food to her hungry brother during World War II, she has never forgiven heself, calling it "the worst thing I ever did in my life."

Yet life surges and humor emerges in Berger's descriptions of growing up in New York City in the 1950s and 60s. With both parents working at dreary, tiring jobs, the author experiences a freedom of movement he admits he would never conceive of allowing his own daughter today. His descriptions of his initial exploration of Manhattan reveal the sheer joy of discovery, the incredible exuberance of youthful hopes and the awesome sense of possibilities Berger recognizes in his new home. Berger's frantic disposal of an illicit girlie magazine carries universal appeal; he becomes an American everyboy. His struggles with self-confidence, academic competition and sexual frustrations are those of not only his generation, but of those before and after.

Written with conviction and compassion, "Displaced Persons" is that kind of memoir that not only describes, but instructs. Through the author's descriptions of his resolute, stubborn and proud mother, survivors attain an identity beyond that of suffering and loss. His own life's story shapes our understanding of the purpose of our national experience and the sacredness of an American identity. Treating both the Holocuast in its past brutality and its implications for the second-generation children of survivors, the memoir blends sorrow and joy, heartache and hope, pain and redemption.

My father's story parallels Joseph Berger's in eerie ways...they were both at the Schlactensee DP Camp and the Landsberg-Am-Lech DP camp...Berger's mother's story of her youth could be my grandmother's, from an unpleasant step-mother to the flight East to Russia. My father was born during my grandparents' refuge in the USSR, and crossed illegally with his family into Poland after the war ended. I have always been close to my grandparents, but this book brought clarity and insight into topics they don't generally discuss...the duality that immigrant survivors (the displaced persons) felt between their new lives in America and the tragedy and loss left in Europe. When I look at my grandparents' happy faces at family occasions---graduations, weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties---I wonder if the events make them remember times similar back in Lithuania. Berger's story, beautifully written and researched, is a must-read.

Dr. Gladys Hankins has done an excellent job at highlighting many of the subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in corporate America. Her insight is rather compelling with documented real-life interviews and workshops with working adults of different races and gender, as well as individuals working in different capacities and corporate levels. She presents very balanced and fair perspectives of individuals of different racial backgrounds and gender. She has excellently highlighted rather destructive but subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination that are designed consciously or unconsciously to stifle or frustrate many talented and hardworking individuals in corporate America. She has presented these issues in a constructive and non-judgmental manner. No well-meaning company executive and leader would read this book without being propelled to "question" their own stand on fostering true diversity which must include fairness and equity in giving all deserving individuals (regardless of race and gender) equal opportunities for career development and vertical promotion. After reading this book, any well-meaning company executive and leader would be propelled to playing an imaginary role of switching places with a very qualified and hardworking woman or minority man. Such a person must then ask how they would feel if a glass or concrete ceiling were placed on them regardless of their output, productivity, talents, abilities and skills. In this book, Dr. Hankins does a terrific job of bringing out your humanity and reminding you that empowering others equates to empowering yourself, your company, your community and the country as a whole.

Dr. Hankins very nicely addresses the White Male fears of seeing any kind of advancement of women or minority men. She brings to light that the feelings and fears of the White Male must be adequately addressed before real progress in corporate diversity issues can be measured. Finally, she offers empowering statements to women and minority men reminding them that to value self from within still surpasses external value by others.

This book pierced through the very heart of many subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in the workplace bringing to light the "Diversity Blues". Blues that continue to limit great minds and potentials, and essentially causing many companies to operate at 50% of their human potential. This book is a "must read" for every company executive and leader because it holds many empowering tools that can help any company maximize the potentials of their intelligent, hardworking, well-meaning and well-deserving employees of the human race. Five stars to "Diversity Blues" and congratulations to Dr. Hankins for an excellent job!!!

Well done! Dr Hankins does an excellent job of recognizing the state of discrimination and prejudice as I experience it in my life (easier to ignore than 20 years ago). She does two things that really opened my eyes and compelled me to act. The first is identifying the problems as they look today and bringing to light the erosion of productivity this causes. The second is presenting a solid business case for why I should take action to fix these problems. Dr Hankins' style is refreshingly logical and direct. I was compelled to read each next chapter and was ready to spring into action when I finished the last page. This is required reading for everyone who cares about their world.

This book is a real eye-opener to everyone who thinks, "we're in pretty good shape as far as diversity is concerned". Its numerous insightful and moving testimonials involve the reader both intellectually and emotionally and convey that modern racism and sexism in the workplace are still a sad reality.

Dr. Hankins challenges readers to examine and revise their own beliefs and assumptions about people who exhibit differences. She reminds all of us regardless of our gender and ethnicity to assume responsibility and ownership for creating the kind of environment, and ultimately the world, we want to live in. To do that she offers strategies to those who are the targets of prejudice and discrimination, encouraging them to address issues from a position of empowerment rather than victimization. She also provides sound guidelines to leaders on how to develop a comprehensive diversity management strategy that goes beyond mere diverse enrollment.

A truly enlightening and inspiring book!

Dr. Gladys Hankins has done an excellent job at highlighting many of the subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in corporate America. Her insight is rather compelling with documented real-life interviews and workshops with working adults of different races and gender, as well as individuals working in different capacities and corporate levels. She presents very balanced and fair perspectives of individuals of different racial backgrounds and gender. She has excellently highlighted rather destructive but subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination that are designed consciously or unconsciously to stifle or frustrate many talented and hardworking individuals in corporate America. She has presented these issues in a constructive and non-judgmental manner. No well-meaning company executive and leader would read this book without being propelled to "question" their own stand on fostering true diversity which must include fairness and equity in giving all deserving individuals (regardless of race and gender) equal opportunities for career development and vertical promotion. After reading this book, any well-meaning company executive and leader would be propelled to playing an imaginary role of switching places with a very qualified and hardworking woman or minority man. Such a person must then ask how they would feel if a glass or concrete ceiling were placed on them regardless of their output, productivity, talents, abilities and skills. In this book, Dr. Hankins does a terrific job of bringing out your humanity and reminding you that empowering others equates to empowering yourself, your company, your community and the country as a whole.

Dr. Hankins very nicely addresses the White Male fears of seeing any kind of advancement of women or minority men. She brings to light that the feelings and fears of the White Male must be adequately addressed before real progress in corporate diversity issues can be measured. Finally, she offers empowering statements to women and minority men reminding them that to value self from within still surpasses external value by others.

This book pierced through the very heart of many subtle forms of racial prejudice and discrimination in the workplace bringing to light the "Diversity Blues". Blues that continue to limit great minds and potentials, and essentially causing many companies to operate at 50% of their human potential. This book is a "must read" for every company executive and leader because it holds many empowering tools that can help any company maximize the potentials of their intelligent, hardworking, well-meaning and well-deserving employees of the human race. Five stars to "Diversity Blues" and congratulations to Dr. Hankins for a brilliant job!!!

At this crucial point in the history of the world's major organizations, when far too many are struggling for economic survival, Dr. Hankins makes it painfully clear that Diversity is often misunderstood, undervalued, and benignly, if not overtly, neglected. She goes on to make a compelling case for proactively managing diversity; not the least of her arguments is that an ongoing process for managing divesity must be built into every facet of an organization's business. Her prescription for a healthy organization is to implement ongoing diversity that affects a real change in attitudes so that its members acknowledge and respect human and cultural differences. She makes good common sense! A healthy organization is empowered and enabled to deliver critical results that assure business success and profitabilty. Finally! A book on diversity for the boardroom and the lunch bunch!

While accomplishing a clear and valid intellectual case for "principle-based diversity in today's workplace, Dr. Hankins conveys a deep understanding of the negative human emotions that foster racism and sexism. She challenged me to introspection and reflection by presenting more than statistics and scientific data alone. Personal and group interviews, along with her own personal experience and observation uncover the raw, destructive nature of racism and sexism.

Then, with style and savvy, Dr. Hankins shares a vision for a prejudice-free, discrimination free-organization and addresses key roles all of us must play to create it. Unlike any other dissertation I've read on diversity, "Diversity Blues" has inspired me to reaffirm my commitment to be part of the solution of living a principle-based diversity.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little bit of nostalgia!!!! I have bought it for a few of my friends and we just love groaning over the things we thought were "too cool" way back when......
we need more of these type of fun, light, crazy books!!! one question, though...whaddya call those yellow thingys that you put in the hole of a 45 so you can play it?????????.........

"Do You Remember" really does take you back. It can best be described as a colorful TV collage in book form. From the Hardy Boys and Lawrence Welk, to Monty Hall and the infamous Academy Awards streaker, they're all here to jog some memories. The authors did a nice job of pulling together the expected (i.e. Donny & Marie and All in the Family) as well as the obscure and unexepected (i.e. Mason Reese, the Underwood Deviled Ham kid). Having the inside front and back covers resemble pages from TV Guide from September 1974 (when Gilligan and The Match Game dominated the air waves) was a clever touch as well.

If you grew up watching TV in the 70s and 80s, you'll get a kick out of this book.

This is a really good book that covers it all.. almost.I'd say it's worth buying and it has tons of info from the 70's and some from 80's- i just expected it to have a lil more info from 80's but other than that it is good and has lots of cool stuff in it. It definetly brought back lots of memories and reminded me of things i havnt thought of in years and stuff ive totally forgoten about yet i enjoyed as a kid. It's a good read with some really cool facts and pictures.

I love this book! It really took me back - I had completely forgotten about stuff like the Five Chinese Brothers and Lip Smackers.

A friend of mine gave me this book on my 30th birthday and it was one of the best presents I ever received. It was fun and the book really took me back to some of the best times of my life! I highly recommend this book for it's memory jogging effect.

This well-researched book includes the a "Cultural Poisoning" self-test. The idea is that with the help of the book, one can move from a state of being Culturally Poisoned and onward to a state of Cultural Literacy and even to a Zone of Optimal Development.

This book is very useful for people of all races and backgrounds.

I must commend brothah Aunk for his scholarship. "DoubleSpeak in Black and White", a book which has been obviously put together with much thought, and investigation/research, in those areas concerning some of the particulars in providing specific tools for those of us who have not had much success in articulating concerns relative to understanding much of what has been passed down to us here in the western civilizations. Yes, I said "tool". 'Doublespeak" can certainly be considered a "tool" or a handy guide of the present and future. For those of you who have not had time to read "doublespeak", I would highly recommend that you do.

"DoubleSpeak" addresses areas of concern pertinent to what our understanding of not only the culture we live in, but also, how we view ourselves as "Africans" in a world colonized by "antihumanist". [An American who is in favor of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness for some] as written by brothah Aunk.

Brothah Aunk cleverly coins the term "AIDS" [Acquired Information Deficiency Syndrome] as a descriptive diagnosis of some of the ills or dis-ease we manifest [unknowingly most times] due to programming and conditioning via the various institutions set up here in the west and other parts of the world. [educational, political, religious, ect.] For example Aunk refers to some of the strains of AIDS as WorldView AIDS, Medical AIDS, Image AIDS, Geography AIDS, American History AIDS, Melanin AIDS, ect.

As you will notice these phrases have been sectioned into small groups of information assisting you in your understanding of Cultural Illiteracy and Cultural Poisoning. [See Aunk's "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" for further details on cultural literacy...cultural poisoning] "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" is a tool, which is able to provide us with concise terms and information relative to each of the strains of AIDS, which in some cases may have affected our ability to communicate information, and to be able to recognize the "mis-information in each of the strains of cultural AIDS. I would also like to point out, that in the context of the book, you'll also find very interesting models and illustrations, which provides you with a visual of important points in the book. Aunk provides several models of the Aunk illustrating it's many functions as used by the ancient kamitians. Fascinating photos and descriptions of melanin, even more interesting are the various step by step models of achieving Cultural Literacy and on to cultural harmony, final phase!...fantastic job Aunk!

Finally, after reading Aunk's DoubleSpeak in Black and White", I have become conscious of certain terms and phrases I had been accustomed to using, which once it had been brought to my attention, via Aunk's book, I realized I had to make certain changes in how I communicate cultural ideas. I was able to recognize how some of what I may have said and how I said them, may have, in essence, been perpetuating Cultural Poisoning. In a time where "race" issues have been the highlight of much our societies discussions, it is certainly good to know that we now have a concise reference guide/tool that can help us to be able to bring to political forums on "race", terms and phrases which can be used universally in articulating our views in a way that everyone present can understand/comprehend, thus providing us with the opportunity to be well on our way to resolving some of the "race" issues in America and abroad.

This handy tool..."DoubleSpeak" can certainly be considered a universal reference guide for not only us but our children and those of other ethnicities as well, present and future! Let's provide a brighter future for generations to come, become Culturally Literate! Also I would like to recommend that we all take time to take the "Cultural Poisoning Self Test" [see Aunk's "DoubleSpeak in Black and White"] in conclusion...I would like to say th-ankh you brotha Aunk for all the positive energy you invested in not only your book...but in "us" as well. For caring enough to provide us with such a valuable tool, which by the way, in developing "our" own schools in the future and for those of us who teach, this book can be used as an excellent reference guide for teaching adults and children in schools, or wherever it is you teach...Aunk's book, "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" comes highly recommended by me!... ....in keeping the cypher in motion... Omniversal love and respect to all!!

"... If you and I would just realize, that once we learn to talk the language that they understand, they will then get the point. You can't ever reach a man if you don't speak his language. If a man speaks the language of brute force, you can't come to him with peace. Why goodnight! He'll break you in two, as he has been doing all along. If a man speaks French, you can't speak to him in German. If he speaks Swahili, you can't communicate with him in Chinese. You have to find out, what does this man speak? Once you know his language, learn how to speak his language. He'll get the point, there will be some dialogue, some communication, and some understanding will be developed." El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X)

I have "zero tolerance" when it concerns overtly racist white folks or patronizing white folks who call themselves "liberal." I cannot afford to waste my valuable time explaining the concept of a "just" society to those who supposedly advocate and practice it. I am a part of that generation, born into segregation; weaned into integration; now traumatized by the intransigence of white supremacy. It took me a long time to adjust, but I am clear now. Maybe if I would have had Rudy Aunk's book, "DoubleSpeak in Black and White," when I was younger, I might have become clear sooner and saved myself the heartache.

It is only appropriate that Aunk starts his work in the context of America's last chance to begin any type of racial healing, President Clinton's failed national discussion on race, a plan that I have had very personal experience with. Aunk underlines the reasons why I, and the rest of the country, had difficulty with this discussion-we came to the conference table unprepared because we did not speak the same language. Aunk makes a critical point that if the medical and sales profession can standardize speech within those professions, then the same can be done to raise the ''language efficiency' in our discussions on 'race'. Aunk even offers standard definitions to many of the terms surrounding 'race' in order to begin the standardization process.

From there, Aunk traces the roots of this unpreparedness as being grounded in the cultural poisoning that has taken place since our childhoods. Not convinced of the level of your poisoning? The book even has a very enlightening self-test, if you are not afraid to face the truth!

Need validation of Aunk's position? All you have to do is look at the results of the National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey. This study surveyed over 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the United States and found that American students scored next to last lowest score. It is frightening and unfortunate that no one has put forth any "clear" plans to do anything about this except Aunk and a few others. Prevention is a central theme of the book, however, Aunk offers clear solutions for today's stalemated issues. For example, Aunk's commentary of the educational voucher controversy should offend no one, especially if they are really about teaching the children.

Aunk then goes about the task of exploding popular myths and other miseducation while offering an action plan that will help us de-toxify and empower ourselves with cultural literacy.

Probably the greatest concept Aunk puts forth in the book is a question few dare, in this culture of obfuscation, to ask. That is, "now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

Aunk's book is definitely a must read for those individuals not afraid to explore the possibility of creating another mindset. I think this book should be used as a primary textbook for the millions of institutions in the United States and the Western world responsible for "Diversity" programs. Certainly, the book should be required reading at my job, however, the whites and blacks are severely poisoned, close to cultural death

By Tolbert

I am a European American young woman. My relationships with African Americans at school and work, was not where I wanted it to be. I read DoubleSpeak in Black and White, most of the info was new to me, and has made a big difference. Aunk is right, detecting Cultural Poisoning, and deleting these negative programs from your bio-computer is easy, once you know how. I have recommended this book to everyone in my family, and highly recommend it to YOU!

I am an African American educator. I use to be defensive about my culture. I used the information in DoubleSpeak in B/W to move from cultural defense to cultural offence. As an Elder, I now enjoy helping others do the same.

This provocative book brings forth historical, spiritual, and cultural concepts that have been at the heart of the India since 2000 B.C. By looking to the Vedas, Gupta deconstructs difficult concepts and gracefully explains them in a manner which helps the reader understand the Indian worldview. By exploring the concepts of dharma, karma, and moksha, Gupta brings forth the core values inherent in Indian societies. The need for educating their children, respecting elders, and consistently putting the "other" before the "self". Dr. Gupta provides a window into the world of Indian-ness. This book is not only for teachers...but for anyone looking to explore the unknown terrain of Indian-ness.

Gupta's comparative work offers an important critique of the assumptions of American (and Western) educational psychologies. She gracefully points out that American educational orthodoxies unwittingly overlook the human aspect in the classroom. That is, particularly as they encounter other cultures, Western educational psychologies at times bundle children into developmental boxes which may contradict the children's cultural background, and disregard the power of the familial, social, religious or economic background of the teacher in the pursuit of the West's classroom standards.
Gupta does not speak contra Western educational psychology. Rather, she argues graciously that it recognize itself as a cultural product, and that it not be quick to impose its ontological and practical assumptions on others. I found her insights extremely helpful and inspiring!

Gupta's point that teacher education systems need to take into consideration teachers' own value systems is a suggestion many countries could benefit from hearing. As an American teacher who is interested in educational systems throughout the world, I found this book to be extremely informative and interesting. This book is a fascinating combination of educational theory, postcolonial theory and an examination of both Indian and American teaching methods. Gupta provides well-written background on Indian philosophy, religion and educational practices as well as on educational theorists. I recently took a trip to India and studied the educational systems there - I found her book to be very helpful. Chapter 3 "The Sociocultural Context of Education: Core Concepts of the Philosophy Underlying the Worldview of Indians" clearly outlined the texts and ideas that form the basis of Indian philosophy. Anyone interested in studying Indian philosophy and/or educational systems would do well to read this book. In a world where we are in dire need of intercultural and interreligious understanding, Gupta raises thoughtful questions and proposes timely next steps.

An excellent book!
Presents an in-depth exploration of classroom practice and teachers voices in urban Indian schools, as well as the connections between cultural values and educational values in India. It is about time that such perspectives and aspects are made a part of the wider body of educational research. Very informative. I would strongly urge teachers, school administrators and policy makers to read this book.

A very well written and insightful book that helped me to better understand the intersection and relationship between a society's cultural philosophy and educational practices. The author provided an unusual perspective on urban Indian early education that is laden with implications for all levels of teaching. I found this to be an excellent book!

For anyone trying to raise the next generation, this is an imperative read. Go find a quiet corner, start with the chapter on Meaning, then turn to the beginning and start the book anew. Peter White provides a crystalline description of the role that fear too often plays in undermining family relations and the potential of children....but of course the book has many insights to be read and considered in many ways, from so many perspectives. If abandoned on an island this is one of the books you might want to have in your knapsack!

In "Ecology Of Being", author, philosopher and businessman Peter White explores the nature and quality of existence, what it means to be human and part of the complex systems that unite mankind, nature, and society. Readers are presented with White's thoughts on finding peace and comfort within oneself and how doing so empowers other people to do the same. The result being the creation of an upward spiral that beneficially impacts the world as a whole. Strongly recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in self-improvement and personal philosophy, "Ecology Of Being" is a book of contemplation, ideas, and reflection that is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking.

I recommend 2 reads: first, to realize the depth and strength of each element; and second, to feel the impact of its essence. Powerful messages gifted to us by a great teacher.

Reminescent of Joseph Campbell. Deep insight into the importance of being.

Both concise and poetic, "Ecology of Being" describes what it means to be human today, in a post-survivalist age. Building upon a candid discussion of his own experiences, White examines the meaning of life, especially as regards personal fulfillment, social responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all things. Making the book easily accessible to anyone, White's exploration favors pragmatism over spiritualism. Direct and deliberate, his words resonate with truth.

I can not say if this is the best book on the subject, because I have not read the other books. I can say that this book is absolutely magnificient scholarship. Its subject is the Irish in America, and it gives a masterful presentation of the history of these people, both in Ireland and in America. This book is not a light read. It is very dense, and rather long. For readers with a serious interest in the subject, however, it is very rewarding to read.

I'm not Irish and I didn't have to read this book as part of a course. I read the book because I'm interesed in U.S. immigration, and find it necessary to understand refugee movements past and present. I'm also concerned about the 'problems'in Northern Ireland.

This book is a hard slog but a fairly good read. I read 10-15 pages at lunch every day and finally got through it. It's a very informative book, and quite illuminating.

The British undoubtedly caused many of the problems the Irish experienced in the past and continue to experience today. However, the Irish have had a hard time letting go of the past. What is to be done? One cannot make the past different, only the present. Although one might sympathize with the Catholic Irish, and even the IRA, the future must be different. Protestants are not going back to England or Scotland. In fact, they can no more return than those of British or Scotish descent living in North Carolina can go back to the U.K.

Read this book to better understand the dilemmna in Northern Ireland, and the possible ways peace may be found.

Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America is a well documented history of the emigration of more than seven million Irish people who left Eire for North America in five time periods from pre-Revolutionary days to 1921. Author Kerby Miller's research included more than 750 sources in both public and privately held collections in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Canada, 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as well as more than 5,000 emigrants' letters, memoirs, poems, songs and folklore.

Miller begins and ends the book with recollections of Irish oral tradition to help understand the essence of the Irish emigration experience. He refers to Irish poems, songs and ballads from as early as the 11th century to explain an almost original sin-like belief that all Irish are exiles whether they emigrated or not. He explains how the Irish wake became a metaphor for the departure of the emigrants. In the last moments before Maura O'Sullivan left her mother's cottage to begin her journey to America, the old women of the village gathered `round to sing a mournful goodbye that just as easily could have been a funeral dirge: "Oh, musha, Maura, how shall I live after you when the long winter's night will be here and you not coming to the door nor your laughter to be heard!"

By the 1830s, less than 10,000 families literally owned Ireland, with several hundred of the wealthiest proprietors and large tenants monopolizing the bulk of the land. The Irish Diaspora flowed from an extreme concentration of property and power in an agrarian, export-based economy where too many people competed for too few jobs. In 1841, 80 percent of the more than 8.1 million Irish lived in communities of less than 20 houses. Most people were forced to lead lives of impoverished subsistence agriculture, poorly paid urban common labor or to emigrate.

Miller says Irish country people were "preliterate;" that is, they were illiterate while preserving a rich oral tradition and robust cultural heritage through their Gaelic language. Gaelic tradition had been sustained in Ireland by hereditary storytellers and poets who met in "courts of poetry" at farmhouses where established bards judged the compositions of their successors. Hundreds of thousands of Gaelic speakers emigrated to North America.

Music and dancing also played a prominent role in rural Irish culture from whence most emigrants came. Miller says visitors were often astonished that people so poor could exhibit such skill and spontaneous pleasure in song and dance. He quotes a traveling Englishman who observed, "We frog-blooded English dance as if the practice were not congenial to us, but here they moved as if dancing had been the business of their lives."

Prior to 1815, most Irish emigrants either were able to pay their passages or "emigrated for nothing" as indentured servants. After that, overseas demand for indentured servants practically disappeared while opportunities to earn livable wages in Ireland continued to deteriorate. A pattern of family chain migration developed that financed over half of all Irish migration after 1840.

In 1845, Ireland's population was about 8.5 million. Ten years later, after the worst of the Famine, it stood at 6 million. Many had died from starvation and disease, but most had emigrated to North America. Those who arrived in North America were temperamentally as well as economically less prepared for assimilation into their new lives abroad because of their strong peasant heritage. One Irish emigrant wrote, "Had I fallen from the clouds amongst this people, I could not feel more isolated, more bewildered." Another wrote, "We are a primitive people wandering wildly in a strange land ..."

Miller tells us at least 200,000 Irishmen served in the U.S. Civil War, the vast majority for the Union, which paid lucrative bounties to many recruits. He shares a letter from emigrant Thomas McManus to his family in Ireland in which Thomas assured them he wasn't forced to enlist, but "by `Gor' the bounty was very tempting and I enlisted the first day I came here." Thomas sent $350 of the $700 he received for joining up to help his family in Ireland. $700 was more than ten years' wages for an Irish laborer at the time.

Irish-Catholic immigrants brought their own factions, secret societies, sports and boisterous wakes to their neighborhoods and work sites in North America. Vicious battles over employment opportunities and territory were common among rival bands of workers from different parts of Ireland, as well as between the Irish and workers of other nationalities. The Irish were always sensitive to anti-Irish prejudice, symbolized by the "No Irish Need Apply" slogan, the source of which apparently was a song from England. Irish clannishness was often expressed in allegiance to strong-willed, often stridently Irish priests, to Irish street gangs, volunteer fire companies, political clubs and frequent mob actions against non-Irish competitors. The St. Patrick's Day observance was celebrated to extol Irish Catholic solidarity and build political strength.

This is not to say Irish Catholic immigrants were unified. On the contrary, Miller shows how they were deeply divided in several ways. Significant differences existed between Irish- and American-born generations, between different waves of emigrants in different stages of adaptation and affluence and between those who earned formal educational credentials and those who pursued trades and manual labor. Other factions arose between the English-speaking majority and the approximately half-million who still spoke Irish. Gender equality was also a prevalent issue between Irish men and women. In fact, Miller reports Irish-American women enjoyed significantly greater upward mobility and more successful adjustment to American society than did their male peers.

Kerby Miller's work is unquestionably a rich treasure of outstanding historical scholarship. It should occupy prime space on the shelf of anyone interested in emigration generally or the histories of the United States, Canada, Australia, England and any other country in which Irish emigrants have settled.

Many of us tracing our Irish ancestry will never really know our forebears - we may learn their names and the dates and places of their births and deaths - but we will never know who they really were. It is to sources such as this book that we must turn to flesh out the picture of the Irish emigrant and the forces that drove them from their homes - economic, social, cultural, and psychological, as well as their reactions to and rationalizations of those forces. We must then apply this information on the Irish emigrant milieu to the framework of knowledge of our specific forebears. The book has given me a plausible explanation as to why my County Mayo ancestors did not emigrate until the 1880's while so many from other parts of Ireland came over much sooner. Dr. Miller is quite detailed in his discussion of the differences in the adherence to traditional Irish culture and the Irish language that existed between the inhabitants of western Ireland and the remainder of the island. A must-read for any geneaologist seeking their Irish roots!

An excellent book covering the migration out of Ireland. Miller looks at the different time periods and at the different kinds of immigration, and traces the idea of emigration as "exile." Great background materials are included, as well as good statistical appendices and notes.