Social Studies Books

Kaufman, Geshen and Raphael, Lev. "Coming Out of Shame: Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives", Doubleday, 1996.

Making a Change

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

Reconciling oneself to the fact that he or she is gay has always been an issue in our community. We so badly want to be accepted, yet we are slow to accept ourselves. We grow up, in many cases, learning that to be gay is to be mentally ill, that we are unnatural and that we are abominations in the eyes of our religions. By the tie we reach our teen years and adolescence, those negative attitudes seem to be reinforced within us with a feeling of shame. We feel this way not for what we can do but for who we are and because of our sexuality. It is not easy to reach a plane where we are at peace and is many times the hardest struggle we ever face.
Gershen Kaufman and Lev Raphael, a long-time couple in "Coming Out of Shame" show us what that shame can do to us and how big a role it plays in our lives. Shame is an emotion that is rarely discussed but its importance cannot be underestimated. It shapes everything we do, especially self-esteem, identity and intimacy with others. We are very easily hurt in those three areas and we must become aware of how to deal with it, which is not always easy. Many times shame can cause us to hate ourselves ad bring about behavior that can be destructive,
This is one of those books everyone should read. The issue of shame during the coming-out process is powerful and we need to rid ourselves of it. Pride is only there when it s real and sincere. Kaufman and Raphael help to give the reader a sense of freedom and this is what we so badly need. When I was coming out I spent a lot of time reading about the world that I was to be a part of. It is too bad I did not have this book back then. It is a careful examination of shame, both sociologically and psychologically and it compassionately explains where shame fits into he lives of those of us that are gay. The sensitivity displayed in the book is healing and I think everyone who reads it will feel a great deal better afterwards. That inner-turmoil that is in so many of us can be alleviated and we all know how difficult it is to come out. Many of us are damaged by the whole process and here is a way to repair that hurt. Coming out is not an easy process and this book will help make that process easier. Undoubtedly there will always be hurt and pain and it often recurs but it can be eased. Shame is an internalized feeling ad to get it out is rough.
Shame also is silence in many cases. To break that silence of gay same, the authors recommend a way to come out of it. It is a journey -a journey toward self-acceptance and becoming whole. They give us looks at their own experiences and provide a variety of strategies.
I was inspired by what I read and when I look at where I am today in terms of what I went through, I am very proud of who I am. I wasn't always. My gay pride is also my self pride and many of us need to learn how to claim that. Read this book--it will help you and I guarantee that.

Fro anyone who is struggling with coming out issues, or for anyone who has a gay or lesbian friend or family member this is an ESSENTIAL read. The book deals with the issue of shame that is tied to the coming out of many gay and lesbian people and offers help in getting rid of that shame. Written with compassion, this book gives the reader a sense of freedom and is a gret help in the coming-out process. Highly recommended!

I'm not eloquent enough to tell you about why this book is so good or how it helped me so much, but I do want people who are reading the customer reviews for this book to know that this book made a HUGE and POSITIVE impact on my life--it really helped me combat my inner turmoil over self-esteem and coming/being out. Coming out is one of the hardest things I think any human being has to do--and there are a lot of emotional issues tied up into it, one being this guilt or shame of existing. ("I feel guilt/shameful that I'm gay.") Society burns this feeling into gay and lesbian people's brains. This book will help you repair some of that damage and find your true, whole self. I am so thankful to Drs. Kaufman and Raphael for writing this book--it is truly an important contribution to the literature about coming out and an honest-to-God lifesafer. I recommend this book with all my heart.

As a young man coming out, my journey of self-discovery started with quiet months of reading. I read everything I could get my hands on about homosexuality and being gay. This book stands out as the single greatest influence during and since that time. The authors have taken a careful and thorough examination of the sociology and psychology of shame as it relates to being gay. The reading is thick, but worth the time to slowly wade through and internalize the material. I found myself saying, "Finally, someone who understands my whole mindset!" I began to change my thinking as I read it. Congratulations to the authors for writing a book so important to the lives of many.

This was one of the first books I read when I first began exploring my own lesbianism, and it was THE book that made a difference for me at the time. Looking back on it several years later, there are some aspects of the book I find a little wishy-washy, but it's still a very good book. The writers display a tremendous amount of sensitivity to the myrad of ways shame can affect LGB people, including how it manifests itself in our romantic relationships. Also, even though the authors are gay men, I felt lesbians were adequately represented in the book. I highly recommend it to anyone in the process of coming out, or to straight people who want to sensitize themselves to the harm caused by homophobia.

This is, quite simply, the best theory book around. Period.

The book covers everything on the self from Freud to Foucault. Excellent.

This is quite simply the best book on self-identity and the changing social context of identity that I have read. Simple, elegant and thought-provoking.

Elliott's Concepts of the Self is a beautifully written, carefully reasoned, impassioned plea for a reassessment of the connections between self and culture, identity and politics. Rarely have I read such an author with magisterial command of such interdisciplinary perspectives.

Read this for graduate course in humanities.
Anthony Elliott's "Concepts of the Self" agrees with the social psychologist George Herbert Mead, that the effort of self-examination is always dialogic. "Language is at the heart of the constitution of the self." People learn how to understand themselves and develop their "authentic selves" through conversation with others, through their social and cultural interactions, and most importantly, through the perceptions and judgments by others.

Many people have written on the inability of humans to be able to create an "authentic self." The father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, thought it difficult for a person to discover their "authentic self" since he believed that humans were not rational beings. Since Freud thought that human behavior was controlled by the unconscious, his research led him to believe that humans were constantly wrestling with the confining restraints civilization imposed on humans. The perception and judgment by others is where the creation of the "authentic self" is hardest to attain for the civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois puts it most succinctly in writing about the struggle that African-Americans have with defining their "authentic self." "It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others." Thus, Du Bois thought authenticity was a longing for African-Americans, but impossible to attain because they had to live with their double-consciousness. Judgment by others is also where the sociologist Erving Goffman focuses his attention in explaining why there is no such thing as an "authentic self." Goffman believes that human identity is made up of acts that humans perform essentially as theatrical performances. "If identity is performed, then the self is an effect, not a cause." The feminist Judith Butler and queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick both criticize the idea of gender-based identity. Both women agree that an "authentic self" crosses the traditional boundaries of gender, race, and sexual preference. As an example, postcolonial women and women of color have criticized feminist for lumping all women's identity into the one gender category. A postmodern critic of the `authentic self" is the sociologist Sherry Turkle. Her research into virtual sex on the internet leads her to believe that people have the ability to lead multiple lives and change gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. "In short, the individual can devise a net-self that outstrips the real self."

Despite all of the criticisms of Elliott's concept of authenticity, I do agree that it is possible to be an "authentic self" in today's image-saturated and cultural environment. The important characteristic of the self that surfaces from what Elliott and his critics decry, is that the multitude of stimuli that one receives from dialog with other humans, society, and culture is conducive to the creation of an "authentic self" and not an impediment. People are capable of assimilating all the sensory perceptions that they receive, interpret them, and use what they deem necessary to fashion their own "authentic self."

Recommended reading for those interested in medieval philosophy, psychology and the humanities.

While devouring this book, I really felt that I was getting close to, quote unquote, "The Answer." That's how powerful it was on both me and, as I see, some of my fellow reviewers. So much of it has to do with making decisions, and making decisions is an integral part of Soren K's definition of truth. But you have to get at it subjectively, not objectively. There's one part where, let's say, you (the reader) are in prison, and you will get your head chopped off by the guillotine tomorrow. You are afraid, naturally. I, as your friend, can talk to you and say (objectively), "Oh, you're worried about the guillotine tomorrow. You see, it's very simple: you just walk out to the scaffold, put your head down on the slab of wood, making sure to put your neck in the appropriate neck hole; they will cut a rope, the blade of the guillotine will come down, your head will be chopped off, and it will all be over in a minute." You, the subjective decision-maker, do not see it in the same way.

Be warned! The Princeton edition of this book comes in two volumes. Volume 1 is just the body of text to Kierkegaard's book. There is no historical introduction in the first volume, just Kierkegaard's satirical introduction that was intended for the original book. The historical introduction and scholarly apparatus are in the second volume. If the reader does not wish to inquire beyond Kierkegaard's text, he need not worry, the second volume is for the person who did not find Kierkegaard mind numbing enough and sees need to go behind the text. I am one of those kind of people, but you might not be.

This is Kierkegaard's most important work - the real meat of his writings. It is more difficult then most of his works and should be approached with caution, but it is absolutely essential to achieve a full understanding of Kierkegaard. Keep in mind that _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_ was originally written under the pseudonym of Johannes Climacus, the sceptical and pessimistic alter ego of the real Kierkegaard. Not to spoil the surprise, but in reading this book you should remember that much of what is being said is contradictory to Kierkegaard's real beliefs. In my experience reading this book, I only began to realize this gradually. This is because not EVERYTHING in this book is antithetical or diametrically opposed to Kierkegaard's real views; only portions of it are antithetical. Kierkegaard truly engages and challenges the reader by exposing views that make sense at first, but then after letting Climacus get riled up, his rantings and ravings become increasingly illogical and pessimistic. The challenge consists in discovering where the real Kierkegaard leaves off, and where the pseudonymous Johannes Climacus picks up. The reader must constantly be on alert for antithetical and contradictory statements, and must approach this book with a highly critical mindset. The end result is one of the most fantastically thought-provoking, creative, original, and entertaining books you will ever read. By forcing the reader to take this critical approach, Kierkegaard gives us an opportunity to formulate and fortify our individual beliefs in contradistinction to those of Climacus, forcing us to truly think for ourselves. The reader is bombarded with profound philosophical statements which are oten true and sensible, and can be proven consitsent with Kierkegaard's real beliefs. But sandwiched between these logical statements, Climacus will say something so off the wall that the reader must subject these statements to a critical re-evaluation. This is what makes the _Postscript_ such a profoundly thought-provoking and personally enriching experience.

One more thing to consider before you read this book: As I said, this book was written under the pseudonym Johannes Climacus. To fully understand the inner workings of this character, you must also read _Philosophical Fragments/Johannes Climacus_, which is the precursor to _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_. This first book helps the reader understand the pseudonymous and sometimes antithetical beliefs held by Kierkegaard's neurotic alter-ego. Taken together, the _Johannes Climacus/Philosophical Fragments/ Conlcuding Unscientific Postscript_ series is the be-all end-all philosophical work of the 19th century. It is a monumental achievement of epic proportions and will go down in history as the most important and profound work of literature to come out of Europe during that time period.

Along with Nietzsche's The Gay Science, this book had the most impact on me of any philosophy books I have ever read. For those who find themselves running around in cirles looking for objective proof of this or that, Climacus (Kierkegaard) insists you are just wading out into the sea of life. Take the leap onto 70,000 fathoms of roaring ocean! Live!

After Hegel's reduction of the individual to a cog in the grumbling historical machine, it is refreshing to read of the individual and the individuals concerns. As mentioned, Climacus ridicules objectivity and focuses the reader in on subjective truth, encouraging us to be authentic and take responsiblity for life. Christian or non-Christian alike, this book will challange the reader in many ways. It was a major influence on existentialist and Continental thought for a good reason. Unconditionally recommended.

To begin with, the title is a joke. This is the in keeping with the putative author of the piece. Johannes Climacus (who is named for the Seventh Century Hermit and Monk, St. John Climacus) is a humorist. A humorist, as he will point out, is someone on edge of becoming religious, but is not yet religious and, in fact, may never become religious. That being said, back to the title. "Concluding," as is obvious, implies that SK intended this to be his last book (in a separate declaration published with the book he acknowledges all the previous pseudonyms with the proviso that no one should quote him directly unless it is from a book that bears his name as author and claims that he has no privileged access to the pseudonyms than any other reader). However, as the result of a religious conversion after it's publication, it became the middle child of his authorship, recapitulating all that had come before and pointing forward toward new things yet to be imagined. "Unscientific" is a dig at Hegel. If one wishes to over-simplify one may say that SK's position is Either/Or: Either there is a God and the world actually means something, Or there is no God and the world is absurd, meaningless and accidental. Hegel abolished God and attempted to find meaning in historical process. This is the "science" for which SK has such contempt. For this reason, SK refuses to call himself a philosopher, content to call himself a "poet." If a fraud like Hegel is a philosopher, then he wants no part of the designation. "Postscript" is where the joke comes in. This book is a "Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments." The "Philosophical Fragments" is, therefore, a 100 page book with a 600 page postscript attached (that's the joke ha ha) Of all of SK's books this is my favorite. It is his funniest and either you keep your eye carefully peeled or you will miss a joke (the first time you read it you will miss hundreds of them). And in typical SK fashion the more he jokes the more deadly serious he is (by the end he is claiming the book, in its entirety, is a joke). The central distinction is between our ideas about things and the things themselves. If you have any trouble, there is always Merold Westphal's "Becoming a Self," a good commentary. The only problem is that he probably takes SK more seriously than SK would be comfortable with. That's not necessarily a good thing. You lose too many good jokes in the process.

For most, Charles Dickens is the only source we've encountered regarding the awful human misery of the early industrial revolution. However, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx reported on it, too. Indeed, most of their criticisms were far more applicable to the raw capitalism of contemporary England than their native Germany.

Engels stayed in Manchester, the premier industrial city of the time, during the early 1840's to research his book. And he produced a devastating indictment of the truly miserable and life-threatening living conditions he found. Unlike Marx, Engels had a pronounced flair for writing; he makes it a fascinating, eye-opening journey back through time.

The topics he includes cover: struggling labor movements, the denigrating effects of immigration on domestic workers (due to competing subsistence-cost labor), the ignorance and crippling of child workers, the sexual exploitation of women workers, the displacement of male heads of household by lower-cost and more pliant women/children, the unbelievable filth and subhuman housing conditions workers endured, the dangerous and unhealthy working conditions of miners/factory workers, rampant substance abuse, doping of children by babysitters, the total lack of legal redress for the poor, the displacement of labor by machinery, and the role of unbridled competition in perpetrating economic distress.

While we all know communism has failed, its rise was due to these very real and serious problems, some of which remain with many Western workers today. And most of these conditions do very much persist in emerging economies right now. So, even though the book is well over 150 years old it is still highly valid!

The main fault of course with Marx/Engels' communist philosophy is that ALL humans are greedy and lazy - it's just that the clever ones (whether they originate from 'bourgeous' or 'working' classes) will always exploit the others. And it doesn't matter whether the system is capitalist or communist - those at the top will always exploit those below for personal advantage. Probably the best response has been the progressive social reform in Western nations over the last 100 years. (Revolutions and dictatorships usually only lead to mass murder.)

This chilling book is the real-life Oliver Twist exposed.I think Fredrick Engels wrote this book,in part to clear his conscious.And largely, to shed light on the fetid ,wretched underbelly of the 19th century industrial-age society.The nameless toilers working ten to twelve hour shifts,in a factory operation they had no vote or control over.Marx and Engels had many valid arguments for improving the workers lives.Did their end-results justify their means of social revolution? Engels would be amazed at the former textile towns,like Manchester,absorbing the large influx of Asians,Moslims and Africans today.It is still being debated,whether history has proven Engels & Marx right.This book is still a historical classic,thats presumptive findings give the modern reader,reason to pause. So,look all around you. -A Great Book !

Fabuous book. Engels wrote this when he was only 24- and what a tour de force.

The work is detailed, beautifully observed and elegantly written. Despite the depressing nature of the subject matter, the tone is always possible about a better world beyond the evils of capitalism.

Unfortunately 150 years after this masterpiece was written things dont seen to have gotten better under capitalism. Rather, the old evils of poverty, infectious diseases, starvation have been replaced by the modern evils of capitalism: obesity, alienation, mass materialism, depression, plunging fertility and marriage rates and so on...

Engels was the engine behind Karl Marx, one that gave him all the support he could, so to permit Marx to dedicate himself almost completely to the completion of his works. Judging himself many degrees bellow Marx in terms of intelect, Engels nonetheless is capable of writting a book such as this which describes all the impoverishment of the working class in the beginning of the industrialization in England, being helped by some well porputed factories labor fiscalization agents who allowed Engels to flip trough their reports. Strong terms like "the dark satanic mills" describe fully what were the working conditions of the time in a so rich country as England. An historical document lest no one forget what can happen again if the free hand of capitalism is allowed to run free of any barriers.

Friedrich Engels' classic "The Condition of the Working Class in England" was written when he was only twenty-four, and had but recently abandoned his Calvinist upbringing for a more critical, socialist, point of view. Yet this book reads as if it were written by an experienced political commentator or a radical sociologist, without actually at any point becoming melodramatic or dense.

Engels' main purpose is to confront the bourgeoisie with the reality of their mode of production and to contrast this with the rhetoric of "free choice" and "civil liberties", as well as the capitalist apologia of the political economists of his day, in particular Andrew Ure. With great insight into both the causes and effects of the capitalist system, Engels catalogues the endless want, filth, despair and misery experienced by millions of labourers every day in 19th century England. He pays attention to housing, to factory safety, to unionism, to the physical condition of the workers, to alcoholism, the state of the Irish underclass, to prostitution and disease; in short, all the ills attendant on industrialization.

What gives this book such power is that Engels on the one hand proceeds in an analytical manner, making use above all of sources from the bourgeoisie itself and from Parliamentary reports, in explaining the functioning of the capitalist system and the competition between capitalists and between labourers. On the other hand, he writes in a particularly readable manner and at no point bores the reader with the mere summing-up of statistics. On the contrary, every analytical truth is accompanied by a vivid description, taken from Engels' excursions into working-class neighbourhoods, of the terrible state of humanity that the economic laws of capitalism cause for a great number of people.

For those interested in political economy, it may come as a surprise to see how much of the functioning of capitalism Engels already understood at such an early point in the development of theory. This gives the lie to the many theorists who would later claim that it was Marx only who worked on economics and that Engels was a mere epigone; this book should be a vindication of Engels. His later sketches of the political economy and of the historical development of capitalism would lay the foundation for both the Communist Manifesto and Marx' economic works. But the core insights that would create the modern theory of socialism are for the first time fully expressed here, and in a most appealing and shockingly effective manner.

In other words, an absolute must read for every person of intelligence.

Very easy to read. Nice glimpses of a variety of moms (and babas) and how they fit in their roles and how families come together to make it work. As a future "other mom," I found this really helpful and validating.

We have read them together and it was helpful to start discussions about some of our fears for our family!

The book is funny and touching, honest and real. It is a reflection of a part of our society, that is often ignored from within.

This is not just a "lesbian mom" book. It is a "everyone" book. There is something for everyone and will touch you at some point in the book on many levels.

I could not put it down!

As the biological lesbian mom, reading this book; as our little boy still squirms around in my belly, has helped prepare me/us for some of the other issues or concerns we may face as a lesbian couple preparing to raise a child. It has been a wonderful tool for my partner and me to discuss topics and concerns that we hadn't yet thought of. It has also given me a new perspective and sensitivity to the issues she may be faced with as the other mother.

I especially enjoyed the variety in authors. Each chapter takes on a whole new personality, making it very diverse and quite entertaining. Each story is so well written and articulate, not to mention funny, heartbreaking, and touching.

A great read for anyone who is looking to be entertained and enlightened.

This book provides a much needed voice to the world of parenting essays and writing. The essays range from serious to hysterical, covering a wide range of experiences. I highly recommend the book for all parents, gay, straight, biological or non-biological. It's about being parents.

Definately, this is one of the best Anthropology-oriented books I've read, academically or for pleasure. The fact that it is mostly exerpts from actual ethnographies helps to get points across while still more than keeping my attention.

Well Done

got this book for an anthro class at my University. its basically just a compilation of short stories (3 pages - 10 pages) about case studies in anthro. its an easy read and actually was pretty interesting.

The book came fast and it was brand new. The book was crisp. It's a soft covered book but it still made that new hard-textbook sound. :0)

I've used this collection off and on for years in teaching Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. It's a great book, a real standard in anthropology. Honestly, I think the relevance and quality of the essays varies from edition to edition. I liked the 11th more than the 12th. Sometimes a 'favorite' essay gets replaced; and then in the next edition it is returned. Go figure.

I note that sellers of used copies are claiming that the 11th edition is virtually the same as the 12th, that nearly every article is the same. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how often I have students believe this and buy the 11th edition, then struggle all semester because they don't have the chapters I've assigned. Only someone who has never used the book in class, either as a student or a teacher, would make such an egregiously wrong claim. So, if you're looking for a nice, cheap, used version, make sure that you buy the edition being used in your class. Most teachers will not assign every single chapter in the book; most select 8-12 chapters, and they can well be the chapters that are not in the older edition.

Caveat Emptor ...

This text was used in my introductory anthropolgy class, and I thoroughly enjoyed the readings. The text includes many case studies of differing cultures without being overly technical. I found this text easy to read, but very thought provoking. Highly recommended!

This book is simply excellent. Sheehy's style is readable and engaging and she relies not only on experts in relational communication and social psychology, but also on her original research with many, many women who shared their experiences. She covers the functions and roles of female friendship as well as the stages of friendship throughout the lifespan. I've purchased copies for all my female friends and relatives. I'm just sorry it seems to be out of print now. An excellent read, I recommend it enthusiastically!

This is Sandy Sheehy's Opus, written after 5 years of research, with girls and women of all ages about the nature and scope of their friendships. Without a doubt, it constitutes a fascinating study. In addition, however, the inevitable result is a validation of the intrinsic value of these relationships as well as a collage of insights into how they benefit those interviewed in all other aspects of their lives. For example, female friendship was not generally seen to detract from the relationships of the women with the men in their lives. Rather, it typically enhanced those relationships. This book struck a chord with me, as I am in my early forties and experiencing something of an increased need for meaningful, female friendship. The author says that she saw this phenomenon over and over in women in my age group. Many other parts struck me as very relevant to my life as well. I highly recommend this book.

Sandy Sheehy's book gave me insight and perspective on friendships at different stages of life. Her analysis is clear and intelligent, but never dull. I HIGHLY recommend it!

We were delighted with this book. Even though the book specifies female friendships, it contains a lot of wisdom about friendships of any type. Strongly recommended.

Reading this book gave me a whole new perspective and insight into my friendships. The author uses more than just entertaining anecdotal stories from women, though she includes plenty of those. She also references research perfomed by others in defining different types of female friendships and how they help fulfill our needs. This was one of the few non-fiction books that I couldn't wait to read each night. Not only was it uplifting and entertaining but I gained some valuable insight as well.

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview and useful explanations of copyright, fair use, permission releases, and libel. It's well-organized and easy to read. Helpful summary checklists are provided at the end of key chapters. The book is a good resource for authors to have in their reference collections. It's a bargain--reasonably priced and loaded with relevant information.

This is a must-read for all writers. It's a great guide for copyright and also for releases. A friend of mine is a professional photographer and teaches photography. She just made all of her students buy a copy.

(From my book Successful Nonfiction: Tips and Techniques for Getting Published)

1. How can I guard against others stealing my writing?

Relax. The moment you create a written Work, it is automatically copyrighted under Common Law. Once the book is published, you may send two copies to the Copyright Office with the two-page Form TX and $30 to register or perfect your copyright.

Some (new) authors copyright their manuscript. Later, when they turn it into a book, they print the original copyright date. This makes the book appear to be old, and that hurts sales.

Most authors wait and send the finished book to the Copyright Office for registration....

A registered copyright only gains the author some extra rights. The difference is between copyright and registered copyright, not between not copyrighted and copyrighted. Copyright occurs automatically with creation-when you initially write it.

Publishers rarely steal manuscripts. They are in the publishing business not the writing business. Manuscripts are cheap and publishers do not even have to pay the authors until months after the books are sold. There is little incentive to rip you off.

"The instinct of ownership is fundamental in man's nature." -William James (1842-1910), American philosopher and psychologist.

2. How much may I borrow from others?

Borrow ideas, borrow facts, but do not steal words. Copyright covers the author's presentation or expression-a sequence or pattern of words. It does not protect ideas. If you read and blend the ideas of other authors and put the collective thought into your own words, that is perfectly legal. This is how most nonfiction books are written-from research.

Do not repeat any of the research materials word-for-word. Some of the material is not yours so copying could be plagiarism and you would be guilty of copyright infringement. Adapt the ideas from many sources so that your work is not substantially similar to any of them.

In Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Company, Inc., 111 S.Ct. 1282, 1287-88 (1991), the court held that the listings (facts) in a telephone directory were not protected by copyright.

Facts may not be copyrighted either; they are free for anyone to repeat or use in a manuscript.

"Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research." -Wilson Mizner, screenwriter.

The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook is divided into two parts: the first covers copyright and the second covers libel (written defamation). For coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page. The appendix has sample copyright forms, disclaimers and resources.

Lloyd Jassin is a book attorney. Before becoming a lawyer, he was Director of Publicity for Simon & Schuster Reference Group.

Steven Schechter practices media and publishing law and teaches media law topics.

As a publisher and an author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this reference to publishers and authors. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

Presents clear, lucid overview of the many trickly and, potentially toublesome, legal issues in using another's copyrighted work. The libel discussion is equally clear and lucid. Quesion and answer format is a plus.Contains no legalize as it written expressly for nonlawyer. Highly recommmended for both publishers and writers.

While preparing to publish my second book (with number 3 on the way) I realized I needed some basic information about publishing and libel law. I found a copy of this book in the reference section of the law library at my university. The sections on libel were concise and to the point. I have not compared the book to other sources, but found it was very clear on the issues of importance to me. I've decided to order a copy to keep for reference, and I think it would be useful to most writers.

Lisa "Tiny" Grey-Garcia graced our bookstore in Philadelphia with her
presence and incredible thoughts. She came off as incredibly
intelligent, very creative, and a very likable person. She is the
founder of POOR magazine, dedicated to the poor when all the other
magazines seem dedicated to people who don't need anymore dedication
(rockstars, politicians, actors, etc.). When at the Shoe, she talked
about strength through organization and treating people in that
organization like family, even when you want to butt heads with them.
She talked about strength through art and how even in a life of
constant struggle, you never give up, especially when the entire
culture is set against you (peppering her speech with phrases like
DWP, or "driving while poor", underlining her crystal clear thoughts
on our society). She had a beautiful picture of her mother, Mama Dee,
who she was close was with her entire life.

I had to read her book after listening to her speak. In
"Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America", Garcia lays out
her origins through telling the story of her grandmother who
immigrated from Ireland and had to make hard choices, her mother Dee,
her wealthy father who left them to fend for themselves, and finally
herself. Her mother could not work a job because of disability, so the
two eked a living on their own wits. The story traces Tiny and Mama
Dee growing as legends in Venice Beach, California, telling their
stories and making it by through art and selling t-shirts, and
eventually taking their "po' art" up to San Francisco. It's a story of
constantly being evicted, messed with by police, driving from one
place to the next trying to find a place to stay, and of all else,
never leaving each other behind no matter what. The "art of
homelessness" is the only way they can truly get by in an insane world
where everything that can go wrong, does.

Garcia helps found POOR magazine, and through the grit of her
teeth and really amazing talent, she is able to get POOR magazine
afloat. It becomes a project that empowers people to be great organizers and
activists in fights for survival, housing, jobs, expression, and
dignity. Her mother and many others are at her side the entire time,
and it really attests to what one can do when your back is up against
the wall. It illustrates plainly how if you are poor in America, you
basically have no rights in practice and how you are treated like an
animal by society. Tiny doesn't seek to "rise above this," she seeks
to rise everyone up and fight for real tangible gains for real people
who need them. That's what's really great about this book. You can
really tell that the author and people in POOR magazine have ability
above nothing else to fight and fight well for what's right.

I probably didn't mention that Tiny is a really gifted writer, too.
You can tell by her writing that she's been doing art for a long
time. She chooses her words really well and the book reads like stuff
that happened decades ago happened minutes before. You really won't be
disappointed if you pick this one up. Just awesome.

Tiny's memoir is an amazing behind the scenes look at homelessness in the United States. Activists can argue forever about what parts race-class-gender make in social problems--or they can just read the book.

I would have loved for Tiny to unleash her amazing mind on solutions to poverty and inequality. However, as a blistering critique of bureaucracy and class contempt this book is spot-on.

If it sounds impossible that one can be literate with a doctor father and a psychologist mother and yet be homeless for most of one's life, you can't imagine Tiny's story. Her father threatens to take custody of Tiny if mother pushes for decent child support. Her mixed-race mother was raised in a series of foster homes and has no family or savings. When government cutbacks dissolve her job, it is a short step to the streets. You can almost envy the creativity and resourcefulness Tiny learns on the streets, but it would be meaningless if she didn't finally get help in making the transition to a more stable life.

I literally could NOT put this book down. To say that TINY (aka, Lisa Gray-Garcia)is a gifted writer somehow minimizes her incredible tenacity of spirit, dignity, and the insurmountable love and intelligence she possesses in order to have lived the life she has lived, accomplished the things that she accomplished, and still lived to tell the story with such grace, insight, humor, and depth of character for the benefit of others.

This eye-opening, lucid description about an 11-year old girl who drops out of school because she and her single-mom are homeless . . . that eventually leads to her acquiring a PhD about the criminalization of poverty in the USA, through the "school of hard knocks," is a must read for every civic leader, politician, and CEO; every McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Coordinator, superintendent, school administrator, teacher, school nurse or guidance counselor; every public, private, or non-profit family support services manager, case manager, socialworker, or child and family advocate . . . and, yes, I daresay, every voting American in this nation. Where is the creativity in OUR lives and OUR work, and in the work we do for others??

I'm not sure what motivated me to pick up this book, after so many others. But I'm glad I did.

Criminal of Poverty is different because it's written by someone who lived the system. Tiny and her mother were thrust into poverty when her father (briefly described as a rich, handsome doctor) abandoned his family. Shielded by expensive lawyers, he could get on with his life, assuming that whatever happened was their own fault.

Beginning with the title,Gray-Garcia forces her readers to juxtapose crime and poverty in surprising but realistic ways. She confirms what academic researchers have already studied: survival as a poor person requires taking liberties with the law. She could have noted htat both crime and poverty tend to rise from mental illness.

Tiny writes magnificently, evoking people and scenes, keeping the pages turning -- rare for this kind of subject. She doesn't spare herself, her mom or anyone around her. She doesn't judge, even when almost anybody else would. For instance, at one point her mother decides to adopt a special needs child, a decision that predictably ended in disaster. In yet another irony, the child ends up in social services, probably to be sent to a series of foster homes, just as Tiny's mother was. But Tiny just writes that her mother believed in advocacy and helping others, so she naturally wanted to extend their family.

More than anything, Gray-Garcia shows that poverty is a spiral. Once you can't pay the rent or get medical care, you can't get a job. Or if a single mom does get a job, she can't pay child support. What would be a minor irritation to a middle class person can destroy the life of a poor family.


Tiny spends half a day getting relief for utility bills so she can get her heat and electricity turned on. She engages in creative, technically illegal manipulations to get her teeth fixed (and later getting access to a computer so she can do her writing). She spends a couple of nights in jail because she can't pay parking tickets and her car's registration was two days overdue.

For people who think, "There are places to go if you're poor," this book should be an eye opener. For years we've known that "See your local mental health association" means nothing. If The System had spent a few thousand dollars to help Tiny's mother get decent mental health care, this book would never have been written. But if Tiny had been caught shoplifting or committed a crime, the System would spend thousands of dollars keeping her incarcerated. In fact, as she says, she couldn't get legal assistance for moving violations or parking until she was arrested for unpaid parking tickets.

Both Tiny and her mother manage to carve out a lifestyle around art and freedom. At times, I couldn't help wondering why her mother didn't try for more "straight" jobs - even waitressing or working in a bookstore. But I suspect her mental illness kept her from doing anything but what she did. Tiny has the soul of a true writer and artist - finding expression under the most oppressive conditions.

Gray-Garcia's spirit bursts through this book like a bright light in a dark tunnel. Beginning with her middle school years, when most kids turn to video games, sports and half-hearted attempts at homework, she takes on the burden of her depressed, asthmatic, claustrophobic mother. She's far more patient and understanding than many people three or four times her age.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the book comes when Tiny creates a welfare-to-work program. She teaches herself a spreadsheet program and writes a proposal that actually gets accepted.

Perhaps the ultimate irony is that Tiny, defying and manipulating the very system that put her in poverty, has created a life that many middle class workers would envy. She has earned her living by art. She is now on a national book tour. She paid her dues on the street. Big dues. I hope she gets some pretty big payback.

I love this book. It was so exciting to be reading his journey into Native American Medicine. My sister, Debby Cody, is a reader of the Medicine Cards and I admire David's expertise and his boundaries of what is best for him.

David Carson is of Choctaw descent and has studied Native American spirituality since growing up in Oklahoma Indian country, but his latest CROSSING INTO MEDICINE COUNTRY is something more than spiritual reflection. Here he pursues initiation as a ceremonial healer with Choctaw medicine woman Mary Gardener, studying plant and animal forces and human energy manipulation for three years. Health and spirituality blend in a survey of Native teachings and health insights which blends a memoir with a set of special reflections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is one of the wisest books to come down the pike in a long while in my humble opinion. Mr. Carson is a great story teller, Medicine Man, who understands the power of humility and transformation. This book is a wide ranging exploration of events in the authors life working with some powerful healers, elders, and medicine people. He documents the road of the healer and what is required to advance on this path of solitary intent, finding pain and suffering along the way, but also openning one to some astonishing vistas of spirt. This book is probably for healers and others who have already embarked off of the shores of a status quo sensibility to find and recover the authenticity of one's soul. It certainly is not a journey for the weak of heart. As the author notes, not everyone is called to this path, but for those who are, a vigilance of courage is required to walk the winding road ahead. As one goes further down this road mystery opens to reveal something not everyone is capable of understanding at this moment in time.

This is one of the best books on Medicine Power I have read in a long time; and Mr. Carson is a guide worth the price of admission. This book speaks to more than just one's mind, it grabs hold of one's soul and teaches it something profound.

David, Thanks for sharing your gift of Storytelling!!

The entire book was incredibly mesmerizing -- couldn't put it down. The experiences Mr. Carson writes about with his teacher Mary Gardener are quite an adventure and very thought provoking. This book helped validate for me that there is so much more beyond this 3-D world we live in and to trust and accept what we see and feel in all of our experiences.

Mr. Carson speaks to bringing back our awareness to living in
harmony with the natural world and in so doing to see and feel the sacredness in all life. Maybe in reading this book more people will be able see the separateness we as a whole have created from nature and how being at One with all of life brings forth healing on all levels-- individually and for our dear Mother Earth.

This book really inspired me and touched my heart on so many levels. Great stuff!!

I've had some extraordinary experiences reading this book. It feels like I'm there on the journey with him and some really amazing synchronicities have popped up again and again. Something like a holographic journey, this tale strikes a chord that goes straight to the heart of the reader. Great work, David Carson!