New York Books

A sensitive and beautifully written novel of an elderly person's memoirs. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Irene, age 90, lies essentially bedridden in the parlor where she can still feel part of the farm. Her bedroom upstairs lies vacant now, along with the rooms of her dead parents and brother. Insistant on maintaining imput on the goings-on, she tries to keep the upper hand in everything. Lying quietly, she has embarked on documenting her life on the farm she was born on. Her mind is as sharp as the pencil she scribes her memories. Her notebooks serve as her testimony to the past and the very present.

Among her reminisces are her present day quips targeted at those that seem to be circling her, poised to take advantage of this old woman's lurking day of death. She fears losing the farm in her death, the land cut up into suburbs, the old machinery auctioned and the house left to those who will never understand the sacrifices and joy that have walked in and out the kitchen door. As she gazes out the window, she can see the graves of her parents, her uncle and the many faithful collie that guarded over the flock of sheep. It is a fearful thought that in the modern day, she would not be allowed to be buried alongside her family.

While she fights to maintain the bare bones of the farm in her later years, she recalls the years she spent keeping the farm going after her father's death at an early age. Passive in grief, her mother steps aside and lets this young woman manage the intricacies of a sheep farm, a large garden and the general upkeep of the land in the mid 1900's. Praised in national magazines for the quality of her sheep's wool she gains the respect in the community for her work.

It is this woman's memories that are golden as she recalls ninety years on the farm. Particularly insightful are Irene's recollection of seeing the first automobiles driving along the road at night. Unfamiliar with headlights, Irene and her mother stand nearly terrified as they ponder what those lights coming across the valley floor are. It is her impression, once the car has passed by the dirt road in front of their farmhouse, that things will never again be the same.

Living over 90 years is a sure bet that things will never be the same at one time or another. It is the wonderous theme of this lovely novel that allows Irene to move on but look fondly back.

This was a really good book to read - I definitely recommend it.

Irene, age 90, lies essentially bedridden in the parlor where she can still feel part of the farm. Her bedroom upstairs lies vacant now, along with the rooms of her dead parents and brother. Insistant on maintaining imput on the goings-on, she tries to keep the upper hand in everything. Lying quietly, she has embarked on documenting her life on the farm she was born on. Her mind is as sharp as the pencil she scribes her memories. Her notebooks serve as her testimony to the past and the very present.

Among her reminisces are her present day quips targeted at those that seem to be circling her, poised to take advantage of this old woman's lurking day of death. She fears losing the farm in her death, the land cut up into suburbs, the old machinery auctioned and the house left to those who will never understand the sacrifices and joy that have walked in and out the kitchen door. As she gazes out the window, she can see the graves of her parents, her uncle and the many faithful collie that guarded over the flock of sheep. It is a fearful thought that in the modern day, she would not be allowed to be buried alongside her family.

While she fights to maintain the bare bones of the farm in her later years, she recalls the years she spent keeping the farm going after her father's death at an early age. Passive in grief, her mother steps aside and lets this young woman manage the intricacies of a sheep farm, a large garden and the general upkeep of the land in the mid 1900's. Praised in national magazines for the quality of her sheep's wool she gains the respect in the community for her work.

It is this woman's memories that are golden as she recalls ninety years on the farm. Particularly insightful are Irene's recollection of seeing the first automobiles driving along the road at night. Unfamiliar with headlights, Irene and her mother stand nearly terrified as they ponder what those lights coming across the valley floor are. It is her impression, once the car has passed by the dirt road in front of their farmhouse, that things will never again be the same.

Living over 90 years is a sure bet that things will never be the same at one time or another. It is the wonderous theme of this lovely novel that allows Irene to move on but look fondly back.

I cannot express have wonderful I found this novel to be! I could not read it in public, because I was so filled with emotion at so many places throughout the story. The story of Irene's life itself was rather straightforward but the rich punctuations of reflections on nature, life on a farm, the essence of what a farm life means,and insight into the process of aging and dying ,raised the novel to great heights. For any reader who does not understand the attraction of life connected with nature, this book will provide refreshing insights. For those of us who were bitten by the bug to farm (certainly it was not in my NYC bred genes for generations!) it helps us to explain why we feel the way we do about the farm life, surrounded by animals. It actually awakens an awareness so that I found myself exclaiming why had I never thought that out loud but already knew in some deep place of the soul! For the farmer, it provides a possibility for keeping the working farm long after hehas moved on. For the person simply living a life, this book offers a perspective into the process of dying and into the exhilaration of the soul that dying a meaningful death can hold.

I was introduced to West through her book The Thinking Reed. I liked her obeservations of rich Europeans, as seen through the eyes of an American, in the era before the first world war. The Fountain Overflows takes place in Edwardian England and tells the story of an educated but impoverished family, told through the eyes of one of the young daughters. Whereas The Thinking Reed was a pleasurable, almost fluffy read for me, The Fountain Overflows raised issues that I feel it didn't answer. The father is a gambler and not emotionally dependable, and the effects on the children are alluded to at the end of the story, but then dropped. I would have liked West to stay more superficial, describing the fascinating details of family life, and leave the emotional analysis out of the story, since she didn't follow the emotional analysis through. This is a quibble, however. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Fountain Overflows, and will be moving on to Black Lamb and Gray Falcon soon.

to be savored - a real treasure.
This book is hard to classify because it is both densely written, and yet, it is like cotten candy. If you like to be transported to another place and time, and enjoy writers who know how to use the English language, this is a book for you!

This was my first encounter with Dame Rebecca West's writing, but it won't be my last. Nearly every paragraph stood alone, as a description to savor or an emotion remarkably described. The characters linger long after the book is closed. I believe that someone has suggested that they are somewhat Dickensian, with which I would agree. The plot conveys to the reader a deep understanding of the frustrations encountered by women whose lives are held in thrall by men who are indifferent to their wellbeing.

The only thing that keeps this book from being 5-stars in my mind are occasional spots where you want it to move more quickly. Its subtlety and richness make it a book well worth revisiting.

A general comment about the Classics series of the New York Review of Books. I am particularly pleased to have discovered this series for two reasons. First, because of the beauty of the books themselves; the cover art is of a very high quality and the paper, printing and binding is as well. The books themselves are pleasurable to experience. Second, the series is introducing me to literature that I would otherwise have never read. I just finished "A High Wind in Jamaica," have begun "Indian Summer" by William Dean Howells (and my middle-school introduction to "The Rise of Silas Lapham" would have predicted that I would never have picked up a book by Howells again, which would have been my loss - I might even tackle Silas Lapham again), and have ordered a few more. I recommend that readers explore some of these treasures.

The header says it all. If pressed, I will have to admit that this is my absolute favorite novel of all time. There is something so haunting and so human and so memorable about this book, I can't stay away from it--I must have read it 20 times, and I never grow tired of it.

I had heard of author Rebecca West, mainly as the young woman who had a long term affair with a much older H.G. Wells and produced a child out of wedlock, back when things like this were considered shocking. I stumbled across a copy of this book and decided it might make an interesting read.
I never imagined that I had found a true classic, a book that uses the English language to a degree unsurpassed by any other author I have ever read. The story of is simple, that of a down on their luck family, living in London during the early 1900's. Their trials and tribulations are faithfully described, as are the multitude of characters they befriend. Actually to describe the plot, one might assume that not much really happens and to be honest, the plot is not the main attribute of this novel. But the language! I have often thought that I would some day like to write a novel but after reading this book, I would not even attempt it! This is how language should be used...clear and concise but also able to convey atmosphere and emotions. Page after page of luscious words, all combining together to create an unforgettable reading experience. If, like me, you wanted to read more, please note that the sequel, This Real Night is almost as good. A third book, Cousin Rosamund is much weaker since it was not completed at the time of the author's death.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I think this ranks with Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights as books which define the best that the English language can offer.

THIS IS THE STORY OF THE NEW YORK JETS, HOW FAILURE AFTER FAILURE HAS FILLED THEIR HISTORY. THIS STORY DESCRIBES IN GREAT DETAIL THE FEW SUCESSFUL SEASONS AND THE MANY DISAPPOINTING AND TOTALLY PAIN FILLED ONES. THE AUTHOR DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING AND INTERVIEWING THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DURING THESE DISASTEROUS TIMES. FROM WEEB AND JOE TO THE COMING OF THE TUNA, THIS BOOK HELD MY INTEREST AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS, I FEEL THE JETS PAIN.

This is a well-written history of the New York Jets. It covers the one great accomplishment (Super Bowl III) and the many failures and disappointments. As a fan you love the team and always get your hopes even though you know they will dash them in the end. This book covers those emotions well.

Well written, exciting and very difficult to relive all the abysmal moments in Jets history. END

Gerry gave a very honest account of the New York Jets.

You'll enjoy the stories of the early years. Recounting the selling of season tickets from the apartment of one of the original owners, Walt Michaels finding a "good practice field" while flying home from a game (it was located on the grounds of a NYC prison), the press' examination of Joe Namath's knee in the restroom of a local restaurant and many others.

Those who were at that dreadful Miami comeback at the Meadowlands in 1994 will relive that sick feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

Parcells has come and gone and we still don't have another appearance in the Super Bowl. This book might expain why.

But we return each season with high hopes of reaching the big game. Reading Mr. Eskenazi's book will remind all of us of the pain we go through to have some fun on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Meadowlands (NJ).

Along came Bill Parcells and New York thought its troubles were over. Last year we were a half hour from the Superbowl and now we're in the cellar again. If you find yourself scratching your head and asking why. This book has the answers--the history of the Gang Green struggle and where we went wrong.

An incredible look into the heart and soul of America as it really was in the 30's & 40's. Written with perfect passion and honesty like never before or since. READ THIS BOOK!

There are very few novels that have knocked me out of my chair as consistently as this one. Thompson's writing may seem crude to the uninitiated, but one cannot resist being swept up by his delightful tapestry of slang which peppers some of the most captivating prose I've ever read. It's about life in America, in it's underwear, up way past its bedtime, broke, beaten up, bombed out of its skull, with a tenacious hope running through it all like a river. No heterosexual American male in his right mind will be able to put this book down, and none should miss the chance to read it.

Hi,
I love his work and am looking for any information on Earl Thompson, i.e., where he died and how, family, etc. Anyone out there with any info can contact me at dpollock@adelphia.com.
Thanks,
Donald Ray Pollock

He could have given us more books like Garden. Yes, the topics are a little off-kilter and the language a little rough, but the man could write! In my own opinion, Thompson belongs on the shelf next to Hemingway and Steinbeck as an American treasure.

When the smoke of obscenity trials cleared in the 1960s, publishers were free to print well known novels like Joyce's Ulysses, Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. The new freedom to write about sexually explicit topics subsequently led not only to a spate of sexploitaton novels such as Grace Metalious's Peyton Place and Harold Robbins's Carpetbaggers but also to a handful of honest, forthright novels that focused on men and women in their teens and twenties, including Thompson's Garden of Sand, Agnar Mykle's Lasso Round the Moon, and R. V. Cassill's Pretty Leslie. The sexual frankness of these novels so overshadowed their merit that they were doomed to a sniggering relegation to the back shelf. It is time to redeem them. I doubt any American writer, including Mark Twain and J. D. Salinger, has ever got inside the head of an adolescent young man more than Thompson in Garden of Sand and Tattoo. There is sex, yes, but also the ethos and the degradation of poverty and the wild hopes and expectant dreams of people without money, privilege, or an Ivy League education. Clearly, Thompson lovingly worked and reworked his writing, piling up detail upon detail, observation upon observation, all of which results in a novel much like a Breughel painting: having naturalistic characteristics but an elegaic tone. He reminds us of what growing up REALLY was like.

An easy book to read, with interesting information about each car. I was also curious to find out what happened to the cars. Dream cars were very popular in the 50's and 60's and this book covers GM's contributions well.

Cool Book, Beautiful pictures. Lots Of Cars I have not seen before, Some I have. Worth The Price.

Great book, well done. It answered some questions i had.
Great job. Transaction was great.
Larry Sherrill

Very nice book loads of pix and info. Bought as gift. Guys who are into old GMC iron will be ingrossed for hours!

This book is an important, stylish look at a halcyon time in U.S. automotive history, when dreams became real and art and style were as significant as horsepower and torque. If you're an afficianado of the big cruisers Detroit cranked out in the late fifties and early sixties, this book shows you the wildest styles possible from the designers and how they were translated into what you drove into your driveway. It's a well put together compilation, and the book itself is heavy and durable. Any car collector or petroliana devotee will love it!

Love chaplain Ray and his ability to walk amongst the most tragic crisis and still find a "silver lining" of hope. I am a christian and can really relate to his perspective but I have given this book as a gift (too many times to count) to people of other faiths or no faith at all. It is not preachy or divisive, it is instead filled with stories of God's provision and grace and Ray has a way of delivering God's hope in written form just by sharing his story in such an honest, heartfelt way. Most any American would want to know more of what it was really like at Ground Zero and this book will capture their heart. I also highly recommend it to anyone who serves people in tough situations (hospital ministry, crisis care, grief counseling, hospice care, etc.). If you have a compassionate heart and a desire to learn from someone who has been gifted to care for others in the most humble way, this is the book. It will inspire you to watch for the moments that God will put in your own path where you can bring a moment of hope or comfort to someone else. This book is a beautiful gift and a amazing story of hope. I pray all of God's richest blessings on Chaplain Ray and his family!

I recently attended Ruth Graham & Friends conference. Ray Giunta was a principal speaker and workshop leader so I had the privilege of hearing him speak twice. I cannot imagine the privilege of being ministered to by this man during a crisis.

I purchased God @ Ground Zero at the conference and cannot put it down. I don't want to finish it because it is superb. Although it brings back the horror of September 11, 2001, it also tells little known stories of those who minister to the firemen and rescue workers who saw so many horrors and didn't know how talk or release the tears.

Chaplain Ray Giunta personifies exactly what it means to be a mininster for Christ. Today, most people think that Jesus can only be found within the walls of a church, by reading God @ Ground Zero you will see that Christ is where pain is, He is where need is, He is any where people are. The ministry of Ray Giunta is the exactly what this world needs. Read this book and read it again! It's a word needing more expression.

There truly are few books that will touch virtually every emotion that a human can experience. Chaplain Ray is truly blessed by God with a heart and eyes that can see beyond the words of whoever he encounters. This book is a blessing beyond belief. Chaplain Ray communicates his experiences on Ground Zero so vividly and clearly that you almost feel like you are back in the days that followed 9/11 and are walking there w/him and the firemen and police officers and others who by doing their job became heros to us all. Ray Giunta is a mighty man of God and will become your hero as you read this awesome account of 68 days spent at Ground Zero. This book deserves to be read by everyone!

As a Red Cross Disaster Relief worker, I walked the same path during the same days that Giunta was at Ground Zero. It was heart wrenching to hear his stories and, yet, glorious to discover the words he used to provide comfort. Giunta tells the story of one man who suffered a terrible loss. I was stunned to read it because I actually held the same man in my arms as he told me the same story. God was at Ground Zero and every emotion Giunta writes of I felt or saw. Many lives changed forever because of the horrible choices made on September ll. I am so very pleased that Giunta just simply told his stories of his time there. I wish I could tell mine as well as he did. If you want to know what it was really like to be right there, then please read this book. It is obvious it was written from the heart, the soul, and with love and compassion for all who suffered in this tragedy.

Love to hate lawyers? Here's one you'll love and...well, be exasperated by. Lawyer Farbman makes all the wrong moves and trusts all the wrong people in this hip, funny, and ultimately inspiring novel. To author and lawyer Donald Friedman, nothing is sacred: he skewers the usual suspects and then some--Jews, shiksas, lawyers, mobsters, bankers, partners, wives, girlfriends, the lame and the halt--as he sends his protagonist on a fast-paced trajectory to hell. A modern day Job, Farbman teaches us the value of living simply if only by being an example of someone who can't.

This book kisses you and holds you, makes you cry and makes you laugh but mostly it offers hope. It is a journey through human emotion and ancient philosophies that tie us into a bow of dreams and wishes for a good life on this good earth. God bless the author, and may he continue to write these stories we love to live.

It is rare to encounter a book so powerful that it forces us to reevaluate the direction of our lives. For me, Donald Friedman's extraordinary first novel, The Hand Before The Eye, was a mind-bending, life-transforming experience.

Forget the fact that this is one of the funniest and saddest books you'll ever read...

Or the fact that the lawyer Farbman perfectly captures the desperation and emptiness of the workaholic life that is seemingly unavoidable at the turn of the millennium...

Or that this compelling tale ends by shattering the plate glass wall separating us from a truly fulfilling life of freedom, love, and deep connection with nature.

If you're like me, this book will at the very least launch you on a journey of spiritual exploration and career transformation. Perhaps along the way you will discover or rediscover all that is truly important in living. Bravo!

This is a gutsy and engrossing book. The author keeps surprising us with his range of interests and his resourcefulness as a storyteller. The last chapter is a gem.

Farbman is a smart lawyer with successful parents, a brotherly partner, a beautiful wife, two perfect children and a good friend. His saga begins at a meeting with a Rabbi that gives him to insight into the emptiness of his success, and a hint a what is needed to turn things around. Contrary to appearances, his marriage is failing, his law practice is venal, he has no relationship with his parents or his children and his friendships will collapse. He realizes his life lacks meaning but he can't make the turn until his wife get's so sick that he is really needed. It looks as if purpose will serve a cure, but Donald Friedman is too smart for a simple story. Just when we expect him to be rewarded for his responsive behavior to his wife and children, Farbman's life crumbles from bonuses to boils. Donald Friedman has written a very important book in the guise of a funny and high paced melodrama. The book is about "Teshuva". It takes a book this good to explain that Teshuva is the "turn", or more accurately the "return", anyone seeking a spiritual connection in their life must make. Ultimately, it isn't fun; it's deadly serious. The wonderful thing about this book is that Friedman makes us laugh while he teaches us the theological formula for a sucessful life.

So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.

Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.

This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.

Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG

I've only been to New York one time and that was for a short stay on business so I didn't have a lot of time to experience the nightlife in the "city that never sleeps." But, when I do go back, I will be armed and ready with a great reference tool, "Best Bars of New York", by Turner Publishing Group. This is a gorgeous, hardcover book, loaded with great photography along with stories and histories about some of the top nightspots in the Big Apple. The locations in this book aren't the trendy, here today-gone tomorrow type places, but rather the long-established businesses that are often off the beaten track and known only to the locals...but not anymore thanks to Jef Klein's fascinating research.

Klein interviewed people at over 50 locations in preparation for his book, and the stories are truly mesmerizing. As a history buff who loves to visit local historical spots when I travel, Klein's book is the perfect offering, presenting clubs, taverns, and bars that have been around for decades, sometimes centuries! Klein doesn't give you just listings of establishments with notes on fare and prices...it's not a traveller's guide per se. Rather, Klein gives readers and inside and intimate look at the thirty bars that made the cut. You'll learn about the history of each one, and hear stories as if you were sitting barside, talking to the chatty barkeep.

Liquor has been dispensed at 279 Water St since 1794. The site on the waterfront is now the Bridge Café. The site has a history that is colorful to say the least. It was formerly the site of a bordello in the 1850's. When it was purchased in 1979 by the current owners, basement excavation turned up artifacts dating to not long after the revolutionary War period! Today, the café is romantic and elegant, perhaps haunted by a ghost or two, but much more quite than it was a couple of hundred years ago.

Chumley's is one of the more unique bars in the book...a former speakeasy, it has no name outside to identify itself, only the number "86" on the door...one of two doors with the same number, often leading to embarrassing mistakes. The bar had secret exits so its patrons could get out quickly during prohibition-era police raids. The bar was a popular spot among literary figures and the likes of Hemingway, Kerouac, Faulkner, Mailer, Steinbeck, and many others, all tipped a drink there.

The building that is now home to the Corner Bistro has been there since 1827. It's become a West Village establishment that has been frequented by the famous including James Baldwin, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis. Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro.

In all, thirty bars are covered, from meeting places of the rich and powerful, to neighborhood hangouts, Jef Klein brings you all of their unique tales. Take this book with you on your next trip to New York and start your journey to all of these bars!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I had already heard these stories about the usual suspects ("21". King Cole Bar. Fraunces Tavern. The Algonquin Hotel.)... I was looking for other bars that aren't in every other book about famous NYC bars. Basically there are no bars here that are less than 20 years old. Which is sad, because these are amazing too, and have not been done to death. Where is Red Rock West Saloon in Chelsea, which is an amazing and gorgeous place to photograph (with fire-breathing barmaids)? Flute (W. 54th St location) which at one time was owned by Texas Guinan and was a speakeasy? The Ava Lounge, an art deco masterpiece on top of the Dream Hotel?

Basically, this is a pretty good book if you want to read about bars you already know about, but it doesn't take any chances with the "new" generation of what, I think, are the real "Best Bars of New York" around.

The first half of the twentieth century was filled with constant change and development; it was an exciting time to be alive. "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is a focus on the woman herself, but a bigger focus on the city she lived in and its constant change through two world wars, a great depression, and so much more events. Filled with countless photos, both color and black and white, "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is a seminal look at the woman and the city, sure to please fans of her work and New Yorkers alike. "A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York" is highly recommended for community library biography collections and students of the history and culture of New York City.

This book provides an armchair walking tour of the meaningful places for the writer Dorothy Parker in NYC. It is also an excellent accompaniment to the Portable Dorothy Parker.

You hear the words "Dorothy Parker" and you think of New York.
I really enjoyed this book and it was a pleasure reading about Dorothy's apartment's and frequented locations. I knew a bit about Dorothy, from her works and "What Fresh Hell is This", but did not know about New York - I did not know where Uptown was or where Downtown was (I think NY is the only place that has both) but now I do. Plus with all the other interesting items and photographs makes this an essential book for a Parker enthusiast to have and use on their visits to New York.

(A good book for a novice,like me, wanting a nice introduction regarding the life of Dorothy Parker---with photos)

This is a well-written and well researched book about Dorothy Parker.
This book is very compact and therefore this is a wonderful introductory book about the famous writer.

This book is filled with photos of all the places that Dorothy Parker lived throughout her life. Dorothy moved ALOT & therefore the author had to research all the places that Ms.Parker frequented & resided at during her entire lifetime. Also, the author interspersed information about Dorothy's life ,the famous places she loved to visit (eg: THE ALGONQUIN)and all the people that she associated with (eg: Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald,etc...).

There are no places or points in time like New York in the 20s. Dorothy Parker wrote about it, and now we write about her. I wish I could slip into a time machine and drink a martini while spying on the Round Table. Amazing. I would love to take the tour.

Visser, as I stated before has done a great job in explaining the works of Ken Wilber. Yet Wilber denounces this book because of Visser's affinity for Theosophy. Wilber is not a theosophist or a Alice Bailey follower even though his first two books were published by the Theosophical Society. Interestingly, Wilber wrote the forward to this book. Wilber, and rightfully so does not want to be catagorized as a Theosophist. He has worked many years to bring legitimacy and validity to transpersonal studies through hardcore analysis and synthesis of the sciences, the humanities, and philosophies. Some think he is overly sensitive to being labeled a new ager or even a theosophist, but given the trashing he has received concerning many of his books, it is probably founded. Anyway, please read this book, but know that the Theosophical connection in the last chapter is solely Visser's.

I bought this book b/c I was interested in knowing more about Ken Wilber and his theory. I came away with both so I would consider the book a success. I did find it ironic that Wilber purports to read 3 books a day but did not read this book while providing the foreward to it. I almost felt that he didn't want to endorse the book, not b/c he didn't read it but b/c then he would give others fresh ammo to attack his theory. Nonetheless, I felt the author was complete and performed a remarkable feat in compiling and organizing Wilber's material and theory. Recommended if you are interested in a theory that expands on psychological theories to include the spiritual realm.

March 04, 2004

If you want a well researched, thorough overview of the work of Ken Wilber, then Frank Visser's Ken Wilber: Thought as Passion is a great choice. It covers a broad scope and is a relatively easy read. That's the short version.

The long version must take into account Wilber's five periods or models to date. Visser's book nicely introduces the first four periods in a general way, and sets the stage for further study of the oeuvre. Wilber-5, so-called, has emerged in the last few years and will be published for the first time in the upcoming Kosmos, Vol. 2 (whose working title is Kosmic Karma and Creativity). One of the novel aspects of Wilber-5 is what he calls a post-metaphysical approach (among other things), which relies on empiricism in the three great domains of body, mind, and spirit. So the jury is still out on the niggly details of Wilber-5, and how its critic's will respond. But one thing is certain, once published it may be easy to misconstrue criticism of this Visser opus because it's NOT Wilber-5 and appropriately focuses on the influence of the perennial traditions in Wilber-1 through Wilber-4. But to Frank's credit, he mentions Wilber-5 several times and acknowledges that Wilber's views continue to develop.

Having said that, if you really want to get inside Wilber's head, or at the very least, into his heart, then it's appropriate to study his work beginning with Wilber-1. Why? First, Wilber is a developmental, evolutionary, transcendentalist thinker and doer. It's apt to see how his theory developed as it was informed by his own bodily, mental, and spiritual growth. Second, even though Wilber no longer recommends his first two books, The Spectrum of Consciousness (1977) and No Boundary (1979), they're required reading because we can trace the "integral impulse" at work from the very beginning along with what are now acknowledged flaws (the so-called pre/trans fallacy in particular). That integral impulse included nascent awareness that the three great domains of body, mind, and spiritual science must be included in any integral approach. Put another way, it reflected Ken's precocious understanding that transcendental experience is not solely pathological, and properly developed could greatly inform human development. He also refined transpersonal psychological theory to include the full spectrum of consciousness, from body to mind to soul to nondual spirit, along with identifying appropriate pathology and therapies.

Thus, Visser's book handles Wilber-1 through Wilber-4 with the skillful means of one who is far more than a journeyman with the material. In fact, Frank includes a great deal of biographical material that provides a human face and heart, background in the transpersonal field in general to situate Wilber's oeuvre, major critics, a summary of their differences, as well as his own critiques. He also includes a thorough bibliography of Wilber's work that alone is worth the price of the book! In the closing chapter Visser offers further insights and suggestions that may help refine the inchoate Wilber-5 model based upon his theosophical background.

In summary, if you're seriously interested in learning about Wilber's work, this is a great place to start. Ken personally recommends A Theory of Everything (2000) because it's concise, and A Brief History of Everything (1996). Together, they give a full accounting the major insights of Wilber-1 to Wilber-4, now called AQAL: all quadrants, levels, lines, states, types (and the kitchen sink. It is a thorough model :-).

All in all, let's give Frank Visser a hearty congratulations for a job well done!

I have read most of Ken Wilber's work and have been studying his thought for years. The breadth of his work is incredible and difficult for the average person to wrap their arms around. It is also very difficult to know where to start or to position any particular work in the evolution of his thought. This book is an excellent roadmap in this respect.

In a nutshell, this work provides an introduction to Ken Wilber's most important ideas and the man behind them. Ken is a popular figure, but he doesn't attend many conferences, appear in public, do a lot of interviews, etc. This makes it difficult to understand him as a person and contextualize his work with his own personal evolution. This book will give you a good feel for Ken Wilber the person, the major milestones in his life and how they correlate to the evolution of his ideas.

While this is an excellent book and fills in some important gaps, it is not a comprehensive introduction to Ken Wilber's body of work. This would be impossible in a book of this size. However, if you purchased Kosmic Consciousness or A Brief History of Everything to go along with it, you would be in excellent shape to move forward and make good decisions about what to read next. You would also be very well prepared to speak intelligently about Wilber's thought and the development of his Integral Model.

Another product that could be very useful as an accompaniment to reading more of Wilber's books would be Embracing Reality, which is sort of a Cliff's notes of Ken's major works. If you got all three of the resources I mentioned on this page and Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World, you would have a good end-to-end sense of Wilber up to his most current thought.

I personally think Ken Wilber is a very major figure and will go down in history as an extremely important thinker. Among other things, he has a 20 year track record of writing and 30 books which have been in print continuously since he wrote them -- a rare achievement for a largely academic writer. In addition, Random House is compiling the collected works of Ken Wilber who is a living author! It is very unusual for a major publishing house to undertake such a large project while a prolific writer is still living. I think this speaks for itself in terms of the quality and enduring impact of his thought on this period in history. In short, I think what we are seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg. In my opinion, Ken's work has the potential to transform how we do business, medicine, education, ecology and every other major human endeavor.

While I don't think Ken Wilber is flawless and above being human, he is an intellectual giant with a lot to offer modern society in a search for meaning and a model to apply to solve contemporary problems. I am glad to see that he is getting more and more traction in the marketplace.

On a critical note, I think that Wilber himself has evolved into a major figure and I would love to see more editing and organization in his books going forward. In much of his work, there is a lot of repitition, overlap and unnecessary meandering. This certainly does not reflect upon the quality of his thought, but Visser's book certainly helps someone new cut to the chase and get a handle on the best way to navigate the voluminous Ken Wilber body of work.

I've tried to read K.Wilber in the past, i've never got more than through the first few chapters. I realize i ought to come to grips with his ideas and this book is an excellent place to start. For not only does it carefully look at the thought but is stimulating enough to get me (i hope) through some of the hard spots in K.Wilber's writings, in the near future. That makes it an outstanding book, not just informative but inspirational, nice job.

The book is basically a chronological look at the evolution of K.Wilber's transpersonal philosophy/psychology. It is not strictly intellectual but rather does a rather nice job of presenting K.Wilber as a man, as a mediator, and in the tear provoking chapter on his wife Treya, as a care giver for a terminally ill spouse. All in all much more satisfying a look then a strictly intellectual examination of a philosophic system. The major point of the book is that K.Wilber is interested in synthesising the Western scientific viewpoint on human development with the Eastern, primarily Tibetan Buddhist, in order to reach a syncretism of what human beings know about themselves. The book presents his thought as a dialogue with pieces of each world, what K.Wilber was interested in understanding, in the overall context of the development of his systematic philosophy/psychology. The structure is both accessible and interesting, rarely did i find interest flagging, more often i had to set the book down for a minute to think about what i had just read and try to make connections. This book, like the philosophy it outlines is not easy, nor simple, nor without dozens of references and rabbit paths to wander down, it is well documented, both in the text and in excellent endnotes, and as expected a substantial index that i for one used many times.

As for a chapter to read to get an idea of the book, i don't think this is a book you can pickup in the middle and profitably read, i'd stick to either of the first two chapters, introduction and who is ken wilber, although the chapter 5, Love death and rebirth, about his wife is worth a try to read by itself, if only for the window into his soul it presents. Generally, it is a read from the beginning, take notes, run to the computer to google a word or phrase, run to amazon to look at customer reviews of books cited, hightlighting on every page, some pages more than 1/2 coated, etc type of book. It took me about 3 times as long to read as a "normal" book of it's length, mostly because of the constant dialogue with the author i was mentally involved in while reading, not an argument as much as a constant series of questions and desire for more background and explanation.

Well, "who is Ken Wilber?" and "why should anyone care to read him?"
He has for 25 years set himself to a daunting task that only few authors have ever attempted, a comprehensive analysis of what human beings know about themselves and how all these systems can be unified (integrated) into a system that allows them to genuinely talk and interact with each other, rather than catfighting forever. To that endeavor he has read several books per day for decades on end, produced a flow of readable words that fill 11 volumes of his collected works, mediated several hours per day until he had a spiritual vision of non-duality that remains a constant companion. A lifetime apparently well spent in pursuit of his goals.

He has ideas and pictures that are valuable to anyone thinking about these issues. How do people grow and develop? How do cultures grow, is there a similarity between the two? What are we made of? What can i do to develop (although this is not a major goal of the book) further? How do different systems interact, like Western psychology and Eastern mysticism? Can this knowledge be unified so that we can remember it, deal with things that are similar in the same ways while avoiding putting different things into the same unappropriate boxes?

It is questions like this that make a comprehensive system like K.Wilber's worth studying, even if you disagree with several or even all of the basic assumptions and goals. Thinkgs like: the 3 eyes: physical, mental, spiritual; the great chain of being; development from prepersonal, personal to transpersonal, interiority vs exteriority on the same graph as individual vs collective; etc. are all useful conceptions and maps that i can use, certainly a gift from a dynamic and fruitful mind.

So i think this a very good introduction to K.Wilber and i am interested in getting into a few of his books now. with this background i hope it will be a little easier and less confusing then in the past. thanks to the author for a very good book.