New York Books

This was as comprehensive a study as I can imagine possible on how New York City, under the guise of urban renewal, allowed certain poor areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan in the 1970's and 1980's to burn down, displacing huge numbers of people, and resulting in the spread of TB, and AIDS throughout New York City, the surrounding areas, and beyond.

Especially of interest in its detailed analysis of how and why New York's poorer neighborhoods were pushed over the cliff of decline thanks not only to the city, but to (who'd have guessed?) the RAND Corporation. "Urban renewal" will never look the same again. geocities.com/singlepayerweb

The significant feature of this magnificent book - the last shape taken by an ongoing series of studies into the results of neo-liberal public policy by Roderick and Deborah Wallace - is that the authors know what they are talking about. Their expertise in statistical studies, developped in a completely different field of study (zoology) is such that, when they first by chance found themselves reading the so-called statistical arguments for expenditure cuts in fire prevention and other services, they KNEW - not as bleeding-heart liberals, but as professional statisticians - that what they were reading was incompetent, pseudoscientific, ideologically motivated nonsense. Since then they have waged, in a string of devastating publications, a truly heroic struggle against the powers of prejudice, governmental meanness and big business-motivated press disinformation. If the the poor stupid general public that reads the newspapers and elects the politicians were ever allowed to know about the Wallaces and their battle for the truth, they would have long since been recognized as among the greatest names alive. Think about it: why did they take it upon themselves to fight this fight? Not, by any means, to advance their career: their career was in another field, and might even have been endangered by their taking controversial stances on public matters. Not for self-interest; and not for a thirst for fame - for they carried on for decades in spite of being completely ignored by the major media. They acted only out of pure civic passion and a sense of right and wrong. Therefore, known or unknown, the Wallaces are genuine living heroes, and their names deserves to ring as nobly as that of old Sir William of that ilk, who also fought for the downtrodden and ignored when there was nobody else to fight for them.

The Wallaces document the effects of the reduction in fire service and planned strinkage of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I would have liked to see statistics included in how many fire deaths (civilian and firefighter), major injuries, families left homeless, etc. Another not to be missed book is Report from Engine 82: written in a totally different style, but brimming with empathy for the inhabitants of the area, it's the memoir of a fireman who fought fires in the South Bronx during this era.

This book gives a thorough analysis on how public policies were the catalysts for the socioeconomic destruction of low-income communities of color in New York City. Necessary reading for those who still do not realize that activism and organizing are important vehicles through which marginalized communities keep in check the forces that seek to further fragment and disenfranchise them.

This was my introduction to stanislav's ideas. This book is almost a chapter by chapter introduction to all of Grof's different areas of research and writing. The written experiences of holotropic states are entertaining and informative. This book adds a needed understanding to psychology by examining consciousness around the time of birth. The author is obviously well versed on many topics, and presents sound logic and arguments throughout. Holotropic breathwork might be very useful for anyone suffering from their personality (especially to those that are fear based). This book is a relative easy introduction to Grof's ideas, and a welcomed step to combining science with unbiased spirituality.

a wise, hopeful, enlightened work from a truly qualified scientific humanist who has helped many for so many years. When reading Stan Grof, one's mind is treated to elegant research, philosophic musings, and poetic, smoothly flowing language that proves entertaining in its own right.

Grof builds a carefully laid out tapestry of thought unlike any other writer. Boldly going into dimensions that the orthodoxy fears, Grof consistently shows us that the best findings are often the result of adventurous undertakings.

One must truly venture into uncharted territories in order to discover hidden, powerful forces in the world.

All of Grof's work makes for a rich intellectual and spiritual treasure that will be edifying humankind indefinitely.

As our planet is threatened by wars, terrorism-violence environmental degredation, the only antidote is turning back to the roots individully or in groups and bringing back the archaic revival, bringing back the message of the ancient traditions. Stanislav Grof does this elegantly with the eyes of a scientist. This book will require the mainstream Psychiatrists to re-construct their worldview. It is a detailed exploration and a new explanation of the nature of human consciousness and the nature of reality

In my opinion, Stanislav Grof is the best, or at least one of the best, in his field of study. I have read most of his books and participated in a Holotropic Breathwork seminar weekend in Vermont. I highly recommend any educated person to familiarize him/herself with Grof's work (all of his books very informative and really make one think) and try a Holotropic Breathwork session.

If you understand how to read and follow the pattern of this quilt you can not just make one . This is just such a great quilt book.

I already own this book and have made a quilt. It is my favorite one so far. I purchased this book for a friend I like it so much.

The quilt projects in this book are gorgeous, original, and will inspire any quilter in new directions. Each section is interspersed with helpful mini lessons, paper patterns, quilting designs, and the author's photographs of nature and radial images that enrich the reader's understanding of the design process.

This is an excellent book and it was in excellent condition when it arrived.

This is a wonderful book. I learned many new things. It got my creative juices really flowing. Awesome, creative stuff with the techniques to carry it out.

This is a typical story of a rich family running the family business into the ground. Barney and Fred Pressman spent their entire lives building up their suit store. They spent all their hours nurturing this business and they turn it over to their two sons and two daughters. The grand children have grand plans of expanding the store nationwide along with opening a megastore on Madison Avenue. Cost overruns, and the market result in doing in the business. They took a Japanese outfit along for the ride causing them to lose several hundred million dollars.

Levine does a good job of detailing the rise and fall of this retail empire. Barneys did a lot for mens fashions. However arrogant and greedy grandchildren caused the fall of this store. Family owned businesses should read this story for the caution it may give to family members.

A fascinating case study on the history of a well known American business. The behind the scenes look shows the evolution through 3 generations. Looking deeper, it says a lot about the values of each of the generations which explains some of the troubles in America today. Maybe we've become too soft.

I can't recommend this book enough if you enjoy shopping or business books. I continue to shop occasionally at NY and Beverly Hills. You can't go into the stores without better appreciating the history of the store. BUY THIS BOOK.

Don't be put off by what may appear to be a look at one business and one family's way of doing business. This book actually explores far deeper subjects and questions such as : Why is it that so many successful family businesses fail when passed on to heirs? Why do so many solid companies with loyal customers, proven merchandise and a promising future just fall by the wayside? To those who don't know Barneys, it was started by Barney Pressman, a smart, ambitious man who built his business into a thriving industry, selling more suits than anyone in the world by the 1960's.But what makes the book interesting is what happened to his business when his sons came into the picture and the intrigue, scandal and greed that tore apart the company. I can't help wondering: Why don't the patriarchs (or matriarchs) of family businesses teach their children to run the companies just as well? Is it possible to mix family and business and do it well? The Barney's sage, of course, is not yet over and the store is still in existence. So the end of this story remains to be seen.

A very enjoyable book. You pull for the Pressmans when the snobs snub them in the beginning. You jeer at them when their position goes to their heads and they behave very, very badly. But the really interesting part of the book concerns how fashion and retailing REALLY work. They appear to be just an elaborate hoax on the consumer. This book should be read in conjunction with Teri Agin's "The End of Fashion" which shows the comsumers are getting more and more skeptical and dissects the public offerings of fashion stock (if you're fond of your money and want to keep it, don't buy). Hooray.

It seems everyone talks to Levine because as Barney Pressman once told Fred, "The Pressmans have no friends." What emerges is not only a morality play but also a case study on how not to raise your children and how not to expand your business. Hubris is a horrible thing. Time and again though during this decade, with Wall Street money plentiful, retail managements successful in one locale expand their businesses to places that don't want them. A concept that works in NY doesn't seem to play in Peoria, or with Barneys, in Texas. While with public companies, it's only money; with Barneys, privately held, it's family and lives. Maybe that's what makes the Barneys' tragedy a fascinating read.

This item was purchased for someone else, but she LOVED it. The book was in excellent condition.

The stars of top New York City ballet companies have been selected by dance photography Roy Round for profile in Round About The Ballet, a visual treat and an effort to capture the movements and artistry of ballet in photo book format. But Round About The Ballet isn't just visuals alone: interviews with the dancers probe their achievements, lives, and dancing challenges alike, covering such diverse topics as how ballet competitions have changed their lives, how associations with particular companies have influenced their dancing styles, and both physical and psychological dancing challenges. A 'must' for any serious dancer, especially for fans of ballet.

I've always been a fan of Roy Round's pictures. I never imagined text could rival their command of my attention, but these interviews are fabulous.

If you can't find out what you want to know about these dancers by chatting with them over lunch, reading these interviews is almost as good.

I have been going to the ballet seriously for 35 years. Nothing gets into the heart and soul of dancers the way this book does. And the photographs of the fifteen individual dancers simply take the breath away -- especially the one on the cover.

This book is easily one of my favorite books. For the true Balletomane, this book is a MUST! And for the rest of the world I also highly reccommend it.
The Photographs by Roy Round are MAGNIFICENT! The grain, (clarity), is something seldom seen in the world of ballet photography where it is so diffucult to photograph the suject in a moving or semi-moving position or even in a "posed" photograph.
With all of his subjects, and he chooses several contemperary dancers including Nikolaj Hubbe, Julie Kent, Angel Corella, Wendy Whelan and my favorite in this book, Ethan Stiefel, the color saturation, (the natural look of color), is BEAUTIFUL!
My best advice to you, dear Reader, is run don't walk to Amazon to buy this GREAT book! The cover alone is worth the price of admission. And what follows between the boards will simply amaze you.
Gary R. Brown

If you're wanting to understand either nondual wisdom or psychotherapy more clearly, read this wise and literate book. And when you're done, then read the second volume as well, Listening from the Heart of Silence. I wrote a longer review over there that applies to both volumes. They're good and, sad to say, there's nothing else out there that's like them. We need more. Until then, at least we have these.

This book is my first contact with non dualism in psychotherapy.
I read a lot of books on modern psychology in the past, but hadn't tapped into the edge of the field in a few years. Reading this made me aware that psychotherapy had finally found its maturity. I've expected this for 30 years, that our modern world would provide paths to truth/reality/God/I AM...And here it is. Expressed by modern minds, non dualism is easier to "understand". This book contains many tentatives at describing the undescrbable, or at least get as close as possible, a bit like hints. The authors are so articulate and honest ( exposing the weaknesses, pitfalls etc...of what method they use in their non dual therapies) that they succeed, and one can get a good taste of what they hint at, providing one reads slowly, with an open heart/mind. I find it fascinating and plan to study this field for awhile. It helps me clarify my mind, which is precious. It's pretty funny by times. These folks have humor, I like that too.

What a find - a book that explains what is essentially unexplainable! The Sacred Mirror is the "Bible" for any therapist who works from the nondual perspective. The Sacred Mirror expertly guides readers beyond what the words themselves point to. It is very rare to find anything on the subject of Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy, let alone a book that does the subject any justice.

I appreciated the essays by John J. Prendergast and Dorthy Hunt. Prendergast writes, "The critical question is whether the therapist's awareness is centered in the moment and creatively responsive to what is." And Hunt writes about, "...the healing that unfolds when that which is awake directly and intimately touches what is." I found the same power and clearity in these authors' words that is typically found in the most illumined teachers. Both of these writers are seasoned psychotherapists. They write from their direct experience.

This book serves as a wise mentor to my work as a psychotherapist. It encourages therapists to trust such "non-tangibles" as silence and presence. It helps evoke the living experience of oneself as THAT which IS awake while expertly exploring how this "understanding" connects with psychotherapy. It is no wonder that the Sacred Mirror is considered the current reference in its field.

- Jonathan Gustin M.A. LMFT, Psychotherapist; Founder of San Francisco Integral Transformative Practice; Founder of Green Sangha: Spiritually Engaged Environmental Activism; and teacher of Mind/Body Medicine at Kaiser Permanente.

Reality, Self, unconditioned mind, awakening, presence, silence, emptiness, being, nondual. If these are words you'd like to hear associated with psychotherapy, this book will be very welcome.

The Sacred Mirror is a collection of original writings by leading practitioners of nondual psychotherapy. Each author -- in his or her own fashion, and with varying degrees of emphasis -- addresses the nature of nondual disposition, what nondual therapy is, how it is practiced, and its role in psychotherapy. It is angled toward psychotherapists and the healing of psychological problems, but will appeal to anyone interested in nonduality, whether a professional healer or not. This book will be appreciated by one who senses or knows presence, whether one is held, or holds, in presence.

Since the function and work of the guru or spiritual teacher is essentially the same as that of the nondual therapist, both voices are heard from each author. Since these authors and therapists are intimate with nondual awareness, there is no underlying difference. What nondual therapists possess that most gurus do not, is formal training in psychology and a set of skills allowing them to practice conventional psychotherapy.

The first two chapters give overviews of nonduality and nondual therapy. John J. Prendergast, in the first chapter, asks whether the nondual approach makes for a new school of psychotherapy. He talks about how nonduality fits into practice. He addresses whether psychotherapy is evolving into a vehicle for transmission of truth, and whether awakening therapists are in the same lineage as Buddha or other great sages of all time. Prendergast speaks of the primary and secondary impacts of awakening. He discusses psychotherapy methods and skills in light of nondual awareness and how awakening impacts the psychotherapist.

Following the first two introductory chapters is an interview with Adyashanti. This, the third chapter, could also be considered an introductory chapter, as it gives further overview of nondual therapy and nonduality. Adyashanti is a significant character in this book since he is an outsider to the profession of psychotherapy yet works one on one with people who are awakening. His perspectives on nondual therapy would seem to be important. The interviewers ask over two dozen excellent questions, not including follow-up questions and comments.

Chapter Four is by Prendergast, who writes, "When we look into an ordinary mirror, we see how we appear. When we look into a sacred mirror, we see who we are." The role of "sacred mirror" has traditionally belonged to the guru or spiritual teacher. This chapter describes how the role is being played by the therapist and explores ways of including this function into transpersonal psychology.

Chapter Five is entitled, A Nondual Approach to EMDR: Psychotherapy as Satsang, by Sheila Krystal. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. For the reader who has some familiarity with EMDR, this chapter gives an excellent, sometimes sizzling, introduction. Having no knowledge at all of EMDR or the associated terminology, I had to search online for background information, which helped me more fully appreciate what Krystal has compiled.

Chapter Six is authored by John Welwood. Its theme is, "Being fully human means honoring both these truths -- immanence, or fully engaging with our humanness, and transcendence, or liberation -- equally. If we try to deny our vulnerability, we lose touch with our heart; if we fail to realize our indestructibility, we lose access to enlightened mind. To be fully human means standing willingly and consciously in both dimensions."

Chapter Seven is by Dorothy Hunt, and is entitled Being Intimate with What is: Healing the Pain of Separation. Here are a few major points:
-- "When what is awake directly touches its own experience of anything, there is deep intimacy with what is. ... In this intimacy we find ourselves undivided."
--"(This realization of our undivided being) is unfailingly healing because it experiences itself as a whole."
-- This intimacy is not conceptual, not another idea or identification to be harboured. It is not separate from this or what is. It is direct experience. Any conceptualization is movement away from the experience of this. "Healing happens when we are not separating ourselves from the authentic truth of the moment."

Chapter Eight is by Dan Berkow: A Psychology of No-thingness: Seeing Through the Projected Self. "Therapy therefore facilitates exploration, gives feedback, and promotes inquiry. The effects of self-imposed friction are addressed honestly and without either minimizing or exaggerating. The psychosomatic and relational repercussions of self-protection are clarified with self-examination. The dropping of the projection of a separated self is the choiceless awareness of moment-to-moment being."

Chapter Nine, by Richard C. Miller, is about nonduality and Yoga Nidra. "Yoga Nidra is an ancient tantric Yoga practice that reflects the perspective of Awareness both as the inherent ground of our essential beingness and the container, agent, agency of our healing into the understanding that this is so."

In Chapter Ten, Stephan Bodian speaks about deconstructing the self via inquiry. "The inquiry that I describe in this essay, which now arises naturally with my clients, draws upon The Work, the self-inquiry of Advaita Vedanta, and the phenomenological investigation of experiential psychotherapy."

Chapter Eleven is called Healing Trauma in the Eternal Now. Lynn Marie Lumiere sets forth that nondual awareness is unconditional love and as such accepts extreme ecstasy and extreme trauma equally. "It is only in this embrace of the manifest by the unmanifest that true transformation or healing takes place," she says.

Jungian Analysis and Nondual Wisdom, by Bryan Wittine, is the twelfth chapter. "This chapter is about the journey in Jungian analysis of a spiritual seeker named 'Jenna,' who longed to know God. It is also about a defensive process I call 'psychospiritual splitting,' which nearly derailed Jenna's quest. Finally, it is about our analytical relationship and a nondual understanding of spirituality; both of which were central to her journey."

Chapter Thirteen is written by Jennifer Welwood. The author describes how we develop a conditioned identity. She states, "We lose the true support of our deeper nature and seek refuge in the false support of our conditioned identities. This is how our samsaric confusion manifests at the level of psychodynamics."

Nonduality as a term, as a word, remains a stranger to vast stretches of the fields not only of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy, but of religion, spirituality, physics, and philosophy. And to music, art, literature, ecology, architecture, athletics, nonduality is barely a phantom; it has barely breathed in those spaces. This book, The Sacred Mirror, introduces nondual wisdom or nonduality to the field of psychotherapy. This book provides an education in nondual wisdom, an enjoyable expression of nonduality, and an opening to a new direction in psychotherapy.

Jerry Katz
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality

The Sacred Mirror is truly a landmark book in the history of psychotherapy, and can be considered "must reading" for all therapists, therapists-in-training, their instructors, and, I daresay, many spiritual teachers. Editors John Prendergast, Peter Fenner, and Sheila Krystal have done an outstanding job, not only in the quality of their own articles (for instance, senior editor John Prendergast's "Introduction" and his article for chapter 4, "The Sacred Mirror: Being Together," are alone well worth the modest price of the book), but also in the high quality of all the other multi-faceted papers they have inspired their fellow authors to draft. Note that all these papers are original, not having been previously published elsewhere.

Each essay is a gem. Having spent over three decades in "the nondual way" exploring its relevance for authentic living, loving, working and serving, I had wondered, before reading this book, just how much new insight could be generated by having so many contributors to this topic, "Nondual Wisdom in Psychotherapy" (the book's subtitle). After all, Alan Watts had brilliantly touched on many issues in his classic "Psychotherapy East and West," and Ken Wilber had written a fair amount on the nondual culmination of the psycho-spiritual development process.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Whereas there is some overlap, especially in that each author must define what "nondual" means for them--and the term tends to evoke a lot of the same definitions--even here I was impressed at the wealth of nuance in how each author has truly "owned" the language of nonduality, and doesn't merely sound like s/he is parroting nondual wording from the Perennial Wisdom traditions of Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Saivism, Zen Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and contemplative Taoism (the main five sacred traditions that have engendered the rise of nonduality in the West).

Not only are these pages abundantly filled with "nondual insight" and good conceptual overview, most of the authors present transcripts or synopses of interesting individual cases clearly showing how nondual awareness-- arising either spontaneously or via gentle suggestion -- allowed for the therapeutic relationship to deepen profoundly and then, suddenly or gradually, radical healing/wholing could occur.

Limited space for this review prevents my discussing each of the papers presented in The Sacred Mirror. Suffice it to say that this book should be required reading for anyone working in the fields of transpersonal, humanistic or depth psychology. Persons in other "helping professions" and many other walks of life will also greatly benefit from reading this authentic compilation of enlightened teachings, thoroughly grounded in psychotherapeutic sensitivity and pragmatic common sense.

Congratulations and "Thank you!" to Prendergast, Fenner, Krystal, John Welwood, Jennifer Welwood, Dorothy Hunt, Dan Berkow, Richard Miller, Stephan Bodian, Lynn Marie Lumiere, Bryan Wittine, and Adyashanti for their truly fine contributions.

Only three criticisms of the book: 1) I don't recall in any of the papers (I might have missed something) any discussion of the ancient warnings by nondual sages that a person be relatively free of certain basic "defilements" before being introduced to nonduality (i.e, that only the One Is, that one's real nature is the Absolute, that "the sage transcends right and wrong"). Such warnings are given lest any immature persons misappropriate nondual glimpses or teachings for reifying or aggrandizing their own limited egocentricity (leading to the problematic "psychic inflation" that Carl Jung warned about).

2) Many persons can fall into a veritable "spiritual vertigo" when their initial nondual breakthroughs occur (recall the cases of Narendranath with Sri Ramakrishna and Paul Brunton with Ramana Maharshi, to give only two examples); I don't recall any of the authors dealing with this potential phenomenon in the therapeutic or nontherapeutic contexts.

3) A minor quibble: the "selected bibliography" could have been expanded by about 1 page to be more extensive without being exhaustive. For instance, I (and probably other readers) would have liked to have seen listed some classic works on the Sankara advaita and Kashmir Saiva advaita traditions, Yoga Vasishtha, Ribhu Gita, Ashtavakra Gita (etc.), more Ch'an/Zen and Taoist works, and works from some especially clear advaita teachers of the modern era like Douglas Harding and Wei Wu Wei [Terry Gray]--though several sages of great stature-- Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jean Klein and others are referenced here. From a transpersonal psychology perspective, two classic works, Dr. Arthur Deikman's *The Observing Self* and Erich Fromm's *To Have or To Be* would also be quite relevant for this bibliography.

I must add that the one reviewer here who dismisses this book with "two fat gold stars" and denigrates the need for psychotherapy, suggesting that people simply read a few teachings from Ramana Maharshi, has not truly understood Maharshi's wisdom or the ancient distinction between the conventional and absolute levels (preliminary and final levels) of upadesha / spiritual instruction. Ramana was entirely open to his disciples utilizing whatever approach works for their authentic awakening in Atma/Self and their ongoing abidance in this nondual Love-Awareness. Thus, he readily supported disciples' and visitors' involvement in the various margas, the "pathless paths" or ways of spiritual awakening-- including wisdom and self-enquiry (jnana and atma-vicara), devotion (bhakti, especially abheda bhakti, devotion without any concept of duality between God and self), Patanjali's 8-limbed yoga system, and selfless service (seva). Had Ramana known about transpersonal psychotherapy, I'm sure he would have encouraged anyone chronically suffering mental/emotional challenges to avail themselves of this form of therapeutic help to work through their suffering to genuine freedom.

It is not enough to enquire (a la Ramana's well-known "final approach") "Who is suffering?" or "Who needs psychotherapy?" to live authentically in the miracle of this spaceless-timeless here-now. When a person still has some unreleased, major identification with one of the koshas (physical, psychological, or psychic "sheaths" of karma), trying to launch themselves into the nondual "beyond the witness" state in almost all cases will not produce happy results. To know this is simply basic wisdom and compassion. And along this line, The Sacred Mirror is an invaluable contribution.

The critic also indirectly mentions the Buddha, who, 2500 years ago, urged that we be a light unto ourselves. But this critic fails to mention that the Buddha and other enlightened masters in his lineage(s) strongly encouraged association with a wise "spiritual friend" (kalyana mitra) and any number of (at least) 40 methods of meditation and inquiry into the source and causes of "attachment, aversion and egoic delusion" (lobha, dosa, moha). The therapists who have contributed to The Sacred Mirror are using "skillful means" (upaya) in helping anyone in pain to do just that and thereby come to real, final freedom.

And yes, this situation is a wonderfully wild, wacky PARADOX, for, ultimately, there are no separate beings needing therapy or "final states" of anything. One finds here only Buddha-nature, only Awareness, only God. YET... YET, as part of this enjoyment of purely nondual experiencing (no experiencer, nothing to be experienced), the nondual One can easily manifest in its dream-play of Awareness, a "someone" "buying" "this fine book" and "enjoying wonderful release"! No problem. Nothing really happening.

--Timothy Conway, Ph.D. (East-West Psychology, CIIS), author of *Women of Power and Grace: Nine Astonishing, Inspiring Luminaries of Our Time* and the forthcoming book *India's Modern-Era Sages: Nondual Wisdom Teachings from the Heart of Freedom.*

I saw this book at my brother's house and immediately knew I had to buy it for my husband. It is a high quality reprint of an older book and has that "60's" feel. Much excellent info and lots of great pictures. Very eclectic. We got it specifically for the info on Geodesic Dome houses but there's plenty more for shelter freaks.

I bought this book when I was fourteen years old and it blew my tiny little mind! Now that I've lived a bunch of years in the design field, and I take it off the shelf, tattered from three decades of intense study, it still blows my (now even tinier) mind. Mr. Kahn has done us all a great service with this book that goes beyond architecture to higher values and has a spirit that leads by example. Sure it's got some crazy hippy parts, do with that what you will. But a deep devotion to what you make and why; it's all here. I'm thankful for this inspiring work.

Now I don't know if I want to live in a tree, a yurt, or on a converted vehicle. This makes my 'normal' house seem quite ordinary. Drat!

Throughout the 1960s and `70s, hundreds of unwashed, longhaired youth from around the world descended on the open foothills around Placitas, New Mexico, and established multiple communal hippie settlements. These youth had read of the Placitas scene in national magazines and counterculture books, or heard about it from other hippies; they were idealistic types from all around the world, and they came to the area to try to raise their own food, escape The Man, indulge in free love and mind-altering drugs, and live communally in tents, geodesic domes, adobe shacks, and experimental homes they built themselves out of plastic and scrap metal.
This book, "Shelter" documents their bizarre housing experiments in wild detail. It also documents curvaceous mud homes in Africa, riverside huts in Yugoslavia, thatched huts in Ireland, homes in busses, homes in caves, dome homes, homes made of car parts, homes carved into mountainsides, homes made of hay, tipis, barns, gypsy tents, and more.
If there's a strange kind of housing, you'll probably find it in here, and you'll probably be inspired by it.
"Building this house was more of like feeling where you went as you started working with it, you know, the material and just playing it from there," said one Placitas hippie interviewed in this book. "...It's like three dimensional sculpturing, you know, we just got into building a house out here that's like jewelry. ...OK, let me put it this way, the inspiration like as we move along through it, like I found it in [Stanley Kubrick's film] 2001, where the dude had finally split out of the satellite and was heading towards Jupiter, just as he was coming in, what they had done was they had used different types of film, infrared for one, and just taken a plane and flown over Grand Canyon at a high speed, low, what is created you know, is in some respects synonymous to what the house is, you know, and certainly our cell structure in our body is synonymous with that...."
As you can probably tell, this is not "Better Homes and Gardens" or even "MTV Cribs." It's "Shelter," and it's a trip.

I studied architecture in Australia and dragged my feet through the course. That is until a mate suggested I check out this book.
It liberated me.

Here was a bunch of common folk who met one of the most basic needs of all humanity - shelter.

So much of what we encounter in our 'western' enlightened age is alien and regulated. The materials that we commonly use in buildings & infrastruture is devoid of any life or connection with the earth. They are not in or close to their natural state. And even if they are, there is so much regulation and stipulation on how we are to use them.

But this book gives you hope, a chance to dream. It shows buildings as art forms, useful & practical but completely expressive of the owners they serve. They are not bound by regulations and conventions. This is craftsmanship not industrialisation. They are made from from natural unrefined materials which in essence connects us to the earth, which we all belong to. From dust we came, to dust we will all return. The beauty of nature is your own home.

This book is filled with ideas and ways in which people have often 'escaped' from the life draining cities to a more peacuful and harmonious way of life. It's superb photo's, hand illustrations and even the way the book is laid out are a freedom in itself. This is one book you will not regret owning and will always find pleasure returning again and again to.

What a pleasure to finally read this classic book. I grew up loving Cousteau's television programs. Ultimately, I became a diver because of Cousteau.

This is adventure writing at its best. Cousteau was always a master storyteller. That was probably more instrumental to his success than his bravery, innovativeness, or his ability as a diver. This book is a collection of Cousteau's experiences with early scuba. He masterfully captures the awe, the fear, the struggles, and the sense of adventure of the first years of scuba.

I love adventure writing, but sometimes great adventurers are not great writers. Cousteau was both. If you have an interest in Cousteau or in scuba diving, this book is a must read.

As promised in the title, in this book Jacques Cousteau reveals a new world of unanticipated beauty, fittingly described in his charming, French-influenced English phraseology. C. Blickenstorfer has done a fine job explaining the contents of this book, particularly as it relates to divers or those interested in diving history. However, The Silent World, read as a frontier narrative, also has relevance for anyone interested in our current and historical treatment of the ocean.

Humans have interacted with the ocean for ages, but before divers like Cousteau it was a blind interaction, a grasp at resources based on guesses and historical results. Cousteau's underwater observations of trawl-net fishing make clear the change of ideology his "aqualung" opened to humans. Watching the net destroy grasses on the ocean floor, Cousteau reports "Man's method of undersea farming seemed to consist of blighting the acre while reaping a small part of the crop" (48). As opposed to a history of blind grabs at ocean creatures, Cousteau's aqualung gives him the capacity to see without touching, and his narrative provides a chance for our knowledge to begin catching up to our know-how.

Another epiphany facilitated by the aqualung is a completely new set of fears and a new evaluation of old "monsters." The killers of which Cousteau writes are nitrogen in his blood and clams with shells sharp enough to sever air pipes. On the contrary, the octopus, demonized by Victor Hugo as a monster who will suck out a man's innards, shows itself as harmless and shy. Cousteau concludes his chapter "Monsters We Have Met" with a jocularity that is persistent in the work: "If none have eaten us, it is perhaps because they have never read the instructions so generously provided in marine demonology" (222).

Cousteau's reinterpretation of the ocean brings readers to the fundamental questions of humans and their environment. How are we going to think of this new space? Should we sell it as new realty? Militarize it? Farm it? Should we simply Keep Out in a quest to guard some portion of the earth against ourselves? Those from my generation who have mythologized Cousteau as a heroic conservationist might struggle with Cousteau's narrative. This is not the work of a dolphin-hugger. Cousteau writes of his exploits kidnapping an endangered monk seal pup in his desire for an aquatic hunting dog (the seal almost dies and is given to a zoo) and bludgeoning most large sea creatures who get close enough. This includes wounding a captured porpoise to watch sharks eat it alive, an act which he justifies with "It was cruelty to an animal but we were involved in a serious study [. . .] and had to carry it out" (234).
In his conclusion, Cousteau asserts "Obviously man has to enter the sea. There is no choice in the matter. The human population is increasing so rapidly and land resources are being depleted at such a rate, that we must take sustenance from the great cornucopia" (266). Both those who would agree with this 1950s assumption and those who believe this "cornucopia" has been already overexploited can gain insight from this book as a well-written record of human reactions to the new world under the waves.

As a diver for long years, I remember the old b&w tv days, when we find happiness with Cousteau's documentary films. Now it's a mirracle to be able to purchase the whole collection in DVD format.

As great a read today as it must have been over 50 years ago. Being a modern day technical and recreational dive instructor I still find this book a fascinating read and would recommend it to all ages to divers and non divers alike.

What can be said about Jacques Cousteau and his groundbreaking book that hasn't been said a thousand times? He is undoubtedly the defining figure of modern scuba diving, his books, films, and documentaries known to millions or billions. Even the name of his ship, the Calypso, is known the world over. It's a small volume, this book, just 160 pages, yet it's absolutely mandatory reading for anyone interested in what Cousteau termed "the silent world" under the surface of the water that covers 71% of our planet. The Silent World is the bible of modern scuba diving.

Jacques Cousteau himself died in 1997 at the age of 87, but the legacy of his pioneering work with diving and diving physiology lives on. It is all well documented and disseminated worldwide, thanks to this French explorer's unique combination of instinctive understanding of the world under the surface and his equally unique knack of spellbinding the world with his words and images. A total master of public relations and getting the word out, Cousteau managed to grab attention and media coverage wherever he went. Critics went so far as suggesting his media talents exceeded his actual contributions to understanding the seas.

At first it's hard to figure out why this slim volume became such a success. It's not a textbook, it doesn't cover the history of diving or even much of Cousteau's own research, and it's not an adventure book. Though Cousteau was French, he wrote The Silent World in English as he had attended American schools in his youth, widely traveled the US, and, of course, extensively lectured in his enchanting French-accented English. Yet, The Silent World clearly reveals its author's non-English origin and decidedly "non-English" thinking. The writing, while precise, often suggests that Cousteau frequently described a word or concept that existed in his native French, but did not directly translate into English. As a result, the writing at times seems a bit flowery and, well, foreign, and you need to read a sentence or paragraph two or three times to figure out what it actually means. Cousteau's liberal use of metaphors, artistic nuances, poetic concepts and words that have since fallen out of currrent language only serve to make The Silent World even more unusual of a literary treat.

Anyone looking for technical explanations, precise history, a logical flow of events, or anything one might expect from a world-famous documentary maker and researcher will not find it in this book. The Silent World is a totally unique, very compressed tale flowing from Cousteau's mind. Read half a chapter and you know the man; he's a unique combination of inspired philosophical observer and gifted researcher with uncanny intuition. While others conducted their research methodically and ploddingly, Cousteau always just seemed to know what to expect, how to behave, and what to seek and avoid to make it all seem easy. He and his close associates and friends Phillipe Tailliez and Frederic Dumas used their "aqualung" to experient liberally in sort of a "Hmmm.... this is probably what will happen, let's go check it out!" approach.

Using this, Cousteau describes the difference between "helmet divers" and the newly liberated users of their "aqualung" -- what we now know as air tanks and regulators. The book casually touches on all the principles of diving physics and physiology, the stuff we learn in our PADI and NAUI classes. He describes sea life, how it reacts, where it lives, how it behaves, and what is dangerous and what is not. They see just how deep they can go. They check how colors change. What nitrogen does and why we need recompression chambers. He offers his views on treasure hunting (not worth it; if you find real treasure authorities and hordes of lawyers will soon apprehend it). He reports on atrocities he witnessed underwater, like the needless destruction of corals and cruel killing of fish. He debunks myths of sea monsters, seeks answers to geological phenomena such as the Fountain of Vaucluse near Avignon, one that almost cost him and Dumas their lives in a pioneering effort at extreme cave diving. He describes what fish do and how they react. And sea mammals and other sea critters. Sharks remain an enigma to Cousteau as his conclusion is that you simply cannot understand or predict them.

So The Silent World relates, in 14 fascinating self-contained chapters, pretty much everything we know about diving today, 60 years after Cousteau began researching as a "manfish," all the principles we know, and it's all neatly and attractively presented in tales that always mix research with adventure. Cousteau never preaches or lectures. He just explores, pushes, interprets, and reports. Maybe Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a showman as much as a researcher. If so, good for him as otherwise we may never have had the opportunity to learn from him and enjoy his remarkable insights. -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, scubadiverinfo.com

I was Sara in a production of this play. However, that is not the only reason that I love it. I first read the play for a women playwrights class that I was in, and I instantly fell in love with it. My director described it best when she said "I read the last page, gasped, then went straight back to the beginning and read it again." I feel that way every time I re-read the script. After speaking these words for months of rehearsals and performances, I still gasp. Diana Son herself said it best when she said that it isn't a play about homosexuality or violence. It's a play about love. I think it's a play about humanity. But most of all, it's a play about taking chances and finding out who you really are no matter what that means.

I might be in a minority, but I don't have any problem with the parallel time line device. The structure makes it easy to give physical cues to separate the elements, and the story unfolds evenly between the stories, so you aren't left with gaps or redundancies.

Possible challenges in a couple scene changes, mainly costume/makeup, but a good director will find a way.

Diano Son captures this touching store told in scenes that jump from present to past. Every other scene tells the present and past of two women who fall in love without the knowledge of their sexuality. When one is beat and injured by a madman in the city, they must confront their families with their sexuality. One, too unstable to be on her own, needs the other. The story is touching, melodic and wonderful.

Diano Son captures this touching store told in scenes that jump from present to past. Every other scene tells the present and past of two women who fall in love without the knowledge of their sexuality. When one is beat and injured by a madman in the city, they must confront their families with their sexuality. One, too unstable to be on her own, needs the other. The story is touching, melodic and wonderful.

This is an excelent exploration of love and what constitutes it, and a painful reminder of hate--specifically homophobia. The message here is one worth hearing, and the telling of it is skilled and a pleasure to read. Highly Recommended.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT. A BOOK ON SUGGESTIONS?? I SUGGEST YOU BUY THIS BOOK. ANYONE FROM NEW YORK WOULD LOVE THIS AS GIFT. THE AUTHORS, ILLEGAL ART, ARE REALLY ON TO SOMETHING HERE. SUGGESTIONS FROM CITY DWELLERS IN THE GREATEST CITY IN WORLD, NYC.

This book leaks out pure amazingness. The editors spared no one's beliefs, thoughts, or feelings while compiling this book-- and that's a good thing. Along with the funny things (i.e. "I suggest you give me the box"), there's whimsical advice, heartfelt thoughts, religious and political suggestions or observations, and truly thought provoking statements.

This book gives you a glimpse into the minds of strangers, and, no pun intended, pulls you out of your own box. It opens your mind to things you might not have ever even considered.

It's thoroughly enjoyable to read, and doesn't take long, so why not give it a try?

Thank you Illegal Art for giving voice to the people of New York City and beyond. The Suggestion Box is not only a mobile polling machine that
samples peoples views, it is a monitor for the state of various urban conditions.

Keep it Public.

Malachi Connolly

This book is a great collection of what those around you might be thinking at the time.
If you were sitting on the subway and could put a bubble with one sentance over everyone's head representing what they were thinking or feeling, this is what you'd come up with. The guy next to you might be saying "beer flavored nipples" and the woman across from you suggesting "Dave should stop wasting my precious time" Humorous, thoughtprovoking and entertaining, this collection of suggestions, thoughts and opinions of your fellow humans walking by you on the street and sitting next to you on the subway is worth the read and a fun experience.

Very few art books make you open your mind and think like this one does; yes there are some expected suggestions but there are also some really weird no-one-person-could-make-this-stuff-up suggestions. There is a breadth, scope, emotion and imagination that couldn't come from fiction or conventional art. It really makes you think, laugh and wonder. A truly inspiring book, that is really good for angry New Yorkers, but I think the ideas will resonate wherever you are in the world.