Anderson Books

...And these lectures, delivered initially to a class Marius taught at Harvard, present a fascinating take on one of the great writers of the American South.

Marius concludes his fine collection of essays on Faulkner by asserting, "In 1942 [Faulkner] could look back on sixteen years of the most productive greatness in American literary history." If you consider that four of the thirteen novels authored in this period -- THE SOUND AND THE FURY, AS I LAY DYING, LIGHT IN AUGUST, and ABSALOM! ABSALOM! -- would be on anyone's list of best 100 American novels of all time or best English-language novels of the 20th century, it is indeed an awesome accomplishment. If you consider the hardship Faulkner worked under during this period (always close to bankruptcy, doing degrading script work in Hollywood, enduring a bad marriage, surviving the deaths of a daughter and brother, and manifesting what was surely clinical alcoholism), the achievement is even more awesome.

The sense of the greatness of Faulkner's mind pervades Marius's analyses of the texts. In spite of Faulkner's great experimentalism, Marius always assumes the author knew what he was doing and that Faulkner's ultimate choices (about point of view, character, narration, dialect, vocabulary choice) can be trusted as essential to the great storyteller's craft and intentions. The novels FLAGS IN THE DUST, THE WILD PALMS and GO DOWN, MOSES are good examples of times when editorial intervention did more harm than good. Marius also does a good job of sorting out the influences that are key to understanding and appreciating Faulkner: Darwin, Freud, Frazer, Eliot, Joyce, and Proust; and he gives teasing insights into the rivalry between Faulkner and Hemingway. (For instance, Hemingway often seems coy on sexual matters that wouldn't raise an eyebrow in mainstream fiction today; this is mostly because of the prudishness of his editor at Scribners', Max Perkins. Faulkner's freedom from such censorship stirred Hemingway's envy; Hemingway's runaway sales stirred Faulkner's.) In addition to the chapters on Faulkner's thirteen first novels, the book includes insightful essays on "Faulkner and Blacks: The Endemic Problem of Race and Racism in American Society" and "Faulkner an the Mythological World." Understood as class lectures, this book is best read from beginning to end, as much in the later chapters assumes the reader is familiar with concepts introduced earlier. Marius is clearly a gifted teacher--one who coaxes as well as instructs--and I would have loved to have sat in his class. I would also love to know what he thought of Faulkner's later work, the novels that most critics consider inferior but which to me still show sparks of greatness (and in some cases are as easy to read as Hemingway or any other bestselling author.)

Richard Marius (1933-1999) was the author of four novels: The Coming of Rain (1969), Bound for the Promised Land (1976), After the War (1992), and An Affair of Honor, published posthumously. He also wrote two works of non-fiction: Thomas More: A Biography (1984) and Martin Luther: The Christian Between God and Death (1999).

Reading Faulkner is a collection of delightful lectures delivered by Marius at Harvard Univ. in 1996 and 1997. These lectures are introductions to Faulkner's first 13 novels: Soldier's Pay, Mosquitoes, Flags in the Dust, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, Pylon, Absalom, Absalom!, The Unvanquished, The Wild Palms, The Hamlet, and Go Down, Moses.

What a remarkable period of creativity Faulkner enjoyed, stretching from his first novel, Soldier's Pay (1926) to the last of his great novels, Go Down, Moses (1942). "In 1942," Marius comments, "[Faulkner] could look back on sixteen years of the most productive greatness in American literary history."

Faulkner grew up in Oxford, Miss. (one can visit there his beloved home, Rowan Oak), which was the prototype of the town of Jefferson, in mythical Yoknapatawpha County. It was a narrow, circumscribed world, full of various passions and prejudices, a world of conflicting issues of sex, class, and race. But out of this particular time and place Faulkner created a body of literature that has universal relevance and timeless appeal. The characters created by his fertile imagination reveal the human condition and, as Shakespeare put it, throws up the mirror of nature to ourselves. His work reveals "the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself."

"[I] discovered," wrote Faulkner, "that my own little postage stamp of native soil was worth writing about and that I would never live long enough to exhaust it, and that by sublimating the actual into the apocryphal I would have complete liberty to use whatever talent I might have to its absolute top. It opened up a gold mine of other people, so I created a cosmos of my own."

Marius points out various influences on the development of Faulkner's dark and tragic art: Greek and Roman mythology, especially as chronicled in Sir James George Frazer's The Golden Bough;the plays of Shakespeare (whom he loved); and the writings of depth psychologists.

According to Marius, however, the two greatest influences on Faulkner were the poetry of T. S. Eliot ("The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," "The Hollow Men," "The Waste Land" and so forth) and the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin.

"I think a strong case can be made," writes Marius, "for Faulkner as someone deeply interested in the implications of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwinism is inherently pessimistic. Darwin did not believe in God and did not believe in any ultimate purpose to the life of the individual, the nation, or the human race."

In another place, Marius writes, "Darwin held that human beings are a higher form of animal--higher only in that our brains give us a superior capacity to survive. I believe it is demonstrable from the text that Faulkner was enormously influenced by the teaching of Charles Darwin, that human beings evolved from lower forms of life, and that the most important feature of any species is that it adapt itself sufficiently to its environment to survive....I see a Darwinian impulse that I find constant in Faulkner from the beginning."

Faulkner is often difficult to "read," that is, to understand. Like James Joyce's Ulysses, many of his works exhibit a stream-of-consciousness dislocation of time. Marius: "Faulkner plays with time, happy to break up, indeed to shatter the traditional idea of chronology in the novel, a tradition where we have a linear progression of plot with occasional clearly marked flashbacks." There is a curious interplay of consciousness and memory in Faulkner that often disorients and confuses the reader.

Like Shakespeare, Faulkner features characters who are puzzling mixtures of good and evil, light and darkness. Nor does Faulkner give us much help in understanding his characters. Again like Shakespeare, he maintains a distance or detachment from them, letting their deeds speak for them and putting the burden of interpretation of the readers.

A persistent theme in Faulkner's novels is the hypocrisy of those who attempt, at all costs, to keep up appearances, which to them is more important than reality. So long as a code or custom is ostensibly upheld and honored, the true state of affairs is relatively unimportant. Thus, incest may be winked at while miscegenation may become a capital offense (often by lynching). One doubts that such an obsession with appearances is peculiar to the South, but Faulkner certainly seems to think that such hypocrisy is an endemic Southern problem.

Faulkner's world is a tragic world, and his art is a tragic art. Death is the end of life, and life is filled with pride, prejudice, lust, greed, deceit, hypocrisy, and violence. One begins to wonder if Darwin is correct in saying that human beings are higher than the other animals. Perhaps labeling some human act as "bestial" is a vile and vicious slander of the beasts.

Reading Faulkner is so rewarding that one despairs of doing it justice in a review. It inspires one to reread Faulkner's novels and short stories, for such a rereading, using Marius' excellent literary compass will doubtless help one see things missed on first reading.

but don't be surprised if your husband picks it up to read. This book made me laugh(out loud), cry and just smile all in each story. What was especially great is to either see myself in some of the stories or know that if that does happen God, no matter what, will carry me through just as He has or still is for these real women in the middle of real life. If you liked any of the Chicken Soup books this book Real Women: In The Middle Of Real Lifeis more like a meat and potatoes for your soul. Once you read it you will think of other women who will also benefit from it. A great Christmas gift....

Real women...Real life...Real stories...and possibly you will 'feel' a bond with one of the inspiring stories about every day life and how our incredible God has given miracle after miracle...Incredible first-hand accounts from 21 real women living out their stories today! The stories don't end...because they are in the 'Middle of Real Life'! This book will absolutely change your life!

A great gift for all your girlfriends! Buy it today!!

This book is a collection of stories, written by regular women who struggle with the different issues of life. This book will encourage you as you read about a woman's struggle with infertility, another's story of caring for aging parents, one woman's story of living with a disease, stories about bankruptcy, adoption, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and many more topics. Enjoy these candid stories as they encourage you in your life. I am buying this book as Christmas gifts for all the women on my list!

While reading this book Reality Fitness , I felt Ms. Anderson was putting my words on paper. Not only mine but hundreds of women who have struggled with health, weight and nutrition problems. Ms. Anderson has captured the truth about realistic life and draws you in to her book so well that you can really relate to your health and wellness.

I enjoyed reading it because it is a posative look at helping you feel better. Body image isn't how others perceive us , it is how we feel ourselves, and if that isn't being a cover girl model, that's alright. She says it has to do with our spirit, our mind and how we treat ourselves. She also writes that we are all differant, so what is working for me might not work for others.

It is a great inspiration to women to know that someone, Ms.Anderson, has taken the time to tell here realistic story, that has inspired me to think of ME for a change, to become healthy and fit. Even if it is starting out taking baby steps.

It's about time a fitness professional has come forward with a real philosophy for real people. I am a fitness professional myself and believe that the approach and attitude Nicki Anderson took towards changing her life can serve as an example for anyone who has ever tried or is contemplating changing their lifestyle to a healthy and happier one. It's not just starting an exercise program or counting calories...it's changing who you are. We have to be learn how to be positive WITH ourselves before we can start doing positive things FOR ourselves. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered a healthier and happier way of life. I hope that is EVERYBODY.

This book reminds me of the saying "Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch its a cinch". The author does away with the all-or-nothing approach and instead focuses on manageable change. She advises keeping a food journal, becoming aware of your current habits and finding ways to make changes. She also advocates a fitness plan that you can actually live with. This book will not make you feel like a failure if you can't stick to a stict regime. Highly recommended!

I am not Native, this book is directed at the recovery of Native American Women, but I thought this book was incredible.

I bought an extra copy to pass on.


Kim you are awesome, Thank You (Meegwetch)

The book made me think, and any book that can do that, is worth reading. It made me think of being a woman, of being a auntie and a grandmother and the responsibility that holds. It made me appreciate the hardships all Native people had to go through while in the residential schools, and how, in the name of a God and the attitude of assimilation, people were put into such abusive situations. And it made me appreciate the strength that Native women have to overcome such behaviour.
I am not Native, yet I follow the spiritual concepts that were mentioned in the book and it was wonderful to read the history of these traditions and get a better understanding of the traditions.

One of the more refreshing aspects of this unique look at women's historical roles in First Nations cultures is it's comprehensive and insightful understanding of the concept of gender balance. Kim Anderson has well illustrated the social structures which adequately served First Nations people across the Americas for centuries prior to European arrival. In addition, she examines the impact of colonialism, genocide and assimilation on that structure without ignoring or minimizing the undermining of women's roles which was crucial to the success of these policies. She finishes by portraying a hopeful and positive perspective which incorporates the lessons of history.

Dr. Krebs delivers what so often seems impossible: an understanding of the 'how and why' of the physiology of our mind/body. This a readable, inspirational story of how one man overcame devastation. On a higher level, and perhaps more importantly, Dr. Krebs explains how and why what we have come to call 'eastern' energetic medicine and 'western' traditional medical practices compliment each other. Dr. Krebs has the gifted ability to open these two areas of medicine and make them understandable to the lay person.

It addresses Brain integration which is so important, you can have every thing, intelligence wise, and not be able to use it, due to lack of integration this kiniesiology cures that.It also makes the join between the our material existance, and our spiritual world scientifically, in a no fuss scientific manner.

The Kiniesiology described in the book actually does work, which is unbelievable as its so fanatasic Ive tracked down a Leap Kiniesiologist I'm undergoing the treatment, and will probably never stop as I get so much from it. (I'm very intelligent, good at sport, socialable, lovely wife family etc etc but my life was a total mess, inside my head, Ive never regarded myself as mentally ill, when I read about integration it was exactly the problem I had, which was I had all the bits of intellect very good bits in fact but they all didnt work together, which was hell, I had this problem to a high degree, if I hadnt read this book there would never have been any body to describe or help as its like invisible condition, theres nothing wrong with any one bit of you but its crippling). If my sister hadnt sent me this book because of a discussion, I had, I do not know how I would have got through the rest of my life, Basically this book saved my life, seriously. Feel free to mail me with questions. marcus538@tiscali.co.uk.

And Thanks to DR Charles Krebs for writing it, and developing LEAP, cant say how gratefull I am really.

How this man writes so clearly such that any reader can understand is way beyond me, but he does. His description of the brain and its many processes is astonishingly understandable. I would write more, but I am sure I am umbilically switched, and with no money to travel to those who can practice so much of what Dr. Charles Krebs writes about, I will return to reading. It is too bad the US government does not ditch "one child left behind" for a LEAP practice on each and every kid in school!

Richard Anderson's book truly shows his experience and knowledge of law enforcement and investigation. Rivers of Belief is a real page turner. What I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that I had to know what was going to happen next and the ending was a total shock. There is always some twist and turn and a real life aspect to the book that it seems very real. I have read his previous books, which were real page turners too; Rivers of Belief is perhaps his best work yet. I highly recommend anyone interested in a real page turner, to read this one. Great job to the author! I look forward to your next one - so hurry up!

Anderson does a great job developing his characters and helping the reader share in their joy of life and their pain and difficulty. Anyone who knows the Ocean City, MD area will enjoy the detailed descriptions of the area. At several points in the story I thought I knew who was committing the crimes only to be proven wrong. I was unable to put the book down until I reached the surprising ending. This book is an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it!

Rivers of Belief
The brotherly love of two men, a woman, twists and turns. This is a read that one can not put down until finished. The author leads you winding through the characters and twists of the story until just when you think you know where the story is going, the path takes a sudden jerk and you are facing something you never expected. The paths join to come to an end that leaves you with a comfort knowing that all is right in the world and you wanting more of these three very strong yet vague, interesting but coy, loving but independent characters. I hope the author takes these characters on more journeys and look forward to reading more of them soon.

This neat little novel is written in the tradition of Tom Sawyer, though it appeared 5 years earlier than Twain's classic. It's about all the mischief, chivalry, loyalty, and pluck of a young boy's life. Aldrich is in love with his material and revels in all the antics his characters get involved in. The snowball fight is a gem. The boyhood dialogue is excellent and rings true.

The Story of a Bad Boy is one of my favorite books. It's interesting, humorous, and touching, and gives you an inside look at the life of a boy in Massachusetts in the early 1800s. I love the author's style of writing. It seems to make the story all the more humorous, and brings you back to those olden days. I also love this book because it's a true story, and this kid led a life full of adventures and mishaps. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Tom Sawyer because these two books are similar, and the two boys have the same type of mischievous personalities. Yet in spite of similarities, Bad Boy is unique because it's true.

We live in a world of fantacy and of real life.This book gives you a glimpse into the life of a real American boy.

These stories will entertain all ages. Joe's adventures paint a vivid picture of childhood and WWII as seen through a child's eyes. I would look forward to reading more stories from Rockcliffe.

I really enjoyed this book even though it is obviously aimed at a younger reader. It harkens back to a more innocent era that is a pleasure to revisit. I found the Scottish "accents" charming although it might make it more difficult for a young reader not from the UK to follow the story. Still I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of little Joe and would heartily recommend this book for readers young and old.

Sandra Anderson has very cleverly written this amazing non fiction story about World War II through the eyes of a young boy in Scotland, her husband. It was a wonderful blend of compelling facts and artful sensitivity that was warm and refreshing. I was motivated from the first page to read this story with my son and talk with him about what stirs inside all of us when we read about the impact of generations of people in times of hardship and also new adventure. I found this author very detailed and very easy to follow. The suspense, the wonder, the reality of war and the unbreakable bonds between friends of all ages was inspirational. I strongly recommend this book for everyone; it truly is delightful honest and very resonating. I absolutely loved this book! I cannot wait for another book by this talented author.

Chapters follow logical order; examples were excellent; and good literary selections.

I've taught Oral Interpretation of Literature for 5 years with the Yordon text. I switched from the Gura & Lee text that I found too wordy and theoretical for the community college. I like this text because it concisely explains the craft and ways to perform literary texts as an interpreter. Sections in the text that particularly connect include sensory showing, smelling, hearing or feeling sensory passages prior to reading them. Also, the criteria for what makes a "literary" text as opposed to merely "prose" is excellent, outlining qualities of universality, individuality & suggestion. The chapter on criticism in particular really stands out as an effective tool, even for those not pursing drama. No matter what field a student may pursue, the ability to give effective criticism is a real gem. The literary selections in each chapter are, for the most part, excellent. William Carlos Williams' short story "The Use of Force" provides much food for discussion. For instructors, Yordon's test bank is extremely helpful. I liked this book so much that I wrote the author a letter and received a phone call from her. She has really done an excellent job of distilling the information succinctly and clearly. Enjoy!

Judy Yordon's ROLES IN INTERPRETATION is a great text to use and read for an oral interpretation of literature class. The book is organized in a very direct, coherent, and distinctive way. The main ideas are clearly illustrated and supported and the chapters are arranged in a sequential manner. The book is divided into 10 different chapters with an appendix and a glossary. I absolutely loved the oral interpretation class I had and we used this text. The book augmented all the things our professor taught us and it was a great tool and makes for a nice reference for the future (especially if I ever do some professional storytelling or when I have to teach a high school speech class).

Save the Colors is very interesting and filled with great knowledge. Charley, the main character in the book runs away from home to join the civil war. I really liked the character. The book was well written and very enjoyable. Great for adults and children. I would highly recomend this book.

I found "Save The Colors" to be a wonderfully written, patriotic book for all ages, not just middle-grade. The writer draws you in and carries you through a young mans journey of patriotic optimism. It was very entertaining and easy reading. I didn't want to put it down! This is a "must have" book for all middle grade students and up. It is especially appropriate at this time to look back upon the Civil War and the patriotism around the country at that time and the sacrifices made for our great nation!

It's 1861 and America is plunged into Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln calls upon the nation for volunteers to join the Union Army. That's when twelve year old Charley Olson, in defiance of his family's wishes, enlists with the First Minnesota Regiment as a drummer boy. His new friend Gunnar's job is to protect the regimental flag as their regiment commits to combat at the Battle of Bull run. With only their courage to defend them, Charley and Gunnar must march into the first major battle of the Civil War bearing only a drum and a flag. Save The Colors is a riveting, highly recommended novel of war time battlefield courage that provides young readers with a kind of "window in time" through which to learn and feel what it was like for boys their own age on the front lines of the American Civil War.