Berg Books

very cute; my 3 month old grandson loved the finger puppet. It really caught his attention

This is a great little book to share with an infant. The books are short enough to hold the childs attention while the finger puppets are a great way for the child to associate the characters in the book with something tangible.

This was required reading for a graduate course in American history.

Manfred Berg's "Black Civil Rights and Liberal Anticommunism: the NAACP in the Early Cold War" investigates the NAACP and its ties to communism during the beginning of the Cold War. Berg explains that some historians have claimed that the NAACP set back the civil rights movement by twenty years by participating in the purges of communists within its organization. They claim that by aligning themselves with the anticommunist Truman administration they damaged the credibility of the organization. Berg claims conversely, that the NAACP's adherence to anticommunism in fact saved the organization from almost certain political suicide.

Following the Second World War, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) became caught in the mass hysteria of anti-communism which marked the beginning of the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union. The NAACP's efforts to end racial discrimination against African Americans in the U.S. had garnered criticism from white conservative politicians who claimed that the NAACP's rhetoric was communist in nature. Soon the NAACP found itself in a difficult position of having to choose between political freedom within the organization and the
organization's survival.

The NAACP was formed in 1909 by philanthropic white socialists and educated African American activists. Initially NAACP leaders like W.E.B Du Bois did not agree with the communist rhetoric. Du Bois claimed that African Americans were excluded from the American proletariat and therefore were not able to participate in the "Great Proletarian Revolution." The political climate changed however after the beginning of Great Depression. Some NAACP delegates believed that for African Americans to achieve progress, they needed to improve their socio-economic class.

Soon a divide developed between NAACP leaders developed. Leaders disagreed whether the best way to secure civil rights for African Americans was to concentrate on ending racial discrimination or that the problem was rooted in a deeper socio-economic class struggle which was afflicting the whole of American society. In his article, "Black Civil Rights and Liberal Anticommunism: the NAACP in the Early Cold War" Manfred Berg claims "The NAACP expected racial change to result from political reforn1s not from revolutionary class struggle."

The American Communist Party (CPUSA) began spreading their propaganda among African Americans Communism became an attractive political movement all long African Americans and some NAACP members. The CPUSA claimed that it was against racial discrimination and that African Americans were the victims of white chauvinism. Ideological clashes began between conservative elements of the NAACP who believed that the NAACP should focus solely on the point of racial discrimination versus the communist sympathizing elements of the NAACP and other civil rights organizations. The NAACP and the International Labor Defense (ILD), a communist affiliated organization clashed over the Scottsboro case of 1931 in which nine black youths were accused of raping two young white girls.

The NAACP underestimated the importance of the case to the cause of civil rights while the ILD offered the nine boys a legal defense team. Even though eight of the boys were sentenced to death, the IDL was successful in having four of the boys acquitted while the remaining five were eventually pardoned. The Scottsboro case cemented the distrust between conservative NAACP leaders and the CPUSA.

With the beginning of the Cold War following the end of the Second World War, the U.S. began its campaign to spread the ideals of democracy abroad in hopes of combating the spread of communism and Soviet influence. The U.S. began receiving criticism from the Soviet Union and other nations as to its unwillingness to end racial segregation and promote democracy within its own borders. Similarly, the U.S. was criticized for its unwillingness to pressure its allies France and the U.K. to end their rule over their segregated colonies abroad.

W.E. Du Bois petitioned the U.S. delegation to the U.N. to call for a resolution which would end racial discrimination world wide. Some had their reservations about what the saw as a move which might hurt the U.S. politically. Even one of the NAACP's most esteemed board members former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt thought that a call for racial equality within the U.N. would discredit the U.S. abroad. White conservative politicians claimed that Du Bois and the NAACP were attacking their own country and that it was part of a communist led conspiracy against America. Du Bois remained adamant that a call for racial equality within the U.N. was needed. Conservative NAACP leaders felt that Du Bois had become too radically left and thought that his praising of the Soviet Union as a model state was damaging to their cause. More disagreement followed as Du Bois and the NAACP leadership clashed over the NAACP's public support for President Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election. Du Bois and his likeminded colleagues supported former vice-president Harry Wallace's candidacy for President. In the wake of "McCarthyism" and anticommunist hysteria, conservative NAACP leaders were desperate to distance the organization from communist elements. Because Harry Wallace was seen as the champion for socialists and communist sympathizers, NAACP leaders chose to align themselves with Truman and the moderate left. The NAACP began efforts to separate itself from suspected communist elements within the organization. Members who espoused communist rhetoric were questioned and some were expelled from NAACP membership.

Berg claims that although these tactics infringed upon the members right to free speech, it was a necessary tactic for the NAACP to survive within the age of McCarthyism. Berg also claims that since the question of civil rights had taken a
backseat to the issues of national security and Cold War politics, it is doubtful that any petitions for civil rights would have made a significant impact on the American political scene.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, civil rights history.

Despite its long history at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, no one has yet written a comprehensive history of the NAACP, largely because it would be impossible to do so in a single volume. In TICKET TO FREEDOM, Manfred Berg focuses on the NAACP's struggle for the right to vote, from its founding in 1909 until the early 1970's. Along the way, he addresses many of the criticisms (and myths) surrounding the organization: is it a grassroots or "top down" organization? Did it embrace anticommunism to the detriment of the movement? Did it simply create a "racial spoils system" which ensured privileges for those who did not need them?

You'll have to read the book yourself to find the answers, but rest assured that will be smooth sailing. Berg's narrative style is fluid and compelling, revealing a resourceful and dynamic organization which has done much to open up the electoral process to greater black participation.

A great basic book for any age. Wish I'd had it 30 years ago.

This is one of the great personal finance books of all time. So often, money managment books are written by wealthy people, so we can make them wealthier by trying to emulate them. Now come an eleven-year-old, wise beyond years to show us how to be comfortable, secure, and childlike, trusting ourselves, as we play the game of making money work for us. This is a definite "need to read" book

IF J.H. van den Berg's history of the discovery of the laws of Thermodynamics sounds a bit dry, read on. The author's concern is for the relationship between cuture, history and scientific discovery; and he writes in a simple compelling style that belies the complexity of thought behind his narrative. You don't need to know anything about phenomological psychology or his theory of historical analysis (which he terms metabletics) to enjoy his essays. Just skip the first 45 pages which is background information written by other persons, and jump right into the text. It's very enjoyable.

In this work, phenomenological thinker van den Berg breaks through the barrier between theory and experience, and by implication also that between science and religion. His research serves as a powerful critique of both the reductionistic (scientistic) view of reality and also the modern institutional religious perspective that revelation and "natural theology" lie only in the past. His analysis of the long-delayed discovery of thermodynamics shows clearly how its historical and phenomenological roots lay in the social changes wrought by the French Revolution. Much as Karl Marx based his critique of capitalism on a critique of religion (and his economic errors were prefigured by his philosophical ones), van den Berg shows that the revolutionary overthrow of Nature's "Great Chain of Being" (as personified by the monarchy and aristocracy) permitted certain exceptional individuals to perceive Nature in a wholly new way. This gave us both the benefits of dramatically increased productivity and control of Nature but at the same time a devaluation of the personal sense of our place in the cosmos. These insights hold great promise for better understanding of the dynamic interaction of cultural worldviews and technology, with provocative implications for ethics and religion.

A good general-purpose finance book. Covers pretty much all the bases and is straight-forward.

This makes it perfect not only for someone just starting off to make sure they're on the right track, but also for people who are trying to put their finances back in order. Also great for those who may be established but just want to use their money more wisely.

If you're really only interested in investment info though, I would suggest buying a different book specifically on the topic.

This is a great book to find out all types of information about personal finances. It includes buying a house, a car, mutual funds, stocks, insurance, credit cards, and more. I learned something new on every page. The book is written in a very easy language to understand.

A very detailed book about uniforms in Japan, with major focus on school uniforms, but the book also deals with post-school uniforms in the work place and even in the home. Lots of examples and a solid foundation set on past studies, books and surveys. The author also shows the anti-uniform culture, which sometimes ends up being just as uniform. Formal uniforms vs. the cult of playful kawaisa (cuteness).
Really interesting, seeming to follow the changes within the life of the Japanese, from school uniforms, to the college rest period (where you wear whatever you want), to the uniform (and job)they will be wearing the rest of their life.

McVeigh examines how clothing in Japan, specifically the uniform, acts both as social control and socializing mechanism, and also functions as a site for protest and differentiation. Along with the first part, which deals mainly with uniforms, there's also fascinating discussion of Japan's "cult of cuteness", an aesthetic which is fundamentally Japanese and which ranges from Hello Kitty to hardcore .... Did you know that some Japanese schoolgirls actually choose their schools based on how "cute" the school uniform is? Too much. Cool book.

Delightfully illustrated by veteran children's artist Nathan Alberg with anthropomorphic characters, What Marion Taught Willis by Brook Berg is the picturebook story of a "Career Day" in Mr. Owne's class of young students. Each student has to choose a profession, learn as much as he or she can about it, and share his or her findings with the class. Marion the hedgehog decides to research being a librarian, and teaches her friend the basic categorizations of the Dewey Decimal System, and how to use it to look up books by subject! An educational picturebook excellent for helping very young people become familiar with libraries and how to use them.

I used this picture book with my 6th grade class and the kids were enthralled. After reading, we went down to the library and tested ourselves to see if the book was right : "It's easy to find information on anything if you know the Dewey Decimal System."
I have never seen kids so excited about browsing. From all over the library I heard things like "I'm going to look for grasshoppers...It should be in the 500's because they are in the natural word, then a few minutes later, "I found it! Grasshoppers!" MAgnify that success by 27 students and you have a picture of what it was like. I will use this book EVERY Year!
It was great!

As we women step onto the threshold of our crone years, we learn about our future depth from "Crone Cronicles." When I read this book I could not put it down. My enthusiasm grew when I realized I had entered into conversations with many women at once and they were my mirrors. I recently met Dr. Kreilkamp and through her presentation, I simply and quietly acknowledged that integrated power and remembered wisdom belong to all of us. Look into your reflection in this gem of a book and behold the magic of eldering. I will first re-read what I highlighted for the nuggets of wisdom and then I will re-read the book again for the joy of conversing with crones.

Reviewed by Gaël P. Mustapha of Green Valley, AZ

This first volume of What Matters offers the reader a veritable wisdom harvest. These collected conversations and interviews from nearly a decade of Crone Chronicles will resonate deep chords within every woman.

Having these 21 conversations between the covers of this one 200-plus page book is enriching, empowering, and enlightening. Reading these stories may be life changing. This inspirational book is a "must" read for women everywhere of all ages.

This book makes it very clear why dieting is self-defeating. Learning to eat healthy from all the delicious foods on the food pyramid will keep you busy so you won't have time to concern yourself with obsessing about food. Those obsessions will disappear when learning about new facts and discoveries about the needs of your body.

As I was reading the book, Women Afraid to Eat, by Francie Berg, I was inspired to experiment. I was surprised to learn that there are delightful flavors of the usual healthy foods that I had never experienced before. Now I buy fresh vegetables and fruits and eat them up while they are still fresh. I experienced an new slant to my life and find it refreshing. I'm losing weight without thinking about food. I just accept myself and feel so much better about myself. I just eat healthy and keep losing pounds, gradually, gradually, gradually, without even thinking about it.

I save the money that I might have spent on weight-loss programs that are quite expensive. None of those weight-loss pills, or foods go into my body...just healthy unprocessed foods and I keep losing weight! Of course I read labels on foods I buy at the market and if it has too much fat, salt or sugar, it stays right on the shelf. I don't touch it. Eating healthy, I've discovered, is the way to go.

Reading Berg's book, Women Afraid to Eat, has changed my life.

....A Happy Reader

Two important guides to weight and eating are presented inthese excellent surveys by Frances Berg. Children And Teens Afraid ToEat examines six major eating and weight problems, from undernutrition of teens to eating disorders and obesity, blending statistics with a survey of underlying social causes and the actions which need to be taken to help teens. Women Afraid To Eat documents the physical and psychological harm done by social images which focus on the detriments of eating. From fad diets to weight prejudices, this tells women how to break free of weight obsession.

This excelent book is a true must for anthroplogists facing problems with just writing texts. The pioneer Kersenboom shows with this book and the CDi a new aproach in the so often static science of anthropolgy. Interactive representations are something anthropologists could learn a lot from.
wonderfully written.

Dr Kersenboom, as dancer, theorist, and master storyteller, provides a radical new schema (at least for the West) for cultural representation. Her ideas are based primarily on the threefold Tamil model (word, sound, image) and the handful of Western theorists (Jakobson, Goranzon, Bourdieu) whose theories are flexible and open-ended enough to harmonize. What we get is a well-written and inspiring work that redefines textual reality and leaves the broken shards of western philology, hermeneutics, and empiricism in its wake. Well, perhaps that's a bit too categorical, but the book does make a strong case for anthropologists to invert the practice of their research. If all Western field resesarchers could, approximating Dr. Kersenboom, start "tabula rasa" - doing their fieldwork first, and THEN coming back to the West and finding the texts (from the arts, classics, rhetoric, and in general a broad range of fields) that support their knowledge, rather than learning the standard ethnographic format and then plugging their field experience into this template - we might have a lot more interesting and emancipatory anthropology going on. Through an arrangement with Philips electronics, Kersenboom has also provided an accompanying interactive CD that, though dated, shows some of the promise of multimedia applications to ethnography - as it provides the proof for this new paradigm in its skillful 'prayogam', or application, of the emic categories.