Bloom Books

This monograph of contemporary American artist Sara Steele's floral watercolors features 117 full color reproductions of her luminous paintings, with comments by the artist, and an essay by independent curator Terri Cohn. Many of the images in this book appeared over the last 18 years in Steele's well-loved annual calendars. (Available through amazon.com)

As a fifteen year old, I understand the problems that Holden Caufeild undergoes in the few days that the story takes place. The way he states his opinions are exaclty the way I state my opinions in my mind. He has a true, down to earth character that most teenagers can understand. He is a strong individual who is not afraid to speak his mind and does what he wants to do, which is a hard quality to find in most people my age.

Kids ages 13 and older will find this an excellent research and study guide to the short stories of Jack London. Almost 90 pages cover the plots and criticism of four selected London stories, providing a blend of cross-criticism of London's various works and insights on London's methods. Highly recommended.

James Joyce's "Dubliners" is a brilliant and shining example of the power of the English language. This book is the compilation of short stories, each as intriguing and captivating as those that precede and follow.

To truly enjoy the remarkable genius of the author, a reader must identify the three key aspects that progress the telling of each story: symbolism, imagery, and character development. With the first being presented in almost the opening paragraph of each account, Joyce envelops each story of the book in deep and profound symbolism that conveys the inner thoughts, feelings, and struggles of his characters. Eveline, for example, from the story of the same name, for whom the lattice-work of a window represents the bars of a prison cell, and the streetlights beyond fading as that of the light of her life dissipating slowly before her very eyes. Easy to recognize, the symbolism present in "Dubliners" provides a deeper insight and understanding that truly sets his otherwise commonplace stories apart from others that are no more than just that. Joyce's masterful use of this literary technique is placed within simple linguistic structures that are easily observed, yet very powerful and splendidly thought provoking in its very core and concept, as well as in the nature by which he employs it. The careful examination and adequate attention given this symbolism is relevant, and truly essential, in achieving a greater understanding of the stories being told, and the characters portrayed within them.

Wild and vivid mental images are formed in the reader's mind through Joyce's immense, yet extremely important descriptive nature. The overwhelming abundance of the actually story progression takes place in the narrative that falls between sparse dialogue, giving opportunity for Joyce's magnificent, though usually dark and gloomy imagery. It is exactly within this narrative that the characters come to life, as they are seen as ordinary people with universally accepted experiences of all. Eloquent and poignant examples of this can be found in the title characters of both "Eveline," and "Araby," the former of which is quite possibly the most interesting and compelling of the entire book.

The characters of "Dubliners" appear flat in their sparse dialogue, but it is in the depth of Joyce's narrative depictions of thoughts, feelings, and actions, that they become fully-developed and round. Most, however, remain weak-willed and deficient of any inner-strength or courage, throughout, eventually leading them into despair. Correlations can then be drawn between these characters and the setting of the stories in which they appear, the Irish city of Dublin, which Joyce goes out of his way to portray as bereft of light, warmth, and color.

Though the author's clear intent and purpose was the portrayal of common people and their internal conflicts, the subject matter can become redundant when replicated throughout all of the stories contained in this book, offering the one drawback of "Dubliners."

Overall, Joyce's simplistic use of language is evocative, as it conveys complex ideas in very simple words and linguistic structures, making it an easy read for the least literary-minded of audiences. His thought and story progression is virtually flawless, being laid out in a proper and unmistakeable order that can be readily enjoyed for both its surface-value, and its literary technique. The underlying themes are relative to virtually any reader, through their own personal experiences of like, making this a book well worth picking up.

An essential guide to understanding Bloom's perception of himself. Davison makes it clear that Joyce's undrstanding of Jews was fluid.

"Visitors often saw just one side of Chicago -- the lovely lakefront, the fabulous mansions of the wealthy merchants, the majestic skyscrapers, and the glittering night spots.
"There were entire neighborhoods where the residents lived packed together in filthy tenements and shacks. Many poor Chicagoans had no heat in the wintertime, no running water, and no neighborhood schools. Because the opportunity to bathe was rare for the poor, dirt sometimes accumulated on children until their skin resembled scales. In addition, the milk delivered to poor families was often spoiled.
"These unsanitary conditions claimed a large toll, particularly among the very young. In the city as a whole, half the children born in 1889 wouldn't live to celebrate their fifth birthdays. The death toll was even higher in poor neighborhoods, where families might have ten children in the hope that three or four would reach adulthood. Adults also suffered from outbreaks of disease, which included smallpox, cholera, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and dysentery. In 1885, for example, epidemics killed approximately one hundred thousand Chicagoans, or about one in every eight of the city's population."

Into this world of squalor and disease stepped the young woman who was determined to change things.

I like to think that I am doing my little bit to make the world a better place. I am always advocating loudly for peace and acceptance and equality, doing a lot of education-related volunteer work, drying my clothes in the sun, taking mass transit when practical, recycling and composting and planting trees. But then I read a book like JANE ADDAMS: CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY and am again reminded of what it looks like to REALLY be serious about changing the world:

"By the early 1900s, Hull House had grown to thirteen buildings and was home to about forty staff residents, a quarter of them men. Among the residents were physicians, attorneys, journalists, businessmen, teachers, scientists, musicians, and artists. The Hull House settlement had become a vital part of the neighborhood. Of the 70,000 people who lived within six blocks of Hull House around the turn of the century, roughly 9,000 participated in the settlement's programs in any given week."

And to think that Jane Addams' work to create Hull House was but the platform from which she then worked -- in the forefront and with every expectation of achieving success -- for world peace, women's suffrage, racial equality, and an end to poverty and child labor.

"Jane Addams practiced what she preached. During her forty-six years as director of Hull House, she refused to accept even a penny in salary for herself. She also donated most of her personal funds to the settlement. She had a roof over her head, food, and some of her inheritance left, so why have a large bank account when the money could help the poor."

Some of the snapshots of her sharing behavior are truly delightful, being that she would barely have a gift open before immediately turning around and giving it away to somebody whose need, she felt, was greater than was her own.

Of course, Jane Addams did not accomplish her work single-handedly. Jane was an unstoppable organizer who -- over and over again -- lined up incredibly talented people and sought out significant financial and hands-on support from those well-off benefactors from Chicago and beyond who could readily afford to help support the amazing breadth of good works that she initiated.

Where did Jane Addams came from? How did she change the world? Why did she spend a decade being scorned for her views? How did she take on a crooked Chicago politician to literally clean up the city? And, most importantly, why would I would love for our children and our students to all know about this great woman? These are all questions to which Judith and Dennis Fradin provide answers in JANE ADDAMS: CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY. A few years ago, I chatted with Dennis when he was up to his elbows in Jane's letters and other primary source material. The result of the Fradins' dedication to seeking out the truth about Jane Addams is a book that will help inspire a willingness in new generation to fight for change.

'Bloom's Guides' is a series of reading and study guides designed use by students and adults seeking to gain a more sophisticated and erudite understanding of major works of literature. Written by Charlotte Bronte and published in 1847, 'Jane Eyre' is the story of a governess who, despite her plainness, catches the eye of her employer, a man named Edward Rochester. Considered a classic of Gothic and Victorian literature, 'Jane Eyre' has been popular among readers (and adapted to stage, film, and television productions) from its beginning. "Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre" offers concise critical excerpts that provide a scholarly overview of the novel, a 'Story Behind the Storey' commentary detailing the conditions under which the Bronte wrote her book, a biographical sketch of Bronte, a descriptive list of characters in the novel, an extensive summary and analysis of the work, as well as an annotated bibliography for further study. Offering insights into the literary themes and motives of a masterpiece of 19th century literature, "Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyere" is a welcome addition to school and community library Literary Criticism reference collections. Other very highly recommended titles in the 'Bloom's Literary Criticism' series for highschool and college library collections include "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (9780791093580, $30.pp); "Geoffrey Chaucer: Undated Edition" (9780791094389, $45.00); and "Stephen Crane: Updated Edition" (9780791094297, $45.00);

Hold on to your hat as you roll down the sails before embarking on this seafaring adventure. Delightfully entertaining and action packed from cover to cover, this engaging tale of a youth facing pirates, ghosts, phantoms and more will have any adventure-loving reader (child or adult) wanting for more. A great series with much adventure, suspense, and action, Stephen Wren has woven all the elements perfectly for an adventure of a lifetime. Highly recommended!!!! (Book one, Jeremiah Bloom and the Amulet of Osiron)

This collection of John Donne's work displays his wide range of knowledge, wit, emotion and cynicism. All tempered well with his clever understanding and delivery of his pastorals.

John Keats (5934-0, $19.95) adds to the research guides in the 'Major Poets' series, blending a biography with extracts of major critical essays examining the poet's works. New to the Major Short Story Writers series ($19.95 each) is D. H. Lawrence (5947-2) and Henry James (5943-X), which use similar approaches to examine the major themes and ideas of each writer. All are recommended as basic library acquisitions.