Bradford Books

I read this in high school, about 10 years ago, so the only thing I really remember is the Jamaica Kincaid story 'Ovando.' I don't remember specifics of it, and maybe it wouldn't affect me now the way it did then, but at the time I was staggered by it. I am so glad I found this book so I can read it again. It's worth reading the book just for this one story, although I remember enjoying the rest of it, too.

I can whole-heartedly recommend Dr Bradford's book "The New Testament on Women" to all who have puzzled over St Paul's comments about women in his New Testament letters. It is so easy to disregard these comments or assume that they only applied to the culture in which Paul was writing, and they can certainly make women seem second-class citizens in the church.

Adam Bradford's book is a breath of fresh air as he demonstrates chapter by chapter in his book how inaccurate translation and incorrect exegesis can colour our understanding of these parts of Paul's writing, and sets out to show how in reality the New Testament "actually treats women with the greatest degree of respect". His book explores what Paul actually teaches on some of these mistranslated passages on topics such as women keeping silent in church, head coverings, authority and submission and others. Bradford shows how both Paul and Peter follow Jesus' example in relating to women as equal in status and worth to men, which was revolutionary at the time they were writing. I particularly loved the chapter he includes about how Jesus related to women.

Dr Bradford also demonstrates how there are God-given differences between men and women reflected in different roles and abilities, but celebrates the strength brought to the church and society when men and women live and work together well. Addressing these passages of Scripture that have been fraught with difficulty and controversy, and that have often puzzled me as a woman, I found this book scholarly, very readable and very helpful.

(Reviewer: Clare Bick)

Globalization and new technologies have been changing the face of the Earth at an unprecedented pace and on an unprecedented scale. New World Orders offers a glimpse of how contemporary children's and YA texts reflect these changes and how they speculate on some of our possible futures.
The key concept of this book is transformative utopianism--an open-ended, always unfinished process of narrative imagining alternatives to the status quo; the main argument is that genres and strategies of children's literature provide the most conducive means for effecting new world orders and transformative utopianism. If this sounds dry, the bottom line is that what today's children watch and read they absorb as templates for reality they may (or will) create in their adult lives. If you're interested in how picture books deal with environmental issues, in how movies such as Monsters, Inc. create the global image of labor or in how children's books and films have responded to the posthuman (virtual reality, cloning, genetic engineering and so forth), this is the book for you. Although in part written in a dry lit-crit jargon, this book is worth the trouble and offers a lot in return. For teachers, students of humanities, educators, librarians and animators of culture New World Orders is an indispensable, solid, thematically-organized overview of important contemporary novels, short stories, picture books and films. It gives a fresh perspective on why children's and YA narratives are so vital for positioning young readers "to recognize the interaction between their own understandings of the world as it is now and the vision of what it might become" (129).

This album-type booklet, produced by the N&W, is a selection of some of OWL's best-known and evocative railroad photographs. The images of scenes in Virginia and West Virginia are familiar, but at the same time you see something different each time you look at them. Well worth getting if you can find a copy.

Awaiting execution for treason after she was Queen of England for just nine days, sixteen-year-old Lady Jane Grey looks back on her short life. She had some happiness as a child, but her parents were distant. A cousin of the Tudor ruling family, she spent some time at court as a young girl. Eventually, her parents had her married to a man she didn't love, or even like. Meanwhile, England is caught in turmoil, as the young Protestant king, Edward, dies. Jane's male relatives scheme to have her crowned Queen of England instead of Edward's Catholic half-sister Mary, although Jane wants no part of it. Powerless to determine her own destiny, she is forced to accept the crown of England and is caught up against her will in events that can only end in tragedy.

This excellent historical novel brought to life the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey; as a big fan of historical fiction about young female royals, I found it particularly interesting. She was just a young girl who had no say in her own future and wrongly lost her life as a result of a plot she had no real part in. I highly recommend this novel to young adult readers who like to read historical fiction about royalty; I think it would particularly appeal to readers of the Young Royals and Royal Diaries series.

"In the language of the Southern Negro, a rich and full-flavored narrative shot through with racy humor, Mr. Roark Bradford begins a retelling of some of the Old Testament stories. The Negro preacher and his faculty for putting into colloquial speech the dramatic incidents of the Scriptures are famous, ad this book has a lusty humor that is not to be resisted. A few of the chapter titles are: Eve and That Snake; Wrestling Jacob; Baalam and His Talking Mule; Samson, Strong Boy; and Old Man Job." -- from the dust jacket.

This book might have trouble getting published today!

It is shown how the synaptic connections of the piriform cortex are analogous to the input and recurrent connections of classical autoassociative memory. Processing units are the pyramidal cells in piriform cortical layers II and III. The dendrites of these pyramidal cells extend into piriform layer I. Piriform layer Ia (lateral olfactory tract, LOT, input from the olfactory bulb) synapsing with the pyramidal dendrites, represent the input connections to the autoassociative memory. Recurrent excitatory axons from the pyramidal cells projecting to piriform layer Ib and synapsing with the dendrites of multiple pyramidal cells, represents the recurrent connections of the autoassociative memory.

Two children are dead. A serial killer is targeting child prostitutes in the Leeds/Bradford corridor of Yorkshire and the police investigation is hindered by the fact that nobody wants to admit something as seamy as child prostitution is going on.

When Detective Inspector Handford is driving home one night, he spots a young constable throwing-up at the mouth of an alley. The killer's third victim has just been found. In a pocket of the unfortunate young girl is a fifteen-year-old photograph of a man Handford knows - his boss DCI Stephen Russell. Against his will he is ordered to investigate Russell and he turns up the possibility of more murders a decade and a half earlier.

This story is gritty and grim stuff, but Horton has the ability to make us care about her characters, both the authorities and the victims. She keeps the tension building in this bold and controversial novel and even though it may at times be a little squeamish, I predict that you won't be able to put it down.

Sophie Cacique Gaul

The biography of Brad Washburn makes a terrific yarn, even for us armchair adventurers. This is a well-told tale, with a transcribed "oral history" from Mr. Washburn, interspersed with the narrative supplied by Mr. Smith. The significance of Mr. Washburn's life, and what makes this book worth reading, is that his mountaineering adventures were part of the 20th century's final conquest of high places in this world. The high mountains were the last frontier, and Mr. Washburn lived it, wrote about it, mapped it, and (more importantly) photographed it. Fortunately, National Geographic chose to include a variety of Mr. Washburn's best photographs. His friendship with, and admiration for, Ansel Adams is apparent. Buy this for the read, but also buy it as a coffee table book.

Townsend Whelen in this book passes on the wisdom of the people who learned the artform of surviving in the wilderness from the Indians and hard knocks.
It is a book which you probably will have to re read time and again to soak in what he is plainly saying. It is amazing that the same things that kept people alive in the wilds 100 years ago...have not been improved upon to this day.
His writing is simple and to the point. I have not regretted buying this book and still find myself returning to it...and finding that Whelen already said it 50 years ago.