Burke Books

I agree that this book might not be detailed enough for teaching a course. I read this book for leisure. I was merely curious about other religions and cultures, and, not knowing much about the subject (one course in college years ago), found this book to be at the perfect level for me.

I have had the opportunity to read and use both the first and second editions of Dr. Burke's book. I find them outstanding in their field. The second edition contains excellent information on the Sikh religion, an addition to the first publication. It is accurate and insightful. It is evident that Dr. Burke takes the time to know the communities about which he writes and that he does not produce material simply from an academic arm chair.

The concise summaries at the end of each chapter are valuable as are the study questions. They would help the reader/student to focus. What I like especially is that the book contains texts of the various traditions and does not require students to access them elsewhere. This is a bonus.

I have some difficulty with the format of the book which I am sure is not of Burke's making but there are wide outer margins and very slim inner ones which make reading somewhat difficult. Perhaps the intention is that students can make notes in these wide margins but overall I find this difficult to work with. I hope that would be corrected in a future edition. I wonder, too, why Blackwell has opted to use only black and white photographs as illustrations and many of these are rather small for today's very visual learners.

There is a website connected with the second edition with materials that can be downloaded by teachers. I must admit to being disappointed in this material. Ideally this would contain colour visuals perhaps of the photographs in the text itself. In North America at least, the "teaching as telling" mode is suffering. More and more introductory courses at university need hands on activities for the retention of insights and information that most teachers hope for for their students.

I recommend the book wholeheartedly. Its content is superb. I hope for an improved format more user-friendly for visual learners in a future edition.

Catherine Berry Stidsen, Ph.D., R.T.C., Cayuga, Ontario

I am an LPN student that was totally afraid of med-surg, but this book really broke it down where it all made sense to me! The nursing diagnoses are written in order of importance, and made creating a care plan easy!

good book, received in a timely manner and the price was good.

This is the book I needed for my class and it arrived in excellant condition. Very fast shipping - arrived 2 weeks before my class started!

I was under the impression that the book came with the MyNursingLab code, since it was in the series, but I was mistaken. I had to buy it separately, which was more than half the cost of the book. I was disappointed, but other than that, I use the book everyday and it is full of excellent information.

I really liked reading this book because it's a quick read, and I'd recommend it to people who want to know some of the history of Mexico before traveling there. I used to live there, and learned a lot of things I didn't know before. I think some of the facts need to be checked, which is why I didn't give it all the stars available.

I was thrown off by one in particular, near the end of the book, saying hundreds of people died in the Mexico City earthquake in the early eighties. It was an 8.1 earthquake lasting over three minutes, with an aftershock almost as strong, during rush hour and start of business. I was there, getting getting ready for school, and hundreds died in my neighborhood alone, and even the government statistics (though arguably low)put it in the thousands. The author doesn't undermine it, but the numbers are off. So, I would recommend it, but I wouldn't use it as a source for a research paper.

This is a small (5"x7") and short (183 pp) book--an historical overview of Mexico that is extraordinarily well done by a Prof. of History at Villanova University. Burke has done a first-rate job packing that much into this book, which is a must particularly for those for whom Mexico is new, and a most helpful review for those who have some knowledge of it. Pre-Columbian and Colonial Mexico, Independence and Reform,The Revolution and the Recent Past are all presented in a succinct, knowledgeable and sensitive way.

G. Himmelfarb has some very different insights into the authors she discusses and puts some of the characters in the novels in new lights. I have enjoyed reading this book and she has prodded me into reading further in the authors discussed. I would recommend this book to any persons interested in changing the 'moral tone' of American today.

Gertrude Himmelfarb's THE MORAL IMAGINATION is a recommended pick, here linking the intellectual lives of modern thinker and literary giants with what she identifies as the 'moral imagination'. How these thinkers evolved their ideas, wrote in different traditions at different times, and shared a common moral passion which reflected in their literature makes for truly involving reading.

I read this book to my son last night. He is nine years old and he was very interested in Mr. Lincoln, his sense of humor, and young girl who wrote the book. While reading we also discussed Lincoln's honesty and how we need the same kind of honesty from our leaders today. Ryan and I had a wonderful father and son experience!! Thanks for letting my son be more interested in US History.

Thank you for writing it!!

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Burke Davis is my grandfather on my mom's side. My mom, Angela Davis-Gardner, has written two books, "Felice" and "Forms of Shelter". Burke Davis has written 50 or more. I'm 14 now, but when I was about 7 I read Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers. I loved it! I have all of his books and this is the best children's one. I recommend this to see about another side of Abraham Lincoln

My only prior exposure to Burke's work before I received my copy of this from Cemetery Dance was having read "Underneath" in an anthology some time ago. I'd forgotten his name in the meantime (a mistake I won't make again), but when I started the story again, I remembered it instantly.

Assuming he keeps his quality near the point it's at now, Burke is going to be one of the leading forces in horror for years to come (or whichever genre he chooses to continue writing in). He has a strong authorial voice, and is willing to take chances by varying tones and styles. There are 13 stories and a screenplay in this collection. Burke also includes notes about the inspirations for the stories at the end of the book (something I always appreciate, but rarely see done). The stories are all horror, to some degree, but range in type from the darkly comedic, to psychological, to the full out scare tale. I'll do a quick once-over of the stories to give those interested a sense of the range of what's here. (Please note: I may mention other authors in the capsules below, but don't take that as meaning that I think Burke isn't his own talent. It's just a way to let readers of horror get a feeling for what's here).

The Grief Frequency: This is a beautiful ghost story. It's not often that a horror story evokes real sadness, but it's here.

The Number 121 to Pennsylvania: A story of a bargain with consequences. Well-tred ground in the genre, but Burke trods it well.

Mr. Goodnight: A straight-up monster scare story. But the monster is genuinely disturbing, and it stays with you.

Empathy: In an outstanding book, this is one of the standout stories. This is psychological horror at its best. In the notes, Burke says that it comes from a similar experience in his own life. I'm sorry that's he's seen what he did, and I'm definitely taking this as a cautionary tale. It reminds me a little of Jack Ketchum in tone, but it's not at all derivative.

Peekers: Another down and dirty scare story. This one feels like it would've made a great entry in one of the 80's horror anthology shows--maybe Tales from the Darkside.

High on the Vine: Dark comedy in the twisted fairy tale vein. It's a henpecked husband type of story. It's not the strongest in the collection, but it was an entertaining read.

Tonight the Moon is Ours: This is a story about outsiders and the questions of early relationships until it takes a turn near the end. The writing is strong and shows that Burke is a gifted all-around writer, not just a gifted horror writer. (And don't take me the wrong way here, as I am definitely not someone who ghettoizes the genre--a bigger horror fan you'll rarely find--it's just always a plus to see someone take their work into a variety areas).

Prohibited: Social commentary with a biting finish. The topic of smoking took my mind to Stephen King's "The Ten O'Clock People", but the similarity ends there. Burke has a take on the topic that is completely his own.

Underneath: In the Serling vein of humans being the greatest monsters of them all. This story is a little sexy (I might be outing myself as odd here), more harsh, and very good. This is another standout story with some brilliant turns.

Snowmen: A short and creepy monster story.

Will You Tell Them I Died Quietly?: This is probably the shining example of Burke's ability to invoke atmosphere.

The Last Laugh: I can't say that I've seen another horror story quite like this one. A little dark comedy, a little magic, and the vague feeling of a zombie story without being a zombie story. It feels closed in and intense by the end. Very good.

Saturday Night at Eddie's: With stories like Grief Frequency, Empathy, and Underneath in one collection, it's hard to pick just one favorite. But if forced, I think I'd have to choose this one. Having gone through twelve stories before it, I thought I had a pretty good handle on Burke's voice, even though the types of stories varied greatly. But he totally threw me for a loop here. The beginning, with its folksy character introductions, reads almost like a lost Joe R. Lansdale story. But partway through, it totally switches modes. Simply outstanding. I'm caught between wanting a novel here so I can get more backstory, and knowing that I got just enough. When I read the notes at the end and saw that part of Burke's inspiration was the series "American Gothic", I got the connection. I was a fan of the series, and agree with Burke that it died too soon. This is a worthy successor to the feel of the show.

Mr. Goodnight (Screenplay): Burke has an excellent sense of visual style, and I think this would make a solid date-night horror film. As a side note, if filmed as written, the opening credit sequence would be among the creepiest ever shot.

I recommend this book highly, and am definitely going to track down more of Burke's work. I'm looking forward to what's next.

Consisting of thirteen (how oddly appropriate for a collection of horror stories) short tales and one screenplay (based on one of the short stories, "Mr. Goodnight," in fact), The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others provides several satisfying and scary reads. Although some stories are more successful than others ("Empathy" and "Peekers" are especially well crafted and disquieting), all are quite good, demonstrating exactly why Burke is looked upon so favorably among horror aficionados. Miss it and miss out on one of the best collections to appear in a very long while.

Classical Freudian Psychology...his discussion on Group Behavior and the Ego (leadership functions and issues) is insightful and provides provocative understanding of group process....traditional Psychoanalytic thought.....

In his Pulitzer-Prize winning book, The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker wrote that Freud's "great work, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego...in my opinion is probably the single most potentially liberating tract that has ever been fashioned by man." I haven't read this work of Freud's yet, but I will soon, because of Becker's comment. I've read many of Freud's works and have found them fascinating and very helpful, even though they're far fetched at times and I don't share Freud's disdain for religious faith. Becker's work is wonderful (I'm reviewing now from cover to cover the many passages I've highlighted) and voices both appreciations and criticisms of Freud throughout his work. So if he says this about Group Psychology, I've got to read it!

This is an excellent, wonderful snapshot of the crazy, life-and-death world of Italian soccer.

You don't have to love soccer and you don't even have to love sports to love this book. It has drama, personality, grit, emotion, and, above all, a ring of joy throughout it. Some books you read to learn; others you read for joy. This is the rare work that lets you do both, page after page.

I was walking through a northern Italian village one evening when Italy was playing a selection game for the last Coppa. "Where is everyone?" my wife asked me. Suddenly the entire countryside exploded in a joyous roar. Italy had just scored.

In seconds, the street was full of kids and parents laughing, hugging and jumping on their motorini to hook horns.

It was a moment of magic, and the good Mr. Burke manages to catch much of that spirito in these pages.

Viva La Roma!

As an ex-patriot living in Italy I couldn't help but catch the soccer bug. It is the national religion and Mr. Burke's book uncovers the reality in the cult. Following a well known Italian team backed by a notoriously famous "Mister" the book penetrates to the roots of the most prestigious soccer league in the world. It is a great read for veteran soccer enthusiasts or for the young aspiring fan.

'Practical Art Criticism' by Edmund Burke Feldman is informative and highly readable, principally because the author addresses his subject without the befuddling, esoteric jargon usually associated with art criticism. Indeed, this is a practical book that gives the reader percipience into modes of interpretation, rubrics for 'visualizing', sentience of demiurgic intent, apperception of myriad praxes and validation of aesthetic conation.

To quote Paul Simon's brief review on the book's back cover, 'I don't know a lot about Art (since the break-up), but I do know a load of old garfunkel when I see it.'

This was one of the most useful books on art criticism that I have come across. One of my concerns as an art education student is the question of how to critique works of art, and furthermore, what methods may be used to pass on this knowledge to my future students? This book, since it was written for practical purposes to be used by art critics, artists, educators, and students alike, supplies its reader with very valuable information regarding the concept of art criticism, the various types of critical review, how criticism is used and applied, and the various "problems" and issues involved in art criticism. Feldman was able to make the issue of criticism easier for his reader to understand, through his use of examples of established artwork, illustrating his thoughts and ideas with easy-to-understand language, and identifying what is perceived in each work of art using various methods of interpretation. Through a variety of ways, Feldman instructed his reader as to how to interpret, judge, and defend their criticism.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and relatively easy read. I would highly suggest this book for anyone interested in understanding works of art -especially teachers and students. The illustrative examples and explanatory writings relate to the art world of today, but also aids us in our understanding of how to interpret art of the past. In combination with other art criticism books, it is my belief that anyone may learn to interpret, judge, and defend their art and art criticism. Edmund Feldman is a wonderful author and teacher; able to guide his audience through the complex issues surrounding art and its criticism.