Cameron Books

This book is alive with poetic descriptions and complex, incisively drawn characters (especially the bad guys!) It is part generational saga, part suspense novel, and part polemic, with an overlay of the supernatural. Intriguing and unusual,it makes you think hard about how we treat our elderly while inspiring you with the courage of a few brave souls.

When I received this book, I was amazed. The illustrations are wonderful and attention-grabbing, especially when using with students. I immediately let other English teachers view the book to see if they would like to use it in their classroom. Of course, they did.
There are a vast amount of creation myths which are all informative and interesting at the same time; from Mesopotamia to Egypt to India to Iceland, it's all here in this book.

This book is a riot. There are 9 authors from all over the world who write 5 pieces each. I don't think I have ever laughed so much in my entire life. It's wacky, witty, smutty, weird but most of all funny. I highly recommend this publication.

As with Cameron Hawley's other novels, this book gives a realistic view of life for a businessman. Mr. Hawley likes businessmen and thinks they have challenging and important jobs. This was a Reader's Digest condensed book over thirty years ago. Other good books by the same author include Executive Suite (his first novel), Cash McCall (made into an entertaining movie with James Garner), and The Lincoln Lords (probably his most realistic and insightful book). Mr. Hawley is definitely worth reading, and I don't know anyone who is quite as realistic (in a positive sense) as he is.

The Immigrant Experience is an arresting compilation of stories from a wide range of immigrants and their struggles to survive in an America that turned out to be much more harsh than they expected.

The book is divided into sections which makes it easy to read. The table of contents gives a description of the ethnicity the portion is about. The presence of this table also contributes to the underlying theme that despite all efforts, the different cultures were and in many cases are isolated from each other. Each author describes the contribution of their people to the United States, as well as the effect America had on them and their culture. Some stories are based on the weather and harshness of the frontier while others are focused on cities and the ideas that came from many cultures forced together.

One is not expected to know a thing about America at the time; it is well described by each author.

The opinions in the stories only add to the quality of the book; they do not deter from it. By experiencing life through the memories and experiences of the immigrants, one can begin to understand the reasons for their suffering and why they would agonize so long for the bitter taste of freedom.

The lack of conclusion lets the reader form his own opinions about the plethora of biased information in the various sections.

Overall, The Immigrant Experience is an interesting source of information about the many ethnicities that inhabit America.

It was a pleasant surprise to get to know this 19th century photographer. The images are beautiful and have a romantic dreamlike atmosphere that somehow recall pre-raphaelite paintings. The edition is well done and texts suit well the exquisite photographs.

Author is British journalist James Cameron (the man who heard the famous words of a Gandhi staffer, to the effect that it costs a fortune to keep Gandhiji in his simple lifestyle).

This short but meaty book is a loving portrait of a marvelous country. Cameron uses the incident of a horrific car accident he suffered in Bangladesh to tie together his own sense of mortality and India's great endurance.

Pace can be a little rough at times, but that is the only detraction from this beautiful, appreciative look at India and its foibles, humanity, grace, sufferings. His treatment of conversations (with little hints of well-observed Indglish) are a joy to read. Many tender and thoughtful passages about mankind, but it's really a very personal memoir of Cameron's ongoing yet troubled love affair with a nation.

Indispensible part of any India-phile's library, great pre-departure (or take-along) reading for anyone going there.

An excellent book that highlights some less than mainstream firms and their internal processes that help them produce exceptional products and services. A great book for business students, puzzled managers and beleaguered executives in any industry in search of inspiration and creative ideas.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to physical anthropology; as an archaeology major focusing on human osteology and paleopathology, I thought this text prepared a beginning student of physical anthropology very well. The biological and behavioral principles were outlined and presented clearly, real world examples helped to create an image in the mind of the reader, and the authors gave a sense of real purpose and meaning to the work of physical anthropologists and others working in the field of anthropology and archaeology.

If you love folk art, dolls, hand-made toys, African art, or indigenous cultures, this book is a feast for the eyes and mind. As with other publications associated with the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, the photography is spectacular and the text is very readable without compromising on its scholarly quality.

Dr. Cameron approaches her subject from two perspectives: First, African sculpture must be considered in the context of its ritual use, for example to ensure fertility and the bearing of healthy children. Second, humans have always acted out their beliefs, desires, and fears and other feelings through play. In Western industrial cultures, however, play - and, by extension, dolls - are considered childish pursuits; the importance of play, Dr. Cameron argues, is something we overlook too easily. This was not always the case in Western culture, however; Dr. Cameron quotes Plato (Laws, vii:796): "I say that man must be serious with the serious. God alone is worthy of supreme seriousness, but man is made god's plaything, and that is the best part of him.... What, then, is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play, playing certain games, making sacrifices, singing and dancing...." Thus, as Dr. Cameron herself admits, "This publication challenges the prevailing opinion among scholars of African art that the word 'doll' is an inappropriate designation for many genres of African art to which it is often applied."

The author invites the reader to imagine taking one of the dolls depicted in the book off a shelf and holding it. I am personally not convinced. On the one hand, I love her invitation to play - to imagine - to re-enact. Not only is this a wonderful and very healthy outlook on life, it is also the essence of many rituals and myths. On the other hand, I am also aware that in many African languages, there is no word for 'toy.' Thus, when a child, teenager, or adult makes a toy vehicle from recycled tin, wire, and other materials, when asked what it is, the maker will answer that it is a truck, bus, car, or bicycle (or "galimoto"). Likewise, among the Luba of the Congo, for example, banana leaf dolls are called "mwana," or "child"; among the Asante of Ghana, "akua'ba" means "Wednesday's child." This paradox is not settled - perhaps, it can never be.

Another paradox in this book is the treatment of folk art as fine art. Nevertheless, other authors have suggested that the distinction between the two is an artificial one. I can live with that.

The book illustrates dolls from all over Africa, dolls of a bewildering variety of shapes, as the lovely cover photo aptly illustrates. The Asante akua'ba dolls receive thorough treatment; unfortunately, the same cannot be said about many of the other dolls. My only disappointment with this book is that the Zulu and Nbdele dolls did not receive similar treatment, as these beautiful pieces are used in such a variety of ritual contexts. They would have provided a nice contrast with the many types of akua'ba dolls presented.

That said, as a lover of folk art, dolls, hand-made toys, African art, or indigenous cultures myself, this book will take up a treasured place on my bookshelf among my books on these subjects, as well as my collection of folk art toys. I am happy to recommend this beautiful and charming book.