Francis Books

Very well written, should be read together with Bruce Fink's clinical introduction. In contrast to Fink's book, this one is thematically structured around key concepts for analytic work. Furthermore, it emphasises the importance of Freud (Lacan's return to and interpretation of Freud) and the historical development of Lacan's own views. On the other hand, Fink's book includes extensive case studies.

Much of what is written about Lacan remains difficult to read and understand. It would appear that many of the writers are attempting to be Lacan themselves. However, this book by Danny Nobus is an exception. The writing style is clear and concise and although many areas of Lacan's work is not considered what is is helpful and well thought out. What is unique about this volume is that the work is considered in the context of clinical practise and the application of Lacan's theories in comparison/contrast to other forms of psychoanalytic thinking. A good book to own and re-read as necessary.

This collection of portraits of jazz artists both famous and obscure as well as some commentary regarding music, movies and even Seinfeld is a treasure chest of wonderful insights and anecdotal material. I found myself paging through and reading selections at random and thoroughly enjoying every minute spent with this book. Francis Davis really appreciates jazz and his writing is reflective of his love of the music and his respect for the men and women who create it.

Jazz And Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader is a collection of columnist and jazz expert Francis Davis best writing on diverse musicians who have made American jazz a universal artform. From Wynton Marsalis and Duke Ellington, to Jack Kerouac to Sun Ra, Jazz And Its Discontents provides an insightful analysis of the alienation of musicians and their contributions in the form of profiles and commentaries that are as brilliantly written and presented as they are informed and informative. Jazz And Its Discontents is a welcome and recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as academic, and community library Music History reference collections.

Richard J. Lane's text on Jean Baudrillard is part of a recent series put out by the Routledge Press, designed under the general editorial direction of Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway, University of London), to explore the most recent and exciting ideas in intellectual development during the past century or so. To this end, figures such as Paul Ricouer, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and other influential thinkers in critical thought are highlighted in the series, planned to include more than 21 volumes in all.

Lane's text, following the pattern of the others, includes background information on Baudrillard and its significance, the key ideas and sources, and Baudrillard's continuing impact on other thinkers. As the series preface indicates, no critical thinker arises in a vacuum, so the context, influences and broader cultural environment are all important as a part of the study, something with which Baudrillard might agree,

Why is Baudrillard included in this series? This series is primary for critical thinking in a literary sense, but also develops the cultural criticism aspect of which literary theory cannot help but be a part. Baudrillard, as Lane suggests, is not only one of the more famous names in postmodernism, but practically embodies postmodernism in his own work. Key ideas and catch-phrases of Baudrillard include 'simulation', 'hyperreal', and 'implosion of meaning'. Baudrillard is very much a product of the French literary/philosophical school of the 1960s, opting eventually toward a radical reworking of both primitive cultures and post-Marxist thought that some critics see as inconsistent and confused, but definitely not to be ignored.

One of the useful features of the text is the side-bar boxes inserted at various points. For example, during the discussion on Baudrillard's development of writing strategies for postmodernism, there is brief discussion, set apart from the primary strand of the text, on Nihilism, developing further these ideas should the reader not be familiar with them, or at least not in the way with which Baudrillard would be working with ideas derived from them. Each section on a key idea spans fifteen to twenty pages, with a one-page summary concluding each, which gives a recap of the ideas (and provides a handy reference).

One of the more useful pieces in this text is also the 'two worlds' listing, which develops some of contrasting ideas in the shift from modernity to postmodernity. These include hierarchy versus anarchy, selection versus participation, signified versus signifier, and more interesting, sometimes surprising pieces. In discussing the development of culture in all its various aspects in an American context, Baudrillard shows the difference in 'city' culture as one goes from East to West - one of the paradoxes of the postmodern situation in America is that there are two primary city paradigms, New York City and Los Angeles, each of which is a perfect example of the city structure, one built up and close-knit architecturally, and the other spread out and low-rising. The cultures of the two cities are quite different, yet both are quintessentially American and both undoubtedly urban. That two different cities occupy the centre at the same time is the paradox of postmodernity.

Baudrillard has a fascination with America, which can be seen in his development and application of ideas such as the hyperreal and of simulation. The levels of simulation and hyperreality in America extend from the 'real' town square to the simulation of the town square in the shopping mall, which becomes a hyper-reality with controlled climates and selected people both as workers and shoppers; another classic example is that of Disneyland, with its carefully constructed and controlled environments, which is 'real' because it stands in contrast to the 'really real'. Media portrayals of events is also highlighted as examples of this kind of shift in thinking - the media distorts both the rhythm and the nature of the event, through selectivity and varying emphasis on actors and actions involved, and the kinds of manipulation to which media is always subject. News of real events becomes entertainment; entertainment programming becomes more fully developed and thus more real. We have more information, without more understanding, and the experience becomes more complex and involved, yet empty at the same time.

Part of Baudrillard's fascination with America is an interest in the development of technology, and the growth of the production/consumer kind of culture, where everything becomes part of a system of commodities, including language and knowledge. Indeed, Western identity is constructed of these kinds of objects, which the system also requires to be destroyed (think of the built-in redundancy or ever-increasing development of 'new and improved' products) - a dialectical performance writ large over the culture.

The concluding chapter, After Baudrillard, highlights some key areas of development in relation to other thinkers, as well as points of possible exploration for the reader. Baudrillard's ideas impact the development of aesthetic theory (from art to mere performance and entertainment). History and geography are also at issue, for the landscape of the past and of the present shifts with emphasis in different categories. Perhaps the most important development of significance to a postmodern fragmentation of the sort Baudrillard writes about is the internet, and the growth of theory from his influence is only beginning here.

As do the other volumes in this series, Clark concludes with an annotated bibliography of works by Baudrillard in English (or English translation), works on Baudrillard, and a good index.

While this series focuses intentionally upon literary theory, in fact this is only the starting point. For Baudrillard (as for others in this series) the expanse is far too broad to be drawn into such narrow guidelines, and the important and impact of the ideas extends out into the whole range of intellectual development. As intellectual endeavours of every sort depend upon language, understanding, and cultural interpretation, the thorough comprehension of how and why we know what we know is crucial.

I'm trying to gain a perspective on key postmodern thinkers, so I can't really contextualize this work within others on or by Baudrillard. What I can say is that this book provides an excellent overview of Baudrillard's theories, his influences and his milieu. Lane also makes it a point to introduce important concepts (like structuralism, deconstruction, modernism) as though they are being encountered for the first time. This is really nice since most of texts on or by people like Baudrillard, Derrida, and their ilk can be difficult to penetrate because of the neologisms and assumptions about the foreknowledge of the reader. In addition to providing an accessible introduction to and broad overview of Baudrillard, the book also features recommendations for further reading which I think is an excellent aspect. It's obviously not the end-all-be-all on Baudrillard or postmodernism, but it's an excellent start in my opinion.

He earned the nickname "Praying Hyde" by example. He was such an example, that although he wrote little himself, others were compelled to write about him. John Hyde PROVED that "Prayer can never be in excess" (C. H. Spurgeon), that "Prayer is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings" (Chrysostom), and that "Gethsemane is where He died; the cross is only the evidence" (Leonard Ravenhill). If I had to pick a MANDATORY book for intercessors, this would easily reach the top three. I think it entirely ashame that there was only one review listed, and as soon as I've finished this one, I intend to encourage others to submit reviews. If you have a heart for prayer, GET this book, it is worth every penny! Here's another review and excerpt, from my own web site : http://www.justpray.net/uiPrayingHyde.html . It should lead you right back here.

If you have been called as an "intercessor," long for revival, or have a passion to see the lost saved, you should read John Hyde's biography. Easily read in an hour, this compelling little book can change your life forever.

If you struggle with understanding the God of the Old Testament, I highly recommend this book. Mr. Schaeffer puts the best history teacher to shame as he draws us into 1400 BC, and into the lives of Joshua, Caleb, Rahab the harlot, the lying Gibeonites and other colorful characters that contributed, however unknowingly, to Christianity as we know today. Woven throughout his insights into these amazing stories is the unchanging concept of the God who is There, the I Am that I Am. Although the title of this book leads one to believe it is a character study of the general Joshua, the glory and the reality of God's character take center stage. This book is not hard to read at all, but its conclusions are startling. Be aware before you buy-- your worldview might change.

Francis A. Schaeffer has done a great job of presenting a wonderfully accurate commentary on the book of Joshua...It was one of the best that I have ever read. He follows the text and presents good, sound interpretations. You will find it a good companion to your study of this old and yet so revealing book of Joshua.
Enjoy, C. Hopler from North Carolina :)

Many Americans seem to have a peculiar sense of dualism about themselves, a feeling at once slightly elitist and fiercely victimized. The United States attempts to be the great savior of the world, but is cast off by many other nations, and it is from this so many Americans draw both superiority and resentment. While U.S. citizens have much to be proud of, so many seem to be neurotically opposed to admitting any shortcomings, and it is this arrogance--not, as is so often cited, hatred of American culture or freedom--that is a primary source of a bias against the United States from Sweden to Somalia. Two phrases plastered across American newspapers a year ago demonstrate this bipolar affliction: "Everything has changed" and "Why do they hate us?" Only Americans could claim that their indeed heart-wrenching loss of 3,000 lives had superseded every other such atrocity the world over, yet simultaneously sequester themselves with a flippant "us."

U.S. newspapers and their journalists were dramatically affected by Sept. 11. From the instant iconicity of "9/11" (a date so beautifully Ameri-centric) to the violent and sudden loss of any pretense of objectivity, American journalism is in not in the same state today as it has very recently been.

Chronicling the myriad shifts over the past year, Journalism After September 11 takes a hard, academic look at nearly every aspect of journalism--structure, stereotypes, objectivity, conglomeration, globalization, patriotic journalism, risks to reporters' health, tabloids (both American and British), talk shows, online media, and photography. All of the writers included are from the world of academia, and it shows in a few of the chapters, which dive headlong into obscure sociology. The authors' distance from the world of news media, however, unquestionably enhances most of the work. There is also a range of opinions on American journalism--though all authors seem to agree that it is flawed, several believe that it can be saved. After being under the microscope its prognosis is cautiously--though barely--optimistic.

In James W. Carey's essay, "American journalism on, before, and after September 11," he argues that American journalists were in the midst of a "vacation from reality," one that began sometime before the 1988 presidential election and peaked with the impeachment of Bill Clinton. During this time, Carey writes, news media did "serious damage" to democracy. They pulled expensive foreign affairs correspondents, integrated news and entertainment programs, and increasingly moved toward tabloid-style scandals in order to sell their papers. When the airplanes struck that morning, Carey says, journalists performed adroitly--but not for very long:

"The calm and poise of the television networks during these fateful hours of ignorance represented an admirable professionalism. Perhaps it couldn't last. By the end of the day speculation was pouring forth from the political centers of the country. As the week progressed, television coverage degenerated. Banners were unfurled, inevitably in red, white, and blue, along the crawl space at the bottom of the television screen announcing 'America at War,' or 'America under Attack' as if the story were about a basketball or football tournament."

In the days that followed, Sylvio Waisbord argues, American news media "resorted to standard formulas and stock-in-trade themes." The national news media served primarily to comfort and to warn, and to do little else. The centerpiece of the book is surely Waisbord's chapter, "Journalism, risk, and patriotism," which builds on the other contributors' conclusions. With the news media's growing ignorance of foreign affairs, Waisbord writes, insecurity itself became "othered"--terrorism was simply something that occurred, however unfortunately, to other people in other places. This begins to account for why the American public did not react so viscerally (or, in some cases, at all) to either massive genocides or attacks on American holdings abroad. There was no general American revulsion following Rwanda. After massive atrocities were revealed in the former Yugoslavia, Hollywood stars did not proclaim how suddenly "meaningless" their work had become. This cultural sense of invincibility was truly what broke down last September, and Waisbord argues it may have taken the news media along with it. In addition, professional journalists felt that, in the wake of a violent message interpreted against American "freedoms" (and certainly after the death of reporter Daniel Pearl), they were being specifically targeted. Thus, Waisbord writes, they increasingly used patriotism to inoculate themselves against the threat. News had suddenly become legitimate in the eyes of the public, and journalists were more than willing to write what the public wanted to hear. Gone was the subtle elitism that Carey describes, which had pervaded the media since Watergate. Patriotism allowed journalists to be a visible part of what they interpreted as a united nation. With the combination of a supposed attack on the freedoms that supported their own enterprise and a newly-admiring public, the news media embraced patriotism as their rightful purpose.

As Robert W. McChesney laments in "September 11 and the structural limitations of US journalism," this deference to patriotism--or, more frequently, rabid nationalism--gave journalists an extremely limited framework in which to operate:

"What is most striking in the US news coverage following the September 11 attacks is how that very debate over whether to go to war, or how best to respond, did not even EXIST. It was presumed, almost from the moment the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, that the United States was at war, world war. The picture conveyed by the media was as follows: a benevolent, democratic, and peace-loving nation was brutally attacked by insane evil terrorists who hated the United States for its freedoms and affluent way of life."

There is considerable reason to believe that the text selected by most media and politicians--of "evil" or "insane" terrorists--was not merely a gut reaction, but carefully selected vocabulary. If the terrorists were evil, then they had no motivations, and it was absurd to attempt to discover what led them to carry out such an act; their motivation was evil alone. But as another author points out elsewhere in Journalism, "There has emerged over the last three decades a set of journalistic narratives on 'Muslim terrorism,' whose construction is dependent on basic cultural perceptions about the global system of nation-states, violence, and the relationship between Western and Muslim societies." Doubtless these tropes reinforced the predominant feelings of "having to do something" ("something" which inevitably translated into "war") to combat the evil marshaled against us.

Not coincidentally, risk suddenly became real, not by a measurable increase in danger (virulent anti-Americanism had been flowing for quite some time), but primarily by the media's own increase in focus. They--meaning both the public and the journalists who were now, proudly, a part of it--had been attacked, and they would stand sentinel against any further threats. The anthrax attacks were a good example of this: perpetrators were almost immediately assumed to be foreign, working against a unified American public, and a relatively small number of deaths created a firestorm of articles for more than a month. Waisbord and several other authors lament modern journalism's reliance on official sources and "events" for their news. This policy precludes long-term explorations of structural violence, such as the building threat of terrorism against the United States in the previous decade. In the case of the anthrax attacks, the news promptly dropped off the front page shortly after the final death, despite the fact that no perpetrator had been identified.

It is this combination of legitimizing patriotism, reliance only on official sources, and risk based on definable events that did the most harm to American journalism after Sept. 11. Carey places the blame for these policies primarily on the conglomeration that governs most news organizations, writing that "in recent years journalism has been sold, to a significant degree, to the entertainment and information industries which market commodities globally ... This condition cannot be allowed to persist." With Sept. 11, however, Carey seems more hopeful. In their introduction to Carey's piece, the editors write that journalists "just might have realized that democratic institutions are not guaranteed; rather, they are fragile and can be destroyed by journalists as well as by politicians."

The remaining authors in Journalism After September 11 offer a wide panorama of the state of the news media today. Barbie Zelizer (an editor of the book) describes how the use of still photography in newspapers allowed the American public to "bear witness" in a similar way as following the Holocaust--yet this time, there were no bodies to be seen. Karim H. Karim notes that Islamic and Middle Eastern stereotypes are still in wide use when explaining notions such as "terrorism" or "violence." Several authors tackle more specific areas of news--tabloids, talk shows, and newspaper commentaries--and there is an intriguing look by Ingrid Volkmer at how news media is increasingly defined not by national boundaries, but by sub- and supra-national organizations. Journalism gives one an in-depth look at how different facets of American news reporting operate, and how that may be affecting, for good or ill, the American democracy.

The two, of course, have always been intertwined, with patriotism frequently substituted for democracy when threats arise. "Patriotism" is itself a nebulous term, and Waisbord questions why journalism opted so forcefully to embrace "hawkish patriotism," parroting the official line and increasing the level of anxiety. A more traditional "constitutional patriotism" would have preserved civil rights and freedom of speech, while holding government accountable for its actions, he writes:

"Journalism needs to resist the temptation to dance to the tune of deafening nationalism often found in public opinion. Instead, it could courageously show patriotic spirit by keeping criticism alive ... [it] could provide reassurance by lowering the fear volume and offer community by defending diversity and tolerance rather than foundational, ethnocentric patriotism. A choice for the latter not only excludes democratic dissent from patriotism, but it also minimizes the possibility that citizens of the nation imagine that they also belong to a world community of equals."

Journalism After September 11 raises many such questions about the choices of mainstream journalism, and answers few of them--yet those in the news media need to be having such debates. And in a nation in which reporters take their strength from an empowering democracy, the issue is one of importance beyond the news media. These are concerns everyone must attempt to resolve.

This profile of both journalism and events after September 11th provides a blend of social history and a survey of how journalism's classic structure was shaken by the events of September 11th. Ideological beliefs flourished after the tragedy and ultimate transformed the nature and content of journalistic reporting. Journalism After September 11th packs in a host of internationally respected journalists and academics who probe the face of modern journalism and its many challenges.

Susan McMichaels has created a very moving and very readable Jungian view of St. Francis. I felt like I know the man and his struggle as I have known few biographical characters. For anyone who wants a really relevant twentieth century view of a great saint, this is the book to read.

For serious Jungian types this book is a remarkable study of individuation. For the rest of us it is absolutely entertaining and engaging. Thank you Susan for this book.

This is a great book, clear, concise, fast-paced.

Antony Kamm, who a few years ago authored another biography of Caesar, intended as, and titled, "Julius Caesar - A Beginner's Guide", has not only expanded and revamped his previous text, but has carefully re-read the classical sources, studied new scholarship, and come up with new perspectives and insights. He does an amazing job of telling us what we need to know about Caesar in 155 pages, supplemented with maps and illustrations, and goes into detailed although succint discussions about issues such as the paternity of Caesarion or Caesar's philosophic beliefs. The military campaigns are not forgotten, and the descriptions and maps of some of the major battles are among the best and clearest.

Caesar is presented in context and surrounded by his contemporaries. We are told about the cultural, political, religious and military background of the late Roman Republic, and are acquainted with substantial, believable characters like Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero or Piso; the women - Calpurnia, Servilia, Cleopatra - are given new proportions. As for Caesar himself, far from pretending to analyze him, Kamm simply states the facts and anecdotes in his usual elegant, subtly ironical, style, and lets his hero stand for himself. Caesar then comes up as "an idealist, a workaholic", with an "autocratic attitude and (..) preoccupation with quick results", who like no other "head of state in ancient or modern times applied himself so assiduously to such a range of physical and intellectual activities, and excelled at them all".

The lack of footnotes is regrettable, but Kamm makes up for it by quoting his sources in the text, which he manages to do without breaking the flow of narrative.

Antony Kamm's previous works of history have shown him to be a tremendous synthesizer of information, who has the ability to clearly explicate the complex histories of ancient worlds - in this case, the remarkable and remarkably complex history of Julius Caesar.

Caesar is currently "in", just as fine scholars are also publishing new studies of important men and events throughout the classical worlds. Kamm's study of Julius Caesar makes a consistent but educated use of sources (many of which are conflicting on fine points about Caesar's remarkable life). Building on his earlier study for students, Julius Caesar: A Beginner's Guide, he is able in this volume to expand into some of the controversies of Caesar's career and those facts that impact our understanding of his character and personality, all focused on the unfortunately-standard view of 20th century scholars that any great leader who is a militarist must, of necessity, be bad. The result is clarity and a fine understanding of the stresses of the Roman Republic into which Caesar was born, and which, only in part through his actions, died with his own death. The Republic, centuries old at Caesar's birth, was unable to accept new solutions to the problems of its increasing empire, and the increasing "one-man rule" of its great military leaders, Marius, Sulla, Pompey and Caesar.

Kamm has the enviable talent of packing a great deal of important information into prose that is lucid and flexible. This is an excellent basic study that deals with all significant aspects of Caesar's life and the world of the late Republic. As the author says, one may not like Caesar, but that is unimportant in evaluating the effect of one extraordinary Roman on the history of his times.

Highly recommended for the beginner or the expert.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in getting an introduction to Kant that doesn't require an advanced background in philosophy. Guyer's writing is clear and comprehensible for all of us non-specialists out there. I highly recommend this title!

I have been into reading philosophy in the past year. I have read many of the Routledge Guidebooks which I really like. However, the guidebooks are about a specific work of the phiolospher. I was looking for books that presented a general overview of the philosophy of particular Philosophers. I found such books in The Routledge Philosopher and The Arugments of the Philosophers Series both published by Routledge.

Kant by Paul Guyer has been the first one that I read in The Routledge Philosopher Series. This is a very good read for those that are beginning to read philosophy (like me). Paul Guyer takes some very complex thought and explains it in very good terms for the layperson (versus the student or scholar of philosophy). Mr. Guyer uses many quotes from the actual texts of Kant. However, Mr. Guyer then explains what Kant was trying to say since many times the meaning is not apparent from the actual text itself.

This book has very good sections on the Catagorical Imparative as well as Kant's Copernian Revolution. I also especially enjoyed the section on Kant's political philosophy whereby Kant believes that the people do not have a right to rebel against their government if such a government is a republic.

I recommend this book for those that want to learn in general terms Kant philosophy. It has very good print and it a very good read. Even though this book was written for the non-student, it can still be a difficult read at times. This is merely based upon the thought of Kant instead of any defect in the writing by Mr. Guyer. Mr. Guyer did a very good job of bringing Kant's philosophy to the average reader of phiolosophy.

I look forward to reading more works in The Routledge Philosopher Series. In fact, I have already started the book on Hobbes.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with this book that author Scott O'Brien did on a magnificent lady that I was
fortunate enough to have played her daughter in two movies..." I FOUND STELLA PARISH" and "COMET OVER BROADWAY" . I was Warner Bros first child star under long term contract so therefore knew much about what happened "behind the scenes". I have often cringed at some of the books I have read about some of my co-stars or very close friends that other authors have written about but Mr. O'Briens books show what lengths he goes to substantiate his stories and facts without filling in with apochryphal tales. He did this when he wrote a biography on my dear friend Kay Francis and I salute his very high morals as an author. Lets have more books written by Scott O'Brien!! Most Sincerely Sybil Jason

by a superb biographer. I loved the first edition so much that I wanted to buy the second edition with the new material and Mr. O'Brien doesn't disappoint. This is a sympathetic look at a complicated woman and a talent actress. Yet while the biographer looks at his subject sympathetically he doesn't make Kay Francis a saint. He brings forth a flesh and blood well-rounded human being with faults and foibles like everybody else, but who was essentially kind-hearted and misused by the studio in the later part of her film career. In the end Kay triumphs! and so does this well-written and researched book.