Gregory Books

In Olympic Dreams: The Impact Of Megaevents On Local Politics, Matthew Burbank, Gregory Andranovich, and Charles Heying effectively collaborate to survey the controversial questions arising when municipalities compete for, and agree to support the staging of a manor international event. Using Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City as case examples of American cities which hosted the Olympics, the authors present a comprehensive study of what precedes and ultimately follows this international sporting event, its impact on the municipality's political and financial economy. Very highly recommended reading for students of political science and international studies, Olympic Dreams is a particularly timely contribution in light of recent international meetings sponsored by the World Trade Organization, The World Bank, Organization of American States, and various United Nations organizations holding their conferences and meetings in American cities.

This book was a difficult read. As these orations were, most likely, sermons, I was expecting them to be far easier to understand than they were; I was expecting some sort of catechetical-like introduction to the Trinity. What I got was, in fact, far more difficult but no less profound; this is also a highly profitable read.

Nazianzus lived during a period of great theological controversy and turmoil. Although Christianity was now the official religion of the empire, it was by no means clear what the official doctrine/s of Christ and God were. There were many schools of thought on point, many of which tended in similar directions. Yet, the finer points of Incarnation and Trinity were much debated, particularly the relationship of God the Father to God the Son and, interestingly, this was not merely a matter for cloistered scholars: it was something that everyone had an opinion about and if Christianity was going to be the glue that held people together, it was going to have to figure out just what the Trinity (and by extension, the Incarnation) meant.

The Theological Orations are Gregory's attempt at working out what exactly the Trinity means. So, these works are at points highly polemical against "heretics" (whomever they were); there is no room for even an iota of untrue (or half true) doctrine. Several of the Orations are set up as Q & A sessions in which Gregory refutes certain theological positions that he sees as relegating Christ to a position below the Father and, therefore, destroying the Trinity.

Gregory makes a number of key points, the first of which is that theology is not for everyone (!): rather, it is only for those who are really open to God and willing to not merely discuss God, but also to let God defy the language that they use to discuss Him with. So, for Gregory, "negative" and "affirmative" theology are "braided" together into a seamless unity. In speaking of God, one speaks of a God that overflows our speech. Yet, what one says is, if orthdox, also objectively true.

Secondly, if one wants to speak of God - and God is One in Three persons, the Trinity - then one must speak and think *outside* of time. This is no small or easy task! Yet, if one wants to speak of the Father as being the fount of the Trinity, and also at the same time affirm the eternal existence of the Son and the Spirit, one cannot speak of "generation" in any way that is similar to how we must think of what it means "to generate", which is done in and through time. The eternal, then, is not the supra-temporal, but rather the atemporal.

It is all quite mind-defying, really. Regardless of whether or not one finds all of Gregory's arguments or all of his scriptural exegesis to be convincing (I didn't, and I doubt that anyone else will find *all* of it convincing), he says much that does not simply make one think but that also takes one outside of and beyond the limits of the mind and its linguistic articulations. It is a holding together of seemingly irreconcilable ideas: the eternal and the language of relationship, which is rooted in the temporal. Yet, such is theology. It is not confusing if one lets it open one's self up to that which is beyond all of our words. If one tries to keep something such as the Trinity - God! - *trapped* within our logic, then one is likely to be not only frustrated but also confused. This is, of course, what Gregory warns against in the first Oration: if you aren't ready to let God be God, then don't talk about God!

If you want to sit down and really wrestle with a text on the Trinity, this is a great place to go. Not only is it a classic and foundational text on the trinitarian life of God, but it *should* also open one up to a God whose life is relationship - the relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - but whose relationship equally defies our rationality. I really think that there is something of a window to God here, and it is a window that is well worth looking through. Is it the whole picture? Of course not. But, it directs you to what you ought to be looking at - and that *is* what theology can *does*. Highly recommended.

This is a great little treatise by one of the early church fathers dealing with the resurrection and how it relates to the human soul. Many of the early fathers sought to understand their Christian faith through the lens of their secular educations, and Gregory is not afraid to apply the science of his day to the many questions he poses in this dialogue with his sister, Macrina. If you have ever wondered how the early church tried to understand the resurrection, this book may be a good place to start. The book deals with such subjects as the nature of the soul, its elemental qualities (earth, air, fire, and water), its relation to the physical body, emotions, origin, and man's purpose. Many great patristic themes crop up and Gregory's theological skill is evident throughout. There is a brief introduction by the translator. Very recommended.

The reason I would enjoy having this book again is my grandfather was Lawrence Mezzenna who died on that polar bear hunt that year and also I would enjoy sharing this book with my son some day. THANK YOU ANTHONY M.SEEGANNA

Childern of the Iquisition was a book that I had bought several years ago. It had wonderful art. I would love to purchase this book for the art alone in order to display on my walls at home. My boyfriend and I have a unique style of decorating our home. This book would be a great display. A freind had claimed this book and I've wondered whether I would ever come accross this book again. I am hoping....

If you are interested in reading many successful authors' thoughts on the power of story and reading, this book is a must. The essays in this collection are inspiring, diverse, and unified in their passion for writing and storytelling. I found myself returning to passages over and over, savoring the passions for children's literature that are similar to my own. A stellar collection of authors are presented including Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle, Maurice Sendak and many more that appear on most required reading lists. (They are listed entirely in the professional reviews above.) This is a great book for librarians, teachers, students, and anyone who loves one or all of the many authors represented.

This well-known author of historical fiction has outdone herself with this rich and absorbing tale of the notorious Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. The Tudor court, with all its pomp and intrigue, is seen through the eyes of the beautiful Mary Boleyn, who at the age of fourteen arrives at court and becomes lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and wife to King Henry VIII. Although already married to courtier William Carey, Mary captures the heart of King Henry VIII, whose roving eyes land on this innocent young miss.

In the eyes of the grasping and greedy Boleyn family, Mary is but the fatted calf through whom their ambitions, they believe, will become realized. So, they offer her up as a sacrifice to their ruthless ambition. Forced to separate from her husband in order to become the King's mistress, Mary betrays the Queen and becomes mistress to the King, all at the behest of her family. Every step of her affair is choreographed from the wings by her family, with the adept aid of her sly and clever sister, Anne, in the role of chief manipulator.

Mary struggles with her own code of honor and personal morality, which is often in conflict with what is mandated by her family. Still, despite her best intentions, Mary disappoints them, as her nature is not the kind that takes well to intrigue and manipulation, as she has sincere feelings of affection for the King, as well as for the Queen. After bearing the King two children, however, she is set aside by a formidable rival, her own sister, Anne, in whom the Boleyn family now place their hopes and ambitions.

This is, first and foremost, the story of Mary Boleyn, a woman who has generally been reduced to a footnote in history. It is notable, however, that she was the only Boleyn sibling to survive the purges of the Tudor court and who, ultimately, married for love in an age when this was not the norm among those of her class. It is also the story of Anne Boleyn, her rise and fall, as seen through the eyes of her sister, Mary, with whom Anne was to have a lifelong rivalry.

To a lesser degree, it is also the story of their brother, George, a more remote, though no less interesting, personage. His interjection into the story is necessary, as the author attempts to address the issue of incest that arose at the trial of George and Anne Boleyn. She gives quite an interesting perspective on the issue, weaving it, part and parcel, into the story in an effort to explain his downfall, as well his betrayal by his own wife.

Told against the magnificent backdrop of the Tudor Court in all its splendor and majesty, the author weaves a complex tale of greed, ambition, sex, and political machination, as well as unparalleled intrigue, in sixteenth century England. Filled with well-fleshed characters taken right out of the annals of history, the story is one that is sure to delight all those with a love for well-written historical fiction. In particular, fans of beloved author, Jean Plaidy, will enjoy this book.

If, as Freud tells us, aggression and sex are innate drives in all of us, then violence is innate to humans and probably unavoidable. The question Gregory Desilet deals with is to what extent violence is usefully construed as evil and to what extent it is encouraged by films. His massive 26 chapter study of "Our Faith in Evil" begins by establishing the method he will use to investigate his cinematographic theme. The methods section is written in a careful, measured way that makes it accessible to most readers. Desilet then divides the rest of the study into two major parts. In part one he argues his case and defines his terms. In this section of the book, he is at his most philosophical and psychological. Happily, he does not fall into the academic habit of using obscure and arcane language. Instead, he is lucid, fluent, and eminently readable.

What is fascinating about this part of the book is the depth to which Desilet goes to deal with our fascination with evil. He excavates everything from the significance of "defilement" in the Hebraic tradition to the notion of evil in "Cinderella." He regularly dips into the evil in closer neighborhoods with his investigations of corporations, sports, and comic books. However, he also investigates the origin of evil in the more remote provinces of the metaphysical and draws upon theorists such as Aristotle, Plato, and Kenneth Burke.

In Part Two, Desilet brilliantly and deftly illustrates his case by examining a series of films well known for their horrific and/or effective use of evil. These chapters advance Desilet's exploration of the relationship between violence and evil in melodrama. The impact of that nexus on society begins in Chapter 8 and runs through Chapter 13 on a theoretical level. The film analysis section shows this theory brought down to earth in your local theater or home entertainment center. His incisive analysis of such classics as "Psycho," "The Silence of the Lambs," and "Pulp Fiction" provide original readings full of insights. His treatment of more difficult to categorize films, such as "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Passion of the Christ" are innovative and rewarding. Having written on "Bonnie and Clyde" myself, I found Desilet's revisionist assessment to be accurate about the context and the ideological agenda of the film. Unlike the consensus that has emerged over the years, he condemns the film because of the bad name it gives nonconformists. By the time you complete Part Two, you feel empowered to take on new films yourself. These exhilarating interpretations should not overshadow the truly informative sections of the first part of the book that examine theories of construction of evil in film.

This essay was fascinating, entertaining, enlightening reading. As with the previous 6 I've reviewed, I loved it, even as I disagreed mildly with some of its conclusions enforced by a belief in science, which, according to one of the enlighteing admissions I've appreciated most in this series, has continued to evolve in contradiction of past conclusions, along with all other means (logic, religion, philosophy, poetry, fiction, etc.) of attempting to understand the meaning and effective maneuvering of life.

The opening statement on this Amazon Short read as a funny hook, and a slam to movie pundits. If Greg and Mike want any of their sci fi novels to be made into film, they might hope those they beseech have a solid sense of humor, or that they don't happen to read this: >> To the delight of movie studio executives and twelve-year-olds, science fiction never shuns the obvious. <<

When the next sentence mentioned 2001, the movie, I was surprised to realize how many years we've sped past that date which, for so many decades had designed a far-fetched future into my mind as a coming "reality." My first thought after that realization was, "Where's the MONOLITH?" (Wondering if I might find a symbolic one.) The next sad thought was a vision of the temporary dark shadow created by the Twin Towers collapse on 9/11/2001. That shadow could seem like an antithesis to a Monolith.

As I sat down to begin the process of reading of "OUR INVISIBLE MAKER" I instinctively took a different approach from my normal path of reading an essay of this nature, which is nicely organized with boldface heading separations. I purposely read the headings prior to the text under them, and found that a reply surged to mind for each heading. I'm planning to list those replies in a comment attached to this review, to allow readers to skip that exposition if they'd prefer.

Speaking in response to the title: Maybe Natural Selection is actually a brilliant design. It must have taken a bit of brilliance to implement it. If, on the other hand, Natural Selection is a flawed design (or a non-design) brought up through the ethers of CHAOS rather than through the brainy efforts of an advanced sentience, possibly it's not a brilliant, but a broken design... If so, might a species of godly minds try to fix it? Like human scientists and/or philosophers, for example?

As Yoda (of the Star Wars series of movies) might say in his gravely voice, "Powerful is the fear of a more overwhelmingly devastating disappointment than discovering that Santa Clause is a myth."

For an extension of that thought, see Robert B. Parker's Small Vices (Spenser), # 25 in that series which dramatizes that hope is a killer for a "lifer" in prison. When in inescapable captivity (which human souls are when incarnated) a sane being would possess a feared need to believe in something powerful which could protect, save, and/or free him. If a person didn't believe in the soul, or in a higher consciousness, he would feel in true captivity in this life, yet he would not want it to end, since he would end. That is both a painful paradox, and a thought-paradigm for avoiding, at all costs, a belief in any type of high powered savior. For scientists, that shoe might cause brutal bunions. Ugh! For relief of that raw rubbing, see the Amazon Short, This is Someone's Loved One: An Undertaker's View.

Proceeding to read the content under the headings, I was pushed by madly evolving personal responses flying hither and yon, wanting to be captured in my review. What to do with the surging intrigue wanting to be shared? Possibly the best course would have been to address the opening statement of this Short, then run.

This was my 7th purchase and review of the series of 10 Amazon Shorts by Gregory Benford and Michael Rose. I want to buy them all, making print outs which include my reviews. This has been the most valuable and interesting collection of Amazon Shorts I've consumed and contemplated so far.

I could empathize, though not always agree, with Greg and Mike's expressed frustration of the power in certain group efforts to deny them an ease of flow of their pursuits of scientific research. I could admire the entertaining artistry of this essay's mild satire in expressing its views, though I couldn't agree with those focused against our current president. I'm solidly pro Bush, even though I can't align with some of the religion-based attempts to limit science and sub-cultural ways of life. I am pro our honored president's other stands, including his protection of capitalism, of the health and safety of our citizens and economy, and especially of the financial health of those working people who produce goods and services in our country, like my husband and me. And you.

Linda Shelnutt

One of the great New York novels. If you're an admirer of any sort of baroque sensibility, then this is a must-read. Deeply cultured, deeply weird, and deeply original, James Purdy gives us a tour de force of compression, (not a quality usually associated with baroque, I'll agree), spinning a dreamy web around an idea of a certain era in the city's artistic life. These characters will live with you for decades, if you invite them in....