Wang Books

This is one of the first Holocaust survival stories that I read. It is by far one that has stayed with me in the most detail.

What a strong girl Gerda is. she was told to never give up her boots and in the end it is one thing that saved her life after marching in a blizzard half frozen to death. How she survived is nothing short of a miracle.

Reading this when you are in a hard time reminds you that you do have the inner strength to survive. If she can do that then I can face my problems. It is quite graphic and tells the truth of really happened in the holocaust.

I'm not going to give the story away I'm just going to say you will cry and rejoyce in this story. It will touch you to core of your very being.

I must read for EVERYONE!

I have read many of the holocaust books out there but this is the one I pass on to friends to read. Especially moving is the liberation of the prisoners at the end of the book. I wish all schools made this mandatory reading. What a way to learn history! This author is quite an incredible woman.

This book was gripping and I could not put it down until I finished it. It's so hard to believe the hardships so many endured for being Jewish. A must read. Beautifully written with rich detail.

I read this book a long time ago and just got done listening to the book on tape for the second time. It is the most powerful representation of the Holocaust I have found. Please read this book if you want to learn about the Holocaust from a gifted author and survivor.

Despite the horrors around her, and fellow prisoners dying and becoming mentally unbalanced every day, young Gerda Weissman managed to survive several Nazi camps from the late 1930s through the grisly end of World War II.

Imagine being a teenager, wrenched away from your beloved parents, older brother and home -- and never seeing any of them ever again. It would be enough to make anyone unstable, not to mention bitter. Yet somehow, Gerda emerges from her horrifying ordeal stronger than she began. As her body heals in a hospital run by the Allies during the spring of 1945, Gerda begins a relationship with Kurt Klein -- a young soldier who urges her to tell her story.

Now an elderly woman living in Arizona, Gerda Weissman Klein is able to see just how far she's come from the young Jewish girl living a priviledged life in Poland. Yet at the same time, her writing style allows readers to see clearly just how that same persona has managed to live such a rich, eventful life to the fullest all of these years.

I've read many Holocaust memoirs, though I must say that Gerda's story is beautifully and distinctly told.

This play was very thoughtful and enjoyable, especially if you are able to visualize things while you read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

While Thoreau was living at Walden, then President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico without Congressional approval. To protest this and the government, Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was sent to jail. This play fantasizes on what might have been going through Thoreau's mind as he spent the night in jail: reflecting on his childhood, the life and death of his brother, his idol Ralph Waldo Emerson, what lead him to his solitary life at Walden and the impetus for his refusal to pay the taxes. I enjoyed reading this very much as it gave some insight into the great thinker who influenced the likes of Gandhi with his non-violent form of protesting the government.

Henry David Thoreau may be experiencing a sort of revival as of late. His treatise on civil disobidience is a hallmark of progressive action today. Upset that his government declared an unjust war, Thoreau refuses to pay taxes to show his digust, which lands him one lauded night in jail. Thus is the basis for this extremely inventive, timely play "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail".

Not just a night in jail, but a brave overview Thoreau's life ensues, showing snippets of his events, meetings, and philosophies that were so critical to the development of his transcendentalism. This isn't a dry biography, however. The authors weave a Thoreau that is a rich tapestry of thought and action. He is both endearing and complex, wise and unaware.

We enter the play with Henry in his cell, and begins to relive some important moments in his life. We meet Emerson and his wife, Henry's mother, and favorite brother John, as they inact with his memories and become alive themselves. The ebullience of John is obvious, which makes his passing much more severe. This play helps to maginify the brilliance of a brilliant man, while making him more human, more real.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a great read, and will springboard your interests to study this amazing thinker.

THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL describes thinker Henry David Thoreau short experience in jail after not paying his taxes. Employing flashbacks within flashbacks, playwrights Lawrence and Lee take on the task of describing Thoreau's life so far. Filled with witty remarks and humorous dialogue, this book transcends what I can say about it.

After having been assigned to read this book for my AP 11 English class, I started out first assignment: Read to page 50. To my surprise, once I got to page 50, I couldn't put it down. My teacher had warned us about this scenario. She said the book was cleverly hilarious and enjoyable. Naturally--it being an ASSIGNED book--I doubted her words.

When I got into the play, within the first few words of dialogue, I was laughing out loud. The writers, whose research was obviously accurate and concise, tickled me when Ralph Waldo Emerson asked "who" his umbrella was, making a reference to his supposed contraction of Alzheimer's disease. Thoreau's teachings of God and fields and notetaking were pleasing and enriching.

Not only was I thrilled by his paradoxical dialogue,

[In a nutshell...
Thoreau to a student: Why are you taking notes?
Student: So I can remember what you say.
Thoreau: But then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
(She puts away her notebook)
Thoreau: Why have you stopped taking notes?
Student: Because you said to.
Thoreau: Why would you do what I say?]

but I also took away something from it, which is a common moral you would see in books and movies today: Do things for yourself, and pay no attention to what others say or think. Though the moral is a bit overused, Lee and Lawrence refresh it and make the lesson new placing it in the midst of witticism and transcendentalist teachings.

Now, the only thing left for me to do is write a thank you card to my teacher for treating us with this wonderful book.

This play examines Henry David Thoreau, his philosophies, and some of the events in his life. During the Mexican American War, Thoreau refused at one point to pay his taxes. He felt that the war was unjust, and he didn't want his money supporting a government that he believed was doing unjust things. (He also believed that the war was not the will of the people, as President Polk had declared war without the support of Congress.)

The play, which takes place on a simple set that emphasizes the imagination of the audience (and the performers) for props/surroundings, also delves into Thoreau's love for nature and his views on sprituality. (The fact that the set is simple reflects another way that form follows content, as Thoreau encouraged people to turn away from materialism and simplify their lives.) The chief journey in the play is Thoreau's decision to return to the world, rather than remove himself from it.

Themes include individuality, the nature of spirituality, marching to one's own drummer (regardless of consequence), the belief that one person can make a difference, the idea of standing on principle/what's right, and the manifestation of the divine in nature and humanity (Transcendentalism).

It's a somewhat academic play, about ideas more than about plot (of which there is virtually none), but it reminds us that theatre can inform and instruct us as well as entertain us. Additionally, the subject matter of the play is very topical (public funds for stem cell research? or the war in Iraq?) and is sure to stimulate thought and discussion.

The authors of this play (two college professors) demanded that it not be produced on Broadway and, to my knowledge, it never has been. This, I may assume, was their own form of "disobedience," as they maintained that a few blocks in Manhattan shouldn't dictate what real theatre is to the rest of the nation. Despite their mandate, however, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail has been one of the most produced plays in America, enjoying wide circulation in regional theatres and especially on college campuses.

The stirring and adventurous novel, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" was penned by enigmatic author B. Traven. Traven a political anarchist active in the 20's and 30's was thought to be of German descent and was purported to be the illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Nonetheless he lived for many years in Mexico and as seen by his most celebrated work, had an excellent working knowledge of Mexican culture and society.

His novel which served as the framework for the John Huston classic film starring Bogey and Walter Huston, greatly embellished the story seen on the screen. His tale of adventure, hardship and greed was admixed with political commentary as Mexico was emerging from years of colonial rule and subsequent exploitation by big industry. The oil business was seen ruling the economics of the region described in the book.

Traven's ingenious blending of the gripping tale of his main characters, Dobbs, Curtin and Howard braving the wilds of unexplored jungle regions of Mexico in quest for gold with social commentary was very effective. He was thereby able to expose his points concerning the Mexican social and political climate. He also didactically pointed out that life's riches are not solely based on precious metals but also on the fellowship, relationships and respect among mankind.

This book is the basis for John Huston's film of the same name. Both author and director share a love of Mexico and it's people. Having seen the movie many times it was interesting to come to many familiar parts of the story knowing what was going to happen and enjoy on the page verbatim bits of dialogue. The story takes awhile to get going as Traven sets up his characters but it builds to a powerful ending proving once and for all that man's greed destroys his soul. There are some who have criticized Traven's socialistic leanings but I don't think they get in the way of the story at all...in fact, I think they prove his point that unregulated capitalism is the bane of western civilization. But enough of that - this is a timeless story that meanders a bit so it won't appeal to casual readers. If your reading tastes lean to anything recent, this book will probably be too slow; in that case, watch the movie - you will get the same point in less than 2 hours. However, if you like Literature you will appreciate Traven's insights to human nature and his excellent story-telling method. I myself couldn't read this without putting the movie out of my mind...if someone tells you not to think of pink elephants...well, you get the idea. All in all, this novel is well written but could've been a bit shorter.

I have been a big fan of the movie for years but had never read the book. Well, I have to say that the book is even better than the movie, and I still love the movie. If you have seen the movie It will be hard not to imagine Bogie and walter Huston in the main roles. And this is not just because they are already planted in your mind, I think director John Huston did an excellent job of casting the movie. Anyway, I highly recommend this book!

If you have seen and enjoyed the John Huston film of the same name, and believe it to be one of the greatest films ever produced, then it is mandatory to procure and read this book.

This review is written from the perspective of someone who has seen the film at least a half dozen times before reading the novel for the first time. The film is mostly faithful to the novel, so no nasty surprises await those weaned on the film. While less dramatic in some ways, the book provides a better explanation for the motivations of the characters. This necessarily leads to significant, though not unpleasant, changes in some of their fates compared to the film (or perhaps, better said, vice-versa). Some of the more interesting scenes also are expanded, such as the encounter with the bandits at the camp, and more background is provided about the bandits themselves and the efficient and clever way that they are ultimately dealt with by the local people.

Though a little slow going at first, once accustomed to Traven's writing style and well into the meat of the story, the feeling of the realization that a very special experience is in store for you simply builds and builds and continues doing so until the satisfying conclusion of the book is reached. This is a masterpiece, a gourmet treat for the soul, a book to relish during a lazy morning spent in a soft bed, or sitting by a cozy fireplace.

As in many screen adaptations, seemingly ancillary elements were culled for the film. However, those elements, namely the description of the factors which led to the oppression of the native peoples of Mexico, provides a pervasive, unifying theme throughout the novel. This lends an enriching, interesting counterpoint to the story of the central characters.

There is a tiny bit of information given about the mysterious B. Traven, just enough to make you want to learn more. A speculative look at his identity is presented in the extras which are included with the newly-released reissue of the film on DVD.

I bought the The Treasure of the Sierra Madre at a small used bookstore that was moving across town so that they marked all of their fiction half off (half off of used prices - awesome). So I left with about 20 books for about $20 - $25. I was grabbing things at random that looked at all interesting or at all slightly familiar. One of those books was The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

I had seen parts of the movie years ago on TV, but not enough to remember any plot points. My dad had a tendency to habitually switch channels between five movies all at once so for the longest time I thought John Wayne and the scene where they blow up the bridge during "Bridge over the River Kwai" were scenes in EVERY movie.

The book was slow going at first. The characters are introduced and they take their time to finally get to the part where they're prospecting. As I read it I thought, "yes. There's lots of social inference in here." But then continued to read on taking it all at face value instead of trying to over analyze everything. It's more fun to think about it for a month later and think, "Man, that's so true. We'll all turn against each other in an instant if money is involved. tsk."

I enjoyed the characters, I felt frustrated for them as they fell into paranoia and insanity. I kept thinking, "Which one is Bogart? Is that Bogart?" And when the one guy **spoiler** gets his head cut off, I was like 'Whaa? For real? That's pretty intense." I've been reading a lot of Beat writers a lot lately, and the Mexico that Traven describes is a lot different from Kerouac's or Burroughs' Mexico - they tend to romanticize the poverty, where the guys in this book are actually living the miner hardships. Mexico's a lot better when you have a trust fund, huh, Burroughs?

And yes. I was so happy that the famous `badges' line is actually in the text. I pictured Micky Dolenz saying it from a skit in the Monkees TV show that I used to watch after school on Nickelodeon. I laughed and laughed.

My girls love this book. The 5-year old has it almost memorized. We love Tasha Tudor.

perfect gift for a little girl (or not so little girl). A very elegant book that harkens back to another age. Will bring a little refinement to any library and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't find it charming!

What a lovely and sweetly-worded book with charming illustrations! This is high on my list as a beautiful book for granddaughters and daughters to be cherished for decades to come. Nothing surpasses this book's illustrations.

Ever since she was born, I couldn't wait to buy this for my niece, Annabelle! We gave it to her for her first birthday. It is just exactly the way that I remember! The adorable alphabet introduced me to the necessities of this Victorian doll. Now I will share it with her.

I picked up a very tired copy of this book at a thrift store and fell in love with it - so did my sister! The illustrations are exquisite and the book is easy to read. Some words are not unfamiliar to children, and their parents should explain them. I would recommend this more for a female. My 8-year old son liked the pictures, but not as well as my 10-year old daughter

This book should convince you of a new paradigm. We do not live in a world of bacteria that are trying to invade and kill us. We live in a an self-made environment of bacteria that have a stake in our survival, and that protect us from potentially harmful disease. Our use and overuse of antibiotics is changing our individual bacterial ecosystems for the worse, hence the rise of multiply-drug-resistant microorganisms.

Sachs illustrates all this with entertaining clarity, then goes on to describe how current scientists are taking legions of bacteria, putting them through the equivalent of a bacterial Olympics, and deploying the winners to restore a healthful personal ecosystem that can rid us of certain illnesses.

I am a physician with over thirty years in practice. I read and then reviewed and annotated this book, and am writing a newsletter to my patients about it. I think every person, physician or not, will enjoy and learn from this excellent book.

This is a fascinating book. Sachs manages to be understandable to the general reader, while getting deeply into the science in selected chapters. At times I was a bit confused, but I believe that is primarily due to the gaps in scientific knowledge and some results that are inconsistent at this point; e.g., on how quickly bacteria populations lose genes for resistance when the genes are no longer serving a function. Sachs does say that a promising nasal spray using protective bacteria was abandoned for lack of commercial potential, since any patent could easily be circumvented; but, if competitors tweaked the formula, they would also have to invest the time and money to get FDA approval. I also am wondering why no one is developing a protective biofilm for metal orthopedic implants to prevent infection.

From Nov 08 Plant Physiology: When the plant's leaves were infected with a disease-causing type of bacteria, its roots responded by secreting malic acid - a substance that in turn attracted a different, protective form of bacteria from the surrounding soil. Those helpful bacteria formed a beneficial biofilm on the roots, and they also stimulated the plants' immune response.

-------------------------Summary--------------------------

The "good" bacteria populating humans are important for survival. They protect against the growth of harmful bacteria and virus, which is one reason health care workers tend not to get sick even when they pick up destructive bacteria (and go on to infect patients who may have lost their good bacteria due to antibiotics). Bacteria are also important to digestion; they break down certain foods, and also signal human cells to release enzymes necessary for digestion.

Their relationship to the immune system is complex and not fully understood. What is clear is that exposure to good bacteria is necessary to train the immune system, so that babies born by Cesarian have twice the food allergies that other babies have, because they don't pick up some of the good bacteria from their mothers during birth. There are Peyer's patches, lining the small intestine, which are comparable in structure to lymph nodes, but serve to prevent attacks against good bacteria, so long as they don't end up in the wrong place such as the bloodstream. In fact, there are many good or at least harmless bacteria that can become virulent if in the wrong place, or if they reach a dangerous density: bacteria use a sensing mechanism that can result in changes in their behavior when they reach a large enough density.

Bacteria have a number of mechanisms for picking up genes from other bacteria, so that they develop resistance to antibiotics relatively quickly. Despite trying different approaches, no one has succeeded in developing a method of attack which does not eventually induce resistance. Use of protective bacteria may therefore be our only hope, although new technology may improve the efficacy of vaccines. In the nearer term, minimizing use of antibiotics in humans and animals is the best hope for prolonging antibiotic usefulness, and in fact sometimes older antibiotics, which are only used sparingly, may become effective for a while again. Currently, dangerously resistant bacteria which had once only caused death and serious illness in the hospital setting, are increasingly becoming a problem in the community. Incidentally, Europe is way ahead of the US in taking steps to decrease bacterial resistance.

This book is a good read for those interested in a light history of how scientists came to understand some of the more well-known bacteria that affect us. It also provides a glimpse into the lives of those affected by bacterial infections.

Good/Bad germs may be the Silent Spring of this time. Not only does it read like a page turner, it explains the human-microbe and microbe-microbe interrelationships in a thoroughly understandable way, by a writer who clearly understands the subjects.
The author fleshes out the facts nicely with sketches illuminating the people and proses of discovery.
This book is critical reading for anyone who has a body.
I bought copies for my friends where a recommendation is not enough.

I read the original 2007 hardcover. It is a gripping account of the relationship between bacteria and humans, from parasitic disease makers to necessary commensals. You will find in very clear and plain English much you need to know about the right balance of cleanliness, allergies and other autoimmune diseases, antibiotic treatment of livestock, resistance swapping of bacteria from the most different species and even cancer cure potentials via bacteria. (I do hope though, that this will not end in a I Am Legend (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition) scenario...)

This book by a freelance science writer is well-structured, starting with a shock introduction, giving a capturing ride on medical bacteria history, presenting the gloomy presence, then the potential solution on the horizon with various future perspectives. As some issues are pending till 2010, be sure to get the latest potential revision of this book.

Just two notes: By reading this book, one may get the impression that syphilis had been brought back to Europe via the "1492 discovery" of the Americas. This disease has been known well before in Europe, including evidence found in Pompeii. Also, if you hear or read about Florence Nightingale, please look up the original, but neglected Mary Seacole...

If you are interested in similar books, with little overlap, Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are is the most close addition. If you are interested in our symbiotic body roomies (commensals), largely restricted to bacteria and in a systematic text book presentation, read the rather dry Microbial Inhabitants of Humans: Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution. More, but not exclusively, on the yuk side is Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures with some disturbing pictures. An entire coffee-table book is Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us, if you are not too squeamish...

This book is incredible. Anything you need to know is in this book. If it doesn't go into detail on a specific subject, it gives you resources to look up to further your search. Funny, interesting, and helpful, this book is completely highlighted-up and is my ultimate resource guide!

...just because "it's for dummies." I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence.

Anyway, this book is a good resource for someone who is considering a career in acting, or a move to Hollywood, and has no clue. The character in my book, Trott Felipe, could have used a book like this before he made the trek from Iowa to Hollywood in his Astro Van. Unfortunately, he's a fictional character, and this book didn't exist in the version of Hollywood I wrote about.

Very informative, well written book. Extremely helpful for the Novice actor, for someone just starting out (Acting classes, extras etc.). Covers everything you need to know to start looking into developing this exciting career. Many topics, easily & clearly set-out. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the Industry, including well established actors, as it could still help with pin-point information and ideas, that may be not known or forgotten over time. Don't give it a second thought about purchasing this book!

I picked this book up at the library and read it in less than a day. It is entertaining and informative, making sure to write effectively yet simply, so that anyone could pick up the book and understand it fully.

If you are an aspiring actor, this book will give you vital information, and will inspire you and encourage you to reach for your goals.

A must read!

THIS IS A GOOD STARTED FOR THE INEXPERIECED. BUT AN EXPERIENCED ACTOR LIKE MYSELF WILL ALREADY BE MUCH BEYOND THIS, WHICH IS WHY I AM WRITING MY OWN BOOK ON MARKETING FOR ACTORS.
JAY MADHAV

This book is great if you are a begginer or even if you are the CEO of a fortune 500 co. Sound advice and allot of the people I do business with could learn allot from this as I did. I am going to buy a few copies for all my agents to help them to increase profits and customer relationship.

check out my new site and upcoming book DanArdebili . com


thanks,
Dan Ardebili

I started this book thinking here's "another" report on how important networking is to business. But I was blown away by Chien's practical techniques and ability to express the ultimate importance of connecting.
He focuses on building relationships not just for business but also for life. He sees the large connectedness of every action -- and gives you tools for maximizing it. I particularly liked the Personal Branding chapter where he explains how self-promotion goes beyond your current job to who you are -- and that Who Knows You is the catalyst to greater success. A powerful, practical book for anyone who wants to get ahead!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be more encouraged to network and/or to learn effective strategies to network, build relationships, make more money, build a business, attract a spouse, make more friends and to realize that to Net Work means to work at it and have fun with it.

I'm glad to finally see the spiritual ideas about business being discussed. The author makes clear the laws of attraction are available and ready in the business world. This book is full of practical advise for those who want more than dollars and cents.

This book does its work by giving many informative clues thats makes the reader second guess his or her approach on networking. Being around the entertainment industry one must master how to network in order to create opportunities ... Thank you, Chien

`Night Mother, a 1983 Pulitzer Prize winning play deserves just that! This one act play with simply two characters was unlike something I have read. The play draws on emotional dialogue, an unpleasant subject of suicide and the challenge to convince one not to do it. What is prize winning about the dramatic story is the realistic conversational tones and often painful sounds. It is the exchange of normal everyday dialogue, intermixed with riveting rationalization, pleading, bargaining, and coming to terms with life as it shall be. For the theatrical onstage drama, a clock is visible to the audience that indicates the action takes place in one evening and with no intermission. Time is of the essence.

The drama takes place in the early 80's in a small home, and one main character is Jessie, a 40ish woman with epilepsy, was deserted by her husband, and her son is a teenage criminal whose whereabouts are unknown. The only other character is her mother, whom Jessie lives with and Jessie, somewhat, does caregiving.

In the midst of Jessie carefully and strategically planning her suicide, she is nonchalantly taking care of last minute obligations for her mother, like doing mother's nails. Included in the planning, is a list of instructions so mother can locate everything needed after Jessie's suicide takes place. As mother tries to reason and rationalize and beg, Jessie conducts herself normally, making the preparations and letting nothing interfere. Here, we learn about Jessie, her dead father, why she was deserted, her son, and much more. Then the author transfers the dialogue with brilliancy..... This is wonderful, sad, emotional and powerful.

Movie version with superb acting!
See the movie version with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft. It is rare that I see a version that equals the book! This is powerful. 'night, Mother.

Another wonderful play about death and dying is by Michael
Cristofer, a Pulitzer Prize Shadow Box: A Drama in Two Acts and the film version directed by Paul Newman The Shadow Box. It examines the 5stages of grieving one goes through as they are dying. These stages are also displayed by the living members, the loved ones. Rizzo

I thoroughly enjoyed this play. I watched the film awhile back, and since I wanted to change choose different films for my Film Appreciation class, I decided to review the play before adding 'Night, Mother to my list. What a powerful play. It sheds light on a very difficult subject. Jesse, the main character, makes the decision to "get off the bus early" after careful thought. She shows that some people contemplate this critical experience probably more carefully than buying a house or a car. Her decision is hardly spontaneous or emotional, nothing that I imagined at all. The power of the read helped me to decide to buy the video later on. I also ended up buying a collection of Marsha Norman's other plays, hoping that I will duplicate the insight gained by reading this play.

Marsha Norman's 1983 Pulitizer Prize-winning 'NIGHT, MOTHER is frequently described as a play "about suicide." Although the play does indeed deal with suicide, this is actually a shallow designation; it is about a lot of things, but most particularly control: who has it, who wants it, and the extent a person will go to obtain it.

The play involves two characters: Thelma, an elderly woman, and Jessie, her middle-aged daughter. They have lived together in an isolated house on a rural road for a number of years. Thelma describes herself as "a plain country woman;" she enjoys life in a fundamental way, not expecting more than she already knows, watching television, knitting, nibbling at sweets, and enjoying regular visits from her son and his family. Jessie, who suffers from epilepsy and is divorced, has become something of a recluse, and her life consists largely of managing her mother's home and thinking on the past. One evening, as the play begins, Jessie informs Thelma that she has decided to kill herself right after she gives Thelma her weekly manicure.

Thelma does not take Jessie seriously at first; clearly there have been too many scenes between the two for Jessie's statement to have any real meaning for her. But Jessie is serious indeed, and over the course of an hour and a half the play evolves into a battle of wits, Jessie determined to kill herself, Thelma equally determined to prevent her from it. In the process, we learn quite a bit about the family and their lives and the various emotional and factual secrets the women have hidden from each other over the years.

The play is brilliantly constructed, performed in "real time" without any scene changes or intermission; the characters--and the equally vivid people they discuss but whom we never see--are equally well rendered. There are moments are laughter, even more moments of insight, but the play is progressively intense, progressively dark, with all the power of a noose that slowly tightens around your neck. One of the most fearsome bits of theatre of the past thirty years or so, easily the equal of such legendary works as Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is one of my favorite plays of all time. it's a great discussion on the issue of suicide. There's one line Ive always remebered: When the daughter is trying to justify the idea that she wants to off herslef, and she uses an illustration of someone riding the bus and riding the bus, and they could just stay on and ride it around the block another round, but why bother. It's really well written, and how the mother and dauther get along is interesting.

"'night, Mother" is a tour de force conversation between a mother, Thelma, and her daughter, Jessie, who has just told her that she is going to commit suicide at the end of the night. The play is a taut high-wire act that leaves you spellbound as Thelma tries to convince her daughter not to go through with it and Jessie sternly insists. Thelma and Jessie are extremely dimensional, deep characters with an achingly believable relationship. Through the course of their conversation it becomes apparent that there is a yawning chasm between them despite their seeming closeness, and while Thelma thinks that the two can put it right Jessie doesn't believe it -- or want to try. The fierce, emotional back-and-forth between Mother and daughter keeps you on the edge of your seat. The dialogue is very natural and believable, and the playwright, Marsha Norman, displays an extraordinary acuity for what her characters are feeling and have gone through to reach this point. Norman has crafted a devastating portrait of two women that leaves an enormous impact on the reader. I only finished it two hours ago, but I seriously doubt that "night, Mother" will be leaving my thoughts any time soon. Highly recommended -- but keep the Kleenex on hand, just in case.

BOOK ARRIVED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, AND THE SELLER DID SEND THIS BOOK ONE TIME.

Many people praise the poetry of Langston Hughes, but I believe that his prose is just as relevant in regards to social criticism, and as magnificent in form. Reading Simple's tall tales, and his anecdotes as he experienced Harlem reminded me of the stories my Grandparents told of how Chicago was during the great Northern Migration. This collection is a wonderful introduction to Jesse B. Simple

Collected here in this book is some of the BEST OF SIMPLE (Semple). Simple was a character first introduced in the Chicago Defender and one who quickly won over a diverse group of readers. Here you will find his talking buddy at Paddy's Bar, varying female characters who function as both pleasure and the occasional headache for Simple, and a generous offeringing of black country folk wisdom on a variety of topics, a few still with us today as when Simple first offered them up for thought. The reader piggybacks Simple through all his trials of life as a black man in Harlem and the U.S. Throughout it all, there is this inescapable sense of lonliness and despair which in the end is buoyed up with laughter, perseverance, and an eternal hope for better times to come.

James Baldwin said he could understand his father's rage and anger at whites, and, his mother's desire to build bridges of understanding and tolerance with whites through the character of Jesse B. Semple (Simple), Langston Hughes' most endearing character who is often called the black Aristotle. Baldwin's comment was perceptive because these two divergent views were embodied in Hughes himself and much of his body of work. (Hughes said that in the Simple stories it was often him having conversations with himself.) Hughes didn't hold a favorable view of whites in general as critics and others have already noted. He had too often been at the stinging end of injustice for being a proud African American while at the same time not being given the same treatment as less talented white writers within the same publishing house as himself. At the same time, unlike the rise of black militants he witnessed toward the last years of his life, he always understood that some whites where allies in a shared humanity and fight for justice with many blacks and should not be lumped into one large catagory as instigators of intolerance.

Like Simple, Hughes wanted to keep hope alive for better times ahead. The poem I DREAM A WORLD is a good example.

I love this book. Simple reminds me of all the men I know where there is that thin line of love and hate but you just can't help but love them and their wit. For anyone who needs a few good laughs and enjoys Langston Hughes you won't be dissapointed because Mr. Hughes truly does it all!

This is one of my favorite Langston Hughes books. His character Simple reminds me of one of my friends. Always bumming money for his vises and having women problems seems to be Simple's lot in life which he bears with hilarious results. Langston Hughes is funny as his put upon friend dealing with Simple's strange but oddly common sense philosphies about just about everything from feet to cops to women. This book is worth reading if for no other reason than that you will find that one of your friends is Simple in disguise.

I am now in my 6th year of running an enterprise in Tianjin, PRC. I wish I had had this book in the beginning, it would have saved a lot of grief. I can vouch for its usefulness to the manager entering China for the first time or anyone else, even an "old China hand" such as I. This is one of two books I highly recommend for anyone interested in doing business in China. I have ordered a book for both of my associate deans.

For perspective - I am part of a team investigating China and made my first trip to China 6 months ago. This book is well written and gives a good quick overview - it is weak on details, however my limited experience in China shows a very dynamic situation with each company different. Flexibility is key - this book will give an excellent foundation to be better prepared as business situations are approached. Each team member has purchased a copy of this book and it is frequently referenced as we work to clarify and grow our understanding in China

I bought a copy of The China Executive over Christmas holidays in 2006 to develop my understanding of China business. Since then, I have recommended other professors on China business this wonderful book, which contains almost everything we need to teach our students.

But the republication of Prof Michael Porter's "The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy" in the January 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review has compelled me to write this review.

Porter's five-force model has dominated courses on strategy in business schools since the article and his book Competitive Strategy were published in 1979 and 1980 respectively.

But a re-reading of Porter's article and a more careful reading of the last chapter of The China Executive has made me think that it is time to replace Porter's five-force model with Wang's five-force model.

Porter's five-force model is about competition to the extreme. According to Porter, strategy is about coping with competition; managers only regard their direct competitors as competition; as such, they should consider customers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitute products as four other competitive forces.

But such hyper-competitive thinking surely leads to corporate greed. As a company takes everybody as a competitor (or even enemy) and tries to do everything possible to maximize its own profits by minimizing others' (or even beating them down), its profitability may improve in the short term, but surely at some point in time it will crash because there will be nobody left who is happy to do business with it. Isn't Enron an example?

Furthermore, thinking around the five-force model does not lead to effective actions because all five forces are beyond a company's control. Competitors will always do what they like to do. Customers and suppliers are much better to be treated as partners, but still the world is so big that they can always choose somebody else. Whatever barriers to entry (from hundreds of millions of dollars for a car plant to thousands of dollars for a book publisher), new competitors will always come up. And who can stop substitute products from occurring?

By absorbing the strategic wisdom of Sun Tzu, whose 2,500-year-old book has proven to be the most insightful ever in the field of strategy, Wang has come up with his five-force model, which is presented in the last chapter of The China Executive.

The five strategic forces are: business purpose (the moral force of a business), business climate (the temporal force of a business), business location (the spatial force of a business), business organization (the organizational force of a business), and business leader (the command force of a business).

Consider business purpose. Isn't this or answer to the question of "to what extent, are we still creating real value for society?" what the new CEOs of Merrill Lynch and Citigroup should be contemplating? (By the way, Goldman Sachs has not exposed to the sub-prime crisis because it did not abandon itself to the lure of easy money - proof of the power of the moral force of a business.) Indeed, if they can somehow organize their thinking around what is important to creating that value despite all the incoming distractions, crisis and complexity crashing down all around them, then they will have a sustainable model for their business.

Overall, as the subtitle of Porter's article suggests, his model is about helping a company "stake out a position" within a precisely-defined local industry. It might well have been helpful to the largely predictable American industries in the early 1980s. But entering the 21 century and in a world that is now "flat", what American businesses face are the strategic challenges of how to cross national borders, how to understand local aspirations, how to have good partnerships...

In a word, strategic thinking in this new world is about how to prosper together rather than how to maximize one's own profits at the expense of others, and this is why I think Wang's model is more valuable and deserves to be published by Harvard Business Review.

I met Wei Wang at the Sixth Annual China Conference, held at the Port of Los Angeles on September 12-13. The conference (thechinaconference dot com), presented by Seattle-based, eighty-five-year-old Cargo Business News, not only provided each attendee with an autographed copy of Wang's book The China Executive but also had him give the closing keynote speech to several hundreds of executives from the global logistics industry. His speech, entitled China and the Human Side of Business and supported by a series of compelling slides, was the highlight of the entire conference.

In particular, I found his presentation of ancient Chinese wisdom (e.g. "Virtue is the root; wealth is the consequence", "Without self-interest, your interest succeed" and "Without expectations, you will be strong; with tolerance, you will be big.") extremely eye-opening. And if you don't know how to deal with your Chinese partner, this one will surely inspire you: "Before marriage know your partner's weaknesses; in marriage use your partner's strengths."

Of course, you will better understand the above with the help of his book, which I managed to read after the conference. And I must say that it is a pioneering book of real value and wide appeal!

Indeed, China's rise is transforming global politics, the global economy, and societies worldwide. So, everybody will arguably need to develop responses to meet the China challenge.

But first and foremost, business people worldwide - in particular Western business people due to our long-held superiority in the areas of technology and management - have to understand China if we want to achieve sustained business success in the age of globalisation, in which China is in the driving seat.

Wang's book contains everything you will need to know about China - above all what it means for business in a practical sense. Of course, the book's most original contribution is to connect Chinese civilisation with Western civilisation, thereby demonstrating the vital importance of combining intuition with analysis, leadership with management, relationships with results, and ultimately Chinese human-centered, integrated worldview with Western things-oriented, divided worldview.

I strongly recommend The China Executive because it has the potential to change how we see the world. And once we can see the world from a truly global perspective, every difficulty we experience in our endeavour to do business with China becomes an opportunity.

I highly recommend this book.

As a US business exec who has been traveling to China for over 5 years, I can honestly say this is one of the best books I've read for helpful and practical insight for executives traveling to China for business.

There are many books available that address cultural comparisons between East and West including both social, and business situations. However The China Executive focuses exclusively from a business perspective and more specifically; how to understand cultural perspectives and work with strengths in each to be the most communicative and effective in business dealings.

It is well written with an easy to read writing style. The cover text under the title "Marrying Western and Chinese Strengths to Generate Profitability from Your Investment In China" sums the book up quite well.