Wang Books

The compiler and translator of this book did a very good job of telling these entertaining stories of the martial arts world's most famous warriors. Complete with explanatory footnotes and English translations these tales are a wonderful reference for kung fu artists or Chinese history lovers alike. A great book with many stories that have never been told in English before.

The Sawyer translation of Wang Chen's T'ang Dynasty commentary on "Lao Tzu" (the "Tao Te Ching") as a guide to military and civil policy has been reissued in paperback by Westview (2003), as "The Tao of War," with Ralph D. Sawyer's name more prominently displayed than Wang Chen's, and a catalogue of Westview editions of Sawyer's books as an appendix of "Further Reading."

I have reviewed the Westview edition at greater length. Both editions consist of a translation of each of the eighty-one short chapters of the "Tao Te Ching", as understood by Wang Chen, followed by Wang Chen's commentary, and a modern explication of Wang Chen. General Wang Chen's book was written around 800 C.E., and is a departure from the better-known religious and philosophical readings of the Taoist classic. As Sawyer points out, however, it agrees in basic approach, if not in details, with a number of modern attempts to understand the book as a product of the Warring States period, and concerned with problems of society and government.

NOTE: The present volume should NOT be confused with a book by Diane Dreher, variously published as "The Tao of Peace: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Way of Peace and Harmony ," and "The Tao of Inner Peace: A Guide to Inner and Outer Peace."

This play was assigned for one of my college classes and quickly became one of the most memorable books I have read. Texas Trilogy, the story of a crumbling fraternal organization and the paralelled crumbling dreams of rural Texan families. This book explores the passage of time and more so, those who are left behind by their culture, family, and home. More than that, this is an amusing read that had me laughing out loud several times--something that usually only Oscar Wilde can do. I still wonder why this went out of print after recieving rave reviews at the time of its release. Perhaps the play has become a victim of the passage of time, the change of culture, that it so passionately expounds

This was a required reading for a graduate humanities class. John Keane's biography succinctly showed that Tom Paine (1737-1809) was the consummate revolutionary and a daring adventurer. Not only was he an important figure in the American Revolution, but he also traveled to France in 1791 to give that revolution a push. Paine traveled from England, just in time to stoke the flames of the revolution with his pamphlet Common Sense, in January 1776. To call Common Sense a sensation in the colonies is actually a bit of an understatement. It was an unparallel sensation and monumental work of Enlightenment rhetoric that quickly fanned the flames of rebellion throughout the colonies. In four months, over 120,000 copies were printed in the colonies--over 500,000 copies by years end. No other pamphlet printed in seventeenth century America came close to its success. Most importantly, Common Sense served to get the colonial patriots to drop their fear of open rebellion, and also emboldened those delegates who favored declaring independence from Britain. The delegates now had the confidence that a large segment of the colonists would support rebellion. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, the philosophical ideas in Common Sense are primarily from the English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704). The most moving quote from the pamphlet became quite prophetic, when one considers the impact it ultimately had on the delegates in the congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and on the world. "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.

This is not a new book. It was written during the Cold War, probably in the early Seventies. As such, one may assume that it would be outdated, but in fact, it gives a good perspective on the events which led to each of the three featured individuals being singled out by the established order after the 1949 revolution. For me, it is also interesting in another way. I don't believe that any of the three individuals would be harassed today in the same way they were then. These men were not criminals. But they all had a following that brought them to the attention of the Communist authorities.

During the late eighties and early nineties, a "revolution" swept through the Communist world. In Europe, it was represented most poignantly by the fall of the Berlin Wall. In China, by the events surrounding Tiananmen and the massive student protests that followed the death of Hu Yaobang. Tiananmen was suppressed, of course--we all know that history. But I have always said that the students lost the battle and won the war. China did change, as did the other Communist countries. In the Soviet Union, that change resulted in the Party losing power. In China, the Party stayed in power, but did not really stay Communist. When the Communists first took over in 1949, there really seemed to be the belief that Christianity (along with other religions) was "the opium of the people." As such, it was antithetical to the kind of system they were trying to set up, and Christian leaders, particularly those with a reputation as "true believers," were singled out for attack. But today, the emphasis is more on regulation and containment in an atmosphere of tolerance. China does not have American style religious freedom, and the leadership is still quite sensitive to any kind of foreign control of religion. But the general attitude is much more one of resignation to religion as a part of Chinese life. In that sense, this book is useful, because it was written before that change, and gives a very helpful insight into the contrast.

Even if you are not familiar with any of the three "mighty men" whose stories are told in this book, the narratives will be interesting to you. The stories are well told by someone who was very familiar with the events. I was most interested in the description of Watchman Nee, who is quite well known by Christians in the West because of the numerous devotional type books published under his name (most of them were actually transcribed lectures--Watchman Nee himself only wrote two books). Nee's writing and work was characterized by a strong reaction to the tendency of missionaries to export their own favorite schisms to China. But he was also known for his passionate belief in an indigenous Christianity, where authority was vested in local churches, not dictated by foreign mission boards. As such, he represented the true spirit of the "Three Self" movement long before the Communists set it up, and their persecution of him showed their own hypocrisy. When Christians from that era describe the Three Self movement as an agent of suppression, it is hard to argue with them. But it's not that way now. Things have changed. This book cannot, of course, describe that change. But it helps by giving a clear picture about the way things were, thus justifying Christian's who refused to be part of the Three Self movement, while at the same time showing, by contrast, that the present status quo is something fundamentally different.

Edward Ardizzone is skilled at describing children's adventures that are harrowing, exciting, and original. Tim is a nice boy and a loyal friend. He lives a comforting, cozy English daily life in a seacost town - and also has amazing adventures. Modern kids aren't awfully familiar with life at sea, and certainly no one my children knew could set out into the world in order to search for a friend who had left home. Ardizzone's locales and situations manage to seem exotic, yet totally reasonable. We were pulled into this story. The plot is complex enough, the action is convincing and, as usual with Ardizzone, the denouement is pleasing without being Milquetoast. The story can withstand repeated readings, which is a nice plus, since your child might want to hear it repeatedly. In addition the pen and ink drawings, with watercolor wash, are a constant treat for adults and kids.

Seen through the eyes of a Chinese-Canadian young girl, To Share One Moon is a children's picturebook about the Chinese Moon Festival, a holiday similar to Thanksgiving in North America, when celebrating families get together to admire the full moon while eating sweet moon cakes and enjoying good tea. Under the full moon, friends keep in contact, families are reunited, and separated loved ones reconnect. and absent loved ones are fondly remembered. The joyful illustrations portray the happy moments of the holiday through a child's eyes, as well as her sadness over the legend behind the Chinese Moon Festival, in which the Moon Lady is tragically separated from her husband. "Under the bright Mid-Autumn moon, I make three wishes and believe they will be granted: I wish that this full moon has the magic power to hold families together. I wish that the Moon Lady will eventually return to her husband, who is still awaiting her on earth. And I wish that all loved ones, no matter where they are, will look up at this full moon tonight and think of each other with a tender heart."

I've read this book occasionally and found it really fascinating. As a sociological analysis of tourism, the author successfully applies modern social theories to offer readers alternative perspectives. Obviously, Prof. Wang is familiar with works of Bourdieu, Baudrillard and so on, so that he can jump in and out postmodern theories freely and wonderfully shows the complex relationship between tourism and modernity. The book has been translated into Korean recently, but not yet into Chinese, which I think is really a pity for readers in the motherland of this author.

Tracers is a compelling, harsh funny and moving look at the Vietnam War, as told by men who fought there. Originally developed through psychodrama workshops, the play takes several archetypal soldiers- the black militant, the scared kid, the hippie soldier, and places them in a series of vignettes that are frighteningly realistic in what the young men of the 60s and 70s went through in Vietnam. A must read!

I'm a lmt and through school we were introduced to TCM. This book is easy to read and follow with great discription of the points and how to manipulated them. It also show you how to treat a variety of illnesses design your own treatment protocol and how often to treat. Excellent for westerners easy to understand.