Drury University Books

As a great (x3) grandson of Eliza Spalding, I found this book (and "Memoirs of the West", by Eliza's daughter) to be very hard to put down. When I did, all I wanted to do was tell my daughters about the women in their family. I came across this book doing a search of ancestors, and benefitted greatly from the work done by Karen Rico, whose review is above.

This is a story of tough people, who, amazingly, held on to their religious convictions through every test possible, even the threat of ugly death. Once again, truth is more outrageous than fiction.

As a great-great-greatdaughter of eliza hart spalding, I found the book very informative and enlightening. I never realized the perils and problems that being the first white women in a land of natives that could be encountered. Both Narcissa and Eliza had courage and strength even though they seemed to have different personalities. The author was very informative and he backed his findings whenever possible with historical fact and copies of letters and diaries. I found that I was able to visualize the trek across the country and the life that these women had to endure by being missionaries. The author even noted the problems between Catholics and Protestants during that time.

As Eliza Spalding's great-great grandaughter, I was deeply moved by the account given of Eliza and Narcissa's journey into the rugged and primitive Northwest territory in 1836. In our current age of technology, where knowledge of the unknown comes to us in full color without direct experience, it is unimaginable to consider two young women,driven from family and loved ones by their devout spritual quest,brave enough to endure the rigors of exploration. Mr. Drury's words both enlightened me and filled me with pride to be connected to one of these relatively unknown heroines. I will recommend this book to my high school students, to draw on the example of the courageous role modeling illustrated by the lives of both Eliza and Narcissa. In light of their fearless independence and their unparalled commitment to a cause greater than themselves, they teach us much about the human spirit. One may need to rethink the origin of the women's liberation movement as the pages of this book are turned, revealing the strength and enduring power of Eliza and Narcissa.

An excellent resource and window into the lives that went on inside theses houses. The angry part happens when you read that when the 1975 edition was published, it was discovered that only 34 of the 100 houses noted in the 1941 edition were still standing (most due to incompetent planning and lack of developer foresight). In 2005, the record is even worse.

I've never seen Brazil's Carnival, nor have I attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The last time I checked, though, they both were extremely colorful and exciting. People seemed to be having a lot of fun. If you're looking for even a faint echo of that, give this book a wide berth. DaMatta shuns almost any sort of description at all. He is SERIOUS ! This is a most academic book, meant not for general anthropologists, but for specialists in the study of ritual. For them, I would say this is a five star book---intelligent, imaginative, and interesting. If you plan to do studies of major rituals in any society---from the Balinese cockfight to the Spanish bullfight, from North Korean mass pictures in stadiums to the Ram Lila in north India---you will find this rock-hard analysis most useful and thought-provoking. You will be able to break off flints that will light fires in your research to come or make you re-analyze the research you have already completed. DaMatta not only delves into the meanings of all aspects of Carnival and how they reflect Brazilian society at large, but he ties his work to many of the past greats---Van Gennep, Durkheim, Leach, Turner, Geertz---and other, less known Brazilian social scientists' work as well.

He calls the Carnival "a multidimensional festival", with meaning on a number of levels. He contrasts the Brazilian one with the New Orleans Mardi Gras in one very erudite chapter and points out that if we examine both closely, we see that they are almost opposite in meaning. In Brazil, he compares Carnival with a military parade on Independence Day and with the religious processions that occur frequently during each year. Location or social space, dress, behavior---everything is grist for the mill. He stresses many times that `inversion' is the most salient aspect of Carnival. He has chapters on hierarchy in Brazilian society and on those who slip through the cracks--rogues, who might be heroes in fact. Without a great knowledge of Brazilian society (though I have read a number of books on it, and avidly consumed Amado, Machado de Asis, da Cunha, and other Brazilian writers over the years), I cannot say if I agree or disagree with the author's analysis. It is impressive, but extremely hard going. I found the discussion of ritual very valuable. DaMatta tried and succeeded in writing a theoretical book to rival those of earlier masters. His location in Brazil and writing in Portuguese probably precludes him being widely-known. His style reminds one of many French social-theorists. Yes, I mean only the most determined reader will make it to the end of CARNIVALS, ROGUES, AND HEROES. That's the sole reason why I have awarded an otherwise good book only three stars.

The Female Face in Patiarchy: Oppression As Culture specifically explores the female participation in oppression by the Catholic Church and, thereby, slightly explores the oppression of women in American and Brazilian cultures generally. Without women's support the exploitation of women would cease in short order according to the authors of this scholarly work. Women not only support the supression of women in the Catholic Church, but actively supress women attempting to change the condition for themselves and others. The book is a radically feminist report that I would recommend to my Catholic friends and people in general. We all need to take a closer look at the condition we live in and take part in. There are times when a radical look will capture our attention more quickly than a subtle one. This is one. Can we afford to wait?