University of Nebraska Books

Very interesting book,although my favorite by this author is still "The Earth Abides". This book obviously pre-dates today's doppler radar systems, and deals with the evolving art of weather forecasting. The fact remains that George R. Stewart was a very accomplished writer, and could be counted as a very creative storyteller.

For most, weather happens! It affects our lives in countless ways and sometimes wreaks havoc on them. Unless one personally experiences the sheer violence of weather like a tornado or a hurricane, we go along just being inconvenienced by it and muttering how it forced cancellation of the picnic or the golf game. Stewart's novel is a wonderful story of the seeming innocence of an obscure storm system developing far, far away that eventually will dramatically impact men's and women's lives in western United States. The people stories are poignant and suspensful as each is tied to this relentless and powerful storm as it develops and makes it's way to our shores. One gains tremendous appreciation and respect for the patterns, intensity and often times the unpredictable nature of weather -

The book was written in 1940. I read it in February 1943 at the U. of Wisconsin. Unaware that I needed glasses, I had been rejected by the Army Air Corps as a possible fighter pilot. I stumbled into weather forecasting as a bad second choice, having no interest at all in weather. This small book, given to me by the Army, instantly converted me into an avid, aspiring meteorologist. I am so glad Amazon.com recently found a used copy for me.

The novel is unusual in its construction. The storm called Maria (this book started the custom of giving storms feminine names) is the all imposing, domineering character in the story. There are 12 chapters, one for each day in the life of the storm. Each chapter has 6-12 subchapters that tell of the two or three dozen human characters who are in the plot. We know most of them by job title, not by name. Maria connects them all together in an ever rising crescendo that reminds me of Ravel's Bolero.

This is a unique book, as there are no real characters other than the storm of the title. The story traces the birth, approach and impact of a storm, and the effect on persons and communities in its path. It is the literary equivalent of the disaster movies of the 1970's and 1980's (presaging them by several decades). Tightly written with the irresistable forward movement of a storm front, it an interesting, and surprisingly educational story. Although a bit dated, weather itself (the main character) has not changed, thus it remains current. Truly a novel novel.

A must read for anyone who knows and loves the big california storms- you know who you are. For the rest of you, it chronicles the lifespan of one of the big pacific storms.

I have been writing for over forty years, and it seems to me I might have done better with it all had I paid more attention to one central piece of advice given in this book, the advice about listening to the reader, caring to communicate with the reader, learning from the reader's reaction.
This book is a very friendly guide to the writer and would - be- writer. It is written with a clearness and common sense and real concern for helping out 'others'. Its spirit, its unpretentiousness, clarity are all in its favor.
The authors teach the value of writing every day, of concentrating on communicating with the reader. They also have a section on the business of getting oneself published. They advise against trying to go over the head of the reader with dazzling displays of knowledge or virtuosity, and instead communicating to the reader. They suggest that much good writing comes from everyday life, and is about telling stories of everyday life in a winning way. They go into details of the writing process to show how to make it more effective.
This is a small book with much in it.

This book is excellent for someone who may have inhibitions when it comes to expressing themselves in their writing...someone who just needs a slight push to feel less apprehensive. I felt it was more for someone who just started writing or who wants to write, but has been too afraid vs. someone whose seriously looking to improve their craft.

This is not your every day how-to book about writing. Nor is it a writing text book. It's a solid, easy to follow guide to get you writing after all the years of saying you wish you could. It won't guarantee you'll be published. But it will give you realistic suggestions that if followed will help you improve your writing.
Co-author Ted Kooser follows his own advice: he communicates. To Kooser, all writing is communication and if it's poorly written communication fails. Kooser is a former Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. He is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln. Joining Kooser is Steve Cox who is an editor, publisher, freelance writer and director emeritus of the University of Arizona Press.
The 177 pages of the book are full of useable information for any writer--published or unpublished. Nine sections cover every aspect of writing from "What Do You Know?" to "Copyright, Libel and Invasion of Privacy."
Composition teachers will shudder at the section entitled: "Rules? We Don' Need No Stinkin' Rules!" Kooser and Cox quote author Elmore Leonard: "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can't allow what we learned in English to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative."
Aaagh! Miss Spencer who taught Comp 101 would have a coronary!
"Many writers have been tempted to tell you everything they have learned about writing...Writing is a capacious activity that allows for a lot of individuality. Nobody's wrong, and nobody's necessarily right," the authors write.
Most new writers don't grasp the importance of revising. Kooser and Cox write: "It's a rare first draft that can be published or even read in public. Almost every piece of writing needs some rewriting, rethinking, and polishing before it is ready to take center stage." Their suggestion on the importance of revising is to "let it [draft] cool" a while before revising.
Stephen King, the authors point out, sets the first draft of his books aside for six weeks before writing the second draft.
The personality of your writing can determine your own personality, they write: "Expressing yourself positively will have a remarkable effect on your life...It turns out that writing positively leads you into the habit of thinking positively, and thinking positively leads you to behaving positively in other areas of your life."
The focus of the book is how to get started writing, how to keep going and how to get publicity. It does a good job of meeting that goal.

Good book to get beyond those vague fears about expressing oneself with the written word. Encouraging and helpful, I would recommend this book to any new writer who just needs a little boost.

Imagine sitting down for coffee (or tea) with the U.S. Poet Laureate (who just won a Pulitzer) and a well respected author, editor and publisher and having them tell you how you can write better. This book does it. Conversational, fun, and full of wisdom and encouragement. Will you snag your Pulitzer? Probably not. But, if you take these guys' advice and start writing, there's a good chance that you'll have some words on paper that other people might just treasure long into the future.

Jay Rochlin

I'll put this simply: if you are what we in the art world call "artsy-fartsy," you will enjoy this book, as the writing is poetic and full of descriptive emotion. But if you're just looking for a good read, pass this one on by. It will confuse the living daylights out of you. But if you must, do some back ground work on the author and maybe a little on the subject herself. Good luck!

Atemisia Gentileschi, born in Rome in 1598, is one of the most fascinating figures in the history of art, though very little is known about her life. The daughter of a painter herself, Artemisia painted beautiful scenes of the women of Roman and biblical history even though she could neither read nor write.

Artemisia had, to put it mildly, a turbulent personal life. She was discredited in a rape trial, betrayed by her own father and abandoned by her husband. Her professional life, however, was far different. She was the first woman admitted to the prestigious Florentine Academy; she established a successful art school in Naples; she raised her daughter on her own and supported herself financially during a time when a woman's life was defined only by home, husband, children and the Church.

Although the above is about the sum total of all that's known about Artemisia Gentileschi's life, writer, Anna Banti, managed to flesh out these bare bones facts into one of the triumphs of 20th century Italian literature.

"Artemisia" is definitely not a biography or even a fictionalized one. It is not a historical work; in fact, the setting of this book is definitely ahistorical. It consists of an amazing dialogue between the author and Artemisia. There are, as way I see it, three levels in this book: the experiences of Artemisia, the experiences of the author and a blending of the two, to make a very fascinating third.

The very essence of this book consists of Artemisia's travels, all made for the sake of her art. Included are the young Artemisia's traumatic experiences in Rome, her marriage, her years of success in Naples, her long and undoubtedly arduous journey to England and back again to her native Italy.

One of the things that makes this book so powerful is Banti's constant authorial intrusion, a device that would weaken (or destroy) more conventional novels. Moving back and forth from the thrid to the first person, Banti holds fascinating conversations with Artemisia. This leads to a captivating, but very complex, narrative. As the dialogue between author and subject intensifies, Banti complicates matters even further.

In 1944, when the first version of "Artemisia" was nearly complete, events of the war caused it to be destroyed. The "Artemisia" of the first version constantly intrudes on the "Artemisia" of the second version, however. Confusing? No, not really. Banti is far too good a writer for that. Complex? Yes. And lyrical and skillful and fragile.

Despite the fact that this is not a historical novel, it is highly atmospheric. There are no detailed descriptions to weigh down the weightless quality of Banti's lyricism, but there are many vivid images of 17th century Rome, Naples, Florence, France.

No matter how fast you usually read, "Artemisia" is a novel that should be read slowly. This is a demanding book that requires much concentration on the part of the reader, but this concentration will be richly rewarded.

There is a vague, circular quality about this book and, in a sense, it ends where it began. In reality, however, nothing is known about Artemisia Gentileschi's life after her return to Italy from England.

This book is complex, intricate, self-reflective and extremely lyrical. Although it has an ephemeral, gossamer quality, it succeeds wonderfully in bringing Artemisia Gentileschi to life in a vivid and wonderful manner.

This is an extremely well-written and moving account of Artemisia. It is a modernist novel and is a dialogue between the the narrator and Artemisia. I highly recomend it.

This is a haunting tale of a woman painter on the skirts of history. Anna Banti intertwines not only fiction with history, but also past and present and her own life with that of Artemesia. The story encompases a number of years and is written in a stream of conscious manner. It is not fully understood until the end. The reader becomes wraped up in the mystery that the author has created.

Anna Banti's first draft of this work of love and devotion was destroyed in WWII. It concerns Italian painter Artemisia Bentileschi. While few concrete facts are known about her, she has fascinated art historians for centuries. Anna Banti, when she began writing her manuscript for the 2nd time, was influenced by her own experiences, and she elected to challenge the boundaries of traditional biography. Artemisia is fleshed out. Neither true biography (obvious, given the paucity of facts) nor historical fiction, Artemisia dives into spurts of detail to capture the feelings and images of `truth,' rather than to pin down verifiable `facts.' Such is the new genre: creative nonfiction, tho Banti definitely and admittedly takes liberties. Truth With Privileges would be a good description.
Artemisia is a rich, complex, and extremely thought-provoking book that demands the reader's careful attention.
Spectacular, but challenging.

An excellent biography of Branch Rickey and his accomplishments during the first 65 years of the 20th century.
It is a fascinating story of his life,life in America,a history of baseball and the social mores of the era.
Fascinating reporting on the recruitment and emergence of Jackie Robinson.

Lee Lowenfish has written a fabulously researched book that is an entry point into the history of baseball since the start of the 20th century. Yes, I knew that Branch Rickey ran the Dodgers and hired Jackie Robinson, breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. I didn't know, however, that he started his career in St. Louis and as I read this easy to like book, I began sending copies to people I thought would be interested.

I'm 65 (born in 1943) and started listening to New York baseball games in the car with my Dad starting in about 1948. As we drove, we'd hear the Yankees and the Giants and the Dodgers. Did I know that I was listening to history as Jackie Robinson ran the bases?

Many of my friends are 20 years older than I am. I thought that this book would bring back wonderful memories for them and I was right.

Imagine, to date I've sent 18 books as gifts to people from New York, St. Louis, Los Angeles. Everyone has been reading and loving Lowenfish's book.........each for a different reason.

SO BUY THE BOOK ALREADY.

While every major league team is required to retire Jackie Robinson's #42, the Lords of Baseball might also consider having every team display a pair of rimless glasses, an unlit cigar and a bow tie in memory of Branch Rickey. Until that happens, Lee Lowenfish's book stands as an excellent and precise memorial.

Robinson's contribution to baseball and American history is undeniable, but he was acting, to some extent, in his best self-interest. Rickey's self-interest, as normally defined, however, would have been to continue to bar the door to African American participation in the big leagues, while denying the door was even shut. This was the path of his fellow baseball decision-makers, for decades.

Rickey defined his self-interest in broader, even spiritual terms. He was several kinds of paradox: a muscular Christian, a country gentleman who lived and worked in the biggest cities, a tee-totaler who constantly supported and even loved rascals like Leo Durocher, Dizzy Dean and Pepper Martin.

Mr. Lowenfish, in addition to being a fine baseball maven and historian, is also a professorial-grade expert on American History. He combines these areas of expertise smoothly, giving depth and meaning to the various events and decisions in Rickey's life. He weaves details from inside baseball and culture into a deeply textured whole.

He also does not see the world in terms of cardboard heroes and villains, a particularly rare and useful point of view when it comes to this story, which has so much genuine and well documented heroism. Lowenfish reports on Happy Chandler, Lee Mac Phail, Ben Chapman, even that original baseball Satan, Walter O'Malley, by treating them as real people with complex motives, instead of mere evil-doers put in the world specifically for Robinson and Rickey to overcome.

Give Robinson, who walked through the door, all the credit in the world. But also credit he who opened the door. Lee Lowenfish does so in the way that Rickey himself would have most admired: by showing the human beings behind the myths.

If you consider yourself a baseball fan you need to read this book, because Branch Rickey was an integral part of the game's history. The book is 600 pages long, but the reading style flowed easily for me, and held my interest throughout the book. The legal profession's loss was baseball's gain as he devoted practically his entire life to serving the game while serving others at the same time. He spoke his mind and rubbed some people the wrong way, but this conservative Republican knew a wrong when he saw it, and opened up the game of baseball to the Negro race when other owners dared not disrupt the status quo. After a stint at coaching at the University of Michigan where he encountered who he deemed one of his two favorite players, George Sisler, he moved on to St. Louis to cover the lowly Browns where he worked under his favorite superior, Robert Hedges. From there it was to the Cardinals where he placed his stamp on the Redbirds successful teams of the mid-1930s Gashouse Gang, and early 1940's which were under the ownership of Sam Breadon. From there it was on to Brooklyn where he made history by signing Jackie Robinson along with others who would become stars of Roger Kahn's book "The Boys of Summer" during the 1950s. Following the 1950 season he left the Dodgers following a power struggle with "The Big O", Walter O'Malley. The Pittsburgh Pirates came calling, and once again Rickey built a cellar-dwelling franchise into a championship 1960 team with players such as Dick Groat and stealing an unprotected Roberto Clemente from the Dodgers' minor league system. Rickey's last stop was back in St. Louis when Cardinals' owner "Gussie" Busch hired Rickey as a consultant. This proved an unwise move on the part of both Busch and Rickey. Rickey clashed with Redbird general manager "Bing" Devine who was in the process of building a winner in St. Louis. Rickey wanted Stan Musial to retire, certainly an unpopular suggestion where The Man reigned supreme. Rickey died in November of 1965 while making a speech in Columbia, Missouri. I remember listening to it on St. Louis radio station KMOX. This book is filled with legendary baseball characters such as Larry MacPhail, Red Barber, Leo Durocher, "Pepper" Martin (Rickey's other favorite player), Clyde Sukeforth, Rogers Hornsby, Frankie Frisch, Connie Mack, and numerous others. Incidentally, I was disappointed to learn that Mack was the only owner who protested to Rickey personally regarding the signing of Robinson. Mack is quoted, "I used to have respect for Rickey. I don't have any more." Mack added that his Athletics would not play the Dodgers in Florida if Robinson came with them. Don't be intimidated by the length of the book. To adequately cover Rickey's life it needs to be a lengthy book. If you enjoy baseball history this book will be a breeze. Treat yourself! You will also enjoy Rickey's quotations which are still appropriate today.

Let me touch on that last first.

Branch Rickey may have used the term "ferocious gentlemen" about various people he appreciated. It certainly was NOT used regularly of others about him, definitely not to the point where it became a moniker.

But, Lowenfish tags Rickey with it, and uses it of him about every 10-15 pages. It's grating, it's off-putting, and does nothing to move the story line forward. Nor does it do anything for me in a good sense of establishing Lowenfish as a special author.

There's a few small errors of fact in the book. Most notably, the 1948 Chicago Tribune headline was "Dewey DEFEATS Truman" and not "Dewey BEATS Truman."

Other than that, while not leaden, the style of the book is not crisp, either.

As far as content, the book could either have been written a bit tighter and be 50 pages shorter, or else have been longer and more jam-packed. Rickey's Brooklyn years and especially his relationship with Walter O'Malley come immediately to mind. What first set them off against one another? Did Rickey have any quotable comments about O'Malley? Ditto for O'Malley about Rickey.

In other words, this book isn't bad as a Rickey bio -- if you can get past Lowenfish's writing tics. But, there's surely a more compelling -- and better written -- book available.

As a former Armor officer I was captivated immediately. This is a story by a soldier's soldier. The stories are incredible, the action non-stop throughout. Colonel Loza is a true hero and warrior who tells a great story, albeit not in the flowing, perfect prose of the ivory tower historian, but that is what makes if all the more gut wrenching and believable. All tankers should read this one!

Colonel Loza commanded a unit of M4 Sherman tanks in the Red Army against the Nazis on the Eastern Front in WWII. Much maligned in most accounts, the "emcha", as the Russians called it, served very well for their purposes. The USSR received thousands of Shermans from the US as part of FDR's plan to support the Russian war effort. As told by Colonel Loza, the Sherman had a number of advantages over its German opponents. The Sherman was highly reliable, able to operate for long intervals with minimum maintenance. Complex German tanks, on the other hand, were in need of constant repair and servicing. Also, the Shermans had superior cross-country mobility, allowing them to cover ground that their opponents couldn't cross. This also gave them avenues of approach that the Germans sometimes left open, certain that tanks couldn't negotiate the terrain. Finally, the version of the Sherman that the Russians used had dual diesel engines. By running on only one engine, they had reduced speed, but also a very reduced noise signature. This permitted the Russians to make several successful night attacks on unsuspecting German units, sneaking up to practically point-blank range, where the German tanks' superior armor and firepower were negated.

After Germany's defeat, Colonel Loza's unit was transferred to Mongolia to chase the remaining Japanese units from Manchuria and to accept their surrender. Although they didn't see any real combat, the Shermans were on the road for extended periods covering the vast desert landscape, and their reliability was a real virtue.

This book is written in an engaging first person style, and reads almost like a novel rather than history. WWII fans and history buffs will definitely want to add this to their lists. Enthusiastically recommended.

During WW2, the United States shipped a whole lot of Lend Lease material to the Soviet Union, and included in this equipment was a total of about 5,000 tanks. Most of those shipped were diesel-powered M4A2 Sherman tanks (emchas to their Soviet crews, after an abbreviation of the Russian pronunciation of M4) and this book is the memoir of the service of an officer who rode several of these tanks from the Ukraine to Czechoslovakia, then across the Gobi Desert to Mukden. It's well-written (not always a hallmark of Soviet war memoirs) and full of wonderful anecdotes, from whiskey bottles in the gun breeches to problems with the rubber-covered tracks and the high center of gravity. Strangely, Loza has more good things to say about the Sherman tank than Belton Cooper, who wrote Death Traps (which I just read). Cooper thinks the tanks were no match for their German counterparts, Loza argues that used properly, emphasizing speed and maneuverability, they could and did stand up to the Panthers and even Tigers tolerably well. The book includes several incredible stories, the sort of thing you wouldn't believe if the author hadn't witnessed the events themselves, and concludes with a bizarre kamikaze attack by Japanese planes on the tank column. My one gripe is that at points you feel you're missing something with regards to the author's private life (at one point he mentions that he has a family now, but you hear nothing of that otherwise; mention of his wounding and the events surrounding it are very sketchy) but that doesn't really merit a drop in my rating from the highest.

I found the book quite entertaining. It is also an answer to the critics who have condemned the Sherman Tank because of inferior armament and armor compared to the heavy Russiann and German tanks. The author confirms as Patton found that if the advantages of the tank, speed, reliability, high fire rate, off road capability and etc. are utilized that it could and did massacre its now more highly regarded counterparts.

I've always been interested as to how the people who used our World War II equpment, (not always the epitome in state-of-the-art), thought about the quality of what they received. It seems that the author had a high regard for the M-4 Sherman Tank, and this was from a national whose nation's specialty was the design and production of great tanks. He gives a fair comparison on the good and poor attributes of the Sherman and the application of that weapon in many battles and locales: from Europe to Asia. (Too bad the M-4 had such a small cannon compared to the German Tigers and Panthers: But precision shooting by the Soviets made up for the discrepancy). I learned a lot and am glad that Mr. Loza helped fill a need for information on this subject. (I was surprised that the Sherman was thought of so highly!) I would have rather had more details and depth in his book...but he wrote it terse, direct, and to the point (like the Romans used to style their military works...notab! ly Caesar). I heartily recommend it to anyone.

One has to admire the courage of the translator. To tackle Celine's astonishing (poetic) raving and make it come through and together, so that you keep on reading, is quite an accomplishment.
Everything is here, au pair with the best of Celine's book-rants. What madness!
In retrospect, Celine defintely looms like one of the elect few grandmasters of the 20th century writing. Perhaps the greatest 20th centrury French author in the grand tradition going back to Rabelais and over to les poets maudits (Rimbaud, Verlaine, Baudelaire).
What raving genius!

Celine once wrote that those who don't imitate him are doomed, that he is Literature's favorite child. He's right. Fable for Another Time is proof. I'm in awe of this novel - it's a lot like the brilliant "Castle To Castle," only denser, perhaps too dense for a mass audience. He's at the peak of his literary talent here, but he's also been driven insane by his time in the Danish prison and the death sentence that hung over him in France, and that insanity hasn't yet settled down to the cranky humor of "Castle." A novel to re-read and re-read for the sheer pleasure, bile and beauty of it all.

Celine is at it again in *Fable for Another Time,* this time spitting and spewing from a Danish prison cell where he's been thrown while the French try to decide what to do with him--pardon him, or execute him for collaborating with the Nazis. For his part, Celine maintains his innocence and shows no remorse for anything--instead he's filled with characteristic disgust and bitterness at the hypocrisy of those who condemn him. The personal vendettas indulged in here in scathing diatribes risk turning *Fable* into a scandalous gossip column about people long dead and who the average reader needs extensive footnotes to even identify. This is always the risk of Celine's later work, especially when he turns his attention from the rottenness of the human race as a whole, and focuses on the rottenness of particular specimens instead.

In *Fable,* Celine attacks his enemies against a refrain of lamentation of the hardships of prison life--the bellowing lunatic in the next cell, chronic constipation ((he hasn't gone in two weeks as he never tires of telling us--so you can only imagine the mood he's in!)), hunger, and constant physical threat, as well as loneliness, hopelessness, and grinding mental and physical collapse. But it's not all gloom and doom from the pit. As Celine himself remarks, he's full of humor--jokes and gags are his specialty, just what the doctor ordered, the way Celine transcends the horror and injustice. He interrupts his pell-mell narrative with periodic sales pitches to an imaginary readership to buy *Fable* --and to buy it often. Three or four copies per reader aren't too many! The general public, though, he sadly acknowledges, reads only mindless garbage. A long soliloquy on a preoccupation with rectal health and a fear of cancer is grimly hilarious, especially poignant if one tends to hypochondria--and tellingly metaphoric: we should all pull our heads out, if you catch my drift. And Celine's antic portrait of an infamously lecherous and legless Montmartre artist who has compromised even Celine's beloved Lili is perhaps the highlight of the entire volume.

Curiously, *Fable* combines what is best in Celine with what is weakest--at least from a contemporary reader's point of view. As a who's who of contemptuous stinkers of a bygone day it's always at the risk of arousing the apathy of old gossip about the largely forgotten. As a comic and picaresque adventure of peculiar characters and outrageous situations it's hugely entertaining. But it's as one man's indignant rant against the crumminess and inhumanity of humanity that it remains both hilarious and relevant. If you look even closer, you also see what is so often missed in Celine: the power of the human will to turn tragedy into comedy and to transmute life, if not into something actually worth living, at least into something a little more bearable. In that, Celine is priceless.

For a novel whose translator takes some pain in all but describing as untranslatable, one wonders what is missed from Celine's original. One suspects a lot--one fears Celine himself. Nonetheless, a text that Celine fans will want to read, *Fable for Another Time* contains enough of what is timeless in Celine to still be rewarding.

Brilliant ! And very relevent to our day and age.

As the preface says - "for animals, for the sick, for prisoners".

Bebert the cat was the most sympathetic figure I could find in the book.

I couldn't book the book down.

I really enjoyed Fable For Another Time. If you are a big fan of Celine's work you will too! The book moves rapidly as the main character tells his tale of time spent in a prison. I think out of all of Celine's novels, the one shows the most about him.

The story of the young Frenchman who murdered his family is a fascinating piece of documentary work by Foucault and his student assistants. However, I would have liked to know much more about how they interpret this "unusual" behavior.

The reason Foucault is not attempting to interpret Riviere's deeds is NOT to show simply how "people respond to a crime", as a previous reviewer put it. By publishing this collection of texts, Foucault was attempting to recover the struggles and plays of forces between juridical and psychiatric discourses in their attempt to make sense of the murders and the murderer. The legal and psychiatric discourses attempt to envelop Riviere's own account of his deeds in various power relations (mainly by marginalizing Riviere's voice as either that of a parricide or that of a madman). Had Foucault interpreted Riviere's deeds, he would have subjected them to strategies similar to those employed by the medical and legal experts.

This is a fascinating collection (don't skip Foucault's introduction though!), but a reader would definitely appreciate it more after reading Discipline and Punish or "Two Lectures" in Foucault's Power/Knowledge.

First don't be mislead Foucault has a paper in this work, but acts as editor not author. Having said that, it is another great work by Foucault.

Okay, the reason why Foucault did not interpet the reasoning behind the crime was because the issue of guilt or innocence was not his topic. He was more interested in how people treat crimes and approach the issue of criminality.

It is not Riviere who is at trial *again* in Foucault's book, but rather it is a trial described, which could be any trial. A crime after the fact is a story, a memory for those who were involved, but we all become involved in an event as if it were a story we have heard before. What other way to approach a murder that is to us words and the heaving bosom of a witness, the placid tension of the accused? We confront a forced performance with confused or feigned characterizations.

Yet even said, this is not Foucault, nor what Foucault was reaching for. All Foucault does is show how people act in response to crime and reveal the obvious ploys that repeat themselves throughout history, because the story that composes our lives has not died.

And if a man approached you with a mark on him, and claimed to have killed his brother, and the soil did cry out to you, would you raise your hand against him?

This book is a good accompanyment to his work Discipline and Punish.

It is early in February, 2001. Can it be said that America is in love with its Serial Killers? Sure. With the range of "Reality TV" and movies, the writing is on the wall. What about a healthy alternative to all this bloodbath? What about a truelly intellectual examination into the complexity of the criminal mind. Part Dostoyevsky, part unbelievable, "I, Pierre Riviere, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister, and My Brother ... : A Case of Parricide in the Nineteenth Century" is a highly thought provoking analysis of the social construction of the criminal. The book guides you through the labyrinth/maze that is the criminal justice system and the mechanism involved in the prosecution of the criminal. The book is comprehensive, it includes testimony (from several angles), a suspect written confession, trial examination and post archival examination. Foucault has brought together through his talent to uncover archives and present them in an interesting manner. If you are looking for an alternative without sacrificing the excitement of a murder mystery - this is your entry ticket to the Post Modern examination of crime. Nothing less than 5 stars!

THis is one of the few books dedicated solely to exposing the hoax that is the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' text. This author shows definitevly how it was created by the Czars men to discredit Judaism and cause progroms against the powerful Jews of Moscow and Odessa.

This book is an importnat book in the pnathyon of books that seek to explain anti-semitism. Recently the 'Elder' text has had a comback as it has been reprinted in its most viscous form, with no introduction explasining its fabircation, in Muslim countries like Egypt and Saudi and at least one un-truthful copy can be purchased on this website. Its sad to see these anti-semetic texts are still in circulation and widely beleived to be true by the ignorant and the hateful. This book helps unmask the ignorant and shed light on the fabrication that is the 'Elders' Text

A good read, highly recommended.

Segel's attempt to discredit the Protocols is successful, as is his exposition of its origins and effects on modern society. However, his writing is wrought with sarcasm and fallacious appeals to popularity. His passion is overwhelming at times, distracting the reader from the core points with bombastic remarks. This topic should be required reading due to the serious implications of the fraud of the Protocols, but readers would be best served to find a version by a different author.

Just because Henry Ford got suckered into beleiving the Protocols hoax, doesn't mean you have to be taken for a fool. This book is a well-written, well-researched, clear explanation of the history of the Protocols, demonstrating once and for all that it was a forgery. (If you insist on reading the Protocols anyway, then buy this to go along with it.)

Once while discussing the mythical "Religious Right" on an e-list, Ann Coulter's debunking of the myth in her book _Slander_ came up.

"Of course she'd say it doesn't exist," a young liberal observed. "She belongs to it."

We see the same reaction in neo-Nazis towards attempts to discredit the equally absurd "the Protocols are authentic" myth.

"Of course a Jew would say there's no Jewish conspiracy -- what do you expect from a Jew?"

We live in an age where Holocaust victims are dying, costing us their first-hand information. And at least one member of the House of Representatives (Cynthia McKinney, D-GA) uses the words "Jew" and "Israeli" interchangeably during her antisemitic rants (Ms McKinney has even blamed Jews for causing her to lose a primary in 2002; sadly, she's back in office).

Like books against Communism, we need to have books against antisemitism, too. And this one is a great book.

This is Richard Levy's 1995 translation of Segel's 1926 abbreviated version of his original (1924) longer, more scholarly work, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Critically Illuminated. It is a point-by-point refutation of this fraudulent document, and an indispensable reference. It is indexed, and includes a chronology of the hoax, as well as an updated bibliography. This particular edition includes an introduction by translator Richard S. Levy that would be worth a volume of its own. The following is based on that introduction.

While Segel's work is authoritative, Levy recognizes that logical, scholarly examination of this fraud has had little effect:

"The patent absurdity of the [Protocols] has had little or no bearing on its credibility for a large and varied public. ... devastating and authoritative judgments have failed to put an end to the book."

Perhaps the best example of Levy's point is Hitler's comment in Mein Kampf that Segel denying "the truth of the Protocols was the best proof of their authority." This was precisely argument employed to such effect in 1692 Salem: To doubt an accuser was to open oneself to accusation: Who but a member of the conspiracy denies it?

As outlined in Festinger's 1956 study, When Prophecy Fails, and more recently, in Susan Clancy's Abducted: how people come to believe they were kidnapped by aliens, the allure of conspiracies is well-known: Readers are "invite[d] to join the elite of those in the know." Moreover, "the [Protocols of the Elders of Zion] addresses an audience not thought capable of sustained reasoning. ... For many, the least likely explanation of great events seems the best because it is also the most effortless." Segel's arguments are therefore inaccessible to many for precisely this reason.

Would that the consequences of continued publication and belief in the Protocols were as benign as the copious literature on alien abduction and Doom's Day cults, but it is not. Levy sadly concludes:

"In the world at large, beyond the reach of the Nazis, the Protocols helped render Jews ineligible for rescue by the great majority of their fellowmen."

Words and ideas do have consequence.

There are some books about the women of the old west that are far more interesting. The one overwhelming impression I had from this book is how uncaring her family was and how she herself really was a very selfish woman, even wanting to go to a dance the night her child was deathly ill. I would recommend other books such as Doc Susie: The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies and also Tomboy Bride. Both of these books are about intellegent, caring individuals in the same parts of the country and in the same time.

With ingenuous humility, Anne Ellis recounts the first phase of her difficult life as if it were a cakewalk. Several passages convey such emotional impact that I remember them months later. A great read for anyone wishing to understand how women really lived in mining towns of the American West around the turn of the century.

Ann Ellis is the real deal! She's raw American...living, working, loving, and raising children in the gruelingly hard world of the mining towns of the Rocky Mountains, years before the amenities that we American women take for granted today...things like running water, ample heating, and doctors always available for very sick children.But Ann is tough and savvy, witty, and has a great sense of fun, even in the toughest of times. Her life is richly-laden with deep emotion.Her descriptive style is pure and simple, but takes us right to her heart. She never complains...only explains.You read the book with a great sense of admiration for these strong women who raised strong families,loved their men, had dreams and joyful aspirations, even in times when they were struggling to find their way in this sometimes brutal world of their husbands' lust for gold and silver.This lady was a true pioneer in every sense of the word. Her story should be shared with anyone who finds strength in true accounts of brave American men and women.

No matter what your own life experience has been you will find things in this great book that you identify with. This true life experience is from a woman who lived a heroic experience from penniless poverty to being elected to public office, rising above all her own expectations, A wonderful book full of comedy, tragedy, drama, supence, you won't be able to put this book down.

In an age when autobiographies are considered fascinating only if the writer survived abuse, rape, incest or murder, Ms. Ellis' account is refreshing because she survives life.

This Cubs Choke is followed on a game by game basis.
I don't know how interesting this story is to folks who were/are not Cub fans or who were/are not White Sox fans.
A fan of the Mets has no need to read this...THEY WON.
This book is fantastic for those of us in Chicago who lived this season.
It jogs the memories. It was an incredible ride. What is fascinating is that this ballclub lives on in mythical proportion and shows what a provincial town Chicago is.

The basis of the book was a synopsis of the 1969 season in review, month by month, until the final depressing month of September when the Cubs ran out of gas. The book did not include any sort of interviews of players, coaches or fans opinions of why the Cubs did not win in 1969 or what they could have done differently to change the final outcome of the season. It basically gave a recap of the results of the games until the final outcome of the season ending failure by the Cubs.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It gives an in-depth summary of nearly every game of the "season that wasn't" and Mr. Feldman also documents other memorable events that occurred that summer(moon landing, Tate murders, Woodstock, etc.)which further helped to take me back to 1969.

"Miracle Collapse" does a great job in providing a day-by-day description of what happened during the Chicago Cubs' 1969 schedule. It provides great deal on the nuts and bolts of the season--long-forgotten facts on who was starting at certain positions at what point of the season, who was acquired by trade or purchase and for whom, and what rookies were expected to actually make a difference on that veteran team. What it lacks is a lot of human interest, personal interviews, and anecdotes. Rick Talley's "The Cubs of '69" does a better job at the human interest part, but is riddled with errors. "Miracle Collapse" is not and is meticulously researched. For any Cub fan whose scar of '69 will not heal, "Miracle Collapse" and "The Cubs of '69" are a tandem that is a must-buy.

Attn. Cubs fans and history buffs....
This is the book for you. Most books on the Cubs are mundaine, lifeless, and contain the same old things us Cubs fans have heard time and time again. In this book, Doug Feldmann has breathed new life into the team we all know and love. Even though the story highlights its defeat, the lore and lure of the team shines through thanks to the author's uncompromising use of detail. There's so much that Cubs fans have to learn about that fateful year of 1969.