Asia Books

Cohen, in a wonderfully written ethnography, makes us question the categories of Alzheimer's, aging, and dementia by systematically destabilizing our notions of what it means to get old in both our own and India's culture. A worth-while read for anyone interesting in any of the above. However, be forewarned - the text is dense and takes some time to wade through - and it could be suggested that by making so many arguments in so short a span, the book's main thrust isn't there at all, much like Alzheimer's itself.

Brilliant ethnographic research fused with engaging narrative that makes for truly enjoyable reading. Cohen dissects the phenomenon of an aging population and their role in culture and society, while explaining the greater implications both for policy and popular opinion, with reflections on US and Western societies.

As a medical student beginning research on Alzheimer's disease, this book provided me a deeper understanding of the full ramifications of such a disease on the lives of the patient and family members. The interactions described in this book are really quite complicated, yet the clear writing and organization makes this subject matter approachable.

professor cohen may be the most brilliant anthropologist of our time as it pertains to south asia. this book is a sparkling example of a prodigious mind at work. it is both scholarly and playful; rigorous and light-hearted. may be read for both pleasure and for what it can teach us about all manner of things. may be the beat scholarly work i have ever read. first-rate.

I caught this guy on the PBS TV show "Chefs A' Field" harpooning a giant Bluefin Tuna and thought "that dude rocks!" Yes, it sounds odd to harpoon something, but it's cool and very good for the environment...go figure. Anyway, I looked into him and found this fabulous book. The recipes are execllent as well as his philosophy. Anyone who likes a little asian influence in their dining experience will love this book!
P.S. I also picked up another book he is in, the Chefs A' Field cookbook (from the tv series), and really like that as well - he shares the spotlight with 12 other chefs in this one.

This is a great cookbook for the home cook. It gives the home cook the opportunity to cook using Asian ingredients and techniques readily available to most. The simple instructions are refreshing and encouraging. I have been quite pleased with the recipes I have tried, and I consider myself quite a "Food Snob", not that you have to be a snob to appreciate the food, my ten year old enjoys the recipes almost as much as I do.

This is a great cookbook for the home cook. It gives the home cook the opportunity to cook using Asian ingredients and techniques readily available to most. The simple instructions are refreshing and encouraging. I have been quite pleased with the recipes I have tried, and I consider myself quite a "Food Snob", not that you have to be a snob to appreciate the food, my ten year old enjoys the recipes almost as much as I do.

Just reading the recipes makes my mouth water. The first chapter describes the basic ingredients and gives tips on stocking your pantry. I especially like the little blurbs on special ingredients that are interspersed with the recipes throughout the book. One of my favorite dishes at Salamander is the tea-brined chicken, so I was especially pleased to see the recipe was included in this book.

This is a great resource. Although billed as Old Testament Days there are activities in here that would appeal to teachers who are not teaching 'old testament times' but teaching about that period of time. There are crafts for Egypt for example. Very fun and very easy crafts and information.

We are using this book during our study of Ancient History. It is really wonderful to be able to help our childen understand the Sumerian or Egyptian culture by having our children create a clay tablet with cuneiform writing or by making a wooden "paddle doll" as the Egyptian children may have done. We have eaten meals that the Hebrews may have eaten in the desert, and will be making a bee hive that is based on one they may have used. Our kids love the projects in this book. The projects are easy enough for very young children to do, and most can be done with materials you have around the house, or could be purchased easily and inexpensively. The text is very informative, too, and can be used as a read-aloud with younger children in order to throw a little more light on the culture of the peoples we are studying.

Nancy I. Sanders has compliled a wonderful book of activities that will greatly enrich any child's Bible education. Sanders briefly explains concepts/stories from the Old Testament (starting with the days of Abraham and ending with the days of Nehemiah)and then gives a simple enrichment activity to help recreate a moment from Biblical times. A few of the fun activities include making a lyre, building a salt-dough map, creating a seal and reinacting a day at a market in Jerusalem. If you want to bring the Old Testament to life for children, this book is a must.

This is a fantastic resource for use with children. This resource helps children learn realities about life during bible times. It also has a wide variety of activities, not just the same activity done different ways. The activities take some time and may be a little messy but they are excellent for involvement and for learning.

I've only read the first chapter so far, my first impressions of the content are excellent, but I have a complaint for the publisher: the font is painfully small and makes it actually a bit of struggle to read.

The ideas are very dense, so I would tend to make the font and line spacing a bit bigger than usual to reduce the strain in that area of comprehension and save the reader's mental energy for understanding the ideas rather than screwing their eyes up at the type. I'm not exaggerating - it's like the size they usually print footnotes in!

Clarke uses the following Framework for intercultural contact: - Gadamer: hermeneutics of the dialogue: it comes bit by bit, and entails a continuous exchange of meaning between interpreter and interpreted, the goal is 'fusion of conceptual horizons' which requires 'self-awareness of difference' and 'recognition of otherness of the other'. Problem: doesn't take into account underlying discursive power relations (Foucault) - Said: the influence (power) that the west exerted via colonisation, to secure world hegemony, is present in the image that has been created of the East in the West. Everybody involved in orientalism is consciously or not guilty of western imperialism. Clarke says that this image of Said is not complete and shows that interest for the East has often been connected to pragmatic interests, deeply rooted in Europe's own intellectual, cultural and political history. Orientalism often had a countercultural, counterhegemonic rol in the past three centuries and has often been source of energy for radical protest. This way orientalism has often not enforced Europe's established role and identity, but undermined it. Periods of cultural revolution and global expansion in Europe made it possible to create a painful void in the spiritual and intellectual heart of Europe, but also favoured the establishment of certain geopolitical conditions that allowed the transmission of alternative worldviews of the East to the West more easily.

The making of "the Orient"

Both the French Sinophile Enlightenment thinkers and the German Indophile Romantici used orientalism as instrument for the subversion and reconstruction of European civilization, to fight the deeply rooted evils of that time. This way they idealized and romanticized heavily eastern thought and culture. Confucianism gave the French a model for rationalistic, deistic philosophy, but also the Hinduism of the Upanishads gave the Germans an elevated metaphysical system that resonated with their idealist suppositions, as a counterweight to the materialistic and mechanistic philosophy that came to dominate the Enlightenment period.Buddhism: Schopenhauer formulates a radical critique on the Jewish-Christian tradition that searches salvation throught a divine Savior, while buddhism searches it by denial of the will. Wagner and Nietzsche give similar critiques because buddhism, so they claim, offers a psychologically more honest explanation of suffering. Because of the Victorian crisis of faith and belief in progress, and the apparent compatibility of buddhism and science (positivism, Darwinism, evolutionism, materialism, monism), buddhism gains importance. Also the American transcendentalists (Emerson, Thoreau) used buddhism against Lockean materialism and Calvinism, in their belief in the essential unity and spiritual nature of the cosmos, combined with a belief in the goodness of humans, and the domination of intuition over rational thinking.Besides romanticizing voices, also racist and denigrating voices are found in orientalist discourses.

Twentieth century

Because of the quick progress and economic and social transformation of traditional to modern, Europe experienced an atmosphere of malcontentment with the promises of Western civilization, which made it search for more meaningful and satisfying alternatives. There are two types of associations of the turbulent twentieth century with orientalism: on the one hand the creative involvement in philosophy, theology, psychology, science and ecology, and on the other hand associations with occultism, and mystical undercurrents of fascism. In a period of growing imperialist expansion (which enhanced communication with the East), there was a possibility to begin to see the East really as other (with a different culture), but there was also a sense of being afraid, mixed with feelings of guilt toward the East. This had a different intellectual response: on the one hand there were big speculations about a universal philosophy or global religion, on the other hand there were more modest propositions for the encouragement of a hermeneutical dialogue. There was a tremendous spread of orientalism in the twentieth century, buddhist monasteries arised in the West, poets, writers, hippies and Beat movement, and also New Agers made use of Eastern thought, though not all of them seriously. Academic institutions were built, and eastern scholars came to Europe. Important European thinkers were influenced by the East. This accelerated the understanding of Eastern thought.

Philosophy

- Universalism (Leibniz, Moore) - Comparative philosophy (Nagarjuna compared with Nietzsche, Heidegger and Derrida, Madhyamaka with Wittgenstein) - Hermeneutics (Rorty: "the conversation of mankind", Larson: "from talking to one another, to talking with one another") - Diversity, otherness, difference, but a sharp awareness of the danger of cultural imperialism

Religion

- Exclusivism - Inclusivism - Pluralism

Psychology

- Psychotherapy and mental health: holistic contextual approach of the individual, more emphasis on experiential knowledge than on intellectual knowledge - Fromm, Jung, Maslow, Naranjo, Ornstein - Transpersonal, humanistic, cognitive psychology - Meditation

Science and ecology

- Sovjet Marxism and buddhism - Capra, Jung, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schroedinger, Prigogine, Bohm - Schumacher, Naess, Macy - Wholeness (holistic medicine, ecology)

Reflections

Besides the problem of interpretation of different cultures, there 's also a problem of projection: Eastern ideas are appropriated by simply projecting them to categories and presuppositions of the West, and the West has become a sort of all-eating monster, usurping all cultures. Clarke claims the aim is not to avoid use of a vocabulary that is derived from the own culture, but that the crucial point is that one does so with critical self-awareness. He emphasizes the importance of mutuality in the hermeneutical process: interpretation begins with pre-conceptions that are replaced by more appropriate conceptions. Example: the wrong understanding the West had (and still has) throughout buddhist history doesn't have to be considered as a failure, but as a necessary and wholesome "turning of the hermeneutical wheel". Orientalism contributed, so says Clarke, to a growth in mutuality, dialogue, knowledge and sympathy, and this while the East has now on the one hand enhanced grip to its own tradition (partly as a result of the encounter with the West) and on the other hand can formulate a solid critique to fundamental aspects of western culture. Also Said believed in a postcolonial era, where an increasingly sophisticated study and criticical self-awareness would make possible a post-orientalist epoch where westerners could approach the East without disturbing presuppositions.

This book is principally an examination and explanation of how the West has seen the philosophies, religions and cultures of the Far East - chiefly of China and India. To this interest in the East Clarke gives the name Orientalism. That word since 1985 has carried the connotation that Edward Said gave to it in his book of that name. Though that work concerned itself chiefly with the Arab Middle East, other scholars have applied Said's characterization to the western study of cultures further East. That school of thought saw Orientalism as permeated with condescending, exploitative and colonialist attitudes, and scarcely allowed any other factors to play a role. Clarke admits that colonial attitudes were one aspect of Orientalism, but his study demonstrates that there were many others. True, students of Orientalism, like students of all other subjects, cannot help having agendas, and agendas are liable to lead to distortions. So the West's interpretations of the Orient (the word `hermeneutic' turns up with rather tiresome frequency in this text) generally fulfil some need felt by the West; but this is often not at all a need to exploit the East, but rather to gain through Oriental studies a new and enriching perspective on Western culture and frequently to provide a remedy for what are perceived to be its flaws or discontents.

Clarke argues, along with other scholars whom he cites, that in the West the Renaissance and the Reformation ushered in a philosophical restlessness and uncertainty which made Europeans be more inquisitive and open to other ways of thinking. This uncertainty was generated from within European culture, whereas in Asia it was only when Western technology and power irrupted into the area that the interest of Asians in European culture began, in response to a challenge from outside rather than from within their own culture. Clarke acknowledges this interest, but devotes only a small part of the book to the impact of Western thought on Asia.

He documents how in the 18th century the philosophes set up their rosy view of Confucian China in opposition to the religious and social criticisms they made of their own society; how, when this interest faded, it was replaced in the 19th century by the interest of the Romantics in Indian thought. We learn of Anquetil Duperron (1723 to 1805) who first translated the Upanishads (into French) and of William Jones (1746 to 1794), who showed that most European languages have an affinity with Sanskrit, which suggested that many of the peoples of Europe came originally from Asia. German nationalists, resenting French cultural hegemony, preferred the idea that their culture was rooted in the Aryan languages (and later, by a perversion of the word, in the Aryan race). Philosophically also, the most profound impact of Indian thought was on a line of German philosophers: Hegel, Schelling, Schlegel and Schopenhauer saw an affinity between the monism of the Absolute and that of Brahman, between their own metaphysical ideas that the world as we know it through our senses is not the real world and the Indian notion that we see the world only through the veil of maya. Both Confucianism and Buddhism were seen by many Europeans as a system of ethics which was independent of a belief in God, and was therefore espoused by many western thinkers in reaction to the claims that religion was the essential basis of ethics.

Towards the end of the 19th century and into the twentieth, at the very time when the West's cultural imperialism emphasized by Edward Said was at its height, there was also the countervailing current that the West's cultural hegemony was increasingly questioned in the West itself; and the interest in Eastern ideas became a broad stream with wide diffusion. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 to 1882) and Henry David Thoreau (1817 to 1862) popularized Eastern thought in America on a scale that earlier thinkers had not been able to achieve. Edwin Arnold's poem The Light of Asia (1879), disseminated the Buddhist message and sold nearly a million copies. The Theosophical Society, founded by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Alcott in 1875, had over 45,000 members in 1920. It was strongly infused with oriental ideas, and even played a part in the revival of Hindu and Buddhist self-awareness and self-respect in Asia itself. Some Western actually thought that western civilization, with its frenetic materialism and its spiritual life eroded by rationalism, was worn out and needed to draw on Eastern thought to renew itself. Eastern influences have moved out of the academic and literary world to permeate the very life-style of many westerners.

So Zen and Tibetan Buddhism have found many followers in the West; there are now many practitioners of t'ai chi, yoga and transcendental meditation; the young have gone on the hippy trail to visited ashrams in India. From this point onwards, about half way through the book, Clarke produces so many examples of the interaction between East and West - on literature, on the arts, on religion, on psychotherapy, on holistic medicine, on ecological thinking, on non-violence, even on the philosophy of modern physics (though, curiously, only marginally on the mainstreams of western academic philosophy) - that a short review like this cannot do justice to them. There was even a strand in fascism which claimed an Oriental heritage. Clarke's range is truly encyclopaedic, and in this second half of the book that there will be found much detailed material and many names that are likely to be unfamiliar to the educated non-specialist.

The mainly narrative chapters are followed by two final superb reflective ones. In the first of these Clarke reflects on the philosophical traps into which Orientalism can fall and sometimes has fallen, but his defence of the value of Orientalism is eloquent and persuasive. In the second (more difficult) one he shows how deconstructive Post-Modernism challenges Orientalism but can also find an ally in it.

I'll like to write this review partly in relation to the last one written for this book, which, I think, many people will find quite daunting. While I'd agree with the author of that review about the excellence of the book I'd like to give a more accessible view, hoepfully just as Clarke's book provides an accessible approach to very difficult ideas.

Firstly, ,any readers are likely to be put off by all the references to those very difficult postmodern (etc) philosophers who are mentioned, either because they'll think, a) I won't understand that, or b) I'm not into postmodernism. To set your minds at rest, Clarke doesn't engage in the lingusitic exercises of using almost indecipherable language to say very little that is typical of many of this school, also, he sets the postmodern agenda (or, at least parts of it) firmly in his sights and demolishes many of their empty stances based on ideology not fact or reason.

As such we can recommend this book to a)anyone who either doesn't know much about orientalism - he provides an excellent introduction as well as analysis; b) anyone who doesn't know much about postmodernism, as you'll be treated to a critical survey of certain aspects of it; c) supporters of postmodernism, as you'll find an able voice against whom you need to defend your ideas; d) a whole range of people not at all interested in orientalism and postmodernism but who have interests in such things as cross-cultural encounter, especially between Europe and Asia, religion, modern European thought, etc.

As to the contents of this book, Clarke surveys the history of the encounter between East and West (Asia and Europe) to show that claims that the two stand as polar opposites which have no connection is untenable. with lucid commentary, clarke deals with the views of orientalists and postmodernists and presnts a more balanced and less Euro-centric approach. for more details, using technical terms which Clarke aptly leads the uninitiated through with subtlety and clarity, whilst providing new insights which will give food for thought for even those well read within this area.

Dr. Stone has provided an invaluable window into the current state of Japanese scholarship around the issues of orignal enlightenment teachings (hongaku shiso) and its role in the formation of Kamakuran Buddhism and Nichiren Buddhism in particular. I believe that she quite successfully brings out the complexities of this teaching and shows that it does not necessarily lead to antinomian conclusions and that it was not summarily rejected by the founders of Kamakuran Buddhism including Nichiren. The chapter on Nichiren in this book could also stand alone as an excellent guide to Nichiren's teachings and practice. She shows that there is much more to Nichiren Buddhism than vainly repeating the Sino-Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra in order to gain worldly benefits. She really brings out the depth and profundity of Nichiren Buddhism. This book, however, is not an apologetic for Nichiren Buddhism or even for original enlightenment teachings. Dr. Stone maintains a very objective and impartial stance throughout the book (which could be disturbing to those for whom this religion and these issues are literally a matter of life and death). She provides both the pros and the cons of the issues that she addresses. She is not so much providing a new theory about Nichiren Buddhism or original enlightenment so much as she is attempting to show that original enlightenment and its impact on Japanese Buddhism needs to be reevaluated and that the issues are far from black-and-white. I would highly recommend this book to serious scholars of Japanese Buddhism and to those who want to delve more deeply into the current state of scholarship in Japan surounding Nichiren Buddhism. This is not, however, a book for those who want simple answers to simple questions, or who want a primer on Nichiren Buddhism. For those hard core Nichiren Buddhists and scholars who want to find out the real truth about Nichiren Buddhism and the development of the Nichiren tradition, this book is worth every penny of its rather steep price tag.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, Ryuei Michael McCormick

Is Enlightenment something that we acquire? Or are we really Enlightened already and just have to realize that? Is Enlightenment something that will take us uncounted ages to achieve? Or can we achieve Enlightenment in this life and in this body? Such were some of the key issues of Medieval Japanese Buddhism. Some of the most popular conclusions, that we are Enlightened already, i.e. are Originally Enlightened, and that we can achieve Enlightenment in this life and in this body, remain both popular and controversial even today. Jacqueline Stone takes us into the little known world of the Tendai temples and hermitages on Mt. Hiei, the stately mountain above Kyoto, where much of the doctrine of Original Enlightenment thought was developed -- and whence it spread to the famous founders of Kamakura Buddhism, including Honen and Nichiren. Stone gives us a panorama of what was going on, what we known about it (not enough), and the long history of what happened and the debates that continue down to the present, debates that involve scholars, sectarian apologists, and the religious practice of many people, not just in Japan, but around the world. A fundamental book for one of the great, and still growing, religious traditions in the world.

This book was pretty weighty - real live scholarly work, rather than simple sectarian gloss. I particularly enjoyed the way Professor Stone placed the religious leaders of the time into their proper historical context and showed the way the traditions cross-pollenated with each other. The part on Nichiren was most informative, and gave an objective perspective on the events which occurred after Nichiren's death. Cool pictures of lots of mandalas, too.

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism by Jacqueline Ilyse Stone (Studies in East Asian Buddhism, No. 12: University of Hawaii Press) Being recognized as a major study in Buddhist studies and recognized as one of the best religious studies books of 2000, Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism represents some important historical and conceptual clarifications of perennial themes in Mahayana Buddhism.
From flyleaf: Original enlightenment thought (hongaku shiso) dominated Buddhist intellectual circles throughout Japan's medieval period. Enlightenment, this discourse claims, is neither a goal to be achieved nor a potential to be realized but the true status of all things. Every animate and inanimate object manifests the primordially enlightened Buddha just as it is. Seen in its true aspect, every activity of daily life?eating, sleeping, even one's deluded thinking?is the Buddha's conduct. Emerging from within the powerful Tendai school, ideas of original enlightenment were appropriated by a number of Buddhist traditions and influenced nascent theories about the kami (local deities) as well as medieval aesthetics and the literary and performing arts.
Scholars and commentators have long recognized the historical importance of original enlightenment thought but differ heatedly over how it is to be understood. Some tout it as the pinnacle of the Buddhist philosophy of absolute nondualism. Others claim to find in it the paradigmatic expression of a timeless Japanese spirituality. According to other readings, it represents a dangerous antinomianism that undermined observance of moral precepts, precipitated a decline in Buddhist scholarship, and denied the need for religious discipline. Still others denounce it as an authoritarian ideology that, by sacralizing the given order, has in effect legitimized hierarchy and discriminative social practices. Often the acceptance or rejection of original enlightenment thought is seen as the fault line along which traditional Buddhist institutions are to be differentiated from the new Buddhist movements (Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren) that arose during Japan's medieval period.
Jacqueline Stone's groundbreaking study moves beyond the treatment of the original enlightenment doctrine as abstract philosophy to explore its historical dimension. Drawing on a wealth of medieval primary sources and modern Japanese scholarship, it places this discourse in its ritual, institutional, and social contexts, illuminating its importance to the maintenance of traditions of lineage and the secret transmission of knowledge that characterized medieval Japanese elite culture. It sheds new light on interpretive strategies employed in premodern Japanese Buddhist texts, an area that hitherto has received little attention. Through these and other lines of investigation, Stone problematizes entrenched notions of "corruption" in the medieval Buddhist establishment. Using the examples of Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism and their interactions throughout the medieval period, she calls into question both overly facile distinctions between "old" and "new" Buddhism and the long?standing scholarly assumptions that have perpetuated them. This study marks a significant contribution to ongoing debates over definitions of Buddhism in the Kamakura era (1185-1333) , long regarded as a formative period in Japanese religion and culture. Stone argues that "original enlightenment thought" represents a substantial rethinking of Buddhist enlightenment that cuts across the distinction between "old" and "new" institutions and was particularly characteristic of the medieval period.

I got this book for my Kindle. I cannot get in bookstores here in Shanghai. This is one big advantage of the Kindle, being able to download books that are banned here in China.

This book is great for people interested in the recent history of China.

Read this and read also Wild Swans, Three Daughers of China. Two of the best books on the last part of the last century.

Steven
Shanghai

"Out of Mao's Shadow" is an amazing book because Pan has done what few if any foreign correspondents or academic writers about China have ever done. He's not only gotten below the surface, he's dug deep, really deep into the zeitgeist of modern China. Each chapter surprises you with twist and turns. And throughout it all, Pan is there as a steady guide. Worried about China as the next superpower? Read this book and then decide.

I read lots of history and politics. This by far the best book I've read in ages. I read it twice cover to cover, I couldn't put it down. If you have any interest in China you must read this. Exceptional and greatly researched.

I finished this book in two days because I couldn't bear to put it down and it was completely engaging on both intellectual and emotional levels. It's compelling, heart-breaking, compulsively readable and an incredible piece of reporting. Phillip Pan is an amazing writer/reporter and this book allows him a larger canvas to showcase his talents. But what Mr. Pan does best is that he lets others speak: he gives voice to the many individuals who have attempted to stand up to the Chinese government in order to better Chinese society. He also places this struggle in the context of Chinese history, exposing how the Chinese government's authoritarian rule is a betrayal of its original communist ideals. The stories in his book are moving and inspiring. This book is a must-read for those interested in contemporary Chinese politics and society.

As an American living in Shanghai, I've been impressed by the freedom that many people seem to enjoy here. Contrary to the Cultural Revolution, "RED COMMUNIST CHINA" image that many Americans have, the people of the middle classes in the huge coastal metropoli of this country live lives little different from those of their peers in the west, at least on the surface. The young people I meet scoff at the Little Red Book and the patriotic posturing of the Communist Party; they tend to be as cynical about politics as Americans, if not moreso. At the same time, however, there is a detectable current of discontent lurking below the surface.

Phillip Pan's "Out of Mao's Shadow" blows the lid off this discontent and reveals the dynamics of law and power in China's contemporary civil society. He shows a country that has left behind totalitarian ideology and control and replaced it with an elaborate system of amoral authoritarian gangsterism. Behind such catchphrases as Deng's "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", Jiang's "Three Represents", and Hu's "Scientific Development Perspective", there's little true substance other than a massive kleptocracy's attempt to get rich quick off of exports and labor exploitation, or so Pan contends. At the same time, however, there is a growing middle class civil society- lawyers, journalists, filmmakers, bloggers, labor organizers, environmental activists, artists, and other troublemakers quietly pushing for change in a rapidly changing and increasingly liberal society. "Out of Mao's Shadow" is about what happens when the people and the party clash, told in a series of stories about these individuals, a small selection of modern China's heroes and villains:
-Zhao Ziyang, the liberal former General Secretary of the Communist Party, who spent the last 15 years of his life on house arrest after taking the blame for the Tiananmen Uprising.
-Hu Jie, a filmmaker who digs up the compelling story of a feisty Cultural Revolution martyr.
-Zeng Zhong, a chronicler of a period of history that the government would rather forget.
-Xiao Yunliang, a daring labor organizer from China's northeastern rust belt.
-Chen Lihua, China's richest woman, a wealthy land developer who made her millions through government connections and forced evictions.
-Zhang Xide, a party cadre who leads a brutal tax crackdown on an impoverished county.
-Jiang Yanyong, the courageous surgeon and PLA general who ended the government's SARS coverup- and then attempted to get them to come clean on the casualties at the Tiananmen massacre.
-Cheng Yizhong, a maverick newspaperman who starts China's freest and most provocative tabloid.
-Pu Zhiqiang, the weiquan (Right's Defense) lawyer who takes on a case against Zhang Xide- and almost wins.
-Chen Guangcheng, a blind student of medicine and law who takes on the country's forced sterilization program.

While there are many books on China hitting the shelves right now, there's only one like this. Pan combines incisive political commentary with personal profiles in a style that smacks of Peter Hessler (River Town, Oracle Bones) meets Fareed Zakaria (The Future of Freedom, The Post-American World). In between optimistic "business hype" titles and political paranoia tracts, Pan's "Shadow" is something completely different- a "boots on the ground" look at the untold stories of modern China. While there are a few places where I disagree with Pan's tone; while the CCP is undoubtably very corrupt, I would not characterize them as evil incarnate; there are many elements to their rule that are quite benevolently paternal, and, as Pan points out in several places, the country is progressively liberalizing under their administration, if at a fairly slow pace. Despite this minor critique, I give this book five stars for great writing and unique material you won't find anywhere else.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in contemporary Chinese politics and society.

This book was received through the Early Reviewers group on Library Thing- and is an advanced copy- This book comes at a critical time for the Chinese- with the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics looming - China is under increasing pressure to conform to international civil rights legislation in regards to their policies towards Tibet and treatment of Tibetans and other Chinese minority groups such as the Muslim Uighur (sic) tribes of Northern China,and members of the Falun Gong movement. This book focuses the eyes of several well-known political and social commentators and researchers on the interactions between, human rights, nationalism, big business and the Olympics at this years summer games. The essays are well-written and supported by evidence not only from research but from reports from the international journalistic communities and diplomatic entities. This books is wonderful if you wish to understand what is going on in China right now due to the Olympics- it focuses much needed critical attention on human rights and the environment in a land that for the most part has neither- This is vital when trying to understand why so many nations have considered boycotting the Olympics, and why there have been so many protests occurring as the torch makes its way to Beijing- these political environmental and human rights issues have made the choice to hold the Olympics in Beijing a controversial one- and this book explains the controversy quite well- The editors have been wonderful at gathering resources from a wide variety of media and disciplines and it has resulted in terrific book- I am looking forward to reading more from this publisher and these author/editors

This book is a collection of articles on different facets of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, covering various non-sport aspects of the Games. For anyone interested in the development of the Olympics, these articles provide a wealth of information and opinion on topics as wide-spread as Architecture, Public Relations, Economics, and particularly, how the Games can serve as a Media Event for both the host country and non-governmental interests (such as political, environmental and human rights activists. Considered within its pages are such topics as the process of being selected as a host country; the cost to the host country in terms of logistics, security and openness to world media; the place of the Olympics in the development of the host nation itself, and the potential in all these areas for China in particular. Given the historical significance of the Olympics (witness Munich '36 and '72, Tokyo '64, Moscow '80, Seoul '88 to name but a few) and the changes taking place in China and with regards to China's place in the world in the decades to come, this book offers much food for thought. You'll find yourself still thinking about the material long after you put the book down.

Caveat: Owning the Olympics is not for everyone. Readers looking for a simple and friendly pop culture introduction to "the New China" are advised to look elsewhere. But if you're a reader looking for a book that deals seriously and academically with the multiple political, social, and economic issues raised by the PRC's role as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, this book will be of immense interest.

The sixteen texts collected in Owning the Olympics explore the ways in which multiple actors--the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and the CCP, the International Olympic Committee, multinational corporations, mass and underground media, and NGOs--view the role and purpose of the Games, and how they are attempting to mold (and in some cases reframe) perceptions of the 2008 Olympics to advance their own agendas. Obviously, one could fill an entire volume examining just one of these issues, and the editors of Owning the Olympics are to be commended for selecting readings across a wide breadth of issues that each delve deeply into their individual subjects. Topics considered include the multiplicity of actors engaging in Olympic dialogue and their preferred narrative readings of the Games, the intersection of the PRC, the Games, and public diplomacy; BOBICO's construction and framing of its host city bid material, the interplay between Olympic narratives and constructions of Asian/Eastern identity; the role(s) and influence(s) of the news and mass media, and new technologies, in shaping and disseminating Olympic dialogues; and the ways in which Olympism, sport, and nationalism converge in Olympic activities and narratives.

Standout texts include the aforementioned exploration of the explicit and implicit messages encoded in BOBICO's bid material (chapter 5), chapter 9's examination of the political role historically played by "mega-spaces" in Beijing and the intended roles of new mega-architecture constructed specifically for the Games; and chapter 14's examination of the Western media's intentional drawing of dichotomous tensions in its China reporting. Each of these chapters are phenomenal examples of scholarship that will significantly broaden readers' knowledge and understanding of these issues.

There are a few selections, however, that don't meet the high standards set by the majority of the volume's texts. Chapter 10, which seems to be arguing that television broadcasters' adlibbed coverage of Games ceremonies trivializes those involved, has precious little to do with the Beijing Games and contains such a small and biased sample that it is of little use in drawing larger conclusions about Olympic reporting (look to chapter 7 for a much more thorough and topical examination of Games coverage and constructions of Asian identity). Chapter 11, in which a Chinese academic laments the IOC's decision not to include wushu (kung-fu) as an Olympic sport, is clearly an op-ed and does not belong in a book of academic scholarship.

These two texts aside, the editors of Owning the Olympics have assembled a selection of readings of amazingly high quality; a feat all the more impressive given the short time frame in which they had to collect them. Readers interested in sport and Olympism, China, or media studies will all find much to think about in this volume, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in any of the above disciplines, as well as anyone else interested in serious exploration of these issues.

Much more than a series of sporting competitions, the Olympic Games are a political and media event. The Olympics have a rich history; while the original games date back almost 3,000 years, the Olympic Games as we know them, complete with the governing International Olympic Committee (IOC), have been held every 2-4 years since 1896. Over their 100+ year history, the Olympics have evolved with the times. Increased athletic participation and spectatorship has placed a growing burden on Olympic host cities - but it has also allowed them the opportunity to present their own mediated image to the world. This is steadily apparent as globalization aids the flow of information between borders, so that knowledge knows fewer and fewer boundaries. The advent of the Internet and other new media paradigms have also loosened the grip host countries may previously have kept over their tightly controlled and highly managed constructs (which oftentimes border on outright propaganda).

It is in this context that the authors who contributed to OWNING THE OLYMPICS: NARRATIVES OF THE NEW CHINA examine the looming 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The overarching theme of this anthology is the ways in which China is utilizing the Olympics to affect how their nation is perceived in other venues. For example, Briar Smith views Beijing's relaxed restrictions on journalists as a means for China to counterbalance the negative publicity surrounding the Chinese government's human rights abuses ("Journalism and the Beijing Olympics: Liminality with Chinese Characteristics"), while Alan Tomlinson examines the increasingly corporate/capitalist economy of the Olympics - which stands in stark contrast to the 2008 host city's own Communist system ("Olympic Values, Beijing's Olympic Games, and the Universal Market"). Additionally, there are some fascinating pieces that deal with the role of new technologies on the Games; in "'We Are the Media': Nonaccredited Media and Citizen Journalists at the Olympic Games" (Andy Miah, Beatriz Garcia, and Tian Zhihui), we learn that, starting from the 2000 Games in Sydney, nonaccredited journalists - including "Web-based journalists" - have been allowed greater access to the Games, with their own special (non)accreditation and Media Centers.

The sixteen pieces that comprise OWNING THE OLYMPICS present an interdisciplinary, multicultural lens through which to view what on its face might seem like just another sporting event (the world's largest sporting event, granted, but a sporting event nonetheless) - yet is in fact diplomatic dance, political theatre, and an entertaining competition all rolled into one. The material can be dense at times, perhaps better suited for academics and media studies students than laypeople, but it is an enlightening and timely volume.

This book covers a lot of ground. It is generally considered to be one of the two (along with Honor Bound) major accounts of the POW experience in Vietnam. Unlike "Honor Bound" this book is not published by the Navy Press.

While writing a long article on a particular POW I was able to use this book as an excellent guide to the various timelines, facilities and actual implementations of the Code of Conduct. The book does not seek to be damning, except in one case where 8 men are named as total turncoats charged by their Sr. Ranking Officer with treason.

The book is smooth reading, but long. It is possible that this could be the only POW book many people will ever need.

As the title states, this is a definitive exploration of the experience of US heroes while in Vietnam captivity. Hubble's research is exemplary. The book is fact based with little bias. If one is interested in this topic, then this is the FIRST book they should read - from there, the reader can find particular people/topics of interest and branch out. The next book to read is "Honor Bound" by Rochester and Kiley - a later text using declasified sources. In reading these two books, a reader will come to understand the POW experience in Vietnam and appreciate America's TRUE heroes. Personnaly, I feel these should be required reading for ALL Americans - particularly our youth.

Researched over a 9 year time span using information gleaned from hundreds of interviews from Vietnam war POW's, this extensive saga of captivity is truly outstanding in its depth.

John G. Hubbell not only relates the stories of high profile POW's from North Vietnam, he explores the many aspects and rigors faced by U.S. servicemen in the brutal Southern Vietnamese prison camps. In helping the reader to truly understand the entire experience, this being a cautionary note to everyone, torture methods suffered by our U.S. servicemen are described very graphically throughout the text and may be difficult to read about at times.

Included in the superbly written and well researched narrative are maps of the various prison compounds, photographs of POW's and their captors, and the entire list of repatriated servicemen at Operation Homecoming in 1973.

"P.O.W. - A definitive history of the American Prisoner of War Experience, 1964-1973" is a very comprehensive and powerful study that makes for a lasting, memorable, and emotional reading experience. Upon recommending this book to everyone with interests in POW captivity, I would also like to suggest the brilliant and epic work "Honor Bound - American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973".

As a POW researcher, I would have been lost without Hubbel having gone before me to pave the way. This book continues to be a resource for me, a one of a kind history that says it all. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what the 566 POWs who were repatriated to the US in 1973 endured. The books by and about individuals give their person accounts, but Hubbel offers an objective analysis and global persecptive.

I regretted loaning my Readers Digest Press hardcopy of this book and never seeing it return. I had to wait years for the re-publication of this marvelous book.

This book is the quintessential book on the POW experience in North Vietnam, and I have read many of them. The atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese captors were barbaric, horrific, and inhuman. The POWs mostly Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force pilots and crewmen were left with no guidance other than their consciences, their moral compass, their pride of service, their patriotism and an outmoded "Code of Conduct" to fight back against unspeakable tortures designed to win over and break the "American Enemy" and score political propaganda points. For these prisoners, the war was not over when they were shot down. A new and completely unexperienced war commenced upon their capture, a cold, calculating battle to exploit those most vulnerable in the Vietnam War in order to exact concessions from the United States of America.

Against the background of these torturous events, North Vietnam's enablers from the U.S. and international anti-war activists cravenly cooperated with North Vietnamese officials to further undermine the courageous efforts of our POWs who endured barbaric handling to not betray their country's honor.

Not all POWs held up to the rigors of the "Code of Conduct" as well as the greatest majority. However, fortunately not having walked in their shoes, I cannot judge their behavior. The activities of the most stalwart POWs as well as those who were less so are chronicled it this very readable and very moving book. These were the true "heroes" of the Vietnam War. They have never received due honor and recognition. This book attempts to do so in a very meaningful way. If you read ANY book on the Vietnam experience, this must be the one.

Ray is the roadie for the rock band Laika Satellite. On the last performance of their latest tour, Ray once again fills in for the lead guitarist (who just... fails to show up, now and then). Ray gets a little too creative with one guitar solo, earning the wrath of the lead singer and leading to a full-out brawl on stage, as the bouncers and audience look on in dismay.

This appears to be business as usual, though, at least no one seem any more upset than is typical afterwards, backstage. The lead singer hits on girls, who ignore him, while the missing guitarist reappears just in time to pick up chicks, and the bizarre tambourine player drifts around making enigmatic yet probably friendly comments. Ray picks up the pieces, packs the van, and finally gets a chance to go home.

Tired of sitting in vehicles, he walks homeward with the band's bassist and sometime-girlfriend of the lead singer. Ray obviously has a crush on her, but she's oblivious. He leaves her at her apartment, then heads home alone.

The excerpt is fun and full of energy, with lots of vivid details, especially the on-stage riot. The antics of the band are hilarious, absurd, realistic, and pathetic all at once. The writing is a bit... wild, but I don't know that polished literary prose would suit this piece. It felt spontaneous and was plenty clear.

The synopsis seems almost to be about a different book than the excerpt I read, but if the style continues to be the same, I can only imagine it will be highly entertaining.

Nice title--eye-catching and has a nice ring to it.

Because there is so much description, the excerpt so far seems almost awkward told in the first person. When the narrator's character talks, he does not talk like the narrating voice, which is very descriptive and literary, so that can be a little distracting.

Look forward to seeing the Japan part of the story. So far it promises to be a good Saturday night movie, once turned into a screenplay!

I love the clear, sharp writing. The opening felt like a rollercoaster as it took me from the glorious musical moment that sustains forever, to the accelerated action of the frenzied onstage brawl. The characters are interesting. The descriptions are evocative. I would like to read this novel.

It is a great beginning and makes me want to keep reading...what happens, where do they go, what benefits does he gain from being with this group, lots of questions keep popping up - always a good sign for personal happiness with a book. Something tells me I'll love it.

I have purchased three of these books at 3 separate times. Two I gave to friends, and the last was for myself. One of these friends was with me in Suzhou, China, as we wandered through small, chilly shops where women clustered together to sew these beautiful paintings on large wood frames. Those we talked to had done this since childhood. My friend wanted to buy some silk thread to experiment with on her own, but we found the range of colors to be overwhelming. Of course, I gave her this book. She is still in China, and can bring this book into the shop, point to the project color charts, and get the thread she needs without speaking a word of Mandarin. (I purchased several "paintings," but I use this book to relive my favorite day in China, and learn more about this beautiful art form.)

I love this book, I have found it to be very informative and having shown another friend who loves needlework, she can't wait to get her own book.
The pictures and details are lovely, it is well written and easy to understand,

I have the 1979 version of this book. This book inspired me to pick up a needle and for the last 25 years, strive to create my own needlework masterpieces.

excellent book. There are 16 stitches to learn and they are well ilistrated. Also with each stitch explainaton, there are photos of embroideries using the stitch. There are 19 projects with detailed directions. The most amazing feature is that the colours for the projects is keyed to the DMC floss colours.