Hawaii Books

Excellent book! Some events bring me back to my childhood years growing up in the Bay area.

Frank Chin's collection of essays is magnificent. The book is a course in itself on the authenticity of the Chinese-American experience in American culture. Chin's ideas are well researched, even scholarly in origin, but they are presented in ways that are eminently accessible. Each of the essays is provocative of the reader's thinking. I loved the essay on "Lowe Hoy & the 3 Legged Toad", for its exposition of strategy in Chinese social experience, and for its use of authentic Cantonese colloquialisms in his interviewees' speech.

I love the essays of Frank Chin. I just wished that the editor would put in "Racist Love" in this anthology. Anyway, this book is a treat because you'll have a commentary of Sun Tzu's ART OF WAR. Over and over again I've heard Chin mention how well ART OF WAR reflects Asian thinking. Well, it's now available to you guys, written by Frank Chin himself!

This book is a work of art. I loved every page of it. Thank you Mr. Chin

There is no question that when it comes to specific, focused cultural criticism, Frank Chin has the task nailed down. I don't know the time frame spanned by these essays, but in terms of content they cover all the bases. Any student of Asian-American history and culture can profit from Chin's sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes frightfully serious analysis of several aspects of the Asian-American experience. Chin deals with immigration/migration; gang subcultures; folk history and mythology; and others. But the thing that makes this book so impressive, beyond its coverage, is Chin's writing style -- fast and loose, comfortable and razor-sharp. The jacket describes him as a "literary gangster" -- never have I heard a more apt description of an author. He wrangles words from the oral histories he obtains and makes them work for him. But he is a respectful gangster -- the subjects of his interviews seem open, warm to him and to his neverending questions. The text can get heavy at times, but this is a function of the content it taps. A very, very powerful book.

This is a wonderful collection of stories that bring ALOHA to the reader. After reading this book you can feel the wonder and magic that is Hawaii and the aloha sprit! A Must Read!

I bought this book because I had read co-author Sharon Linnea's fascinating book on Princess Kaiulani, the girl who would have become Queen of Hawaii. I loved Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawaii so much that I have given it to all my friends. People who have lived in Hawaii thanked me because the book has caught the authentic aloha spirit. Friends who read it before going to Hawaii for a vacation discovered it to be a better introduction to the Hawaiian culture and way of life than the guide books they had read. One friend who has never been to Hawaii and never expects to go lost sleep because she stayed up all night reading the book because the stories are so unique, warm and inspiring.

IF YOU HAVE EVER TRAVELED TO HAWAII AND LEFT YOUR HEART THERE AS YOU RETURNED HOME, THIS BOOK WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO YOUR HEART.

THE STORYS ARE FULL OF THE TRUE ALOHA SPIRIT. THE KINDNESS OF THE PEOPLE, THEIR PASSIONS, THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR LOVE OF LIFE. YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE OCEAN, THE MOUNTAINS AND THE FLOWERS. ONCE AGAIN YOU WILL FEEL THE SOFT GENTLE TRADE WINDS CARESSING YOUR HEART

MAHALO.....

Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawaii is a wonderful book. I have lived in Hawaii for 20 years, and I still learned so much about Hawaii. Reading this book is like taking a tour of the Hawaiian islands. This book has stories by celebrities like Kelly Preston and Bo Derek, but I enjoyed the stories about the local legends and regular people more. One story that sticks out is about the legendary swimmer and surfer Duke Kahanamoku who designed and popularized the first aloha shirts in the 1930's. I was also inspired by the story of Hao Dang who found freedom in Hawaii after spending 3 months on the ocean and living in a Thai refugee camp. Today this young woman supervises 150 employees as a director of housekeeping for 2 of the biggest hotels on the Big Island. I was enjoyed the contributions of local entertainer Nalani Olds who submitted an interesting story about the history of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Olds also submitted a story about a former prison inmate who turned his life around to become a counselor. I loved the inspirational story of Kanalu Young who was paralyzed in a swimming accident as a teenager. He went on to earn a doctorate in history. He is now a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii I enjoyed reading about the story of Angela Perez Baraquio who became the first Asian to win Miss America in the pageant's 80 year history. This book is also very educational. I only knew 3 Hawaiian words before reading this book. I learned many more Hawaiian words like Lokahi which means unity and H'ookipa which means to interact or share. Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawaii is entertaining, informative and inspirational. I enjoyed it very much.

I just purchased this book today and have already read two stories. What a warm and wonderful book!! I loved it! There are so many touching, small kid time, heartwarming stories, you can't help but feel the warmth of aloha from Hawaii. Sit back, grab a beach towel and read on....

This collection of Joel's final talks in Hawaii is beautifully presented. Joel's talks have been published in their original, unedited form, and students of The Infinite Way® will respond to the consciousness immediately. Shortly after delivering this part of the message, Joel began his last trip to Europe. These talks were never recorded. Until recently, they were only available from student to student. It is important reading for any serious student of this message.

Years ago I was told I should have in my audio library the series of talks given by Joel Goldsmith in Hawaii in the 1950's. But I already had a number of his tapes, so I put off buying more.

Then this book was introduced which consists of later classes in Hawaii. What a treat to read the difference in how Joel's consciousness had been transformed from books of earlier times! The words somehow, at least to me, became deeper, more profound.

This book is volume packed and flows as though you are right there with him, hearing him, seeing him, feeling the presence of God within him when he goes into meditation with his students. Example: Page 211, "Close your eyes, and very gently inside of yourself say: 'I. That is all. I is within you, so learn to trust it, but not as a power over anything. Just trust 'I am with you' and rest, relax."

As always, Joel's delivery is not trite or superficial or pompous. Down to earth, friendly, and spoken in language every one can understand.

Joel S Goldsmith was a mystic teacher whose writings I devoured for many years. This 600+ page hardback is no exception.

Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth

Each serious student should treat themselves to this book. What an excellent job Acropolis Books has done in publishing these beautiful and illuminating lectures which were unavailable for decades. Mr. Goldsmith's depth of consciousness lifts us with each page.

I've been working with Goldsmith material for a few years,
more deeply these last 12 months or so. I certainly haven't
read everything. I find Goldsmith thought provoking, soul
stretching, an intimate friend on my spiritual path. This
book is by far the best I've studied.
I read a chapter each morning and meditate with it. I take
notes. I simply love it.
I've been studying spirit and metaphysics for 25 years and
thought I had a pretty good handle on things. But have been
challenged and provoked again and again in this amazing book.
If you're reading this review, you're ready for this book.
I have written the word WOW numerous times in the margins.
It blows my mind. Thanks again, Joel Goldsmith!

An expansion upon the previously published material of Infinite Way. Full of insight and practical pointers on the Way.

Affairs, pirates, the death of a king and queen-who knew the history of kona coffee was rooted in such intrigue and heartbreak? After reading about the process involved in getting those beans to market, I have gained a new respect for that cup of coffee in the morning. Photos included add interest to the story. The book inspired me to try kona coffee for the first time, and now I'm hooked.

I thought that I knew a fair amount about Kona coffee, but I was wrong. The author (who grew up on a Kona coffee farm) says exactly the same thing. The coffee industry has gone through a number of transformations during its 175 years in Hawai`i. So if you were involved in the industry for "only" 20 years, you would only see a small part of the story! I couldn't put this book down because it's actually high drama! Many times in its history, coffee growing in the Islands has been pronounced dead by experts, but each time the farmers have bounced back (often just barely). Survival often meant changing old ways, introducing something totally new, or following the lead of a particular individual. Being a Kona coffee farmer has never been easy, and it still isn't. Kinro packs the entire story of the Kona coffee industry on the Big Island (and its grower's and promoter's business and social histories) into this small, very readable little book.

There were two epics of Kona coffee -- the reputation of the coffee itself, and the struggle of the farmers who grew it.
Gerald Kinro, who grew up on a Kona coffee farm, hits the highlights and lowlights in "A Cup of Aloha," which reveals that there was nothing inevitable about it.
In fact, until 1969, although Kona farmers were growing the delectable arabica variety, they were selling into the world market for the common robusta beans. It was the Superior Coffee Co. of Illinois that rescued a nearly dead Kona coffee business by buying the entire crop and paying a premium price. Not until 1984, when growers formed the Kona Coffee Council, did the reputation of the Kona bean establish itself widely.
As a result, prices went from less (sometimes much less) than a dollar a pound to more (sometimes much more) than $10.
The image of Kona coffee now, at least in the islands, is of tiny mountainside farms worked by Japanese families, with the help of Kona nightingales (donkeys). The image has charm, and people like Kinro remember that episode fondly, but it was not an easy life, and it was not the whole story.
The sunset side of Mauna Loa and Hualalai is now regarded as perfect for the coffee tree, but in the 19th century coffee was planted all over the islands, not by small farmers but by plantations, or, in Olaa, by Russian revolutionaries.
A price slump in the 1890s encouraged these capitalists to sell out to immigrants -- largely but not only Japanese -- who were finished with sugar plantation labor contracts. The business prospects were not rosy, but Kinro says "they came for independence."
Of course, they knew nothing about growing coffee, but after World War II extension agent Edward Fukunaga began a series of experiments that "revolutionized coffee production in Latin America," though the Kona growers were slow to respond his suggestions.
The experience of the Kona families was not greatly different from immigrants in other parts of the Territory. They struggled to see their children educated, they formed cooperatives, they became sophisticated -- at least, those who made it through the Depression did.
About two-fifths of the farmers gave up during the 1930s, and those who kept on were able to only because AMFAC (an agricultural/commercial conglomerate, since gone bust) wrote off their debts.
Kinro describes the efforts of the farmers as "heroic." The heroic phase may be over now, although the margin between profit and loss is nearly as precarious as in times past.
But one thing has changed. For the first century of Kona coffee, it was more hope than calculation that kept people at it.
Today, Kona coffee provides the most promising model of island agriculture -- a premium crop that can be marketed at high prices with elite branding.
That doesn't solve the Kona farmer's problems of shortage of labor, periodic droughts and the other difficulties that face every other Hawaii farmer. But at least it promises a good price in the market, which is more than the people who keep saying "we should be growing all our own food" have figured out.
Although this book does not mention it, Kona has now been surpassed in volume of beans by Kauai and will soon be by Maui and perhaps Molokai. Coffee is now grown in a variety of environments, some very different from Kona's. This will give connoisseurs many more opportunities to practice oneupmanship.

I thought that I knew a fair amount about Kona coffee, but I was wrong. The author (who grew up on a Kona coffee farm) says exactly the same thing. The coffee industry has gone through a number of transformations during its 175 years in Hawai`i. So if you were involved in the industry for "only" 20 years, you would only see a small part of the story! I couldn't put this book down because it's actually high drama! Many times in its history, coffee growing in the Islands has been pronounced dead by experts, but each time the farmers have bounced back (often just barely). Survival often meant changing old ways, introducing something totally new, or following the lead of a particular individual. Being a Kona coffee farmer has never been easy, and it still isn't. Kinro packs the entire story of the Kona coffee industry on the Big Island (and its grower's and promoter's business and social histories) into this small, very readable little book.

At first glance, "epic" might seem a bit strong, or even pretentious, a term to describe this thin book on the history of Hawai`i's Kona coffee crop. It becomes more appropriate when you realize that Gerald Kinro's book is (much) less a touristy guide to Hawaiian coffee plantations than it is a work of social history and (perhaps inevitably) a look at a dying way of life.

Author Kinro was born and raised on a Kona coffee farm, and this book has the personal feel you'd expect from an author with those experiences. His is a story of people and families ... of the causes and consequences of individual decisions ... and how they and their culture were shaped by, and themselves helped shape, the local and even international economy. People with an interest in coffee, commodity economics, or Hawai`i generally might find this worth a read. But its main audience, I think, will be readers drawn to the social and cultural history of Hawaiian communities, the mixture of Japanese, Hawaiian, and European-American influences, and the way those communities and influences have blended (good coffee term!) over time.

It only took one day to digest this slice of gourmet goodness, concocted with writerly mastery, fun plotting and interesting characters--and some laugh-out-loud moments. I hate to make comparisons, but it reminded me a bit of Carl Hiaasen (with Hawaii substituting for Florida, of course). The madcap characters, crazy plot-twists, matter-of-fact debauchery and jaw-dropping madness equals FUN. Also, without pedantics, the writer manages to sneak in a bit of info about how the tourist trade has affected authentic Hawaiian culture.

I first heard Mark Haskell Smith mentioned on NPR's book recommendations segment. His other books (Moist and Salty) are definitely going on my "to-read" list.

Mark Haskell Smith is like Elmore Leonard on speed, only funnier. Both "Moist" and "Delicious" are immensively creative, hysterical (in the comic sense) romps. I can't wait for his next one.

My husband and I both loved this book. Couldn't put it down. His other book, Moist is a good read too. Mark Haskell Smith is an excellent story teller with quite a wild imagination. Fun stuff!

This book was really fine. Which real person was the inspiration for the character Joseph? I want to eat at the restaurant where he is now working. I couldn't put this book down.

This odd exhilarating book is as well-paced and plotted as a P.G. Wodehouse novel but it is studded with incidents and bizarre moments that are as disgusting as a book by William Burroughs.

And it's all set in Hawaii of all places so you get bizarre insights into that culture. If you liked Moist, you will like Delicious. The author is a screenwriter who was hired to make a postmodernist version of Hawaii 5-0 but although that season was cancelled this book gives an indication of the author's viewpoint and why such a bizarre series could never have made it to television except on the furthest out cable channel.

Hit men, prostitutes, sleazebags, opportunistic Hawaiians, Spam, sushi, cooking. I read it in one sitting and felt like I had taken two hits of Ecstacy. Wonderful, dangerous book.

A loverly book; however, the indication that it is a pre-teen book is off the mark. While children between 9-12 could indeed enjoy this book, it would be more correct to label it for ages 9-adult.

Sue Cowing's anthology offers gorgeous affiliations. Each double-page spread pairs remarkable poems with stunning visual works. So marvelously diverse are the images that it is hard to keep in mind that they are all drawn from the works of only one museum, The Honolulu Academy of Arts. The editor's deft choices give this lovely book its distinctive excellence. The volume in its entirety is a wonderfully composed and elegantly orchestrated picture poem. It is a collection to savor and to return to often for refreshment.

A buffet of poetry--not the tired old poetry we've munched again and again, but fresh ideas from fresh poets, mainly from the Pacific area. A meaty soup of eclectic art, as diverse as a Grecian urn and an Eskimo seal sculpture. A book to relish from time to time, too rich to be eaten at one sitting. A book to ponder, to chuckle over, to dream... I especially enjoyed the wise folk sayings such as, "Water..needs no feet..heals itself," from the Philippines and "One dog barks at nothing, ten thousand others pass it on." from Japan. The Chinese, speaking of butterflies, say, "Lives one day..what does it know of the seasons." Ancient wisdom, modern applications. This is a book for all ages--of people and of times. In Hawaii, it won the coveted Po'okela award.

Good parties should introduce us to someone new and worth meeting. This lovingly put-together anthology of poems and visual art is The Party for the End of the Millenium: John Keats and Kobayashi Issa talk fire and water with an Australian aboriginal bark painter and an Inuit sculptor. Sue Cowing, an award-winning author herself, hosts an exhilarating party, having invited poets and artists from New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Hawai'i and other Pacific lands to join more well-known guests like Marc Chagall and Elizabeth Bishop. It's a pleasure to see what connections are made, but the true rewards come when you begin entering into conversation with these dazzling sensibilities yourself. And though there's no "children's poetry" here in the conventional (condescending) sense, the poems have been selected so that the lucky child who stays up late and wanders down into this celebration will feel included and full of wonder. Highly recommended

Get this book--you won't be sorry. This is a "creme de la creme" anthology. It's poetry and art chosen with an (educated) eye toward appealing to children, but it's NOT "children's poetry," and doesn't have the treacly quality that category implies. Instead, it's like a gorgeous bouquet of various blossoms; both kids and adults can get sustenance from each bloom. The work is grouped imaginatively by themes, such as: "i couldn't think straight so i thought crooked," a chapter of poems and art on creative imagination; "the minute i heard my first love story," about friendship and romantic love; and "the afternoon swam by," about trying to capture valuable moments in the fleeting rush of time. The editor's broad knowledge of--and love for--poetry is manifested in the care with which the work is presented. The relation between the poems and art is fruitful and interesting. Both art and poetry have been hand-picked from a wide variety of cultures and centuries, but all of it is accessible, and thought- and feeling-provoking. I will use this book in my teaching, and also refer to it with pleasure, regularly, in my alternate vocation, as a lover of art and verse. Bravo

This book presents an illuminating look at the nuclear testing and it's aftermath. The cavalier attitude towards radiation is pretty amazing. There are also many fine pictures of the wrecks underwater, including some shots of the world's only exisiting diveable aircraft carrier.

My Dad was there (USS Reclaimer) - swimming in the atoll the day after the blasts, cleaning refuged ships, etc. It's amazing he's still alive.

Nice photos; good summaries. This isn't a full-blown account of Operation CrossRoads but a nice summary of the ships. If you are interested in OC, this is a good book to have on your shelf.

I found this book to be most interesting, with a very accessible writing style.

This is a great mini-coffee table book (get the hardcover if you REALLY dig this stuff!) offering hours of information and photos of the famous atomic bomb tests on naval ships at Bikini Atoll. The 190 page book is broken into nine chapters and has excellent notes on sources. Background information covers the first half of the book while the second is focused on recent dives to many of the famous and lesser known ships that were sunk here. The writing is very informative and the photographs are absolutely haunting, particularly the ones of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga! Several color photos are included in the center. The author pushes no agenda in this book. He merely reports the facts available both "good and bad".

James Delgado does a very good job of reviewing the sunken ships of Bikini Atoll and telling the story of the 1946 atomic bomb tests. I read this book after diving at Bikini Atoll and found it to be a good treatment of a topic that has received too little attention. As far as wreck diving goes, Bikini Atoll is the best in the world, and my only disappointment with this book is that it does not fill the need for a coffee-table-style photographic survey of the incredible shipwrecks at Bikini. That being said, Delgado's book is a nice compromise between such a coffee table book and the more comprehensive historical treatment in Jonathan Weisgall's superb book on Bikini Atoll.

This beautiful cloth covered book brings Ryokan to life. An extensive biography helps place him firmly in the lineage of zen fools. His poetry is well rendered, cutting to the heart of his enlightenment, his lonely village. Some of the preface seems a bit misplaced and foolish, attempting to address the question of whether he was 'enlightened,' with deep and silly consideration of his views relative the deconstructionist movement. But his skill as calligrapher and poet are well treated: the beauty of his poetry is not random! If you can afford it, the hardcover's worth the extra bucks because of the sweet binding, really a nice book to hold in your hands.

I discovered Ryokan around 20 years ago when I took out "One robe, one bowl" from the library. Since then I've bought that and most of the other English translations that have appeared. I finally gave in and spent the extra bucks to buy this one and have been thoroughly impressed and glad with my purchase. Not only does it contain more of his poetry than the other collections, but it also contains some superb biographical and critical essays. If you want to know more about this wonderful poet and person, this is THE book to get. I would hope every library in America would purchase it as well. Although I'm sure Ryokan would find this rather amusing, I can't help but call this the "Cadillac of Ryokan anthologies." A fantastic book!!

Something about Ryokan just captures the imagination. An eccentric Zen monk living in a hut in the mountains, dashing off fine poetry and refined calligraphy after making the rounds in the towns below with his begging bowl, playing ball with the kids and sipping sake with the farmers along the way. Living a life free of the many conventions and responsibilities that hem us in, Ryokan seems to speak directly to us with a straightforward, friendly, unpretentious eloquence. Apparently this is a voice we find greatly appealing, and there are a great number of fine books about him and his poetry in English.

Still, of these, "Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan" really stands out as an excellent scholarly treatment of Ryokan and his art. Special attention is given to the nature of his religious orientation and his place in late Tokugawa literary society. His relationships with sponsors and fellow literati (of both Confucian, Kokugaku, and Buddhist persuasions) are fleshed out through translations of his letters, his role and image in local society exemplified by Kera Yoshishige's firsthand biography (one of the earliest), and his strict Soto Zen religiosity are revealed in several sermonistic essays on Buddhism--these latter especially reveal a very different Ryokan, strident and very critical of the state of institutional Buddhism in his day, erudite in the difficult writings of Dogen and the canonical Mahayana sutras, whose practice of seclusion and begging turn out to be highly unusual in his own context and thus a very intentional manifesto of his firmly-held religious principles. And of course there are the poems, lots and lots of them, both kanshi and waka, all of which have been specially selected with a view to shedding light on many of these same questions--for what they tell us about Ryokan the literatus, Ryokan the local weirdo, Ryokan the Soto Zen monk, and hence Ryokan the man living during late Tokugawa Japan.

The three scholarly essays at the beginning of the book by Haskel and Abe outline these same themes as well as discussing perceptions of Ryokan in modern and contemporary Japan, his role as a kind of household name and folkloric culture hero and the very divergent academic takes on him by his different Japanese interpreters. Much consideration is given too to the evolution of Ryokan studies over time and of the nature and reliability of the sources we use to understand him. All of this makes this book extremely useful, almost indispensable really, for anyone who wants to study Ryokan in-depth, and this more than makes up for the fact that the translations of the poems themselves seem just a tad prosaic sometimes. Highly recommended to anyone interested in late Tokugawa Buddhism and its relation to literature as well as to all diehard Ryokan fans, of course.

Ryokan,a great zen monk who dubbed himself"the great fool" is one of the most revered figures in all Japan. As a wandering begging monk{one robe, a bowl and walking stick} Ryokan celebrates the quotidian,whether a stong pot of tea, sake,playing ball with village children,or the warming embers of a dying fire in the midst of Winter,he makes these images come alive,with vibrancy and suppleness. This volume conatins remembrances of Ryokan from contemporaries,disciples,students and those he met along the way. Along with his Reflections on Buddhism,this volume also contains a very helpfulessay, a poetics of mendicancy by ryuichi abe`,and another essay by ab`,commemorating ryokan. the introductory essay by peter haskel, ryokan of mount kugami puts ryokan in his historical perpective. However, above all, it is the pure airy poetry of the master himself.Cleansing and wonderful...

"Great Fool" is the best English source I've found for Ryokan's poems and life history. When I feel a bit overwhelmed, I always turn to Ryokan and his simple and direct approaches to life.

"Great Fool" starts off with three essays that deal with (among other things) Ryokan's modern popularity and the debate whether Ryokan was an enlightened Zen man. This last topic I found greatly interesting, especially his being coopted by Marxist thinkers who saw in him a failed zennist and bitter poet.

Next is a collection of stories of Ryokan's life and the poems, Kanshi poems written in Chinese and shorter Waka poems written in Japanese. Ryokan shares alot of spirit with Han-shan, or Cold Mountain, except that Ryokan's poetry seems livelier and more personable than Cold Mountain's, though this could be a result of the translations. It also could be the result of Ryokan's constant association with people - indeed, like a Bodhisattva, Ryokan never really left the world. Instead of running from inquirers with shreiks and giggles, Ryokan delightfully pulls a rubber playing ball from his sleeve.

The book ends with a collection of letters and essays written by Ryokan, which give a great insight into his daily life. I especially like how he ends some of his letters:

That's all.
Ryokan

Enjoy! That's all.

Causey is what anthropologists should be. His book is grounded, full of humanity, insightful, surprising, poetic, compassionate and a lovely read. He beautifully describes and explains something profound of a people through times of tremendous social and economic change. An extremely informative and humanistic look at a Sumatran cultural group in the midst of global pressures.

A first rate work and a wonderful read. This book was delightful to read. Right from the beginning of the book, I was drawn in. It's clear this is a scholarly work, well researched and carefully detailed. As a reader of more casual literature, I was agreeably surprised at the superior writing style of the author. I thoroughly enjoyed the experiences and anecdotes throughout the whole book. Anyone who enjoys reading about other cultures and other places would definitely enjoy reading this book. I stayed up to 1:00 am one night reading it. I look forward with real anticipation to future works from this author.

Like most working stiffs, I save up for a big vacation to some far away land and when it finally happens I get shuffled around from one tourist spot to the next. The culture presents itself for purchase and I buy.

"Hard Bargaining in Sumatra" isn't just a book by an affable scholar. It immediately took me into the home of a very different family, sat me on a 'fancy mat' and amused me with a narrative by the author to his Toba Batak friends. He told a story for their entertainment that might easily have described my own hapless first experience in an exotic culture. The family's reaction and the unfolding details of their work in the woodcarving-for-tourists trade was a pleasure to read.

I was continuously surprised at how clearly Causey expressed complicated, seldom-analyzed notions of place and identity. The relationship between tourist and vacation spot is alive and dynamic in a way I'd never imagined. The author's struggle to learn the skills of the woodcarver gave extra dimension to my understanding of this traditional craft. The friendship between the student/researcher and the teacher/subject made the dynamics of the familial roles and societal obligations disarmingly vivid and personal. The book enriched my understanding of a distant culture to a degree I could never have achieved by hopping a plane and wandering their marketplaces. When I saw a Toba Batak carving at an art museum a few weeks later, I had a wealth of feelings and observations that would never have occurred to me before. For me, reading this book was like the best kind of vacation. I learned a lot, felt a connection to the people and culture, and enjoyed the process.

"What happens when the homeland of one group is also claimed as the vacationland of another group?"

This question put by the author rather succinctly sums up a major theme of the book, and perhaps should be a guiding thought for all of us who ever take a vacation...anywhere.
Whether we are taking a "package" vacation or just winging it in a new location, we have an impact not only on the place we visit, the feeling of the place, the services it provides, and perhaps most importantly, the ART of the place. Souvenirs...mementos...folk art...all these tokens and totems that come from our vacation spot are evolving to meet our desires.

The author handles this idea and others in a very human and sensitive way, inviting us into his experience in Sumatra, Indonesia and filling our minds with the sense of the place: its smells, visuals, sounds, landscape and its people. It is easy to lose oneself in this book as if it were a novel or the travelogue, yet it tackles some very difficult issues without sounding preachy or judgmental. I have always been interested in, and sensitive to the general "sense" of a place. I can be easily spooked by the quality of light or the sight of long shadows in the afternoon. I found Dr. Causey to be a kindred spirit, as he has addressed this feeling (because it is at heart a "feeling") very poetically in his writing about Lake Toba.

There are many humourous vignettes within the book, as well as many parables and lessons.
It in indeed educational, and educational on a new level-it reaches right into the spaces between ideas and brings into being a hybrid way of looking. It is accessible, informative and heartfelt.
I would recommend this book to anyone - it can be read for sheer pleasure. But if you are planning to travel, and would like to get some ideas on developing a very diplomatic and culturally sensitive approach to your new destination, this is most certainly the book for you.
I nominate Dr. Causey for Goodwill Ambassador!

This book is a true rarity--a work of serious scholarship, written in a user-friendly, personal, poetic, eminently-readable style. You'd almost be fooled into thinking you were reading a romantic travel narrative, one of those popular memoirs à la "Under the Tuscan Sun" where a naive American goes off and has a life-transforming experience while in a foreign land. But as Dr. Causey relates his tales of the months spent with the Toba Batak in their remote, beautiful homeland in northern Sumatra, learning something about their culture, something about woodcarving, and a LOT about shopping, he also unfolds a series of subtle, complex observations about aesthetics, about colonialism and acquisition, and about the role of tourists / collectors in a market economy and their effect as both destroyers and saviors of traditional culture. Absolutely fascinating stuff, and certainly not just for students of anthropology--this is a book that should be read by art historians as well as by economists, as well as by anyone who simply enjoys a well-written tale of a beautiful place that they've never been...

I particularly admire "Hard Bargaining" for the lack of any tang of cultural superiority on Dr. Causey's part--he never assumes that he knows more than the people he's observing, or that since he has a Ph.D., his observations must be considered correct. He went there; he lived, he learned, he shopped; and he thought about it, hard, and critically, comparing the Toba Batak culture to our own, and letting the reader make the judgement calls, not the anthropologist. Very well done!

The author paints a unique portrait of Taiwan's spiritual underworld; thus, it is a wonderful resource for foreigners who wish to understand Chinese, specifically Taiwanese, culture. I just reread the book, and it was more "haunting" the second time.

this book really opened my eyes to the strange beliefs of some Taiwanese women. This book was a fun read and I recommend it to anybody who wants to learn more about Taiwan and the people there.

Moscowitz has done an excellent job of taking an incredibly complicated subject and made it accessible to a wide range of audiences without sacrificing any of the content. The topic itself is fascinating and will most likely prove to be a seminal work in understanding how ancient cultures adapt to modern life. I can think of no topic better suited than abortion and the haunting fetus to highlight the conflicts and contradictions inherent in this process. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the metamorphosis of traditional Chinese culture as it moves into the new millenium.

In this highly readable yet intellectually engaging
work, Moskowitz delivers a remarkable account of the
practice of fetus worship in contemporary Taiwan.
Integral to this account is a compelling discussion
of the cultural and emotional struggles Taiwanese women
experience in their decision to undergo an abortion,
and in their consequent attempts at finding psychological
and spiritual resolution.

Moskowitz's analysis is also noteworthy in its ability
to situate the psychological implications of these practices
in a complex religious and historical context. The result is
a truly fascinating work and an important contribution toward the
understanding of sexuality and spirtual life in Taiwan.

I read this book in its unedited form, so it may have changed a bit since then, but I loved it. The picture it paints of life in Taiwan is moving and explicit, and the language and situations range from compassionate to humorous. The topic is academic but the langauge isn't, so it's appropriate for the general public as well as academians. I especially loved the section on the noodle vendor who ran an appeasement sideline. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest, however passing, in Asian culture.