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Review Date: 11/2/2007
From the back cover:
Discover the vast riches of the rain forest.
The vanishing rain forest has emerged as a symbol of our troubled environment. But how much do we really know about this fragile, exquisitely beautiful, and profoundly misunderstood ecosystem? Since the sixteenth century, when explorers first came in search of El Dorado, people have sought to exploit its elusive riches. Today, Amazonia faces extinction at the hands of a new breed of fortune hunter: developers.
In fascinating detail, Roger D. Stone writes of the history, ecology, politics, and economics of this endlessly alluring region. With expertise and insight, he addresses the question of how Amazonia can be preserved and be economically viable at the same time.
"Stone is more than a good traveler and an inviting writer ... He offers an up-to-date and documented account based on history both human and natural." - Scientific American
Discover the vast riches of the rain forest.
The vanishing rain forest has emerged as a symbol of our troubled environment. But how much do we really know about this fragile, exquisitely beautiful, and profoundly misunderstood ecosystem? Since the sixteenth century, when explorers first came in search of El Dorado, people have sought to exploit its elusive riches. Today, Amazonia faces extinction at the hands of a new breed of fortune hunter: developers.
In fascinating detail, Roger D. Stone writes of the history, ecology, politics, and economics of this endlessly alluring region. With expertise and insight, he addresses the question of how Amazonia can be preserved and be economically viable at the same time.
"Stone is more than a good traveler and an inviting writer ... He offers an up-to-date and documented account based on history both human and natural." - Scientific American
Review Date: 4/25/2015
An earlier, incorrect description for "Great Russian Piano Works" has been updated and is now correct.
Review Date: 10/24/2007
From back cover:
In "Here to Stay" bestselling author John Hersey tells of episodes in the past half-century in which Man has courageously risen above desperate situations and shown his determination to survive despite threats of the nuclear age. He first tells the story of an old woman marooned on a rooftop amidst floods caused by a hurricane. He ends with is famous "Hiroshoma", the story of the survivors of the first atomic bombing, written from personal investigation in horrifying detail and compassionate indignation.
Between these two moving pieces, we read of John Kennedy's heroism in rescuing the crew of his PT boat; a Jew's sufferings in Auschwitz; a crippled G.I.'s difficulties in adjusting to civilian life; the rehabilitation of a soldier paralyzed with fright; the adventures of two Poles who survived persecution; and a thrilling account of an escape from Hungary in 1956.
All John Hersey's books have a serious purpose, from "A Bell for Adano" to "The War Lover". This book is a stirring reminder of our inherent ability to meet the challenges of extinction which now face the world.
"This is a strong and moving book. 'Here to Stay' is a fair statement both to the human will to survive and of the precariousness of human prospects for survival. The characters in Mr. Hersey's book renew our sense of the inextinguishable vitality of life and hope; at the same time, his episodes - and especially his conclusion - renew a sense of 'the big IF' underlying the human condition in this second half of the 20th century." - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., The New York Times Book Review
In "Here to Stay" bestselling author John Hersey tells of episodes in the past half-century in which Man has courageously risen above desperate situations and shown his determination to survive despite threats of the nuclear age. He first tells the story of an old woman marooned on a rooftop amidst floods caused by a hurricane. He ends with is famous "Hiroshoma", the story of the survivors of the first atomic bombing, written from personal investigation in horrifying detail and compassionate indignation.
Between these two moving pieces, we read of John Kennedy's heroism in rescuing the crew of his PT boat; a Jew's sufferings in Auschwitz; a crippled G.I.'s difficulties in adjusting to civilian life; the rehabilitation of a soldier paralyzed with fright; the adventures of two Poles who survived persecution; and a thrilling account of an escape from Hungary in 1956.
All John Hersey's books have a serious purpose, from "A Bell for Adano" to "The War Lover". This book is a stirring reminder of our inherent ability to meet the challenges of extinction which now face the world.
"This is a strong and moving book. 'Here to Stay' is a fair statement both to the human will to survive and of the precariousness of human prospects for survival. The characters in Mr. Hersey's book renew our sense of the inextinguishable vitality of life and hope; at the same time, his episodes - and especially his conclusion - renew a sense of 'the big IF' underlying the human condition in this second half of the 20th century." - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., The New York Times Book Review
Review Date: 10/3/2010
Helpful Score: 1
This is a collection of short fiction by writers who lived the Vietnamese War experience, and includes a good mix of Vietnamese and American authors, with 22 Americans and 19 Vietnamese represented.
The most widely known American writers include Andre Dubus, Philip Caputo, Tim O'Brien, and John Balaban.
The book is divided into six sections: (1) A Walk in the Garden of Heaven", 2 stories; (2) "The Honored Dead", 5 stories; (3) "Wounds", 10 stories; (4) "Hauntings", 4 stories; (5) "Exiles", 5 stories; (6) Legacies", 11 stories.
While each selection in the book presents a very personal story, collectively each also expresses the universal pain and hardship of war and its consequences on those caught in the crossfire or forced into fighting, on both sides of the battle lines.
The most widely known American writers include Andre Dubus, Philip Caputo, Tim O'Brien, and John Balaban.
The book is divided into six sections: (1) A Walk in the Garden of Heaven", 2 stories; (2) "The Honored Dead", 5 stories; (3) "Wounds", 10 stories; (4) "Hauntings", 4 stories; (5) "Exiles", 5 stories; (6) Legacies", 11 stories.
While each selection in the book presents a very personal story, collectively each also expresses the universal pain and hardship of war and its consequences on those caught in the crossfire or forced into fighting, on both sides of the battle lines.
Review Date: 10/16/2007
From the cover:
The owl is perhaps the most beloved, feared, and evocative of all winged creatures. Jonathan Maslow's vastly entertaining book - a blend of natural history, philosophy, and poetry - investigates the life and habitat of the nocturnal bird of prey. From winter to fall, he follows the birds to listen to their vocabulary of hoots, observe their nesting patterns, and view their powerful and silent flight.
"Splendid ... Maslow recounts how the owl, through habits rapacious, solitary, and nocturnal, has flown swiftly in human history from the familiar to the superstitious." -- Smithsonian Magazine
Originally published in 1983, reprinted in 1986.
The owl is perhaps the most beloved, feared, and evocative of all winged creatures. Jonathan Maslow's vastly entertaining book - a blend of natural history, philosophy, and poetry - investigates the life and habitat of the nocturnal bird of prey. From winter to fall, he follows the birds to listen to their vocabulary of hoots, observe their nesting patterns, and view their powerful and silent flight.
"Splendid ... Maslow recounts how the owl, through habits rapacious, solitary, and nocturnal, has flown swiftly in human history from the familiar to the superstitious." -- Smithsonian Magazine
Originally published in 1983, reprinted in 1986.
Review Date: 10/16/2007
From the cover:
John Brandi's rambles into the unexpected nooks and crannies of the West resulted in these well drawn essays, capturing it's empty landscapes and eccentric, but always fascinating, populace. His writing - hailed by novelist John Nichols, as a "bittersweet, hardass, heartfelt swan song to the disappearing vestiges of a more truthful way of life" - celebrates maverick New Mexico cowboys, Hopi mesa dwellers, iconoclast truckers, Mexican folk artists, Hispanic curanderas, fellow poets, and hardscrabble wanderers of slickrock and sage. Through them the mystery of the West, and the refined vision that accompanies solitude, is brought into focus.
Brandi describes the wild, open spaces, while opening paths inaccessible to the uninitiated, to the abodes of desert dwellers. "Reflections in the Lizard's Eye" is straightforward and stunning, full of beauty and wisdom - a welcome companion in one's backpack and library for lovers of good literature and armchair travel.
Published by Western Edge Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2000; trade paperback, 190 pp.
John Brandi's rambles into the unexpected nooks and crannies of the West resulted in these well drawn essays, capturing it's empty landscapes and eccentric, but always fascinating, populace. His writing - hailed by novelist John Nichols, as a "bittersweet, hardass, heartfelt swan song to the disappearing vestiges of a more truthful way of life" - celebrates maverick New Mexico cowboys, Hopi mesa dwellers, iconoclast truckers, Mexican folk artists, Hispanic curanderas, fellow poets, and hardscrabble wanderers of slickrock and sage. Through them the mystery of the West, and the refined vision that accompanies solitude, is brought into focus.
Brandi describes the wild, open spaces, while opening paths inaccessible to the uninitiated, to the abodes of desert dwellers. "Reflections in the Lizard's Eye" is straightforward and stunning, full of beauty and wisdom - a welcome companion in one's backpack and library for lovers of good literature and armchair travel.
Published by Western Edge Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2000; trade paperback, 190 pp.
Review Date: 8/31/2008
This book is a richly illustrated journey into the myths, symbols, and rituals of the goddess.
From back cover:
The Song of Eve is the song of all women. It's a chant sounding from centuries ago out of the mouths of the goddesses who gave women their strength and individuality. Lover, mother, priestess, creator/destroyer, virgin, muse -- here lie the most powerful female images in the rich tapestry of words and pictures for the woman of today to discover and celebrate the goddess in herself.
From back cover:
The Song of Eve is the song of all women. It's a chant sounding from centuries ago out of the mouths of the goddesses who gave women their strength and individuality. Lover, mother, priestess, creator/destroyer, virgin, muse -- here lie the most powerful female images in the rich tapestry of words and pictures for the woman of today to discover and celebrate the goddess in herself.
Review Date: 10/24/2007
From back cover:
500 years after Columbus's "discovery" of America, the indigenous people of the Western hemisphere continue to feel the effects of the European invasion. This collection of essays by noted American Indian authors and activists explores the circumstances confronted by native people in the contemporary United States. Topics discussed include treaty rights and international status, demography, relationship to feminism, education, militarization, art and literature, spiritual hucksterism, the case of Leonard Peltier, resource development and uranium contamination on reservations, religious freedom and the socio-cultural implications of the Columbus Quincentenary celebration.
Contributors include Ward Churchill, Vine Deloria Jr., Jimmie Durham, Marianna Guerrero, Theresa Halsey, Tom Holm, Evelyn Hu-DeHart, the Institute for National Progress, M. Annette Jaimes, Winona LaDuke, Phil Lane Jr., Glenn T. Morris, Jorge Noreiga, Rebecca Robbins, Wendy Rose, Lenore Stiffarm, Jim Vander Wall, and Delinda Wunder.
500 years after Columbus's "discovery" of America, the indigenous people of the Western hemisphere continue to feel the effects of the European invasion. This collection of essays by noted American Indian authors and activists explores the circumstances confronted by native people in the contemporary United States. Topics discussed include treaty rights and international status, demography, relationship to feminism, education, militarization, art and literature, spiritual hucksterism, the case of Leonard Peltier, resource development and uranium contamination on reservations, religious freedom and the socio-cultural implications of the Columbus Quincentenary celebration.
Contributors include Ward Churchill, Vine Deloria Jr., Jimmie Durham, Marianna Guerrero, Theresa Halsey, Tom Holm, Evelyn Hu-DeHart, the Institute for National Progress, M. Annette Jaimes, Winona LaDuke, Phil Lane Jr., Glenn T. Morris, Jorge Noreiga, Rebecca Robbins, Wendy Rose, Lenore Stiffarm, Jim Vander Wall, and Delinda Wunder.
Review Date: 10/16/2007
Helpful Score: 1
This book tells the story of Su Teatro, beginning with its founding in 1971, and includes selected plays by Anthony J. Garcia who is also Artistic Director of El Centro Su Teatro.
Plays include: "Serafin: Cantos y Lagrimas", "Little Hands Hold the Wind", "The Day Ricardo Falcon Died", "An Obsidian Rain", and "Ludlow; El Grito de las Minas".
From the cover:
Anthony J. Garcia is the Artistic Director at El Centro Su Teatro [in Denver]. He is the author of numerous play and short stories which include "La Carpa Aztlan presents: I Don't Speak English Only", "El Corrido del Barrio", and "Tavio Lucero". He is a former Theater Communications Group / National Endowment for the Arts Director Fellow, and a Colorado Council of the Arts Recognition Award recipient. The short story version of "The Day Ricardo Falcon Died" is included in the Tumblewords Anthology, University of Nevada Press.
Su Teatro was founded in 1971, and is the third oldest Chicano theater company. The company has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Mexico, and in collaboration with Mr. Garcia has contributed to the Chicano theater movement, many originally developed and produced plays, many of which are included in this anthology.
Plays include: "Serafin: Cantos y Lagrimas", "Little Hands Hold the Wind", "The Day Ricardo Falcon Died", "An Obsidian Rain", and "Ludlow; El Grito de las Minas".
From the cover:
Anthony J. Garcia is the Artistic Director at El Centro Su Teatro [in Denver]. He is the author of numerous play and short stories which include "La Carpa Aztlan presents: I Don't Speak English Only", "El Corrido del Barrio", and "Tavio Lucero". He is a former Theater Communications Group / National Endowment for the Arts Director Fellow, and a Colorado Council of the Arts Recognition Award recipient. The short story version of "The Day Ricardo Falcon Died" is included in the Tumblewords Anthology, University of Nevada Press.
Su Teatro was founded in 1971, and is the third oldest Chicano theater company. The company has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Mexico, and in collaboration with Mr. Garcia has contributed to the Chicano theater movement, many originally developed and produced plays, many of which are included in this anthology.
Review Date: 10/26/2007
From back cover:
"Viper's" Triangle is probably the most accomplished and acclaimed of all of Francois Mauriac's works. Here, the Nobel laureate delivers a scathing indictment of how vulgar money can shatter the bonds of familial devotion. As such this novel is a masterpiece of psychological insight striking at the heart of the most fatally alluring of human passions: greed, jealousy and resentment.
Louis, a wealthy landowner risen from the peasantry, is nearing the end of his days. He has had reason to begrudge his wife for past indelicacies. And now, sons, daughters and grandchildren all carefully eye an immense inheritance. Louis is unsure whether the tangle of vipers is festering within himself or whether it is menacing him from the outside. As he sees more clearly into his own motives and past deeds, Louis' miserly and scheming disposition gradually transforms into feelings of atonement - even generosity.
This note of redemption emerging from the drama shows us the extraordinary subtlety and depth of Mauriac's perceptions of human relations. Also strongly in evidence is his genius for depicting the conflicts, aspirations and enduring traditions of the French rural classes for which he is so famous.
---
Francois Mauriac is the eminent novelist, playwright and essayist who played and active part in the French resistance in World War II. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952. His other acclaimed works include: "A Woman of the Pharisees", "Therese", and "Flesh and Blood".
"Viper's" Triangle is probably the most accomplished and acclaimed of all of Francois Mauriac's works. Here, the Nobel laureate delivers a scathing indictment of how vulgar money can shatter the bonds of familial devotion. As such this novel is a masterpiece of psychological insight striking at the heart of the most fatally alluring of human passions: greed, jealousy and resentment.
Louis, a wealthy landowner risen from the peasantry, is nearing the end of his days. He has had reason to begrudge his wife for past indelicacies. And now, sons, daughters and grandchildren all carefully eye an immense inheritance. Louis is unsure whether the tangle of vipers is festering within himself or whether it is menacing him from the outside. As he sees more clearly into his own motives and past deeds, Louis' miserly and scheming disposition gradually transforms into feelings of atonement - even generosity.
This note of redemption emerging from the drama shows us the extraordinary subtlety and depth of Mauriac's perceptions of human relations. Also strongly in evidence is his genius for depicting the conflicts, aspirations and enduring traditions of the French rural classes for which he is so famous.
---
Francois Mauriac is the eminent novelist, playwright and essayist who played and active part in the French resistance in World War II. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952. His other acclaimed works include: "A Woman of the Pharisees", "Therese", and "Flesh and Blood".
Review Date: 10/16/2007
From the back cover:
Beautiful, courageous and controversial, Jehan Sadat was the wife of Egypt's President Anwar Sadat - a woman at the turbulent center of an ancient land. Now she tells the compelling story of her romance at age fifteen with the thirty-year-old penniless revolutionary, and their adventurous life together as Anwar Sadat rose from war hero to popular leader to ruler of Egypt.
At his side, she braved the deadly political sandstorms of rumor, treachery and treason. And in a world dominated by men and torn by violence, she defied tradition to become the first wife of a Muslim leader to have her picture in the newspaper, travel outside her country and battle for women's rights and education. Opposed by powerful fanatics, she reformed Egypt's cruel divorce laws - and supported her husband's dangerous quest for peace in the Middle East. When Anwar Sadat made his historic journey to Jerusalem and Muslim fundamentalists plotted against him, she feared every day for his life.
From the first heady days of Egypt's liberation to the tragedy of Anwar Sadat's assassination, "A Woman of Egypt" is the passionate, heartfelt story of Jehan Sadat - patriot, feminist, wife, mother - a true heroine of our times.
Beautiful, courageous and controversial, Jehan Sadat was the wife of Egypt's President Anwar Sadat - a woman at the turbulent center of an ancient land. Now she tells the compelling story of her romance at age fifteen with the thirty-year-old penniless revolutionary, and their adventurous life together as Anwar Sadat rose from war hero to popular leader to ruler of Egypt.
At his side, she braved the deadly political sandstorms of rumor, treachery and treason. And in a world dominated by men and torn by violence, she defied tradition to become the first wife of a Muslim leader to have her picture in the newspaper, travel outside her country and battle for women's rights and education. Opposed by powerful fanatics, she reformed Egypt's cruel divorce laws - and supported her husband's dangerous quest for peace in the Middle East. When Anwar Sadat made his historic journey to Jerusalem and Muslim fundamentalists plotted against him, she feared every day for his life.
From the first heady days of Egypt's liberation to the tragedy of Anwar Sadat's assassination, "A Woman of Egypt" is the passionate, heartfelt story of Jehan Sadat - patriot, feminist, wife, mother - a true heroine of our times.
Review Date: 10/24/2007
From the back cover:
"This volume is superb. It offers a broad range of Indian voices from various historical situations, points of view, and sources. It will do more than almost any scholarly study to help students unlearn the stereotypes, both old-fashioned and currently fashionable, that prevent them from seeing Native Americans as people who lived in and made history just as Europeans did." â Neal Salisbury, Smith College
"This is a splendid addition to the literature of the Indian experience in early America. it is impressive in its chronological, geographic, and topical scope. Impressive, too, is the editor's careful treatment of the problems, and the promise, of documents offering natives' perspectives on the invasion of America. This volume is an essential starting point for those people â students, teachers, and scholars â who wish to gain a richer, more nuanced view of early American life." â James H. Merrell, Vassar College
About the editor:
Colin G. Calloway, associate professor at the University of Wyoming, is the recipient of the 1993 John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Teaching Award. His most recent books are Dawnland Encounters: Indians and Europeans in Northern New England (1991) and The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600-1800: War, Migration, and the Survival of Indian People, which was selected by Choice Magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Books of 1990. His current work examines the experiences of Indian people during the American Revolution. Calloway and Barry O'Connell are co-editors of Native American of the Northeast: Culture, History, and the Contemporary, a series of books published by the University of Massachusetts Press.
"This volume is superb. It offers a broad range of Indian voices from various historical situations, points of view, and sources. It will do more than almost any scholarly study to help students unlearn the stereotypes, both old-fashioned and currently fashionable, that prevent them from seeing Native Americans as people who lived in and made history just as Europeans did." â Neal Salisbury, Smith College
"This is a splendid addition to the literature of the Indian experience in early America. it is impressive in its chronological, geographic, and topical scope. Impressive, too, is the editor's careful treatment of the problems, and the promise, of documents offering natives' perspectives on the invasion of America. This volume is an essential starting point for those people â students, teachers, and scholars â who wish to gain a richer, more nuanced view of early American life." â James H. Merrell, Vassar College
About the editor:
Colin G. Calloway, associate professor at the University of Wyoming, is the recipient of the 1993 John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Teaching Award. His most recent books are Dawnland Encounters: Indians and Europeans in Northern New England (1991) and The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600-1800: War, Migration, and the Survival of Indian People, which was selected by Choice Magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Books of 1990. His current work examines the experiences of Indian people during the American Revolution. Calloway and Barry O'Connell are co-editors of Native American of the Northeast: Culture, History, and the Contemporary, a series of books published by the University of Massachusetts Press.
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