Book Description

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, Mitch Albom's true story about the love between a spiritual mentor and his pupil, soared to the top of the bestseller lists and became a publishing phenomenon. The subject of three Ted Koppel interviews on Nightline, Morrie Schwartz became an inspiration to millions of viewers because of his willingness to talk openly about the intimate aspects of facing an imminent death.In 1994 at the age of 77, Morrie learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS,) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease: incurable, progressively disabling, eventually fatal. People with degenerative or terminal illnesses often withdraw, becoming too fearful or depressed to enjoy interacting with others. Morrie, however, embraced his illness, choosing to live as fully as possible in the time he had left. Before he died, Morrie finished the manuscript for this book, an unforgettable guide to caring for the mind and spirit when the body grows frail. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A beautiful book
I read "Tuesdays With Morrie", but this book is much more meaningful as it was written by Morrie himself. I read it quickly, but marked a lot of passages.

End of life experiences and dying are subjects that I deal with each day. How I wish that people would read Morrie's book and put things in proper perspective. It seems that people die without really living. Morrie didn't and for this I thank him.

This should be required reading for anyone who deals with terminally ill persons.

Morrie delights me
I've got "Tuesdays with Mirror" as a gift from my ex-boss when I quited from the previous job. Now I do want to thank you her. It's such a wonderful gift. Actually, I'm a kind of person who doesn't normally read a kind of book like this but when the first time I read it, I could hardly put it down. Morrie got me as like he got Mitch. While I was reading, I was curious what will happen in the end and questioned to myself if there was a man kind like this in the World!! Yes, there was. Here he is. Morrie is sweet, gentle, nice and worm. That's the way I felt from the book. His words are so simplicity and do touch my heart. I wish, for the rest of my life, I could live and see the world like him just some of his parts!! Thank you Morrie & Mitch for a wonderful thesis and thank you again, Mitch, for letting us touch his soul and know this wonderful old man, Morrie Schwartz.

Depressingly uplifting
Morrie: In His Own Words is an interesting account of what a man with ALS goes through to mentally keep himself sane. If you're dying, it is a good way to live the remaining time left and, if you are not facing death, it is good way to live the remaining time left. Don't expect earth shattering advice, though. These are simple truths, exposed by a life-long sociologist (turned psychologist in this work).

What it does for those who are not facing death, is give you a real picture of what it could be like in the end, so start livin'. A good wake up call for anyone who doesn't think well of themselves or their life situation.

Its worth the Change in your life.
I haven't read the book as yet but I did by it this afternoon. But i have seen the movie and judgeing by the other reviews they have produced the movie very closely to the books. The movie has Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria they perfected the roles and its moving to see the book in living colour if you cant be bothered to read which i can't imagine not doing teh movie is almost as close as teh real thing worth a read and a viewing.

Life-altering
I can tell you this with all honesty - if you're restless, edgy, wondering what the hell is wrong with you when you've got a comfy, cushy life & job & friends & material goods, read this book. It's life-changing and makes you re-evaluate your priorities. My colleague told me about this book - one of the few that she reads that has nothing to do with work, btw - and told me I had to read this. Being in an industry (IT) that always shifts beneath our feet (sometimes more often than the tetonic plates below our Earth surface!), it relays a different message that begs the reader - and thinker - to reorganize his/her life, loves & priorities. I read it during the lunch hour and came back calling up my close friends and telling them I love them and that I want to see them more often.

Now, THAT'S a book with a difference. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Gripping!
"Now I ask you, is my charisma, my power, my love, or my madness drawing those people to me? Or is it an attraction caused by writers so obsessed with proving themselves to the public, they created a monster and fed a myth to establish their own names?" (225).This is probably the closest to the truth that you will come. This is Manson rambling for hours upon hours inside prison walls. The author, Nuel Emmons lets Manson loose, and barely puts in his own comments, and refuses to take sides. This is Manson's story, and although you have to ask yourself what's true, and what's bull, by the end you wil have a much better understanding and - not so much- a pity for him, but a clearer picture. Manson makes some sense in this book, and I'll be the first to point out that Manson himself ADMITS that he WAS nvolved in those senseless murders, but doesn't take full blame. Does he regret or feel sorry about it? You'll have to be the judge. But, you can also read between the lines here too. He felt a responsibility for those unwanted kids, because that's where he came from. True, he might have used that to his advantage, but again, you be the judge. I highly reccomend this book. I hate to say this, but we may have mistaken this man a bit. And that's not to say that I agree with those senseless murders!!!!But you will see the bitterness that was growing in Manson's heart through his travels through homosexual love flings, rape, being a bastard child, and living life on the run. Read this book, please, don't rely only on Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter." This is the real deal.

Amazing is all I can say about this book
This book was by far the best book that I have ever read in my life. After having read Helter Skelter and other books about Manson I was amazed at how different Manson's view point was. It is so exciting to be able to get into the mind of Charles Manson and actually see his side of the story. Charles Manson is a very interesting person and this book really helps you to understand him.

Insane? or just drugged up?
This was an excellent book. A completely different story, however, to that which you will find in Helter Skelter. Which version you belive, is up to you but i would recommend reading both to get a fuller picture. If you want to be submerged in the feeling and freedom of the sixties and a good build up to, atleast Mansons version of, why these terrible murders happened read this book. Cross reference it with Helter Skelter for a more sober view of events and a totally different verdict of why the members of mansons 'group' chose to murder.

An evil genius
To the people who have not yet read Manson in his own words, I urge you to purchase a copy and to be prepared.
I read this book years ago, and knowing of Charles Manson,what he had done and how,well after opening the book,I could not put it down. I mean literally, against my will,Manson capturing my mind through his words.An absolute bewildered and somewhat a Magickal book in it's own rite, had me instantly coming of a vast likeness to him. A pure,evil genius having had attained a power so high of a different consciousness and level,using this power which can be attained by all,using it for death,evil.A man I think from memory spending all of his life in institutions had grown an hatred for mankind if you will.
The Swaastika between his eyes symbolising power,tattooed on his forehead,displaying a self created genius of evil.
A must read and a most uncanny at that.

This Book Contains A Manson Bombshell
If for no other reason, this book is an important Manson read
because of a startling revelation near the end. For readers who have read "Helter Skelter" or are familiar with the Tate murders on August 9, 1969; a couple of things don't add up. Several
witnesses in the benedict canyon area of Los Angeles that night heard men shouting and arguing in the vicinity of 10500 Cielo Drive. It reportedly occurred between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. This would have been several hours after the murders, but long before the bodies were discovered around 8:30 a.m. It was also known that in the course of this horrific crime, Sharon Tate never left the house once the killers arrived. She was murdered in the living room, having never made it outside. Her blood; however, was found on the front porch. Police and criminal experts also reported that her body had been completely smeared with blood. As if the body had been handled by someone at the scene, not too
long after the murders.

It is in this book that Manson proclaims that he and "one or two others," went back to the crime scene that night. He said he wanted to "see what my children had done." Manson even writes about what a risky operation that can be and that they were very cautious and unsettled by the whole experience. He refuses to name his accomplices, but goes into details about how he wiped down Steve Parent's car for prints and tried to move Sharon Tate's body. He also goes into sickening descriptions about what he wanted to do to her body in an effort to leave an
an even more horrifying discovery. This would explain the blood discrepency, the appearanced of a handled body (Tate), and the voices heard arguing from the residence.

This is not to say that because Manson said this, it is true. It would however, explain alot about the case that Mr. Bugliosi did not really cover in his book, "Helter Skelter." To add even more credibility to Manson's story, Tex Watson has said recently that he believed Manson reurned to the scene of the murders after he and the girls had retired for the night at Spohn Ranch. Adding a very creepy twist if true, to an already monstrously evil event in the annals of crime. ... Read more

Book Description

How did you first learn about sex? If you grew up in the 1970s, it may have been from a gleefully lusty tour guide named Xaviera Hollander

In the late 1960s -- that era of sexual chaos, when Playboy Clubs and love-ins were competing for national attention -- a beautiful, intelligent young Dutch secretary named Xaviera de Vries moved to New York, grew swiftly tired of her desk job . . . and soon became the most visible and glamorous madam the city had ever seen. As Xaviera Hollander, she published a shockingly candid account of her life behind the brothel door. The Happy Hooker shot straight to the top of the bestseller lists, sold more than fifteen million copies, and made this enterprising young woman an international phenomenon.

Thirty years later, these delightfully explicit tales of the '60s and '70s swingers' scene -- including countless jaw-dropping stories of lesbianism, bondage, fetishism, and more -- remain as titillating as ever, charged with the mix of shrewd observation and uninhibited appetite that made Hollander an irresistible storyteller. The Happy Hooker is a classic: the world's greatest book on the world's oldest profession.

Reviews (4)

Very Interesting Read
I recently purchased Xaviera's book and found it to be enlightening in some areas, though terribly exaggerated in other areas. As someone with experience in the sex industry, I'd have to say that some of her experiences just don't add up. That's not to say that she isn't a wonderful writer. She is indeed. But I would have been more pleased with an honest, straight-forward account of her life as a hooker and madame, versus an embellished rendition of what actually took place. All in all, it was worth purchasing used.

Amazingly Candid!
A friend ordered this book and I laughed, then when my used bookstore recieved a copy I decided to check it out. I am glad I did.

The first few chapters are very explicit as Xaviera details her blossoming as a young nymphomaniac and describes many lurid sexual activities. Then the writing describes more or less her transformation into a prostitute high priced call girl (considering the times) and madam. Xaviera Hollander may be the happy hooker but she smashes the sterotypes by being an educated, intelligent and artitulate narrator.

This book is written with two other people, and that I confess is main reason I didn't give it five stars. While it is no doubt in Xaviera's own words reading it sub-consciously I did wonder how edited the text was. At times I felt her collaboraters did an almost too fine a job polishing the narrative much like some songs can be over-produced my over-all impression of this work was one of over-production.

That said it is a honest memoir that does not glorify the profession or gloss over life's uglier incidents and sides, in short a detailed life of a lady suited to be a madam due to her love of sex and the circumstances of life. An entertaining and yes informative book.

How much do I love this book?
I can't even say how fabulous this book is! I can barely think of why its so fabulous! You so have to read it to believe it! I was in love with the book by page 1 when it opened with the story of the author, a madam, and her girls in jail for not the first time being harrassed by street hookers ratting their wigs and doing their nails. But this isn't some sad HBO documentary! It really is...a celibration almost of human sexuality and the people who cater to its needs. An amazingly honest, unapologetic, upbeat look at the world of the sex worker I recommend it wholeheartedly as a thoroughly entertaining and liberating read!

Retro Perhaps, But Revised Throughout
"How did YOU first learn about sex?" the reviews ask. Even more importantly, when? I'll confess that I learned about it in the 1970s, and that "a gleefully lusty tour guide named Xaviera Hollander" was responsible. The volume that started it all, "The Happy Hooker: My Own Story" is now titillating a new generation of readers who cut their teeth on matter-of-fact sex guides like "Savage Love" or Dr. Ruth Westheimer's preachy "Sex for Dummies." While many may wonder what all the fuss was about, the truth is that today's twenty-somethings can't begin to imagine how shocking this book was when it first appeared in February 1972, when most of us still gasped after hearing the word "damn" on TV.

Reared in the liberal Netherlands, the author discovers early on that she is bisexual -- and ultimately, it seems, sexually insatiable as well. Relating her own personal experiences in vivid detail, Xaviera chronicles how the sexual revolution of the 1960s hit full stride at the beginning of the 1970s. In the days before AIDS, she would regularly meet people of either sex, engage in small talk with them, and take them to bed before the night was over. Many ships pass in the night this way throughout the book, yet the author's first sexual encounter with a man is strangely given short shrift. Presumably it wasn't as memorable as her many other adventures and escapades. Entering adulthood, she migrates to South Africa at a time when apartheid and other repressive laws are still in force. Bored within a matter of days, she seduces her brother-in-law and spices up his previously boring marriage to her half-sister before moving on to the staid Johannesburg club scene, where she promptly makes a name for herself. In no time she meets an American globetrotter who seems to bring her the satisfaction she craves, and he proposes marriage to her. She accepts, and he invites her to New York, where tension breaks out almost immediately between her and his youth-obsessed, and possibly alcoholic, mother. While subtly exposing the sexual hypocrisy that was part and parcel of our society at the time, Xaviera nonetheless tries to make her relationship with her fiancé work. Secret affairs on both their parts, however, hers always with women, eventually drive them apart.

Frustrated, Xaviera begins sleeping her way across Manhattan and is initially shocked when she is first offered money in exchange for what she thought was just good clean fun. Never the type to say no, she quickly quashes her misgivings and, in what some critics see as a parody of the traditional American work ethic, begins working her way up from meeting her clients in seedy tenements in Greenwich Village to setting her own hours at more chic "houses of pleasure" in the fashionable East Fifties. She climbs the proverbial ladder of success by working for two competing madams and then, in spite of police harassment, setting up a service of her own when one of her former bosses retires to get married. Along the way we're introduced to a gallery of eccentrics, some harmless, many menacing, who populate the demimonde of prostitution, a profession society at large still condemns as a crime that warrants punishment. You'll learn, among other things, why Greek men are her favorite lovers, and why she left Swinging Amsterdam during its heyday.

This "30th Anniversary Edition" actually tones down a lot of the material found in the original. Xaviera's former "fag" friends, whom she sometimes patronizes, are now "gay," for instance, and her encounter with a German shepherd in South Africa, of which she once wrote, "I'd be a moral fraud if I ignored it," is eliminated completely. One chapter, originally entitled "Biff-Bam-Thank-You-Ma'am," has been completely rewritten as "Whipped (S)cream," with its seamier elements considerably softened. Almost ten pages of material have been snipped in all, including much of the moralizing the author once did to justify her lifestyle, which, owing to the occupational hazards she describes in detail, she quickly abandoned after her book became a bestseller. Translated into a dozen languages, "The Happy Hooker" may indeed have changed the way the world regards prostitutes and their trade, and maybe even sex in general, but this expurgated edition proves that our present attitudes toward the subject aren't as liberal as they might have been. The book is thus a window on the past, reframed with modern-day sensibilities. If you can find it, read the original first, to gauge for yourself how far we've come in three decades. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 30th anniversary edition of this classic memoir about growing up in Spanish Harlem includes an afterword reminding us that its streets are even meaner now, thanks to crack cocaine and the dismantling of government poverty programs. As a dark-skinned Puerto Rican, born in 1928, Piri Thomas faced with painful immediacy the absurd contradictions of America's racial attitudes (among people of all colors) in a time of wrenching social change. Three decades have not dimmed the luster of his jazzy prose, rich in Hispanic rhythms and beat-generation slang. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

ALL Boricuas MUST READ! I highly recommend to ALL!
This is one of the first books I read, and it was very moving, touching and powerful for me. Being Boricua (Puerto Rican), born and raised in NYC's El Barrio, myself, and coming up on the same streets Piri lived on and wrote about made this book that much more special and personal for me. I was virtually able to re-live Piri's life through his book and eyes, albiet 50+ years later.

Piri's writing style is icy clear, lucid, and sometimes pretty raw. He writes so artfully that the entire book becomes like an epic saga, one powerful movie in your mind! It's a story of unvarnished reality. Piri pulls no punches. (I'm imagining you should probably be 15+ or so to read this.) You'll laugh, cry, get angry and go on a roller coaster of emotions with DTMS. I was so moved and touched by Piri's work, that I read all of his other books, and developed a new outlook and perspective on everything from writing, to self identity, and dignity (one of Piri's faves).

Buy Down These Mean Streets, in English or Spanish (Por Estas Calles Bravas), and pass it on. (I GUARANTEE you'll love it!) Piri is one of our first...and one of our best! The man's been p'al carajo and back, and tells it all in his unique Boricua style (often imitated, never duplicated).

I developed a lot of affection and love for Brother Piri, and was even fortunate enough to meet the Living Legend and have him over our home for an unforgettable dinner as our guest, where my entire familia, friends and neighbors (who I all got to read his books) all had the pleasure of meeting the larger than life Piri!

Much love, and respect to Brother Piri and and all of you, mi gente! (...)

THIS NEEDS TO ME MADE INTO A MOVIE - THE TIME IS NOW...
I first heard this man, Mr. Piri Thomas, speak in the spring of 1993 at Cal State University at Hayward. I was so moved (as a high school student) that I had our school (California High School) invite him to speak at our "Free Your Mind" day on June 4th, 1993. I loved his poetic 'realness' - and it was the first time I felt really empowered as a person of color living in a largely suburban environment.

His experience and insight was so raw and so 'real'. In this autobiography, Mr. Thomas addresses issues of racial identity (he was dark skinned, but his brother was lighter skinned/more white looking) and how racism affected him as a Puerto Recan. It describes him growing up in Spanish Harlem, NY, moving down the coast, meeting friends and some crazy situations. I remember him really hitting rock bottom, and then coming out in the end. I always looked forward to reading on.

I read somewhere that R&B singer Brian McKnight considers this his favorite book. That's when I knew I just wasn't being easily impressed. This is an excellent life story, well written, and a must read for anyone interested in the topic of racial identity. Yes, we are all individuals, but we should never deny our heritage...thank you Mr. Piri Thomas. I feel nothing but the deepest respect for you...thanks for your vision, insight and generosity.

Knyte (Trust Me)

P.S. If I could give more than five stars...I would

Puerto Rican experience life in the New York City
I think that this book should be required for all Puerto Rican people who live in New York. This book talks about what it was like to grow up in New York in the 1940s and 1950s. I think that this book does a good job explaining the experiences of a family. Also it talks about what Piri Thomas does and what kind of problems he is involved with, like drugs, in gangs, and that's very similar of what is going on now. I think people who don't want to be in a real trouble should read this book. I enjoyed the when Piri Thomas was sleeping out of his house because I imaging what can happen to me if I do the same things. This is the best book for anyone who is interested in learning about what is like for a Puerto Rican family to live in New York City.

Learn more about Piri Thomas... CHEVEROTE punto Com!
An awesome, phenomenal MUST READ for all Boricuas, Latinos and all people of color!

Visit Brother Piri at CHEVEROTE punto com.

And even get your own copies of his two best selling titles from the man, himself!

GREATTTT
I loved this book it was comforting and very honest 50 million thumbs up! if u liked this book you'll love always running!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great read
This is a greatly written book. For all Thor's sense of humor and eye for the paradox often shines through. We hear a lot about his obstacles getting his travel adventures accepted in scientific circles as real research and also get a side of Thor indicating that he is a very determined man. We hear about his romantic life and philosophy about he important things in life. A great book that will teach you not only about geography and archeology but will make you laugh and think deeper about life.

Diary of an adventurous man.
To use Thor's own words...
"There is nothing for modern man to return to. Our wonderful time in the wilderness had given us a taste of what man had abandoned and what mankind was still trying to get even further away from. Progress today can be defined as man's ability to complicate simplicity. Nothing in all the procedure that modern man , helped by all his modern middlemen, goes through before he earns money to buy a fish or a potato will ever be as simple as pulling it out of the water or soil. Without the farmer and the fisherman, modern society would collapse., with all its shops and pipes and wires. The farmers and the fishermen represent the nobility of modern society; they share their crumbs with the rest of us, who run about with papers and screwdrivers attempting to build a better world without a bluprint."

All this author's books are GREAT reads! If you are a city dweller you will especially appreciate his adventures as he asks the question- "Were we meant to live in jungles made of plants or concrete? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for students
Bellah has gathered Durkheim's most oft-cited writings (including Elementary Forms, Division of Labor, Suicide, and Sociological Method) and arranged them topically in this work. The book begins with Durkheim's review of French social thought, then chapters on "Sociology and Social Action, The Evolution of Morality, The Learning of Morality," and "Social Creativity." A lengthy introduction gives an overview of Durkheim's biography, other writers who influenced his thinking, as well as summaries of the major works whose selections are within. It's an excellent book for both undergraduate and graduate theory courses: most selections are between 10 and 20 pages. ... Read more

Book Description

looks different". says The New York Times Book Review. This fascinating biography of the "First Family" of anthropology reveals how their discoveries, collaborations, and rivalries contributed to our own knowledge of the origins of humankind. Includes 50 photos. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Definitive Biography of the First Family of Hominid Research
Morell's astounding level of research reveals the Leakeys individually, as a family, and as dogged searchers for the truth about man's origins--and as living, breathing humans. Through letters, diaries, journals, personal interviews, and family archives, they speak to the reader with unprecedented candor about their personal travails, but more importantly, about their early struggles for funding, their fossil discoveries in remote desert locations, their constant surprise by the historical record, and their uncertainty, to this day, about modern man's exact lineage.

Some Leakey peccadilloes, never secret, are fully documented here: Louis's constant womanizing and his "adoption" of young female researchers, such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas; Mary's scotch-drinking, her cigar-smoking, and her intolerance of those on her Stinker List, some of them other researchers; and Richard's boyish brashness and arrogance, along with his health problems and dislike of Donald Johanson. Less appreciated, however, is the fact that before Louis's work and significant discoveries, people still believed that early man was from China or Europe, not Africa. Mary Leakey was the first person ever to excavate a Paleolithic site, and her meticulous care about documenting the tools and animals found in the same stratae as her hominid fossils, told here in detail, revolutionized the way fossils were recovered and catalogued. Richard found as many hominid fossils in two years (1971 and 1972) as Mary and Louis found in 36 years, and his level of dedication to research since finding his first hominid fossil at age 6, his mentoring of young researchers, and his creation of museums and foundations in Nairobi have perhaps received less attention than they deserve.

The Leakeys believe at least two and perhaps three or four different hominids may have lived in certain areas simultaneously, sharing space for a million or more years, and that the exact line of descent to modern man is still unknown. Tens of thousands of extinct, fossilized species of hippos, elephants, saber-toothed cats, crocodiles, antelopes, and even insects, unearthed by the Leakeys, are overwhelming evidence that if species, including hominids, do not change and adapt, they die. While some may argue about how certain hominids are labeled, no one can argue with their existence in the historical record, and nearly all of them have been unearthed by just one family. These contributions continue beyond the purview of this book into a new generation: Dr. Louise Leakey and her mother Maeve (Richard's wife) found yet another completely new hominid species in March, 2001.

A real page turner!
This is a long, engrossing, detailed book about the Leakey family and their impact on paleoanthropology in Africa. It's a real pot-boiler of a book--hard to put down and a totally fascinating study of the family. You get a real sense of their human failings as well as their triumphs. The family comes across as stubborn, intense, egomaniacal and prickly, as well as totally dedicated to their pursuit of man's ancestry in Africa. Although the author has a higher opinion of the Leakeys than some of their rivals (Donald Johanson), she by no means glosses over the more unsavory aspects of their characters. I would highly recommend this book, regardless of your level of familiarity with paleoanthropology.

PASSIONS is the key word - a family worth knowing
Amidst the splendor and corruption of Africa, this family battle the weather, the government, the prejudices, the lack of funds, and even each other. Their intelligence and love for the country is evident as they search for prehistoric evidence of earliest humans. The more I read about them, the more I admired their contribution to East Africa and to the world.

engrossing tales of archealogy and it's first family
This is an engrossing story of archealogy's first family. The title hints at their adventures, loves, intrigues, battles, all most passionate. I could not put the book down. The landscape of archealogy will forever be, for me, after this book, a color filled map with the land of our ancestors fully pictured in my mind. No longer will archealolgists seem to be dull digging tan people,but exciting real people, made of the passion of us all. A superb read ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

BELOVED, LISTEN TO CONSCIENTIOUS VOICES.
Fondly called W.E.B., Dr William Edward Burghardt DuBois was a conscientious voice, whose mouthpiece was just a pen. Each of his writings buttressed this point.
A bundle of intellect, all his works have remained potent till this day. Having enumerated the problems and experiences of emancipated slaves in "The Souls of Black Folk", Dr DuBois used this book, "Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil", to highlight the intricacies of the then White-Black relationships. This book has a socio-economic focus, and dealt with such associational issues like exploitative labour, voting rights, women's rights, and family values. It suggested guidance and remedies wherever necessary. The ideas and insights of Dr DuBois were general in perspective: both Whites and Blacks were thought of.
This book is more than eighty years old; however, anybody who reads it, needs only to turn a few pages before discovering that we are still grappling with most of its lamentations.
Finally, I must say that I cherished reading this book. "Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil" is a compelling piece; especially for anyone who is familiar with either "The Souls of Black Folk" or "Dusk of Dawn". ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This work is available individually, or can be purchased as part of the 7 volume set Max Weber: Classic Monographs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brilliant, A Classic: A Must Read for Weber Fans
I want to give a shout out to Henri Edward Dongieux who authored the Amazon.com guide to "get to know Weber and Habermas". I want to give my stand disclaimer: I am not a sociologist or a student of sociology, just a general reader with an interest in the history of ideas.

Funny story about this book: I bought Weber's theory of social and economic organization (with the foreword by Talcott Parsons). I don't know what I was thinking there. I read about thirty pages of Parsons introduction to Theory and was like, "forget this."

So then the next day I'm surfing around Amazon trying to figure out how I'm going to figure out Weber and I see the above mentioned list. Well, Henri was right: this book is THE place to start if you're looking to access the ideas of Weber.

One further digression before I actually review the book itself: Weber is hard to access for a couple of reasons: First, all his stuff has been translated from the German. This is compounded by the fact that Weber, despite his highly rigorous thought, was kind of making up terminology as he went and also by the fact that German has tons of words that don't translate well into English.
Second, Weber kind of died before he finished pulling together the various strands of his grand theory together, leaving his work uncomplete.

So, preliminary matters aside, I will move on to a description of the book. Since this is the first review of this work on Amazon (and how can that be?). I will provide a non-judgmental description of content and then a few observations.

The book is divided into three Parts. Part One is called "German Society and The Protestant Ethic". Part Two is "Society, Religion, and Secular Ethic: A Comparitive Study of Civilisations" and Part Three is "Domination, Organization, and Legitimacy: Max Weber's Political Sociology". Before Part One, Bendix includes an introduction and a chapter on Weber's "Career and Personal Orientation". That first chapter is most illuminating and serves to ground Weber in place and time.

The first part of the book is divided into two chapters. The first chapter talks about his very interesting early studies of eastern german agarian society and the various german stock exchanges. Bendix refers to these two early studies over and over through out the book. The second chapter of the first part of the book discusses Weber's most popular and well known ideas about the protestant work ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Having laid out the touchstones of Weber's work, Bendix moves into part two, which concern Weber's studies of world religion.

Part two deals exclusively with Weber's interest in world religion. Bendix devotes a chapter each to his studies of China, India and Palestine. Bendix notes that it is obvious that Weber's main interest was in the roots of the west that he found in Palestine and so the chapters on China and India are of limited use (except as a guide to what Weber THOUGHT about China and Indian religion. Bendix concludes part two with a chapter summarizing Weber's "sociology of religion".

Part three has a similar structure to part two. Bendix runs off a couple of chapters on charsmatic domination and traditional domination as a means to explicate Weber's theories of "Legal Domination" which represent, perhaps, Weber's main achievment. Again, Bendix points out that Weber's interest in chasmatic domination and traditional domination are really only "foils" for his overriding interest in "legal domination", in the same way that his studies of India and China are foils for his interest in the society of ancient Palestine.

In part three, Bendix also includes a couple of chapters that tie the book together and link the three parts, as well as a further attempt to ground Weber in the thought of his day.

OK, so that is the descriptive part. Now, some observations:

First off, as someone who really didn't know anything about Weber's thought (outside of a cursory understanding of his thesis in the "Spirit of Capitalism"), I found this book to be immensely compelling.

One can dismiss all of Weber's substantive conclusions about the nature of society and government and still be Wowed by the tremendous influence he has had on all social thinkers in the past century. I now see Weber's influence everywhere I look!

I also feel like any further attempts to read Weber will be made about a thousand times easier becaue I have read this book.

Although I read all but about twenty pages of this five hundred page book, I believe one could derive the same meaning from reading chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12,13, and 15, while skipping the rest.

This book also has a handy index! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Honest and hopeful
Without flinching from the truth, this book shows that it IS possible to break the circle of abuse: to understand, to love, to forgive, to recover, and to go on loving and nurturing those who are dear. The story of Hoffman's growing up with two terminally ill brothers, a father sometimes unable to control his rage, a mother who copes by shutting out memories, and a sexually abusive coach, is painful but ultimately hopeful.

How telling your story can save a future victim.
This book was easy reading. I read this book in one night. It thankfully left out the details of the child abuse. Though it tends to jump around, and over many years, it is quite clear as to what happened. The author is telling his story, a very brave one to tell. But the importance of this book is really about how TELLING your story, can set others free. Its also about confronting your abuser, and how THAT can set yourself free. Free of secrets. Free of lies. Lies you tell others, and ones you may tell yourself.

A good read...highly recommended
Richard Hoffman is a brilliant writer, and quite a good teacher as well. My friend David says that he finds the book arousing. hehe Way to go Mr. Hoffman. The New York State Summer Young WriterInstitute Rules! Shout out to all of my peeps! AAAmennn

Gives hope where we usually think there is none
In Half the House Mr. Hoffman, like any good writer, is intimately concerned with truth, the minute, daily, specific reality of his experience in the rustbelt of Allentown, PA, in the nineteen fifties in working class America. His style is careful, descriptive, direct, and poetic -- but not personal. Half the House is written, as Mr. Hoffman is also a well-published poet, with detachment, technique, and maturity. Of the several memoirs I have read this year, only Half the House resolves its issues, its grimness, its pain in a health-promoting, realistic, peace-giving redemption. That final, moving scene between defensive father and guilty son, wherein each gives a little, then alot, then communicate genuinely and respectfully dissolving forty years of impediment to love, is the kind of real life forgiveness all of us only dare dream of. Half the House does it. As Nabokov once said it takes a deep spiritual sense to create a masterpiece. Half the House has the depth. Ron Morin

Very private writing
I read "Half the House" because I'm a sucker for anything billed as a memoir of abuse and healing. I had it on my "to read" pile for a year befor an update on ABC's "20/20" compelled me to get it out. (The update was useful -- without it "Half the House" remains half a book -- that's not a slam.)Mr. Hoffman is just a bit younger than I and from the same region and religious background as I. His recollections of his early schooling, particularly the black-and-white on newsprint art books we had, were certainly familiar ground for me. I think this would be a good reading experience for someone contemplating or enduring the same kind of healing journey ... Read more

Book Description

In With a Daughter's Eye, writer and cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson looks back on her extraordinary childhood with two of the world's legendary anthropologists, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. This deeply human and illuminating portrait sheds new light on her parents' prodigious achievements and stands alone as an important contribution for scholars of Mead and Bateson. But for readers everywhere, this engaging, poignant, and powerful book is first and foremost a singularly candid memoir of a unique family by the only person who could have written it. ... Read more

Book Description

Why does an infant die of malnutrition? Why does an eight-year-old hold a knife to his brother's throat? Or a mother push her cherished daughter twenty-three floors to her death? Marc Parent, a city caseworker, searched the streets--and his heart--for the answers, and shares them in this powerful, vivid, beautifully written book.

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR ... Read more

Reviews (174)

Turning Stones - A Book for all.
I did not read this book to encourage me to become a social worker. I was assigned to read it for a English class in college. And this book had such an impact on me that I would recomend it to anyone. The stories that Marc Parent tells of are the real world at its worst. Most people don't ever encounter expieriences like the ones of Marc. And do not really believe that they really could happen. I was one of them. Marc tells of a mother that kill their children to save them from the armaggedon. I was in disbelief, when reading this book, of the events that Marc told of. Imagining that " could they really happen", and "why would someone do this". No one can really explain why people do what they do. But Marc Parent does a good job of giving reasons why they might. America can be an ugly place and most people do not realize it. I have a new born respect for Social workers that have to deal with america's problems. This book has impacted my life in a way that one cannot describe and I believe that all people should read this book because life is not always sunshine and rainbows. There are rainy days, more than we know or really want to know. I thank Marc Parent for this insight to his life for it has made me a better human.

A Wake-Up Call For Everyone
"Turning Stones" is a well documented encounter with children at risk in New York. Marc Parent makes the book easy to read and helps the readers actually jump into the action of each case he attends to. "Turning Stones" is truly a reality wake-up call to people all over the nation, especially those living in small towns. My attitude in life before reading the book was, "it's Iowa, nothing like this could ever happen here", but because of Marc's excellent, descriptive, and thoughtful writing, I have been able to understand that Child Welfare cases are serious and prominent issues all over the country. The children and adult characters in this book lead normal lives one day and crumble the next. Marc's work at Emergency Children Services is admirable. I find Marc to be a courageous, ambitious, life-saving man.

I hope to turn stones
I read this book before I started working with children at risk and this book created so many feelings of confusion and questions in my inner soul. Why do parents treat their children like this? What can we do to help parents STOP abusing and neglecting their children? Are people capable of changing and becoming good parents? Nobody knows the answers, but everyone knows that what human services agencies are doing now is NOT creating change. How many children have to die before changes, that make a difference, are made? This realistic rendition, of Parent's experiences working with children that the public does not want to talk about, should challenge all to turn stones.

Turning Stones: A must read
Marc Parent's book is a gripping account of the horrible things that some children go through every day and the people who respond. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in child welfare issues.

Making a Difference
As a social worker working for Child Emergency Services, it was Marc Parent's responsibility to make a decision as to whether or not a child is at risk and should be immediately removed from his or her home. This agency sees the worst of the child abuse and neglect cases, and then hands the cases off to other departments for follow up. Needless to say, this is a very depressing occupation, and most workers "burn out" within 2 to 3 years. Parent tells about some of the most difficult decisions he has had to make, such as whether or not he should remove the son of an alcoholic mother. Though protocol demanded the child's removal, it was obvious to Parent that the mother and son were dependent upon each other and that the separation would be extremely difficult for both of them. Parent also dealt with hopeless cases in which the damage was already done, such as a case where a child had been attacked when he was left at home under the care of a slightly older sibling. The older child claimed a man had broken in and abused the boy, but the truth is much more horrifying than the child's story. Despite the depressing nature of the cases, the book is not depressing because it leaves you with the idea that despite the fact that there will always be horrible problems in the world, one person can make a difference. The cases are all very interesting, and the stories are excellently written. If you like A Child Called It, you should definitely read this too. ... Read more

Book Description

The exciting biography of John Lloyd Stephens, "the father of American archaeology."

In his extraordinary journeys to the Yucatan and Central America more than 150 years ago, John Lloyd Stephens uncovered the ruins of an entire culture-- at that time, a civilization without a name or documented history. His books, including "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan", yielded the first glimpses of such wondrous ancient centers as Copan, Chichen Itza, Palenque, and Tulum.

Also a lawyer, diplomat, and builder of a railroad across Panama, Stephens was a true adventurer whose exploits had been all but forgotten until Victor von Hagen published this compelling biography in 1948. His narrative is enriched with Stephen's own accounts of his discoveries and the superb illustrations of Frederick Catherwood, the artist who traveled with Stephens. ... Read more

Book Description

A fast-paced memoir, serious and hilarious in turn, of the struggles and scandals, politics and personalities that made up the women's and gay liberation movements of the 1960s and '70s

Karla Jay, a direct participant in the dramatic history of the women's and gay liberation movements, brings on stage a dazzling cast of unforgettable characters and gives voice to the sweeping tale of the activists who struggled for their vision of social justice and sexual liberation.

"Karla Jay's intimate account of life in the early years of feminism and gay liberation is as irresistible as a novel, but as credible, humorous, and unexpected as real life." -Gloria Steinem

"A glorious guide to the perplexed seeking the complex, a history that illuminates a way outof passivity and despair." -Tony Kushner ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Interesting times, but this account lacks introspection
I found reading this book a little like looking through a high school yearbook. It has a certain "those were the days, my friends" feel to it. It's interesting mainly because the times were interesting, and it's fun to look back. But it left me wanting something more substantial.

There are details galore about the titillating (sex, drugs, agents provocateurs, etc.). In contrast, there's very little of the emotional candor or 20/20 hindsight one might expect after the passing of thirty years.

In the Epilogue Ms. Jay writes "It is hard for me to explain how the protagonist of this memoir emerged as a tenured full professor ... I am no longer the person at the center of this political autobiography, not even vaguely..."

And that's exactly my problem with the book. Jay offers a chronicle of events -- large and small -- but there's little of the introspection and reflection I expect in a personal memoir.

An accurate celebratory account of very special days.
I shared some, though by no means all, of the exciting times described by Karla Jay in her book. I am very proud to have worked with her on four books, and pleased to remain her friend. This shouldn't disqualify me from recommending this book to friends and stranger alike. The word "liberation" in the title of this book is key. Read this book to find out more about the pioneers of feminism and gay liberation. You'll learn a lot and have a good time. I laughed out loud at some lines I've heard before, and some that were new to me. You'll surely enjoy Karla's humor, too, along with her honesty and compassion for her fellow human beings, male and female.

Fabulous background on early rad-fem and gay-lib
Karla Jay gives the most intimate-and politically interesting-view of the early years of radical feminism and gay liberation (roughly 1968-1971) that I've seen. Alongside the moving sketch of her own tragic family, the book gives a close-up view of some of the movements' then-key players, the political thinking of the time, and lots of 1960s-era sex. Very clear-eyed in its political assessments, giving both a sense of how seductive it was to be a 'radical' then-without any excuses for some of the era's whackier ideas. Essential and fabulous background for understanding today's lesbian and gay politics.

Memoir of one woman's journey through turbulent times
I was lucky enough to snag a pre-publication copy of Tales of the Lavender Menace. This is Karla Jay's affecting memoir of her transformational journey through the heady early years of the women's and gay liberation movements. Jay writes with courage, humor and complete candor, starting with her difficult family and her student life at Barnard College. Her first-hand experience with political protest and police brutality caused her to begin to question her original values. Consciousness-raising groups, lesbian dances, and a generous helping of sex complete the picture. She does not spare the reader any intimate details, as we learn how she literally re-invented herself, from a middle-class college student to a radical lesbian feminist. Not just a witness to, but also a participant in the rapidly changing history of the sixties and seventies, Jay takes the reader on a hilarious, whirlwind tour of the era. I was amazed at how much detail she remembers. For her, and for the reader, the personal really becomes the political. Buy (do not burn or steal) this very engrossing book; I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Must For Future Anthropologists
This book is a must read for a future Anthroplogists.
It clearly brings together all her theories and it is a
heartfelt view on a extremly successful and inspiring
person in this field. I truly enjoyed her book and her
views on culture and the future of Anthropology. I became a big
fan of hers and will continue reading the rest of her books.
If you are only slightly interested in Cultural Anthropolgy
then I suggest you read her books. They are easy to read and
very insightful about culture.
It is worth every penny spend.

Interesting memoir of the early years
This autobiography is especially interesting for its insight into the professional life of a woman scholar in the 1920's and 1930's in a then new field of inquiry, although Mead did not encounter the extreme levels of resistance that make heroes and role models. Greek societies at her first college seem to have been far more repressive and damaging than were her graduate programs or employers. The professional rivalries are interesting. The book is especially strong in its depiction of Mead's parents, whose contrasting traits we can easily see influencing the daughter's ideas and character. Mead seems to be a keen observer of them, frank about their strengths and weaknesses, as dispassionate as she was in describing people in New Guinea. Mead is far less interested in or detailed about her three husbands. In fact, the autobiography seems oddly reticent, considering that its author was open minded, professionally interested in the sexual habits of other peoples, and unintimidated. She was able to ask Pacific Islanders what positions they preferred for intercourse, but unable in the autobiography to give a sense of the life of her marriages. We learn in detail what she packed for a trip, but only discover in passing that a divorce occurred. This book rewards readers more with cultural history than with a sense of the author's emotional life. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

An important book to read
After his father was diagnosed with cancer, Blake Morrison & his family watch him quickly deteriorate & die within a matter of weeks. In trying to come to terms with his death, the author takes you back to the times he spent with his father through childhood to adolescence & adulthood. He writes an honest account of his feelings towards his father both good & bad, alternating between memories of the past & the current trauma of watching him fade away.

His experience is not unique which makes this a very important book to read.

The love hate relationship of a son with his father.
I very English book, a small social commentary on the parts of Britain and a class of British life that the foreign visitor rarely sees. Until recently, all through Britain the local Doctor ( or G.P. as he would also be known) was looked up to as being something else, something better and yet had contact to all classes. In the days up until the 1960's, he was perhaps the only person in a village other than the local Church of England clergyman that had been to a University; as a result the Doctor's son was considered something unusual. In my English schooldays in the 1950's, the sons of Doctors were certainly regarded so. Blake Morrison has written a book of childhood to adulthood memories of his father. The fact that the book is based on the few weeks between his father being diagnosed to be suffering terminal cancer to his death, it is in many ways not a light subject, but everywhere there is a glimmer of humour. For anyone like me, who has lost one or both parents i! t underlines that feeling you have that you have from time to time , in good and bad times , that you would like to be able to have a short chat with the old man... but now it's too late. ... Read more

Book Description

In My Brother's Keeper: A Memoir and a Message, one of America's most admired public figures tells the story of his life. Born in Germany in 1929, Amitai Etzioni escaped the Nazi regime and as a teenager dropped out of high school to fight as a commando in the Israeli War of Independence. He went on to earn his doctorate at Berkeley,teach at Columbia University and Harvard Business School, and serve as senior advisor to the Carter White House. Although he has authored or edited over 20 books, Dr. Etzioni's influence extends beyond academic circles as the founder of the communitarian social movement.

In his own words, Dr. Etzioni reflects on his vision of a society whose members care profoundly about one another, assume responsibilities and do not just demand rights, and attend not merely to themselves, but also to the common good. He traces how this message spread and is playing a significant role in the public life of the United States, United Kingdom, and many other free and liberated societies. Clearly and engagingly written, Dr. Etzioni's vision and story are at once compelling and inspiring. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great intellectual leader of our time
This is the story of a professor intensely taken with the personal calling to serve. It is a window into his life that combines academics (sociology, organizational theory, political science, public policy) and public affairs (Israel - as a young man, and as a professor - Vietnam, nuclear weapons, socio-economics, community, and most important, the profound question of how to balance personal rights and societal responsibilities). A deeply humble man, he has risen to the status of advisor to several national leaders, advocating a vision of public policy that is guided by intense intellectual focus and personal responsibility. His "third way" answer may be the the right solution to the most pressing question facing democracies this century.

The Mind of an Active Intellectual
My Brother's Keeper. A Memoir and a Message by Amitai Etzioni is an exciting intellectual biography. It may also be entitled: "An Active Intellectual as a Young and as a Mature Man". But this book is much more than an interesting personal memoir. In addition to a fascinating life story and an intellectual biography, it leads us along the pitfalls and dilemmas of modern society during the second half of the 20th century and points out the directions of a moral life in a "good society". Etzioni's ideas as expressed in this book, and in his previous ones, are not unrealizable utopian longings. They are firmly based on contemporary reality. He piercingly analyzes present dangerous trends and forces in social, political and economic developments on one hand and the values and morality of the communitarian movement, which he founded, on the other.
Born in Germany, fleeing from the Nazi regime, raised in Israel and taking part in its War of Independence, educated and maturing in the United States, Prof. Etzioni was influence by the richness of his three cultural backgrounds. Yet, the dominant features of his personality were present from an early age, opposing his disciplinary mother, posing difficult questions to his teachers, daring to express new ideas and criticize accepted norms, despite the high price he sometime had to pay. His inclination towared activism, to shape social policies, and the strong inner feeling of a mission, a calling, as he labeled it, are present in his life from the very beginning. Etzioni applies the same rules towards himself too and does not shy from criticizing himself and expressing his frustrations and mistakes. He feels strongly committed and ready to pay the price for voicing his mind and being an active intellectual in order to bring about a moral regeneration.
I strongly recommend this book.
Rachel Elboim-Dror (author of CLEAN DEATH IN TEL AVIV, 2003)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Fascinating memoirs!!
Amitai Etzioni is the founder of the communitarian movement in the US today. He has lead one really interesting life. In his memoirs he reveals himself to be a reflective and honest man who is able to put his own life into perspective and put the interests of others before his own. At the same time he is painfully self-critical. From the days when he was growing up in Israel before it became a state in 1947, to his years at Columbia University during the student protests of the 1960's, to his role as an advisor to the President, he tells it as it happened. Included are some never told stories of his conflicts with the FBI. "My Brother's Keeper" does far more however: it is also about how an acade