Book Description
Impro for Storytellers is the follow-up to Keith Johnstone's classic Impro, one of the best-selling books ever published on improvisation. In this book, Johnstone takes a further decade of experience as a teacher and coach and explores how an individual's potential can be released in group settings.
"Be more boring!" he might yell to a student striving to be original.
"Be more obvious!" he could advise a clever performer.
These are unorthodox techniques, but ones that are part of the games that have made Johnstone's work uniquely effective in the theatre community. Beyond its strictly theatrical applications, Impro for Storytellers aims to take jealous and self-obsessed beginners and teach them to play games with good nature and to fail gracefully.
If you've ever been clumsy and awkward, this book will improve your interpersonal skills and encourage a life-long study of human interaction.
Customer Reviews:
Best Improv Guide Around.......2007-09-09
If you're going to read only one book about improvisation, read this. If you read two books, wait a month or two and read this again. I've been part of a professional improv performance group for the last five years and every time I read this book it fills me with new levels of information and wisdom.
Many people never discover this book because they read Johnstone's first book, Impro, and find it difficult to apply as well as not very relevant once it delves into the eccentric world of mask work. Impro for Storytellers is highly relevant, contains many games, exercises, and suggestions to try, and is a highly entertaining read. I recommend reading this first and reading Impro later if you enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed it over and over again.
What I've been waiting for!.......2007-06-01
I've used Keith's Impro for several years, and this book is just what I've been looking for! It gives the kind of details I've been for to use in my classes and performances.
Impro for Storytellers.......2007-05-12
I am not yet received my stuff and I am waiting for
Incredibly Useful.......2006-09-06
This is quite a large book, pretty much entirely made up of a wide variety of games for actors with vivid examples of what students come up with under pressure, and thorough explanations of the goal of each excercise. It's extremely well written and just as good as something to sit down and read, as something to get up and play with.
The games range from easy to very hard; many would make excellent fun warm-ups to introduce non-actors to basic acting theory and to interacting with an audience. What makes this book unusual for an acting text is the emphasis on story, and the highly audience-centric approach to performance.
I would seriously recommend this book to writers, screenwriters, and story artists. The ultimate goal for Johnstone is to teach his improvisers to hook the audience and keep them hooked by altering tactics, reversing, raising the stakes, setting up expectations. Throughout, his unexpected cry of "Be obvious! Don't be creative!" keeps the story being invented on an engaging emotional level.
I bought this because I'm teaching a class involving some acting, but found so many exciting ideas for plotting I want to send a copy to everyone I know in story. First rate.
Essential Improv Reading!.......2004-01-10
I thought that Keith Johnstone's first book "Impro" was the best book on Improv -- until I read this. Impro For Storytellers is chock full of imaginative games that will make any improv workshop (or communications training) sparkle with creative fun and learning by taking the pressure off of being creative.
If you want the best collection of improv games since Spolins "Improvisation for the Theatre", this is it. Johnstone paces the book with wonderful stories of how the games have been used under all sorts of circumstances, with a brilliant and dry sense of wit. If you are interested in improv, please read this book!
Amazon.com
Christopher Vogler has served as a studio folklore specialist, and here comes up with a book that is, in one regard, much like the screenplays it seeks to strengthen: it's derived from other sources! An acknowledged distillation of, and meditation on, the work of Joseph Campbell, The Writer's Journey approaches the storyteller's craft as one of recounting the hero's mythic journey, replete with roadblocks and life lessons. But why the unspoken assent that movies hew to this structure, when we don't demand the same of plays or books? Could it be that the collective viewing of films is one of our last tribal rituals?
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2004-02-15
This book's a bit controversial among established writers, and I know wonderful and successful writers on both sides of this fence. It seems you either "get" this book and can use it, or you don't. Personally, I love it. But then, I love movies and plotting and dissecting stories to figure out why they work or don't work. You have to decide for yourself.
A Journey Worth Taking.......2002-11-03
Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" is an open corridor to superb characterization. In preparing to write either your novel or screenplay, Vogler's vivid descriptions of the most common archetypes are truly indispensable and useful. Every fiction writer owes it to him or herself to be mindful of the qualities that each archetype possesses. My mind has been opened by studying the different characteristics of the Hero, the Shadow, the Mentor, the Threshold Guardian, the Herald, the Shapeshifter and the Trickster. Vogler describes each one's dramatic function as well as their psychological function. After teaching us the merits and peculiarity of the character, Vogler exhibits his own unique dramatization of Joseph Campbell's work. The Writer's Journey gives the writer a chance to develop a story to its fullest potential. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have started to employ its direction in my own fiction writing. It will not only change the way we view our characters' and their prospective journeys but it will also help us to see some of their characteristics in our own lives. This is a great book. Every novelist and screenwriter must have The Writer's Journey. Kudos!!
Bases on the work of Joseph Campbell.......2001-12-26
This is Christopher Vogler's interpretation of Mystic Structures for Storytellers & Screenwriters.
I have not yet applied this book yet it was a real eye opener. This book is not only for the aspiring writer but is a good insight to existing stories and movies. The content goes way beyond Campbell with contemporary movies as subjects.
He covers heroes and journeys down to a science. I think I'll put the story together first then come back to this book for the polish. If nothing else this is a good companion to "The Lord of the Rings"
Using the Model of the Hero Myth in Books.......2001-06-01
I have just finished Vogler's fascinating book. The Hero model he describes is a novel writer's dream. It is so flexible and dynamic that the nature of the Hero and his ordeals can find expression in almost all story forms. The writer and the Hero together share the Villan, Trickster, Ordeal, the In Most Cave, the Reward, the Elixir and so much more. It is the writer's life journey incorporated into the Hero model of their story. I am using it to write an historical trilogy for young adults. Vogler will take you to Joseph Campbell the master mythologist.
Mythology gives insight into Movie story-telling.......1998-08-11
This book will tell you how the most successful stories in history are written. How did George Lucas decide on the plot for "Star Wars"? Why do certain movies work so well? This book is a must for any screenwriter. It outlines the story structure which is inherant to humanity, and engrained in our culture.
Product Description
The first title in Arthur Ransome's classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett.
Customer Reviews:
Reading aloud.......2007-01-16
The Swallows and Amazons series was one of my favorites when I was a child. The story, set in the Lake District of England where Wordsworth and other great poets grew up, is a gentle adventure tale about children camping out on an island and rigging a little sailboat. It is slower paced than children are used to today. But I think a sensitive boy or girl would find it reassuring that the children solve their own problems of navigation etc.
While it didn't bother me as a child that the language was distinctly British, as I'd been prepared by the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Wind in the Willows, I would recommend Swallows and Amazons as a bedtime story to be read aloud by an adult reader. The reader could then explain the language. A map of the UK would help too, as the story is set in the Lake District.
An adult storyteller might be interested in a biography of the series author, Arthur Ransome, who led an adventurous life - including work in the Soviet Union and marriage to a Russian woman.
A book for all young people........2007-01-05
This wonderful book was written about 75 years ago, but is still extremely popular today. It is ageless. I first read it as a nine or ten year old and have read it several times since then. The last time I read it I was in my late 50s or early 60s. Every young person should enjoy it immensely as a fictional story. But there are many moral and ethical issues that are slyly inserted into this novel. The biography of the author and how he came to write this book, which was the first in a series of 9 or 10 novels, is a fascinating story in itself.
Enchanting and Realistic.......2006-10-28
Enchanting
It's hard to explain what makes this book so charming: The writing, the way the children and their relationships with each other are shown so clearly and believably, the very real adventures they have, the sense of place....but listing those traits doesn't do the book justice. It's also really funny in places! Ransome creates a world that is clearer and lighter and more enchanting than the one most of us live in -- but he's also written a realistic book. The Lake District DOES look the way he describes it, and there could be children like the Swallows and their friends the Amazon pirates.
The books are for all ages, and I think they are also inspiring and a good influence! They make me want to have adventures -- and they encourage parents by example to let their children have them. The parents in the books are responsible, teach their children well -- and allow them to adventure on their own. They can do that because they've taught the children to have good judgment and be responsible.
Arthur Ransome's own favorite in the series was WINTER HOLIDAY, which I also loved. Once the original characters leave the series, it loses its interest (for me, anyway) -- children who enjoyed the first books will also probably like Blow Out the Moon by Libby Koponen and all the E.Nesbit books.
A Treasure of My Childhood I Want My Grandchild to Read.......2006-10-10
About 60 years ago I read as many books from this series that I could find in my local public library. I had passed through a phase of devouring the Dr. Doolittle fantasy series (so damaged by the motion pictures using that title - how could they cast tall lanky Rex Harrison in the role of a short cuddly grandfather-like figure?) Another series in which, as an American boy fascinated by warplanes during the Worl War II era - I went on to become an aerospace engineer - I was enthralled, was "A Yank in the RAF", which I don't think would translate to the 21st Century very well. But the series that made the most impact on me was Ransome's Swallow family. As with Hugh Lofting's Doolittle, the author's drawings enhanced the books.
I have not visited there yet but I plan on touring Britain's Lake District (I don't think I was cognizant of where the tales took place, except I knew the children were British. They liked to drink ginger beer; in the US we had a ginger ale drink, but not ginger beer and I was curious to have some.) I have long wanted to live somewhere that would allow me to experience the thrill of mastering the small sailing boats of the story. The closest I came was living near the Pacific in California and near the Potomac River. But the boats in those regions were larger and not terribly accessible. I did go sailing with friends and tried to sail on my own in a marina with a rented boat (a too narrow and crowded venue for a novice just learning to tack and unfamiliar with how to dump wind from the sail when being carried in the wrong direction.) I have gotten to taste ginger beer. I have also used the children's means of including coded messages in their letters in the form of dancing stick figures around the page's margin (the secret was to ignore other parts of the figures and concentrate on the positions of the arms, which were standard semaphore code.) I introduced the code to one of my daughters when we were in the "Indian Princesses" organization. (Is the name and programs of that organization offensive to American Indians? I'm sure its founders weren't sensitive to the fact that American Indians still existed.)
I will introduce this series to my precocius 6 year old grand daughter when I think she is ready.
ages 4 to 8?.......2005-12-04
A reading level of ages four to eight? I vigorously question that. Perhaps grades four to eight. The vocabulary, as is the case with many older books, is quite sophisticated. That said, this book is a treasure.
Book Description
The project was funded, in part, by a Heritage and Preservation Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ALASKA NATIVE WRITERS, STORYTELLERS & ORATORS: THE EXPANDED EDITION is introduced by Native American author and scholar, Gerald Vizenor (University of California Berkeley), and features: (1) English versions of traditions texts from 15 original Alaska Native languages with facing translations in Eyak, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Unangan, Alutiiq, Central Yup'ik, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Inupiaq, and Dena'ina. (2) Contemporary Alaska Native stories, essays, and poems (written in English). (3) A contexts section provides cultural and historical background about selected works. The book also includes 9 photographic plates courtesy of the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and 2 photographic plates courtesy of Alaska Native artist and writer Susie Silook.
Alaska Quarterly Review, now in its 18th year of continuous publication, is an award winning literary journal produced by the University of Alaska Anchorage. It has been appreciatively reviewed by a variety of sources including the Book World section of The Washington Post noting "That one of the nation's best literary magazines comes out of Alaska may seem surprising, but so it is." Library Journal concluded Alaska Quarterly Review is "highly recommended and deserves applause."
AQR focuses on fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry by new and emerging writers but also includes works by established writers as well. Many of the stories, poems and essays first published in AQR (some of them were the first-time publications of their authors) have been selected for The Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, The Best American Essays, The Andres Berger Award, The Pushcart Prize: The Best of the Small Presses, The Best American Poetry, and the 1999 Beacon Best. Work has also been reprinted in Harper's, Small Press and numerous other collections. AQR won an Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts (1996) and 5 National Endowment for the Arts grants.
Customer Reviews:
Alaska Native Writers.......2000-04-05
This remarkable anthology brings together texts from 15 Alaska Native languages with facing translations, and contemporary Alaska Native stories, essays & poems. The book seems to me to be a great service to the native peoples of Alaska, and should be of interest to any reader with a concern for preserving the native literary heritage. An unusual and exciting reading experience.
A really different book........1999-12-03
I was amazed to find a book that looked unpromising turn out to be a fascinating read. I discovered new voices and intriguing ideas from kinds of people I've never met. The oral tradition people seemed to be from a different planet, and the contemporary native writers like Susie Silook and Diane Lxeis Benson read like very sophisticated moderns with a distinct native style.
Average customer rating:
- Discerning book lover
- A Pleasant Read
- A Inspiring True Story!
- A TRUE STORYTELLER...
- If you are looking for the meaning of YOUR life...
|
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness: A True Story
Joel ben Izzy
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1565125126 |
Book Description
"Wonderful!” (Grace Paley).
“Heartwarming and smart and wonderfully written” (
Detroit Free Press).
“Provides edifying advice, intimately given, like the best-selling
Tuesdays with Morrie” (the
Dallas Morning News).
“Altogether original” (Dr. Laura Schlessinger).
“This story will speak to the humanity of the reader” (
Jewish Book World).
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is that rare, magical book—a book that tells a good story but also shows us how the tales we learned when we were children shed light on our adult lives. Joel ben Izzy had the unusual opportunity to relive those lessons when he lost his voice and reconnected with his old teacher, Lenny, a retired storyteller. Through his meetings with Lenny, Joel rediscovers the wisdom of ancient tales and takes us on a journey into a world of beggars and kings, monks and tigers, lost horses and buried treasures—and in the end tells us the secret of happiness.
Customer Reviews:
Discerning book lover.......2007-01-05
I had picked up this book at a book fair a while back and it sat on my book self for months. One afternoon I started reading it and I was completely capitivated by the beauty, insight and inspiration contained in this bright treasure. The book speaks to your soul. It is also funny, wise and instructive. Ben Izzy gives us an opportunity to learn from his strength and challenges. When life hands you lemons you have options on what to do with them. Ben Izzy explores and discovers the ability to make lots of lemonade. This book was so moving that I wanted several special people in my life to have it and be able to read it again and again. Everyone that recieved a copy was equally knocked out. All I can say is do not pass this one up. This book will warm your soul and inspire you.
A Pleasant Read.......2006-09-08
This book intersperses short stories from around the world with the author's struggles coping with partial muteness. Rather than being preachy or sentimental, the author entertains us by providing international tales that foretell lessons he learns in his own life. The author's advice re: happiness reminds me of Theodore Roethke's beautiful lines:
"I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go."
I did not provide this book with five stars, only because I felt the author's relationship with his friend Lenny was co-dependent and deserved less attention. Of course, that relationship leads the author to a large part of his self-actualization, but I would have liked to hear more about his wife--she shines in every small aside about her. If you want to be entertained and read a story about an author coping with an illness (that affects his ability to speak) in his own unique, admirable way, this is the book for you.
A Inspiring True Story!.......2006-08-25
This book found me the day I was attending the wake of a good friend. I was feeling miserable of course and decided to start this book minutes before I got out of the car at the funeral home to take my mind of off my grief. I read the prologue and was hooked to this story. It has changed my outlook on life and on the death of my friend. It is great how the author takes each folktale and applies it to his life. This book is full of many life lessons and I am truly inspired to look through the curses in my life to find the blessings like Joel ben Izzy did. I have just bought this book and plan to read it to my High School World History classes this fall. I think this is a must read book for everyone. Give yourself a gift and read this book!
A TRUE STORYTELLER..........2006-03-19
Each person has their own story to share. Joel ben Izzy shares his story in this small book with great power. The author weaves wisdom stories from a multitude of cultures and applies them to his life story. The meaning and measure of ben Izzy's words challenges the reader to think of their story and emphasizes the importance of sharing it with someone.
Ben Izzy, recounts his life focusing on a central event, him losing his voice due to cancer. The tale describes the family heartache and personal struggles he must overcome to find the true story within himself. Read and reread this wonderful tale of love, loss, and enlightenment.
If you are looking for the meaning of YOUR life..........2005-09-28
...this is a good place to start. Joel draws you in with his engaging storytelling, insight, humble nature. I found myself trying to slow down and read just a little every night because I didn't want it to end so soon. But I could just have easily read the book in one sitting. Don't miss this one.
Book Description
The Story of the New Testament and Christian Origins
Customer Reviews:
An excellent scholarly work.......2007-02-27
This is one of the best books I've read on this subject. The author has spent a lot of effort in researching the history, culture, geography and social groups present at the time of Christ through to the production of the New Testament. He starts out grounding the reader in what details we know surrounding the geographic area and political events around the time of Christ's ministry. He then progresses onto the actual writings we have today, starting with the earliest written (the Pauline letters) and moving on chronologically through the Gospels and, the remainder of what we have as the New Testament, and finally the apocryphal writings that are not part of our standard current day New Testament.
The book at times, especially early on (and also toward the end), bogs down a little in history, but once the author moves onto the actual writings and events surrounding them, the pace picks up.
The book is divided into 5 parts:
Part One: The World of the New Testament
Part Two: The First Generation - Sectarian Beginnings
Part Three: The Second Generation - Birth Pangs and New Horizons
Part Four: The Third Generation - From Sect to Church
Part Five: The Fourth Generation - Coming of Age in the Roman World
This book reads somewhat like a textbook, and as such contains extensive data on this topic. The author will mention more than one theory on sources of the material and then proceed based on the most accepted. Otherwise, he assumes nothing but presents an unbiased account of what most likely happened.
This book is an eye opener on how we got the Bible, particularly the New Testament, in the format we have today. Other than the times it gets lost in historical detail, my only other criticism is that the book tends to end abruptly. I would have like to have read more on the Nicene Creed and the process of collating the canon we have today, rather than seeing this in a few rushed final paragraphs.
A Profound Book on Early Christianity.......2006-12-22
I find it very interesting that so many Christians know so little about the history of their own religion. Notwithstanding, the same can also be said about Jews and Muslims, as well as others. This is because religious people are generally taught by religious authorities, and not by historians. It's no secret that, although most Christians have one or more copies of the bible at home, a very small percentage of them actually read it.
From what I can tell, it seems like most Christians know more about their favorite celebrities than they do about the man they worship as God. Take this for instance; how many Christians are fully aware that Jesus was a Jew? Not just a Jew by association, but a Jew by practice, a Torah-observant Jew? The gospels tell us that Jesus was circumcised on the eight day, studied the Jewish scriptures (he knew the scriptures very well, throughout the gospels he quotes from the Torah, like when Satan tempted him), attended the Jewish temple, preached exclusively to Jews in synagogues, and celebrated Jewish festivities. He is even called "Rabbi" by his disciples in all four of the gospels.
Furthermore, the gospel of Matthew shows us that Jesus never intended to create a new religion. Jesus tells his exclusively all-Jewish followers, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).
It is also worth mentioning that Christianity did not really exist during the time of Jesus, or even decades after his death. If you search for the word "Christian" or "Christianity" in the gospels, you will not find it. Jesus never mentions such words, nor do any of his disciples. The word "Christian" is mentioned a couple of times by Paul in Acts, and once in 1 Peter, but those letters were written some thirty years after Jesus's death.
So the question is, how did this tiny Jewish sect (and mind you, there were several other Jewish sects) become a religion completely independent and separate from its roots? More specifically, how did this "Jesus movement" evolve to become Christianity? Certainly, this transformation did not occur overnight.
To answer this question, L. Michael White takes us on a journey back to first century Palestine - Jesus' homeland - where he examines the social, cultural, political, and religious environment of that time and explains us the effects it had on this "Jesus Movement." There, White also explores the role of the Roman Empire, the beliefs of Judaism's various sects, the influence of Greek culture and religion, and the wars between the Jews and the Romans. By examining the four phases, or generations, of early Christianity, we begin to understand the transition of "Jesus to Christianity."
Besides Jesus and his disciples, many other important figures are mentioned in this book, including their role in shaping Christianity: Ignatius, Clement, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Marcion, Tertullian, Eusebius, and others.
In my opinion, this book is profound enough to enlighten anyone who wishes to gain a clear understanding of early Christianity - from an historical perspective, that is. Mr. White proves to be a formidable expert on the subject and shows objectivity throughout this well-written tome.
I highly recommend it! Five Stars.
Well written survey of Christian origins from a liberal perspective.......2006-05-09
I did not find this book to be dry at all. L. Michael White does a good job at surveying the origins of Christianity into the 3rd century AD.
I like how he incorporates into the discussion some of the early Christian writings that did not make it into the New Testament, though he does not always explain why they were invariably excluded. It would have been helpful to add a discussion of the criteria early Christians used in determining which writings were authoritative in matters of faith and practice (even if those criteria varied from community to community).
I also would have appreciated more of an explanation why Thomas could not have made a missionary trip into India. Even if we acknowledge that the Acts of Thomas is largely a work of historical fiction, that does not rule out the possibility that this work of fiction is based on the historical fact of Thomas having made an excursion into India.
Also, White dates many of the New Testament books to the first half of the second century when some of these books just as easily could be assigned 1st century dates.
White is also more skeptical of the Pauline authorship of Colossians, Ephesians, and 2 Thessalonians than seems warranted by the evidence. He tries to say that the writer of Colossians was deliberately copying Paul's style, but something like that must be awfully hard to prove.
In addition, White is doubtful that Paul could have been responsible for writing the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus) it on the grounds that Paul would not have shown the concern for correct teaching and hierarchical church structure as these epistles do. He feels that this was more of a concern of the 2nd century Christian literature.
But Paul does show concern for these things in the undisputed Pauline writings (1 Corinthians, Galatians).
Also, Dr. White makes much of Thomas touching the risen Christ in John 20 as evidence that John is refuting docetic doctrine. But a close reading of John 20 will disclose that the text never says that Thomas touched Christ's pierced side, only that he was invited to do so.
In short, though I might differ with Dr. White on areas where liberals and conservatives would normally disagree anyway, I found the book to be interesting and stimulating, and not boring at all.
Plodding.......2006-02-10
This book is tedious, plodding, repetitive, themeless. I never could really understand what its thesis was, or what the recitation of sketches of various Biblical figures was supposed to demonstrate. This is a fascinating subject, but this book turns it into boredom. I could not finish it.
a must buy for any church or sysagogue library.......2005-12-21
Library Matters
BOOK REVIEW
L. Michael White. From Jesus to Christianity: How four generations of visionaries and story-tellers created the New Testament and the Christian faith. Harper/Collins. 2004. For the past few years, I have been interested in the early years of Christianity, particularly how did the transformation of the Jesus movement into the established church take place? In From Jesus to Christianity I found many answers. Designed as a textbook for university students, the book presents an historical view of the time from Jesus' death to the establishment of a universal church, as told through the individual books of the New Testament, presenting them in chronological order rather than our familiar organization. He also presents writings of contemporary historians, like Josephus, as well writing from the early Christians. He includes many of the "lost books" like the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocrypha of Paul and Zecla and the Didache. He develops his story from the early letters of Paul and the gospels to the heresies of the fourth century.
Three aspects of the book illuminated my understanding of the times.
The importance of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the subsequent destruction of the temple. The political environment, the constant revolt against Rome, played a critical role in the development of Christian and Jewish movements. Particularly valuable is the presentation of developments in contemporary Judaism.
The organization of the gospels, the letters of Paul, and other early Christian writing along a historical timeline, with the gospels all written after the letters of Paul. White goes into agonizing detail about the various theories of dating the New Testament books, which is important for seminary students, but I skipped much of that.
The inclusion of charts for all the writings delineate not only, individual manuscripts, but also profiles of political and economic conditions of the times; thus setting the writings into context.
White's book divides the times into four generations:
The first "generation" (30-70 C.E.) saw the death of Jesus, the rise of Paul and the end of the Jewish revolt against Rome. In the second (70-110 C.E.), tensions developed between the Jesus followers and Judaism, a separation that became permanent in the third generation (110-150 C.E.). Jesus' followers broke away from their Jewish roots and began to develop their own institutional identity. During that time many versions of the Jesus story were written, primarily focusing on his divinity. Finally, by the fourth generation (150-190 C.E.), Christianity had assumed an integral role in the social and intellectual context of the Roman Empire. During this time various doctrines concerning Jesus' divinity, accounts of the Resurrection, and other tenets of faith developed.
I really enjoyed reading this book, despite the fact that is pretty dry.
Book Description
In At the Will of the Body, Arthur Frank told the story of his own illnesses, heart attack and cancer. That book ended by describing the existence of a "remission society," whose members all live with some form of illness or disability. The Wounded Storyteller is their collective portrait.
Ill people are more than victims of disease or patients of medicine; they are wounded storytellers. People tell stories to make sense of their suffering; when they turn their diseases into stories, they find healing.
Drawing on the work of authors such as Oliver Sacks, Anatole Broyard, Norman Cousins, and Audre Lorde, as well as from people he met during the years he spent among different illness groups, Frank recounts a stirring collection of illness stories, ranging from the well-known—Gilda Radner's battle with ovarian cancer—to the private testimonials of people with cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and disabilties. Their stories are more than accounts of personal suffering: they abound with moral choices and point to a social ethic.
Frank identifies three basic narratives of illness in restitution, chaos, and quest. Restitution narratives anticipate getting well again and give prominence to the technology of cure. In chaos narratives, illness seems to stretch on forever, with no respite or redeeming insights. Quest narratives are about finding that insight as illness is transformed into a means for the ill person to become someone new.
Customer Reviews:
Life Is A Group Grope.......2000-07-14
Frank's novel does a masterful job in identifying the "voice" we all need in the battle with life threatnening illness. Embracing and affirming the "whole person" through their storytelling goes far in overcoming the modernist approach in treating the illness without the person. Recognizing the struggle as an opportunity for journey also sounds the call to help others currently in the trenches to bring about healing. This is a beautiful book.
Average customer rating:
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J. R. R. Tolkien, scholar and storyteller: Essays in memoriam
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 080141038X |
Average customer rating:
- some good, some bad
- A first, now a classic
- A different book
- There Are No Pigeon Holes For This Pigeon
- Confrontational and accusatory
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Storyteller
Leslie Marmon Silko
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Silko, Leslie Marmon
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Native American Studies
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ASIN: 155970005X |
Customer Reviews:
some good, some bad.......2003-11-19
STORYTELLER is a collection of short stories rooted in Native American culture written by Leslie Marmon Silko. The first thing that strikes me about STORYTELLER is the way the book is formatted. Normally, the reader shouldn't pay attention to it; it generally has ntohing to do with the book. However, in STORYTELLER, it is a signal to the audience that this collection of writings is going to be personal, and based on the importance of oral tradition. The text flows around the page as if it was spoken word. Intimate family pictures compliment various stories for a very personal feeling...
...unfortunately, many of the stories didn't live up to my expectations. While some stories, like the title story, were interesting, many were too vague to me, as a cultural outsider, to understand. I wasn't really connected with Tony and his friend in the story of the oppressive state trooper, after they start to believe he is an evil spirit. I start to look at it in an overly critical way because I wouldn't say the officer is possessed, I would reason that he's simply racist. This is definitely geared toward those interested in Native American cultural studies, but not necessarily appealing to the general public.
A first, now a classic.......2000-10-26
Leslie Marmon Silko's Storyteller was the first of its kind--a combination of fiction, poetry, family history, oral tradition from her own and other Native American communities, photographs--woven together to create a sense of personal, cultural, feminist, and human identity. Others have adopted some of her techniques, but Storyteller ranks as a classic work of Native American and American literature--and a great read.
A different book.......2000-10-06
The format is unusual: poems, short stories, personal accounts, photographs, all intermingled through the pages. The book shape is unusual (landscape vs the conventional portrait). The poems and songs were not lined up, but the stanzas were scattered through the page. Very interesting, and i am happy that i've read it, but i think this book was trying too hard to be different, and that took away from the content.
There Are No Pigeon Holes For This Pigeon.......2000-07-26
Librarians have a difficult time finding a place for this book. Should it go into the autobiographical section? There's a great deal of her past and her family's heritage in this book. Should it be placed next to the poetry books? She has included several of her poems. What about fiction? She has several of her famous short stories ("Storyteller," "Yellow Woman," "Lullaby,") collected here. It's even got photojournalism in it--26 photos taken by either herself or her father. Even the shape of the book is peculiar. Maybe this might disenchant a reader who would rather have boundaries and borders. But I found it amazing.
Of course, she puts the table of contents at the end of the book. And the beginning of the book is in the center, with her poem "Long Time Ago," and should be read outwards, like the circular, centrifugal pattern in a spider web.
She keeps the memories alive of her the old people by telling her stories. She relates in her poetry and fiction, narratives that are reflective, alarming, magical, and, well, fascinating. The voice is consistent, strong, and rhythmic. Thought Woman has been at work here.
I recommend this book for those that want to learn, who want to challenge themselves by being confronted, who long to find a book to counsel and lead them into reflections, and who respect all things, past, present, and possible.
Confrontational and accusatory.......2000-03-17
Silko has no shortage of opinions to share, mostly on how her people have been put down through the ages. She's not wrong -- Native Americans have indeed been done a great deal of dirt through the years -- but her style is accusatory and confrontational, not likely to win many converts to her cause. Read and enjoy for a point of view outside the mainstream, but expect to be offended by it if you were born white.
Book Description
Forty gentle, reassuring folk tales from around the world, both traditional and new, delightfully retold by a master storyteller.
Customer Reviews:
Great variety of stories.......2007-08-07
This is a family favorite. My children pick it up often, even if no one is reading to them and look through the pages. I like that some of the stories are old classics, but many are tales I've never read before. The variety is terrific.
One of our favorites.......2007-02-19
We really love this book for bedtimes. It has a great multicultural focus and the stories are engaging and promote good lessons in character training. My kids love them and ask for them over and over again. Definately a keeper!
Great stories.......2007-01-09
My daughter, age 6, loves this book. She is an avid reader, so she reads the stories on her own but loves them so much she begs me to read them to her as well. They are good, entertaining stories, and we like that the table of contents lists what country the stories originated. Also, the stories are pretty short so when your child begs for "one more story" before bed, you can actually say ok.
What a winner!.......2006-11-04
We checked this book out of the library & I just HAD to get one of my own. I am reading it with my 5-year-old son for the second time through now - we both adore it. It is especially written to be read aloud & you can tell. Charming stories from all over the world give us a glimpse into those cultures. We are buying them for ALL the nieces, nephews and cousins for Christmas this year!!
great read aloud for young and old.......2006-02-27
These stories are timeless; they relate complex moral truths in a palatable symbolic form. They are well written for interesting and animated storytelling. They are not very long. In a nutshell, this book contains the perfect recipe for my active three-year-old! And you'll love the stories, too!
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