Average customer rating:
- The Naked Face shows character
- Sheldon's First Novel is Highly Enjoyable
- Surprise Ending
- A Diamond of the First Water; Behind The Mirror of The Mind... Chilling.
- Dated, but still a good read
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The Naked Face
Sidney Sheldon
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0446341916 |
Customer Reviews:
The Naked Face shows character.......2007-09-09
This book shows its age in such things as its portrayals of psychiatry, the police, and the bad guys.
Still, I thought it was well written and enjoyable to read. Even the aspects that are dated are interesting in that they show how much things have changed, both in how the worlds of crime and its investigation operate, and in how things are understood. For example: psychiatry no longer understands homosexuality as a 'disease' that needs or desires a cure - individual psychiatrists undoubtedly do, but the professional diagnostic guide dropped this decades ago.
So if you are looking for sort of an interesting historical document that's also a fun crime novel, this might do the trick.
Sheldon's First Novel is Highly Enjoyable.......2007-08-18
THE NAKED FACE is Sidney Sheldon's first novel, written in 1970. It wasn't much of a sales success for him, but I really enjoyed it.
This novel is a straightforward crime thriller -- someone is trying to kill the main character, a psychologist, and he's trying to figure out who the killer is before he becomes the victim. Is it one of his patients? Is it someone involved with the police? I was surprised by some of the twists in this book.
THE NAKED FACE isn't a masterpiece, but it's a fun cat and mouse story that you can read in a few hours. The pacing is pretty fast, and I found THE NAKED FACE more exciting overall than a lot of the contemporary thrillers I read these days.
This novel was written over 30 years ago and it admittedly has a dated feel. But overall it's worth your time, especially if you like Sheldon's work.
Surprise Ending .......2007-05-08
Unlike some other reviewers, I was totally off in my guess of the actual killer. Knowing this was Sheldon's first attempt at writing did not make the story any less interesting for me. Compared to his later works, it is not as multifaceted a mystery, but the plot will hold the reader until it unwinds at the conclusion. Judd Stevens is a top-notch psychoanalyst and out of nowhere, a patient and his trusted secretary are murdered. He becomes a target as well (without the slightest inkling as to why anyone would have a reason to kill him) and escapes only by default. Hiring a private investigator becomes a questionable issue as well as wondering if he can trust the lead detective on the case, McGreavy, who doubts Judd's every move. Fearing for the well being of his patients as well as himself and his sanity, he must get to the bottom of this mystery. I was completely taken back by the discovery of the murderer - would have never guessed. While "The Naked Face" does not have the intensity of Sheldon's later novels, it is still a very good read.
A Diamond of the First Water; Behind The Mirror of The Mind... Chilling. .......2005-12-20
In THE NAKED FACE, Sheldon gave Stephen King a run for his money, competing with King's ability to unearth the gritty emotional core of homo sapiens. This was one of my favorite of Sheldon's mainstream novels; I've read most of those works, some more than once. The psychological depth of Sidney's characters, exposing inner visions of various disturbances, came out with amazing clarity and complexity in this novel. It appeared to me that Sidney understood the inside, underside, and upside of the human psyche, possibly in a more intuitive way than a practicing psychiatrist.
I read this novel in the late 80's, and I'm not good at recalling details, so I won't strain my brain to give a plot summary from a bad memory, which might mistakenly mix a few other novels into this one. What I do recall clearly, though, is that I was deeply impressed with this novel, so much so that I continued chewing on exactly what it was which awed me about this particular story. It had something to do with Sidney's grasp of psychosis and his ability to redeem it or to know when to render it to the fires of cremation. I knew I would come to a time to read the book again later, and come to a catharsis with that nagging feeling of more value to be had through a repeat read of THE NAKED FACE.
Maybe after that reread I could write a decent plot summary. In any case, I've rarely written any type of synopsis in my reviews, mostly because that's done perfectly by other reviewers. Instead, I do my thing, which is to try to help potential readers decide if a book is easy to get into, by detailing what captured and kept my interest, by determining what glued a book into my mind so I could live vicariously in it.
Some of the reviews mentioned this being Sheldon's first novel, and therefore less than his others. I can see how they came to that conclusion. I can also understand how others described it as better than, and noted psychological complexity. Most said it was engrossing.
I wonder...
If Sheldon had written THE NAKED FACE (or published it) at the end of his career as a novelist instead of at the beginning, might that work be seen in a different light? Might it be viewed as a crowning achievement, shedding light (yeah, I'm going overboard, or maybe I have my head in the clouds) on every angle of his long and varied, creative career?
By the way, Sidney's long and varied career, is highlighted beautifully in THE OTHER SIDE OF ME, Sidney's memoirs released November 8, 2005.
That's another must get; must read, for those of us who love to labyrinth into worlds of fiction. Yet, this isn't fiction; it's Sidney's life, which appears to read better than some of the best novels. In fact it appears to be better than even Sidney's novels. And, that's saying something.
I read the first few chapters of these memoirs while browsing in a couple bookstores in Grand Junction, CO, HASTINGS and BARNES & NOBLE, on 12/12/05. Feeling similarly to a reviewer of that book, after reading a few chapters of Sidney's memoirs, I was tempted to temporarily halt a book I had been enjoying immensely, to continue reading THE OTHER SIDE OF ME. It wasn't easy to temporarily put aside Sidney's memoirs, and decide to wait and order it from Amazon (which I did on 12/17/05).
THE OTHER SIDE OF ME, as noted above, appears to be more riveting than any of Sidney's novels; it exposes beautifully the richness of Sheldon's personal history, and how he became the phenomenon he is.
Having read only the first 4 chapters, I received an "ah ha!" for the source of his kaleidoscope writing style. I began to see why many of his novels have the first 5 chapters begin from different parts of the world or from different life pursuits, each chapter initiating sets of characters who seem to have nothing to do with those in the other opening chapters.
In understanding how his life set up his style as a novelist, I also understand how THE OTHER SIDE OF ME explained its first chapter's event to Otto, Sidney's father, who ingeniously convinced 18 year old Sidney not to add the sleeping pills to the whiskey he had consumed in preparation for them. I believe that Sidney will gently and subtly weave the answer to the first riveting chapter into the remainder of the book, tying the themes of his childhood into the directions of his ultimate success, and the devastations of riding the psyche designed from those early chaotic years, boomeranging repeatedly from poverty to riches and back.
A review noted that these memoirs delve more into Sidney's show biz career than into his life as a novelist. It was helpful to know that, even though I was also hoping to learn more about Sheldon's background around his novels. Even so, I'll read between the delicious lines if possible, seeking silver threads exposing his reasons for featuring the vignettes he did. Those features will likely answer the main questions I would have about how Sidney's life drove his multi-fronted successes.
I was invited into Sidney's world of the novel by my nephew, Lonnie Joe Hudnall, an ex marine who was based in Seoul Korea, as a military policeman, later adding translator to his list of duties performed to precision without pomp. When Lonnie lived somewhere he lived there, with those people, melding himself into their ways of doing, thinking, and speaking, as much as he could do that and honor his military commitments.
When he recommended WINDMILLS OF THE GODS to me, which was my first dip into Sidney's mainstream novels, I was indeed curious, and not disappointed. Read that book twice, and then progressed to read all the other early books, though I'm happy to say I still have a couple of his most recent novels on my To Read list. I knew that Sheldon was one of Lonnie's favorite authors, but I also knew that Lonnie's reasons for recommending Windmills to me went beyond sharing that appreciation. Of course, as I read, I was looking for why Lonnie felt I would enjoy this particular book. Did he see me as being similar to the woman who became an ambassador? If so, I was highly complimented.
The only compliment I've received from Lonnie which was higher, was his conclusion after reading several chapters of my nonfiction manuscript, MOLASSES MOON. "I was reading and reading and reading, and all of a sudden I realized it felt like I hadn't been reading, but that I had been thinking my own thoughts." If that isn't a compliment on syntax being smooth and natural, I don't know what is. Thanks, Lonnie, for many things, especially our fascinating discussions on, and mutual love of books and words.
Lonnie is also a writer, with at least one novel written into several chapters of a first draft, and a few tentative beginnings of a project of rewriting history in a uniquely intriguing slant and style. Maybe I'll be reviewing one of his books here one day. Maybe he'll be reviewing one of mine.
Writers. Gotta love em.
I wonder if Sidney's memoirs will go the way of his Midnight novels, and split into at least a duo if not a trilogy. I hate to be left in the position of, if I want more of a book I have to reread it. But, of course that's a better position than dropping a novel into the fire of the coal stove after having read it, to be sure no one else ever picks it up.
I did that once; I won't tell what book it was. It wasn't a novel I'll ever review here, since I've made a pact with myself to review only books good enough to rave with 5 stars, as I wish upon them for more. I feel somewhat guilty "coping out" like that, since that leaves the task to other reviewers to expose those books which might not be worth reading, or to expose the dull or drag parts in otherwise good reads. My problem isn't a matter only of being too sensitive to criticize publically; it's that every book has great value to certain readers at certain times. I don't feel qualified to know what's truly bad, or why. I'm still learning what's good and why.
Speaking of rereading to get more. A few years ago, my Mom and a friend and I were on the way to Santa Fe. I was driving my Mom's 67 Ford Galaxy; the friend was reading my sci fi ms, MORNING COMES. Reaching the -30- at the end of the last page, I believe it was page 400-something, the friend screeched, "Oh No!!" My stomach gathered into granite, "Did she just read something she hated? Did she hate the ending?"
I didn't have to ask.
"It CAN'T be over! I don't want this book to end!" She immediately flipped to the first page and began again, her scowl smoothing into a smile as she continued rereading and I continued driving southwest to visit Sunstone Press.
Returning to a True Master of That Game, I should note that I see differences between Sidney's early novels and his later ones, all great, just subtly different in feel. I won't get into detail on that; I merely wanted to state the opinion and run.
In closing, I'll mention that Sidney's Midnight novels stay in my mind as being the most engrossing and complexly satisfying reads in his collection.
Can't wait to get my hands on my personal copy of THE OTHER SIDE OF ME,
Linda Shelnutt
P.S. Also ordered the hardback of Nicholas Spark's TRUE BELIEVER. Looking forward to rereading in easy chair plush the installments I read riveted to the book shelves in my local Wal Mart during a series of grocery hops (see my review on TRUE BELIEVER and its companion review on Stephen King's MISERY).
Dated, but still a good read.......2005-08-01
This is one of Sidney Sheldon's early works. Written in the 80's, there is some language that is a bit dated. For example, the phrase "he was a big mother." Okay, haven't heard that phrase in a long while.
Judd Stevens is a psychoanalyst. The people he sees are very disturbed with the exception of one patient, Anne, who won't get to the bottom of her problems. In the opening of the book, one of his patients leaves his office wearing Judd's raincoat and gets stabbed in the back. Shortly after that, his secretary is murdered in his office after hours. The homicide detective assigned to the case believes that Judd is actually guilty of the murders and begins to try to slant the evidence against Judd.
Though this is dated and not one of Sheldon's best works, it is very suspenseful and held my attention to the bitter end. It was a satisfying read and, though not necessarily a keeper, it was worth the time. Sidney Sheldon's writing improved dramatically over the years after this book was first written - if you want to read one of his best, read Master of the Game.
Book Description
Faces at the Window isn't the usual collection of rehashed New England ghost tales, half-legends and spooky sketches. It's the real thing, told by an author who actually experienced most of the cases in this book — and even photographed them. On the rare occasions when he wasn't an eyewitness, he uses first-hand sources, reliable press accounts and even government documents.
Paul F. Eno is the ultimate storyteller. His breezy style, sympathetic treatment, wry wit and careful research will make you feel you're actually at his side, working through some of the 20th century's scariest, most remarkable cases of the paranormal in New England.
Customer Reviews:
Great book! Too short!.......2007-07-25
I am a ghosthunter and can appreciate what Eno has accomplished in his long career. Psychology is the main weapon in fighting parasite cases and negative type hauntings. The multiverse theory is fascinating.
But why was this book so short?
The face in the window on the cover of the book was very interesting.
James Kelly
78 Pages?!.......2007-03-17
I've been reading ghost stories for maybe 40 years or so, and have experienced a whole lot of paranormal phenomena personally. I don't think I'm that hard to please as a reader, either; if it's a good story, I'll probably enjoy it. And yes, some of the five stories were good. The "pick of the lot" so to speak was definitely the Bridgeport Poltergeist incident. Fascinating account, well documented.
But here's the thing. First of all, the entire book comprises reprinted stories. There's nothing new! OK, if they were all great accounts, then it would be worth it, but at least in my opinion a couple of the accounts were very cursorily covered. The account of Connecticut's Village of Voices for example, didn't impress me at all as solid research. If the photos reprinted are as high quality as the originals I have to say that the "faces" and "dagger" Eno points out are dubious at best. Old stories, not many of them, and some are less than substantial. Here's the thing that really gets me, though. On top of everything else, the total page count is 100, and that's including what I feel to be "padding"; an index, a section on "disappearing ships of New England" (sorry, ships hit by rogue waves aren't ghosts, and even reading the author's review of the occurrences, only one of the disappearances even seemed that mysterious), and a two-page "glossary" containing a grand total of ten words. You get less than 78 pages of actual ghost stories!
Not to be overly denigrating, but I have a very strong feeling I just bought something the author threw together from old research to get a little more publicity and another "book" under his belt. Seriously, there's a reason why larger publishers won't touch a manuscript under 80,000 words, and this has to be barely half that. I'm really not at all happy with this book, and I'd recommend you pass on this one. There are a ton of great books out there on the subject, keep looking.
No No No ,pretty much about everything in this book.......2006-06-04
I have a pretty good idea of what "Spine Tingling" means and it is most definately not "Faces in the Window".It was hard to even keep interested while reading.
Come on now, time to tell the truth so here goes... Do not buy this book not even if it is on sale !!! I'm a person with a pretty vivid imagination and though I looked pretty hard at the cover picture and I guess one could see a nose kind of, sort of. Even in the pictures of scenery it was hard to see anything resembling anything except what I was looking at.. Well, this is my first review and sorry it is a negative one but really , is this person promoting himself or what?
Incredible page-turner.......2001-01-27
What a wonderful book, Paul Eno sure knows how to tell a story, He starts off his stories with a slow tapping and follows up with a big bang, I have not forgotten one story in this book, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read First hand accounts of Paranormal phenomena, From poltergeist's to Vampires its all here... A must have for the paranormal genre collector... This is the real thing.... No fiction here...
Book Description
An indispensable introduction to the company that will define the twenty-first century economy.
Edited by one of the nation's preeminent labor historians, this book marks an ambitious effort to dissect the full extent of Wal-Mart's business operations, its social effects, and its role in the U.S. and world economy. Wal-Mart is based on a spring 2004 conference of leading historians, business analysts, sociologists, and labor leaders that immediately attracted the attention of the national media, drawing profiles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the New York Review of Books. Their contributions are adapted here for a general audience.
At the end of the nineteenth century the Pennsylvania Railroad declared itself "the standard of the world." In more recent years, IBM and then Microsoft seemed the template for a new, global information economy. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, Wal-Mart has overtaken all rivals as the world-transforming economic institution of our time.
Presented in an accessible format and extensively illustrated with charts and graphs, Wal-Mart examines such topics as the giant retailer's managerial culture, revolutionary use of technological innovation, and controversial pay and promotional practices to provide the most complete guide yet available to America's largest company.
Customer Reviews:
Sure Wal-Mart is swill ,but this book is dry and boring.......2006-10-01
Before commenting on this very boring,badly written junk book I think it is necessary to comment on some of the political diatribes that herein pass for "reviews"of this volume...Everyone knows that at wal-mart prices are low because the company is cut-throat,doesn't pay its workers well,and has as it's primary goal the intention to drive as many of its competitors out of business as possible..so what else is new?In an era that allows a brainless twit like George W.Bush to have two terms as president,that has seen repeated tax give-aways to the rich but no increase in the federal minimum wage for the poor,that allows government to step on the constitution and trash the bill of rights,one can only wonder at the self-righteous fulminating to be found in reviews that say more about liberal anger than about how badly written this book is...Hey!Wal-Mart thrives for the same reason that George W.Bush remains president,and for the same reason thatthe rich get richer while the poor remain poor;BECAUSE A MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN !
This book is written is an ultra-dry,statistical style,apparently designed for someone other than the average reader...If the people responsible for this book thought that with its publication a spark would be ignited that would burn wal-mart to the ground they were-and are-mistaken...while poring over the data in this volume may indeed show wal-mart to be the predatory corporate villian that we all already accept as fact,it is not likely that many will take the time and the effort necessary to do so..and effort is needed,as reading through most of what is contained in this volume is about as entertaining as reading the phone-book cover to cover.
THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM MUST STOP HERE.......2006-06-10
This may not be the book of essays that finally gets people up in arms against the Wal-Martization of the world but it contains much useful information for those are interested in that perspective.
This writer has just received news that the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers (MFT) has voted to support the Wal-Mart boycott. Thus, the MFT joins a growing number of other unions union federations nationally and internationally in support of this first step in the struggle to organize Wal-Mart. Every militant is obliged to and must support this boycott as a first step in the struggle against this greedy mega-corporation. To list the egregious labor practices of this corporation is like reading pages from the history relating the sweatshop conditions of the American labor movement at the turn of the 20th century. These essays detail that exploitation. Whatever piddling savings one might receive by shopping at Wal-Mart is negated by the degradation of its labor force. It is high time for the labor movement to move on this outfit and move hard. The race to the bottom stops here.
Whatever the practical effect of the boycott it can only be a first step in the ultimate union organization of Wal-Mart. A boycott is not enough! A consumer boycott, as has been shown by past practices, is only as effective as the diffuse shopping public is aware of it. In general, a consumer boycott has little or no effect at all. In any case it is not decisive. There is no short-cut to effective organization at the point of production and, particularly in the case of Wal-Mart, distribution. The leadership of the organized American labor movement (now centered in the AFL-CIO and Change to Win Coalition) has chiefly used to the tactic of boycott to avoid the hard struggle to unionize the workforce. In the final analysis only organization in the field will bring unionization.
To organize Wal-Mart means there must be the will to organize Wal-Mart. It is necessary to go all out to win once the decision has been made to organize this monster along industrial lines, like the automobile industry in the 1930's. Previous local efforts (such as in Quebec and Texas) to organize particular stores have shown that this strategy (or lack of strategy) has been a failure. Wal-Mart is just too big and powerful to be taken on piecemeal. This writer has seen estimates that the number of field organizers necessary to effectively organize Wal-Mart is at least 3000. Militants must call on the organized labor movement to fund and sent out that number en masse. The time is now.
Those even slightly familiar with the Wal-Mart operation know that the corporation has a fleet of at least 7000 trucks to transport and deliver goods to its various locations. This should make every militant salivate at the prospect of organizing that fleet. Militants must demand that the Teamsters International Union to organize the fleet. Know this, if the trucks, the key to the distribution process are unionized that is a very powerful argument in the workers' favor if a showdown with other parts of the Wal-Mart workforce is necessary. This writer suggests that militants read Teamster Rebellion and Teamster Power by Farrell Dobbs; a central organizer of the successful Teamster union drives in Minneapolis and later over the road drivers in the 1930's. (These books have been reviewed elsewhere in this space) One thing is sure, if it took practically a civil war to bring the relatively loosely organized trucking company bosses to their knees in the 1930's it will be 1000 times harder to do so against this monolithic giant. But the victory will be sweeter.
very very useful academic perspective.......2006-01-26
Neither a polemic nor a whitewash, this book is critical yet strives to be fair. Its perspective is predominantly historical and a bit too academic, but it is well written and simply fascinating.
Sam Walton was a natural salesman, passionate about building his retail business. When founded Wal-Mart in 1962, he did not entertain any dream of becoming the wealthiest man in America or creating the world's largest company. Instead, he wanted to bring big-city discounting to his corner of the rural American South, which would cut about 20% off the prices in local stores. But he wanted the discounts to be offered every day, rather than by one-time sales promotions of selected items. He chose to expand locally, opening stores in his native Arkansas and spreading slowly into Oklahoma, Missouri, and Louisiana. Thus, as the book points out, Wal-Mart's culture reflects where it was born, where its salaries were viewed as fair and people could live reasonably well on them and in a context without strong unions or organized workers.
Walton's strategy was simple: to make up for his low profit margins, he would have to sell in higher volumes of sales in a large number of stores. In addition, his company developed a relentless drive to lower costs by going directly to manufacturers and constantly increasing worker productivity, which often translated into low salaries for a high-turnover work force. He also paid close attention to the competition as well as trained Wal-Mart workers to treat customers with courtesy and consideration of their needs. It was a phenomenal success. In 1985, with just under 1,000 stores, he was named by Forbes Magazine as the richest man in America. By 1991, Wal-Mart was recognized as America's largest retailer as it began to expand overseas. It was repeatedly hailed as the most admired company in America.
In the aftermath of Walton's death, the expansion of the company accelerated with a combination of new technologies (the "logistics revolution") and the globalization of its operations. By 2004, Wal-Mart was number one on the Fortune 500 list, as both the world's largest corporation and the largest non-governmental employer.
From the mid-1990s, Wal-Mart became a pioneer in technology-driven productivity enhancement. Elements included: 1) point-of-sale data collection, enabling managers to track inventory and demand in real time; 2) data mining in order to exploit trends to boost sales via novel merchandising techniques, e.g. placing diapers and six packs of beer near store entryways on Fridays, to exploit a spike in demand for both items at the end of the workweek; 3) the establishment of a just-in-time delivery system, which suppliers and distributors were obligated to participate in and obey, in effect joining Wal-Mart's data network. According to a widely cited estimate by McKinsey and Co., Wal-Mart alone was responsible for 25% of the "gain in productivity" of the U.S. economy from 1995 to 1999! Many of these efficiency gains, the company claimed, were passed directly on to consumers in the form of lower prices. Wal-Mart, the company said, saved U.S. consumers over $100 billion per year.
Combined with its sheer size (Wal-Mart accounts for approximately 10% of all retail sales in the U.S.!) these technological capabilities enabled Wal-Mart to exert an unprecedented degree of control not only over its business partners (independent manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors), but over its employees as well.
On the one hand, this represents a fundamental shift of market power to the retailer, which traditionally had served as outlets for manufacturers. In practical terms, this meant that Wal-Mart could force its partners to set prices at whatever levels that the retailer deemed desirable, which translated into direct control of both their marketing through Wal-Mart stores and in many cases, even the manufacturers' brand. Given the imperative of cost containment, this tends to cut their profit margins to the bone. In the case of Vlasic pickles, for example, some have argued that Wal-Mart's insistence that the company lower prices led to its bankruptcy as well as derailed its brand strategy for high quality at slightly higher prices. One the other hand, managers in Wal-Mart headquarters are able track the productivity of workers in its individual stores, allowing them to push for "improvements", allegedly as unpaid over-time and refusal to take breaks, which many critics charged were degrading and often illegal.
Wal-Mart's size and reach attracted many critics, who condemn its practices and began to mount protest campaigns against the company. Their tactics include grassroots campaigns to block the establishment of new Wal-Mart Supercenters, targeted consumer boycotts, a barrage of media attacks (in films and television, on the internet, and in print), and efforts to unionize Wal-Mart associates. In addition, the company became the object of a growing number of lawsuits (on average two per hour, 365 days per year!) from both current and former employees and customers, including many class-action suits.
Wal-Mart's critics argue passionately that the company had to change in a variety of ways. First, they believe, Wal-Mart had to somehow lessen its impact on the communities that it entered. As it stood, they charge, Wal-Mart not only destroys local "mom and pop" stores that could not compete on price, which sometimes turn traditional downtown shopping areas from vital social centers into ghost towns, but also generate such second-hand effects of increased traffic, reduced demand for other local businesses such as newspapers, additional infrastructure costs that create new tax burdens. Second, Wal-Mart's labor practices, which they believe are brutal and unfair, have to change. The company, they demand, should allow associates to unionize, offer better wages and health insurance benefits, and treat them more humanely. Moreover, critics claim, Wal-Mart's labor practices were dragging down those of its unionized competitors, who were asking employees to "bargain away" their higher salaries, pension plans, and other benefits in order for the companies to survive. Third, they argue, Wal-Mart has to provide a more equitable management of its supply chain, from "sweatshop" workers in China to the company's truckers as well as its manufacturing partners. This often means that the company should pay more for the goods and services it buys.
This criticism amounts to nothing less than a fundamental repudiation of Wal-Mart's business model, which in the words of one critic in this book, "can flourish only by externalizing many of its most important social and economic costs, which are displaced onto a relentlessly squeezed supply chain, an underpaid retail work force, and those many thousand communities...which have been forced to absorb so many intangible expenses..." Even worse, evidence suggests that the criticism resonated with a growing portion of the public. In a 2004 confidential McKinsey & Co., it was reported, between 2 and 8% of the public had ceased to shop at Wal-Mart due to the "negative press" about the company. Most alarming to Wal-Mart executives, however, was the disapproval of more affluent, middle class consumers in urban areas, that is, the group that the company had identified as the market that it must next enter if its growth rates were to improve or even be sustained.
This is about where the book stops, which is unfortunate given the things that have happened recently. As media campaigns against the company grew in 2004, Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott decided to mount a counter-offensive. In its aim respond directly to the claims of critics, this represented a new departure for the company. After hiring the public relations firm Edelman, the company created a rapid-response "war room" in summer, 2005. Among the tasks of the group was the cultivation of a more positive image of the company - as environmentally aware and more worker friendly - in the minds of the "swing voters" who had not yet decided against shopping at Wal-Mart. It wants to be viewed as a good guy again, which in my opinion is a dubious proposition.
The next phase of the story is whether or not this new PR will work. The company certainly got lots of praise for its Katrina relief efforts, and deservedly so if you ask me. But the opposition to the company will persist. My advice is: hold onto your seats because it's gonna be a heckuva ride. For example, just after Scott announced some progressive measures, such as a new health care plan and some environmental initiatives, foes of the company released a leaked internal memo (on strategies to keep employees off the company health care plans) with perfect political timing: the vilification was intense, focusing on how the leopard may not really have changed its spots. These opposition groups are media-savvy and driven - and they will not stop. I have interviewed some of them, and to say the least, they are passionate about their mission, which is not just to block Wal-Mart but on how to shape the direction in which their communities will develop. Instead of asking "how many jobs", they are looking at what kinds of jobs are being created. In my view, this represents a fundamentally new kind of social movement and Wal-Mart had better take heed.
Recommended as the best book I have yet read on the company. While it is predominantly historical, it explains many useful things about the company that are unavailable elsewhere. Also, there are wonderful histories about the retail trade.
Good Insights!.......2005-12-06
The book begins by summarizing the 10/11/03 lockout/strike of 59,000 Southern California grocery workers from 850 supermarkets in an effort to maintain wages and healthcare insurance the UFCW had negotiated over 50 years. The lockout/strike ended Feb./Mar. of '04 with a decisive defeat for grocery workers - the new contract slashed starting pay and capped health insurance payouts. The one point of agreement was that the struggle was initiated by industry management trying to prepare for expected competition from Wal-Mart in their area. (Some experts see Wal-Mart becoming the nation's leading grocer by '08.)
Wal-Mart is attributed to bring over 230,000 shipping containers across the Pacific each year - approximately 100 containership loads, and about 10-20% of transhipped through Southern California. Its overseas suppliers employ up to 65,000 at a single facility (Huyen-Binh-Chanh in VN).
Discounters' labor costs average about 15% of sales (about half that of department stores); Wal-Mart's are another 25% less. One means of selling its low wages is to also offer profit-sharing - however, few take advantage because qualifying requires two years' employment to qualify (40%+ turnover/year). Only 7% of its employees try to support a family with children on a single Wal-Mart income -> reduced need for benefits. A 32-hour week is considered "standard" at Wal-Mart (some employees do work 40 hours. It probably has a higher percentage of managers start in low-paying jobs and lacking a college/university degree than any other large company in the world.
Adding groceries to Wal-Mart's existing stores typically increased sales of non-food items 30%.
Wal-Mart's "Plus One" principal: - each product's price should be lowered or its quality improved each year. Over 500 large vendors have a permanent sales office near Wal-Mart's headquarters. It requires suppliers to open their books and undergo detailed cost analyses; trade-promotions and direct-marketing campaign costs are deducted from the wholesaler's price. Vendors can access saels data directly, providing the ability to test new products more easily/quickly, and to simply product production and setting inventory levels.
Providing national brands helps Wal-Mart document its status a a low-price leader; store brands (abouat 40% of the total) appeal to the more price conscious shoppers.
Methods of Controlling Labor Costs: Making indenpendent contractors out of truckers bringing containers out of port prevents them from trying to organize or join a union - would bring anti-trust suits; in addition, a large portion are immigrants - particularly difficult to organize. Staffing distribution centers with temporary agencies/employee-leasing firms allows a quick change if organizing develops.
Wal-Mart originally incorporated each store separately, thus allowing sales/store to fall under levels that would require paying the minimum wage - this was stopped by a court-ruling in '67. (K-Mart took the concept a step further - licensing out different departments within a store to different companies.) A computer staffing system dictates lower staffing/sale as sales levels increase; people are sent home early when sales fall. Managers are pushed to "beat yesterday" to retain their position and earn bonuses.
The rest of the book is taken up with general retail history, a summary of the class-action suit claiming Wal-Mart discriminates against women in promotion decisions, and background on Wal-Mart's foray into Mexico.
My opinion is that blaming Wal-Mart for low wages/benefits is misplaced - Wal-Mart would not be able to do this if the economy were better. Thus, the weak economy is the problem, and Wal-Mart provides a preview of how life will be for more and more Americans as international competition increases.
Book Description
A warmer sun fills the sky as the great Ice Age is ending and a new and savage epoch descends upon the land. Warakan, son of war chiefs and spirit masters, wanders alone in the primeval forest, searching for the mysterious great white mammoth and the totemic power it can give him. He escaped into the wilderness as a boy and has now become a man, torn between his yearning for peace and companionship--and his desire for blood and vengeance. Under the shadowing wings of a golden eagle he is about to fulfill his destiny.
Customer Reviews:
Good beach read.......2007-09-28
I personally like the books that she writes with her husbands better. This book is not very compelling and is a hard one to get into. Too much detail and not enough story. It is as though she wants to impress you with her acient tales of the tribes rather than about each character. I would either pass or buy used. Not worth the money for new.
next book after.......2003-10-18
I was wondering what book comes after Face of the Rising Sun? it seems that Warakan must have got left somewhere in this book, does the next book even talk about what happened to Warakan?
The next book is Time Beyond Beginning?
I have to give Ms. Sarabande credit..........2002-02-14
This may not be great literature or anything, but it was fun. You see, after getting through Shadow of the Watching Star, you see, I found myself utterly burnt out on this series. Sarabande's world was just becoming SO utterly cold and vicious, and the plights of the heroes (when there even ARE 'heroes') were so incredibly depressing that I just wasn't liking it very much, even if it did have a certain bleak integrity. And then the image I'd mentally developed of the author was shattered when I learned she was a she--and I just couldn't go on. I'd had enough.
However, eventually I did take a crack at the latest book--Face of the Rising Sun--and, surprise surprise, I enjoyed it. I think--know, in fact--that a lot of this stems from the fact that there are no real 'villains' here, and hence no soul-crushingly grim situations to deal with. In fact, the characters listed in the front of the book are, with the exception of sundry animals, spirits, and hallucinations, the ONLY characters in the book. While there's still some pretty heavy drama (mostly concerning the coming-of-age of Xokantakeh's (big fat sp?) daughters), but I never had to force myself to keep going--it was compelling rather than off-putting. And Warakan is still one of Sarabande's best characters, in spite of his bafflingly irrational obsession with Mah-ree(sp?). I WAS somewhat angry over the senseless death of one of the characters, but since when has Sarabande ever let sentiment override reality? One must take the good with the not-so-good, I suppose. And there's considerably more here that's good than otherwise. If you've given up the series before now for the reasons that I had, take heart: it does get better. And I'll certainly have a go at the third story arc when time permits, though not without a certain trepidation--is this the start of a kinder, gentler William Sarabande, or is it just an aberration? My money's on the latter, unfortunately, but now that I'm newly invigorated, her prose might be good enough to make it enjoyable regardless.
Face the Rising Sun.......2001-12-17
Another of Sarabande's good books. Worth reading.
i love this series.......1998-10-09
ok i honestly can say i havent read the book but i did read over half the series eight years ago when i was 12...and years later my friend anb i have found more books and r goin back re readin the older ones and will enjoy the news ones im sure. so actually i stumbled upon this searchin for a web page and im still searchin so if anyone can help me please and thank you and if by any slim chance mr. sarabande reads this me and laura love u, ur books, actually, and that was the purpose of his surf take care salaha ";-P immasala@aol.com
Average customer rating:
- Fun Way To Teach Emotions
- This book taught my daughter to say HAPPY!
- What a great, interactive book!
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Little Bear'S Happy Face/Sad (First Book about Feelings)
Lynn Offerman
Manufacturer: Millbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
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The Way I Feel
ASIN: 0761309837 |
Customer Reviews:
Fun Way To Teach Emotions.......2003-04-11
My daughter really likes this book that her grandma got her. She always likes seeing Teddy Bears in books for one thing. Plus she loves puzzles. She knew right away what to do with the faces. But I'm still working with her to understand what goes where and why. The story is simple but fitting for the purpose. Very cute, vivid pictures.
There are a few MINOR problems I have with it.
1 - It would be nice if there were more faces (enough to fill the pages)
2 - I agree that the flaps are flimsy esp. in a toddler's hands
3 - The "angry face" wasn't cut right and didn't fit into the spaces (frustrating for a little one). I had to shave away an edge with a knife so it would work.
4 - Faces can get lost very easily if you're not careful. Good idea to put this book away whenever they are done with it, which also helps with the durability issue.
This book taught my daughter to say HAPPY!.......2003-01-16
This is a great book! To me it ranks up there with Goodnight Moon. The removable Teddy Bear faces make this an interactive book that's fun. My daughter looks for this book first at Grandma's house and I want to get one for here at home. She now says "happy" thanks to this book! A must-have.
What a great, interactive book!.......1999-09-30
My one year old loves books, but this one is her absolute favorite! This book not only teaches her about different emotions and expressions, but also develops her fine motor skills. She loves to take the bear faces out of the flaps and place them on the different bear bodies in the book. The only complaint I have, is I wish the flaps were stronger, because two of them ripped quite quickly. Overall, a great interactive book, that I know she will enjoy even more when she gets older.
Book Description
In this engaging memoir of television news and its unique place in history, New York Times bestselling author and Face the Nation anchor Bob Schieffer takes us behind the scenes of the Sunday morning institution that has provided a window on the most memorable events of the last half-century.
With his critically acclaimed memoir This Just In, Schieffer proved himself a natural storyteller, a gifted writer able to capture the workings of television news with remarkable wit and insight. Now Schieffer focuses his keen reporter's eye on 50 years of Face the Nation's live broadcasts and the historic moments the program has captured. From its 1954 debut, an interview with Senator Joe McCarthy the day before the Senate debate that would condemn him, to the broadcast's 1957 groundbreaking interview with a candid and controversial Nikita Khrushchev; from the brilliant analysis of communism made by guest Martin Luther King Jr. to the sometimes stunning, always revealing interviews with each sitting president; from the heroic and moving coverage of the terrorist attacks of September 11 to the revolutionary coverage of the war in Iraq, Schieffer shares unforgettable anecdotes about the guests, the stories and the events captured by the venerable public affairs program.
Marked by the author's candid personal observations and wise, good humor, and featuring a special companion DVD of broadcast highlights created by CBS News for this edition, Bob Schieffer's look at 50 years of Face the Nation shines an entertaining and nostalgic light on America's presidents, culture, foreign policy and domestic affairs.
Customer Reviews:
Neat inside-look at TV journalism and politics.......2006-12-02
I listened to Face the Nation: My Favorite Stories unabridged on audio, narrated by the author. Schieffer gives a fine reading reflecting his love of Face the Nation and his colleagues, and his pride in the impact the show has had on US politics. Highlights for me were anecdotes about the guests (ranging from Fidel Castro to Muhammad Ali), a recounting of Leslie Stahl's impact breaking through the gender line and earning the respect of an industry, and Schieffer's terrific personal "commentaries" on the news of the day.
I'm giving four stars instead of five because I'd have preferred more stories about the guests, and less on its staff and moderators, which can be summarized as a group of highly-dedicated, professional journalists.
Concise history of 50 years.......2005-05-21
This respected journalist provides a very engaging historical reporting of some major events that shaped political and foreign policy issues from the U.S. perspective. Events leading upto the talk show, Face the Nation, the major players in the CBS corporation is discussed first. Then, in short and crisp separate chapters, Schieffer reports and adds insights on different events such as McCarthy-ism, Cuban revolution, Vietnam war, Nixon scandals, rise of women in journalism, Starr versus Clinton episode, and the Iraq war. Each chapter provides behind-the-scene accounts of some famous interviews. Interesting reading. Dont look for any analysis of events..that is not the intent of the book. Even then, the chapter on Vietnam war is way too compact compared to the length devoted to lesser events such as Lewinsky scandal.
"a window on history".......2005-04-18
I am not a regular viewer of the Sunday political interview program Face the Nation but, while surfing channels, I saw Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer discuss his book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program. Clips from the DVD included with the book were shown. There was the CBS crew in Moscow interviewing Nikita Krushchev in an odd-looking set in 1957. Then they showed a clip from 1959 with Fidel Castro in Havana. Schieffer explained that armed guards (one with a gun pointed at FTN producer Ted Ayers) surrounded the camera crew with Castro giving the probably not too reassuring claim that they were "men of love." What really intrigued me was a clip of the first FTN telecast. Senator Joe McCarthy was interviewed shortly before Congress voted to censure him for his excessive, paranoid, unsubstantiated accusations that many in the government were card-carrying Communists. McCarthy branded the Senate session a "lynching bee" right on the television show. When I was a teacher, I researched several lectures on McCarthy and never heard of this interview. Since I am interested in Cold War history, I bought this book.
The 50th anniversary book covers the following topics: McCarthy and the Red Scare, Krushchev the "big scoop," "Castro day on CBS," Civil Rights, Vietnam, the Pentagon Papers, women on FTN, presidential campaigns, Clinton's impeachment, 9/11, and the war in Iraq. The second part includes select "final thoughts" by Schieffer my favorite being on Prince Charles: "So why is this cause to celebrate? Because he's their prince, not ours" (p. 197). The third section is a brief look at the moderators and producers of FTN through the decades. In the back are statistics listing guests with the most appearances and the longest span of appearances. Part 1, the meat of the book, is only 179 pages of the short 227-page book, so the topics are discussed only briefly. Still, there are some interesting stories.
I am more interested in the Cold War-era topics so the following highlights are mostly from the older broadcasts. On McCarthy, Schieffer explains how blacklists publications like Aware and Red Channels influenced CBS's hiring process (p. 19). One story I have never heard before was that Ed Sullivan wanted to be a respected news journalist and hoped that interviewing Castro (the same day as FTN's interview with the Cuban dictator) would help him be taken seriously in that department by Edward R. Murrow. Sullivan was so impressed by Castro that he donated a 10,000 check to the dictator (Sullivan was soon persuaded to put a stop on the check) (p. 43). Another highlight was the Vietnam chapter and how a long parade of government officials interviewed misled the public (either out of ignorance or intentional deception) as to America's progress in southeast Asia. In more recent news, Schieffer humorously describes Al Gore's attempt to seem more down-to-earth on FTN by being interviewed in a vegetable market in casual, farmer garb. Schieffer points out that the soles of Gore's boots were clean as a whistle (p. 124). The book is a quick read through the main news items in the second half of the 20th century. It includes many photos.
The DVD shows shorts clips of the following: McCarthy, Krushchev, Castro, Roy Wilkens, Martin Luther King, Jr., George Wallace, Hubert Humphrey, Dean Rusk, Melvin Laird, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith, Ike, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, candidates McGovern, Dukakis, Perot, Dole, Gore, McCain, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry. On the Clinton story are Clinton's lawyer Bob Bennett and Monica's lawyer William Ginsburg among others and discussing 9/11 are Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, etc. Members of the CBS news team cover the Iraq war and Schieffer offers a final thought. I was a little disappointed that the DVD did not offer more of the early interviews than the shorts clips I saw on television promoting the book. Still it is 2 hours long and adds a star to the score. It greatly enhances the book to see some of these interviews in the flesh.
Face the Nation exposed.......2005-03-06
Although I watch Face the Nation occasionally, I bought the audio book CD after I saw Bob Schieffer on the "The Daily Show with John Stewart." The book/CD is a series of interesting anecdotes on the inner workings of a TV news program beginnning at a time in the world where TV was a new and uncharted medium.
If you are interested to hear an insider's perspective on how the TV news program has evolved over the years, and also hear some interesting historical footnotes, then this is worth it.
It presents an historical perspective and autobiographical recounting of Bob Schieffer's experiences from the inside of the TV news show "Face the Nation". It had some insightful commentary about the power of advertisers and how executives will sometimes make bad decisions, but shows how the integrity of the journalist can ultimately win the day.
I felt it transitions nicely between vignettes and giving you a sense of the time and historical context while weaving an interesting historical tapestry.
I really enjoyed the stories about McCarthy, Ali, Castro, Kennedy & Nixon. The story about Kruschev is a real gem, and alone is almost worth the price of admission. Both Bob's voice and storytelling really give an authentic flavor that comes from a personal recounting of events that you don't typically get in a work of non-fiction.
ENJOYABLE AND INFORMATIVE.......2005-01-09
This is a very enjoyable overview of the first fifty years of Face the Nation. It offers a number of "behind the scenes" looks at the show as well as the author's thoughts on the history and philosophy of the show.
The earlier anecdotes were fascinating--particularly the chapters describing the Castro, Kruschev and McCarthy interviews. Without a doubt, the most interesting for me was the Castro chapter which included a look at the professional tension between Ed Sullivan and Edward R. Murrow.
The book drifts a bit near the end, but, overall, it is delightful, informative and an easy read.
Average customer rating:
- Wacky and Fun
- very unique, really entertaining, and well-written
- Rubbish
- Douglas Adams meets, um, Ray Vukcevich
- Quirky fun
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The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces: A Novel
Ray Vukcevich
Manufacturer: Minotaur Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312246528 |
Book Description
That's what the letters on the cloudy glass of the door say. But Skylight himself isn't too clear on who he is or what he's doing when a beautiful woman walks in and asks him to help. Her brother is missing.
Skylight confers at once with his colleagues: Dennis, Dieter, Lulu, Scarface, and the Average Guy. Then he makes up their mind, and we're off on one of the wildest P.I. novels in years.
You see, Skylight isn't always himself. In fact, he has a number of distinct modes, all of whom are helping him catch the madman who's killing off "documentalists" (being the people who write computer manuals).
But the killer might not be the biggest problem for Skylight. Nor is it liable to be the two obstructing officers representing the finest in law enforcement that Eugene, Oregon, has to offer. No, Skylight's biggest danger is himself.
He has a problem.
A tap-dancing problem, to be exact.
Skylight Howells is a problem dancer. And it's going to take some fancy footwork for this gumshoe to solve the case.
The Man of Maybe Half-a-Dozen Faces is a wonderfully inventive mystery novel that seems to be tailor-made for enthusiasts of the work of Jonathan Lethem, Richard Brautigan, Neal Stephenson, Russell Greenan, Thomas Berger, and Arthur Murray. It's also great for anyone looking for a good read. Kick up your heels and enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Wacky and Fun.......2004-08-04
kylight Howells, Private Investigator, isn't exactly a split-personality. . . He's more of a multi-personality. Sky has several facets of himself which he becomes by donning various disguises. Dennis, for example, is a computer nerd and math expert and just by wearing Dennis' glasses, Sky can solve complex mathematical problems and break into computers. These six personalities are very handy for a detective and Sky wears them all--including Lulu--with an ease that is nearly scary.
Sometimes he thinks he might be overdoing it a bit, but the multi-personality thing takes back burner to his real problem--tap-dancing. Yes, Sky is a problem dancer, and hasn't been attending his meetings regularly. At any moment, with his resistance this low, he could duck into an all night karaoke tap club and--well, let's just say that the results wouldn't be pretty.
On top of it all, he's got work to do. He's trailing his high school nemesis to see if he's cheating on his wife and while still in the middle of this case, a lovely blonde bombshell of a computer programmer needs help with a murder case. Seems that some disgruntled nerd is killing computer program "documentalists". Her brother is a prime suspect and she wants to prove his innocence and find the real killer. Soon the killer becomes a serial killer and Sky--and the rest of him--must find out the whys and whos.
This is a very witty novel, with some sidesplitting read-out-loud happenings (the first use of the juicer, for instance, still makes me laugh). The mystery is not nearly as interesting as Sky's detecting and the solving of the case was a bit lame. Despite all that, I enjoyed it, passed in on to Stoney and refer it to anyone who likes their mystery to be slightly wacky and a whole lot of fun.
very unique, really entertaining, and well-written.......2004-01-16
This is an incredibly ingenious and quite funny novel. It's one of my favorites. Its uniqueness would probably be appealing to many. I've read quite a bit of critically acclaimed science fiction over the years (including Maureen McHugh's 'The Lincoln Train', 'China Mountain Zhang', and 'Nekropolis', as well as Amitav Ghosh's 'The Calcutta Chromosome') and enjoyed this novel just as much, and possibly more, than those, which are pretty impressive but usually not as inventive!
It's also really refreshing to discover some science fiction with a sense of humor, since much of the field tends to be rather "doom and gloom" or horror-themed.
Rubbish.......2003-09-04
From time to time, Ray Vukcevich's "Man of Maybe Half-a-Dozen Faces" pops up on my Amazon.com recommendations list. It sounded interesting and funny; and had the benefit of having been compared to Lethem's "Gun, With Occasional Music". I decided to try it.
I wish I hadn't. It might still seem interesting and funny if I hadn't gone and ruined everything by reading it.
Brian Howells, the protagonist in this erstwhile comedic mystery is a disturbed fellow who dresses up in different outfits in order to a) disguise himself while sleuthing, and b) give voice to his different personalities, such as Tag, "The Average Guy", Dennis, the computer expert and Lulu. He also is addicted to tap-dancing and has no friends other than those he consults over the chat rooms and Internet news groups. He's hired to track down a killer who murders bad documentalists, those who produce incomprehensible computer manuals.
"Who am I and what do I want with you?" shouts Brian upon meeting his newest client. This pretty much sets the tone for the whole novel - it's funny, but pretty inane. What client would continue and hire someone so obviously disoriented and mentally ill? The only way I was able to make sense of this book and not to throw it across the room was to imagine it taking place in an alternate universe, one where our accepted definitions of Multiple-Personality Disorder don't apply and where illicit tap-dancing parlors exist like turn-of-the-century opium dens.
In the end, that just wasn't enough. Vukcevich thinks himself way to cute and clever, but his story just isn't smart enough to carry one through the inconsistencies and annoyances of his narrative.
The next time it pops up as a recommendations, I think I'll just click "Not Interested" and move on.
Douglas Adams meets, um, Ray Vukcevich.......2002-07-04
Really funny book that deserves to be on the shelf of all the Dirk Gently fans out there. One man: six identities = great fun -- and a really well-equipped private eye. If you wondered about the passions of documentationalists (or tap-dancers!), this will reaveal all. Vukcevich is a premiere modern surrealist, with one eye on the punchline, and one foot dangling off the wire. Read everything he's written. With any luck, there'll be a sequel to this...!
Quirky fun.......2001-07-01
Ray Vukcevich's fiction is so off the wall it's astonishing. Hilarious, outrageous, ingenious fun.
Average customer rating:
- Well done!
- A good read
- subtle analysis
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Hitler's Face: The Biography of an Image (Material Texts)
Claudia Schmolders
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0812239024 |
Book Description
From his emergence on the German political scene in 1914 and subsequent public infatuation with him, to his fall in 1945 and the growing revulsion as his horrific acts were revealed to the world, Adolf Hitler's visage, Claudia Schmölders argues, was the first political image manufactured for the modern media.
Customer Reviews:
Well done!.......2006-05-24
Not for the academic alone, Hitler's Face lays out not only post-WWI Germany's obsession with physiognomy but also its maniacal drive to construct a physiognomic system which could redeem the fatherland after its disgrace at Versailles; the drive to construct, as Schmýlders puts it, a national portrait gallery which would not only illustrate but prove the superiority of the German people.
The book is translated into clear and concise prose. The cover sucks, but can be easily removed.
In a world where the US government evaluates your penchant for atrocity based on how many people named Mohammed you've texted in the last two years, it's good to be reminded of, shall we say, certain pitfalls in this approach.
A good read.......2006-05-04
"Hitler's Face - the Biography of an Image" comes in English at the right time in American history, at exactly the time when we (once again) need to learn to interpret the images projected by the media of those who hold power over our nation. From this point of view, "Hitler's Face" is an absolutely essential book; its analysis of physiognomic studies linked with the propagandist aspect of political portrayals is very current.
In general, the English translation reads very smoothly. Some citations from secondary texts were at times difficult to follow, but I imagine they were the best published translations available. And besides, the rest of the text makes up for these sections; a good read.
subtle analysis.......2006-01-30
The premise of tracing images of Hitler is intriguing, and the book lives up to it.
Customer Reviews:
A thoughtful, astute, and timely discussion of an age-old human institution........2007-08-06
Written by Episcopal priest John C. Morris, First Comes Love?: The Ever-Changing Face of Marriage is a thoughtful discussion of the history and current status of marriage from the perspective of biblical, European, and North American heritage. Chapters discussed marriage as undertaken for political purposes, marriage for procreation, four revolutionary marriage traditions from allowing slaves to marry to celibacy to equality between woman and men to the concept of lifelong equipment, what makes a marriage valid (mutual consent, consummation, and validation by an outside authority), and much more. Though written from a reverently spiritual perspective, First Comes Love? is more history and chronicle than it is religious treatise, as it astutely notes how human perspectives have changed and evolved throughout the years. The final chapter touches upon the possibility of civil unions between same-gender couples and why such an option might not necessarily be the death knell of marriage itself. "Why should a relationship that clearly manifests faithfulness, commitment, and mutuality be relegated to 'second-class' status just because it is not a legal contract? A couple may not want or need a civil union, but may earnestly desire and deserve to live in 'holy union' with the support of the religious community. Why stand in their way?" A thoughtful, astute, and timely discussion of an age-old human institution.
Average customer rating:
- By far the worst book I have ever read
- Ashley's Review
- One of the Greatest Books I've read !!! By: Stephanie Perez
- ~AMAZING!~
- Afraid to Remember -- a review by Lisel, age 10
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A Face First
Priscilla Cummings
Manufacturer: Puffin
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ASIN: 0142302473 |
Book Description
After a catastrophic automobile accident, twelve-year-old Kelley wakes up to find her face and body severely burned. To recover, she must suffer through skin-graft operations, painful dressings, and hand exercises that seem akin to torture. Worst of all, she must wear a plastic mask so that her facial skin won't grow back puffy and hard. How will she ever face the world again?
Customer Reviews:
By far the worst book I have ever read.......2006-08-27
The small amount of effort and caring put into this book immediately became evident. One of the main flaws I noticed was that the author never gives the reader a reason to care for the main character At certain times, especially near the end of the book, the focus would shift between characters, making it more and more evident that the author had very little (if anything) to write about. Leah was the main character for a few pages. So was Kelley's mother at one point. Another flaw, which demonstrated the author's lack of mental effort and perhaps interest in her own book was her constant inclusion of facts that had no relevance to the main plot whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned, going to the store to buy mayonnaise, removing a baby bird from a parking lot, and an older sister's boyfriend have absolutely nothing to do with recovering from a burn wound. Facts like this were repeatedly included in the book, squeezed between incorrect punctuation and placed in poorly worded sentences. I even noticed a chapter which seemed to have no ending. These elements of the story caused me, rather than a feeling of empathy, a feeling of disgust, disrespect and hatred for the main character.
The whole hospital saga, which should have been summarized in 10 pages or less is dragged on for around 100 pages. In this half of the book, the main character encounters a thoughtful nurse and goes through her operations. It is at first quite interesting but then takes an enourmous plunge into a bottomless pit of wasted time and boredom for the reader. There is a tedious cycle that is repeated again and again for an uneventful 100+ pages of the book. Kelly gets letters, a visit from mom, a call from her sister and a visit from the nurse again and again throughout her stay in the hospital and Priscilla Cummings actually has the nerve to make us read through this same set of events repeatedly. Other than surgeries every 3 chapters, there are no other events worth knowing about that occur in the hospital.
After the hospital saga comes another. It is more eventful but less important. I found that I was suddenly reading about normal people living a normal life. This half of the book included many pointless events in which the main characters do normal things. For the reader, it seems as though they are suddenly on the set of an MTV reality show in which a random person is being filmed while sitting on a couch, reading a book, watching TV, going to an art gallery, doing school work or some other activity in which you are thoroughly uninterested.
For my brain, the experience of reading this book was like plowing through a ten-foot-high pile of snow in a Volks Wagon beetle convertible.
Ashley's Review.......2006-04-22
A Face First is a book of overcoming triumph no one would understand. Kelley, a 12 year old girl, who went through the horrible experience of a car accident, and getting burned dealt with alot. She was afraid she would never look the same. She had to wear a mask to keep the burns from swelling up. She thaught when people looked at her they would see a face first, but from other people who have gone through the same thing, she learns theres more to life than looks. She learns to overcome her fear and realizes not everyone sees a face first. Not everyone is perfect with thier imperfections. I loved this book because it showed no one's perfect and we can overcome anything. I liked how Kelley learned even though she will never look the same shes the same girl smiling behind the mask and inside.
One of the Greatest Books I've read !!! By: Stephanie Perez .......2005-11-17
A Face First is about a girl named Kelly. I'ts Earth Day at school.On the way home that evening,Kelly and her mother got in a car crash.Kelly wakes up in a hospital in the burnt unit.Kelly discovers that she got third-degree burns.She goes through a lot of things.Like for example,she had to wear some kind of mask. Kelly doesn't remember anything about the accident.She wanted to know so bad.Her mother got burned too,but not as bad as Kelly got it.Kelly starts to remember but as dreams. She thinks "Is it a dream,or did this really happen?Can I still go to school? Will her friends still like her? If you read this book,you will discover how much courage it can take to face the truth and go on with your life.
~AMAZING!~.......2004-01-26
I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. It's very, very well written and it makes you feel as if you are a part of the story. It explains the hard times Kelley goes through and how she handles them. Bravo!
Afraid to Remember -- a review by Lisel, age 10.......2003-12-06
It happens one day in early spring. Kelley is on the way back from school. In less than a moment, a speeding truck crashes into her mother's small car, and Kelley is pulled out, just a moment before the whole thing bursts into flames. She is rushed to the hospital and there she is taken care of for a long time. But one day, the worst is announced to her. She'll have to wear a plastic face mask for almost a year! How will she stand being out in public? All those staring people, even her friends will probably avoid her. But soon another worry seeps into her mind. It's much, much worse than the mask. Kelley is afraid to remember, but begins to know, that it is true. It was the truck driver's fault and he was the only one to blame. Wasn't he?
I enjoyed this book because the author made it realistic. It was about things that could really happen to anybody. The author was great about making the book seem interesting, even though a lot of the book was about Kelley just sitting in her bed and thinking. This is a great story of a girl who suffers the pain of knowing that this is reality and that she will never wake up and find that it's only a terrible nightmare or a story in the newspaper about someone else.
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