Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves

Book Description

Working with the Shadow is not working with evil, per se. It is working toward the possibility of greater wholeness. We will never experience healing until we can come to love our unlovable places, for they, too, ask love of us.

How is it that good people do bad things? Why is our personal story and our societal history so bloody, so repetitive, so injurious to self and others?

How do we make sense of the discrepancies between who we think we are—or who we show to the outside world—versus our everyday behaviors? Why are otherwise ordinary people driven to addictions and compulsions, whether alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity, or the Internet? Why are interpersonal relationships so often filled with strife?

Exploring Jung's concept of the Shadow—the unconscious parts of our self that contradict the image of the self we hope to project--Why Good People Do Bad Things guides you through all the ways in which many of our seemingly unexplainable behaviors are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, Hollis looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culture—from organized religion to the suffering and injustice that abounds in our modern world. Accepting and examining the Shadow as part of one's self, Hollis suggests, is the first step toward wholeness. Revealing a new way of understanding our darker selves, Hollis offers wisdom to help you to acquire a more conscious conduct of your life and bring a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices.

Customer Reviews:

Hollis hits a home-run...AGAIN!.......2007-09-14

Well Hollis does it again...intrepidly going where no human dares to go and shedding light on much material that most of us would rather not examine.
(Don't mind the previous reviewer's dissatisfaction with the God's Shadow chapter. After all, what does the author of a book about increasing impulse buying in supermarkets know about his own shadow, other than the fact that it's already running his life!!)

Good Read for the summer.......2007-05-28

An Interesting read how we are so uncontrolled within ourselves. A really nice reading for the summer. Author goes little far in GOD's Shadow chapter, but overall it is a good book to have

No easy answers.......2007-03-15

Hollis always tackles the hard stuff. He offers you the opportunity of awareness without easy standard "self-help" answers. All of his books are worth reading. This one is outstanding.

In-depth, thought-provoking, illuminating.......2007-02-25

The title might lead a casual reader to dismiss this as just one more lightweight self-help book -- but that's not the case, not in the least! As with Hollis' earlier books, it's a psychologically & philosophically rich examination of the human soul, offering no easy answers, no magic solutions, no simplistic aphorisms in place of real insight. If you truly want to understand your life & its choices, then you have to be willing to do some difficult & often painful emotional work. And that's something few of us are eager to do.

Which leads us to the question: do you want to grow, to become more fully conscious, to strive towards wholeness? If so, you'll have to discard protective illusions, stop expecting someone else to solve everything for you, and apply an almost ruthless honesty to yourself. You won't like a lot of what you see in that dark mirror, and you'll try to fend it off, explain it away ... but that's our mistake. If we can acknowledge the part we unconsciously play in our own suffering, we may well learn how to alleviate some of it & live with what remains.

Mind you, Hollis never promises an end to suffering, a wondrous makeover that does away with every ugly scar & thought! He has too much respect for the tragic view of human life to hold up an illusion of perfect happiness, no matter how golden & comforting. He's very clear on this: what we need isn't happiness, but meaning. And to find it, we have to be willing to grapple with the Shadow, all that we fear & despise about ourselves, all that we reject & often project onto others.

I feel that this is one of Hollis' finest books, in that it possesses an extra depth & richness of insight. It made me look at my own life more deeply than I have in the past, and encouraged me to confront many of its uncomfortable & frightening aspects. At the very least, it will make you think long & hard about yourself. At the most, it may set you forth upon a fascinating & revealing journey. Most highly recommended!

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

A Good Book--4 stars
Upset
snooze fest
Dragonwings
Dragonwings

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)
Laurence Yep
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064400859
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Book Description

Will Windrider
take to the skies?

Moon shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.

But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country'even the great earthquake'to make his dream come true.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Book--4 stars.......2007-04-27

Dragonwings is a good book to read because you have a good feeling to know someone's dream came true, like Moonshadow's father's dream. Moonshadow is a young man. When he was just eight years old, he had a chance to join his father who he had never seen before in the United States. He went through a difficult time passing immigration. This book talks about how Chinese people settled down in Chinatown and the experience in 1906 with the big earthquake in San Francisco, and then how Moonshadow and his father relocated to Oakland. Moonshadow's father is a good kite maker, and he has a fabulous dream to make a flying machine. Moon Shadow writes a letter to the Wrights telling them how his father likes to fly too, and wishes they can help him. The father's dream came true when he made a flying machine in 1909. Lawrence Yep's historical novels shows rich traditions and the culture of the Chinese community. I will recommend this book to people who are American born Chinese because they can learn from this book about how difficult it was for their ancesters to get into this country, and how they worked so hard and how they survived in white society, so they will appreciate them. Overall it is a good book to read, I just have some words that were hard to understand for me, maybe because they are too old fashioned.

Upset.......2007-04-18

I was honestly upset with this book not as good as i thought it would be, I mean the story was just boring overall.The only thing I thought was interesting that they used kites and I would be curious to ask the author why.

snooze fest.......2007-02-22

horrible
I am 13 years old and I hate this book
we read it in english class this year. About two people actually fell asleep reading it in 5th period. Really boring. There was one exciting part to the story. The names are hard to keep track of. I also don't like the fact that all throughout this book the boy refers to the white men as "demons". At first I thought the book was suposed to teach a lesson. But in the end it didn't
don't buy this book

Dragonwings.......2006-11-30

Wow,this is the best book I've ever read in years.This book starts off with a boy named Moonshadow,Moonshadows mom,and grandmother.They are in there farm allways workinging in the farm and not having any fun.
Moonshadow always wonders how the goldenmountains (America)looks like.When Moonshadow visits the goldenmountains and finds his dad there.The white demons (white people) are mean to the chinamen and all yhey care about is themselves.

Dragonwings.......2006-05-25

Moonshadow starts out as a shy little boy who lives in China who was curious about The Land of the Golden Mountain (America). Men from China would go to America in search for a better life. This is what Moonshadow's father did. One day Moonshadow was told that he had to choose between either staying in China and never knowing his father or being taken to his father in The Land of the Golden Mountain, he chose to leave. On the boat he was very frightened because he heard the older men telling stories of how they were almost tortured in America which did not make it any easier for Moonshadow to leave China. When he arrives he encounters a couple of "scary" things before they get to where he will be staying. Everyone with the last name of Lee works in a Laundry Shop, which is owned by Uncle Bright Star and White Deer. Moonshadow is greeted with Demon (white people) clothing. He already doesn't like what he sees. Moon shadow faces many difficulties such as being mugged, robbed, being picked on and racism through out the whole story. Towards the end of the story Moonshadow's father Windrider discovers that he wants to peruse his dream and he will need Moonshadow's help to achieve that dream. When he tells everyone that he will be moving out they are hurt and angry. They live by a white demoness and her niece, Miss. Whitlaw and Robin. While they are living there Windrider works as a handy man for Mr. Alger. Everything is perfect until the Earthquake comes. Miss. Whitlaw and Robin, Moonshadow and Windrider have to separate. It is up to Moonshadow to take over there new house because father is working on his dream but, will he finish in time and will it work? You find out!

Don't Look Back : Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball

Average customer rating:

Excellent bio,seperating myth from stereotype
Demi-God

Don't Look Back : Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball
Mark Ribowsky
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 030680963X

Book Description

Never before in paperback: A New York Times Notable Book-the life and times of the first Negro League star inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Some say Satchel Paige was the greatest pitcher ever-and certainly his dazzling record of perhaps as many as 2,000 wins, first in the Negro Leagues and then in the integrated major leagues, ranks as one of the most remarkable athletic feats of the century. He also became famous for the advice he freely offered others, including the now legendary

"Don't look back, something might be gaining on you." Mark Ribowsky gives the best picture yet of life in the Negro Leagues as he brings to life a man whose act as a lovable eccentric with a golden arm masked a decidedly darker side as womanizer, hard drinker, and contract jumper always on the lookout for number one. Sporting News hailed Don't Look Back as "a fine and perceptive biography... that captures the essence of a complicated and terribly significant person."

Customer Reviews:

Excellent bio,seperating myth from stereotype.......2001-03-09

Satchel Paige is an enigmatic figure in american histroy. Mention his name, people inevitably think of the negro leagues,or thta terrible bingo long movie.In fact, Paige was ,in many repects, the first modern ballplayer. He played for a percentage of the gate, would only pitch a couple of innings in these contests,had no compuction about jumping from team to team{or country to country}The minstel show,stephifetchit aura that he calculated with the all too eager white press was, of course, a huge ruse. He was a sometimes bitter man{quite understandably so}He knew, instinctively, that he was the best pitcher in the world{although,curiosly, his peers voted Smokey Joe williams better in a 1950 vote in the Pittsburgh Courrier} He despsed the Jim Crow laws, and what he had to do to get around them. HIs civil rights stands were taken in the 20's 30's and 40's, when such things often meant death. He pitched for what might have been the greatest team of all time{the Pittsburgh crawfords of the early 30's] Dimaggio called him ethe toughest pitcher he ever hit against.All of these nuggets are in this book. Mr. Ribowsky did a fine job here. Paige is a figure who should be celebrated for what he was:an american original,a species often sighted but rarely seen. A wonderful book!

Demi-God.......2000-07-28

After reading this book, I am utterly convinced that Satchel Paige is as much of a baseball legend as a Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth. This book not only entertains but it fascinates, so much that I would'nt be suprised if someone mistook this biography for a peice of baseball folklore or a non fictitious work designed to capture the imaginations of baseball fans. This book portrays the life of Robert Leroy Satchel Paige in a most interesting way. In some cases he stands biggerthan life portrayed as a demi-god in the face of the gods of Major League Baseball and in some cases his mortality is revealed in the very midst of his immortality, and this is what makes this portrayal so unique.

Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America

Average customer rating:

OPP: A journey through rap, race and the making of a cultural moment
A hard-hitting analysis
Very impressed!

Other People's Property: A Shadow History of Hip-Hop in White America
Jason Tanz
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1596912731
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Over the last quarter-century hip-hop has grown from an esoteric form of African-American expression to become the dominant form of American popular culture. Today, Snoop Dogg shills for Chrysler and white kids wear Fubu, the black-owned label whose name stands for “For Us, By Us.” This is not the first time that black music has been appreciated, adopted, and adapted by white audiences—think jazz, blues, and rock—but Jason Tanz, a white boy who grew up in the suburban Northwest, says that hip-hop’s journey through white America provides a unique window to examine the racial dissonance that has become a fact of our national life. In such culture-sharing Tanz sees white Americans struggling with their identity, and wrestling (often unsuccessfully) with the legacy of race.

To support his anecdotally driven history of hip-hop’s cross-over to white America, Tanz conducts dozens of interviews with fans, artists, producers, and promoters, including some of hip-hop’s most legendary figures—such as Public Enemy’s Chuck D; white rapper MC Serch; and former Yo! MTV Raps host Fab 5 Freddy. He travels across the country, visiting “nerdcore” rappers in Seattle, who rhyme about Star Wars conventions; a group of would-be gangstas in a suburb so insulated it’s called “the bubble”; a break-dancing class at the upper-crusty New Canaan Tap Academy; and many more. Drawing on the author’s personal experience as a white fan as well as his in-depth knowledge of hip-hop’s history, Other People’s Property provides a hard-edged, thought-provoking, and humorous snapshot of the particularly American intersection of race, commerce, culture, and identity.

Customer Reviews:

OPP: A journey through rap, race and the making of a cultural moment.......2007-07-16

Hip-hop music, what some of us still think of as "rap," isn't easy to sort out these days. It seems to have invaded all aspects of life, even in the seemely far-removed and lilly-white suburbs.

So what counts today as "authentic" hip-hop? Is it necessarily black? If it's commercialized to identify with a product, say Sprite, does that make the rapper a "sellout?"

And if you're white, suburban and, say, over 35, what is hip-hop culture all about?

These, it turns out, are exceedingly complicated questions.

They cut deeply to the root of what was once a raw expression of black realism to a place where, even within hip-hop, debates rage. But Jason Tanz, a rap-loving white kids from suburban Tacoma, Wash., has some surprising and fascinating answers for you in this thoughtful book with a perfect title -- Other People's Property.

Tanz takes us on an illuminating journey from rap's emergence among graffiti artists and break dancers on the streets of the Bronx, through his own experience as a sometimes guilt-ridden rap music lover cocooned in safe, white suburia, to today's wildy diverse and commercially bankable hip-hop scene.

Tanz personal story will, in turns, make you cringe, laugh and cheer. But his look at rap's varied charecters is what will keep you turning the pages.

There's Grandmaster Flash's Rahiem, an icon of rap's roots on New York City's rough streets, now a "Legends of Hip-Hop" tour guide busing white fans through the Bronx for $75 a pop. There's Papa Rich, an authentic NYC street performer who teaches break dancing to the wealthy suburban children of Connecticut's soccer moms. There's Tha Pumpsta, an earnest white rap lover who misses entirely the irony when he DJ's "kill whitie" parties in the Virginia suburbs. And there's MC Frontalot, a comical hip hop anti-hero who excites nerdy white fans with his brand of "Geeksta" rap.

Tanz travels to Green Bay to explore a rap radio experiment in one of America's whitest cities and to a garage studio in suburban L.A. where a group of goofy white losers play act the part of black gangsters.

More than anything, this is a smart book. The anecdotes carry the story, but Tanz peppers in sharp analysis and displays a deep understanding of the delicate balances -- and sometimes blatant contradictions -- of race, culture, commerce and sincerity (or a lack of it) in hip-hop.

And if you ever wondered how we got here, to an America where hip-hop music and style dominate the mainstream, Tanz's book takes you through it all with both unblinking criticism and fond affection.

In a brilliant chapter on the marketing of hip-hop, Tanz concludes rap has has the potential, perhaps untapped, to be a cultural bridge between white and black America:

"Inner city black kids, seeking a modicum of respect and financial security, create a point of entry into the commerical world that has ignored them for so long. We white kids, drawn to the implicit escape that their music and lifestyles represented, bought it. Hip-hop is where we meet, we on our way out of the system, they on their way in. Is hip-hop a door that swings open between our two cultures, letting us mix freely with each other, or is it a revolving door, endlessly spinning, allowing us to pass in opposite directions without ever actually touching?"

A hard-hitting analysis.......2007-04-07

OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY; A SHADOW HISTORY OF HIP HOP IN WHITE AMERICA could also have appeared in our 'Social Issues' section but is reviewed here for its focus on the obstacles that stand between producers and consumers of rap music: a very different approach than your usual music book covering the history of rap and the evolution of rapsters. It blends a personal story of growing up in a racially divided America with cultural analysis and music insights: while this approach might defy easy categorization, it does make for a hard-hitting analysis which will reach not only college-level collections strong in social issues and music, but the general-interest public and libraries with holdings strong in ethnic issues debates.

Very impressed!.......2007-02-07

I picked up this book because I like hip hop, but didn't really understand the incredibly interesting larger cultural and social context in which it arose and operates. Having read my fair share of books on jazz, I was concerned because I know authors can take great art forms and turn them into boring academic treastises. Thankfully, Jason Tanz has richly and engagingly captured an inner city art form and its often uncomfortable, yet strangely symbiotic, relationship with white middle America. Norman Mailer, Thoreau and Eminem all make an appearance as Tanz entertainingly traces the origins of hip-hop and the way it has influenced, but also been subverted by, the white audience and market.

Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War

Average customer rating:

Most important book of the year!
I've been spoiled by better books
Our disaster in Iraq
everyday iraqis tell us the real story
Informed and Perceptive view of Iraq War

Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War
Anthony Shadid
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312426038
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Amazon.com

Most of the accounts of the Iraq War so far have been, to use the term the war made famous, embedded in one way or another: many officially so with American troops, most others limited--by mobility, interest, or understanding--to the American experience of the conflict. In Night Draws Near, Washington Post reporter Anthony Shadid writes about a side of the war that Americans have heard little about. His beat, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004, is the territory outside the barricaded, air-conditioned Green Zone: the Iraqi streets and, more often, the apartments and houses, darkened by blackouts and shaken by explosions, where most Iraqis wait out Saddam, the invasion, and three nearly unbroken decades of war.

Shadid is Lebanese American, born in Oklahoma, and he has a fluency in Arabic and an understanding of Arab culture that give him a rare access to and a great empathy for the people whose stories he tells. Beginning in the days leading up to the American invasion and closing with an epilogue on the January 2005 elections, he talks with Iraqis from a wide range of stations, from educated Baghdad professionals who look back on the country's golden days in the 1970s to a sullen, terrified group of Iraqi policemen in the Sunni Triangle, shunned as collaborators for taking jobs with the Americans to feed their families. (Perhaps his most telling and characteristic moment is when he trails behind an American patrol, recording the often hostile Iraqi comments that the soldiers themselves can't understand.) He takes the ground view and gives his witnesses the particularity they deserve, but the various voices share an exhaustion with a country that has seen nothing but war for 30 years and a frustration with a liberator that has not fulfilled its promises of prosperity and order. It's a despairing but eye-opening account, told with an understanding of the Iraqi people--hospitable, proud, and often desperate--that, were it more common, might have led to a different outcome than the one he describes. --Tom Nissley

Questions for Anthony Shadid

Anthony Shadid won a 2004 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the lives of ordinary Iraqis during wartime. His new book, Night Draws Near, tells the story of the runup to the war, the invasion, and its uncertain aftermath through the Iraqi eyes. He took a few moments from a busy week reporting on the Sharm el-Sheik bombings to answer some questions about his book.

Amazon.com: Where are you now? What sort of mobility do you have when you are in Baghdad? Have you been able to get back in contact with the people you follow in the book?

Anthony Shadid: I'm in Cairo right now and heading for Beirut, where The Washington Post has its Middle East bureau. From there, I'll head back to Baghdad. Getting around that city has become the most difficult aspect of reporting there. In 2003, after the U.S. invasion, reporters had almost unlimited access. We traveled to the Syrian border, Falluja, Samarra, Mosul, all places that are extremely difficult, maybe impossible, to visit now. I do still visit the people that I wrote about in Night Draws Near. At this point, many of them have become friends. I'm reluctant to visit too often, for fear of bringing unwanted attention. But I manage to keep up with their lives and how they're doing, particularly Karima's family.

Amazon.com: You are a Lebanese American, born in Oklahoma, fluent in Arabic, and well-versed in Arab culture. What has that background allowed you to see and understand? To what extent do Iraqis whom you meet see you as American or as Arab?

Shadid: In Iraq, I think I was seen as a little of both. I was always a foreigner, but maybe a foreigner who shared a sense of history, a common background. When references to history were made, to culture and traditions, it was expected that I would understand what was being said. Sometimes it was subtle, but I think my background probably helped foster a degree of trust that's so important to reporting.

Amazon.com: What have Americans, both in Iraq and back home in the U.S., most misunderstood about Iraqis and the situation in their country?

Shadid: My sense is that the biggest misunderstanding was perhaps a lack of appreciation for what preceded the invasion. I think some in the United States saw Iraq as a tabula rasa, a blank slate on which a new country would be built, a democracy that would serve as an example to a region mired in stagnation and authoritarianism. But a lot of what we saw after Saddam's fall was the consequence of what Iraq had already gone though. Not only Saddam, either. There was the war with Iran, one of the longest of the 20th century. There was a decade of sanctions, whose impact I think has always been underappreciated. There was a militarization of the society that made the culture of the gun and the logic of violence dominant in many regions of Iraq. The country that the United States inherited was brutalized, and the aftermath of that decades-long experience will probably define it far more than Saddam's fall, the insurgency, and the hardship that has followed. I guess I'm struck over the past years at how much Iraqis simply yearn for an ordinary life. Little has been ordinary in that country for the past 30 years. I always had the sense in conversations, especially in Baghdad, that people felt they were spectators to a play. They watched as actors read their lines, as the drama unfolded. There's still a sense of being in the audience today.

Amazon.com: What do Iraqis most misunderstand about Americans?

Shadid: I think it's less misunderstanding and more perspective. The sense of distrust of the United States is often powerful, and it colors much of what the Americans do in Iraq. As in much of the Arab world, the United States has inherited a reputation from past decades. Support for Israel, for authoritarian Arab regimes, for Saddam himself during the war with Iran in the 1980s has made many in Iraq and elsewhere suspicious of U.S. intentions. The refrain you hear so often is that the Americans are in Iraq for their own interests, and those interests include domination of the region, Iraq's oil, furthering Israel's interests, and so on. At another level, there's the very question of the U.S. presence. To some, the United States was a liberator. To others, it was an occupier. But to nearly all, it was the strongest actor in the country. That strength automatically creates a relationship of more powerful to less powerful. With a history of colonialism and repression, there was an acute sensitivity to that. American slights were seen as disrespectful, misunderstandings were seen as arrogance, and often, they both were read as the indignity of living under a power that is both alien and foreign.

Amazon.com: Your book closes with an epilogue on the January 2005 elections. What did that moment represent from the Iraqi point of view? Have the hopes of that time persisted at all through the violence that has followed?

Shadid: What struck me most during the election was the sense people in Baghdad had of staking a claim to their own destiny. On that day, Iraqis--not their overlords, not foreigners--were the agents of change; they themselves were deciding their fate. Watching those streets that day, I realized that it was the first time since I had been in Iraq, through dictatorship, war, and occupation, that Iraqis themselves were claiming the right to make their voices heard. It spoke to the trait that I think perhaps best defines Iraq: a stubborn, sometimes breathtaking resilience that drives life forward. To be honest, I think the moment was somewhat short-lived. Since the fall of Saddam, Iraq has been locked in a cycle of moments of optimism, followed by long, depressing months of brutality and dejection. There have been turning points, and Iraqis have often greeted them with hope and optimism. Disillusionment has typically followed. Resilience persists, but not always hope, and it goes back to the idea I mentioned earlier: a sense of watching a play unfold, in which most Iraqis find themselves spectators to forces beyond their control.

Book Description

In 2003, The Washington Posts Anthony Shadid went to war in Iraq, but not as an embedded journalist. Born and raised in Oklahoma, of Lebanese descent, Shadid, a fluent Arabic speaker, has spent the last three years dividing his time between Washington, D.C., and Baghdad. The only journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his extraordinary coverage of Iraq, Shadid is also the only writer to describe the human story of ordinary Iraqis weathering the unexpected impact of Americas invasion and occupation. Through the moving stories of individual Iraqis, Shadid shows how Saddams downfall paved the way not just for hopes of democracy but also for the importation of jihad and the rise of a bloody insurgency. A superb reportersbook, wrote Seymour Hersh; Night Draws Near is, according to Mark Danner, essential.

Customer Reviews:

Most important book of the year!.......2007-09-14

If you only choose one book to keep yourself enlightened on what is really going on in Iraq right now, this should be it. From a perspective that makes you feel as though you have been in the author's shoes observing Baghdad for yourself during these last few years. Including all of the background information that we lack as Americans on social and religious issues in the Middle East. I am only half way through this book, but have already lost count of how many times I've had tears in my eyes because of how powerful the images are depicted through Shadid's vivid language. Order it now and read it later if you have to, but do not miss out on this incredible book!

I've been spoiled by better books.......2007-03-26

The first half of the book is boring and the second half is too detached.
And by detached I mean I couldn't quite tell what he thought of all the madness he saw. As for his account of the American presence, its a little too rosey. I suspect one doesn't win a Pulitzer by upsetting the powers that be too much. I do believe Mr. Shalid has feelings for the Iraqi people he interviewed but it hardly came across in the book. There are much better books out there about Iraq that moved me: Patrick Cockburn's "The occupation", Aaron Glantz's "How We Lost Iraq" and by far the best is Paul William Robert's "A War Against Truth". These books deserve the attention that this book has gotten.

Our disaster in Iraq.......2007-03-09

Outstanding reportage "on the ground". Shadid gives a first hand account of how the war affects ordinary people in Iraq. Makes me sad and pissed off of what we do with our foreign policy.

everyday iraqis tell us the real story.......2007-01-18

Among the proliferation of books about America's pre-emptive war in Iraq, Anthony Shadid's distinguishes itself for its singular focus. His narrative contains virtually no mention of neo-conservative ideologues or influence, liberal cant, analyses by think tank experts, disputed claims about the war's rationale, or even the main architects of the war like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz or Feith. Instead, he reports first hand from the Arab street about who and what really matters, letting every day Iraqi citizens tell their own stories.

In these pages we meet the caretaker of a mosque who washes the body of a fourteen-year-old boy, a bookstore owner, suicide bombers, a fourteen-year-old girl who keeps a diary during the war, extremist clerics, a father who is forced to murder his son because he had served as an American informant, a mother who vomits upon identifying the mutilated corpse of her son at the morgue, parents who stuff cotton into the ears of their children at night because the bombs are so loud, and a pregnant woman who is denied admission to hospitals because they are all full. He depicts the humiliations of soldiers searching your house in the middle of the night, the terror of bomb blasts that rip open refrigerator doors, waiting in line at the Red Cross for five hours to make a three-minute phone call, and the deep resentments but also remarkable resilience of people who suffer a war they did not want and that was not necessary. For Shadid, the intensely personal thus reveals the deeply political.

Shadid, an Arab-American who grew up in Oklahoma, is a reporter for the Washington Post, fluent in Arabic, and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for International Reporting. His book spans the period from October 2002 (five months before the invasion) when Saddam Hussein granted a general amnesty that released tens if not hundreds of thousands of Iraqi prisoners, to January 2005 and Iraq's first free elections in four decades. He was one of only 300 or so reporters who were not embedded in the U.S. military. He organizes his book into five sections--before the war, the invasion, the aftermath, the occupation, and the insurgency.

Wrong beginnings lead to wrong ends, says an Arab proverb. Shadid laments the tragic consequences of America's simplistic (mis)understandings of a complex people, their history, and their culture. Even today much of our public discourse barely moves beyond contrasting "free democracy" and "totalitarian dictatorship." The war, as Shadid reports from the trenches, unleashed a maelstrom of unintended consequences, most of which politicians, experts and every day people did not predict and even today barely understand. Most Iraqis, he says, simply cannot conceive how the most powerful nation on earth bungled so badly. So great is their incomprehension that they resort to conspiracy theories--perhaps the Americans did not want to stop the looting or restore electricity. In two different places Shadid renders the sum and substance of his conclusions about the war: "the terrible reminder of the inevitable disparity between wars's grand aims and the reality of their execution."

Informed and Perceptive view of Iraq War.......2007-01-15

This is easily the best book I can recommend to anyone on the Iraq war. Anthony Shadid, a third generation Arab American, who speaks fluent Arabic was on the ground before the Iraq war and lived through its phases all the way to the full blown insurgency.

Shadid demonstrates an excellent understanding of the people and the culture, this understanding makes his analysis very valuable indeed. A very important point that Shadid makes is the desire of the people for justice over democracy.

Shadid's understanding of Iraqi society makes his analysis on the insurgency, its roots and its nature very convincing. The analysis of the power structure with the Shiite religious leadership and the diverging loyalties as well as the Iranian versus Arab orientation of the leadership is very well explained. It is remarkable how ill informed much of the media in the US referring to the Mahdi Army, the Sader militia, as Iranian influenced when Shadid explains clearly their roots being as populist & nationalist counter movement to the Iranian dominated Shiite religion leadership.

Through countless daily interactions with Iraqis from all classes, all sects and all political views Shedid offers tremendous insight on the factors that shaped the views of the Iraqis and how these changed over time as the country sunk deeper into a depressing war. Shedid equally well covered the American troops, their perception of their role and of the Iraqis around them.

Can't say enough about this book except I wish it becomes mandatory reading for political and military readers. Shadid's Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of the war is very well deserved!

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Shadow of a Bull
5A
5B
5C
Shadow of a bull

Shadow Of A Bull
Maia Wojciechowska
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689715676

Book Description

This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book presents an exciting approach to teaching well-known literature! It includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and many ideas for culminating and extending the novel.

Customer Reviews:

Shadow of a Bull .......2007-07-14

Shadow of a Bull is a John Newberry Medal winning children's chapter book. This book tells the story of young Spanish boy named Manolo Olivar. Manolo's father had been a great bullfighter and hero of Manolo's home town. Since his father had started fight bulls at the young age of twelve, everyone expects that Manolo will also become a matador. Manolo, however, is afraid.

Children between the ages of 8-12, will love this dramatic story. Not only does this book contain a good deal of action but the reader will also learn some very interesting things about bull fighting and how matadors train.

5A.......2007-02-28

This book is about a boy named Manolo, and he lives in a town called Archangel. Manolo's father was a famous bullfighter. Then he died while he was bullfighting. Everyone in Archangel now calls Manolo's father their hero because he was such a good bullfighter. Now the people of Archangel are depending on Manolo to be a great bullfighter, just like his father was. So the people are going to make manolo fight at 12 years old. Manolo is really dreading this day, but he knows it will come sometime. When the day comes that he finally has to fight his bull, he decides that he really does not want to be a bull fighter like his father. So Manolo decides that he is not going to fight his bull and that he wants to become a doctor.

I really liked this book because it was very exciting. Manolo thought that he was a coward at the beginning of the book, but in the end, he proved to be a very brave boy, and that is what I really enjoyed about the book, that he was not afraid to do what he really wanted to do.

5B.......2007-02-27

When a boy, Manolo Olivar, is born, all the people of Archangel expect him to become a great bullfighter like his father, Juan Olivar. Manolo's father is killed by a bull, and Manolo is now expected to fight his first bull at age 11, to take his father's place. Archangel's arrogance and pride get in the way of the poeple realizing that Manolo is afraid of bulls, and he feels sorry for them. After many lessons on how to fight and what to do, the time comes for Manolo to face his first bull! He now feels the reality that his childhood was taken away from him and taht he must accept it. When he fights his bulland makes an unexpected faulty move with his muleta, he starts to realize that he needs to tell his spectators his decision.

This book was very interesting and full of suspense. I liked it very much, and I rate it four stars. Maia Wojciechowska used many Spanish words in her creative and enlarged vocabulary. I was very entertained throughout the whole book and I thought it was a very good tool to use to understand Spanish words better becasue of the Spanish dictionary in the back of the book.

5C.......2007-02-26

In the beginning, Manolo's father is dead because he was gored and died. Everybody expects Manolo to be a great bullfighter like his dad. When he meets with the Count, he learns he was to fight his bull a year early. At the tienta, he talks with Castillo before the fight. When he's out in the ring, he does really good with teh cape, but the bull rams the muleta. Manolo gets the muleta back and gives it to Juan Garcia. Manolo wants to become a doctor.

I liked the book because it's about a boy who is expected to do someething, but has a different way he wants to spend his life. I also like good they describe the bull fight. I like how the writer uses Spanish words. I recommend this book.

Shadow of a bull.......2006-12-01

Manolo a boy who's had a dream that he would become a bullfighter. The more he grew the more he would look like his father. His dad was a bullfighter. Manolo is a coward he couldn't stay in the ring for even fifteen seconds no five seconds!!! Manolo loves his dad but he doesn't love bullfighting. He wants to make his dad's dream come true but his was too scared. Manolo is worried about his choice. He doesn't want to make the same mistake his dad made.Will he follow his dad's footsteps or will he be scared all his life?

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Suspense and mystery makes for a great read
Not a fan of the audio, but a four-star storyline
Just a really fun read!!
Edgy Romantic Thriller
Good.... But Not the Best

Light in Shadow
Jayne Ann Krentz
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399149384
Release Date: 2002-12-30

Amazon.com

Hiding behind an expensive, black-market-created identity, Zoe Luce has built a successful interior design business in Whispering Springs, Arizona, and hopes that she has just as successfully buried her past. She can't ignore her unique psychic abilities, however, and when she walks into a new client's bedroom and hears the walls scream and moan, she knows something terrible has happened in the house. Did her client murder his wife? She's determined to find out, but investigating a possible murder is beyond her expertise, so Zoe turns to Ethan Truax, a private detective new to the small Arizona community. Solving the murder of the businessman's wife is a piece of cake for Ethan compared to the complicated enigma that he finds in Zoe. Mysterious nightmares haunt her and when a would-be blackmailer is found dead, Zoe's past inexorably collides with her new life, threatening their dreams of a future together.

Author Jayne Ann Krentz is at the top of her form in Light in Shadow, a nonstop roller coaster ride of thrills and chills. Romance, suspense, humor, and danger challenge an intriguing cast of characters and blend seamlessly in a plot that twists, turns, and surprises. --Lois Faye Dyer

Book Description

Zoe Luce is a successful interior designer in the Arizona town of Whispering Springs who's developed an unusual career specialty-helping recently divorced clients redesign their homes, to help them forget the past and start anew. But Zoe knows that some things can't be covered up with a coat of paint. And when she senses that one of her clients may be hiding a dark secret, she enlists P.I. Ethan Truax to find the truth.

Working together, they solve the mystery . . . and barely escape with their lives. But Ethan's exquisite detection skills are starting to backfire on Zoe: she never wanted to let him find out about her former life; she never wanted to reveal her powerful, inexplicable gift for sensing the history hidden within a house's walls; she never wanted him to know that "Zoe Luce" doesn't really exist. She never wanted to fall in love with him.

Now, no matter how much she resists, Ethan may be her only hope-because the people she's been running from have found her. And just when Zoe dares to dream of a normal life and a future with the man she loves, her own past starts to shadow her every step-and threatens to take her back into a nightmare.

Download Description

"Zoe Luce is a successful interior designer in the Arizona town of Whispering Springs who's developed an unusual career specialty-helping recently divorced clients redesign their homes, to help them forget the past and start anew. But Zoe knows that some things can't be covered up with a coat of paint. And when she senses that one of her clients may be hiding a dark secret, she enlists P.I. Ethan Truax to find the truth. Working together, they solve the mystery . . . and barely escape with their lives. But Ethan's exquisite detection skills are starting to backfire on Zoe: she never wanted to let him find out about her former life; she never wanted to reveal her powerful, inexplicable gift for sensing the history hidden within a house's walls; she never wanted him to know that ""Zoe Luce"" doesn't really exist. She never wanted to fall in love with him. Now, no matter how much she resists, Ethan may be her only hope-because the people she's been running from have found her. And just when Zoe dares to dream of a normal life and a future with the man she loves, her own past starts to shadow her every step-and threatens to take her back into a nightmare."

Customer Reviews:

Suspense and mystery makes for a great read.......2006-09-10

Cool and poised, Zoe Luce is the epitome of a successful businesswoman. With her eye for detail, she has made a living as an interior decorator. But beneath the exterior lies another "talent" that once saw her locked up in a loony bin--Zoe has psychic ability that enables her to hear the anguish of anyone who has once inhabited a room. And it is this talent that forces her to enlist the help of a private investigator--the man whom she will eventually turn to when her past catches up with her.

Ethan Truant is new in Whispering Springs. While he was suspicious of Zoe's request, he has no choice but to accept the job even if he doesn't believe in all that sixth sense nonsense that she claims to possess. But as he comes closer to unraveling the house's secrets, he soon realizes that Zoe may indeed be telling the truth. To make matters worse, Zoe's life is endangered when the people she's been running away from tracks her down in Arizona. And heaven help those who try to hurt her!

Wow! What a great introduction to Jayne Ann Krentz. This book oozes mystery and suspense right from the first chapter. I admit that, initially, I was a little skeptical about the whole I-can-hear-the-walls-screaming-in-agony concept; however, the author has done well in building up the suspense through the heroine's psychic ability. The mystery of Zoe and her friend Arcadia's past also adds to the suspense. And while the romance side doesn't ooze sensuality like a typical Linda Howard novel, the interaction between Zoe and Ethan provides enough sizzle. Some of the secondary characters are also interesting-- like Arcadia, Ethan's sister and nephews right down to the villains.

LIGHT IN SHADOW is a suspenseful romantic-thriller that is guaranteed to hold your interest. While I cannot say yet that this is the author's best, I can definitely say that this was a fantastic read and I look forward to reading Ms Krentz's other novels.

Not a fan of the audio, but a four-star storyline.......2006-02-20

This was my very first experience with an audiobook, so unfortunately I have nothing with which to compare it. I sincerely hope that other narrators are better. Do they all sound like they wanna be 'learn the English language' tapes? Sure hope not. I actually laughed at the narrator's tone at several points (which would have otherwise been exciting or frightening phases of the book). Maybe she's a terrific narrator by comparison and I just won't care for this medium.

This was an excellent, four-star storyline. I only wish I'd invested the time in reading it from the printed page.

Just a really fun read!!.......2006-02-05

Hiding out in Whispering Springs, Arizona, Zoe Luce, an interior designer with a "special" knack, is touring a home with a new client. The recently divorced Davis Mason wants his bedroom redone to erase memories of his ex-wife. Mr. Davis tells Zoe that his ex took the bed when she left. Zoe steps into the room and her "special" senses tells her violence happened in this room and fairly recently. The walls have been whitewashed by Mr. Davis who claims he hated the color and there is no bed and a rug missing. Zoe talks to her friend Arcadia and they decide the best thing is to get a private investigator to check out the whereabouts of the ex-wife. There are only two PI firms in the Whispering Springs phone book. One is a very expensive firm and the other a one-man shop called Truax Investigations. Since Zoe and Arcadia need a very confidential investigator, Zoe decides on Truax and walks there after lunch. The place does not look like much with boxes all around but right away Zoe can sense that Ethan Truax is someone who is very determined and will follow through.

As Ethan takes what he thinks is an easy assignment for his first case, Zoe becomes aware that sparks are definitely flying and that Ethan is beginning to catch on that she has something to hide. Ethan is able to trace a storage locker ownership to Zoe's client and there finds the missing bed - full of blood!! While Zoe is at another's client' home checking that all is ready for their return, she is shot at by Davis Mason, but of course, Ethan arrives in time!!

As Zoe's secrets begin to come to light, she has to decide whether to trust Ethan with the whole story and what to do so that she doesn't have to run anymore. I liken this book to one of the Jayne Castle's novels which I so enjoy as it has all the same elements: mystery, romance, fun and great secondary characters!! A really fun read!

Edgy Romantic Thriller.......2006-01-02

The author strikes a good balance to create a thriller with a romance weaved into the plot. Both protagonists, Zoe & Ethan have disturbing pasts that ups the mystery factor.

Zoe is cast as the reluctant victim in settings of a mental hospital and in homes where she hears screaming voices where murders were once committed. Against these chilling settings, she rises with fortitude to solve the crime of who murdered her husband.

What is a romance without a swasbuckling & brooding hero in the form of private investigator, Ethan, who falls for his client, Zoe. Their romantic tension is nicely eased with their light joking banter intervals. Like the treatment of PI Ethan not only being macho but also comes across as an intelligent crime solver. Like the easy going treatment of male bonding between Ethan and his pals which provide comic relief.

Good.... But Not the Best.......2005-10-10

I thought this book was pretty good, but not the best. The psychic storyline seemed underdeveloped. I liked the plot and the characters but it felt like she didn't take the time to really delve into all the seperate storylines. There was just too much going on at once. As far as the romance aspect, it was barely there (so if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere). Overall, it was a light, good read but nothing special. Not the best, not the worst.

Shadow and Sound: The Historical Thought of a Sumatran People

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Shadow and Sound: The Historical Thought of a Sumatran People
James Siegel
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0226756904

The Shadow of the Panther: Huey Newton and the Price of Black Power in America

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SHADOWS AND FIBS....
don't look for objectivity here
Decent book, although it is missed the mark sometimes.
Wonderful Book!
Great book about the Black Panthers!

The Shadow of the Panther: Huey Newton and the Price of Black Power in America
Hugh Pearson
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201483416

Book Description

The first complete and balanced history of the Black Panther Party

Customer Reviews:

SHADOWS AND FIBS...........2007-08-04

After reading The Shadow of the Panther I realized that it was simplifying and demonizing Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party. The information gathered is conflicting and at best contradicting. This may be due to Hugh Pearson's questionable "inside" sources. More critically reliable reading on the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton can be found in Panther on the Prowl by Elbert "Bigman" Howard and We Want Freedom: a Life in the Black Panther Party by Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Both these titles are thoroughly concise and supported by personal experience and all former Party members.

don't look for objectivity here.......2007-07-20

This "expose" of the Black Panther Party and Huey Newton attempts to pass itself off as a sobering, objective view of the Party that counterbalances overly positive accounts. It is far from objective. Hugh Pearson seems determined to gloss over the positive aspects of the Party programs and fairly relishes detailing the negative, destructive aspects of the Party and Newton's behavior. It is a scholarly piece; well referenced and well written. But the author's thesis comes through loud and clear: the BPP and Huey Newton were more responsible for their downfall than any government conspiracy, and that Blacks who admired them were duped. He ends his book concluding that the Party was a temporary "media phenomenon". Oh really? Most inner city school breakfast programs, health fairs in the Black community with blood pressure, sickle cell, and cholesterol screening programs, and Black run charter schools can be said to have been influenced by the BPP. Hugh Pearson seems to be the kind of Black man that would view the videotaped beating of Rodney King and write an essay about King's criminal past, implying that he somehow deserved it. Although this book is valuable reading for those interested in the BPP and Newton, please read it only after you have read at least 3 or 4 other books about the party, for balance. You will need it.

Decent book, although it is missed the mark sometimes........2006-10-24

First off let me state that I am not implying that Pearson's research or what he stated in the book is untrue. I must say that of all the books I read on the BPP this book is very meticulous in citing sources. I also realize that some people Pearson sought to interview for the book who could have provided some insight into the different areas Huey Newton's life refused to be interviewed which is why the book is the way that it is.

I think Pearson's claim that Newton couldn't change his life toward the positive is based one the fact that he didn't want to change is flawed because we have to take into account that Newton was a full blown drug addict. Unless you understand the complex nature of addiction you won't understand why some people (like David Hillard) can get clean or turn their life around and why others have a hard time doing so, or just flat out fail. I should also add that no mention was made of Newton's attempts to get clean either-Richard Pryor actually paid for Newton's stint in rehab. Maybe this was not known information when the book was published but either way the author never mentions it. It appears that he is implying that Newton enjoyed being a criminal and an addict. Even the chapter detailing Newton getting his PhD, is plagued by the negative. I don't believe that people who enjoy the criminal/drug lifestyle would go to back to school for a PhD unless they were trying to fight their personal demons.

Also if one could figure out when Newton started heavily abusing drugs one can see the turns for the worse that the party kept taking. Although I do not excuse Newton's or anyone elses negative behavior in the party, we do have to take into account that heavy drug use does impare common sense and makes people fearless. I just get the impression that the author did not really understand the influence drugs had on Newton's situation and insane choices.

Pearson also mentions SNCC and the Black Power movement a lot stating how they were flawed theology but it would have been nice to get a final anaylsis from people like Kwame Toure, who was apart of the movement, or other historian's take on the movement. Pearson just seems to assert that the movement was flawed and nothing else. I didn't see any positive writings that the movement could have had. He did spend a lot of time showing how the terminology was confusing and the people who were using it seemed to be confused as to what "Black Power" was all about, which is good but I was looking for more of a follow-up to the problems that the terminology presented. Perhaps a historian would have been better equipped to make a final anaylsis?

The book spends a lot of time detailing the BPP underworld activities and the illegal things the party did but not enough was spent on other areas of the party and when they are mentioned we always see the corrupt part of the action. I am not saying that they did not happen, but I was hoping to see a little more balance. Some social programs instituted by the party did have positive effects in the community to some extend but the author does not really present that.

Pearson also asserts that the party was nothing more of a "media phenomena" at the end of his book, which is a disappointing assessment and far to0 simple for such a complex cast of characters.

Lastly Pearson stated that he was looking for more men to interview at first because he wanted positive info from men, when doing his research. He stated that when finding men willing to come forward was hard to find he finally added the women. I understand his reasoning behind this but I think (if he didn't try, which I don't know since he never mentioned it) he should have sought out women such as Newton's ex wives and other well known women in the party for additional commentary. I just thing the women may have some of the missing keys to understanding the party and Huey Newton. (Actually this assuption of mine has been proven already-Fredricka Newton has a chapter she wrote in David Hillard's book "In the Spirit of the Panther" about Huey's final years that was never publicized before)

All in all this is a great book, especially if you want to see why the party disintegrated. I recommend it, but I don't think a person unfamiliar with the party's history should read it before familiarizing themselves with the party's history and main characters. The history is so complex that other material is needed so that one can get a balanced feel of the history. This book only shows one side of Newton and the party when it seems clear that there was a whole host of issues going on.

Wonderful Book!.......2005-09-07

A great in-dept analysis on the rise and fall of the Panther Party and how Heuy Newton was responsible for both. I would recommend this book to any history buff.

Great book about the Black Panthers!.......2004-04-23

I have read a few books on the Panthers, and have always been drowned in my own romantacism that I never questioned anything that came from the movement. This book sheds light on so many things; which may at times make readers uncomfortable. At one point you feel greatful for such an organization, while at others your disapointment may sadden you.

That is what makes this a good book; objectivity. He lays the positives out, but does not ignore the negatives; in fact, a good percentage of this book is explaining so many of the negatives within the party. Still, at the same time, you get a feeling that the author truly appreciates the positive aspects of the BPP, but appreciates it without ignoring the blemishes within the party's past.

Anyway, it's a good book. I have known a few Panthers, and one in particular I made a coment about how I looked up to Huey Newton. He started making some statments and I asked him to stop because I didn't want to have a tarnished image of the man. Now, after reading this book, I see both sides of the issue; which makes things all the more clearer. This book has left me both disapointed and greatful. Disapointed because some things in Panther past were not as I expected; and greatful that I got to see another side of the BPP.

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You curious 'bout Burma? Buy this book.

Thoughtful & Informative

Eye opening

A superb book, with a glitch

The Sad Case of Burma

The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire
Andrew Marshall
Manufacturer: Counterpoint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey

Letters from Burma

Burmese Days: A Novel

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Finding George Orwell in Burma

ASIN: 1582432422
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Amazon.com

In The Trouser People, Andrew Marshall recounts his ambitious crisscrossing of contemporary Burma, which emerges as isolated, heartbreaking, fitfully resilient, and, to Western eyes, certainly, often exotically unfathomable. Marshall's compass is the life of a now-obscure Victorian adventurer, Sir George Scott. He draws distinct parallels between British imperialism and Burma's crushing, present-day military dictatorship. But The Trouser People is less analysis than witty, candid travelogue, highlighted by excursions into the remote territory of some of the country's many ethnic minorities. Most fascinating among these are the Wa, former headhunters who now control much of Burma's drug trade. Through their territory Marshall tramps in search of a mysterious lake, whose waters, Wa myth has it, were their birthplace.

This muscular, anecdotal narrative, by centering on individuals and the quotidian complexities of Burmese life, washes a country too often capsulized in black and white into bright color. --H. O'Billovitch

Book Description

Two journeys, one hundred years apart--that of the eccentric British explorer George Scott, who introduced the game of soccer to Burmese natives, and that of the author, charting the same dangerous terrain in a country vastly changed by colonialism, war, and politics.

Andrew Marshall has written an unforgettable adventure story, the wry account of two journeys into the untraveled heart of Burma. Part travelogue, part history, part reportage, The Trouser People recounts the story of George Scott, the eccentric British explorer, photographer, adventurer, and later Colonial Administrator of Burma, who introduced the Empire's best game (soccer!) to Burmese natives and to the forbidden Wa state of headhunters, who were similarly enthusiastic about it. The second, contrasting journey is Marshall's own, taking the same dangerous path one hundred years later in a country now devastated by colonial incompetence, war, and totalitarianism. Wonderfully observed, mordantly funny, and skillfully recounted, this is journalistic travel writing at its best.

Customer Reviews:

You curious 'bout Burma? Buy this book. .......2007-07-09

The short of my opinion on this book is that if you are curious about Burma,(or think you could be curious) then buy this book. The writing is superb, the author has an exceptional capacity for observation and an endearing personality, the book is very dense(yet fun) on the score of interesting facts, and the basic conception is very imaginative. I admit that I've not read any other books on Burma, and only a few other travelogues, but regardless, - and I mean this in the most objective sense possible - this book is d*mnd good!

Some of this has undoubtedly been included in other reviews, but... The whole structure of the book is woven around the travels through Burma of two people, the author and a 19-th century Victorian goomba, George Scott. Having two parallel story threads roughly a century apart, I felt, did a lot to put things in persective, and at times really set my imagination on fire. Reading one page, I'm(armchair-wise) traveling with the author to a distant, intriguing village high up in some beautifully forested and rice-terraced hills; on another page I get to read about some Shan chief who, killed by the British, was boiled into some kind of goo by Shan rivals and decanted into vials which were sold as potions for bravery; on another I'm wondering if the author is going to be beaten by soldiers and dumped in the fog-ensnared mud while undertaking some foolhardy quest in a northern Wa drug state, trying to find a mythical lake; and on another I get to witness George Scott defuse the mistrust of a xenophobic Wa village, armed with nothing but a sense of humor that apparently transcended culture.

And interwoven with all these wonderful, exotic stories, are many facts, historical and contemporary, on various customs, superstitions, political circumstances, human rights violations, and on every other matter of conceivable relevance. Such as the efflorescence of soccer in Burma in the 19-th century, for example.

In summation, the author has a sharp eye for detail, the ability to make very intelligent writing, a sense of adventure and an abundance of curiosity, and the wit and passion to put it all together into a very satisfying read, and this he has done.

Thoughtful & Informative.......2007-06-13

"The Trouser People" kills two birds with one stone. Following in the footsteps of what may have been the British Empire's most enthusiastic colonizer, Sir George Scott, as well as reporting on life in modern-day Burma, this book is thoughtful, informative and provocative.

I recently returned from Burma and found Marshall's descriptions of conditions there to be spot on. The author goes a step (or many steps) off the well-trodden tourist track, however. One thing I enjoy in a travel tale is a writer who "pushes the envelope," dares to tread where the more meek of us fear to set foot. In exploring the Shan States (Scott's area of expertise), Mr. Marshall not only ventures into relatively far-flung and forlorn areas, he actually pulls an end run and sneaks into forbidden territory after crossing illegally from China. This is just what the doctor ordered for armchair travelers. His feat could have resulted in imprisonment, torture or even death and I'm very glad he managed to pull it off.

The object of Marshall's fascination, George Scott, was a fascinating Victorian (a rabid footballer who introduced the game to the Burmese) and an indefatiguable explorer. Not only did he take expeditions across unbelievably inhospitable terrain, he took it upon himself to venture into forbidding tribal areas such as those occupied by the fearsome headhunters, the Wild Wa. In his tireless efforts to put Burma on the Empire's map, he studied, wrote and preserved as much as he could during his decades in what was then a remote and almost forgotten corner of the globe. It took him ten years to write the "Gazetteer," a vast encyclopedic volume on every aspect of the colony, from crop production for each state to tribal rituals, costumes and culture. For Scott this was literally a thankless task but his endless curiosity and obsession with his assigned section of the Empire wouldn't let him rest until it was done. The characters he came to know, including Burma's maligned and ultimately exiled royalty, provide the reader with a window on an era that is gone forever.

As for Marshall, I can't imagine how he managed to enter and re-enter Burma without being banned for life. Considering that his journalistic endeavors drew a lot of attention, as mentioned in the "Author's Note," the completion of this book is quite an accomplishment. Following in Scott's footsteps, the author sheds a much needed light on what is essentially a closed society. The military junta that controls the country is one of the most repressive in the world. During seven trips into Burma, Marshall covers a lot of territory, vividly describing the brutal and sometimes primitive conditions that still wrack the country; spotty electricity, primitive housing, deforestation, forced relocation of entire towns and villages, oppressive governmental policies and entire sections of the country at the mercy of militaristic drug lords.

Juxtaposing life in the colonial era with modern-day conditions is an effective tool, portraying just how far Burma hasn't come. While the generals who rule the country like to proclaim progress since the end of colonialism, in many ways the citizens are much worse off. The brutal tactics of the British have been magnified tenfold. The teak forests are being clear-cut and sold to the Chinese, opium is cultivated and controlled by a few brutal criminals (with the tacit approval of the military regime), traditional villages are being destroyed and the inhabitants relocated to concrete monstrosities. The people can't utter a word in protest considering the very real threat of imprisonment or even execution. Especially poignant is Marshall's description of the remote, mountainous areas near the Chinese and Thai borders, reminiscent of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" or the movie based on the novel, "Apocalypse Now."

During my travels in Burma, one of my guides (whose location, let alone name, will not be repeated) proudly showed me that he/she was reading "The Trouser People." The content of the book is so damaging to the current regime it would never be allowed in the hands of the people. That alone makes this a must read. Anyone interested in British colonial history or in life in modern-day Burma should read this story. It serves as a much needed light shining in some very dark corners.

Eye opening.......2003-10-15

This book is a travelogue of journeys the author took into Burma to retrace George Scott's adventures of the 1880s. The author, Andrew Marshall, seems to be a journalist based in Thailand, from where he has been able to travel to Burma relatively easily. While in Burma, he tries hard to make contact with tribal people, especially the Shans, who Scott spent so much time with 100 years before. The narrative is split between Scott's travels in the nineteenth century, and Marshall's present day experiences.

Occasionally, Marshall's informal style of writing, with his use of British slang, gets a bit thick for me. Nevertheless, the case that he makes against the Burmese military is quite compelling. I've heard friends and acquaintances argue on both sides of the question of whether traveling to or working in modern day Burma provides support for the brutal government there. After reading this book, however, I don't see myself going anywhere near the country until there is a regime change.

A superb book, with a glitch.......2003-01-13

This is not an even-handed scholarly study of Burma -- thank goodness. It moves along just like a journey, in fits and starts, pausing here, rushing there.

Focusing on Sir George Scott, British Empire-builder of a hundred years ago, Marshall paints a vivid picture of Burma today. His writing is extraordinarily full of life, leading the reader from sympathy to outrage, from suspense to laughter. This is not a book you want to give to someone recuperating from surgery: Marshall is one of the funniest writers I have ever read, and would play havoc on surgical stitches.

One point I would like to debate: his discussion of the Kayan/Padaung families working for the Hupin Hotel in Yawnghwe/Nyaungshwe. I know the family that runs the Hupin personally -- several branches of the clan, actually, and count several of the staff among my friends. Yes, they are not running the hotel for their health, and yes, they are making a profit, but in all sincerity, I do not think their dealings with the Kayan are as heartless as Marshall depicts.

There are two families of Kayan by Inle Lake. Marshall met the ones hired by the Hupin, not those moved in by the government. The Hupin went into the mountains and made a deal with the family: they would build a house for them, give the men jobs in factories around Yawnghwe, the women would work for the hotel, and the kids would go to school at Hupin's expense. They are paid monthly salaries and medical expenses, and any weddings and what-not are paid for by the Hupin. Some of the children have reached high school, and are still going strong. Few children in the countryside get so much schooling. One little girl envied all the attention her big sister got from tourists because of the rings on her neck. The little girl raised such a fuss that her parents agreed to let her have rings on her neck, even though she had not reached the traditional age for that. BTW: she refuses to go to school.

The price for a photo with the Padaung is US$3: this is split 3 ways, between the guide, the hotel, and the Padaung (US$1 is a good day's wage for someone working in Yangon, a week's salary for the countryside.) The Padaung are free to go back to Kayah state. When they go, they bring handicrafts back to the hotel, which they sell to tourists; this money goes into their own pockets. My friends from the Hupin asked the Kayan to lower the price of the bracelets I was buying, and let me tell you, it was a struggle! These are not listless zombies meekly obeying a master's wishes.

Marshall describes a concrete compound. I am not sure what he is talking about, unless it is the area outside their compound, beyond the bamboo bridge. Their wooden house was built Kayan style, in accordance with their specific wishes. They are an extremely conservative tribe. Marshall makes much of the women not leaving their compound. The Padaung are shy people, and the women do not speak Burmese, so they are not willing to range far. Also, I have heard from separate, unrelated sources that there is a danger for Padaung women to roam, because there have been cases of their being -- not exactly kidnapped, but taken off for show in Europe.

Marshall says "the hotel staff member broke into a practiced spiel." We may not be talking about the same man, I did not speak English with the Padaung man I went with, but I suspect the "practiced spiel" may be memorized word for word by someone who speaks minimal English, and may not have confidence in leaving the beaten path.

I deeply feel that the Hupin is more than fair in its dealings with its staff, whether they be Burman, Shan, Chinese, Kayan, or others. When I told the Hupin family what Marshall had written about them, they were quite hurt. Frankly, they are making enough money from tourists, they do not feel the need to exploit the workers. Marshall went to Burma expecting to see the disadvantaged being exploited, so when he saw the disadvantaged, he assumed they must be getting exploited. In the case of the Hupin, I can vouch that he was wrong.

All in all, though, this is an excellent picture of Burma, including parts most of us will never see. I hope Marshall is hard at work on his next book. This is an author to keep an eye on.

The Sad Case of Burma.......2002-07-31

Let's get one thing clear from the begining, if you're looking for a comprehensive history of Burma/Myanmar with analysis on how it has become one of the most repressive nations in the world, this is not your book. Rather, Marshall's book is a sometimes witty, sometimes heartbreaking "in the footsteps of" style travelogue, in which he manages to travel around modern Burma/Myanmar, following the path of an obscure Victorian adventurer/explorer (and fellow Scotsman) who laid the groundwork for British colonial rule. The core theme is that in Scott's day, Burma was a little known area unpenetrated by the West and populated by a diverse assortment of tribes with varrying degrees of hostility-and some 125 years later Burma/Myanmar remains that way in many ways.

Marshall scoured Scott's unpublished diaries and other sources (all thankfully listed in a comprehensive bibliography) before embarking on four sparate trips. The most straightforward of these was a journey from Rangoon upriver to the old imperial capital of Mandalay and then into the some of the hinterlands. Another trip involved travlling through northern Thailand to the border, where ethnic Shan rebels are attempting to resist Burmese army genocide. A third trip took him from northern Thailand across the border and into the hills near the Laotian and Chinese border. And the most harrowing trip involved slipping across the Chinese border and into ethnic Wa territory where he searches for a legendary lake from which the Wa say they evolved from tadpoles. These trips are crisply related, intertwined with accounts of Scott's travels and life, and background history.

While Marshall certainly doesn't defend British colonialism, he does credit it for introducing modernity to the region and for creating a nation-allbeit juryrigged -from disparate tribes. Marshall lays Burma/Myanmar's current status as human rights disaster area and its herion-exporting based economy firmly at the feet of a military junta that seized power in 1962 and has held an iron grip on the country ever since. An iron grip that is assisted by ethnic Wa drug lords, whose operations rival that of their more famous Colombian counterparts. Burma/Myanmar's economy is wholy dependent on the exporting of illegal drugs by Wa drug lords in collusion with the military. Historically this has been heroin, but in recent years, mehtamphedamine and ecstacy production is said to rival the most sophisticated European operations, and the drug lords have branched out into music and software piracy. With the country's money and guns all linked together in such tidy self-perpetuating interests, it's difficult to see how the stanglehold will ever be broken short of outside intervention.

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