Amazon.com
Unhappy with your job? Before you vote with your feet, consider the advice of career specialists Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans and learn to love your job. In this practical sequel to their bestseller Love 'Em or Lose 'Em, the authors focus on employee satisfaction as a responsibility you must share with your employer. Although the format of Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work is gimmicky--the suggestions follow the 26 letters of the alphabet--the advice is smart and specific.
Based on research with 15,000 people who have job longevity, Kaye and Jordan-Evans identified five top "stay factors" such as opportunity for growth and pay equity. Using these factors, they map several dozen CPR ("Career Path Resuscitation") including taming the boss from hell, finding multiple mentors, protecting family time, bringing fun to work, breaking out of your cubicle and solving your Rodney "no respect" Dangerfield problem.
One standout chapter enriches our understanding of the out of the box metaphor by comparing the properties of glass, concrete, and vapor boxes. Rich in examples and underlined with strategies, this book will attract a wide audience. Follow your heart careerists may question the very idea of lobbying against changing jobs. Still, when the authors urge each reader to become the author of his or her job satisfaction, the book becomes a valuable companion in an uncertain economy. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
Love It, Don't Leave It encourages employees to assume responsibility for the way their work lives work. This is not difficult, say authors Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, who take a witty and practical approach to finding job satisfaction. Presented in an appealing, accessible A to Z format, the book includes strategies for communication, career growth, balancing work with family, and more. Chapters include "Ask: And You May Receive," "Jerk: Work with One?" "Passion: It's Not Just a Fruit," and "Zenith: Are We There Yet?" The same breezy, results-minded style that made the authors' Love 'Em or Lose 'Em a bestseller makes this follow-up a fun and inspiring read.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful!.......2005-08-25
Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans have written a useful book for employees who are tempted by greener pastures. The authors caution that those who pursue a glittering opportunity often wind up in a golden mess. Thus, it makes sense to at least try to improve your job before seeking another one that, ultimately, may be even worse. The book's format offers one item of advice for each letter of the alphabet. At times, the formula wears a bit thin (X for "X-ers and Other Generations"), but the advice itself is sound. It primarily consists of encouraging you to decide what you want and go get it. We recommend this book to currently employed malcontents (you know who you are!) and to those who need help mustering the nerve to discuss job satisfaction with their employers. Perhaps the best piece of advice is to only approach your supervisors for a favor when you understand their WIIFT: "What's In It For Them."
Think of this book as a compilation of your own notes .......2004-11-29
Think of this book as a compilation of your own notes to improve your own career. It is written exactly the way I'd organize my own thoughts and plans in a serious way to plan and grow my own career. Very practical and concise tips and easy to read. Takes few minutes to read each topic. The theme of 26 Topics for 26 alphabets is also nice. Finish it quickly and then use from time to time as a reminder to set priorities in your day to day life.
Left It, Didn't Love It.......2004-03-22
Given the rave reviews for this book, I was surprised by the lack of content and value. The book's message is a truism: only you are responsible for your own happiness. It goes on to encourage you to ask for what you want. These aren't bad assertions but they're more complicated to implement than this book would have you believe. The content is structured like an article in a woman's magazine: it uses a bulletized format with basic questions to ask yourself like "What do you enjoy" followed by inane suggestions like "Decorate your office". Cloying and without substance, this book fails to answer many core questions. What if your boss declines your request? What motivates an organization? How do you make lateral moves? Where are the examples of individuals who reengineered their work situation and how exactly they did it ? Granted, too many employees don't understand the work relationship or how to work an organization. But this is not the book that will address those issues. If you're still determined to read this book, my copy is up for sale on Amazon's used site.
Leaving or staying, read this book!.......2003-12-02
This eminently practical book reaches out to you in a real way. Clearly the authors understand the frustrations of employees and offer not one but several layers of approaches to help you get the most from your job. How to think about leaving or staying, what to ask, what to say, conversations to have, and checklists to get clear on your views all help you to make the best decisions. The authors pack so much practical assistance into one short book it is just amazing. This book is designed for fast easy reading. Don't miss out on this great treasure!!
Taking charge.......2003-11-19
What an excellent guidebook to show each employee how to take charge, have fun, be more productive, and enjoy time at work. Even the best managers and leaders can't provide all those results for their people. The employees have to do it themselves. Thanks, Bev and Sharon, for providing the guideposts along the way.
Customer Reviews:
The Word behind the words... but mostly silence shines........2007-08-29
I have this book with me often when I go out, even if I don't open it, and I have this book often by my bed. The glance of the man on the book (forget the name Jesus) is the pervading silence throughout the book that bubbles up everywhere like a frangrant garden.
Some of the staple books I have as my "companion" are Gandhi's The Way to God, and also Gandhi's Essnential Writings edited by John Dear, the Dalai Lama's "How to Practice- the Way to a Meaningful Life", Adyashanti's the Impact of Awakening, Khalil Gibran's Beloved and Devotional Songs of Mirabai. Anything by Rumi or Hafiz, bring them on.
You haven't met Jesus. You are always meeting him. There wasn't a time when you and Him were apart. I'm not Christian, as you can tell from the kinds of books that daily nourish my soul. He is you, closer to anything you can ever name. I have had "traumas", "disasters" in the ways of love and relationships, and many tears were shed over these pages that were "casually opened" for emergency consultations, let's say. It's like Medicine Cards, Bach Rescue Remedy, only more profound.
For one sentence out of the page you open up may be the cup of medicine drink so bitter and yet so sweet and vibrant in its afterglow. And it seems as though it was meant only for you at that particular time. That perhaps there is nothing except you and Jesus everywhere and always. If I find myself avoiding this book in the car or in my house...that probably means I'm onto something "weird", "no good","out of habit", who knows!!
I recommend this book as a gift to anyone who perhaps wants to see Jesus in a totally different light.. in places it sounds more perenial stuff, vedantic at times. Some would think it's just sane, no-nonsense psychology, which the American Buddhist psychologists are gleaming from Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, etc. The historical Jesus takes a backseat, redemption and sin go out the door. There is no story. Jesus goes, "Forget 'bout it!" in New York Little Italy accent. Well not really.
So take a flight.
Life Changing.......2007-03-14
Love Without Conditions is by far the most important book I have read this life time. It is a totally life changing experience and assists
anyone who reads it in grasping the joy of a God of Unconditional Love.
I have recommended this book to literarlly hundreds of people who have
all had the same experience. I read it over and over again.
Fantastic Book.......2006-07-03
This book is amazing. I just finished it and it's very comforting and centering. I have it dog-eared, highlighted and carry it with me in my tote bag always. Can't wait to read Paul's other books.....you'll like this book.
Profound Spiritual Book - Very comforting , for all religions.......2006-06-12
This is my favorite book. I turn to Love Without Conditions whenever I am in a crisis and need comforting. It is very centering. I give to everyone I know in crisis. I am on-line today to order it for a friend who has lost her father a few days ago.
Love Without Conditions is clearly a book for every religion, not just christianity. Paul Ferrini states this at the beginning of the book. I see it as a spirtual book for everyone. It is extremely well written, and so clear, that the book's message of loving yourself and your brother is crystal clear.
Love Without Conditions is so deep and profound I can only read 5 or 6 pages at at time, but that is enough to feel grounded. Yet I also feel transcendent, spiritually connected. What a gift!
Love Without Conditions: Reflections of the Christ Mind.......2005-09-04
This is the most beautiful book I have ever read about Jesus. It is so comforting and has so much love and beautiful information that I have read it three times in a year. I wanted to lend it to my best friend but had to buy a copy for her because I didn't want to be without it while she read it. It is especially good to read while going through hard times.
Average customer rating:
- Bad Science - Worse Tale Telling
- Fascinating, groundbreaking, and frustrating
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Love in a Different Climate : Men Who Have Sex with Men in India
Jeremy Seabrook
Manufacturer: Verso
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Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East
ASIN: 1859848370 |
Book Description
What does it mean to be Muslim, Bengali or Tamil and to enjoy sex with men? How can a lesbian identity co-exist with Hindu, Islamic or Buddhist values? To what extent is 'gay culture' simply another neo-colonial import from a newly liberalised West? In this carefully researched and finely written work, Jeremy Seabrook deals with subjects rarely discussed in Western narratives about South Asia. Going beyond a straightforward contextualisation of the gatoei (lady-boys) in Thailand and the hijara (eunuchs) of India, he unravels the less familiar and more complex territory of homosexual and homoerotic encounters in general, and asks how valid Western models of sexual identity are in the South Asian context, and how effective they might be in dealing with global issues of sexual health, HIV awareness and gender politics. Much of the book is based on interviews which reveal the extent of the complexity at play: wives who traditionally vacate the marital bed to accommodate their husbands' friends; kotis--'passive' male sex partners of men many of whom will be married but see their relations with the kotis as fulfilling their destinies as males; the fundamentalist politicians who curse the Western influence of 'gay liberation' and continue to justify the punishment of life imprisonment for homosexuality; and the activist groups who are working towards a clearer and more helpful understanding of contemporary issues.
Customer Reviews:
Bad Science - Worse Tale Telling.......2007-04-22
About the only useful information contained in this book pertains to the description, generally, of the very hard life of India's poor living in the cities -- and of their limited access to sexual or intimate contacts with others.
The material is largely anecdotal, and the underlying premise that "gay" life is so very different in India due to cultural or family traditions (and obligations) draws little support from the material presented.
In the first place, most (if not nearly all) of the interviews of the subjects take place in one public park in Delhi. As an attorney who has represented hundreds of gay men charged with sex acts occurring in public parks (and other public places similar to those described in this book), I found the author's conclusion that the MSM's (men who have sex with men) of India do so for a whole host of reasons differing from those which motivate such acts in America (and other Western nations) absurd and unsupported. Most of my clients over the years have been men who were married and who had children and believed themselves bound to the families they have created, or, who, for various reasons never connected with the "gay life," or who were bisexual and who found living in the gay community unsatisfying, or who simply could not fully acknowledge to themselves that they were gay (that is, "come out"), or who were actively "hustling" gay men for money in exchange for sex -- that is, having sex with other men for one or more of the reasons stated by the author's interviewees.
Poorly written, unsubstantiated, and nearly a complete waste of the purchase price (I say "nearly" because I did get a sense from this book of how difficult life must be for the overworked and underpaid who constitute a majority of India's city dwellers).
Fascinating, groundbreaking, and frustrating.......2000-04-09
Seabrook charts territory never before navigated in a book (to my knowledge), the stories of men who have sex with men in India. This is not about the cross-dressing hijras, who have garnered a lot of attention, but more conventionally masculine Indian men who have sex with men and how they understand themselves and their behavior. Seabrook sat in a cruising park and solicited the stories of the men who visited there so he obtains information from men who would be hard to connect with otherwise. While he admirably doesn't try to make the stories fit a preconcieved ideology of sexuality, there is not a single chapter title or subheading to help organize the material, so you are left to browse the entire book to refind an interesting passage. Seabrook also makes little effort to contextualize his interviews with previous research on the subject--no footnotes or index here either. So as a source of intriguing and sometimes compelling vignettes and a source of raw material to do your own analysis the book is great. I think it could have been a lot more with a little extra effort without diminishing its groundbreaking strengths.
Amazon.com
Because finding the ideal person for every workplace position has become an increasingly difficult task, the retention of top employees has become every manager's concern. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em, by organizational-development specialists Beverly L. Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, proposes that this "race for talent" can be effectively run only by those who adopt programs and policies that truly support their personnel. It then shows how to do so, even in organizations reluctant to participate actively.
Kaye and Jordan-Evans encourage an initial scan of their 26 alphabetically arranged chapters--such as "Information: Share It," "Mentor: Be One," and "Space: Give It"--so attention can be fully focused on the most relevant benefits and responsibilities associated with employee retention. All are bolstered with hands-on exercises and stories of others' failures and successes. The section on family-friendly conduct, for example, suggests uncovering specifics by directly asking employees what would make their lives easier. Resultant needs can be met, it continues, by allowing staffers to bring children to the office on occasion, assisting anyone who must line up care for an aging parent, giving weekday comp time to those who travel on weekends, etc. It also explains how Deloitte & Touche and DuPont addressed these issues. Any manager who dreads losing a top performer would do well to consider this book. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
With every employee who walks out the door costing up to 200 percent of their annual salary to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing business today. This bestseller gives everyone from CEO to front-line supervisor solutions for keeping the employees they simply can't afford to lose. The authors show that what employees really want, even more than bigger salaries, are meaningful work, opportunities for growth, excellent bosses, and a sense of connection to the company. This thoroughly updated and revised edition includes a new manager's troubleshooting guide with 26 strategies that can be used at every level and a chapter on saying thank-you in the workplace.
Customer Reviews:
Straight Forward and Memorable.......2007-03-11
The format of this book is excellent. It is driven by the alphabet and not only has the basic idea for each area but also details real life stories that relate to each topic. None of the stories were unfamiliar and was a good/bad thing because I found we were horribly ordinary in our experience and at the same time that was comforting to know. Great tools, easy to employ, presented in an easy to read and "get" format. A must for managers, business leaders, et al.
Lots to Learn Here.......2006-11-08
Wish one of my former bosses had read this book! After a couple of us had finished a nearly impossible project, someone suggested (in front of us) that he thank us personally. His reply: "We're all adults. We don't need to be thanked for doing our jobs." It wasn't the last straw, but it was one more thing that just added up. I eventually left the company.
The first couple of chapters are the most valuable. The book is important for corporations, but has even more significance for nonprofit or volunteer organizations where pay might be small or nonexistent, so appreciation or working for a cause is why people stick around.
You don't need to read it from start to finish - just the first chapters and then whichever of the concepts for appreciating employees strikes your fancy (or your employees'). It's clear and a breeze to read.
An A-Z primer on keeping the best employees.......2006-04-19
Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans' LOVE 'EM OR LOSE 'EM: GETTING GOOD PEOPLE TO STAY pairs actor and teacher David Drummond's dramatic voice work with the account of how to keep the best employees in an A-Z guide employers can use to address employee concerns. Learn how these strategies work in actual business environments in a guide packed with real-world examples.
"Talent development DNA for every manager!".......2005-11-04
Just completed "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em" by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans. It is a fast read......two days on the bus riding into Downtown Houston. A little 90 minutes of time for so many insights, and practical programming ideas for trainers and talent managers!
1. For trainers and mentors- Build a facilitated discussion (or board games, card games, pair work activities, posters) around these questions (p. 109):
What have I learned about what counts in this organization?
How have my failures and success grown me?
What most surprised me about the culture?
What was the most difficult culture shift for me to make?
What are they ways to get in really hot water here/
How do people derail themselves?
What do I know now that I wish I had known then?
2. For us all- Are we boxed in? (p. 138)
But a box can have 4 different walls!
Concrete- Cannot be broken, pushed, bent or shattered.
Glass- - Hit it at the right time, with the right instrument, it breaks.
Rubber- Push hard and it bends.
Vapor- Our assumptions and perceptions about the rules: "People will never fly!"
This book is full of "self insight" activities and questions..... for new and experienced managers who know that they must do the max to attract and retain their most important asset- people.
Valuable encouragement and advice for all working people.......2005-10-03
Any book that encourages people to treat each other as such is very valuable. In an age where people are frequently victims of globalization and corporate greed, it is important to remember the talent and the true contribution of the talented people that create the value of the American company.
Book Description
This thought provoking examination of relationships critically looks at issues such as economics, selfesteem, compatibility, trust, and communication from an Africentric perspective. Anyone who has asked the questions, where are all the brothers or why is the divorce rate so high, will find answers and solutions in this valuable book.
Customer Reviews:
you know you wanna know.......2007-06-01
when we want to buy a car, we read consumer reports
when we buy electronics, we go to cnet.com
assuming you are an African American trying to love yourself and connect with someone else who does, I highly suggest this book. i'm sure there are others. check them out too.
otherwise, rely on fate
;-)
Excellent educational read!!.......2002-06-10
The author made excellent points about the relationships among African-Americans. His explanation of statisitics tied in with his theory show that he is very educated, and that he is not basing his ideas on what he "think he knows". This book has made me realize the mistakes I've made in life, and taught me how to move on and not make the same mistakes again. One important point he makes is to take care of all YOUR issues first, so you have the time and energy to focus on a LASTING relationaship later.
My marriage.......2000-06-10
This book saved my marriage!I wish I had read it before I walked the aisle ,but now that I have, it has given me sound advice.
Book Description
How do you win the dating game if you’re a gay man?
After many years of serial monogamy, Dave Singleton went to the front lines to find out, exploring the lives of other gay men who found themselves on the dating fast track with guys they’d met from work, at the gym or bars, and, increasingly, on the Internet. Thus,
The Mandates was born—a laugh-out-loud but completely true set of rules about the making (or breaking) of men’s romantic relationships.
A sampling:
Mandate #10: Everything You Need to Know, You Learn in the First Five Minutes
Mandate #12: The Difference Between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now: Learn It!
Mandate #13: Things You Should Never, Ever, for Any Reason Say Out Loud in the First Six Months of Dating
Mandate #24: Be Your Own “Judge Judy”: Evaluating Heinous vs. Forgivable Sins
Plus, “A Gay Dating Primer: Dos and Don’ts,” and excellent advice on “The Who, What, Where, and How of Meeting a Guy” and “Marking the Milestones of Gay Dating.” At long last, here is a hilarious, definitive gay man’s guide to finding Mr. Right.
Customer Reviews:
Great summertime read.......2006-07-12
Definitely some interesting points in here for someone in the dating scene! I think this book is a very good buy if you are gay and dating and curious about certain aspects of the gay dating scene like I am right now. I just took it to the beach with me and it was really fun. And the guys on the cover are hot, too!
It's Not That I Like Dating How-To's...But This Was Fun.......2006-07-05
I don't usually like dating how to books and usually don't write reviews but a friend recommended this for a beach read and it definitely served it's purpose. We were howling. There are some passages that are so eerily realistic in their depiction of the gay guy psyche that they read more like a documentary than a funny how to.
Part of the humor was sharing it with my friends who have had similar experiences.
There are also parts of the book that I cannot empathize with at all, such as the checking a guy's medicine cabinet or music CD's as a part of the dating ritual. But some of these are, I think, tongue-in-cheek parts. Nonetheless, we laughed out loud at some of the unfamiliar topics, too. Yes, even the stereotypical ones that no one wants to admit to, and a lot of the advice which seems geared more toward a gay man's twenties and early thirties. Dating disasters are presented in a good-natured way which both the guilty and innocent should equally enjoy. This book can also be a good ego booster, since every gay man should be able to find at least one passage where he can say "At least I never did that!"
Funny.......2006-07-04
Loved it. It contains some wonderful, practical advice. But really, it's like spending the afternoon with a wise and witty friend who left me feeling better about myself than when I started it. I don't get the naysayers who act as if every so-called self help book has to be written in dense academic text or swamped in psychobabble. There's a lot of dreary stuff out there and I have read most of it. This was really enjoyable. There's some obvious satire in here, mixed with the stories. If you hate being entertained or laughing out loud then some parts of this are not for you I guess.
Hmmm...what to tell you.......2006-07-03
I would say that this book is very entertaining. It runs the gamut of gay dates from hell to smart ways to think about creating good dates. It has great information, it's very well-written, meaning the author has a real style about him, and for the most part it's smart advice. But it's not just an advice book. You should know that upfront. There are lots of personal anecdotes about relationships, sex, dating, etc.
Nothing New. Not that funny.......2006-07-03
For $10 I guess its fine, but I didn't learn anything from this book at all. If anything, I actually feel more alienated. I do not live in the gay neighborhood of my city nor do I hang out exclusively with gay people. However, coexisting with straight people isn't even a passing thought in this book. Basically, if you don't live as a cher-worshipping rainbow flag waving poster child of gaydom, the book paints you as a maladjusted closet case who should be avoided at all costs. I agree with the review that said this is a good guide to turning into a "flaky queen". Also, I cannot even count the number of times alcohol is referred to in this book (and I rarely drink) but any drug use is met with a "kick him to the curb, girlfriend" attitude (I don't do drugs either, but I'm just pointing it out). The book does not answer any central questions about what men want. There is research out there about how important a good body *really* is and how important masculine traits really are for a relationship vs. hookup. This author did not pull any of that in. However, there is an underlying assumption that ALL gay men go to the gym, and usually that is an all-gay gym (so I guess a good body is really important to him...). As far as the authors take on the value that gay men place on education or personal growth - oh wait - neither topic is ever mentioned. The whole book can be summed up with the fact that the author actually gives advice on "what to say if he catches you looking at his Streisand CDs when he comes out of the bathroom". So, essentially, the book is a disappointing series of common-sense superficial tips that anyone who went to high school already knows: "don't seem needy or desperate, be confident, don't go into your whole life story on the first date." I mean, if you're THAT clueless about dating... then go for it. Maybe I would've found this useful at 16 or 17, however. (Oh, by the way I just learned that being 30 is old. It's mentioned about 4 times.) I also like how there is a whole chapter devoted to what you should hide & display in your bathroom (aveda = bad... generic shaving cream = good). Um, by the time a guy is in my bathroom, he is probably on his way to having sex with me so I think it'll just have to be ok if he sees moisturizer with retinol. If he wants to end the relationship over my brand of shaving cream (yes, that is mentioned as well) then I'm done too. What is amazing is that in previous chapters, "being your fabulous gay self" is encouraged, but now we're playing "hide the gay cosmetics?" The book is replete with hypocritical counsel, vague generalizations, and inconsistencies. I suppose, then, it is more of a metaphor of gay dating than a guide to it.
Book Description
What is the "Asian American experience"? What role does gender play within that experience? How do race and economics factor in? Asian American Women and Men answers these questions and examines how Asian American culture is shaped by a variety of forces. This groundbreaking volume in the new Gender Lens Series is among the first to explore the Asian experience from a gendered perspective. Author Yen Le Espiritu documents how the historical and contemporary oppression of Asian Americans has structured gender relationships among them and has contributed to the creation of social institutions and systems of meaning. In so doing, she illustrates how race, class, and gender do not merely run parallel to each another, but rather intersect and confirm one another. Some of the topics discussed include Asian Americans and immigration, labor recruitment, education, relationships, and stereotypes. Asian American Women and Men has an exceptionally broad audience including students and professionals in gender studies, Asian American studies, race and ethnicity studies, sociology, political science, anthropology, and American studies. This product is now available from: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Phone: 800-462-6420 Fax: 800-338-4550 http:\\www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Customer Reviews:
former student of Professor Espiritu.......1999-12-10
Once again Professor Espiritu has written a book that not only conveys the Asian American experience but more importantly the human experience. This book is for those of us who live the Asian American experience and for those willing to educate themselves about our country's racial heirarchy compounded by the disparity between genders.
I found the book to be an excellent source of information........1999-09-21
I really enjoyed reading this book. Even though, I "knew" the political and societal situations of Asian Americans in the United States, it still was an eye opener. This book gave me an oppertunity to understand some of my believes and how they were formed. I think it is a must read for everyone who is from Asian decent and who would like to understand the Asian American experiences. The author did a wonderful job of integrating all aspects of Asian culture. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
“To Love the Wind and the Rain” is a groundbreaking and vivid analysis of the relationship between African Americans and the environment in U.S. history. It focuses on three major themes: African Americans in the rural environment, African Americans in the urban and suburban environments, and African Americans and the notion of environmental justice. Meticulously researched, the essays cover subjects including slavery, hunting, gardening, religion, the turpentine industry, outdoor recreation, women, and politics. “To Love the Wind and the Rain” will serve as an excellent foundation for future studies in African American environmental history.
Customer Reviews:
Groundbreaking.......2007-03-09
It's a popular assumption that black people aren't "environmentalists," but what is meant by this? That black people lack proportional representation in mainstream environmental organizations like the Sierra Club? That black people are more concerned about civil rights than they are about endangered species? That they don't go camping? And if so...why?
American environmental history as a field took shape in the late 1960's, but as this book illustrates, viewing that history through the lens of race or gender is relatively new. This diverse collection of articles by historians, social scientists and environmentalists broadens both our understanding of the word "environment" and the relationship of African Americans to it. For example, historical articles explore how slaves interacted with nature (including hunting, fishing, gardening and working "in the pines" of the turpentine industry), blacks and outdoor recreation, and the "suburban passage." Others address contemporary issues of Environmental Justice, a movement which concerns itself less with wilderness preservation and more with people-centered environmental issues such as the exposure of low-income people to hazardous waste, and the societal forces which make them more likely to be in harm's way. Two articles look specifically at black women's activism during the Progressive Era.
With one or two jargon-heavy exceptions, I think most of the articles will be accessible to lay readers as well as academics. I especially liked Martin V. Melosi's "Environmental Justice, Ecoracism and Environmental History" and Carl Anthony's "Reflections on the Purposes and Meanings of African American Environmental History," the latter of which could serve equally well as an introduction.
This groundbreaking book raises as many questions as it answers, and will surely stimulate further scholarship in this important field of study. I'd recommend it for readers interested in American History, African American Studies or Environmental Studies.
To Love the Wind and the Rain --African Americans ans Environmental History.......2006-03-09
Natural resource managers and the environmental community are concerned about the lack of African American participation in natural resource and environment as issues, a profession, or a source of enjoyment. Whether this is actually true is a sensitive subject.
This book is a must read for those looking for the possible historical, economic or cultural reasons African Americas do not participate in natural resources issues, regardless of the environmental justice movement.
Personally, I believe the authors sometime stretch possible links between past culture, economic events or slavery and current attitudes. Regardless of possible stretchs, no one really knows the answer but the book is very helpful in bringing out the factors that probably conspired to produce what we see today.
Answers for how to engage the African community on natural resource or environmental issues will have to overcome deep cultural attitudes, attitudes that took generations to form. One place to start is by reading this book.
Book Description
Marriage is in trouble. Based on one hundred years of social science research, this book gives you reasons to believe in marriage in a society characterized by a lack of commitment.
Customer Reviews:
WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS.......2007-04-11
READER SHOULD BE AWARE THIS IS A "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY" BOOK AND THE MORALISTIC DRUM BEAT IS CONSTANT.
"Very Good Book".......2007-02-15
In this time of so many divorces this was a great book detailing the many benefits of marriage.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who falsely believes that marriage has no value and that single life is the best.
Live long and prosper..........2000-11-22
The results of over 100 years of scientific research are gathered together in one place, spanning studies from the 1890s to the present day. The data cover multiple cultures and deal with all stages and ages of life. Literally hundreds of individual studies are represented, many of which were done by researchers at some of the most "liberated" universities in Europe and America. Yet the results of all these studies uniformly support a consistent set of notions: that human beings fare best when they are reared in intact nuclear families; that they prosper best in adult life when joined, male and female, in lifelong monogamous relationships sanctioned and supported by the community; that both adults and children suffer enormously when divorce breaks up a family.
The implications are clear. The post modern mantras that "children are resilient," and that "we're better off apart if we don't agree" are just plain wrong.
The lessons to be learned are not just for those facing marital difficulties. I think the message is especially important for re-establishing in our children the expectation that marriage is forever, so choose well and work hard. This book may be a little dry for your teenager and addresses a difficult subject for many parents to discuss with their own children, so you might wnat to extract some nuggets for small group discussion at key places like church youth gatherings. In the process, you will probably discover some reasons of your own for "keeping at it."
A "marriage saver". Critical information for every marriage.......1999-09-28
My husband and I read this book at a critical point in our marriage, and found it a life-saver. Many of the author's points are based on research and statistics, but when he writes from the heart, it touches your heart. It truly was an eye-opener and beneficial to us.
Good Research Book.......1998-11-27
This was a good reference for my daughter writing a school paper on marriage.
Book Description
Renowned visionary and theorist bell hooks began her exploration of the meaning of love in American culture with the critically acclaimed All About Love: New Visions. She continued her national dialogue with the bestselling Salvation: Black People and Love. Now hooks culminates her triumphant trilogy of love with Communion: The Female Search for Love.Intimate, revealing, provocative, Communion challenges every female to courageously claim the search for love as the heroic journey we must all chose to be truly free. In Communion, hooks, one of our most revered and acute social critics, answers all our questions about the place of love in a woman's life. In her trademark commanding and lucid language, hooks explores the ways ideas about women and love were changed by feminist movement, by our full participation in the workforce, and by the culture of self-help. Her penetrating words silence our fears about becoming women who love too much, yet they also challenge us. Her words stir us to devote as much of ourselves to love, to loving our partners, our bodies, our pasts, our parents, as we do our careers and our independence. In chapters as personal and prescriptive as bell is passionate and provoking, Communion guides us toward the path that leads to true fulfillment. This work exposes our fears, hopes, and longing, all the while addressing the powerful insight that women who cannot love can never really grow up. In Communion, hooks celebrates the experiences of women over thirty, shares collective wisdom, and bestows on us the lessons learned as we practice the art of loving. Communion is the heart-to-heart talk every woman needs to have. And this conversation guides us--mothers, daughters, friends, and lovers -- on one of our most life-affirming journeys.
Customer Reviews:
bell hooks & communion.......2005-08-13
I have recommended this book to all those women in my life who have sold out to the patriarchal values in American culture because I want them to find communion with a more enlightened man and not settle for anything less.
not her best but still good.......2004-09-13
And for a reader who is not hip to feminist thought or lit, this is a good soft entry. I enjoyed bell hooks analogies and statements regarding that women do seek love in so many ways and her most important point was that many women do not receive non-sexual love from men, which is necessary for balance in life, thus forcing them to seek it in so many other ways.
This book encouraged me to read and understand other bell hooks books that are phenomenal. I respect hooks for offering a wide spectrum on emotions, and reality
Tries to go the distance.......2004-03-04
This book, I attempted to approach with feelings of wanting answers and wanting to feel safe and secure in our often harsh, demanding, and very male world. Unfortunately, I was unable to achieve those feelings of inner peace and turmoil dominated. I was hoping for an Oprah meets Holly Near meets Dame Edma book that was refreshing, and would allow me to blossom inside. Many of the passages make some sense, but the boardroom chapter may alienate some sisters due to the fact that most of us are struggling at jobs which are mundane and tedious. It is so easy for men though, all they have to do is look around and they get what they want. I am still looking for love and am tired of nights in the bubble bath, reading silly romance stories which reflect our harsh patriarchial society. I am searching for a book with the answers the way some people claim to search for soulmates. I am tired of the tv shows with loving couples and my cat which I am alergic to that scares all the men I know away. I want a book that I can relate to...one that works on my own terms...one that speaks to me and the women like me. Tell me if you find it
Definitely 3rd in the Love Trilogy.......2003-03-04
bell hooks blew me away with All About Love and Salvation. Communion, however, left me wanting more. Although it was written in the typical bell hooks fashion -- I love her writing style, Communion didn't have the same passion, spirit and overall power that the previous two books had. I did like the way she weaved her own self into the topic. By doing so, she makes the reader feel closer to her and helps them relate better to their own search for love.
Love from a feminist perspective.......2003-02-20
Communion is a discussion and legitimization of the pursuit of love from a mid-life feminist perspective. Hooks believes that the desire to understand how love works is a serious, important, and ultimately joyful life-work activity that should be studied and taught. The big question she attempts to answer is how to "find, keep, and make love despite the power of patriarchy."
The best part of this book is that Hooks always tells the truth as she sees it. There is no glossing over or contriving to make a point. Sometimes her language is sexually explicit and blunt. She explains love from the perspective of her own personal life experience and through intelligent observation and study of our culture and gender practices. The impact of the feminist movement is woven through her assessment. Unlike many other feminists, however, Hook's voice is not militant.
There is only one caution. The ever-present temptation for Hooks and for all of us is to find excuses why we cannot find love or be loving. From the ego's perspective, there is always a so-called justifiable reason for the rejection of another. In this case, the justifiable reason is patriarchy. However, unconditional love means that we undo the hate inour minds and extend love no matter what distressing disguise is presented to us.
Books:
- Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends Bible (Lucado, Max)
- Megiddo's Shadow
- Milkweed (Readers Circle)
- Mirror Universe Part 1: Glass Empires (Star Trek Mirror Universe)
- Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood (National Geographic)
- OBJECTION!: HOW HIGH-PRICED DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, CELEBRITY DEFENDANTS, AND A 24/7 MEDIA HAVE HIJACKED OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Of Mice and Men (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
- Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook with a CD of Guided Meditations
- Playing With Fire
- Promises Keep
Books Index
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