And Tango Makes Three

Book Description

In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others.

Customer Reviews:

wonderful book to introduce children to different definitions of family.......2007-09-27

Based on the true story of some penguins at the New York Zoo, this book is a moving and delightful introduction to the idea of alternative families. The wonderful illustrations and straight-forward approach to the story make this book an excellent choice for story-time at home or in school. The current popularity of penguins and their gosh-darned cuteness make them an excellent choice to introduce young children to the idea that not every family is the same. I was delighted to learn that the story is true, and know children will want to learn more about Tango and her family; I hope a sequel is in the works!

Jesus preached Love.......2007-09-23

Love is a wonderful, many splendored thing. This story is beautiful, and my 4 year old and 2 year old love it. Same sex couples are normal and fine, and though I have a heterosexual lifestyle, the bigotry and hate from so called Christian's, makes me sick. Jesus would have been ashamed of you. Love is a blessing, wherever one finds it.

Homo = Man not Penguin.......2007-09-03

There is no such thing as a homosexual penguin. Penquins are birds not people and according to the dictionary homosexuals are people of the same sex who engage in joint sexual activities. I repeat, penguins are birds not people and animals should not be held to human standards or a lack of human standards. In fact some animals appear to live by a higher standard and charity than many humans.

This story is about family love and the nurturing of children, something we should all aim for.

And Tango Makes Three.......2007-08-01

And Tango Makes Three is an excellent children's book that lovingly shows two male adults raising a baby. It helps parents and teachers ease into a discussion of what makes a family. The illustrations are sweet. Children, all of whom depend on adults for their survival, can relate to this book and be glad that Tango found a loving family.

Very gentle, sweet story.......2007-07-26

This book is WONDERFUL! It is a darling story and does not push any agenda on kids about homosexuality; only about a different type of family. Yes, it IS about two male penguins becoming a family, but the idea of homosexuality is not blatantly force-fed to children. In a very gentle way, it shows us how love can make a family, regardless of genders. Very age-appropriate, and actually, an excellent way to deal with issues that will eventually come down the road in parenting. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all raise prejudice-free families??

The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball

Average customer rating:

The best book of its kind - by far!
Step up from 'Numbers'
Single Most Important Sabermetrics Book?
fantastic baseball research

The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball
Tom M. Tango , Mitchel Lichtman , and Andrew Dolphin
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1597971294

Book Description

Written by three esteemed baseball statisticians, The Book continues where the legendary Bill James’s Baseball Abstracts and Palmer and Thorn’s The Hidden Game of Baseball left off more than twenty years ago. Continuing in the grand tradition of sabermetrics, the authors provide a revolutionary way to think about baseball with principles that can be applied at every level, from high school to the major leagues.

Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman, and Andrew Dolphin cover topics such as batting and pitching matchups, platooning, the benefits and risks of intentional walks and sacrifices, the legitimacy of alleged “clutch” hitters, and many of baseball’s other theories on hitting, fielding, pitching, and even baserunning. They analyze when a strategy is a good idea and when it’s a bad idea, and how to more closely watch the “inside” game of baseball.

Whenever you hear an announcer talk about the “unwritten rule” or say that so-and-so is going “by the book” in bringing in a situational substitute, The Book reviews the facts and determines what the real case is. If you want to know what the folks in baseball should be doing, find out in The Book.

Customer Reviews:

The best book of its kind - by far!.......2007-06-24

Other sabermetric books have been written in the last few years, The Book is the best one by far. It is chock full of information, results from research and answers a lot of interesting baseball questions. The three authors, Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin have academic backgrounds and work for major league teams as employees or consultants. They use statistical methods to extract and comprehend information from a massive database of baseball games.

For the layman, there may be too much math throughout the book. However, they do a fantastic job of summarizing each idea in plain English at the end of each section. For example, in chapter 2 on hot and cold streaks, after presenting data, explaining their process and interpreting results, they summarize the section with "Knowing that a hitter has been in or is in the midset of a hot or cold streak has little predictive value. Always assume that a player will hit at his projected norm (adjusted for the park, weather, and pitcher he is facing), regardless of how he has performed in the very recent past. A player's recent history may be used as a tiebreaker."

Managers, players, fans and the media often put too much emphasis on results from small samples sizes. The authors warn against making this mistake. "One of the pervasive themes of this book is the danger of inferring too much from too little by underestimating the influence of randomness". For example, they summarize a section on pitcher-batter matchups with: "Knowing a player will face a particular opponent, and given the choice between that player's 1,500 PA (plate appearances) over the past three years against the rest of the league or twenty-five PA against that particular opponent, look at the 1,500 PA. "

They aren't afraid to point out when general baseball wisdom is correct. On starting pitchers, they write, "pitchers perform best with five days of rest, and worst with three days of rest. To manage our entire starting rotation effectively, four days of rest seems to be the optimal point. The current MLB pattern of scheduling the starting rotation works."

This book is at the top of my recommendation list for thinking baseball fans. I'm a bit surprised that I'm the first reviewer of this book on Amazon, since it has been out for three months. The sales ranking (currently #47,000 as I write this review) is disappointing for such an incredible book. The Book deserves to be at the top of the baseball best seller's list.

Step up from 'Numbers'.......2006-11-17

I wouldn't call it a complement to "Baseball Between the Numbers"--more like, if 'Numbers' is Algebra I, 'THE BOOK' is Algebra II. Where Numbers scratches the surface, THE BOOK goes much deeper, with a more sophisticated analysis, more evidence and more (yes) numbers. If you're new to sabermetrics, you might want to ease into it with Numbers, but THE BOOK is better.

Single Most Important Sabermetrics Book?.......2006-11-02

Take it from a professional sabermetrician: this might be the best and most important single volume in our field. It's a splendid complement to Baseball Between the Numbers, addressing many of the same questions but in many cases digging deeper. The authors have impeccable reputations in the online sabermetrics community. While they can't match Bill James for wit or BP for snarkiness, the writing is clear and solid.

I don't think that any of the findings here (some of which are truly eye-opening) will end up as the very last word on the subject: but more often than not they are the latest word. And that makes the book an essential purchase for anyone serious about understanding the game of baseball.

fantastic baseball research.......2006-08-15

A strictly Sabermetric book (the table of contents has a listing of tables and figures... there's 100+ of them in here.) The work is strong, especially the chapter on Game Theory. If you liked Baseball Between the Numbers and are hungry for more, this is a good next step. If you're already into Sabermetrics, get this one. This is a model work.

Let's Dance: Learn to Swing, Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango, Line Dance, Lambada, Cha-Cha, Waltz, Two-Step, Jitterbug and Salsa With Style, Elegance and Ease

Average customer rating:

BEAUTIFUL BOO K - ALMOST USELESS INFORMATION
good complement for beginning international dancers
Can't learn how to dance from this book.
Good overview of ballroom dance
Disapointed

Let's Dance: Learn to Swing, Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango, Line Dance, Lambada, Cha-Cha, Waltz, Two-Step, Jitterbug and Salsa With Style, Elegance and Ease
Paul Bottomer
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1579120466

Book Description

Step-by-step lessons from the basics of the Foxtrot to the nuances of the Argentine Tango are presented in detailed description and over 1300 informative full-color photographs, illustrations and diagrams. Beginners and advanced dancers alike will find the lessons easy, fun and a novel way to spend time with new partners, add spice to mature relationships or find a new dance mate.

This book covers an immense selection of styles for every kind of music from the Electric Slide, the Hustle and the Chicken Walk to the Viennese Waltz, the Slow Foxtrot and the Modern Tango. Specific dance moves like Spot Turns, Hip Twists and Feather Steps will make any couple an instant sensation on the dance floor.

Full of footprint diagrams, style tips, music suggestions and hints on getting started, this big book has everything that you need to explore the exhilarating world of ballroom and club dancing.

Customer Reviews:

BEAUTIFUL BOO K - ALMOST USELESS INFORMATION.......2002-06-25

BEWARE: This book describes the International Style of ballroom dance. NOT the American style. Perhaps 10% of American dance students are learning International.

EXAMPLE: THE WALTZ

American Waltz:
The basic figure is a square in which the man starts by stepping forward with the left foot and the dancers return to the starting position in 6 beats, making a square.

International Waltz:
The basic figure is a zig-zag. The man starts with the RIGHT foot and the dancers travel around the dance floor in a zig-zag pattern.

It would be great if Paul Bottomer would write a similar beautiful book for American ballroom dancers.

Dave Palmer

good complement for beginning international dancers.......2001-11-08

Many of the dances taught in this book are international style. If you plan to dance in the USA, you should know that social dancing is mainly American style for beginners.

The book is richly illustrated with photos. However, the angle of the photos changes randomly. So if you see a dance couple facing different directions in consecutive photos, maybe they have turned, or maybe the photographer moved. You have to read the accompanying text to tell.

I think this book is a good complement for beginning to advance-beginnning international dancers. You cannot completely rely on the book to learn techniques because while it does touches on them somewhat, it mostly concentrates on dance patterns. It will give you a rough idea of what a particular step looks like and give you the name of the step. If you have learned the step before, this would serve as a good review.

Can't learn how to dance from this book........2001-09-13

It's a good reference book if you know how to dance. If you're a beginner and try to learn from this book, you're in deep trouble. Unless you can translate "move you left foot to left, reflex your right knee, shift your weight on to the left on beat 3" description into movement right away, you'll go through one basic movement in hours. If you want to improve your dance skill, it may be helpful. Since I'm a total beginner, I can't say that for sure.

Good overview of ballroom dance.......2000-08-13

This book outlines most of the ballroom dances from a pictorial point of view with the assistance of footstep illustrations. Its virtue is it is pretty comprehensive, with most of the ballroom dances discussed. Even some dances considered a little risque, such as the lambada, are discussed in the book. No doubt that professional instructors will find areas of disagreement in the advice and the patterns developed, but no book can cover all the idiosyncrasies of styling that exist in ballroom classes. A good book to have when learning ballroom, and the price is very reasonable.

Disapointed.......2000-05-06

Disappointed

Product Description

How to achieve balance in your life through Tango .... even if you can't dance.

Customer Reviews:

Tango is so worth the effort of learning and doing........2007-02-03

Tango will change your life and this book tells you how and why.
This is one of the best of many books on the subject of life transformation experienced by a very large number of people outside of Buenos Aires.
Highly recommended.
However, it has even greater meaning when you have attempted the Argentine Tango.
So, hug a partner and dance with your heart.
Abrazos!

Tango dancers will smile with understanding.......2007-01-17

A quick read, packed with philosophical and insightful concepts. If you're a tango dancer, this book will speak to you as you compare what she is writing with what you already know. The Tao of Tango will have you nodding your head vigorously, agreeing that what she says is in fact true. Johanna Siegmann's
comparison of female/male energy to tango is a thought provoking, but compelling theory filled with accuracy. I couldn't put this book down .

Dance Tango, Be Whole.......2006-01-17

The Tao of Tango by Johanna Siegmann is a delightful chronicle of her discovery of the inner world of Argentine Tango - plus an insightful look at the application of Taoist philosophy to both Life and Tango.
On the surface, Tango is rooted in the sensuality and seduction that goes on between a man and a woman. But deeper things are going on. As Ms. Seigmann discovered, it is a conversation "in some language of the soul that resided in some part of me I never knew existed."
Drawing on key principles of Taoism, Ms. Siegmann shows how all people, whether men or women, are mixtures of characteristics that are either yang (masculine) or yin (feminine), and in order to be successful, in either Life or in Tango, each person must have these energies in balance within themselves. Yet in our post-Feminism world, this is rarely the case, for either gender. Johanna Siegmann discovered, as have many others, that learning to tango is much more than learning a new dance.
In order to dance tango properly, whether we are a man or a woman, we must be in touch with both our halves, both the confident masculine part, and the sensitive feminine part. Per Ms. Siegmann, "True happiness lies in the mutual embrace of both our [masculine and feminine] energies." Only when we can draw on both these qualities will our tango have the deep character for which it is so justly revered. In a real sense, it is a journey of self-discovery and healing. We find that, whether interacting on the dancefloor or in a Life relationship, having our energies in balance promises nothing less than a resolution of the age-old "battle of the sexes."

It's About the Connection.......2005-12-20

This book is not so much about steps or sequences, so don't expect to learn cool moves from it. It's more about what lays beyond the movement. A balance between two energies: feminine and masculine that is what creates that strong unforgettable connection between people in dance or in life.

I recommend this book to anyone, either you are dancing tango or not; it's short and very easy to read. And if you don't find a nice dance technique suggestion in it, you might find something that would be applicable in your every day life in a relation with your significant one or friends, or colleagues at work.

Understanding the Power of Balance.......2005-05-16

The Tao of Tango is successful because it probes the right questions.
As the result of "feminism", we can enjoy a fairer balance of power with men, but what femininity is still remains a complete mystery to us. The book dares to praise passivity, surrendering and following, and reminds us that those words can still carry derogative connotations. At the same time it tells us about male and female energies present in each one of us and with that, it frees us of limiting patterns of behavior.

Dancing Tango is a beautiful way to play, rehearse and observe how we are as women and men. The Tao of Tango refers to it in a provocative, measured and grounded way.

Valeria Solomonoff
Tango performer, teacher and choreographer
Co-founder of TangoMujer
www.valetango.com

Average customer rating:

One of the best from Robert James Waller
A little too flowery at times, but overall Good
An ode to the mythical Western small town of yesteryear...
An Excellent novel, from someone who's actually read the book...
Just Another Western Type Romance.

High Plains Tango: A Novel
Robert James Waller
Manufacturer: Shaye Areheart Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0307209946
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Amazon.com

In an Author's Note at the end of High Plains Tango, Robert Jaems Waller says: "Though this book stands by itself, it is a continuation of two of my other books: The Bridges of Madison County and, especially, A Thousand Country Roads ... A Thousand Country Roads details Carlisle McMillan's search for his father, Robert Kincaid, who played a central role in The Bridges of Madison County."

Waller just can't, try as he might, get back to Madison County. Even though there are those who love to trash Bridges as sentimental twaddle, there are legions more who celebrate it as a romantic tour de force. Whichever side you favor, let it be said that the book delivers exactly what it promises. Not quite true of this book. What promises to be a romance of Waller-like proportions turns into an environmental crusade which turns down the heat, and then switches back to romance and do-goodery.

Carlisle McMillan, Stanford graduate (which comes in handy later on) and wanderer, floats into the town of Salamander, South Dakota, one afternoon and decides to stay. It is far enough away from anything that smacks of "city" to be appealing. He buys property with a derelict house on it and rebuilds it in honor of his mentor, Cody Marx. Cody taught him everything he knows about fine carpentry, and about doing it right, even when it doesn't show. Cody's Way is a metaphor for house building and character building, and Carlisle has learned his lessons well.

There are two women in this tale: Gally Devereaux, married to a big jerk who has the good grace to die, and Susanna Benteen, the auburn-haired beauty who dances naked in the firelight. Does anybody but Waller know women like this? Things are perking along just fine until the long arm of Progress reaches all the way to Salamander, deciding to build a highway, and spoils everything.

There is a lyrical last chapter reminiscent of some of the best-remembered of Waller's prose, and a toast offered by Carlisle's mother, Wynn: "To ancient evenings and distant music." Sound familiar? --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

With over 10 million copies sold, bestselling author Robert James Waller returns with the haunting, evocative story of a small town, a beautiful and mysterious woman, and the man forever changed by both.

The wild places are where no one is looking anymore. Out there on the high plains, among the Sioux reservations and the silent buttes, among the small towns dying and the people with them, you can hear the wind. And on the back of the wind is the sound of an old accordion—tangos—mingling with the lonely thump of a single drum in the nighttime and a far-off warrior’s cry. On the back of the wind is the smell of worn saddle leather and sawdust, of sandalwood, and smoke from ancient ceremonial fires. To this, to a town called Salamander, comes Carlisle McMillan, a traveler and master carpenter seeking a place of quiet amid the grinding roar of progress. Near Wolf Butte, a strange and apparently haunted monolith, he finds his quiet, or so he believes, and begins rebuilding a decrepit house as a tribute to the gruff old man who taught him a carpenter’s skills, rebuilding his life at the same time.

He finds two very different, independent women: Gally Deveraux, who works at a diner in Salamander and longs for something more than she is, and Susanna Benteen, beautiful and enigmatic, who was drawn to Salamander for mysterious reasons of her own, a woman the town has labeled a witch. The women and his carpenter’s trade and an old Indian known as Flute Player bring Carlisle a sense of contentment for a while. But his quiet is shattered as bulldozer treads begin to turn and the Yerkes County War commences. Run or stand your ground, that is Carlisle’s dilemma, Gally on one side, Susanna on the other.

Robert James Waller’s fully imagined characters become people we know and care for deeply.

High Plains Tango is the hauntingly lyrical story of a small town in the middle of nowhere, a town that forever changed—and was forever changed by—one man.

Download Description

Robert James Waller lives quietly with his wife, Linda, and their dogs and cats on a small farm in the Texas Hill Country, where he pursues his long-standing interests in writing, photography, music, economics, and mathematics. In the Texas evenings, he wades remote Hill Country streams, fly-fishing for bass and trout.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best from Robert James Waller .......2007-09-13

Very good transaction. Excellent novel and the seller was excellent to
deal with.

A little too flowery at times, but overall Good.......2006-01-31

Waller is one of the most descriptive writers out there - and he does it magnificently - but sometimes, I wish he'd just cut it out and tell me what he wants me to know!

The overwhelming intricate details of the middle-story about the corrupt developers and politicians was absolutely unnecessary and bogged down what could have been an excellent book!

***SPOILER*** And, Carlisle - here's a little clue. Next time you put a year's worth of your life and heart and soul and blood and guts into a project and someone wants to run a bulldozer over it - MOVE IT!!! As well built as that house was - moving it would have been such a simple task!

An ode to the mythical Western small town of yesteryear..........2005-11-04

Carlisle McMillan has one goal: to find a place where industry won't find him, to settle in a land of wide open spaces where progress is much slower, if it exists at all. After years of fighting industrialization in California, he hits the road with no particular destination in mind. He's not running away from anything, not running to anything: He's merely driving, searching for a place to settle, a place yet untouched by large corporations and economic development. He finds such a town in Salamander, South Dakota, and this is where HIGH PLAINS TANGO, the poetically-titled new novel from Robert James Waller, begins.

Carlisle settles into town immediately; although locals whisper about his long "hippie" hair and question his financially independent means, he is generally accepted by his neighbors. He buys a piece of property on the outskirts of town that contains an abandoned shed and a nice grove of trees, and makes it his goal to turn the shed into a tribute to his mentor, Cody Marx, who taught him everything there is to know about the art of carpentry. Within a matter of months, the shed has become a cottage--a cozy home for Carlisle and the stray tomcat he's adopted and named Dumptruck. With two appealing women--Gally Deveraux, a down-and-out waitress at the town's only diner, and Susanna Benteen, the beautiful and mysterious "witch woman" who dances naked on the High Plains--to keep him busy, Carlisle settles into a simpler way of life. He spends evenings sitting on his porch with Dumptruck, watching the endangered T-hawk family that lives in the grove of trees on his land.

But it isn't long before Carlisle's archenemy, Progress, finds him and sinks in its teeth. There's talk in Salamander of a highway that's set to be built, one that would stretch clear from New Orleans to Calgary, one that would cut right through Carlisle's quiet patch of land. The majority of Salamander's citizens are all for the development, convinced the highway would bring new business to their dying town. But Carlisle is determined to stop the developers and preserve his simple way of life, even if it means he'll once again become an outsider to the people of Salamander...

Waller's new novel is both a romantic and an environmental text, a book that focuses both on one man's struggle to save his land from the greedy grip of corporate development, and on the woman who makes him realize that what he has is something worth fighting for. It's a beautifully written novel, heavy on atmosphere and rich with luscious prose.

However, the novel lacks focus. The plot is uneven, meandering from romantic simplicity to grassroots environmentalism. The environmental message seems to be merely thrown into the text without resolution, and the introduction of a violent character toward the end of the book is more confusing than anything. Waller's dialogue is unrealistic in many places, and his first-person narrator, a reporter of sorts, is never revealed, which is annoying. In the tradition of Kent Haruf and Mark Spragg comes another modern Western laden with cliches, a sentimental ode to the dying American small town. In more able hands, like Haruf's or Spragg's, such a novel wouldn't bother me so much--I might even enjoy it; but Waller's ability to pull it off is impeded by an uneven plot and stilted dialogue.

Nevertheless, HIGH PLAINS TANGO held my attention. The ending was particularly lovely, and I enjoyed Waller's interaction with Native American culture, legends, and mysticism. While Waller is probably not an author I will ever read again (for instance, I won't be rushing out to buy THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY), I could appreciate his command of lyrical and atmospheric prose in HIGH PLAINS TANGO.

An Excellent novel, from someone who's actually read the book..........2005-09-17

High Plains Tango is a story that will fascinate you from the beginning, turn you on and anger you in the middle, confuse you in a few small areas, and leave you satisfied at the end. I have never before read Robert James Waller, therefore I am not trying to compare it to "Bridges of Madison County". Perhaps this is the key to enjoying this novel (it also helps to read the book before you judge it...).
To understand the meaning of the title you have to read the whole thing, but I absolutely love how the story ties all of the characters lives together so neatly. I finished this book in 3 days, I read as my 5 month old daughter napped, and I had a hard time putting it down. Sometimes the detail and the dialogue (especially involving the elderly gentleman) got a little monotonous, but in general it's a real page turner.
If you are looking for a novel of purely romance and no other substance this is not the book for you. However if you are wanting to read something that brings out all of your emotions, truly brings to life all of the characters and leaves you wanting more then by all means read this book!

Just Another Western Type Romance........2005-09-05

This is another of Waller's post-divorce from Francesca to find romance and the ever elusive love she took with her. Here, we have Carlisle searching for his father, Robert Kincaid. I thought he had died long ago. He comes to a quiet little town to rebuild his life while rebuilding an old decrepit house. Near the Sioux reservation, he listens to an accordion playing tangos, with a single drumbeat. Usually the Indians use only one drum unless they are in a ceremonial competiton.

The witch Susanna dances naked in the firelight. He was writing about this kind of fallen woman before wife and daughter departed Texas to go back to Iowa. He found his Linda, like Greg Macdonald found a young live-in replacement for his wife who returned from the rural area of Tennessee to go back to Boston. Mid-life crisis is a bore.

The Indian Flute Player, like son Jeff, charms the desert animals around the ceremonial fires. Carlisle fights city hall (if there be such in the western small towns) and this one is forever changed by one man. There is a triangle with a waitress in addition to the woman he calls a witch, which makes it decidely uneven. Carlisle, after all, is college educated, but like all men like to indulge in the lower-class women on occasion.

The Yerkes County War commences, as is my GSA war! Who will be the winner, the government or the citizen? He is so poetic and lyrical in the way he phrases things. I know it is lonely out there in Texas wading branches and fly-fishing but ...."to ancietn evenings and distant music" ... to the ballads of Madison County. He never should have left there.

Average customer rating:

An excellent book in spite of some big warts
It is fun to read !
Fascinating book
Tango awareness by Mauricio Castro
Tango Awareness, the core philosophy of Tango Discovery

Tango Awareness
Mauricio Castro
Manufacturer: Tango Discovery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9874384573

Book Description

Learning to dance tango.
Looking and feeling great is only the beginning.
Find out how some dancers learn faster and better than others.

Understanding the solid principals of Tango Awareness will make your mind drift away into the comfort zone. Being yourself while you learn is easy.

As you read and slowly drift, you gain the power of understanding your unconscious. Propel yourself to the future of faster learning.

It is time to change to Tango Awareness.
-Release who you are.
-Express yourself through movement.
-Open up to new possibilities.

You are in the future, looking back at yourself... Tango Awareness was the best decision you ever made.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book in spite of some big warts.......2005-07-22

OK, the bad first. This book is terribly edited. It is full of typos -- egregious, conspicuous typos, like missing periods, and some really awkward phrasings. It isn't just the copy editing, though. The writing sometimes takes a sort of self-help infomercial tone that is both funny and painful: "You are in the future, looking back at yourself... Tango Awareness was the best decision you ever made." Give me a break!

That said, you should *definitely* read this book if you dance tango, no matter your level.

It's worth wading through the typos and the painful writing for the gems of insight and advice throughout the book -- advice that is spot-on. This isn't a book of steps or specific body techniques, but rather a way of thinking about dancing, about learning to dance. It nails down many things I'd half-discovered in the dance, but hadn't fully realized -- and it points out many things I'd never even thought of. His sections on the neurological basis of tango communication and on active following are each worth the price of the book alone.

I'm giving the book -1 point for the shoddy copy editing and -1 point for the occasional silliness of the writing -- but that's starting from a score of 5 for content.

So forgive the silly bits, forgive the bad editing, and read this book. It's worth it.

It is fun to read !.......2005-03-20

When I got it I couldn't stop reading it until the end. I was enlightheWhen I got it I couldn't stop reading it until the end. I was enlightening and fun to read. It describes the dance with very easy examples. I love it !

Fascinating book.......2005-03-07

Extremely well written by one of my favorite tango authors.
It demystify de dance from the regular tango stereotypes and gives new depth of understanding on how to learn this beautiful dance.

Tango awareness by Mauricio Castro.......2005-01-23

It is an excelent book. The history part of the book is a refreshing perspective, very different from the usual. Also the incorporation of new technichal unerstandings is great.

Tango Awareness, the core philosophy of Tango Discovery.......2004-11-30

I am a Tango Discovery Teacher and had the privilege of editing this book.

If Mauricio's first two books, Tango, the Structure of the Dance, Vols. 1 & 2, are the "How" of Tango Discovery, Tango Awareness is more like the "Why."

Tango Awareness is the core philosophy that Mauricio has brought to tango with the introduction of the Tango Discovery method. The roles of leader and follower are not that one is active and the other passive, although this was certainly true in the old ways of dancing tango. One active partner and one passive partner is not the best recipe for pleasure. With the introduction of Tango Discovery, Mauricio Castro brought the roles of leader and follower up to date with modern understanding of human communication and movement technologies. Tango Awareness is the interpersonal communication aspect of Tango Discovery.

This book is a must read for Tango Discovery students. For anyone interested in tango, it is a refreshing perspective on the dance, its history and its future. Maybe the best way to summarize the book is to quote the author, "The focus of this book is the exercise of changing old beliefs as the basis for faster dance evolution."

Ravi Khalsa, Tango Discovery Certified Master Teacher, www.tangoaz.com

Average customer rating:

The Parrot Tico Tango

The Parrot Tico Tango
Anna Witte
Manufacturer: Barefoot Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1905236115

Product Description

Parrot Tico Tango is a mischievous parrot who always wants what others have, so he can t resist stealing the delicious looking fruit of his rainforest friends. But Tico Tango learns his lesson when greed finally gets the better of him and he takes on more than he can carry. His companions forgive him but only on the condition that he dance the tango for them!

Customer Reviews:

The Parrot Tico Tango.......2007-03-26

My 6 year old son is obsessed with this book. We originally took it out from the library. He insisted reading it every night until he could memorize it. He loved it so much we bought it for his birthday. He loves the rythm of the book, all the fruit and colors. He can read it on his own now and wants to take it to school to share with his class. It is also available in Spanish - I think I'd like to read that version as well.

Nine Plays of the Modern Theater: Includes: Waiting for Godot; The Visit; Tango; The Caucasian Chalk Circle; The Balcony; Rhinoceros; et al

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Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre
Great selections!

Nine Plays of the Modern Theater: Includes: Waiting for Godot; The Visit; Tango; The Caucasian Chalk Circle; The Balcony; Rhinoceros; et al

Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802150322

Book Description

This comprehensive volume contains nine of the most important, most indispensable plays of the modern theater. What Harold Clurman has done in this seminal collection is to create for us a portrait of the progress and turmoil of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre.......2007-09-26

A wonderful book. We are using it in our Theater Appreciation group -- taking turns reading different characters. I recommend it.

Great selections!.......2000-03-26

People like Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, and Bertolt Brecht are some of the most influential modern playwrights, and this book collects some of their most important plays. Seminal works like "Rhinoceros", "Waiting for Godot", "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", and "American Buffalo" are compiled in this book. Fascinating reading!

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Complicated references, but excellent story
Quick trip to today's Buenos Aires

El Cantor De Tango / The Tango Singer
Tomas Martinez Eloy , and Tomas Eloy Martinez
Manufacturer: Premio Planeta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9504911986

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Complicated references, but excellent story.......2005-10-02

Excellent story about an American student who gets a loan to go to Buenos Aires to finish his paper about Borges and Tango singers.

It's 150 pages, not that long, but it does have a lot of references to Argentine History, People, Politics, and Literature. As well as many other worldwide literary and philosofical references.

You might want to know some (a lot) of Argentine history, specially from Perón's era to the 2002 economic collapse.

Still, it is an amazing book to read, even if you don't know much history.

A little boring at first, but it picks up the pace, and gets to the "extasis" about halfway through the book.

In some parts it also has a Witold Gombrowicz' style of analizing Argentine society.

Excellent read for Argentine's in exile, and for those who love Buenos Aires and know it's enigmatic escence. The story is complex, but the author manages to explain it a reasonable pace, and interconnects all the characters in it. Also, the connetions between history, politics, and argentine society with the story is amazing.

A must read

Quick trip to today's Buenos Aires.......2004-09-02

The Argentine contraddictions described through a foreign eye, by a local author.
I guess it reads better if you actually visit Buenos Aires and read some Borges.
You can go to "el Club del Vino" and enjoy some authentic Tango performance (the music, not the dance). You can sip a coffe at "la Biela", walk at "la Recoleta" and maybe pay a visit to the monumental cemetery...
And you'll probably understand the book better. Or if you can't, maybe you can surf the internet looking for guides and picture to pace yourself throughout your reading...
I read it in a weekend and it was like going back to the Capital Federal...

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Intellectually Dishonest, Factually Inaccurate
Respectful effort
This book seems very impressive, but at the in is totally not
Great book
Tango the Art History of Love

Tango: The Art History of Love
Robert Farris Thompson
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400095794
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Book Description

In this generously illustrated book, world-renowned Yale art historian Robert Farris Thompson gives us the definitive account of tango, "the fabulous dance of the past hundred years–and the most beautiful, in the opinion of Martha Graham.”

Thompson traces tango’s evolution in the nineteenth century under European, Andalusian-Gaucho, and African influences through its representations by Hollywood and dramatizations in dance halls throughout the world. He shows us tango not only as brilliant choreography but also as text, music, art, and philosophy of life. Passionately argued and unparalleled in its research, its synthesis, and its depth of understanding, Tango: The Art History of Love is a monumental achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Intellectually Dishonest, Factually Inaccurate.......2007-07-05

Although Thompson's book has a veneer of academic research, it is merely an attempt to promote the position advocated in his other books: Thompson alleges that much, if not most, of the elements of culture for which (mostly European) white societies are credited was "stolen" (that is, copied without credit) from black (in most cases, African) societies.

In "Tango", Thompson, a professor of African art (he has no qualifications either in dance or in Latin American culture) makes two arguments: a general, deductive one and a specific, inductive one.

His deductive argument is essentially "white men can't jump". That is, he reasons from effect and concludes that tango must have been stolen from blacks because it is improvised, and everyone knows that white people can't improvise. White people must have structure. That's why, Thompson says, just as classical music is "white" music and jazz is "black" music, ballroom and ballet are "white" dances, and tango is a "black" dance.

Thompson's inductive argument is based, in large part, on a list of people he has compiled, and who he claims are variously the world's greatest tango dancers, singers, composers and musicians. All of the people on Thompson's list are black. Thus, he alleges, he has "proved" that tango was co-opted from blacks.

Assuming that Thompson's list of the "greatest" has some validity, that would not prove that white people stole the tango from the individuals he selected, much less from any other blacks who didn't make his list.

If Thompson's argument were correct, that would also mean that golf was stolen by the Scottish from African-Americans, because Tiger Woods is black. (I suppose that's his next book.)

In addition to numerous factual inaccuracies, Thompson credits various performers with originating something, and then charges the famous Argentines who introduced and developed the moves with having merely copied them. There is no evidence supporting his allegations other than Thompson's argument by fiat. His proof consists of "because I said so".

Finally, some of Thompson's arguments are just plain fatuous. In interviews, he's stated that there is something called the "break" in tango. And, Thompson says, everybody knows who invented break dancing! In addition to the patent obtuseness of this remark, Thompson also misses the point that, since tango predates break dancing, he's really putting forth an argument that blacks stole break dancing from tango dancers.

Similarly, Thompson points out that tango dancers move counterclockwise around the dance floor. And everybody knows that in African culture, moving around counterclockwise is a way of obtaining a long life! Thompson ignores the fact that all ballroom dances move counterclockwise, including those he has labeled "white" (e.g., waltz and foxtrot).

Those of Thompson's arguments that aren't completely backwards or based on false statements are non sequiturs. As an example, he mentions that some Argentines tie red ribbons to the harnesses of their horses. Lo and behold, red is a color considered to have mystical properties in Africa. Therefore, there is an unacknowledged connection between African superstition and Argentine culture. And - here it comes - this is somehow taken as evidence that the tango was also stolen from Africa. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

The fact that the Chinese consider red to have special powers, as do Jewish cabbalists, is ignored, as is the fact that, even if some aspect of African superstition had made its way to Argentina, this does not provide any evidence that any other aspect of Argentine culture, such as the tango, also came from Africa.

Unfortunately, Thompson's Yale affiliation has afforded him a soapbox and an unmerited presumption of accuracy in his work. If you want an accurate history of tango, you would do better to refer to one of the so-called "coffee table" books, such as the one by Collier. They may be glossy, but at least they tell the truth.

Respectful effort.......2007-06-11

I was so excited about reading the book... But even the first few pages brought nothing but disappointment... Writing manner is very heavy, in addition to overwhelming, almost encyclopedic compendium of facts. As the result - reading very quickly becomes boring. It seems the author is more concerned about telling the reader everything he knows on the subject, instead of creating an engaging narrative. I respect and admire Mr. Thompson's knowledge, but I can't bring myself to finish reading his book. Not such a great choice for a tango enthusiast, rather a specialist.

This book seems very impressive, but at the in is totally not.......2007-03-25

The book starts off by claiming that many aspects of Tango come from African roots. However, looking into all of the claims he made in this book and finding out much of the author says is incorrect you quickly start to judge the his creditabilty. That and the Author is a well known to be bias about everything African. I would not reccomend this book because all it will do is cause more confusion of the History of Tango.

Great book.......2007-02-12

I found the book wonderful. It is especially good on the influences of other cultures on the development of tango in Argentina -- Spain, Africa, Cuba -- all nicely fleshed out. A terrific read.

Tango the Art History of Love.......2006-07-20

A must read for anyone serious about Tango and the history of the dance.

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