Nestled near the Hamptons, the fashionable summer playground of America's rich and famous, and in the shadow of New York City, lies an unimposing 840-acre island unidentified on most maps. On the few on which it can be found, Plum Island is marked red or yellow, and stamped U.S. government—restricted or dangerous animal diseases. Though many people live the good life within a scant mile or two from its shores, few know the name of this pork chop-shaped island. Even fewer can say whether it is inhabited, or why it doesn't exist on the map. That's all about to change.
Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory blows the lid off the stunning true nature and checkered history of Plum Island. It shows that the seemingly bucolic island on the edge of the largest population center in the United States is a ticking biological time bomb that none of us can safely ignore.
Based on innumerable declassified government documents, scores of in-depth interviews, and access to Plum Island itself, this is an eye-opening, suspenseful account of a federal government germ laboratory gone terribly wrong. For the first time, Lab 257 takes you deep inside this secret world and presents startling revelations including virus outbreaks, biological meltdowns, infected workers who were denied assistance in diagnosis by Plum Island brass, the periodic flushing of contaminated raw sewage into area waters, and the insidious connections between Plum Island, Lyme disease, and the deadly 1999 West Nile virus outbreak.
An exploration of the complex world of microbiology, viruses, and bacteria, Lab 257 also shows how the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which ran Plum Island for the last half century, is far more than wholesome grade-A eggs and the food pyramid. The book probes what's in store for Plum Island's new owner, the Department of Homeland Security, in this age of bioterrorism. And for those interested in questions of national security and safety, it is a call to action for those concerned with protecting present and future generations from preventable biological catastrophes.
Lab 257 will change forever our current understanding of Plum Island -- a place that is, in the words of one insider, "a biological Three Mile Island."
It was a BBC documentary on great white sharks visiting California's Farallon Islands that turned Susan Casey from an editor of adventure and outdoors stories in such magazines as Outside to a journalist obsessed with an outdoors adventure of her own. In her Amazon.com interview, Casey recalls the fascinations and the follies of her time with the sharks in the Farallones and discusses everything from the ethics of adventure journalism to the stunning silence and size of nature's perfect predators. And in her answers to the Significant Seven (the seven questions we like to ask every author), she reveals her admiration for both Joseph Mitchell and Johnny Knoxville (once you've read her book, both choices seem appropriate).
The outer edge of the fearsome Maintop Bay, a spooky, boat-eating stretch of water that makes everyone uneasy. Not surprisingly, the sharks seem to love it. (Susan Casey) |
An 18-foot shark investigates a 6-foot surfboard. (Peter Pyle) |
A shark attack at the Farallones is not usually a subtle event. (Peter Pyle) |
Scot Anderson (in orange) observes a feeding. Also in the boat are director Paul Atkins and cinematographer Peter Scoones of the BBC film crew that visited the Farallones in 1993 to film The Great White Shark. (Peter Pyle) |
The Farallones researchers see some action from a shark named Bluntnose. (Peter Pyle) |
An unquiet cove: Just Imagine (Casey's temporary home) at its moorage in Fisherman's Bay, 150 yards west of Tower Point and 200 yards east of Sugarloaf. (Susan Casey) |
Book Description
Since Jaws scared a nation of moviegoers out of the water three decades ago, great white sharks have attained a mythical status as the most frightening and mysterious monsters to still live among us. Each fall, just twenty-seven miles off the San Francisco coast, in the waters surrounding a desolate rocky island chain, the worlds largest congregation of these fearsome predators gathers to feed. Journalist Susan Casey first saw the great whites of the Farallones in a television documentary. Within months, she was sitting with the programs two scientists in a small motorboat as the sharkssome as long as twenty feet, as wide as a semitrailercircled around them. From this first encounter, Casey became obsessed with these awe-inspiring creatures, and a plan was hatched for her to join the scientists and follow their research. The Devils Teeth is the riveting account of that one fateful shark season. An exhilarating adventure story, The Devils Teeth offers a glimpse into a violent, uncivilized world ruled by natures most powerful and mysterious predators, a world where man is neither wanted nor needed.
Customer Reviews:
Great topic but self absorbed writer.......2007-09-22
Positives: stories about history of the Farallones and too-brief summaries of scientific information about white sharks.
Negatives: way, way too much information about her own personal struggles. Also, she seems to semi-idolize the scientists in a way that struck me as groupie-like: "He was a striking person, in his early thirties and athletically built, with jet-black hair and dark eyes and a smile that could light up a small midwestern city."
The author picked a great subject, and was clearly willing to do whatever it took to get a story, but she would have been better served by focusing more of her attention on the sharks and the islands. Nothing that happened to her personally seemed all that interesting to me.
Disappointing.......2007-09-20
- Subject: fascinating
- Author's writing style: disjointed and self-focused anecdotes
- Tone of writing: whiny
- Wanted to put it down after 20 pages.
- Despite effort to get through it, did put it down about halfway through.
the book you buy for everybody you know.......2007-09-12
I'm stunned that anybody gave this book less than five stars. Seriously. It's not just a story about sharks hovering around an inhospitable island like savage school buses, tearing apart unhappy sea lions and bubbling up buckets of frothy blood for three months out of the year -- it's an adventure tale, it's a biological mystery, and ... i suspect it's a love story. sharks, yachts, desert islands, divers, journalists ... it's hard to come up with a more gripping page turner. It's one of those books that you give to everybody you know. "Oh, it's your birthday is it, Horace, well, I know what you're getting! Har har har!" And so far, nobody's come back with less than a face of pallid horror, clutching my shirt and saying "I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!!" -- really. it's that good.
Good read.......2007-07-23
I just picked up this book in a discount bookstore in Orlando while on vacation for 4$ not expecting it to be such a great book. While learning about both the animal and natural world, I got to revel in Susan's destruction (of both herself as well as about anything she touched). She is the classic white hunter of years past. In short, it was extreme and I loved it. I recommend folks read it - but only with the attitude of looking for entertainment value.
Not a good ending.......2007-06-11
And not because of anything the sharks do.
Read between the lines and the obsession is not what the author claims. Not a bad first half, but, as other reviewers point out, the latter part of the book is an example of journalist endeavors gone wrong.
Did not leave me happy I had read it. There are too many great books to waste time on anything less.
Book Description
The first nine books in the popular Christy Miller series are now available in three treasured volumes!
Bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn packs each one with enough action, romance, and drama to keep you reading and wanting more. It all starts the summer Christy vacations on a California beach and meets two friends who change her life forever. But after moving across the country with her family, Christy must begin her sophomore year of high school uncertain where she’ll fit in. A red-headed new best friend, a try at cheerleading, a job at a pet store, and expectations for the prom fill Christy’s high school years with a string of laughter-and-tears moments. Fireball Katie keeps everyone guessing what she’ll do next, and surfer Todd keeps showing up while popular Rick has determined to get her full attention! As these memorable years unfold, Christy and her God-loving friends find out what it means to be a âpeculiar treasure.â Follow Christy Miller as she stays true to her identity in Christ, drawing closer to God for help in realizing her dreams and dealing with her disappointments.
Whether you’re meeting her for the first time or have known her for yearsâ
Christy Is a Forever Friend
Surprise Endings
Cheerleading tryouts are coming up, and Christy Miller is giving it all she’s got. The competition is tough and some of the girls are just rude, but Christy thinks she has a good chance to make the squad. Meanwhile prom is just around the corner, and Christy hopes her parents will make an exception to their âno dating until sixteenâ rule. She’d love to go with Todd to his prom! But nothing turns out as Christy had planned. As the surprises keep coming, can Christy respond with grace...and maybe even spring a surprise of her own?
Island Dreamer
Christy Miller is spending her sixteenth birthday on Maui with her family, Todd, and Paula, her best friend from Wisconsin! What could be better? But Christy soon finds that she and Paula don’t have as much in common anymore. Paula’s obsessed with having a boyfriend...even if it means stealing Todd from Christy! Will he choose Paula over her? Or will the islands send Christy dreaming in new directions?
A Heart Full of Hope
Christy Miller is sixteen, and that means she can finally date! Rick has waited months for this, and he has a whole list of dates planned. He’s not happy about her early curfews and weekend job, but Christy knows her parents aren’t about to negotiate on those points. Really, she’s dazzled to be pursued by such a thoughtful guy. So why does she feel overwhelmed? Where does Todd fit into her life now? And can any guy really fulfill all her hopes?
Story Behind the Book
âThe Christy Miller series was actually born when a group of thirteen-year-olds challenged me to write a novel. I’d been questioning the content of their favorite books when they said, âWhy don’t you write a book for us?’ I told them no, I only wrote picture books. But they persisted: âHow hard could it be? We’ll even tell you what to write! We want a love story with teenagers at the beach.’ And there you go. Summer Promise first released seventeen years ago and is now translated into five languages. I continue to hear from readers all over the world, many girls saying that they gave their life to Christ after reading Summer Promise. I love that!â
âRobin Jones Gunn
Customer Reviews:
Don't you want a Todd?.......2007-03-28
I love when Todd kissed Christy! It's so sweet! You want them together so so so much! I've read this one twice, and I love the Island Dreamer. Her relationship with the Lord grows. Sometimes I just want to scream at Paula from trying to steal Todd, though.
Christy is a delightful character.......2007-01-03
Although I am an adult, I've enjoyed all the Christy Miller stories. Christy is the sort of person I would have loved to have had for a friend durin high school, and I think many girls can relate to her. The pacing of the stories is sometimes a little slow, and the supporting characters, especially Christy's parents, should have been much better developed. Still, the stories are so enjoyable they are well worth reading.
Hey Juliet, Rick isn't your Romeo.......2006-12-30
Christy Miller is amazing. I adore every book in the series and even in the Sierra Jensen series. "Awesome" young women on fire for God are inspirational. In Volume 2, Christy is different though. Issues occur and the world isn't completely sugarcoated. It is a nice change from the picture perfect world of Newport and Todd. Life isn't always easy, but Christy's struggles reflect that God is always. The moral of this collection is God is there, patience pays, and guys like Rick aren't worthy of "peculiar treasures". Don't hate the Rick's of the world. Pray for them because love and God are the only two things that can change a heart.
Book Description
First published in 1877, this is the earliest novel of Indo-Guyanese life. It is a lively and readable story of colonial society divided by antagonisms of race and class. It is the third title to be released in the Caribbean Classics series, following Creoleana and With Silent Tread. The series aims to reissue classic Caribbean texts for scholars, and for general readers everywhere.
Average customer rating:
- Channer has outdone himself this time!
- The master at his absolute best!!
- Its Hard to Put Into Words
- Compelling...
- An intriguing , well written story
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Passing Through
Colin Channer
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0345453344
Release Date: 2004-06-29 |
Book Description
From the national bestselling author of Waiting in Vain and Satisfy My Soul comes a sexy, witty collection of connected stories set on San Carlos, a tiny island with an old volcano in the Caribbean Sea.
Spanning the early 1900s up to modern times, the stories trace the intersecting lives of travelers, expatriates, and local folks in ways that shock, illuminate, and reveal. From the American photographer who finds her world disturbed by new forms of love and lust, to a charismatic priest confronted by the earthly perks of fame and stardom, the diverse mix of characters are united by the universal search for love and understanding—a challenge on an island simmering with issues of politics, power, and race.
Written with poetic grace and titillating candor, each story shines against its own tableau—World War II, the rise of Fidel Castro, Mt. Pelée devastating Martinique, import-export trading, Bob Marley in the days before his music echoed all around the world. As men and women fall in love, marry and remarry, face moral conflicts and new identities, the volcano sees it all. From plantation days to the roots of revolution, it is a silent witness to the turbulent century that engulfs this tiny island of eternal humor, passion, and allure.
Customer Reviews:
Channer has outdone himself this time!.......2005-09-29
Having read all of Colin Channer's previous works (including his contributions to several compilations and anthologies), I was eager to begin reading "Passing through". As everyone knows, the better the work the artists produces, the higher the expectations on subsequent works -- thereby making the artist his/her worst enemy and stiffest competition.
Mr. Channer, however seemed undaunted by these considerations when he put pen to paper to create this masterpiece and it shows on every page! Clearly, raising the bar for himself and every other writer of fiction was a mere side effect of pouring himself into this work and holding nothing back from the reader, to my sheer delight!
I literally could not put it down -- and often read and re-read certain passages -- not only because of the graceful and poetic prose style, but because the plots were so seamlessly and intricately weaved into the fabric of the characters' development that it was difficult to believe that a fiction work this profound could even be crafted on purpose.
It was more like a literary cosmic accident that created an explosion of random words onto a page creating a thing of indescribable, magnificent beauty. (Seriously, it's quite apparent that each and every word was meticulously and intentionally selected with purposem care and intent, like a master chef selects each seasoning, ingredient and piece of cookware before starting a recipe).
Between these pages I read words that made me laugh out loud, frown up my face and shed tears uncontrollably.
The truest mark of a good story is a conflict of emotions at the end: sadness that the story has ended, satisfaction at its resolution and gratitude that I was blessed to experience these characters and their stories.
Estrella, St. William, Shookie and even Father Blackwell have left permanent impressions on my brain. Let there be no doubt that if I get any advance notice of Mr. Channer's next work hitting the presses, I will camp out at my nearest bookstore a week in advance to be sure I get the first copy when it is unloaded off the truck.
If you are a true fan of fine literature and seeking an author who has truly mastered the craft of writing fiction and is cut above the rest, then Passing Through by Colin Channer is one work you cannot afford to miss.
P.S. I have NEVER reviewed any book on Amazon before and I have read (and enjoyed) many.
The master at his absolute best!!.......2005-09-24
For me Passing Through was an enchantimg experience. I didn't just read, I was drawn into the stories. Mr. Channer certainly has a way with words like no other writer I have come across. His descriptions are very detailed and opens the reader's imagination to a world outside of their very own. What I have always enoyed most are the conversations between the characters, somehow they say everything we want to say in our own experiences and yet never do. I can laugh with them and be very angry or sad with them.
This book is so not like any collection of stories I've ever read. The stories are all independent of the book and yet grafted completely in such a way that they compliment each other. From the novel we get history and love stories - bad and good love stories. When I say bad love stories I mean we come up on people totally unsuited for each other, we love them indidvidualy but wish nothing more than for them to be a part and at times it even looks that way and yet they find ways and means of staying together. And isn't that life? The novel brings fictional relationships to life.
You won't be bored for a second but you really have to be one who appreciates versatility and difference in a writer. If you have read anything by the master before you can certainly expect to be pleased. This book is for me, honestly, the best contemporay romance novel in awhile. A truly magical experience.
Caribbean readers fall inlove...again
The rest of the world...fall inlove caribbean style.
Its Hard to Put Into Words.......2005-08-26
I purchased and read Passing Through the day it was released. Colin Channer is truly a masterful word smith. So much so, that it is difficult to put together words that are worthy of describing his writing and this masterpiece he calls Passing Through. His writing is almost like poetry and the stories in passing through are so much more than mere stories, they are more like parables.
There are not many authors who are able to make readers laugh out loud at one sentence and then almost come to tears at the next. Mr. Channer's writings are sensual and enticing, yet never vulgar. He posses the unique talent to actually make the reader feel as if they are a part of the story.
I feel that I must caution that Mr. Channer's writing is not for everyone. The story does not unfold at lightning speed. There are passages that must be read twice to fully grasp their weight. I believe that only patient readers will truly be able to enjoy this authors style. People who not only enjoy a good story, but how the story is put together. This is a novel for those who love to dissect sentence structure and word choice; for those who want to find the deeper meaning of the work.
Once again, it is extremely difficult to describe the resounding emotions Passing Through left me with, so in short I'll just have to say, I loved this book!
Compelling..........2004-11-09
I've read most of CC's work. Passing Through is the most impressive in the way it combines history, sensuality, emotion, and cultural insight with great storytelling. The writing is versatile and superbly crafted, and the styles of the stories roughly mirror the historical periods of their settings.
The memorable characters in these compelling stories tell fascinating truths about Caribbean cultures. CC is able to show how the political becomes the personal, and vice versa, in fresh ways. And there's lots of sometimes biting wit and humor, particularly in the latter stories.
Highly recommended.
An intriguing , well written story.......2004-10-29
I read Passing Through on a Sunday afternoon. The character development is excellent and diverse. The story moves quickly but is complex and thoughtful. To my pleasure , it even has a historical timeline. Mr. Channer's style is sexy, yet intellectual and senstive. I'll reflect on the determination and strength of Estrella (one of the main characters) again and again.
A really enjoyable read.
Average customer rating:
- "Too Romantic to Be True"
- Eden Gone Bad
- No Metaphysics, Just a Review
- Typee
- Symbolism and Imagery.
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Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (Penguin Classics)
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Melville, Herman
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ASIN: 0140434887 |
Book Description
This is the first edition of Typee to place its most riveting features—the highly charged and complicated accounts of sexuality, tattooing, cannibalism, and taboo—in a broad historical context. Twelve rich selections from the writings of Melville's predecessors and contemporaries, along with eight illustrations, will help readers develop a fuller sense of where Melville's treatment of these topics is unconventional and why it matters. The volume also includes a complete list of the excisions and revisions insisted on by Melville's American publisher, further proof of how much his text was pushing the boundaries of acceptable literature of the day. Typee offers an alternative for instructors wishing to teach briefer Melville fiction.
Download Description
At one time the most popular of Melville's works, Typee was known as a travelogue that idealized and romanticized a mysterious South Sea island for readers in the ruthless, industrial, "civilized" world of the nineteenth century. But Melville's story of Tommo, the Yankee sailor who enters the flawed Pacific paradise of Nuku Hiva, is also a fast-moving adventure tale, an autobiographical account of the author's own Polynesian stay, an examination of the nature of good and evil, and a frank exploration of sensuality and exotic ritual. This edition of Typee, which reproduces the definitive text and the complete, never-before-published manuscript reading text, includes invaluable explanatory commentary by John Bryant.
Customer Reviews:
"Too Romantic to Be True" .......2007-08-18
Melville's famed magnus opus, "Moby Dick" should not be tackled without this adequate introduction to his work and dazzling literary adroitness. Do not have any apprehensions animated by a seemingly simplistic or bromide plot, for once a reader foreign to Melville's work grasps the exquisite prose and sincere romanticism ingrained in all of his novels, you're soon to become a captive of it's pages bound by an aroused imagination. Soon to learn the fame and notoriety surrounding Herman Melville is certainly not without reason and like many noble literary giants that have gone before us, his masterpieces withstand the test of time deservingly of the title, "Classic."
The quixotic idea of emerging as a castaway on a dissolute tropical island hidden from the world, deep in paradise with only the company of an exotic but mysterious native people should not deter you from believing "Typee" is of any similarity to other inferior postdating stories of the like. Melville combines a brilliantly adventurous travelogue accompanied by earnest philosophical reflections balancing it all out with anthropological observations of the Island's primitive peoples, as well as recollections of his own home. This famed novel was an ebullient endeavor during it's day which hints the emprise of such modern films as "Castaway" while engrossing the empathy of multiculturalism found in "Dances With Wolves." It is feasibly the first accurate portrait painted of South Pacific life through the eyes of a Westerner, influencing many travelogues to follow focusing on the region in the same fashion of Stevenson and Becke.
Numerous editions have been published since the original. The Penguin Classics Edition provides an introduction by author John Bryant who puts the story into context and Melville's conclusion of the supporting character's fate, written two years prior to the first edition in "Sequel: The Story of Toby."
When first published in 1846, "Typee" was an immediate hit. Readers of the era in the US and even in Europe already knew to expect stupendous things from the then obscure author. This is exemplified by the book's quantum leap to stardom. The original draft was submitted to be published in New York but was rejected supposedly because it was "too fantastic" to be true. The apparent fact that after more than a century and a half of being published readers still have an appetite for Melville's original work, must persuade even the most discriminating of literary tastes of the caliber of his writing. Do not be deceived by the age of "Typee." You needn't be a diehard classical literature enthusiast nor scholar to appreciate this very readable, gracefully written novel. Which is contrary to the sometimes unfathomable rhetoric of the bygone antebellum era. It remains still just as amusing and captivating to readers today.
"Typee" was the first of a trilogy of autobiographical novels set in the South Pacific dealing with Polynesian life. Readers of the author's lifetime couldn't get enough of his masterpieces still acclaimed today. Although not quite as well known as "Moby Dick" is to modern day readers, "Typee" is no less gripping or eloquent.
Eden Gone Bad.......2007-05-04
(This review is based on the Library of America edition)
Melville's first book - and you can call it a novel, because it is - is quite an impressive work. I have to admit that during my reading of it, I didn't know how much was non-fiction and how much was fiction. In the case of a non-fiction book, I would have been rather astonished by Melville's work. But the fact is that this isn't a non-fiction book, and that as a reader you should think more of a literary work. But do not be sad!
For what Melville does remains awesome. The book begins like a novel; the narrator seeks to escape his whaler and remain some time on one of the Marquesan Islands. After numerous adventures, he's eventually caught by the Typees, and from that point on, the book becomes close to an anthropological study of the exotic habits of the tribe. Melville is very insightful and witty, and more often than not, funny. His prose is rich and wonderful. A pure pleasure to read.
"Typee" is a peek at some kind of long lost Eden, where no one has to work for a living - fruits can be plucked any time - and where there seems to be no evil. The Typees all have perfect beautiful skin, due to countless bathings during the day, and they're seldom seen to either cause or receive any harm. However, things aren't so dream-like, and the narrator is constantly haunted by the ghost of cannibalism, especially as he has no clear idea of why his captors detain him and yet treat him kindly.
The author manages to produce some very interesting comparisons between the exotic "savages" and the Western Man, and this reminds me of many a sociologic book. Society, culture, humanity, all of these - and more - are considered from a very unique perspective in "Typee". Life among the cannibals, in an Eden of sorts, that is, in short, what the novel is about. Excellent read from a master of literature.
No Metaphysics, Just a Review.......2007-01-28
Realizing that at least some people might want to know if the book is a good read or not, I'll write a review that hopefully wont read like the opener to a thesis on early american literature: Here goes...
I liked it! I thought this Mellville guy writes and interesting and egageing story. Perhaps he does go into details that the story doesn't need, but even his tangents on trees and fruits, etc. are well written.
Worth the money, worth the time, and worth the attention. Plus, there is the added benefit of acting like a literature snob on a review.:)
Its a book, people. Relax, and enjoy.
Typee.......2006-09-12
Typee was a difficult book to read but worth the effort. There isn't much plot beyond "Tommo's" rehabilitation at the hands of the Typee and his fears that they might be cannibals. Is he being nursed back to health or fattened for a future supper? As with Moby Dick, the bulk of the text is in the form of essay and commentary. There are lengthy discussions on the language, the architecture, the music (or lack thereof), taboos and tatoos, and diet of the Typee. These extra chapters though don't have the humor that is present in Moby Dick. They are still an interesting observation on one subset of Polynesian culture.
Symbolism and Imagery........2006-01-17
All things considered, Typee is an excellent book considering it was Melville's first. The themes hidden inside a simple voyage onto the Nukuheva island are utterly breath-taking. Although Meliville states that "He has stated such matters just as they occurred, and leaves every one to form his own opinion concerning them,"(xx), we all know that the truth was stretched out such as the fact that, in reality, he was only on the Islands for four weeks, not four months. But his imagery, symbolism, and entire demise of the meaning of "civilization," is what makes this novel, a remarkable one.
The magnificent scenery and what it stands for is the readers first see as Melville's first main themes in Typee. Melville's imagery is what catches the attention of his readers. They delve deep within the picture he displays with the words he selects. The entire island that is described constantly through the story gives a sort of reference to the garden of Eden, but of course has a hidden meaning. Some critics interpret the reference to the garden of Eden as a symbol for innocence. But when Tommo first hears of the dreaded Typees, he only believes in their cannibalism. After living with them for four months, he always has that first reaction of the Typees in the back of his mind. Other critics would argue that the injured leg that Tommo is mysteriously diagnosed of only comes and goes according to his true feeling of the Typees at that moment. The Garden of Eden is known for it's beauty, it's tranquility, and it's innocence. All these things are attributes of the island but yet they also show that there cannot be innoncence without violence. The Typees are figured out in the end and the sayings are true but not how the rumors are spread. Tommo figures out that the "savages" are more civilized than the white men are back at home. Those French that landed to come take over are not helping the savages; they are destroying their villages and culture, like "savages." Ever since the beginning, Tommo notices that the savages are probably the truly more humane of the two. "'Yet, after all,' I quoth to myself, 'insensible as he is to a thousand wants, and removed from harassing cares, may not the savage be the happier man of the two?'" (29) This quote demonstrates two things. The undoubtable influence Shakespeare had on Melville and the remarkable foreshadowing that was to display the complete way of life, even of those most "savage," the Typees.
Another main part of Typee is the theme of forbidden romance. Tommo falls in love with the beautiful Fayaway and in the end, he could not even console her as she sobbed while he escaped in a row boat home. Melville proves in his writing that even though Tommo was entirely happy at times, there was always a moment of doubt. Here he demonstrates that even though this is "paradise" or "utopia," man will always miss his own culture no matter how violent they can be. Even though Tommo degraded the white man at every sign of native compassion to each other, he still wanted to go back. Don't forget that he was a prisoner in this peaceful place, and he escapes the island through the one thing that he feared, violence. Was it that he had learned the way of the Typees or had it always been there?
Book Description
Winner of the National Book Award for first fiction, Easy in the Islands is a collection of stories by one of America's foremost contemporary fiction writers. Infused with the rhythms and the beat of the Caribbean, these vivid tales of paradise sought and paradise lost are as lush, steamy, and invigorating as the islands themselves. From fishing fleets in remote atolls too small to appear on any map and reggae bars on islands narrow enough to walk across in an hour, to the sprawling barrios and yacht-filled marinas of Miami, Bob Shacochis charts a course across a Caribbean that no one who has ever been there on vacation will recognize.
Customer Reviews:
Amusing and interesting short stories from the Caribbean..........2006-08-01
My wife and I were asked to read this book of short stories before our first trip to the Caribbean. I thought it was amusing and interesting throughout. No wonder it won the National Book Award for First Fiction. With shades of American writing from the south, these short stories convey the dilemmas, humor, and enigmas of being a whole person mutated by time, place, temperature, sea, flowers, gender, and color. Wonderful stuff. You won't go wrong.
I had high hopes for this book.......2005-09-24
After reading "How to Breathe Underwater" I was beginning to think I liked short stories, so I had hopes for this book
I'm not normally a fan of short stories, so to hold my interest the book must be engaging. This book was not - it was just a long boring book.
The first story was about getting his dead mother off the island, which actually was one of my favorite stories, but only because of the black humor of it.
Some of the stories were written in a dialect that was very hard for me to understand.
"Lord Short Shoe Wants the Monkey" was just a weird story - I couldn't really get anything out of it. It might be because I'm not familiar with the Caribbean, therefore I couldn't appreciate the stories, whatever it is, I will not be keeping this book in my library.
Most Accurate Book About Caribbean Culture.......2002-12-14
I can't believe this book is out of print, it is by far the most accurate book on the culture of the Caribbean. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in St. Vincent in the Caribbean and I believe the author also served in the same area in the Peace Corps. With every short chapter, i was amazed at how he captured the essence of life in the region. I have bought this book for all my friends and family who asked me what it was like to live in the Caribbean, this book is a true treasure.
As Easy as it Flows.......2000-07-12
Diving head first into the collection of short stories that together embody the spirit and adventurous energy of the islands, I swam in the wonderfully clever landscape that Shacochis has painted for his readers. He writes with such ease, his characters seemingly existed before their stories were created. More than this, Shacochis does a dream-like job of taking the reader on an adventure, which is overall, the appeal of islands.
Each more independent than the last, the stories flow effortlesly into the reader's subconscious, relaxing the muscles, and wandering the islands in the reader's mind. It is as if the landscape itself acts as a continuously appearing character, simply asking the reader to open up to new and exciting experience.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys leaving their mind, if only for a brief while, to swallow down the purity of a presumed paradise. Don't hesitate on this one, turn off the television, and get on board for "Easy in the Islands". Who knows, you just might not want to leave once you get there. It is that easy!
Average customer rating:
- A marine biologist and his children loved Adventure on Dolphin Island
- Fun to read
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Adventure on Dolphin Island
Ellen Prager
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
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The Oceans
ASIN: 0595357911 |
Book Description
A family vacation aboard a rented sailboat turns into a horrible nightmare when young Kelly Wickmer is swept off the boat in a raging storm in the Bermuda Triangle. Alone in the wild sea, the timid young girl must struggle for survival and fight her fears of the ocean and its creatures, especially sharks. As darkness surrounds her, a nearby wave explodes in shimmering light and a dolphin appears.
The dolphin brings Kelly to a mysterious tropical island, unlike anything she has ever seen or heard about. Kids on the island befriend her as they encounter stingrays, sea turtles, iguanas, giant tortoise, the fish of a coral reef, and more. Yet, Kelly longs to go home. As she searches for a way off the island and the dolphin that saved her, she will have the adventure of a lifetime. If she survives, it will change her life forever.
Adventure on Dolphin Island combines the best of fiction and non-fiction, with an exciting story of fantasy and adventure blended with fascinating true details about the sea and marine life.
A percentage of the profits from sales will go toward marine education.
Download Description
A family vacation aboard a rented sailboat turns into a horrible nightmare when young Kelly Wickmer is swept off the boat in a raging storm in the Bermuda Triangle. Alone in the wild sea, the timid young girl must struggle for survival and fight her fears of the ocean and its creatures, especially sharks. As darkness surrounds her, a nearby wave explodes in shimmering light and a dolphin appears.
The dolphin brings Kelly to a mysterious tropical island, unlike anything she has ever seen or heard about. Kids on the island befriend her as they encounter stingrays, sea turtles, iguanas, giant tortoise, the fish of a coral reef, and more. Yet, Kelly longs to go home. As she searches for a way off the island and the dolphin that saved her, she will have the adventure of a lifetime. If she survives, it will change her life forever.
Adventure on Dolphin Island combines the best of fiction and non-fiction, with an exciting story of fantasy and adventure blended with fascinating true details about the sea and marine life.
A percentage of the profits from sales will go toward marine education.
Customer Reviews:
A marine biologist and his children loved Adventure on Dolphin Island.......2006-03-14
As a marine biologist, boater, and father of two daughters (ages 3 & 4), I truly enjoyed reading Adventure on Dolphin Island. We read every night, and I think I looked forward to each new chapter as much as my girls did.
The first couple of chapters were so exciting, that we were hoked by page 7. I used so many events in the book to weave into broader lessons to teach my girls about boating safety (especially about wearing a life jacket!), making friends, bravery, and marine animals & plants.
There was plenty of factual information, yet enough fictional frosting to spark the imagination. This is the first Prager book we have read, but I am already looking for our next selection.
Fun to read.......2005-09-26
Lots of good information for the pre-teen reader about tropical marine life interwoven with the adventures of the main characters.
Book Description
In October 2004, a team of Australian and Indonesian anthropologists led by Mike Morwood and Raden Pandji Soejono stunned the world with their announcement of the discovery of the first example of a new species of human, Homo floresiensis, which they nicknamed the "Hobbit." This was no creation of Tolkien's fantasy, however, but a tool-using, fire-making, cooperatively hunting person. The more Morwood and his colleagues revealed about the find, the more astonishing it became: standing only three feet tall with brains a little larger than a can of cola, the Hobbits forced anthropologists and everyone to reconsider what it means to be human.
Morwood's work was no ordinary academic exercise. Along the way he had to tread warily through the cultural landscape of Indonesia—he has an embarrassing mishap with some hard-to-chew pork—and he demonstrated that sometimes the life of a real archaeologist can be a bit like Indiana Jones's when he risked his neck in an ocean-going raft to experience how ancient Indonesians might have navigated the archipelago.
Even more, Morwood had to navigate the rock shoals of an archaeological bureaucracy that could be obtuse and even spiteful, and when the Hobbits became embroiled in scientific controversy—as no find of such magnitude could avoid—it proved easy for Morwood to get nearly swamped with trouble. Finds were stolen and damaged, and the backbiting was fierce. But the light of science, once brightened, is difficult to dim, and the story of the indefatigable Morwood's fight to defend his find discovery is an inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
Groundbreaking information.......2007-09-24
The story of Homo floresiensis, in and of itself, is incredible, but to read about it from a member of the original team makes for a compelling book. In developing histories on discoveries, it is always good to get a book like this early in the drama, before all the political debates ensue. This is a volume those intrigued by this new find must have. (Possible shortcomings: In the review proof copy I was sent, there is no index nor photographs. Perhaps the final printing contains both. I was not sent a final review copy.) - Loren Coleman
Worth the read.......2007-08-02
A detailed account of this historical find with enough background information to put the subject in true perspective. The account of the ensuing controversy is certainly biased and the importance that it takes in the book is regrettable. The consequences of this find question so much of our past understanding of the chronology of evolution that greater in depth discussion would have been welcomed.
Hobbits!.......2007-07-24
A New Human is just not a book on the discovery of Homo floresiensis and all the reactions to this amazing find of a new species of man but also a warning towards those who wish to enter the field of archaeology (or any field of science) that nothing is easy. Mike Morwood has to deal with a harsh landscape, a different culture, the scientific controversy his find would bring about and the bureaucracy that seemed to fight him every step of the way. If you have read Java Man, which tell us about the adventures and mishaps Geochronologists Carl Swisher and Garniss Curtis, then you should think of this book as the next book to read. It truly helped to make much of the events easier to understand.
This is an excellent story of scientific discovery. .......2007-06-01
The authors, Mike Morwood and Penny Van Oosterzee, present a first-hand account of the discovery of parts of 13 hominin (ie `human lineage') skeletons (including a well-preserved skull), in a cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia in 2003. These bones have been interpreted to belong to a new species of `human': indeed a dwarfed descendant of a pre-Homo sapien species. Mike Morwood and co., who were responsible for the project, interpret the bones as belonging to dwarfed descendants of Homo habilis, only previously known from ~1.9 million year old specimens from Africa. The bones were found within sediments dating between 95,000 and 12,000 years ago, and reveal individuals only about 1.06m high, with a brain capacity of only 380cc, or around 1/3 of modern humans. Primitive tools, and evidence of hunting and fire were also found.
Massive ramifications ensue from such a discovery. Is this really a case of insular dwarfism, well-documented in the non-human world (where animals bigger than a rabbit on isolated islands tend to get considerably smaller over time), but never before in the `human' lineage? Or is it just a few medically-afflicted Homo sapien individuals? Is it really a different species? How long ago did they live? How did they die out? Did they have language? Did they have religion? Most of the current data and interpretations are presented in this book, although there has been some recent studies not presented in any detail, and of course there will be more to come. Tragically, some of the material has been damaged during research, due to bungling and politics.
The authors do an admirable job putting the find in its proper context. You will have to wade through about 100 pages of context and story before the discovery is actually made, but this is both necessary and interesting in its own right. Discussions include previous excavations on the island, the geological history of the region (Flores is only a few million years old), the significance of the Wallace and Lydekker Lines, migration routes, examples of island dwarfism (including elephants, goats, and deer), two-way traffic in and out of Africa within various animal lineages, and the development of recent agriculture in China and New Guinea, which promoted dispersal throughout Indonesia, Madagascar, and ultimately the Pacific. Other discussions include project planning, rationale and methodology; initial choices of excavation sites; the daily work of field staff; and the stratigraphic context and dating of the cave site.
The authors contend that it is likely that various homo species spread throughout Asia from Africa from around 3.7 and 2.6 million years ago. Their interpretation places this species, as mentioned, as descended from Homo habilis, with characteristics more closely resembling that species than the later Homo erectus, also found on nearby Java. They back this up with various diagrams, anatomical comparisons, dating, and other discussions. They also contend that Asia in general has played a larger role in human prehistory than previously acknowledged, and I must say their reasoning and arguments are very convincing. There is no shortage of surprising finds and scientific tradition within the area of south east Asia, including Indonesia. This includes the discovery of `Java man', and the significance of the Wallace Line in the discovery and formulation of evolutionary theory.
It is also mentioned that horses originally evolved in North America- evolving into the Zebra later in Africa, the `big cats' originated in Asia and later entered Africa evolving into the lion etc, but both elephants and the hominin lineage (that's our relatives) initially evolved in Africa and then spread outward, from several million years ago. The point is, is that Africa has had two-way traffic of various species, in and out, for eons. There is no reason to suggest that some hominin species originating in Africa (or even elsewhere) can't have evolved into new species regionally, including in an evolutionary hotspot such as Indonesia. This has been documented to have occurred with the Neanderthals in Eurasia, and within elephants in numerous places, such as North America (eg mastodon), and on poor old Flores island-the dwarfed elephant Stegodon-on which the small inhabitants of Flores hunted.
In addition to very good scientific review and discussions, all the good, bad and ugly that can occur within scientific research is discussed, including bureaucratic bungling, difficult field conditions, ownership of material, academic bungling, and research ethics; and in the worst cases, poaching, destruction of material during research, secret and/or ideological agendas, `theft', and international politics.
The interpretation of a `new species' going extinct relatively recently on Flores is not without its controversy. Some claim the bones are only medically afflicted Homo sapien individuals-specifically microcephalia-a condition which diminishes stature and brain size. However the authors contend that both the stratigraphic context, and features of the bones themselves, thoroughly discounts this interpretation. This includes anatomical traits which are not found in either Homo sapien (including pygmies) or microcephalic individuals, but are found in other ancestral species-including australopithecines and Homo habilis. I'm no anatomical expert, but I read that these include the forward orientation and length of the arms, the shape and other aspects of the skull, the shape of the pelvis, and the primitive roots of the teeth. The stratigraphic context, which reveals habitation over an extended time period, and the number of individuals found, also discounts this theory. There have also been several independent studies done on the bones which discount the microcephalia interpretation, however this alternate interpretation is still held by some.
There is a wealth of scientific information and context in this book. It is first class research and science writing, and should go a long way in the proper communication of this fascinating discovery.
The book is moderately technical, but most readers will be able to wade through most of the jargon, and the associated interpretations and controversies.
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