Pedagogy Of The Oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition

Customer Reviews:

Education for the Poor.......2007-05-13

This is a discussion of curriculum for the education of poor people. It is written by a man who made it his life mission to help the oppressed masses. While Freire no longer lives, his work continues in South America.
This book is an insight to Freire's thoughts.

Change your mind.......2007-04-15

This is a profound little book that makes a cogent argument for effective change in individual and social thought processes. It will change the way you think about oppression and what it actually is for those who are oppressed. This is a book for everyone but especially for those who want to make a change for the better in themselves and the society at large. A thought provoking and challenging book!

A must-read one if you are keen on Education.......2007-02-02

You will see how his idea is very influential in the educational discourse. Intrigued particularly by the Chapter 2, I would say that his revlutionary notion of education will be alive and well-adapted in the contemporary educational practices.

Freire wants to critisize the idea of narrative education in which teachers just impose students with plentiful information without encouraging them to think cirtically and to search for realilty, and students just listen passively, try to memorize, and repeat teacher's words and lessons accordingly. In fact, education should be to forster students' creativity, transformation ,and knowledge so that it helps them to become fully human being. In the ideology of oppression, teacher is the oppressor, and students are the oppressed. It means it is not neccessary for students to argue, ask questions, have their own position, and the roles of teacher are to preach students and to dominate their opinions. In other words, it is called the banking concept of education used by oppresors to change the mind of the oppressed in order to easily cotrol them. Conversely, the concept of liberian education entails deeper cooperation between teachers and students. Teachers and students can learn from each other because students must be seen as people who have prior knowlege and raise their opinions influencing teachers'.

Classic Freire.......2007-01-05

For the politically driven educator or other social worker, Paulo Freire provides experience and inspiration from his struggles to empower the downtrodden in his home country of Brazil. Pedagogy of the Oppressed is the most accessible of Freire's education-centered writings, which explains why is his most popular. In this book, Freire identifies the ways traditional pedagogy works to reinforce the 'status quo' and how it may even increase the stratification between the upper and lower classes. The following chapters outline an inspirational and empowering philosophy that, when coupled with education, shows promise to bring about change. A must for any educator concerned with social issues.

pedagogy of the oppressed paulo freire.......2007-01-04

This is a wonderful liberating view on empowerment of the self and an understanding of, how inthis world people can disempower themselves by accepting the view of the powerful and remaining as victims in their own lives.
the most important thing to know is that to achieve true equality is for the oppressed to free the oppressor

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Chickenhawk
A very different review of U.S. foreign policy
Dangerous: may change your perspective on American history!
Comprehensive and an eye-opener
"Foreign entanglements" are the American Way

Dangerous Nation
Robert Kagan
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy

ASIN: 0375411054
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

From the author of the immensely influential and best-selling Of Paradise and Power—a major reevaluation of America’s place in the world from the colonial era to the turn of the twentieth century.

Robert Kagan strips away the myth of America’s isolationist tradition and reveals a more complicated reality: that Americans have been increasing their global power and influence steadily for the past four centuries. Even from the time of the Puritans, he reveals, America was no shining “city up on a hill” but an engine of commercial and territorial expansion that drove Native Americans, as well as French, Spanish, Russian, and ultimately even British power, from the North American continent. Even before the birth of the nation, Americans believed they were destined for global leadership. Underlying their ambitions, Kagan argues, was a set of ideas and ideals about the world and human nature. He focuses on the Declaration of Independence as the document that firmly established the American conviction that the inalienable rights of all mankind transcended territorial borders and blood ties. American nationalism, he shows, was always internationalist at its core. He also makes a startling discovery: that the Civil War and the abolition of slavery—the fulfillment of the ideals of the Declaration—were the decisive turning point in the history of American foreign policy as well. Kagan's brilliant and comprehensive reexamination of early American foreign policy makes clear why America, from its very beginning, has been viewed worldwide not only as a wellspring of political, cultural, and social revolution, but as an ambitious and, at times, dangerous nation.

Customer Reviews:

Chickenhawk.......2007-09-15

Another pudgy think tank blowhard advocating war and military adventures while he has not and would never put himself in danger in the esame way. Disgusting. there is nothing military people, especially those with combat experience, detest more than a chickenhawk.

A very different review of U.S. foreign policy.......2007-09-11

Dangerous Nation, by Robert Kagan, has a brilliant premise, namely that, rightly or wrongly, the United States has always had an expansionist policy - in spite of our own belief that we are essentially isolationists, or even have been so at times. Kagan sums it up best. "Americans have cherished an image of themselves as by nature inward-looking and aloof, only sporadically and spasmodically venturing forth into the world. This self image survives, despite four hundred years of steady expansion and an every-deepening involvement in world affairs, and despite innumerable wars, interventions, and prolonged fate. Even as the United States has risen to a position of global hegemony, expanding its reach and purview and involvement across the continent and then across the oceans, Americans still believe their nation's natural tendencies are toward passivity, indifference, and insularity. (But Americans) have not anticipated, therefore, the way their natural expansiveness could provoke reactions, and sometimes violent reactions, against them."

Kagan makes some great points about U.S. expansion despite our national belief of the opposite. His writing in this volume (which ends at the Spanish-American War, with a second to follow on the 20th Century) is erudite. Often, however, the reader is led astray and wonders where the author is going - and the answer is really nowhere, simply making sometimes quite long winded comments that are off message. In essence, Kagan is a brilliant thinker, has a very sustainable premise but is only an adequate writer. A book for those highly interested in a fairly radical view of American foreign policy, over a long period of time.

Dangerous: may change your perspective on American history!.......2007-08-25

This text should be used in our schools to teach the political-military history all Americans should know. An excellent chronological overview up to the dawn of the 20th century--I can hardly wait for volume two!

Comprehensive and an eye-opener.......2007-06-14

I cautiously approached this book having read some other professional reviews in fear that it might be too much a literary essay and hence non-readable. I have been very pleasantly surprised and recommend it to anyone who might like to look at where we (American) have come from in terms of getting involved in "other people's business".
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Kagan shows the contrasting opinions, often in the same founding father's mind. I too am often in a quandry as to where we should mind our own country's business and where our responsibilities as citizens of the world come into play.
Kagan does a good job of examining how we've come from the world of the Monroe Doctrine (not exactly what I thought it was) to policemen of the world (actually only up to the turn of the Spanish American War).
Now I'd like to see a similar appraisal of the past 100 years.

"Foreign entanglements" are the American Way.......2007-05-03

In our current public debate, intellectual laziness often causes us to support this or that position with certain favorite quotes from the Founding Fathers, stripped of their historical context. How many times do we need to hear about Jefferson's "wall" separating Church and State brought into a discussion about a woman's "right to choose"? How many times has Washington's exhortation "to avoid foreign entanglements" -- in his 1796 Farewell Address -- been quoted to us when the topic is "what to do" in Bosnia, Kosovo or, lately, in Iraq?

Clearly, Robert Kagan is tired of these quotations, which stop all argument, too. The fulcrum of his book is Washington's Farewell Address. He spends the first 120 pages of his book preparing the historical context of this speech from the French-Indian War to 1796, and spends a full 20 pages explaining all of the foreign entanglements a fledgling America had already involved itself during 1796. In effect, Kagan modifies Washington's "rule" of foreign policy by making the case that Washington argued not to eliminate all foreign entanglements, but only those, which were not in America's "interest." The trick since then has been to decide, which entanglements were in America's interest and which weren't.

It is instructive to know that Kagan began this book in 1996, before publishing "Paradise and Power." Not only was 1996 the 200th anniversary of the Farewell Address, but also a special moment in American history when Americans were so tired of "history" and "foreign entanglements" that it looked like we would never want to or have to "entangle" ourselves again. At the same time, we were forced to watch the genocide in the Balkans go unstopped by both a "weak" Europe and an "indifferent" America.
Of course, this moment in history is explored in depth in "Paradise and Power," but it informs "Dangerous Nation."

While I must admit that I still have 100 pages to go in Kagan's book, the reason is twofold: on the one hand, the book is exhaustive in detail and in creating context; and, on the other hand, the book is somewhat exhausting to read, such that I can only manage about 30 pages per day.

Nevertheless, the book must be read due to it's unique perspective on American history. Kagan definitively demonstrates that the American mission has been messianic, interventionist, and idealistic from its Founding.

The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar

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The Kitchen Boy
Couldn't put it down
Great Travel Read
Romantic fantasy but decent reading
That Night in Yekaterinburg

The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar
Robert Alexander
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142003816
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Book Description

Drawing from decades of work, travel, and research in Russia, Robert Alexander re-creates the tragic, perennially fascinating story of the final days of Nicholas and Alexandra as seen through the eyes of the Romanovs' young kitchen boy, Leonka. Now an ancient Russian immigrant, Leonka claims to be the last living witness to the Romanovs' brutal murders and sets down the dark secrets of his past with the imperial family. Does he hold the key to the many questions surrounding the family's murder? Historically vivid and compelling, The Kitchen Boy is also a touching portrait of a loving family that was in many ways similar, yet so different, from any other.

Drawing from decades of work, travel, and research in Russia, Robert Alexander re-creates the tragic, perennially fascinating story of the final days of Russian monarchs Nicholas and Alexandra as seen through the eyes of the Romanov's young kitchen boy, Leonka.

Download Description

"Taut with suspense and rich in historical detail, The Kitchen Boy chronicles in an entirely new light the brutal slaying of Czar Nicholas II and his family It was a crime to horrify, fascinate, and mystify the ages. On the night of July 16, 1918, Bolshevik revolutionaries murdered the entire Russian royal family in a hail of gunfire. No one survived who might bear witness to what really happened on that mysterious and bloody night. Or so it was thought. In masterful historical detail and breathtaking suspense, Robert Alexander carries the reader through the entire heartrending story as told through the eyes of a real but forgotten witness, the kitchen boy. Narrated by the sole witness to the basement execution, The Kitchen Boy is historical fiction at its best. But more than that, the accessible style and intricately woven plot-with a stunning revelation at its end-will keep readers guessing throughout. "This is a dream of a book... [Robert Alexander's] tough, stylish prose is the perfect medium for this fast-becoming myth of evil and innocence, of frailty and courage, of betrayal and redemption."" -Judith Guest ""Through the power of the author's imagination, we see not only the tragedy of the Emperor, but that of a human being, man, and father."" -Ivan Artsyshevsky, The Romanov Family Association"

Customer Reviews:

The Kitchen Boy.......2007-09-12

The author kept you interested all the way through the book and even though you already know the outcome, you are hoping for a better ending. Great read by Robert Alexander. I am now going to read Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander.

Couldn't put it down.......2007-08-29

Coincidentally, the day I started this book there was a news announcement that the graves of the missing Romanov children had possibly been discovered. I should have known that it was a good omen! I had been looking for a novel about the Romanovs for some time and this hit the mark. THE KITCHEN BOY is a wonderful mix of fact and fiction and a valuable history lesson, too. Mr. Alexander did an outstanding job of turning turbulent times and a tragic event into an entertaining novel that I couldn't put down. So believable that I had to convince myself that the fictional mystery ending really didn't happen - or did it? Simply wonderful!

Great Travel Read.......2007-07-09

I bought this book in the Hermitage Museum shop in '05. It's great for a short travel book. Filled with history, plus a good mystery mixed in.

Romantic fantasy but decent reading.......2007-07-05

Knowing little about Russian history, it was interesting to me that R.Alexander was able to weave certified history into his romantic fantasy of a novel. I felt pushed to learn more about Russian history, but not to repeat reading this novel or other books by R. Alexander, I am sorry to say. This book was reviewed by a small book group that I belong to. The ladies all felt the same way about the novel. On the whole, looking at subjects that came to us when reading the book, we were astonished at the sheer waste of money on Romanov jewels and the terrible waste of millions of lives. Also, once again, we were sad that Russia has never managed to be anything but an autocratic society, whether the Tsars or the Communists rule. We hope for better government of that large land of such wonderful potential.

That Night in Yekaterinburg.......2007-07-04

Over the years, many books, both fiction and non-fiction, have been written about the events of July 16-17, 1918. On that date, in the town of Yekaterinburg, the Russian royal family met their fateful end.

Misha Semyonov is an elderly Russian man who is living in the suburbs of Chicago's north side. Nearing the end of his own life, he begins to record a tape for his granddaughter, Kate, detailing what he knows about the Romanov family. Misha, it turns out, was the kitchen boy in the House of Special Purpose in Yekaterinburg. He served the last tsar and his family, and through his recounting of the events leading up to their death, he paints a detailed picture of the last days of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children.

But the story doesn't end there. The innocent kitchen boy's account of the night's events explains the disappearance of two of the Romanov bodies (those of tsarevich Alexei and his sister, Maria), as well as what happened to the bodies of the family. But along the way, Misha covers his own tracks, and it is only through Kate's investigating skills that his big secret is revealed.

Robert Alexander does an excellent job painting the anxiety and uncertainty of those last few weeks in Yekaterinburg. The novel is vivid, with many Russian phrases (and their English translations), notes that can be found in the Russian Archives, and the picture of a loving family confused by their sudden change in circumstances.

To be honest, the novel reads a bit like "The Diary of Anne Frank," though not quite as candid. However, it is an excellent theory into the murders that ended Russian imperialism and changed the face of the world forever.

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The Modern History of Iraq
Modern Iraq

The Modern History of Iraq
Phebe Marr
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813336155

Book Description

The second edition of a highly respected history of Iraq since the construction of the modern state in 1920. Written for lay readers and students of the Middle East, The Modern History of Iraq, Second Edition, places in historical perspective the multiple crises and upheavals that afflict contemporary Iraq. The book focuses on several important themes: the search for national identity in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state; the struggle to achieve economic development and modernity in a traditional society; and the political dynamics that have led to the current dire situation in Iraq. While much remains opaque about contemporary Iraq because of its closed political system, Marr has used published sources in Arabic and English, personal interviews, and frequent visits to Iraq to produce a remarkably lucid and readable account of the emergence of contemporary Iraq and the forces that have shaped it.

Customer Reviews:

The Modern History of Iraq.......2007-02-21

required reading as background history of Iraq, Oil, Middle East to understand the future we need to understand the past to the best of our abilities

Modern Iraq.......2007-01-30

At a time when Iraq seems more violent, unstable, and unpredictable than ever, it is vital to know how things came to be this way. Marr's History of Modern Iraq is a good place to start.

After a chapter covering the various ethnic groups insdie Iraq, Marr begins her book during the time period of the British mandate and continues through to 2003. Each major era of modern Iraq is covered in its own chapter, some of which include rule by Qasim, rule by the Arif brothers, and also the various incarnations of the Baath party.

When discussing each of these time periods, Marr discusses ethnic tensions, social and economic issues, as well as foreign policy. Each chapter serves as a mini crash course on that particular part of Iraqi history. What makes her book particularly valuable is that she is able to link what happened during the chapter in question to the overall direction that Iraq took. With so many drastic and sometimes violent transfers of power, it would be easy to assume that Iraq was in a sense starting over with each new regime. Marr demonstrates that every era was in many ways a logical progression of what came before it.

Marr states in her preface that the book is not to be an exhaustive and detailed history of modern Iraq, but that it's supposed to be a clear and readable one-volume account of the forces that shaped modern Iraq. In that goal she largely succeeds with the exception of the period following the 1990-91 Gulf War. There were many extremely important events shaping Iraq during this period that she either leaves out completely or barely mentions. Since this is the time period that leads directly into what's happening in Iraq now, the more detailed the coverage of this era, the better. Dilip Hiro's Neighbors, Not Friends, and Sarah Graham Brown's Sanctioning Saddam provide the best accounts of this time period.

Nonetheless, Marr's book is excellent and certainly more accessible than other Iraqi history books in the field. Marr's presentation and organization have produced a fantastic book that many will surely look to when attempting to understand what's happening in Iraq today.

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It's a Living
Awesome. A great book
Beautiful, Magnificent, and Often Overlooked
Great early Ayn novel. A frank look at a change to Socialism.
good story; too much philosophizing

We the Living
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451187849

Customer Reviews:

It's a Living.......2007-10-07

First things first. Totalitarian governments are very bad. Soviet Russia was among the worst. Anyone with any doubt of this proposition should take the time to peruse Harvest of Sorrow by Robert Conquest.

That said, this book, while adding something to our understanding of the evils experienced by those suffering under Soviet Russia's domination, is quite bad and, in my opinion, not worth the time and excruciating effort to read.

Kira Argounova and her family return to St. Petersburg following the Soviet Revolution. Conditions are, as one might expect, quite poor. Kira finds here ambitions checked. There is a symbolic love triangle. Simply stated, this book is a historical romance with pretensions to literary fiction. The underlying message of the story, however, is no deeper or more convincing than one would expect from a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Laying aside, though, the merits of the "We the Living" philosophy, my biggest problem with this book is the, quite frankly, poor writing. My four most serious complaints follow.

1. This book is overflowing with pointless verbosity - descriptions that, while wordy, convey no meaning. For example: "The girl looked straight at him, softly, defiantly. He answered with a glance that was an invitation, and a mocking insult, and almost a promise. Then he turned and walked to the counter, as she went out slowly." The tone of the book is undermined by this absurd wordplay. I found myself, on many occasions, chuckling at Ms. Rand's pretentious languange. The subject matter of the novel is not given much to chuckling.

2. Many words and phrases are repeated so often as to make this book seem like a parody. Are there really so many mocking, insolent, arrogant and defiant smiles in Soviet Russia.

3. There are a number of scenes in the book that seem absurdly unrealistic. Most striking is the scene in which Kira and Leo meet. Not only do they fall in love seemingly instantaneously in a rather unusual circumstance, but they also engage in dialogue artificial enough to make Mickey Spillane blush.

4. Finally, the coup de grace for me was chapter X of part 2, the preposterous meeting between Morozov and Timoshenko. The scene appears to have been lifted nearly intact from a below average episode of Threes Company. Indeed, Ms. Rand's contribution appears to be merely the lengthening of the scene from merely uncomfortably overlong to absolutely intolerable.

On the positive side, the book I read featured a cool illustration by artist Nick Gaetano.

Awesome. A great book.......2007-09-20

First, a disclaimer: I am not a member of the cult of Ayn Rand. This is the first book I've read by her. I did not read it because I believe in Objectivism already, or am attracted to its tenets, with which I am completely unfamiliar. All I know of her, and that knowledge is dubious, is that she is the darling of many (what I would call) fundamentalist capitalists. I was looking for a good novel, knew that she was both reviled and adored, and figured it would be interesting reading, at least. For the record, most would call me a liberal.

I was blown away. I'm still not looking to join the cult, mind you, but I will read other books by her because this one showed evidence of a warm heart, an uncompromising intellect, and a fever for living well. Ideology was not permitted to run roughshod over plot or character. It's an astonishingly accomplished first novel, and ought to be a candidate for every serious book club and every list of great books.

Rand draws her characters clearly and with complexity. While she is a bit romantic, even her simpler characters, such as the lickspittle, Victor, are developed in such a way that the reader must ask difficult questions about who he is, why he is that way, and would we be different under the same constraints. Kira, the central figure, is sympathetic, tragic, heroic, and admirable - but also a conundrum. Given who she is, why does she do the things she does? Why the compromises? Are they compromises? What of the archetypal Party man, Andrei? Is he a tragic or romantic hero? Is he a naive tool? Is he redeemed, or is his naivete merely exposed? Rand crafts a story that raises questions that have no easy, vapid answers but that demand discussion.

For those who think of Rand as the patron saint of Gordon Gecko, of greed and looking out for number one - which is the vague impression I've had of her - the characters who are most narcissistic, most self-aggrandizing, are also the most contemptible. And the hero lives a life of selfless love, with disciplined passion and a dreams deferred. This is not a book to avoid because of preconceived notions about Rand and her ideology.

The book raises many ethical and political issues, but I didn't leave with the sense that the conclusions were foregone. She talks about the corruption of a well-intended revolution, and while it applies particularly to Soviet Communism in these pages, I take it that it could as easily apply to any ideology - political, economic, religious, whatever - that fails to serve the people it promises to serve. There is clearly a passion in favor of letting the gifted be gifted, but there are nasty aristocrats and noble peasants, both, here. There's no aristocrats good, peasants bad theme operating here. I see respect for the good, whether they be rich or poor, and derision for those without dreams or nobility. As a bumper sticker says, those who have smothered their own dreams will smother yours. It becomes their job.

In 21st century America, where ideologies are ossified, partisans are blindly simplistic, and we have few, if any, bridge-builders, We the Living is a compelling call to remember that our dreams have a claim on us that we dismiss at the cost of lives worth living. What are our dreams, and what comforts or phantasms have we traded them for? I don't think Rand wants us to sleep easily after asking these questions.

Beautiful, Magnificent, and Often Overlooked.......2007-08-24

I am a huge fan of Ayn Rand and while many of her readers think The Fountainhead, and especially Atlas Shrugged to be her best novels. I think We The Living is right along up there. This is a good deal smaller than Atlas Shrugged, but it still has a lot of power in it.

This book is a tragedy. So do not read it if you want a happily ever after. While the story is filled with misery, you are still filled with a profound longing for a better world. That quality is something Rand puts in all her works.

This book is not just about the evils of communism, it encompasses the entire spectrum of the 'individual vs. the state'. She shows what the state can do to a person, the state can grind a man down to nothing, it can leave an empty shell. And Rand shows what the state can't do to some people, the state can restrict a person, they can impose laws, they can cause tremendous suffering, but the state cannot always take away hope and desire even in the last few breathes one might take before they die.

Great early Ayn novel. A frank look at a change to Socialism........2007-06-18

This book was unlike her later books. It's more of a look at actual history and the effects of an actual change in government. There were many here in the US who have wanted to duplicate Russia and change our government to Marxism. They came here soon after the fall of Russia, in the very early 1900s. They called themselves "Marxists" which didn't go over well. They then stole the term "Progressives" from the conservatives and are once again using that term. Today, they have finally come into power in our current congress (Pelosi) and the puppet masters pulling their strings such as George Soros & International Answer.

Another book that most haven't read is her first book. It rates a VERY high recommendation and is again much unlike her other books. "Anthem". I believe this was Ayn's 2nd book and the only one of this type she wrote.
I couldn't help but think that it inspired "1984" and "Planet of the Apes". It was a short, quick read that was entertaining and thought provoking. Like all her books, it doesn't compare two shades of gray, but black & white. I've long used this technique in analyzing questions relating to physics, geometry, math & life.

good story; too much philosophizing.......2007-06-12

This is my first Ayn Rand book; I can tell from the other reviews that I may like the others better. The edition I read provided some good notes on Ms. Rand, which helped me understand the book. I am glad that I read this book first, since it is apparently fairly autobiographical, and since it was her first book. I found the story interesting and assume that the portrayal of Russia at that period to be accurate. The only complaint I have is that I think that the story is interrupted too often with Ms. Rand's philosophizing.

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A rare novel
A couple comments
The flaws are much of what makes it so great.
Art is always meditating upon death and thereby creating life
Pasternak's Purpose

Doctor Zhivago
Boris Pasternak
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679774386
Release Date: 1997-03-18

Book Description

n celebration of the 40th anniversary of its original publication, here is the only paperback edition now available of the classic story of the life and loves of a poet/physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution.

Customer Reviews:

A rare novel.......2007-09-30

After reading famous books you often feel that whilst it was good, you can't quite understand why it has become so renowned. Perhaps it is because the idea is powerful but badly executed or perhaps has an incredible mood but the concept and importance are somewhat lacking. None of these feelings occur when reading Dr Zhivago, its artistry is superb, the dialogues and turns of phrase are often breathtaking in their subtle importance, beauty or both. This is a book that fully warrants its reputation, it is stripped of the idealism and runs almost like a political philosophy discourse at times in the development of ideas of equality, the human spirit and the paths to progress in society.

It is for this reason that I don't think the book deserves its reputation as a 'love story': it is certainly a human story with love becoming more important as a theme as the book continues, but the power of the context is such that one could say that it is a political book first and a romance second. However, such hierarchies are not applicable in a work such as Dr Zhivago, such is Pasternak's skill as a writer that the themes of the novel perfectly complement each other, he balances the issues of the history of the era, Yury's development as a person and the underlying current of the women in his life with almost orchestral skill. If Pasternak's aim was to create an illustration of the power, subtlety and synphonic nature of life, uncontrollable by 'men of action' then this is reflected in the structure and style of his prose.

The book had a great effect on me, its integrity was great and the whole book wonderfully honest. Each comment was razor blade sharp so I was often completely surprised that he was brave enough to write such things in Soviet Russia. He seems to have paid for his integrity with his life, echoing the life of his main character in this way and in many others. I would be unsurprised if Pasternak only wrote one novel on this scale; he seems to have put everything of himself into it.

The prose is not always pleasurable to read, it's even dull in places such as the chapter-long train journey. I also would have preferred a greater mix with descriptions and dialogues, there were few sections when the two were sufficiently mixed so that the reader has to often read very lengthy dialogues and intermitable (though often startlingly beautiful) descriptions. I experienced East of Eden by Steinbeck in a similar way: it was often not pleasurable so much as enlightening and a book that one should try to read at least one time in your life.

A couple comments.......2007-06-20

Rather than re-writing what many have already stated, I need to contest some reviews. Someone mentioned the conclusion was pointless and could have been done without. Some of the most beautiful lines of the book are contained in the last three chapters (14, 15, 16).

Just a light sampling of their beauty (all from the conclusion):

"You must never, never despair, whatever the circumstances. To hope and to act are our duties in misfortune. To do nothing and to despair is to neglect our duty."

"Never, never, not even in their moments of richest and wildest happiness, had they lost the sense of what is highest and most ravishing - joy in the whole universe, its form, its beauty, the feeling of their own belonging to it, being part of it."

"The riddle of life, the riddle of death, the beauty of genius, the beauty of loving - that, yes, that we understood. As for such petty trifles as re-shaping the world - these things, no thank you, they are not for us."

The character development may not be sewn up neatly, but the philosophical and theological ideas Pasternak expresses come to a climax in these final chapters. The fact that some similes, metaphors, etc. were not really working, as one reviewer stated, could easily be due to the translation. In the translator's note they recognize this is not the translation of a poet. The beauty of language is often lost in translation, and thus this is not really a fair criticism of the work.

I will agree that there are too many minor characters that are overly developed, and overly detailed descriptions at times. Part of me took that as influence from Tolstoy, and part of me expected it a bit given this is Russian literature and that tends to come with the territory. However, I agree that these were weak points of the novel.

Overall, however, the novel was well worth the read. While reading a novel written by a poet can be difficult at times, you can generally count on some truly beautiful descriptions and insights. Pasternak does not dissappoint in my opinion. The repeated juxtaposition of nature and the destruction of Russia sent chills down my spine.

The flaws are much of what makes it so great........2007-01-05

I read Zhivago for the first time in high school. I loved it, but didn't pick it up again for 20 years. I was surprised to find it rough going at the beginning. When I had first read the book, it had been precisely the first 100 or so pages that had enchanted me and pulled me into the novel. This time around, it was the complex and often frustrating last half of the book that really moved me. I guess this is a measure of how the book grows with the reader.

Doctor Zhivago is a complicated book that seems to me largely about how people get involved with circumstances (politics, love affairs) that do not interest them, simply because life leaves them vulnerable. That makes for a strange reading experience, because it is not a message that wraps itself up neatly. The texture of the novel is in part about ends-- loose ends, dead ends, character cul-de-sacs. A more experienced author wouldn't have tried to work this theme out in prose using the same methods that Pasternak employed. The book rolls from melodrama to nearly documentary realism. He uses diary form, letters, even poetry to complete the work. I guess it was his lack of experience that allowed him to (very nearly) achieve the impossible. The feeling of the book is an awful lot like life.

There are certainly more polished and perfect novels and novelists out there. Doctor Zhivago would not have profited from their example. As the title of this review says, Zhivago is great precisely because it isn't perfect. It is a great sprawling messy wonderful world of a book.

Recommended for readers of all ages.

Art is always meditating upon death and thereby creating life.......2006-12-18

Dr. Zhivago's ideal life `escape into freedom out of all sorrows' contrasts sharply with the horrors of war and revolution around him: `the ruthless logic of mutual extermination.' As a doctor he is daily confronted with `survivors whom the technique of modern fighting had turned into lumps of mutilated flesh.' Red and White atrocities rivaled each other in savagery.
After the Reds won the civil war, `the old oppression of the tsarist state was replaced by a much harsher yoke of the revolutionary superstate led by the professionals, the Bolsheviks, and their false sympathizers, informers, intrigues and hatred.'
Their Marxist policies are severely criticized: `Marxism is not sufficiently master of itself. Ordinary people are anxious to test their theories in practice, to learn from experience, but those who wield power are so anxious to establish the myth of their own infallibility that they turn their back on truth.'

Dr. Zhivago with his independent mind and love for humanity highly understands that nothing can be gained from violence: childhood friends fight each other in the name of their truth, `man is a wolf to man'; `stranger meeting stranger killed for fear of being killed.'
Under the totalitarian system, he feels bitterly `the loss of faith in the value of personal opinion. Instead of being natural and spontaneous, something artificial, forced, crept into our conversation; falsehood had crept into our lives.'

Boris Pasternak's book is a profound meditation on life and death, love and hate, personal commitment and mass ideology, freedom and slavery, war and peace.
The fate of the main characters and the crossings of their lives within the upheavals provoked by war, revolution and totalitarianism are masterfully painted and heart-rending.
This magically written and brilliantly built novel is an eternal masterpiece. It stands in sharp contrast with the extreme vulgarity of the anti-Pasternak campaign in the USSR after Pasternak was awarded the Nobel prize (see I. Kadaré's `Le Crépuscule des Dieux de la Steppe').
A must read.

Pasternak's Purpose.......2006-11-12

Boris Pasternak's, Doctor Zhivago, is not supposed to be a political or philosophical novel though it has both those components in it. It is not just a romance or a historical look at the Russian Revolution- though it has those things as well. Above all else, Doctor Zhivago is a statement on life. It outlines the journeys of intertwining lives through an amazing time period. In an entry from Zhivago's diary he explains that this telling of a human story is the essence of all art. Pasternak hints to readers that this is, in fact the inspiration of his work, "You can call it an idea, a statement about life, so all-embracing that it cant be split up into separate worlds; and if there is so much as a particle of it in any work that includes other things as well, it outweighs all the other ingredients in significance and turns out to be the essence, the heart and soul of the work." (282). Pasternak shows readers through characters, themes, plot, and setting the intimate details of people's lives. He follows them from early life to death and from maturing philosophical ideals to basic getting by. This is the spirit of his work, his masterpiece, a beautifully written account of the fictional Yuri Zhivago's time on earth.

Work Cited
Pasternak, Boris. Doctor Zhivago. New York: Pantheon Books Inc, 1958.

Carnival of the Animals: Classical Music for Kids

Average customer rating:

Two Two Year Old Thumbs Up!
Lovely Book to Share with Children
Very good
Good but the CD keeps falling out....
GREAT FOR KIDS!

Carnival of the Animals: Classical Music for Kids
Camille Saint-Saens , and Barrie C. Turner
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805061800

Book Description

The animals are having a carnival, and the guests are arriving. There's the majestic lion, the braying mules, the dancing elephant, and the bouncy kangaroos. Even the fossils join in with a fast and rattly dance. Everyone is invited!Nearly 150 years ago, the composer Camille Saint-Saeuml;ns was asked by his pupils to write a musical joke for them. He wrote the Carnival of the Animals, a piece people enjoyed so much that it has now become one of Saint-Saeuml;ns's most famous works.This accessible commentary, in a picture-book format, helps children follow each section of Saint-Saeuml;ns's classic piece while they listen to the CD. Whimsical illustrations, a simple text, and evocative melodies create an ideal introduction for young children to the world of classical music.

Customer Reviews:

Two Two Year Old Thumbs Up!.......2007-10-17

I purchased this for my son right before his 2nd birthday. He loved it. It kept his attention during in 10 hour flight to France. The pictures and music are a great combonation.

Lovely Book to Share with Children.......2007-05-29

My 2.5 year old boy-girl twins really like this book and the music. I gave them the book/cd one week and they have listened to it about 2-3 times each day since I gave it to them. They like the pictures and point out things going on in the pictures. I like the descriptions in the book about what each animal is doing. The description is right on target with what is going on in the music and it is short enoguh to read aloud during the music and still enjoy listening to it.

We bought this book/cd because our kids really like "Peter and the Wolf" and grasped the idea that the instruments were telling the story of a person or animal.

Very good.......2007-04-11

Nice music, very good text in a book, explaining what you hear and also gives you some details about the author and music instruments. I just do not like very much the illustrations style, but this is very personal.

Good but the CD keeps falling out...........2006-06-30

I am a preschool teacher and purchased this for use in the classroom. One of the things I did not like about it was that the CD does not stay in the book and keeps falling out, so I am worried about it getting scratched. The children enjoy acting out the animals to the music so I am glad that I did get it for the planned body movement in the classroom. I am a big fan of classical music and the book that goes with the CD is well drawn and written.

GREAT FOR KIDS!.......2006-06-27

I use this book and CD collection in my preschool music classes. Sometimes I just do one song a week. Sometimes I save it until the end of the year and spend the whole session reading and dancing to the music pretending to be the various animals . They love it. The funny thing to me is that my grade school class (6-10 years old) saw it in my bag and asked about it and so I read them a bit and played a few selections at the end of class they loved it and insisted that I bring it back so that I could finish it. They love the music and the movement too!

Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1921 (Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, Vol 2)

Average customer rating:

Conways all way.
Veritable encyclopedia of the Great War navies
About what I expected
A "must have" book!
Conways 1906-1921 is great

Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1921 (Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, Vol 2)
Randal Gray
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0870219073

Customer Reviews:

Conways all way........2007-03-30

The best book of it's type. While Jane's for the same general period is a collection of period work, complete with incorrect data used at the time, Conway's is an accurate library of the warships of the day.

Veritable encyclopedia of the Great War navies.......2005-08-10

The 1906-1921 book of Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships is arguably the second best in the series after the outstanding (although increasingly rare and outrageously expensive) 1947-1995 volume. It includes highly detailed histories of the various ship classes and a great deal of information. This sets it apart from the 1922-1946 edition, which feels strangely empty because it contains little in terms of history of individual ship classes and drowns the reader in facts and figures.

As such, the 1906-1921 edition reads much more like a very detailed history book than its successor, while giving us the same amount of facts and statistics, and is all the better for it.

I recommend it without reservation to fans of naval warfare, provided you can find a copy...

About what I expected.......2003-01-18

It's very much like the 1922-1946 book in terms of coverage, and that's fine. What I wanted was a general survey like that, something to fill in the gaps in my knowledge for this period, and I learned many things here. There's only so much you can fit in a book like this, so I can't rate it down for lack of detail, other books can fill that gap.

A "must have" book!.......2001-08-20

This book, together with the other of the serie that cover the period from 1860 to the present, is an outstanding one, the ideal reference book for the person looking for informations about the evolution of the modern warships through the description of the ship themselves. The book is divided into sections, each dealing with one nation's navy; the ships of every nation are grouped by type and each class is described by a brief textual introduction, a tabular description with the main ships' detail (size, machinery, artillery, armour and so on) and, for each ship, the building dates and the fate. The textual description is, at least for the greater ship category (battleship, carriers and cruisers) quite detailed and reports a lot of interesting data about the building, the machinery, the operational career and some other interesting stuffs. There is a good number of very good drawings and photographs (not as detailed as a ship modeler would hope, but this book is not for the modeler) and you can find in the books every nation that ever possessed a warship. A "must have" for every naval enthusiast!

Conways 1906-1921 is great.......2000-10-13

Conways has always been the most reliable of all the warship histories books. Including specifications, histories, and pictures/drawings of all the ships. A history of each countries navy (during the 1906-1921 era) at the beginning of each nationality listing gives you good reference to understand the type of ships each nation needed and used. This book is very interesting for the World War One expert and/or naval historian or simply a warship lover. I use this book to look at various ships for radio control warship combat. I love this book and look at it many times a week and will buy all the rest of the series of books (Conway All the Worlds Fighting Ships). If you are at all interested in naval warships, definitely buy this book.

Average customer rating:

This book always stand out in my mind...
Crazy Story
Entertaining, Yes...Informative, No....
If you like stereotypes...
A Jewish Mother

The Color of Water
James McBride
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Amazon.com

Order this book ... and please don't be put off by its pallid subtitle, A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, which doesn't begin to do justice to the utterly unique and moving story contained within. The Color of Water tells the remarkable story of Ruth McBride Jordan, the two good men she married, and the 12 good children she raised. Jordan, born Rachel Shilsky, a Polish Jew, immigrated to America soon after birth; as an adult she moved to New York City, leaving her family and faith behind in Virginia. Jordan met and married a black man, making her isolation even more profound. The book is a success story, a testament to one woman's true heart, solid values, and indomitable will. Ruth Jordan battled not only racism but also poverty to raise her children and, despite being sorely tested, never wavered. In telling her story--along with her son's--The Color of Water addresses racial identity with compassion, insight, and realism. It is, in a word, inspiring, and you will finish it with unalloyed admiration for a flawed but remarkable individual. And, perhaps, a little more faith in us all.

Book Description

A powerful portrait of growing up, a meditation on race and identity and a poignant, beautifully crafted hymn from a son to his mother.

Customer Reviews:

This book always stand out in my mind..........2007-10-21

I actually read this book when it first came out, I believe that was about 10 years ago, which does seem correct as I believe I was about 14-15 when I read this book. Although it was a long time ago I don't remember all the finer points of this book but for some reason this book has always stood out in my memory. I really fell in love with book, I rememeber not wanting to put it down but at the same time dreading turning each page as it was getting closer to the end. I say give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed. I hope it leaves as big an impression on you as it did with me. I might even read it again soon!

Crazy Story.......2007-10-21

I did not enjoy this book as much as some others have. I found the "mother" insufferably stupid and cruel. It is amazing that any of these children turned out well. The author has a writing style that's easy to read, and it's great that he can look back on his life as he does, but, as an outsider, I found myself wanting to wring this woman's neck every few pages! I just could not find any redeeming values for her. And, why have sooooooo many kids that you cannot afford to raise?? Still, an interesting read.

Entertaining, Yes...Informative, No...........2007-10-15

The Color of Water chronicles the childhood of James McBride, an inter-racial kid born of a Jewish mother and a Black father. The book describes James' mom's philosophy of raising her kids as "colorless," with undeniably good principles such as education, respect, and family unity. James is one of the youngest of many kids, and thus is relegated to menial chores and destined to ignorance in his early years, because his mother refuses to answer any of his questions.

At first, the book is actually quite interesting as you learn of the fiber of the Jordan/McBride family. The older kids are generally more rebellious and usually argue with each other about race and politics. The younger kids look up at the older kids but they reserve their ultimate respect and admiration for mommy. As the book progresses, however, the story gets extremely redundant and stereo-typical as other reviewers have mentioned. Apparently, mommy failed to instill the notion that skin color doesn't matter to their kids as they each begin to turn to racial groups and rebel against the "white man."

This book can be a page turner if you focus on only reading the book for the sake of it's story. If you attempt to read this book to gain knowledge on how to raise your kids or any other ultimate motive, I am sad to report that you will likely be dissapointed, as was I.

If you like stereotypes..........2007-09-27

If you like reinforcing stereotypes, then James McBride's book is for you. Jews have big noses, they only care about money, and of course, his converted mother only finds love through Jesus. But let's move past that. A great mother? Perhaps her children would not have had to eat sugar as a meal or wake up at 3 am (when she came home from work with free food from her employer) to eat-- else they went hungry if she had the number of children that she and her could support. Perhaps living in a house where the dog's feces is kicked under the radiator is not an indication of a strong mother. How about when she pays one fare for the subway and puts herself and the twelve children through on that one fare. These are not virtues. The writing was weak; the message was weaker.

A Jewish Mother.......2007-09-24

Legal History of the Color Line: The Rise And Triumph of the One-drop Rule

A better title for this book would be: A Dark Mulatto's Tribute to His Jewish Mother. The word "black" denies the European Jewish ancestry of the author and his siblings and the word "white" denies his mother's ethnic heritage. Mrs. McBride's Jewish ethnic values were far more important to her children's success than being "white."

Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland

Average customer rating:

Michael Collins rules!
A good picture of revolutionary Ireland
Best book on Collins
Michael Collins: The Man who made Irelaand
Excellent Book

Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland
Tim Pat Coogan
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312295111

Book Description

When the Irish nationalist Michael Collins signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, he observed to Lord Birkenhead that he may have signed his own death warrant. In August 1922 that prophecy came true when Collins was ambushed, shot and killed by a compatriot, but his vision and legacy lived on. Tim Pat Coogan's biography presents the life of a man whose idealistic vigor and determination were matched by his political realism and organizational abilities. This is the classic biography of the man who created modern Ireland.

Customer Reviews:

Michael Collins rules!.......2007-09-26

Excellent book, very well written in the usual "Coogan" way, that is, skilfull, fluent and full of nice anecdotes. Gives an insightful portrait of one of Ireland's greatest men and my personal favourite. Eireann go brach!

A good picture of revolutionary Ireland.......2007-05-14

An informative humanizing biography that provides a good picture of revolutionary Ireland. More photogrpahs would have made for 5 stars.

Best book on Collins.......2006-07-14

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an intense indepth study of Collins and Ireland of his time. This is easy to read and full of interesting information about the man and those around him. Collins was a genius who shaped the fate of modern Ireland and did so with an acute sense of how far he wcould go to achieve what he wanted.

It really makes me wonder how much better off Ireland would have been if he had not best lost so early in his life.

Michael Collins: The Man who made Irelaand.......2005-08-17

This is an extarodinary book about an extraordinary man. It is well wriiten, it is exciting and easy to read. It gives a wonderful insight into the life and times of Ireland during this remarkable time

Excellent Book.......2005-04-05

Although the pages and the sophisticated writing style might intimidate one, if you stick to it and read the book to the end, you will NOT regret it. It was my first book in Irish History and I have learned so much from reading it. This book is amazing beyond words. If you buy it, you won't reget it.

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