Book Description
Barbarians at the Gate has been called one of the most influential business books of all time -- the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's gripping account of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 is the story of deal makers and publicity flaks, of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and bedrooms -- giving us not only a detailed look at how financial operations at the highest levels are conducted but also a richly textured social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era.
Barbarians at the Gate -- a business narrative classic -- is must reading for everyone interested in the way today's world really works.
Download Description
With more than 500,000 copies sold, Barbarians at the Gate is the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history: the frenzy of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and bedrooms -- giving us the view from the top of the financial ladder to the social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era.
Over six months on the New York Times bestseller list, Barbarians at the Gate is the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's gripping record of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 is the story of deal makers and pulicity flaks, of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and bedrooms, giving us not only an unprecedentedly detailed look at how financial operations at the highest levels are conducted but also a richly textured social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era. As compelling as a novel, Barbarians at the Gate is must reading for everyone interested in the way today's world really works.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-10-21
No one that works at financial markets can afford loosing this book. It's historical and wonderful. The audio book I bought was to listen on the way to work. It's perfect.
Stranger Than Fiction.......2007-09-22
A takeover story that reads like a Jeffrey Archer novel, Barbarians at the Gate is a meticulously detailed account of the takeover of RJR Nabisco by KKR in the late 80s. The authors were WSJ journalists who covered the story for the Journal and the book does a great job of communicating the tension and intrigue of those six weeks in 1988. The book does slack in pace at times but the story keeps you engaged. Recommended.
Barbarians at the Gate audio book.......2007-09-02
Great book. Great format. I listened to it on the plane. A must read business book - goes along with reading the art of war and the prince.
The business classic.......2007-08-20
Simply compulsive. If you have an interest in business and finance or people, greed and behaviour this is a must read. In many ways this story reflects a broadly held image of the 1980's and its culture of excess that was abound in our worlds financial capitals.
This is a gripping read; the story of the battle for RJR Nabisco and the characters involved contains many elements of the best fiction with the distinct difference of this story being true. Whilst the business finally conducted may not have been the finest work of the venerable KKR it was important mainly due to its Herculean scale which was at the time unprecedented.
This book is simply a must read on many levels. Since it was first published in 1990 it has gripped the imagination of many and has kindled an interest in business reaching far and wide.
The business book of business books.......2007-08-05
To say this book was expertly written, would be an understatement. The authors craft the perfect description of an LBO, with all the players, transactions, and affects on peples lives. How they were able to get inside as well as they did, is really beyond me. This is one for the ages and should be read in Business schools.
Book Description
This collection of readings contains comprehensive primary and secondary works in the field of conservation, emphasizes the history of ideas and attitudes about conservation, and gives a chronology of important conservation events in U.S. history from the beginning to the present. Edited by a national leader in the fields of conservation, environmental management, and education, this well-organized anthology is appropriate for courses dealing with American environmental studies and ecology.
Customer Reviews:
A worthy addition to the tree-hugger's bookshelf.......2001-06-14
What a joy to see that this book is back in print! When our nature book discussion group chose it as a monthly selection several years ago, we had to scramble to find copies. I was one of the lucky ones who got one, read it all, and underlined a whole slew of passages for later reference.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are turned to discords." (George Perkins Marsh, 1864)
"Environment is to the would-be cultured man what air is to the animal -- it is the breath of life." (Benton MacKaye, 1928)
"When you have reached the edge of an abyss ... the only progressive move you can make is to step backward." (David R. Brower, 1977)
Then the compiler adds his answer to the question "Why do we love wilderness?" by giving seven reasons: scientific value, spiritual values, aesthetic value, heritage value, psychological value, cultural value, and intrinsic value. His explanations make this selection the one I most often pass on to other people. (Roderick Frazier Nash, 1988)
My advice is to buy this book as a present for your favorite environmentalist friend. Sure, you could go instead with _The Quotable Nature Lover_, a Nature Conservancy book edited by John A. Murray. But _American Environmentalism_ puts those kinds of quotes back into context; the editor not only provides full text but also explains what was going on at the time of its writing. Selections are arranged chronologically and are short enough to hold anyone's interest. And we're not talking just Thoreau, Muir, Carson and Leopold here, as the excerpts above show. There are names you might not recognize at first glance. Amateur environmentalists can use this compilation as a starting point for further reading, as full citations are always provided. Though it's not entirely current (1989) this book is still useful.
Give it to a graduating senior, or to anyone else who has the potential to save the planet. They'll be inspired.
A good reader.......2000-05-23
This isn't the type of book someone could pick up and get a good view of the American Environmental movement. It does well in teaching about past movements but ignores modern movements like Environmental Justice and the controversy surrounding Market Based Incentives. It is a good book for teaching if coupled with extra material as it is very readable and interesting.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat.
Schlosser's investigation reaches its frightening peak in the meatpacking plants as he reveals the almost complete lack of federal oversight of a seemingly lawless industry. His searing portrayal of the industry is disturbingly similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written in 1906: nightmare working conditions, union busting, and unsanitary practices that introduce E. coli and other pathogens into restaurants, public schools, and homes. Almost as disturbing is his description of how the industry "both feeds and feeds off the young," insinuating itself into all aspects of children's lives, even the pages of their school books, while leaving them prone to obesity and disease. Fortunately, Schlosser offers some eminently practical remedies. "Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior," he writes. Where to begin? Ask yourself, is the true cost of having it "your way" really worth it? --Lesley Reed
Book Description
Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but here Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning. Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate. He also uncovers the fast food chains' disturbing efforts to reel in the youngest, most susceptible consumers even while they hone their institutionalized exploitation of teenagers and minorities.
Customer Reviews:
"Eat This, President Bush".......2007-10-22
I cannot add more to all of the other excellent reviews written here about this book, except to say that, as the expression goes, "If you're not outraged, you are not paying attention!" Being a physician, I have recommended this book to my patients on countless occasions, not only to enhance their education about nutritional diets, but to also see the connections between Corporate America, politics, and economics, and that Americans can no longer stay in their comfy little bubble of ignorance concerning not only their health, but their lack of involvement in the political process. I cannot recommend this book enough. A GREAT EYE OPENER.
Linda E. Dewey, M.D.
fantastic book. Thought-provoking and well-documented.......2007-10-16
This book is easy to read, and I highly recommend it to all people who eat out (anywhere, not just at "fast food" places). It was eye-opening for me, and I'm a lot pickier eater (for the better) now when I go out to restaurants. This isn't about just one issue, or a few issues, but an overall idea of what is going on at the other side of the counter. I was expecting a big book that told me simply that french fries were unhealthy but I was surprised to find out about a complicated behemoth that is there trying to get us to eat things we probably shouldn't.
A hard look at not only fast food, but the beef industry.......2007-10-10
WOW...
And I don't say that so much because of the things this books brings to light about the fast food industry. I actually say it because of all the horrifying things I've learned about the BEEF industry! I never would have imagined what goes into raising cattle (the disgusting things they are fed), killing them and then turning them into meat. The dangers that these processes bring upon us as consumers of this beef (mad cow etc.) And the fact that the government is barely, if at all, regulating this?! Because they are "all in bed" with the beef industry! WOW. I am seriously considering from now on buying organic beef. I hope that in the next ten years that this government will start putting in place some better protection for us as beef consumers, at the time this book was written they were not allowed to re-call beef, nor were they able to inspect the factories....definitely a book worth reading and hopefully it continues to get noticed, make waves and bring upon some change.
As for the reading, it was dry at times, but for the most part interesting. I think it was very well written. It was helpful how it was broken down into chapters dealing with different aspects- made it easy to follow the argument and then grasp the sum-up of it all at the end, and how each part ties together. From the chapters on how fastfood/McDonalds got it's start, to the look at "why the fries taste so good", or what's in the beef, to the look at the meat processing plants...the author certainly seemed to do his homework, because he was nothing if not thorough. If Schlosser were to write a follow up, years down the road, I'd definitely read and will certainly recommend this to friends!
Frightening Truths.......2007-10-09
Schlosser's exposé of the fast food industry makes for terrifying reading. Now that I am aware of the appalling corporate trade practices, I have been sure to avoid McDonald's (except in order to get hold of the complete Happy Meal collections of Hannah Montana and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- the mantelpiece would have seemed bare without them). However, it is equally worrying to learn about the produce found in major supermarkets. Chicken is frequently known to contain as much as 40% additives. If you ask me, 'chicken' should be just that and it should NOT involve added protein. It is for this reason that I must politely decline Uncle Bruce's invitations to dinner. Since I caught a glimpse of him through the kitchen window (during the final throes of 'injecting' a chicken) I have felt little urge to join him for a Sunday dinner.
Fast Food Nation - Eye opening read.......2007-10-04
This is a very well researched and written tome that I would recommend to anyone interested in how big agribusiness works. Cynical by nature, I'm even more so after reading the book, especially when it comes to politics and big business. If you read nothing else, check out the chapter on the slaughterhouse. Egad.
I look forward to reading Schlosser's other book, Refer Madness.
Book Description
Post-war American publishing has been ruthlessly transformed since Andre Schiffrin joined its ranks in 1956. Gone is a plethora of small but prestigious houses that often put ideas before profit in their publishing decisions, sometimes even deliberately. Now six behemoths share 80% of the market and profit margin is all. Andre Schiffrin can write about these changes with authority because he witnessed them from inside a conglomerate, as head of Pantheon, co-founded by his father, bought (and sold) by Random House. And he can write about them with candor because he is no longer on the inside, having quit corporate publishing in disgust to set up a flourishing independent house, The New Press. Schiffrin's evident affection for his authors sparkles throughout a story woven around publishing the work of those such as Studs Terkel, Noam Chomsky, Gunnar Myrdal, George Kennan, Juliet Mitchell, R.D.Laing, Eric Hobsbawm and E.P.Thompson. Part-memoir, part-history, here is an account of the collapsing standards of contemporary publishing that is irascible, acute and passionate. An engaging counterpoint to recent, celebratory memoirs of the industry written by those with more stock options and fewer scruples than Schiffrin, The Business of Books warns of the danger to adventurous, intelligent publishing in the bullring of today's marketplace.
Customer Reviews:
The demise of publishing?.......2005-02-28
M. Schiffrin's book is a must-read for anyone who cares about ideas, literature, books, and the First Amendment.
From a lifetime spent in the industry, Schiffrin explores the current trends in the publishing industry, where profits are rapidly becoming the only priority. In such a system, Schiffrin shows that not only do ideas and the profession diminish, but paradoxically, so do profits. Over and over, he shows how narrow views of profits actually undermine the profitably of a title, or even of the entire industry.
As he describes these things, Schiffrin also gives a microcosmic view of the constant tension, ever present in free democracies: on the one hand, powerful corporations have generated much economic might (and therefore political and military might) to the West; and on the other hand, that power, left unbridled, now undermines the foundations of openness, that protect not only our civic freedoms, but the freedoms of the market as well.
Well written and insightfull.......2002-11-09
I enjoyed the book very much. The story telling was enjoyable. As to the "whine", I work in a completly different industry that suffers from the money only direction of the country. It is sad that no one is allowed to be in any vocation in this country for its own sake. Even if you make money, you have to make the most money, good is not good enough, only best will do.
Bottom Line: Buy it.......2002-10-29
...
At least from a writer's perspective, all of Schiffrin's assertions about the publishing industry are stunningly true. In fact, my agent quit the business some years ago after attending a lecture by a revoltingly wealthy and revoltingly arrogant agent who assured her and the rest of the audience that yes, money is indeed the bottom line.
As Mr. Schiffrin points out, publishers are simply not interested in authors anymore, they are interested only in the book being submitted. That is to say, there is no attempt-as in the days of Max Perkins, the legendary Scribner's editor of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe-to invest in an author whose first book may not be a great seller, nor even her second but who will nonetheless write books the house can be proud of and may some day turn produce that most marvelous of beasts, the literary bestseller (a la Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Updike, Toni Morrison).
In a smooth, flowing voice that, while it may lack bells and whistles, is exceptionally lucid, Schiffrin tells the story of how publishing houses went from being, for the most part, "family owned and small, content with the modest profits that came from a business that still saw itself as linked to intellectual and cultural life" to an industry in which some of the executives, such as Alberto Vitale at Random House, freely admit they are too busy to read a book! I was riveted almost from the opening page.
Some of the reviewers have accused Schiffrin of being elitist-maybe because he lives on the Upper West Side or because he believes editors should have some say-beyond profitability--in what is being published. They find him distressingly left wing. The fact is, Schiffrin is arguing for all editors, EVERYwhere to get behind authors of their choice. Many small houses will present many diverse voices rather than 5 huge conglomerates chasing the same dollar with their celebrity memoirs and Tom Clancy thrillers. He argues for the freedom for editors and houses to express their tastes and to let the public decide whether that taste suits them or not. But if a book never sees the light of day because corporate executives, who often know nothing about books (Vitale, Schiffrin points out "did eventually agree to read the novels of Judith Krantz" published by his own company), decide it won't sell enough copies, then you have market censorship. When that happens on a large enough scale, it's not the end of democracy, but democracy is certainly weakened by a shrinking pool of ideas and opinions from which to draw. Schiffrin quotes the German publisher, Klaus Wagenbach: "If books with small print runs disappear, the future will die. Kafka's first book was published with a printing of 800 copies. Brecht's first work merited 600. What would have happened if someone had decided that was not worth it?" Somehow, advocating books with tiny print runs like this doesn't strike me as elitist.
If you are even slightly connected to the book business, if you are at all interested in books, if you give any thought at all to the future of the free exchange of ideas in this country and abroad, this is a must-read. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Strong views on publishing.......2002-09-10
Schiffrin's book is provocative and well written. There is a little too much "And then I published...." along with a lot of name dropping. But there are also eye-opening insights into changes that the last 30 years have brought to publishing, as well as some good behind-the-scenes stories. Schiffrin clearly has an axe to grind, but he also has a point of view worth hearing. Reviewers who suggest this is a "whine" or a leftist diatribe would seem to have axes of their own that they are working on.
Look to the underground........2002-09-01
I think that all reviewers have some points here.
The book is a bit whiny. There isn't any documented research. But I think to discount what this book is saying would be denial. The facts that conglomerations own the majority of publishing is bound to inhibit the selection of books they produce or seek out. What this book gave to me is that I should seek out smaller publishers, whether at amazon.com or the library and see what they have to offer instead of assuming that the books in the prime POS spots at the bookstore or on the Best Of Lists are the only books worth seeking out.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Classroom Source
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The Historian's Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory
Manufacturer: Praeger Paperback
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The Annotated Wizard of Oz (Centennial Edition)
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15 Books in 1: L. Frank Baum's Original "Oz" Series. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl Of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, The Scarecrow Of Oz, Rinkitink In Oz, The Lost Princess Of Oz, The Tin Woodman Of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda Of Oz.
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder)
ASIN: 0275974197 |
Book Description
The Historian's Wizard of Oz synthesizes four decades of scholarly interpretations of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel as an allegory of the Gilded Age political economy and a comment on the gold standard. The heart of the book is an annotated version of The Wizard of Oz that highlights the possible political and monetary symbolism in the book by relating characters, settings, and incidents in it to the historical events and figures of the 1890s, the decade in which Baum wrote his story. Dighe simultaneously values the leading political interpretations of Oz as useful and creative teaching tools, and consolidates them in a sympathetic fashion; yet he rejects the commonly held, and by now well-debunked, view that those interpretations reflect Baum's likely motivations in writing the book. The result is a unique way for readers to acquaint themselves with a classic of children's literature that is a bit different and darker than the better-known film version. Students of history and economics will find two great stories: the dramatic rise and fall of monetary populism and William Jennings Bryan and the original rendering of a childhood story that they know and love. This study draws on several worthy versions of the Oz-as-Populist-parable thesis, but it also separates the reading of Baum's book in this manner from Baum's original intentions. Despite an incongruence with Baum's intent, reading the story as a parable continues to provide a remarkable window into the historical events of the 1890s and, thus, constitutes a tremendous teaching tool for historians, economists, and political scientists. Dighe also includes a primer on gold, silver, and the American monetary system, as well as a brief history of the Populist movement.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Classroom Source.......2006-08-13
Ranjit S. Dighe's coverage of Baum's Wizard of Oz as an allegory is well designed as a teaching source for Populism.
I found his chapter on the historical background of this period very helpful in understanding this complicated period. More importantly, the chapter that includes the original story with annotations that identify the symbolism is exactly what a researcher is looking for. References to Littlefield's interpretation and Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech makes this book a complete source for introducing this parable to history or economic students.
Book Description
According to Bowker, there are over 150,000 books published in the U.S. every year. Less than 1 percent of the books published make the bestseller list.
People are fascinated by bestselling authors who have become every bit as much celebrities as rock musicians or film stars. Through some mysterious process, these individuals take blank pages and turn them into gold. And many authors do this over and over again. For authors, earning a spot on the bestseller list is the grand, often elusive prize at the end of many years of work. But what makes a bestseller happen?
Brian Hill and Dee Power interviewed over 50 successful authors, publishers, editors, agents, book reviewers, and other experts to find the answer. The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them presents a comprehensive look at the publishing process from start to finish.
Authors and would-be authors, individuals in the publishing industry, and passionate readers will learn:
* How bestselling authors approach the craft of writing and marketing their books.
* The many different paths authors take to the top of the list.
* The impact a first bestseller makes on an author's life.
* The workings of the selection process, from the query letter to the decision to publish.
* How publishers know a book has bestseller potential.
* The agent's role in helping create a bestseller.
* Factors and events that influence whether a book makes the bestseller list, including TV ""reading book clubs,"" the review process, publicity, marketing programs, and timing.
* How Hollywood impacts the reading public.
To provide a broad spectrum of experience, interviews are included with authors of nonfiction and fiction, as well as first-time novelists to serial bestsellers. In addition, avid readers will find fascinating stories behind some of their favorite authors' works.
Customer Reviews:
Realistic Insight for Any Would-Be Book Author.......2006-09-19
Dee Power and Brian Hill have put together a fascinating look at bestselling authors and what it takes. They interview a number of bestselling authors, booksellers and editors about what made the difference for a book to become a bestseller. Here's a few quotes from the book:
"Now we know: The "secret bestseller sauce" is made up of this key ingredient--a great book." p. 88 Then on the next page: "in our survey, agents on average said they accept 2 out of 1,000 submissions. A senior editor with a top publishing house told us she accepts 1 out of 100 submissions that she receives from agents. If we combine the two, it means that there is a 1 out of 50,000 chance of a new book by an unknown author making it from the author's word processor to successfully attracting an agent, and then on to the contract stage with a publisher."
See what I mean about realism into the pages of this book?
Yet the tone is not discouraging but informative and helpful to stimulate would-be authors to excellence in their writing, in their pitches to editors and in their promotion efforts. I learned a great deal from this book and recommend it.
Backstage Pass.......2006-05-24
Brian and Dee's book is like having a one-on-one conversation with today's top fiction and non-fiction writers.
What questions would you want to ask them?
...How do you stay focused?
...What quality is present in all "good writing"?
...What is the life of an author truly like?
...How did you get into writing?
...Where do you get your ideas?
Chances are good that whatever your question Brian and Dee asked it.
The Making of a Bestseller is a book that you can pick-up, read for a few minutes, and get something out of it. If you want a book that delivers a step-by-step marketing strategy this is not the book for you. However if you want to get a glimpse into the mindset of today's top authors buy this book.
This is a book you'll want to read again and again. .......2005-10-21
You'll feel like you just had a scintillating dinner conversation with some of the top players in the publishing industry. This book is firmly grounded in reality and offers so much more than a pseudo-"sure-fire formula" for hitting bestseller lists-- it offers real insight into the ways success flourishes. This is a book you'll want to read again and again to glean new pieces of wisdom each time.
[...]
Title is Bestseller, Little Else.......2005-10-02
This book may sell because of it's title, and little else. Writing style is so-so, no real nuts and bolts info. Of course, being on a major bestseller list is fantastic and the authors within the book say so. But, and it's a big but, if you want to know how to become a bestselling author, this isn't your guide. As the book buyer for a publishing association, I won't recommend it--better books to help create marketing plans/strategies to move books would be John Kremer's 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and Brian Jud's Beyond the Bookstore.
Aspiring Authors, Get the Inside Scoop About the Publishing Business.......2005-08-20
Brian Hill and Dee Power have written this inside look into the business of writing with a natural and approachable style. The light handed touches of humor and the down to earth language made this a very enjoyable read. I have never written an Amazon Review until now but was compelled to add my voice to the others. Count me as a very satisfied consumer.
Average customer rating:
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Pon Tu Corazon En Ello / Pour Your Heart into it: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time (Autoayuda)
Howard Schultz , and
Dori Jones Yang
Manufacturer: VS Ediciones
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Book Description
A clear illustration of the principles that created the Starbucks phenomenon and the wisdom acquired while making the high-quality cup of coffee an American reality.
Un relato que ilustra los principios que han moldeado el fenómeno Starbucks, compartiendo la sabiduría que ha adquirido en su búsqueda para hacer del café de primera calidad parte de la realidad americana.
Book Description
The essays included here are the "best sellers" of American economic history, the articles and chapters that most frequently appear on the syllabi of American economic history courses. Introductions add context, provide critical questions about the arguments and evidence, indicate important subsequent works, and suggest additional readings. Also included are a glossary and an appendix that provide a clear, simple introduction to regression analysis, necessary for reading the increasingly technical "cliometric" articles in the field.
Customer Reviews:
Different looks at Economic History.......2006-12-14
If you have ever wondered how the American economy historically ahs developed this book provides some of the answers. There are better economic histories out there but this puts together a very good collection of essays from different points at the American economy. It focuses on agriculture via the slave trade and northern farmers, early industrialization and finally the rise of industrialization. This book ends with some interesting analysis on the stock market crash and the recession that led to the great depression. Overall it makes for an interesting read and was used as a textbook for a class on American Economic History. This is not a book for beginners and it does have some econometrics in it so it does require at least a cursory knowledge of statistics to be helpful.
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Reading Terminal Market: An Illustrated History
David K. O'Neil
Manufacturer: Camino Books
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Binding: Paperback
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Reading Terminal and Market: Philadelphia's Historic Gateway and Grand Convention Center
ASIN: 0940159783 |
Book Description
Reading Terminal Market has been at the heart of Philadelphia's commercial and social life from the beginning of its long and tumultuous history. Growing out of the first open-air markets of the colonial city, Reading Terminal Market--like all venerable institutions--has survived to its present vibrant form by adapting to and initiating change.
An innovator in cold storage at the end of the nineteenth century, the market established new standards for the buying and selling of food, revolutionizing the industry. Over the next century, it responded nimbly to the advent of the telephone and the automobile, and dodged threats from the Reading Railroad, the Great Depression, World War II, the rise of the supermarket, and unionization. Today, responding to a renewed yearning for local products, Reading Terminal Market retains its central prominence in the life of Philadelphia.
Amazon.com
"When I first started going to New Haven," writes William Finnegan, "I was taken on a tour of the city's neighborhoods by two black residents. Their conversation reminded me of others I've heard--in countries suffering from chronic guerrilla war."
Cold New World depicts the lives of American teenagers and young adults, struggling to hang onto what little they've got. They are part of a growing underclass whose lives have become saturated with drugs and violence. Whether he's talking to an African American drug dealer who plies his trade in the shadow of Yale or a young woman caught up in the feud between two rival skinhead gangs in the northernmost suburbs of Los Angeles, Finnegan brings his subjects to life on the page with a compassion that doesn't undermine any of his bluntness about their desperate conditions. You may not like what Cold New World has to say about the state of the nation, but it's a book that you ignore at your peril.
Book Description
In this groundbreaking work of social journalism, a spotlight is cast on a population we find it easy, or convenient, to overlook.
"While the national economy has been growing, the economic prospects of most Americans have been dimming," William Finnegan writes.
"A new American class structure is being born--one that is harsher, in many ways, than the one it is replacing.
Some people are thriving in it, of course. This book is about some families who are not. More particularly, it's about their children who are teenagers
and young adults, about their lives and times, how they speak and act as they try to find their way in this cold new world.
Finnegan spent time with families in four communities across America and became an intimate observer of the lives revealed in these beautifully
rendered portraits: A fifteen-year-old drug dealer in blighted New Haven, Connecticut. A sleepy Texas town transformed when crack arrives.
Mexican American teenagers in Washington State, unable to relate to their immigrant parents and trying to find an identity in gangs. Jobless young white
supremacists in a downwardly mobile L.A. suburb.
This is a book about race, class, and social change that never loses sight of its subjects' humanity. The kids in these pages are complex,
multifaceted individuals, alternately sympathetic and frustrating, as richly drawn and compelling as characters in a novel. At the same time,
Finnegan's journalism goes beyond reportage as he lays bare the economic trends and political decisions that have created this harsher America--
a country where inequality and cultural alienation grow at a dangerous pace. Important, powerful, and compassionate, Cold New World gives us an
unforgettable look into a present that presages our future.
Customer Reviews:
Exhilirating.......2007-02-27
It is hard to overstate how much I liked this book.
Finnegan reports on young Americans living in compromised circumstances. He could probably have found this story in any community. He chose four places -- the inner city of New Haven, rural Texas, a California exurb, and the farm fields of Washington state.
In New Haven, you see the logic of the choices faced by inner city kids, and the struggle to get by in a world where so many people have so much. That first section is good, but its probably also the one with a theme that matches the expectations of readers.
The rest of the story is more complicated. In rural Texas, Finnegan shows a system of justice dominated by local sheriffs that serve to balance the interests of everyone in a pothole politics that reminds me of Chicago aldermen. It also shows the footprint of race upon land use.
In Washington state, the young people fail to understand the social justice aspirations of their migrant farmworkers parents. These kids don't feel that they belong anywhere: not in the consumerist schools of Washington state, and certainly not in the underdeveloped cinder block streets of their parent's Mexico.
In California, Finnegan shows how economic insecurity among parents trickles down into distorted opinions about race among a group of white power youth.
Finnegan uses a first person narrative approach that allows him to report and analyze what he sees as he travels. The analysis helps him to weave in local politics, history, and even some academic research. He does not interject his opinion into his writing, at least until the end of the book when he offers a conclusion.
When I think of peers for this book, a few come to mind: "There are No Children Here," by Alex Kotlowitz and "A Hope in the Unseen" by Ron Suskind are the two that most match its power. Even so, going to four places so different is a bit harder. Like catching lighting four times.
Had to read this book for college.......2005-10-14
Bill Finnegan is a real journalist. He is the kind that goes to place we only read about in news briefs in a paper's international section. The kind of places we'd rather not know too much about.
In this book (more like a collection of four books) he stays stateside and tries to find out about what the future holds for the youth of America.
From poor rural farmers in the Big Piney region of east Texas to kids stuck in the violent racist/anti-racist punk rock scene of southern California, Finnegan sticks himself into the lives of his subjects, living with them for monthes at a time.
He tries and I think succeeds on gainging insight into what it is like to be raised in working class America.
The book is heavy, and can be a bit of an emotional drain but it leaves you armed with perspective.
Highly Recommended Sociological Study of the Real America.......2005-09-21
William Finnegan's study of American 'underclasses' is hardly scientific in the traditional sense, yet a reading of this book will certainly earn the reader's respect for its depth and the amount of physical area it touches upon across the U.S. Finnegan gets so deep in these peoples' lives over the six years he took to gather these stories that he can describe the situations to perfection. His familiarity with the people in these stories is very clear, he was obviously not afraid to spend ample time with them. The four stories he comes back with, which make up this book, are precious nuggets of the reality facing so much youth in America right now. Finnegan always brings it back to the youth, and how the circumstances being constucted for them in this society will effect them. How are they reacting? Read the book and find out.
Down and Out in the U.S.A........2004-10-03
This mix of sociology and journalism is a mostly gripping and always harrowing journey to the four corners of the American underclass. During the early to mid-1990s, Finnegan spent time with four young people in from very different geographic locations and of very different cultural backgrounds. Each of these are detailed in 50-100 page sections, followed by a surprisingly brief coda, in which he attempts to sum up the similarities between the four cases and draw some prescriptions from them. This is that rarest of books, an in-depth, complex examination of class in America.
Finnegan starts in New Haven with Terry, who is practically a cliche of the ghetto youth. A black drug-dealing kid who blows his cash on flashy threads and gaudy jewelry for his girlfriends, he lives near the affluence of Yale University, and yet worlds away culturally. From East Coast to East Texas, where in a small town, Finnegan hangs out with Lanee, a young black woman whose community has just been the subject of a massive federal drug sting. Both sections illustrate just how enticing the drug trade is to the young poor. It's vastly more lucrative than any conceivable alternative, and there's no great social stigma attached to it. In each place, the percentage of the community who is using is so large that the trade assumes a huge place in the microeconomy and has a big ripple effect.
The New Haven section is fairly cohesive, and it's somewhat refreshing to see Finnegan admit his inability to stay detached and his attempts to lend a helping hand to Terry. The East Texas section doesn't hold together quite as well. Although Finnegan is again focusing on an individual (Lanee), he is clearly more interested in the broader story of a large federal drug sting in which virtually everyone in the community has a friend or family member indicted. This ties in with the story of the longtime reign of a benign all-powerful sheriff who recently lost reelection, which also ties in with the influence of the "old" white Texan families of the town. There are a lot of interesting threads here, and it's no wonder Finnegan gets a little distracted.
From here, the book moves west, to the Yakima Valley of central Washington state, where rural meets strip mall. There Finnegan hangs out with Juan, the eldest son of hard-working Mexican immigrant field laborers and union activists. In many ways, he's the most mainstream and self-aware kid of the book, and yet he's constantly in trouble due to a proclivity for fighting. Part of this lies within himself, and part of this stems from his need to back up his friends. Acquiring a rep for being a badass turns into a self-fulfilling trap that he has difficulty escaping. Although slacker Juan doesn't claim any of the various Latino gangs that are rampant throughout the Valley, he's perpetually caught up in various beefs that appear to be one step away from gunfire.
Finally, Finnegan winds up in the LA exurb of Antelope Valley, where he finds a white supremacist skinhead gang at war with the changing neighborhood demographics and a band of anti-racist SHARP skins. This is one of those instant communities whose bubble burst rather quickly when defense and aerospace jobs disappeared. Living in the town became a step down for whites, but a step up for black and Latino families. Fueled by meth and dead-end prospects, white power skins harass local minorities and engage in running skirmishes with anti-racist skinheads. Finnegan does an excellent job of explaining the origins and different shades of the skinhead subculture. Perhaps most disturbing are the confused hangers-on (mostly women), who are alternately allured and disgusted by the white supremacists.
The common theme is that these are all young people who are set on a course of backward mobility, compared to their parents and grandparents. Finnegan places them in the larger context of post-oil crisis, postindustrial America, where a factory job is no longer a sufficient foundation for a middle class existence. Indeed, even the concept of the middle-class as an attainable destination is completely absent. Finnegan apportions blame to the economy that makes stay-at-home parenting the province of the rich, a public education system that has given up on the bottom tier, a punitive welfare system, an ill-considered government approach to the scourge of drugs, and perhaps most tellingly, "the fecklessness and self-absorption of my own generation." This is best reflected in the stunning statistic that over the last 25 years (as of the writing), poverty among the elderly has dropped by 50%, and among children has increased by 37%. This is not an optimistic book, but it will provoke serious thought and debate--a great one for book clubs.
Our cold world.......2002-01-21
William Finnegan has written a truly American book, even though its characters are not quite representative of Americans at all. His interest for this book is in a certain segment of the population. The four cities he chooses are those that have been hard hit by economic downturns, and the youths he associates with and learns about are those situated in danger and immobility. What makes the book relevant to all Americans (beyond our ability to feel a basic concern for others) is that Finnegan tackles two issues that we reluctantly, and too often simplistically, face-poverty and race. A few more topics that constantly appear that I would consider as being born of the previous two are drugs and gangs.
It doesn't take much to enjoy this book. It reads like four stories. I had to keep reminding myself that these were true (according to Finnegan). After the "stories," in which Finnegan tries to keep a journalistic distance (though not always), there is an epilogue, and we see what the author is trying to get the reader the see. There are deep questions of responsibility that run through America's laws and policies, that these questions must be asked by the citizens of the country who sometimes must choose between economic growth and economic equality. Such consideration requires an understanding that some decisions allow a few to prosper and few to fall into deprivation.
It's easy to say people like Terry and Juan are hopeless, that they will forever be in trouble, and that they deserve any punishment they get. It's a little harder to say that when you consider that you have human beings in desperate conditions, and they will not go away simply by enforcing judicial toughness.
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