History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Elephant House: Or, The Home of Edward Gorey

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A home filled with curiosities and wonders.
Amazing
Inside Edward Gorey's house...
Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have
A specialty item for the true Gorey collector

Elephant House: Or, The Home of Edward Gorey

Manufacturer: Pomegranate Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0764924958

Book Description

An intimate photographic journey through Edward Gorey's home.

Customer Reviews:

A home filled with curiosities and wonders........2007-08-09

This is a beautiful book of photographs and text that allows the reader an intriguing view of the home in which Edward Gorey lived and the collections of curious objects, books, and cats he filled it with.

The photographs are large and beautiful - haunting even - and there are lots of them. There is just the right amount of text to cast some light on the man behind the house and his elusive character - anecdotes about his life, his work, his friends and the things that inspired him.

If you are fan of Edward Gorey, or of eclectic interior decorating and design, and displaying collections of antiques, this book will be a treasure in your library.

Amazing.......2007-04-10

That's really all I can say. I have been waiting for this book for a long time, and it was the most incredible thing. Amazing photos. Read up on Gorey first, though. The details are some much better when you get the little visual jokes Gorey set up in his day-to-day life.

Inside Edward Gorey's house..........2006-02-01

If you are an Ogdred Weary fan...this is a truly wonderful book. Photographs of the exterior (peeling paint and kind of saggy porch) and the interior rooms of the house on Cape Cod in Gorey lived and worked, along with his cats and figbashes, piles of thousands of books, assorted rocks and oddish things, and the expected miriad of curiosities. Alas, or delightfully...just the environment one would expect of the eccentric Edward. A cabinet of curiosities...a delight!

Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have.......2005-09-10

This book wouldn't mean much to anyone who isn't already a Gorey fan. I own (and love) the compilations 'Amphigorey', 'Amphigorey Too' & 'Amphogorey Also', so have a head start. I also have the auto(?) biography 'Ascending Peculiarity', which is almost a necessary co-requisite to this book - it helps explain the cats, and many other Gorey details. Now that the individual books are available again, I'm tempted to get them too, because they are such nice objects - but only if the kids promise to share with me!

A specialty item for the true Gorey collector.......2004-04-05

Even dedicated fans of Edward Gorey will probably know very little about his personal life: he was an enigmatic recluse and few were permitted past his front door. Photographer Kevin McDermott's Elephant House will delight students of architecture and photography, providing rich duotone works of Gorey's intriguing home and its contents. A specialty item for the true Gorey collector, Elephant House is an impressive photographic showcase and a welcome addition to both architectural studies and photographic studies reference collections.

The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life

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The Best Seat in the House by Allen Rucker
Laugh out loud, be moved to tears -- READ THIS BOOK
solid.
This book has many more facets than how it feels to wake up one day, paralyzed for life.
Read this book even if you're not in a wheelchair!

The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life
Allen Rucker
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060825286
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted, the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget. For writer Allen Rucker—baby boomer, husband, father of two, aging Hollywood also-ran—life started over that Tuesday when, at the age of fifty-one, he was struck by a rare disorder—transverse myelitis—that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Why him? Was he being punished? Was it his stressful life? His frustrating career? Telling too many Christopher Reeve jokes? Dazed and paralyzed, he was forced to reevaluate everything, from the simplest bodily functions to the mysteries of the universe.

In a style that is at once funny and moving, The Best Seat in the House offers an unpretentious and unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis. Without trivializing his situation, and without sermons or clichés, Rucker invites all readers, whether disabled or not, to identify with him for better or for worse. This remarkably comic and heartfelt book speaks to the fragility of life and to the resilience and adaptability of a single, ordinary human being. Lucky for us, this human being has a sense of humor.

At first, it may not look like the best seat in the house, but read on. You might be surprised.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Seat in the House by Allen Rucker.......2007-08-16

A truly amazing book - very well written. Allen Rucker's account of overcoming adversity is a great story of courage, bravery and perseverance. A must read for everyone!

Laugh out loud, be moved to tears -- READ THIS BOOK.......2007-07-27

Allen Rucker's book is an entertaining read, a poignant portrait of a man who learns life's most important and hard-to-face lessons in a brand-new body in his 50s, and a spot-on social commentary about the way people with disabilities are treated in this culture. The most compelling and memorable aspect of this book is the way it reveals, through wit, at times scathing sarcasm, clear observation, and a healthy dose of compassion, the way a man navigates a new life in a new body. At turns poignant, revealing, terrifying, and hysterically funny, the book has no false notes and reminds disabled and non-disabled readers alike that we are given one body and we don't know what its future in this world will be, despite our most carefully crafted plans. The scenes and insights in this book will resonate when you read them and stay with you long after you've finished the book. Bravo!

solid........2007-07-04

Allen carries us through the deep interiors of emotional exhaustions, redemptions, and explorations of wrestling with a life-affirming, physical alteration. For this reason, the book and the man are close to my heart. He is clear with his words, direct in his perspective and his narrative. This story is an uncompromised one.

Allen broadcasts his investigations of the more difficult and frustrating moments of his adult life. In the same breadth, he reveals the liberating ones, reminding us that our own personal narratives may not always progress linearly. Not everyone welcomes introspection with both repose and vigor. Allen does here, and in doing so, he proves that achievement is not necessarily charted with self-awareness, but with self-discovery.

This book has many more facets than how it feels to wake up one day, paralyzed for life........2007-07-04

This book doesn't belong with all the somber "coping with illness" type of books. Allen Rucker's experience of the indignity and struggle of working in Hollywood alone is worth reading. After you commiserate with the dilemma that befalls Allen, and recognize how easily it could happen to any of us, anytime - we could take a nap one Tuesday and "wake up paralyzed for life" - the part that sticks with you is gratitude for the profound wake-up call you have received. It was hard to run after reading this book without thinking of Allen. Anyone who doesn't fully appreciate their body, or sees only the imperfections, will find that invaluable.

After the book came out, Allen Rucker spoke at a Writers Guild press conference on diversity, responding to a UCLA study showing the low employment of minorities in film and TV. He reminded them that the disabled are by far the largest minority in America - 56 million - yet are invisible both on TV and in the report. Allen's book is paving the way for those over 50 who are feeling increasingly invisible and are waking up to the fact that unexpected things will happen to our bodies as we age, not many of them good, and provides an inspired blueprint for dealing with it.

Read this book even if you're not in a wheelchair!.......2007-06-29

Allen Rucker's gift is to share his unique perspective on a difficult experience through his book "The Best Seat in the House". And what a gift it is... the book is hysterically funny, touching, a little bit sad, matter-of-fact, but above all, triumphant. We can all learn from Allen's experience. Learn about what's really important and what's really necessary to live a full and positive life, and learn to laugh our way through almost anything. I've passed this book along to my brother who is eleven months out from a head-on car accident and is now a "low quad". He loves it!

C. Fisher

PS - Loved the bit about mingling at a party. Allen - my heart goes out to you! Nothing worse.....

The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (Cliffs Notes)

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The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (Cliffs Notes)
Mary Patterson Thornburg , and Thomas Thornburg
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 076458653X

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

This concise supplement to Cisneros' The House on Mango Street & Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories helps students delve into both story collections, highlighting the wide, encompassing and vibrant lives of Latinas of all ages, from Mexican villas to the barrios of Chicago, and places in between.

This user-friendly guide makes studying a snap with visual icons flagging key themes, literary devices, and more. You'll come to understand the overall structure of the works, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. Features that help you study include

A character map, with brief descriptions, and that identifies relationships
Summaries and commentaries
A survey of the author's life that offers insight into her writing style
Descriptive character analyses
Critical essays on themes, form, and language
A review section that tests your knowledge

Book Description

In the tradition of A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun, acclaimed English travel writer Tahir Shah shares a highly entertaining account of making an exotic dream come true. By turns hilarious and harrowing, here is the story of his family’s move from the gray skies of London to the sun-drenched city of Casablanca, where Islamic tradition and African folklore converge–and nothing is as easy as it seems….

Inspired by the Moroccan vacations of his childhood, Tahir Shah dreamed of making a home in that astonishing country. At age thirty-six he got his chance. Investing what money he and his wife, Rachana, had, Tahir packed up his growing family and bought Dar Khalifa, a crumbling ruin of a mansion by the sea in Casablanca that once belonged to the city’s caliph, or spiritual leader.

With its lush grounds, cool, secluded courtyards, and relaxed pace, life at Dar Khalifa seems sure to fulfill Tahir’s fantasy–until he discovers that in many ways he is farther from home than he imagined. For in Morocco an empty house is thought to attract jinns, invisible spirits unique to the Islamic world. The ardent belief in their presence greatly hampers sleep and renovation plans, but that is just the beginning. From elaborate exorcism rituals involving sacrificial goats to dealing with gangster neighbors intent on stealing their property, the Shahs must cope with a new culture and all that comes with it.

Endlessly enthralling, The Caliph’s House charts a year in the life of one family who takes a tremendous gamble. As we follow Tahir on his travels throughout the kingdom, from Tangier to Marrakech to the Sahara, we discover a world of fierce contrasts that any true adventurer would be thrilled to call home.

Customer Reviews:

Fun read.......2007-09-13

If you are the adventurous type with an open mind to other cultures, this is a fun book to read. Tahir Shah describes his new home in Casablanca with dry wit and had me laughing out loud. I learned so much about a culture I knew nothing about, but it isn't a text book, or even travel type of read. The only question my book club members all had was, how did his wife not leave him during the very trying and hilarious remodeling project!

A year of hysterical mishaps in the Casbah.......2007-08-05

I could not put this book down for a minute. In my minds eye I could picture all the characters and their hysterical behavior. What a wild and wacky saga has been told on a par with, but much better than, A Year in Provence. Shah transports you into the mind, smells and sights of the Casbahs and you feel you are there. The characters surrounding him and taking him on this journey are nothing short of fantastic. I alternated between concern for him and the path he was letting himself be led down and absolute joy and laughter in the next instant. I read this as preparation for a trip to Morocco but the real place will never be able to live up to this adventure. Thank you for a fantastic journey.

Don't Pass UP.......2007-03-21

This book has me so obsessed with Morocco, I'm planning a trip to visit. It really fascinates with its portrayls of the MOroccan way of life, which seems quite different from ours.

An Excellent Read.......2007-03-13

This is my 2nd Tahir Shah book. Wow, the guy knows how to weave a fun to read tale. The first book I read by Shah was 'Trail of Feathers', 'The Caliph's House' is nowhere as wild -- but a much more satisfying read somehow. If you've never read any of his books get ready to have a new favorite author.

A Little Gem.......2007-03-09

What a gem of a book. An enlightening insight into another culture particularly poignent in today's world. It was overwhelming to be with our hero as he overcomes obstacle after obstacle to achieve his dream...a beautiful, decayed, centuries-old house near the sea in Casablanca. A less heartier soul would have quit after the first week. I know I would have, but, his persistence allowed him the spacious, artistic life he always wanted.

Against all adversity, he rebuilt the decayed, sprawling Caliph's house and restored it to all its original grandeur employing the local tradesmen and artisans who still used the ancient methods regarding work and attitude!

I was sorry when the year ended...

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir (Random House Large Print (Hardcover))

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Bryson Scores Again!
Great Fun
Let's Trade Childhoods
Bathroom Humor
Another Bryson masterpiece

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir (Random House Large Print (Hardcover))
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Random House Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375434305
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the middle of the United States in the middle of the last century. A book that delivers on the promise that it is “laugh-out-loud funny.”

Some say that the first hints that Bill Bryson was not of Planet Earth came from his discovery, at the age of six, of a woollen jersey of rare fineness. Across the moth-holed chest was a golden thunderbolt. It may have looked like an old college football sweater, but young Bryson knew better. It was obviously the Sacred Jersey of Zap, and proved that he had been placed with this innocuous family in the middle of America to fly, become invisible, shoot guns out of people’s hands from a distance, and wear his underpants over his jeans in the manner of Superman.

Bill Bryson’s first travel book opened with the immortal line, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes – especially to anyone who has ever been young.

Customer Reviews:

Bryson Scores Again!.......2007-05-12

Bill Bryson's story of growing up in Iowa is a terrific book. I bought it in large print for my mother, who can read only large print, and who has difficulty hearing too, so this is the only way she could enjoy the book. She too adores Bill Bryson. We love his facility with language, and his many ways of making us laugh. He's a marvelous storyteller.

Great Fun.......2007-02-13

This was a wonderful book, which also deviates here and there into politics and general history.

I really came to enjoy Bryson's observations about how "the good old days" were also fraught with some significant downsides, which we've gratefully grown beyond.

One carp: Bryson himself reads the audio edition, and he's not the most gifted reader I've ever heard. He's so laconic that the material really has to carry itself.

H'mmm - maybe that's not such a bad thing after all...anyway, you'll enjoy this book in any form.

PS - if you like this, you'll love the writings of Jean Shepard, too.

Let's Trade Childhoods.......2007-01-11

Bill Bryson is by far the funniest, most insightful, travel writer today.
Here his travels are temporal, instead of spacial as he takes us back to his childhood - and what a childhood it was. His writing is so personal and open that you can't help but feel that this book was written specifically for you.

It is both a very middle class North American tale, set in the fifties and a Calvin archetype (as in Calvin and Hobbes) visioneering a rich and adventurous landscape, that none of the adults could see.

May The Thunderbolt Kid ride again.

David Cale

Bathroom Humor.......2007-01-09

I am a big fan of Bill Bryson but was a little disappointed with the Thunderbolt Kid. Some of the eating habits were outright gross. Many of the stunts and shenanigans were not what I'd expect out of Bryson. Much of his wit was missing in this book. I had few if any laugh out loud moments through this book.

Another Bryson masterpiece.......2007-01-09

Bill Bryson takes you back to another time. His plain stated humor makes you laugh aloud and reminds us how fun childhood was. A must for all Bryson fans.

Average customer rating:

Stocking Stuffer of a Book
Don't need to save much time for this small gem
Another winner by Capote...
classic

A House on the Heights
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Little Bookroom
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1892145243
Release Date: 2002-02-01

Book Description

The tranquil life he led in the quiet enclave of Brooklyn Heights stood in sharp contrast to the glittering scene he adored on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, but for a few years in the 1950's and '60's, Truman Capote happily made his home in a yellow brick house on Willow Street. By turns wistful and farcical, A House on the Heights vividly evokes a neighborhood Capote described as among Brooklyn's "splendid contradictions," a world of grand homes and dimly recalled gentility, of mysterious warehouses and cartoonish street thugs, of antiques and dowagers, a broad yard overhung with wisteria, and the famous Esplanade with its incomparable view—all rendered in Capote's deft and stylish prose.

Customer Reviews:

Stocking Stuffer of a Book.......2005-10-06

Yes, it is a tiny book. Even though I read the review here that mentions that, when it arrived this week I was surprised. It is something he wrote for a magazine way back when. The Brooklyn he wrote about has changed, yet again. Did any of us think we would live to see Brooklyn become so expensive you couldn't afford to live there! It has happened, my friends. This book is a history of the borough and the area. NYC changes like the fall leaves. It grows and grows and changes and changes. He captured the Brooklyn of his time so elloquently you feel as if he lived 100 years ago. I am going to give this book to all my friends for the December holidays. It will fit nicely in a Christmas stocking. Truman Capote's books, now more than ever, are a must read. Other than Dominick Dunne, who do we have that writes so well and transports us to these exotic places with exotic people we would never have an opportunity to meet? You will put this book in a special place so everyone can see it. I already have.

Don't need to save much time for this small gem.......2005-06-03

I'll post a more extensive review later, when I've had time to do more than scan the book. But I want to warn buyers that it's a very slim, undersized book of only 43 pages, with lots of space between the lines. If Capote was paid by the word for this article-turned-book, he didn't make much.

Another winner by Capote..........2003-02-16

I rated this one four stars because I can't help compare it to my two personal favourites, 'Music For Chameleons' and 'In Cold Blood.'
Nonetheless, this book has all the beautiful Capote observations in it as well. Whenever Capote describes something or someone I am completely amazed. The visuals he brings forth in the readers mind are like no other. This one's a quick read. I was a lil' angry it was short because I wanted more beautiful sentences.

classic.......2002-04-15

Only reason I'm docking it a star is the typically tiresome bloviations of gadabout dilettante Georgie in the introduction. The presence of Georgie between the same covers as Truman might have some value for bulmics, but to me it's just repulsive. Beloved Truman wrote all too little, and Georgie keeps typing, typing, typing! When will it all end?

The House on Mango Street (SparkNotes Literature Guide) (SparkNotes Literature Guide)

Average customer rating:

Great Writing, But Lackluster Characters
Horrible
a classic young adult novel
Disappointed
I liked it

The House on Mango Street (SparkNotes Literature Guide) (SparkNotes Literature Guide)
Sandra Cisneros , and SparkNotes Editors
Manufacturer: SparkNotes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1411402561

Book Description

2 cassettes / Approx. 2 1/2 hours
Unabridged, and read by the Author

"It's not always that a luscious writer can be a luscious reader of her own work.  This must be the voice she hears in her head when she writes her magical prose."
-Julia Alvarez, author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Listen as Sandra Cisneros brings to life The House on Mango Street, her greatly admired novel of a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago.  Acclaimed by critics, beloved by children, their parents and grandparents, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, it has entered the canon of coming-of-age classics.

The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, whose neighborhood is one of harsh realities and hard beauty.  Esperanza doesn't want to belong - not to her rundown neighborhood, and not to the low expectations the world has for her.  Esperanza's story is that of a young girl coming into her power, and inventing for herself what she will become.

This timeless classic is now available, for the first time, unabridged.  And what makes this a particularly special audio production is the fact that the author, Sandra Cisneros, reads.

Customer Reviews:

Great Writing, But Lackluster Characters.......2007-09-22

The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl growing up in a "ghetto" area of Chicago.

But instead of being your typical novel, this book is a collection of vignettes, each focusing on one specific character or event, with few of them mentioned in future chapters. And instead of being in a typical prose style, the book is more of a combination of standard writing and poetry together.

With the way the book is written, we are allowed a very intimate contact with Esperanza's mind. Sandra Cisneros blends that with a skillful use of metaphors to create a very detailed and personal world.

But that's pretty much what I like about it.

On the other hand though, I was very disappointed with who was telling the story - Esperanza. Despite the writing, I didn't really care for her that much.

Even worse was the Esperanza got very whiny towards the end of the book. For some reason I can't fathom, she simply decides to hate her house, insisting that it isn't her home. But even before that, Esperanza continually self-pities herself for a variety of things, falling into a boring humdrum of angsty teenage melorama. And then we have the (vaguely described) rape scene.

I didn't find the other characters very rememberable, either. Most of them just them were one shot characters who wouldn't affect the story at all if they were removed.

In conclusion, I think this is a good book to read, but not really that great as everyone else says it is. (It's a good thing that it's short.)

Horrible.......2007-09-07

This book is most overrated. Yes it is a great remark on culture and growing up Latino, but ignorance of simple writing styles and grammar is no excuse. Not to mention that the book is not even remotely interesting. The main character is confusing, rambles on, and Cisneros always tries to draw pity for her. This is the worst book I have ever read.

a classic young adult novel.......2007-09-03

I first encountered this book while scoring tests for an educational testing company... the first chapter was used as a prompt for a reading test. The kids saw the author's Hispanic name and jumped to the obvious conclusions... that the family is desperately poor and oppressed (and also many kids concluded that the family lived in the Southwest or even in Mexico, whereas Mango Street is in fact a real street on the North Side of Chicago.)

This is in fact very much a structured novel, even though it is written in an episodic and impressionistic manner: it is a classic coming of age story. The family is certainly not wealthy, and they go through crises like any other family --- but this is actually a fairly happy and average American family.

Disappointed.......2007-08-23

After reading the positive reviews on this book, I was disappointed. I found the book boring and a waste of my time.

I liked it.......2007-08-22

I had to read this in my English Composition class and I thought it was very good and interesting. The characteres and story are both well-told. Cisneros is a good writer and she doesn't bore the reader to tears like cough cough John Steinbeck cough. This was the first book by Cisneros that I read and I am interested in her other works. Hopefully they will be as good as hers.

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