Book Description
This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott's hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended!.......2007-10-03
Intelligently written. That is how FABULOUS this book is! I can't wait to share this book with my friends! Entertaining and fun read! When I bought this book I also took the How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You and I am very happy to have read both books!
Easy reading style, uninspiring content.......2007-10-03
Her writing style is fluid, but her precious self-indulgence made it a painful read and embodies the entitlement "all-about-me" vein in the current culture in North America. That this book is currently #4 on the Amazon best-seller list is disheartening because it reminds me of how this generation of women in America could make a difference but instead are focused on getting their lattes in their SUVs on their way to yoga class. Me, me, me! Try reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson to see what one person can accomplish in the world as a stark contrast to Gilbert's self-centered story.
FUNNY BUT NOT ENOUGH!.......2007-10-02
I thought the writing was entertaining and very genuine but not mature enough. I couldn't wait to finish the book .... I had to scan through the last few pages.
What a wonderful adventure.......2007-10-02
Most people can relate to the break-up of a relationship and the physical/emotional drain we experience. I'd recommend this to the singles, the marrieds, and the inbetween. Straight or gay. It's not just a book about divorce but self discovery.
Refreshing and witty.......2007-10-02
This is the only book I have read that I started reading again as soon as I finished it. I didn't want it to end. Her description of Italians and their love affair with food and life is delicious. I laughed out loud at her description of all her efforts to overcome her depression. I could so identify with her analogy of depression and lonliness crawling in bed with her, old friends. I was a little disappointed in the "South Pacific"
ending. It left me wondering what was going to happen to her when she returns to "real life".
Book Description
"Son, we’re going to Hell."
The navigator of the USS Houston confided these prophetic words to a young officer as he and his captain charted a course into U.S. naval legend. Renowned as FDR’s favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. It wasn’t a fair fight, but the men of the Houston would wage it to the death.
Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, the deadly rain of fire from Japanese bombers, and the almost superhuman effort of the crew as they miraculously escaped disaster again and again–until their luck ran out during a daring action in Sunda Strait. There, hopelessly outnumbered, the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner. For more than three years their fate would be a mystery to families waiting at home.
In the brutal privation of jungle POW camps dubiously immortalized in such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, the war continued for the men of the Houston—a life-and-death struggle to survive forced labor, starvation, disease, and psychological torture. Here is the gritty, unvarnished story of the infamous Burma–Thailand Death Railway glamorized by Hollywood, but which in reality mercilessly reduced men to little more than animals, who fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, will–power—and the undying faith that their country would prevail.
Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, including testimony from postwar Japanese war crimes tribunals, and the eyewitness accounts of Houston’s survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it’s easy to forget that every single word is true.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book.......2007-09-28
Excellent write-up on a little-known story. I had read of the Houston, but not of the fate of the survivors.
Ship of Ghosts - A Must Read for all Generations.......2007-07-31
Mr. Hornfischer graced my University Area Rotary Club in Austin, his home town, with an excellent talk about the saga of some of our bravest men from the greatest generation. Of course, I bought a copy of the book and it took me a few days to get through it before I hand it to my father to read. Hornfisher shows an unlikely ability to truly connect the facts of the USS Houston and her POW survivors together to tell a compelling human story of the horrors of war and the ability of man to overcome any adversity. Hornfischer is a true patriot for documenting the courage of these brave men, and I am a better man for reading this great book.
A good telling of the USS Houston and her crew.......2007-06-18
Ship of Ghosts is Mr. Hornfischer telling of the USS Houston and her crew during WWII. The USS Houston, known as the Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast (because of how many times the Japanese reported her sunk) was the flagship of the US Asiatic Fleet. In WWII she was responsible for holding and delaying the Japanese in taking Indonesia. Any ways, Mr. Hornfischer opens by telling us the early pre-war history of the USS Houston, how she was used by FDR as his yacht, and the history of the gentlemen whom Mr. Hornfischer interviewed.
After telling us about the pre-war years, Mr. Hornfisher jumps into the action of the Battle of the Java Sea and Sunda Strait. This is then followed by telling us about the crews time as POW's and working on the "Death Railway". Most of this book deals with their experience as POW's (btw, the crew of the HMAS Perth has coverage in this book, not as much as the USS Houston, but it is recognized. Also, Mr. Hornfischer cover the men of the 2nd battalion, 131st Field Artillery). In the chapters dealing with the men being prisoners of war we learn about the poor conditions they kept in and how terrible it was working in Burma on the railway (interestingly, the conditions in Thailand were worse). An interesting fact the Mr. Hornfischer points out several times is how the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai poorly represented the conditions the men served under.
Rating wise this book was very easy for me. A solid 4.5 stars. While Mr. Hornfischer did a commendable job telling us about the crew, I had two problems. First, was his book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors was more solidly written than this one. There I felt as if I was there, this time I had someone telling me of the tale. My primary reason though for only 4.5 stars is that I'd read The Ghost That Died at Sunda Strait(by W.G. Winslow, a true 5 star book). Since I can't leave this as a half star I need to round the number. If I hadn't read Mr. Winslow's book prior, I might round up, however since I've read his book, this one gets rounded down. Sorry Mr. Hornfischer. A very good book though! It complements Mr. Winslow's nicely and picks up where Mr. Winslow chose to leave off. A very good job!
A Last-Minute Tribute.......2007-04-26
With America's WW II veterans dying at the rate of 1,500 a day, we are clearly into "the last lap". Therefore, Jim Hornfischer's excellent treatment of the cruiser Houston comes none too soon. His taut narrative actually involves two stories between the covers of one book: the ship's early combat in the Pacific and the surviving crew members' 3 1/2 year struggle for survival ashore.
There's a lesson for other researchers and authors: "the greatest generation" is fading fast, and its memories are fading even faster. Now is the time to grab the tape recorder or notepad and get the remaining veterans' stories while they are still accessible.
A Missing Piece of History.......2007-04-09
Americans generally think they know about world War II if they know about Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Front, and the Pacific War from the perspective of island hopping coming from the east side of the Pacific. What we usually overlook is the war in Southeast Asia. John Hornfischer has written what might be two books, one about the nearly-solo fight of an isloated ship in the face of the Japanese onslsught in 1942, and the other about the unbelievable suffering of prisoners of war in Japanese prison camps building the Thailand-Burma Railroad - familiar to most of us from the sanitized version seen in the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The writing is good (though not overly great); but it is the content that makes this one of the best books written about World War II, the early struggle to give ground only very dearly, the suffering enduured by our soldiers, and finally the failure to meet the real needs of soldiers trying to readjust to society after three years of captivity.
Average customer rating:
- An artful and indepth look into Singaporian, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine!
- wonderful flavors
- No Show, All Tell
- Oseland's book draws you in..
- Exotic but so intriguing
|
Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia
James Oseland
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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ASIN: 0393054772 |
Book Description
The first book to reveal the undiscovered jewels of Southeast Asian cuisine.
Just when you thought you knew everything about Asian food, along comes James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor. Oseland has spent two decades exploring the foods of the Spice Islands. Few can introduce us to the birthplace of spice as he does. He brings us the Nyonya dishes of Singapore and Malaysia, the fiery specialties of West Sumatra, and the spicy-aromatic stews of Java. Oseland culled his recipes from twenty years of intimate contact with home cooks and diverse markets. He presents them here in easily made, accessible recipes, perfect for today's home cook. Included is a helpful glossary (illustrated in color in one of the picture sections) of all the ingredients you need to make the dishes and where and how to buy them. With Cradle of Flavor, fans of Javanese Satay, Singaporean Stir-Fried Noodles, and Indonesian curries can finally make them in their own kitchen. 16 pages color photographs; 3 maps.
Customer Reviews:
An artful and indepth look into Singaporian, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine!.......2007-09-02
The author provides wonderful ancedotes for each of the recipes that truly inspire the Western cook. The book is filled with the many encounters the author has had along his journey and vividly retells them with such insight. The recipes are written in a simple, yet descript manner that should not intimidate nor offend the novice or professional cook. This book is truly a gem and is recommended for all who are interested in experiencing the awe of cuisine from the Spice Islands.
wonderful flavors.......2007-08-23
I did some traveling in Malaysia and Indonesia a few years ago and loved most of what I ate. This book has given me the opportunity to try making some of those foods at home. His mouthwatering descriptions of the key ingredients include even some brand recommendations and make finding and purchasing these novel and exotic items much less intimidating. He explains in great detail the required cooking techniques and his recipes are extremely easy to follow. Every recipe I have tried so far has been fantastic.
No Show, All Tell.......2007-05-30
If you want a cookbook with no photos, this one's for you. I read the reviews before buying but only one mentioned wanting more pictures. This is an understatement. The text may be good -- I don't know because I'm still getting over the disappointment of what might have been -- but the few photos there are feature ingredients (how many chili shots do I need?) and a few of the less interesting dishes.
Oseland's book draws you in.........2007-05-20
Great writing and excellent recipes. I've tried the beef sate recipe so far and it's is very tasty.
Exotic but so intriguing.......2007-05-13
No wonder this book was a James Beard winner for 2007. The text is exceptional-you feel like you are there. The photos are perfect. All the food is interesting and the ingredients are available-if you know where to obtain them. Many foods can be bought locally and if you run into a snag, there are internet sites listed. An exceptional book.
Customer Reviews:
Truly Wonderful!.......2006-05-30
This book has delicious, detailed pictures that calmly transports readers into the most wonderful parts of Indonesia. I was looking for a book that would give me design ideas to use and this book delivered those ideas and more. If you're looking for authentic,tropical designs, I think this is one book in which to begin your journey. Get it, sit back and enjoy the absolute beauty it has to offer.
I love this book!.......2004-12-05
I love this book. I've always dreamed of living in Indonesia. This book has many magnificent pictures that makes me more excited in moving there with my family! This is a great book because it exhibits many architectures unique to the balinese culture and would truly be enjoyed by anyone interested in tropical designs. I highly recommend it.
Great book!!.......2002-05-25
This book features many amazing pictures- of exclusive hotels as well as private homes. I was most impressed with the pictures of Amanjiwo- a famed Aman resort - and with Begawan Giri in Bali. This book is also well laid out and well written. Highly recommended for people who are interested in Balinese and tropical architecture and design.
Book Description
The phenomenon loosely termed "Bali style" has been the subject matter for countless books on art, architecture, and interior design. In this book, author and architect Gianni Francione showcases the new generation of Bali-style homes, interiors, and artifacts that utilize what he terms a new internationalism.
Even though the timeless, distinctive Balinese balé, open to a panorama of rice fields and the evening breeze, is still there, it may now be made in marble or stone. Similarly, present-day villas, resort bungalows, shops, restaurants, and other buildings are just as likely to use modernist techniques and materials as they are to utilize alang-alang and coconut wood.
Bali Houses presents this new departure in architecture, interior design, glassware, table settings, textiles, furniture, and furnishings in many never-before-photographed locations. It is a fitting sequel to Bali Modern.
Customer Reviews:
This is Bali condensed in a Book........2007-03-28
A beautiful book well balanced in terms of text and pictures. The quality of the pictures is second to none. Compared to other books about Balinese style mostly focused on interiors, this one captures not only the essence of the interiors but also open spaces and gardens.
Sphisticated and Balanced.......2007-02-22
Great photography and awesome scenarios. It really brings the feeling of being in Bali. And the decorations show the artistic side of the new interiors of the open living. It inspires my clients when they come inside my furniture store. Of the books I have from Bali, this is certainly the one with the best pictures!
Bali Houses Design.......2006-11-05
Being a Decorator, this comes in handy for clients who like the look of the Tropics. It's a complete book of ideas, design strategies, and an overall look into another world of comfortable, colorful, Paradise influence to bring a little joy to the reader.
Balinese houses - paradise........2006-01-04
This is a genuinely fine book. The photographs are spectacular, with fine color and resolution.
The text isn't too in-depth about houses in Bali, but the pictures speak for themselves.
I wholeheartedly recommend it, got me?
bali houses.......2005-07-20
Good overall but not as informative as Bali Modern another book by same author. PHotography excellent.
Book Description
Stretch your hand through ancient stone latticework to touch the lucky Buddhas atop Java's majestic Borobudur.
Drink with the deceased (and try not to slip on buffalo blood!) at an elaborate and riotous Torajan funeral.
Sniff out the infamous durian, scaly salak or spiky rumbutan at a local fruit market.
Step aside as a giant Komodo dragon swaggers slowly by, with the confidence only 100kg of top-of-the-food-chain lizard can exude.
Eleven authors, more than 300 days of in-country research, 73 ferry trips, 197 detailed maps, 205 bowls of nasi goreng. Includes in-depth information on volcano trekking, surfing, diving, orang-utan watching and the best adventure opportunities across the entire archipelago.
Customer Reviews:
Another Bible for the Journey.......2007-03-08
For those of you who know the expression "The Bible" when referring to lonely planet guides you know that this book is a must have when heading into distant lands. It is a great source of information both historically and on a day to day use. In its own, it is a great traveling companion.
Comprehensive Guide for the Whole Country.......2007-02-22
Indonesia is amazingly diverse. Their national motto, "Bhinneka tunggal ika" ("Unity in diversity") is a testament to that. As such, writing a guidebook encompassing the whole is a feat in and of itself. This guide provides a historical overview, potential itineraries based on your time availability and interests, and lots of useful practical information. The section on each province provides more detailed background.
See this as an initial guidebook to help plan your trip. If you know where you're going - say, Bali and Lombok - you may be better off finding a specific guidebook. But if one is not available, this is a great choice.
The Only Updated Guide to Indonesia - still far from perect though.......2007-02-02
This is currently both the best overall guide to Indonesia for independent travellers, and the only one that is remotely up to date.
The competition (Moon, Footprint, Rough Guides) seems to have given up covering this vast archipelago years ago. For this reason alone, the book still gets 4 stars from me, despite some shortcomings and amusingly striking errors outlined later.
It definitely covers enough attractions to keep people occupied for months, and is more than enough for those with an average interest in the country.
As usual with this series, it is reasonably strong on practical details like prices, public transport and city maps, though one should never forget that prices in particular will have changed by the time one gets there - this 8th edition was researched in early 2006, and reflects the situation as it was then.
There is also more than enough background information about culture and history for most readers, although unfortunately some useful things that were still present in the previous edition, like an overview of national parks and the longer lists of recommended books about various aspects and regions of the country have now been removed. Many less frequented islands, towns and areas that were still described in several previous editions have now been omitted, too.
On a brighter note, there is realistic, up to date assesment of the much-improved security situation in formerly strife-torn regions like Aceh and Maluku, encouraging tourists to return there.
Unfortunately, coverage of the remoter, less-visited regions remains poor.
The chapter on Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) has finally seen some long overdue changes, with non-existing attractions removed and real ones added, but info on almost anything outside the big, boring, modern coastal cities (which are covered in masochistic detail) is so vague that it makes one wonder if the author has ever left the urban jungles at all. My impression is that if she did, she certainly didn't get far!
That is still better than the chapter on Papua (Indonesian New Guinea).
Long the weakest, nearly useless part of this guide, one gets the impression that the Japanese lady "updating" it for this edition has never set foot there, and thus simply lifted all content over from the previous guides, updating hotel and transport prices with the aid of her telephone. Her information about how to cross the border with Papua New Guinea is spectacularly wrong, and there is almost nothing in that chapter that hadn't been there in the previous editions.
There are also some striking errors in the general sections dealing with the whole country.
As in the previous edition, the color section on "Indonesian" fauna proudly includes a shot of a Green Iguana from South America, this time with the added caption "Iguanas can be found in parks such as Taman Nasional Bali Barat" - in reality there are no iguanas anywhere in Asia. Similarly, the "Beguiling Beasties" itinerary recommended for wildlife fans says "you can try spotting the rare bird of paradise on the islands around Pulau Biak". Ironically, Biak and its neighbouring islands happen to be the ONLY part of Papua where there are NO birds of paradise! ;-) Plus covering that entire itinerary would take you several months (which your visa won't allow), and even then you would still have to skip the Foja Mountains of Papua (highly recommended by the author based on news reports) which are in reality so remote and inaccessible that even well-supported scientific expeditions have only made it there a few times.
But my favourite blunder is in the Getting there & Away chapter at the back of the book, listing international border crossings, where the author says "...there are two boats a week between Dili in East Timor and Oecussi in [Indonesian] West Timor." A boat on that route does exist, the only slight difference being that both of those towns are in independent East Timor, outside the borders of Indonesia!
Couldn't LP get authors who at least know where Indonesia ends and its neighbours start this time??? :-)
So those with a deeper interest in Indonesia, or with an interest in a particular region, might prefer more detailed, regional guides to those areas - there are several covering Bali & Lombok to choose from, Lonely Planet has great (if ageing) guides to Java and Nusa Tenggara, while Periplus has eight separate ones to all parts of the country, though the Periplus ones are best backed up with this book for practical details.
Those who have already been to Indonesia and own the previous edition of this book, might as well just keep it instead of investing into this new effort. Most of the content is exactly the same (or missing), with only the layout and prices changed - and the prices will have changed again by the time you get to Indonesia anyway.
For first-timers, this remains the best single-volume guide to buy though.
Perfect Indonesia travel guide update .......2007-01-28
Just received this brand new 8th edition of Lonely Planet's Indonesia. In one word: perfect! I read some chapters about Bali and Moluccan islands and every page is really filled with recent information, completely rewritten in the second part of 2006 by a professional team of specialized authors. Besides the wealth of practical travel information, much effort is taken to write about political en geographical backgrounds. Short paragraphs deal with the dramatic developments of the last few years, like those in the Moluccan and North-Sumatran regions and disasters like tsunami in the west and earthquakes on Java. The people who wrote this fine edition of Lonely Planet's Indonesia did their job with enthusiasm and give the best up-to-date travel information you can get!
Book Description
Before heading out to Bali, practicing with these flashcards will give a boost to your language skills. Each card features one Indonesian headword and includes numerous derivatives as well as other words of similar or opposite meaning. Indonesian vocabulary items are listed on one side of each card and English equivalents on the other. Sample sentences in Indonesian and English show the correct usage of each headword. An accompanying reference booklet provides important notes on Indonesian grammar and usage.
Customer Reviews:
Flah cards.......2005-09-13
they have been helpful in reviewing the vocabulary, which is critical to learning the language
Average customer rating:
- Good information, but they're not story-tellers
- Excellent
|
The Bre-X Fraud
Douglas Goold , and
Andrew Willis
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Economics
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ASIN: 0771033346
Release Date: 1997-08-29 |
Book Description
The history books will add the Bre-X saga to other legendary frauds like the South Sea Bubble. When the Bre-X bubble burst, the stock that had soared from fifty cents in 1994 to the equivalent of $286 in 1996 was worth nine cents in May 1997, before trading halted forever. And the Busang deposit, supposedly as much as 200 million ounces of gold, worth about $70 billion U.S. – the biggest gold find in history – was actually the century’s biggest fraud.
How did this happen, right under the noses of the financial world?
In this book the experienced investigative team from The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business that broke the story of Bre-X’s troubles has combined forces to answer that question. With literally hundreds of Bre-X interviews behind them, and drawing on resources from several continents, they have been able to explain the twists and turns of this complex tale. The result is a fascinating true story that reads like the wildest fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Good information, but they're not story-tellers.......2005-06-19
This was a very interesting book about sleeze, corruption, culture clash, and outright fraud. From an informational point of view, it was excellent. If you are doing research on Bre-X and want facts, this is your book.
However, this book was not written by story-tellers. There were two co-authors, and I don't think they read each other's material carefully, because there was a lot of unnecessary repitition. Also, the story read like a series of newspaper articles. (The authors are newspaper reporters.) There was no sense of the "big-picture" story until the very last chapter.
So I recommend this book to someone who wants to learn about Bre-X. If you're just looking for an entertaining fraud story, I'm not sure this is the best choice.
Excellent.......1999-12-01
An excellent cautionary tale about sleaze, error, and blind faith. The Bre-X fiasco was perpetrated on people who should have known better, but it also hurt a lot of ordinary Joes. Ironically, Calgary, Toronto and on Wall St are the real villans here, not Indonesia. Even the Suharto family, famed for its corruption, can't keep up with the greed of Western mining promoters, elite underwriters, and savvy investors.
Many people were ruined when Bre-X shot up 10,000 percent, and then tanked in a couple of hours. No one ever seems to learn, not after Keating, BCCI, Drexel Burnham, and Maxwell. Only those of us too poor to be in the stock market ever seem to see this coming. We can only ask ourselves "who's next?" in macabre anticipation.
Book Description
Combining great learning, interpretative originality, analytical sensitivity, and a charismatic prose style, Clifford Geertz has produced a lasting body of work with influence throughout the humanities and social sciences, and remains the foremost anthropologist in America.
His 1980 book Negara analyzed the social organization of Bali before it was colonized by the Dutch in 1906. Here Geertz applied his widely influential method of cultural interpretation to the myths, ceremonies, rituals, and symbols of a precolonial state. He found that the nineteenth-century Balinese state defied easy conceptualization by the familiar models of political theory and the standard Western approaches to understanding politics.
Negara means "country" or "seat of political authority" in Indonesian. In Bali Geertz found negara to be a "theatre state," governed by rituals and symbols rather than by force. The Balinese state did not specialize in tyranny, conquest, or effective administration. Instead, it emphasized spectacle. The elaborate ceremonies and productions the state created were "not means to political ends: they were the ends themselves, they were what the state was for.... Power served pomp, not pomp power." Geertz argued more forcefully in Negara than in any of his other books for the fundamental importance of the culture of politics to a society.
Much of Geertz's previous work--including his world-famous essay on the Balinese cockfight--can be seen as leading up to the full portrait of the "poetics of power" that Negara so vividly depicts.
Customer Reviews:
Negara: The Theatre State in Nineteenth Century Bali.......2003-11-05
Geertz, a social anthropologist at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, is a prolific scholar on Balinese and Indonesian political and state organization. "Negara" is a Sanskrit word which originally meant "town"; in Bahasa Indonesia it now signifies nation or realm--the seat of political authority. Its opposite is "desa," the village, place, region, or governed area. Between these two contrasting poles-negara and desa-the classical polity developed. In his search for the "negara," the traditional state of pre-colonial Bali, he casts a wide analytical net over the cultural streams that flowed unchecked in to the archipelago for over 3,000 years from India, China, the Middle East, and Europe. Foreign contact/intervention left a permanent stamp on the island chain in the form of a Hindu civilization on Bali, Chinatowns in Jakarta, and a multiplicity of social structures, economic forms and kinship organizations. Geertz traces the sociological and historical interplay of state formation and dissolution and power and status distribution in 14th to 19th century Bali-an island symbolically caught in a parallel tug of nature between the tranquil Java sea to the north and the treacherous Indian Ocean to the south. Heavy on political theory, this book is more suitable for academicians, history buffs, and college students than for the general reader or the package holiday tourist. Substantiated by critical reviews of the scholarly literature, 130 pages of explanatory footnotes, and a lengthy bibliography, Negara puts forth a persuasive final model of the Balinese state as a distinctive political order. To understand Bali's past, is to understand Bali's present and future.
""Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show".......2002-07-31
Bali flits in and out of the Western imagination: Conradian tropic kingdoms, National Geographic star attraction, Mead-Covarrubias-Belo-Geertz himself, tourist paradise (ever-fading). What is Bali all about besides emerald rice terraces, bare breasted beauties, cheap surfing holidays, and tremendously elaborate ceremonies featuring gamelan orchestras and graceful dancers ? Bali is indeed a mystery. If you approach NEGARA with the desire to learn more about this marvelous Indonesian island, you may go away disappointed. There are no Balinese voices in the book; modern Bali is hardly discussed.
NEGARA is an important book, but for those who specialize in the study of Southeast Asian kingdoms, for those who would like to question the standard Western method of studying political power, and for those interested in 19th century Balinese history as interpreted by America's foremost anthropologist, who is rather more known for creative (I'm with him) interpretations than for intensive field work. Geertz' work is going to last a very long time---something that can hardly be said about most anthropological writing. The reason is that he constantly sees things in a different way and can express his vision very clearly. His other books on Indonesia, for example "The Religion of Java", "Islam Observed", "Pedlars and Princes" and "Agricultural Involution" have all been classics for years. His article on the Balinese cockfight is one of the most seminal anthropological pieces ever written.
The Balinese state did not specialize in tyranny, conquest or effective administration. Its emphasis was on "spectacle, toward ceremony, toward the public dramatization of the ruling obsessions of Balinese culture: social inequality and status pride. It was a theatre state..." All the elaborate productions created were "not means to political ends: they wre the ends themselves, they were what the state was for......Power served pomp, not pomp power." (p.13) Geertz spends most of the 136 page book proving this point. [There are also 120 pages of notes.] There are detailed discussions of descent groups, client relationships, three major varieties of village organization aimed at administration, irrigation, and worship, and the connection between court and village. Then follows the scrutiny of ritual, ceremony, and symbols in Geertz' inimitable style. The point must be taken: Balinese society was one of unending rivalry for prestige among very-established levels of hierarchy which were, nonetheless, extremely fluid. The endless reiteration in symbolic, ceremonial terms of a fixed set of relations made up the Balinese theater state.
NEGARA, not a new book, is by now established as a classic text in Anthropology courses, in Religious Studies, Political Science, and Southeast Asian Studies in universities around the world. It portrays a political system that did not conform to the usual Western idea of what political power is all about. Geertz writes that he wanted to write a poetics of power, not a mechanics. He was successful. Readers may wonder if the ability to command and use resources like land, water, timber, or the sea, if the ability to control labor, even if indirectly, if the ability to control power, even if sporadic, do not underlie theater productions in a more definite way. But I think they will have to admit that NEGARA is a powerful politico-historical description that, for once, does not try to twist and mold the data to fit a traditional Western description of a political system. Symbolic action is not at all limited to Indonesian islands. Somebody may yet write a description of the USA as a "Theater State" albeit a very different one from old Bali. NEGARA contains many challenges. It is a great book.
Book Description
Sabine Kuegler's childhood was far from typical. The child of German linguists and missionaries, she spent her youth living among the Fayu tribe in the most remote jungles of West Papua, Indonesia. There, as her family struggled for acceptance among the tightly knit and fiercely loyal community, Sabine spent her time swimming with crocodiles, shooting poisonous spiders with arrows, and chewing on pieces of bat-wing in place of gum. And she was happy. It wasn't until the age of 17 when her world was upended that Sabine experienced true fear for the first time. She was sent off to a boarding school in Switzerland and forced to confront the culture clash of modern Western society--giving her plenty of reason to be afraid. This is her remarkable true story.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book! .......2007-09-08
This book builds a bridge between two worlds and two cultures that are so far apart. Sabine Kuegler and her family went into the world of the Fayu, a tribal people who still lived in the stone age. These people lived by the law of brutal vengence and killing. They lived in daily fear as war and death were everpresent realities for them. The Kuegler family lived among them, learned from them, and taught them by example. Over the years they had a powerful and lasting impact on the Fayu.
Sabine Kuegler has successfully opened a window for us, allowing us a glimpse into the lives of the Fayu men, women, and children who have the same needs, fears, hopes, and dreams as we all have. She writes with great respect, love, and affection about a people who came to accept and love her family as their own. Over the years through the faith, work and life of the Kueglers the Fayu found that peace and forgiveness were possible and that such a life led to great improvements in their lives.
This book also challenges us to look at our western culture. We strive for progress and consider ourselves an advanced society with humane solutions to our dilemas. We treasure our physical comforts and possessions, but the emotional health of men, women, and children are a much greater challenge in our civilization than among the Fayu, whose lives are physically very hard but emotionally more whole.
AWESOME BOOK!.......2007-08-04
My parents are friends of Sabine's, and I grew up hearing tales of the Fayu people. I awaited this book with great anticipation. It did not let me down-- it was WELL worth the read! You will love this book!!
Better than interesting.......2007-07-10
When not fun, then fascinating; when not fascinating then interesting - and always well written.
I first read the start and the end of the book, about the meeting with the European world. Then I read the rest; and I took the hole book almost in one go in one evening.
Longing for Paradise Lost.......2007-05-01
G.K. Chesterton said, "the things common to all men are more important than the things peculiar to any men." Keugler writes of peculiar circumstances, but the deep, underlying story is one common to all: a deep, unfulfilled (yet) longing for Home. And because she clearly does not (yet) know where to turn to fulfill those longings, the book ends sadly with Sabine still lost: she does not belong in Germany, or among the Fayu, or anywhere. Yet.
But Kuegler's circumstances are familiar to some. I married a `child of the jungle'--same island, same jungle, different tribe. We know some of her places, and the book is especially interesting to us because we (both missionary kids) share some of her memories: jungles, multilingualism, cannibals, crocodiles, insects, intimate friendships with `natives,' helicopters, wars, boarding schools, and a traumatic transition to being westerners lost in the West--a poignant combination of comedy and tragedy.
Kuegler's childhood, like that of many `third culture kids,' was lived in snippets--little chunks of interrupted time (like her 2-4 page chapters): a few weeks or months in the village, then a trip `out' to Jayapura, then back to the village, then a semester at boarding school, then back to the village for Christmas vacation. Her book of short chapters is a skillfully interwoven (not disconnected), almost impressionistic, collection of topics and incidents.
The second half of Kuegler's book is pierced by a wistful, powerful `Sehnsucht' (a German word she does not use)--a deep longing for something she has difficulty describing, or even identifying. As she writes of death, of separation from family and Fayu friends, of feeling misfit among her `own kind,' readers can sense her longing to belong. She mourns paradise lost and fears there is none to be regained. In "Surprised by Joy," C. S. Lewis' life is also pervaded by this Sehnsucht, and then by the joy of its fulfillment. Kuegler, hopefully, will (like Lewis and Chesterton) look again to the `good Spirit' she briefly mentions in chapters 3, 30, and 45. This longing is His gift to prod us into finding our Home (Heb. 11:13-16). I hope then to read a more joyful sequel to Kuegler's delightful first book.
Primitive voice makes tale unsatisfying to modern reader.......2007-04-26
Sabine Kuegler is in an earnest struggle to find a home in the modern world - a place made incomprehensible by her Tarzan upbringing. Dependent on her missionary parents to explain the world, she is a young woman who accepts without question the value of her family's controversial work with a Stone Age tribe. The melancholy she exhibits belies the wisdom of such an unorthodox childhood.
Now a mother in Munich, she lies awake at night pondering the psychological stresses of current life and yearns to be back in the jungle although she knows she does not belong there. Her transition to life in the twenty-first century is incomplete -- the gap too far to bridge. Modern readers will find it hard to relate to "Mama and Papa" language reminiscent of wholesome Little House pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder, while Kuegler's wide-eyed value judgments weigh down views of both the contemporary world and the Lost Valley of Irian Jaya.
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