Night in the Country

Book Description

There is no night so dark, so black as night in the country. And while the people dream of daytime things, the nighttime world awakens. Owls swoop, a rabbit patters, and in the yard an apple falls -- pump! -- from the tree.

Listen. Go to the window. Across the field a light glows. Who else is up so late? Who else watches and hears the sights and sounds of night in the country -- the many stirrings of silence, the many colors of the dark?

Lyrical text and velvety pictures present a very different kind of nighttime: a mysterious, moving night that will lull small children to sleep.

Customer Reviews:

sweet story about nighttime in the country.......2007-10-02

Rylant talks about all the interesting things one might hear during a night in the country and at the end brings it back around to letting those things hear us during the day. I think this is a perfect book for children aged 2-6. My two year old seemed to like the illustrations and story and I like how the book itself presents the simple and fascinating things you can hear at night if you'll only pay attention.

NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY.......2007-08-16

THE BOOK ARRIVED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IS BEING ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED BY MY GRANDCHILDREN. THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE LOVELY, AS IS THE STORY

Catches the Mood of Night Time.......2007-05-13

I love it! This picture book was a recommendation from an Amazon booklist; the description made me curious because we live in the country, too (in Australia).

The whole atmosphere of this book is wonderful - it quietly describes a dark country night to your child so gently that it takes away the childly fear of darkness and the creaking noises of an old country house at night! You can visualise the apple falling from the tree in the orchard, and I loved the mention of the squeaky screendoor from the neighbour's place as well. Except for the racoon (which I change into a wombat when I read it to my son) everything applies so much to anywhere country all over the world.

This book is a loving description of life in the country, and I recommend it for all parents who live on a rural property. I'd suggest from about 3 years of age if your child is worried about darkness or night sounds; but even our 9 months old son already loves the quiet mood of this book which helps him wind down and fall asleep really easy.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK...GREAT TO READ WITH THE YOUNG ONES........2006-11-21

Night in the country is a beautiful work. I love the illustrations by Mary Szilaggi. It, like the title states, deals with night in the country, in particular, night sounds, which can, if a young child is not use to them, be a bit alarming. I have found this book quite useful with young grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends who are unfortunate enough to live in the city. When they visit, some of the sounds simply frighten them. After reading this book to them, we take them on night walks, slow walks through our trees and fields, listening and then identifying the sound they hear. This is fun and the fright soon leaves. The illustrations and the text of this work are quite simple and a joy to both the ear and they eye. Highly recommend this one.

Great bedtime book-would make a great gift.......2005-12-10

This book has a wonderful meter for reading aloud as a bedtime book and I would recommend it highly for anyone looking for a bedtime book for a young child. The story is very calming and poetic, not a rhyming sing-song book but a wonderfully comforting weaving of words and illustration to help soothe little minds about the night noises they might hear. You do not have to live in the country to appreciate the descriptions of "the groans and squeaks that houses make" Enjoyable from the city to the fields and everywhere in between.

Cynthia Rylant's soothing rhythm and Mary Szilagyi's illustrations are a perfect fit.

My children aged 2 and 4 adore this book and request it frequently at bedtime.

AT NATURE'S PACE: Farming and the American Dream

Average customer rating:

The garden at the center of the universe
Wendell Berry in a raspberry patch. Wonderful!
He's mad as hell and writes straight-from-the-shoulder
It's been done before, but rarely better than this.

AT NATURE'S PACE: Farming and the American Dream
Gene Logsdon
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679427414
Release Date: 1994-01-25

Book Description

Now in paperback, seminal, environmental and agricultural essays by the acclaimed journalist and Ohio farmer, Gene Logsdon, who has written regularly for publications such as Orion, Whole Earth Review, Mother Jones, The Utne Reader, Organic Gardening, and New Farm.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

The garden at the center of the universe.......2003-04-19

The volume titled "At Nature's Pace" is an earlier edition of the better-known one released several years later, with a half-dozen or so additional essays, under the title "Living at Nature's Pace." Not having read the latter yet, I can't comment on what the extra essays added to the ones originally collected. But I can say that I'm definitely looking forward to reading them.

Gene Logsdon is, in his way, just as "revisionist" as many of the historians I've found myself reading lately. He challenges many of the orthodoxies of the "farm crisis" we city folk have been hearing about for decades, arguing that in fact most of the farms succumbing to economic pressure are large-scale "factory farms" that have been uneconomically overextended from the very beginning. Small, family-owned farms that resist the lure of going into debt to purchase more land, more chemicals, and more expensive machinery tend, he argues, to do just fine. Logsdon's prime example of this is the Amish farms of his native Ohio, whose owners have grown positively rich (especially by their own standards) by keeping their farms to manageable size.

Another of Logsdon's key points, especially worth thinking about, concerns the misleading nature of economic calculation as it is frequently applied to farming. Is raising livestock, as well as crops, and using the manure to fertilize your fields a cost, or a cost-savings, relative to using expensive chemicals? What is the value of working with your family on a small farm versus hiring hands to work a larger one? Logsdon raises many questions about "cost" versus "value" that are worth contemplating, even by those of us in the suburbs.

The book begins with contrary, sometimes (by his own admission) angry essays about the economics of farming and the general uselessness of university agricultural-education programs. But they soon transition into portrayals of farming life that are both idyllic (in the original sense) and subtly instructive. The three closing essays ("closing" in this edition; they're toward the middle in "Living at Nature's Pace"), "A Woodcutter's Pleasures," "The Pond at the Center of the Universe," and "My Wilderness," are all deeply moving.

This was my first exposure to Gene Logsdon's work, but it definitely won't be my last. I'm planning on tracking down his many other titles as well. As a third (or more) generation child of the suburbs, my connection to the farm is somewhat attenuated. But Logsdon's writing makes me feel closer to it nonetheless, and it's a feeling I find myself really appreciating.

Wendell Berry in a raspberry patch. Wonderful!.......2000-05-24

This book introduced me to Logsdon work. I've since read it over several times. He speaks what he thinks with no varnish of correctness. Incredibly refreshing these days. Covers apsects of rural society in the modern world. For an outsider that wishes to gain some perspective on the "problem" and the promise of rural America this is a great place to start and finish up.

He's mad as hell and writes straight-from-the-shoulder.......2000-05-09

Gene Logsdon, The Contrary Farmer, is that rare prolific writer who continues to delight me with the breadth of his subject knowledge. He knows modern American farm life as it really is, not only its hard-wrought joy but its deep, dark underbelly. Here he exposes the sad facts of crop subsidies and their effect on people who before political propaganda and intervention had the common sense to farm on a family scale and enjoyed the satisfaction that derived therefrom. Tractors that cost more than a farm should cost. Soil death by toxic chemicals and erosion. The criminal collusion (my words, not Logsdon's) of land grant agriculture colleges, equipment companies, chemical companies and politicians. The stupidity of laws that put Amish minister Henry Hershberger in jail for building a superior house but without a permit because of his religious beliefs. Logsdon also shows what works. The Kemp farm of Jerusalem, Ohio, with only 140 acres but a carefully built herd of cows whose pedigree commands value nationwide. A Berkeley, California, "farm" of one-third acre that grosses more than $300,000. The Amish farmers, whose success embarrasses agribusiness practitioners. Logsdon cares about people and nature. He is mad as hell and speaks plainly. He also has vision. "If we want to remake an agriculture that is technically correct for sustainability, we must make sure it is also culturally correct, or the effort will not succeed."

It's been done before, but rarely better than this........1997-11-18

Gene Logsdon, writing from anger and experience, has put together a collection of poignant, and persistent essays. His discomfort follows you long after you have envisioned a strip of grains from the midwest to Florida, the workings of dung beetles, and the mission of the "contrary farmer." Logsdon gives insight into the weaknesses of industrial agriculture and how its woes are most painfully obvious in rural communities. Such a reasonable subject is rarely taken on so furiously and so well...Logsdon has become a spokesman worthy of friend Wendell Berry's praise as the finest of the farmer essayists.

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Highly original and beautifully written
Dream Country
I dreamed that this volume didn't exist in the series...
An Excellent Introduction to Comics' Greatest Series

The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
Neil Gaiman , Malcolm Jones III , Charles Vess , and Steve Erickson
Manufacturer: Vertigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156389016X

Amazon.com

The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. What's remarkable here (considering the publisher and the time that this was originally published) is that the main character of the book--the Sandman, King of Dreams--serves only as a minor character in each of these otherwise unrelated stories. (Actually, he's not even in the last story.) This signaled a couple of important things in the development of what is considered one of the great comics of the second half of the century. First, it marked a distinct move away from the horror genre and into a more fantasy-rich, classical mythology-laden environment. And secondly, it solidly cemented Neil Gaiman as a storyteller. One of the stories here, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," took home the World Fantasy Award for best short story--the first time a comic was given that honor. But for my money, another story in Dream Country has it beat hands down. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" has such hope, beauty, and good old-fashioned chills that rereading it becomes a welcome pleasure. --Jim Pascoe

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

A few stand alone stories are in this volume. William Shakespeare produces the first play that Morpheus has requested, and puts on a live performance in the wild for Titania and Auberon.

A man literally gets his muse from another writer, we see the Dream of Cats, and the final fate of an Element Woman who has had enough.

Highly original and beautifully written.......2007-07-17

Gaiman is an original in every sense of the word. The first couple of volumes I read in the "Sandman" series didn't impress me all that much, I have to admit. At least, not uniformly. But the average quality in this one is very high indeed. The four stories all share the theme of dreams, from a novelist enslaving Calliope the muse to provide ideas for his books, to a cat's revelation of what the real world used to be like, to a piece about a woman who only wants to die but can't (the only "comic book" story you'll find here, and the least successful, in my opinion), and the award-winning story of the first performance by Will Shakespeare's company of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" -- for an audience from Faerie (and that one alone is worth the price of the book).

Dream Country.......2007-07-07

Excellent book, it is a few seperate stories but there is some background of the main characters not to be missed.

I dreamed that this volume didn't exist in the series..........2006-10-20

When one walks into a movie theater, they expect to see a movie. When one walks into a pizzeria, they expect to be served pizza. When one plays paintball, you should expect to be hit by at least one paintball. So, one could draw the conclusion that when one reads any of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, you should expect to be pulled into a bizarre world where your heroine (or dark figure leading the show) happens to be the actual Sandman ... right? Apparently, the answer is closer towards the "no" theory than one could expect. I understand the concept of building a stage and allowing readers to see the entire universe, and not just one small figure, but that isn't why I purchased this series. I purchased it for the sole reason that I enjoyed the first two in this collective series. I find the character of the Sandman to be one of the greatest literary figures in graphic novels today. His words will entice, his patience will amaze, and his strength will force you to think of Superman as the weakest man alive. The Sandman is intelligence, boldness, and heroics all boiled together into one shaded character. He is the epitome of "cool", if one were to phrase it that way. Yet, why would anyone who loves this series think that without the main character, the central focus of the show, would a series be able to survive? If I had started with this collection, I don't believe I would have gone any further.

I know, I seem to be an odd voice in this collection that seems to have garnered award after award for possibly the dullest story ever dreamed by Gaiman. For those fan boys out there that are drooling over the ingenuity of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", I would say - not rudely - but get over it. Sure, there were moments of fun and inspiration, but for the most part this story seemed to go on longer than needed and gave this avid Sandman reader a chance to catch up on some well deserved rest. I had seen Gaiman twist the story of Shakespeare earlier in one of the early collections (I think it was when the Sandman was talking with his "friend", Hob Gadling), but I didn't think he would dedicate half a collection to the birth of an idea. Again, I am not knocking the creativity of the piece, because I saw the premise well, it just felt overly-dramatic coupled with an overall sense of "blah". It was too much for this reader to enjoy. I wanted the fantastical coupled with sinister, and before you say it, this just didn't have it. Sure, there were creatures, but they did not come anywhere close to what I witnessed in the first two collections. I just missed the tone that Gaiman had captured with his creation in the first two collections; obviously this was a completely different step.

How did I enjoy the other stories? I thought that "A Dream of A Thousand Cats" was decent, but again lacking that panache that lingered from the first two books. "Facades" was utterly fun, but diabolically confusing. Who remembers Element Girl? To me, it just seemed too outdated for the rest of the series. My personal favorite was "Calliope", a truly frightening tale of imagination that reminded me of why I am such a big Gaiman fan. It was dark and spooky all at the same time. It was the epitome of what the Sandman represents, then we are left with nothing more a ramshackle of other stories that don't fit the bill. They were a hit or miss with me, as I have read, it seems to be the case with other Gaiman fans. I wanted, and desperately needed, more Sandman. I wanted my character back. I wanted something to breathe life back into this short collection. For those of you wondering where most of the pages remain, there is a huge development of the "Calliope" story at the end which nearly takes up 20 pages. This was a waste of time and space. Obviously, this was the weakest link pertaining to the series.

Overall, I cannot suggest this book to friends or family. If one asks which collection they should start learning about our heroine, the Sandman, in Gaiman's eyes, I would tell them to stay clear of this collection. Dream Country may be giving us a hit of what is to come, but for me it felt tired, bored, and over inflated. While "Calliope" will pull you in, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will confuse you to the point of insanity, or at least give you a good nights rest. Dream Country was weak, and it is obvious with the fact that there was what I like to call "filler" at the end of the collection. If one doesn't have anything worth saying, don't waste my time. This collection will anger any fans of the series that loved the first two. Read through this one quickly, and get to the next. I promise ... it will only get better from here.

Grade: ** out of *****

An Excellent Introduction to Comics' Greatest Series.......2006-10-17

Let me just say that I have kids. They do things that kids are wont to do; make noise, make messes and generally prevent me from reading, my favorite pleasure. So I made a compromise; I wanted to read, but I couldn't get into a book, then I decided to get back into comics. Needless to say, I am a long time comic reader. Superhero stuff mainly. Characters from the DC universe (Batman is my favorite) and Kurt Busiek's Astro City were pretty much it for me.

But I got restless. I needed a change. Not that I've quit reading about superheroes, but I needed to broaden my outlook.

I've long known about Gaiman's classic Sandman series, but at the time, it just didn't seem interesting to me. But I asked a young woman who worked in a comic book store about it. She praised it and recommended the series. Since I didn't know anything about Morpheus or any of his siblings in the endless, she suggested starting off with Dream Country, in what is the third volume of the series.

To veteran Sandman readers, it's a brief collection of four short stories and the shortest book of the lot. But for the novice, it's a superb introduction to Neil Gaiman's brilliant storytelling and a nice way to ease into his fantastic world. I read the collection in a day. I then got the rest of the series. If you like good stories well told, superb characters you want to feel for and a taste for the different, look no further.

I would recommend Sandman to even the most jaded reader. I'd be genuinely shocked of they weren't won over.

The Dream Palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age

Average customer rating:

poor images and quality
FANTASTIC!
Life can be unbearably sweet
Voyeur
A Bricks and Mortar Tour of Hollywood Elegantly Presented

The Dream Palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age
David Wallace
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810955431

Book Description

Bestselling author and Hollywood historian David Wallace unveils 25 enchanting buildings and homes from Hollywood's glorious Golden Age. Hollywood buffs and architecture enthusiasts alike will savor this in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the histories of these spectacular structures, as well as the titillating revelations about many of their famous occupants.

Each restored to its original grandeur, the buildings here-from private homes to theaters, hotels, restaurants, and hot spots of the day-are showcased in 200 sumptuous photographs, all specially commissioned for this book, as well as rare historic shots. The intimate portraits of these famed spaces-including the homes of Hollywood superstars such as Cary Grant, Gloria Swanson, Cecil B. DeMille, and Charlie Chaplin, plus locations like Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Max Factor building-demonstrate the innovation, ingenuity, and drive that gave birth to Hollywood.

Customer Reviews:

poor images and quality.......2007-01-31

The images and text in this book are of poor quality. If you are expecting a coffee table quality book of the same caliber as an Architectural Digest, look somewhere else.

FANTASTIC!.......2006-12-05

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. There are so many interesting stories and tid bits about the stars of Hollywood's golden age. From the suave Cary Grant to the powerful DeMille to the comic W.C. Fields. The homes are anywhere from spectacular to homey. This book also covers some famous theaters and restaurants. I highly recommend it!

Life can be unbearably sweet.......2006-08-21

Fantastic book that gives you access to the lifestyles of the truly privledged in Los Angeles. Jaw dropping pictures that other books can only dream of publishing. This is a must buy for anyone interested in Southern California architecture.

Voyeur.......2006-04-27

I loved this book. Something about the pictures... one feels like you're actually there... technically part of it is that the human eye sees inside and outside. Photographers get one of the other... but not both. In these pictures it feels like you are walking through a house... seeing it as a guest of the famous resident... and seeing it as you would if you were there in person. You can look at the room, the furniture, or out the window. There's an emotional quality that was stirred in me.

Likewise, the text is telling tidbits and gems that the famous owner might reveal to a friend... One learns things that you wouldn't dare ask. Its a great marriage between the past private and public lives of people that we all know. Though they are long in their graves, they come to life in this fascinating book.

I'd been in some of these homes. The Charles Laughton home in Palos Verdes, Portugese Bend, was a fascinating journey as a kid... walking over Peacock Flats, through the Vanderlip estate... looking for feathers, and hoping not to be caught. The fear that Quasimodo would emerge and chase us, I can still feel it. I think that going back there in the book, this was my favorite.

A Bricks and Mortar Tour of Hollywood Elegantly Presented.......2006-03-13

When Lucy and Ethel took the bus tour of the movie star homes on "I Love Lucy", you will undoubtedly recall Lucy finding herself bobbing for grapefruit at Richard Widmark's palatial estate. Now we can all see what is behind the other side of the barrier wall thanks to this elegant coffee table book compiled by fervent Hollywood historian David Wallace. With some beautiful photos and descriptive, trivia-laden text, he includes twenty-five buildings and homes that were designed and built during Hollywood's golden era.

Painstakingly restored to their original grandeur, they represent a variety of eclectic architectural styles from Art Deco to Mediterranean and Spanish Colonial. While the typical landmarks such as Graumann's Chinese Theater are here, the book is highlighted by the homes of screen legends like Carole Lombard, Gloria Swanson, Cecil B. DeMille, Chales Laughton, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, and Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard. The furnishings within the homes are not so much lavish as surprisingly idiosyncratic and insightful to the personalities inhabiting the settings. The photographs by Juergen Nogai are often stunning and give evidence of both the creativity and decadence pervasive at the time. This is definitely a fun one to peruse.

Take Me Home, Country Roads: Score and CD Included! (John Denver Series)

Average customer rating:

Great for all ages...
Another great John Denver/Christopher Canyon work!
AWESOME!
It took me home
Great book for Mountaineer Fans!

Take Me Home, Country Roads: Score and CD Included! (John Denver Series)
John Denver
Manufacturer: Dawn Publications (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1584690720

Book Description

By car, mini-van, pickup and motorcycle, members of a family take beautiful, nostalgic country roads to a family reunion. Up, down and around the hills of West Virginia, they all head for a hoedown, hayride, and good food at Grandma and Grandpa's place in the country! Illustrator Christopher Canyon brilliantly adapts John Denver's famous song for children of all ages. It's all about country, it's all about music, and it's all about family. (The hardback edition comes with a CD of John Denver singing Take Me Home, Country Roads! This is the third title in Dawn Publications' John Denver & Kids Book Series.)

Customer Reviews:

Great for all ages..........2007-08-15

My son received this book as a gift for his first birthday. He loves it (and he has no clue who John Denver is)! We've read/sang it a hundred + times. He loves looking at the illustrations, as do I. My husband & I graduated from WVU, so this song is near & dear to our hearts. We hope to make a little Mountaineer out of our son too....this is a good start.

Another great John Denver/Christopher Canyon work!.......2007-06-26

A great song with amazing illustrations. All the pictures look like quilt pieces. This song is timeless and kids love it. I've got kindergarteners who can belt this out and they never get tired of reading/singing it over and over. Very well done. Can't wait for more John Denver songs to come out.

AWESOME!.......2007-05-25

John Denver's music paints a beautiful picture in your mind, but this book brings it to life even more! Book is very animated---almost seems like the pictures move as the vehicles go up and down the rolling hill. Great quilted-look art that covers almost every space in this book. LOTS of things going on (you could look at this book all day long and still find something new the next day) Well worth the money!!! Get is for all your John Denver fans :)

It took me home.......2006-11-03

I thought the book was adorable and will preserve John Denver's song for future generations. I have introduced his music to my young nieces and nephews. They know who he is now just by the sound of his music. Thanks for the latest addition to my library and the John Denver childrens collection.

Great book for Mountaineer Fans!.......2006-11-02

We have 3 preschool children and they love it. We share the book with their preschool class on game days and the kids have so much fun singing and dancing! Go...Mountaineers. Sunshine on my shoulders is a great book/cd too.

Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey

Average customer rating:

The Failed Awakening
engaging
Obituary for a modernizing generation
Uncle Tom
Just OK...

Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey
Fouad Ajami
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375704744
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Amazon.com

The Arab world, writes Palestinian scholar Fouad Ajami, has been beset for years by divisions: religious, social, economic, and political. Many of these divisions came to the fore during the time of the Persian Gulf War, a "foreigners' rescue" in response to Saddam Hussein's attempt to seize Kuwait, which was, Ajami hints, in part a reaction against Iranian designs on the Gulf. Even those Arab intellectuals who supported Allied intervention at the time are now questioning whether it was the best solution to what they believe was a local problem. Ajami writes of the role of some of these intellectuals in shaping the culture of the region, among them the Lebanese writer Khalil Hawi, who committed suicide in the wake of Israel's invasion of his country in 1982. He also examines the terror that religious fundamentalists have been visiting on secular states such as Egypt, "a country with a remarkable record of political stability" that, Ajami believes, will be able to ride out the present storm. Ajami's essays will be most revealing for students of contemporary politics and Arabic history.

Book Description

From Fouad Ajami, an acclaimed author and chronicler of Arab politics, comes a compelling account of how a generation of Arab intellectuals tried to introduce cultural renewals in their homelands through the forces of modernity and secularism. Ultimately, they came to face disappointment, exile, and, on occasion, death. Brilliantly weaving together the strands of a tumultuous century in Arab political thought, history, and poetry, Ajami takes us from the ruins of Beirut's once glittering metropolis to the land of Egypt, where struggle rages between a modernist impulse and an Islamist insurgency, from Nasser's pan-Arab nationalist ambitions to the emergence of an uneasy Pax Americana in Arab lands, from the triumphalism of the Gulf War to the continuing anguished debate over the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords.

For anyone who seeks to understand the Middle East, here is an insider's unflinching analysis of the collision between intellectual life and political realities in the Arab world today.

Customer Reviews:

The Failed Awakening .......2005-10-23

This book is an absorbing blend of history and literary criticism. A somewhat melancholy narrative of the political and economic failure of the Arab World in the 20th century, it is also a study of Arab intellectual currents of the time. The author chronicles the lives and the thoughts of these intellectuals from the heyday of modernity in the middle of the century through pan-Arabism, secular nationalism and Nasserism.

The great dream of an Arab Awakening failed miserably. The total defeat of 1967 was a turning point in the move towards religious fundamentalism whilst the increased oil revenue after 1973 only exacerbated the fragmentation of the Arab World into brutal fascist regimes, medieval theocracies and oiligarchies.

There were and are exceptions to the majority of intellectuals who were united mainly in their hatred of Israel, like the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, the Palestinian academic Sari Nusseibeh and a few others. According to Ajami's insightful analyses, repeated failure led to extremism and further disasters and thus the cycle of hopelessness continued.

This book was published in 1998 so it preceded the expressions of more murderous nihilism as seen in 9/11, the further intifada against Israel and the genocide in Darfur. The embrace of religious fundamentalism has been facilitated by the nihilistic utopianism of writers like Edward Said and others. One of the results of this regrettable trend has been the more severe oppression of minorities like the Christian Copts in Egypt.

The book is illuminating on many levels: the Shia/Sunni divide, The Iranian revolution and Arab perceptions of it, The Oslo accords, Iraq's war against Iran and Kuwait, the assassination of Sadat and the attitudes of the Arab intelligentsia towards Israel.

Dream Palace Of The Arabs is a most enlightening read for those who wish to understand the tragic history of the Middle East. The work is scholarly and well researched, but the writing has a riveting and poetic quality that keeps the reader captivated throughout.

engaging.......2005-05-05

Perhaps Ajami's best: a legendary (and, for some, inconveniently seminal) text in the field of Middle Eastern studies and Arab psychology.

The basic thesis is that the hopelessness of modern Arabs (in such fields as medicine, politics, education, economics -- even warfare) stems from their insistence on perceiving and, in turn, constructing their reality out of words, out of rhetoric, out of the incantatory and soothing effect of flowery or mystical verbiage, rather than out of the zillions of nagging and undeniable clues that the external world keeps jabbing them with.

It's a lot more interesting than I'm making it sound, though.

Obituary for a modernizing generation.......2004-09-28

The extremism that seems to pervade the Middle East is neither the region's predestined endpoint nor is it a historical inevitability-rather, it is a condition that sprung out from the failure of a great generation of reformers and free-thinkers that lived in the middle of the twentieth century, and whose passing away by the 1990s marked the triumph of theocracy and backwardness in the Middle East.

"The Dream Palace of the Arabs" is the sequel to the "Arab Predicament," which Fouad Ajami, a Lebanese professor at Johns Hopkins, published in 1980; back then, Mr. Ajami was younger and "approached [his] material more eager to judge." In the "Arab Predicament," he bemoaned the Arab political experience; in "The Dream Place of the Arabs" he tries to "appreciate what had gone into the edifice that Arabs had built."

This literary journey chronicles the birth of a generation of modernizing Arabs that fought and lost the case for modernity. The history of the past seventy years is narrated through the life of authors and their works-what they wrote, how the societies around them reacted, and how the political condition merged with their literary expression, only to suppress it and silence it.

As a parallel history, "The Dream Palace of the Arabs" could accompany any book. But in looking at the literary interplay between modernizing authors and their surroundings, Mr. Ajami has not only dug deeper in his probe of what brought about the present Arab political condition, but has analyzed the issue on a whole other level.

The reader who is familiar with Middle Eastern history will not feel burdened by the material. The refreshing tone and approach allows Mr. Ajami to deal with such issues as the Iranian revolution, the Egyptian peace with Israel, the Palestinian battle with Israel, or the Iran-Iraq with refreshing erudition and acumen that always excites and never bores.

"The Dream Palace of the Arabs" cannot serve as an introduction to the Middle East; it is too subtle and perceptive for that; but for anyone who is tired of reading about oil politics, religious fundamentalism and elusive peace deals, and who is actually interested in the underlying intellectual currents upon which the Arab political storm thrives, "The Dream Palace of the Arabs" is a sure bet.

Uncle Tom.......2003-12-19

As was written by another "(Fouad Ajami) has no axe to grind unlike Ed (sic) Said". True anough Ajami is far too busy being a perfect hound fetching and in his case delivering his master's newspaper. If you want to hear the message you expect to hear because it comforts you read this. But if you wish to know about what is out there give it a rain check

Just OK..........2003-03-11

I found any of Tom Friedman's books to be an easier and more comprehensible read. I am not a full time student of the middle east, although I like Dr. Ajami.

Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 (Dear America)

Average customer rating:

the golden country
Gabby
Life's Roads as a Jewish Girl
Dreams in the Golden Country, But is it really golden?
Molly's Review for Dreams in the Golden Country

Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 (Dear America)
Kathryn Lasky
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0590029738

Customer Reviews:

the golden country.......2007-03-06

I thought the book was awsome. I couldn't put it down there was no part that was boring. I recccomend this book to every one. i read it so fast and i want to read it again

Gabby.......2006-11-08

Have you ever wondered how long and painful a trip across the Atlantic, would be? Leaving your home, your customs, your whole life, all left in the waves. In the book, Dreams in a Golden Country by Kathryn Lasky, a girl named Zipporah Feldman, mostly known as Zippy struggles to adjust to the American way of life. Zippy would not even have had to come to America, but in her small town in Russia Jews were being persecuted. Zippy has a father who decided to come to America first, who is becoming more American everyday. Zippy has a mother who refuses to leave her old ways, and two sisters, one named Tovah who is obsessed with politics, and the other, Miriam who falls in love with a Catholic firefighter. Zippy has to start in 1st grade, since she had never gone to an American school before, but she eventually gets to the grade she should be in. Zippy is the only family member who was allowed to go to school. I like this book because you get to see the easy and difficult times in an immigrant girl's life during the 1800's. I recommend this book to someone who like stories in diary entry form.

Life's Roads as a Jewish Girl.......2006-03-08

Life's Roads as a Jewish Girl

Zipporah Feldman (Zippy) comes to America with her Jewish family. They came from Zarichka. This book was the diary of Zipporah. After coming to America they all have found some sort of dream in this new country. What was it about America that makes you like this, having big hopes and dreams. Her beloved sister has gone away with the guy she loves, who is not a Jewish boy. Mama gets mad ands pretends top mourn over her daughter like she is dead. The family has fallen apart. Zippy is sad. Something happened to one of her friends. She wants to fly an airplane like the first two brothers did. Or be an actress. She had dreams to look up to.

I really liked this book. Because it was a diary. It was interesting and I liked it a lot. Because she wrote in it almost all the time, it was like a story of her life. Another good diary book that I enjoyed was The Diary of Patrick Seamus Flaherty. I like diary books because they are like a life story and very interesting. These books are different diary's and people. But both are excellent books to read!

Dreams in the Golden Country, But is it really golden?.......2006-03-08

Zippoah is a jewish girl coming to America to meet her Father in New York City. They come to New York City from A small village in Russia. They come for a new life away from all the attacks that are going on in Russia. Zipporah starts a diary of what is going on in the new country she is in. SHe Starts school, Makes firends, and new ideas come to her family that they would have never dreamed of thinking about in Russia. Some thoughts are good & some are bad & some frighten her mother. Her mother is a person who likes to stick to old customs but she starts to add some new ones once she is more comfortable with the New country she is in.
Her father is a very nice man who played the violin very well and was a photographer. Zipporah has two sisters Meriam & Tovah. Tovah is a more seriouse and political person she is also the oldest of the three. Mariam is a very romantic girl, she is the middle child. Mariam ends up falling in love with a cathlic boy and her mother is furious when she finds out that they got secretly married.In Zipporah, or Zippy as her firends call her, has to learn how to read & write in english. At School Zipporah recites poems and learns many new things at school. Zippora's life gets better at some points and bad at some points. But let me ask you how would you feel in her shoes?

Molly's Review for Dreams in the Golden Country.......2005-05-10

Dreams of the Golden Country
By Kathryn Lasky

(Publication: 1998 by Scholastic Inc.) (188 pages) (Genre: Historical fiction)

In summary the book Dreams in the Golden Country was an extremely good book. The book takes place in New York City, 1903. In the book there is a Yetish Jewish family and they live in Russia. The dad of the Feldman family immigrated into the United to States to earn money and buy a place for the family when they came. He worked in a sweatshop factory and had bought an apartment that was shared with an elderly border. When the family immigrated over months later they found that the "papa" they knew and loved had changed. He had cut off this side locks, stopped playing the violin, and did not celebrate any Jewish holidays anymore. Sara, the mom was very upset along with the three children, Zipporah, the youngest, Miriam, the middle child and Tovah the oldest. They were not all impressed with the small unlit apartment either but they had to deal with. As the book went on Zipporah who is keeping the journal is going through school and working hard to learn English along with the rest of the family. The times are pretty smooth until they start to fall apart when Miriam runs away and gets married to a non Jew and the family pretends she's dead. Then more problems come as mama is pregnant and a close friend dies. Times eventually get smooth again and the family resolves their problems and starts their "real" life in America.
I was attracted to this book by the part of the title "Golden Country" it made me wonder what the author was talking about, also the fact that is was a diary.
The main character of the book is Zipporah who is the writer of the journal. Her two friends Blu and Yitzy are immigrant also that have been in America longer than Zippy and her family. The Feldman family, papa, mama, Tovah, and Miriam. The conflict in the book is how the family has to manage being in a new country and not knowing the language there.
My opinion about this book is that the author made a real situation interesting. She made it seem like you were in the book. Very descriptive and hard to put down. I believe the author achieved the purpose of writing this book. The book was powerful, strong, and good and I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a truly amazing story. I would rate this book as a pretty easy read.
The lesson that is taught in this book is that even though life's journey is the most difficult ride you'll ever be on you have to be yourself and stay true to your friends, family and the true you. You also need to appreciate what you have and not take anything for granted.

Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape

Average customer rating:

Barry Lopez Froze my Brain
Environmental Nonfiction
Arctic Dreams. Barry Lopez.
Good Arctic Study
One of my favorites...

Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape
Barry Lopez
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Journal

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ASIN: 0684185784

Amazon.com

Based on 15 extended trips to the Canadian far north over a five-year period, Arctic Dreams celebrates the mysteries of what documentarians fondly call "last frontiers." Such places are everywhere in danger of destruction in the interest of ever-elusive economic progress, but Lopez writes no jeremiads. Instead, he aims to foster a kind of learned understanding of wild places, in this case the vast, scarcely knowable northern landscape. Writing of the natural history of the Arctic and its inhabitants--narwhals, polar bears, beluga whales, musk oxen, and caribou among them--Lopez draws powerful lessons from the land and imparts them assuredly and gracefully. Arctic Dreams deservedly won a National Book Award in 1986 when it was first published.

Book Description

Barry Lopez has been hailed as a "master nature writer" by The New York Times Book Review, and Arctic Dreams is undoubtedly his masterwork. Set amidst the shimmering seas of Northern ice, Arctic Dreams leads readers on a journey of the mind and heart into a place that grips the imagination and invigorates the soul. Part adventure tale and part meditation on the art of exploration, this magical book dazzles with the wonder of the aurora borealis; the awesome power of polar bears and killer whales; the monumental grandeur of migrating icebergs; and the beauty and nobility of the Arctic's indigenous people. Evocative and everlasting, Arctic Dreams is a classic.

Customer Reviews:

Barry Lopez Froze my Brain.......2007-09-10

I would, sincerely, rather scrape linoleum tile off of a concrete slab than read any more Barry Lopez.

Environmental Nonfiction.......2007-04-12

This arctic study goes under the surface of the ice to bring out the subtleties in arctic life. You'll uncover mysteries without answers in this nonfiction work.

Arctic Dreams. Barry Lopez........2007-03-27

Arctic Dreams is an extraordinary book, immediately a classic work of its genre, environmental nonfiction. Chapters focus on muskoxen, polar bears, narwhal, the migration of birds and of caribou, the otherworldly temporal states and unusual lighting and light-bending phenomenon of the northern polar regions, the mental and perceptual states of the northland's human residents and visitors, and the history of European and American/Canadian exploration, and exploitation, of the arctic. Lopez examines the artic with a careful and attentive eye, recognizing its subtleties and mysteries and not demanding that they be reduced to something that the reader will feel he has brought fully within his or her understanding. The writing is appropriate to the subject in view; alert, unhurried, and deliberate.

"One of our long-lived cultural differences with the Eskimo has been over whether to accept the land as it is or to exert the will to change it into something else. The great task of life for the traditional Eskimo is still to achieve congruence with a reality that is already given. The given reality, the real landscape, is 'horror within magnificence, absurdity within intelligibility, suffering within joy,' in the words of Albert Schweitzer. We do not esteem as highly these lessons in paradox. We hold in higher regard the land's tractability, its alterability. We believe the conditions of the earth can be changed to ensure human happiness, to provide jobs and to create material wealth and ease. Each culture, then, finds a different sort of apotheosis, of epiphany, and comfort in the land." (from the epilogue)

On page 406 of my 1986 edition, Lopez writes, "The European culture from which the ancestors of many of us came has yet to . . . understand the wisdom, preserved in North America, that lies in the richness and sanctity of a wild landscape, what it can mean in the unfolding of human life, the staying of a troubled human spirit." If there is a 'short list' of great environmental nonfiction, this book is on it.

Good Arctic Study .......2006-01-18

This is a really good book. I think the author's ability to describe the Arctic environment and its inhabitants in glorious detail. Each chapter is devoted entirely to an Arctic creature or an environmental characteristic or to some historical context. My favorite chapter by far is "Ice and Light". In this chapter we get, I think, the most detailed description to be found on the colors of icebergs, flora, fauna, sea, and general landscape of the Arctic. In addition to that, we get an added bonus (especially for you astro-geeks out there). Lopez delves into the atmospheric phenomena that occur in and around the Arctic. I found this section to be truly amazing. The occurrence of these atmospheric effects resulted in some unique sightings by early explorers only to be later attributed to these phenomena. All in all, this is a really good read.

One of my favorites..........2006-01-08

My favorite book, since I was in high school, has been Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire. I never thought any book I ever read could trump the drama and emotion of that book, but Arctic Dreams is its equal, if not its superior. I do admit I am biased. This book is like a life story of a person I have been in love with for my entire life. I've read a ton of books on the Arctic, and this is one of the best.

Each chapter encompasses a different part of the Arctic: to name a few, polar bears, narwhals, muskoxen, migration patterns, ice and light, Pingkok Island...every chapter, every word, every phrase in this book sticks. You cannot read this book without imagining an intensely beautiful place. The book also contains large chunks of Arctic history, of which Lopez seems to be a huge fan. He refers to expeditions, scientists, discoveries, famous explorers and researchers of the North, and also speaks of everyday people, everyday encounters, and thoughts and feelings all people experience at one point or another. The book is written with a combination of frankness and fascination that is difficult to describe. The book's chapters also touch on many different places in the North, from Alaska to Banks Island to Baffin Island to Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Kendall Island, and many more. The book is a story of an enormous part of the world, combining history, philosophy, science, literature, sociology, and a great deal of personal reflection.

Maybe only someone completely obsessed with the Arctic could enjoy the book so completely. Maybe not. I've read some other reviews, and people who have read the book simply to learn something new have enjoyed it just as much as avid fans of the Arctic. There are a million things that make Arctic Dreams one of the best books I've ever read in my life. There is currently a copy on Amazon for $5.10. You can't buy anything as good as this for such a small amount. It's impossible. I'll read and re-read this book over and over throughout my life, and find something new every single time..

Dream Palaces: The Last Royal Courts of Europe

Average customer rating:

Mediocre, but has a some redeeming qualitites

Dream Palaces: The Last Royal Courts of Europe
Jerome Coignard
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0865652287

Book Description

Throughout the 19th century, European royalty built extraordinary palaces to which they retreated from their "official" lives in St. Petersburg, Paris, Vienna, and elsewhere. This book offers a panorama of these fantastic estates, where leading architects, craftsmen, muralists, garden designers, and naturalists were employed at enormous expense to create a life of unsurpassed luxury. Many of the palaces are now legendary: Ludwig II's famous Neuschwanstein, which dominates the Bavarian Alps; the "Alexandra Cottage" of Peterhof, the gift of Nicholas I to his wife; the lovely Castle of Miramare built for the ill-fated Archduke Maximilian, the short-lived emperor of Mexico. The palaces are "romantic" in every sense, as creations of their time, and as places suffused with nostalgic memory.

Author Jérôme Coignard provides a brief overview of each royal family and their palace's architecture and decoration, drawing on contemporary memoirs and letters. Marc Walter's color photographs are accompanied by period interior views, watercolors, and family photographs. With information on visiting hours and directions to each of the palaces, this book offers a private tour through the last courts of Europe. AUTHOR BIO: Jérôme Coignard is a novelist, essayist, and contributor to numerous French magazines. Marc Walter is a photographer and graphic designer whose most recent books include Voyages around the World and Toile de Jouy. Markus of Habsburg-Lorraine, an Austrian archduke, is the current resident of Kaiser-villa in Bad-Ischl, built for his ancestor, the emperor Franz-Joseph I, in 1834.

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre, but has a some redeeming qualitites.......2005-12-16

This book does have SOME nice pictures, but the bottom line: there is an unacceptable amount of room for improvement. The authors of this book had great potential to create something extraordianry, but wasted space by including too much text for a coffee table book and devoting entire pages to average photographs. Despite its many flaws, I do have to admit that their selections were truly fresh and original. The authors use several palaces that I had never heard of and avoid using cliches like Versailles, Schonbrun, or the Catherine Palace. If you are looking for a different lineup of palaces you might want to give this book a second thought. If you do decide to but it, DO NOT, under any circumstances, pay retail for this book. I found a used one at $28.00, and I experienced some buyer's remorse.

Gold Buckle Dreams: The Rodeo Life Story of Chris Ledoux

Average customer rating:

The Life of a Rodeo Star
Great book, even for kids to read about rodeo.
a look at a champion
chris ledoux was the real deal
A book for the Rodeo in us all!

Gold Buckle Dreams: The Rodeo Life Story of Chris Ledoux
David G. Brown
Manufacturer: Rebound by Sagebrush
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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ASIN: 0785719849

Customer Reviews:

The Life of a Rodeo Star.......2007-02-11

Chris Ledoux was a 1970 and early 80 rodeo star. If you have ever wondered what a bare back bronc rider goes through to win the National Finals Rodeo bareback bronc riding championship this book is a must. The author David Brown takes you through the early days when Chris was just a kid watching his childhood rodeo stars perform where he got the desire to be rodeo bronc rider himself. Chris started in Little Britches Rodeo, then High School and College and on to be a professional rodeo star where he endured low pay, bad rides, and severe injuries, all the way to the NFR where Chris finally wins the Gold Buckle in the bareback riding to fulfill his Gold Buckle Dreams. This is one of my favorite books.

Great book, even for kids to read about rodeo........2007-01-11

I've rodeoed for a number of years and been a Chris LeDoux fan for even longer. This was a great book about how much it took him to win the world. I passed it on to my younger brother who read it and thought it was great. It was a sad day in rodeo and country music when he passed away.

a look at a champion.......2005-11-07

This is a look behind a legend - something I'm sure he'd deny. Chris left this world much too soon, but this covers his early days before Nashville took note through his name being mentioned in Garth's song. For Chris fans or rodeo fans...excellent book.

chris ledoux was the real deal.......2005-06-26

this is an awsome book about chris ledoux's rodeo day's it has some very cool pictures you may or maynot see anywhere else, this is a must reed,for any of you chris ledoux fans out there. sadly chris is no longer with us, but he will always live in our memories of his rodeo days aswell as his music. long live chris ledoux a real cowboy.

A book for the Rodeo in us all!.......2002-08-10

Anyone who's every rodeo'ed or thought about going do the road, pick this book up, through your rigging on and hang on for a wild 8 second ride!

As both a former rodeo cowboy and long time Chris Ledoux fan, I found this book a very excellent read!

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