Average customer rating:
- An Incredibly Revealing Narrative
- Awesome book!
- A three hundred year nightmare.
- Hope Born Out of Despair
- What a story!
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Twelve Years a Slave
Solomon Northup
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0486411435 |
Book Description
Kidnapped into slavery in 1841, Northup spent 12 years in captivity. This autobiographical memoir represents an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. "A moving, vital testament to one of slavery's 'many thousand gone' who retained his humanity in the bowels of degradation..." — Saturday Review. 7 illustrations. Index.
Customer Reviews:
An Incredibly Revealing Narrative.......2007-03-26
This book presents its readers with a first-hand account of not only the cruelties of United States slavery itself, but more importantly it touches upon the ways in which other areas of social life were negatively influenced by the institution. Solomon Northup was a black man who was born a free black man in New York in 1808. In 1841, Northup was kidnapped in Boston and take to the south to be sold as a slave. He spent the next 12 years as a slave, and this book was written after he was rescued in 1853.
Many people have associated this book with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ever since the former was published. While the story line is not exactly the same, there are a lot of similarities. Most notably, both books have evil Northerners and benevolent Southerners, a feature that I think is too often overlooked. This adds credibility to Northup's account, insofar as he does not simply condemn all Southerners. Other themes, such as the break-up of slave families, the harsh treatment of slaves (especially female slaves who had the misfortune of handsomeness), and camaraderie between slaves also reflect those written about in "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
In the past the credibility of Northup's work had been in question, especially since a newspaper worker helped him write his account. However, in light of the vast number of particular details the Northup provides and the extent to which those details match up with other records, historians generally view this work as an authentic and truthful account of a free man sold into slavery. This is an incredible read, and the fact that it is a real account makes it even more fascinating. This book should be required reading for high school or college American history classes that cover the Civil War era.
Awesome book!.......2007-01-25
A compelling and wrenchingly honest first-hand account of slavery, many
times breaking my heart and making me think of the children of Africa
today. A new book, "The Last Witness From a Dirt Road" which takes
place in 1946, was given to me after commenting about Solomon Northup's
narrative, and it could almost be a sequel to Twelve Years a Slave,
written a 100 years later by the son of an overseer on a plantation
along the banks of Bayou Bouef in the same location in Louisiana. Old
social and economic orders seemed little changed from 1841 to 1946,
tragic, heart rendering but both books are riveting and honest, are
timely and universal.
A three hundred year nightmare........2007-01-24
Until I read Solomon Northup's riveting first hand account of his life as a slave, I had only imagined the degredation and cruelty with absolute and total submission by those who had no choices, no chances for liberty. Early in my own life in the 1930s, as a young boy and son of a sugar plantation overseer along the banks of Bayou Bouef in Louisiana, the exact same location as Solomon's narrative, I recognized the lingering stains of an enslaved society, in my friends...the field hands who lived in the Quarters. As a white kid, I had chances and choices, however choices based on the social and economic order that existed in my life and where I lived, which in reality, cast their net over my life, too. I've written my own narrative...my book "The Last Witness From a Dirt Road" which after reading Twelve Years a Slave, I see that my narrative could almost stand as a sequel to Solomon's book, but written a hundred and fifty years later. My heart is still broken for all the souls whose lives were so badly tormented and taken by a vile system devised and placed on humankind. The lesson: We must be diligent and precise in our approach to anyone whose ideology in religion and politics, teaches or wishes, to take away or diminish the freedom of man. I'm grateful for the courage and power of Solomon Northup.
Hope Born Out of Despair.......2007-01-21
Solomon Northup's slave narrative follows in the line of scores of other enlightening first-hand accounts of African American enslavement. What makes Northrup's account so unique is the fact that he was free when kidnapped and enslaved.
His harrowing description of his kidnapping in Washington, D. C., and of his fellow kidnappees, will melt the hardest heart. Yet, his interactions with other abducted African Americans also portrays the beauty and power of shared sorrow.
Another fascinating distinction found in "Twelve Years a Slave" is Northrup's almost uncanny ability to fairly depict his slave owners. In some cases, he ruthlessly exposes the one-dimensional ruthlessness of cruel masters. Yet, in one case, with his owner Pastor Ford (yes, Pastor), he calls Ford one of the most godly, caring, Christians he has ever known. He describes the biblical preaching and personal ministry that Ford provided to him. It is difficult for us today to see how the hypocrisy of a slave-owning Pastor could occur. But for Northrup, an intelligent, educated, articulate man, who could be blistering in his verbal attack on slavers, Ford was not a one-dimensional man. He was flawed, yet could still display admirable attributes.
"Twelve Years a Slave" is perhaps the most important first-hand account of enslavement ever written. The end of the story, which I will not ruin, must be read. Of course, with riveting writing like this, only the rare reader would dare stop before the end of the journey.
Reviwer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.
What a story!.......2003-09-03
This story of a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery is amazing. I know nothing of how it was written and sometimes questioned whether it was genuine or not because sometimes the writing was so eloquent, but after reading it I realized the author had some help from the editor, David Wilson. I hope Solomon Northrup is looking down from somewhere and knows what a treasure his book has become.
Amazon.com
Bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley, a professor at Tulane University, lived through the destruction of Hurricane Katrina with his fellow New Orleans residents, and now in The Great Deluge he has written one of the first complete accounts of that harrowing week, which sorts out the bewildering events of the storm and its aftermath, telling the stories of unsung heroes and incompetent officials alike. Get a sample of his story--and clarify your own memories--by looking through the detailed timeline he has put together of the preparation, the hurricane, and the response to one of the worst disasters in American history.
Book Description
In the span of five violent hours on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed major Gulf Coast cities and flattened 150 miles of coastline. Yet those wind-torn hours represented only the first stage of the relentless triple tragedy that Katrina brought to the entire Gulf Coast, from Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama.
First came the hurricane, one of the three strongest ever to make landfall in the United States -- 150-mile-per-hour winds, with gusts measuring more than 180 miles per hour ripping buildings to pieces.
Second, the storm-surge flooding, which submerged a half million homes, creating the largest domestic refugee crisis since the Civil War. Eighty percent of New Orleans was under water, as debris and sewage coursed through the streets, and whole towns in south-eastern Louisiana ceased to exist.
And third, the human tragedy of government mis-management, which proved as cruel as the natural disaster itself. Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, implemented an evacuation plan that favored the rich and healthy. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana, dithered in the most important aspect of her job: providing leadership in a time of fear and confusion. Michael C. Brown, the FEMA director, seemed more concerned with his sartorial splendor than the specter of death and horror that was taking New Orleans into its grip.
In The Great Deluge, bestselling author Douglas Brinkley, a New Orleans resident and professor of history at Tulane University, rips the story of Katrina apart and relates what the Category 3 hurricane was like from every point of view. The book finds the true heroes -- such as Coast Guard officer Jimmy Duckworth and hurricane jock Tony Zumbado.
Throughout the book, Brinkley lets the Katrina survivors tell their own stories, masterly allowing them to record the nightmare that was Katrina. The Great Deluge investigates the failure of government at every level and breaks important new stories. Packed with interviews and original research, it traces the character flaws, inexperience, and ulterior motives that allowed the Katrina disaster to devastate the Gulf Coast.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Read and Reminder . . ........2007-10-02
Highly recommended! I don't read many contemporary history/current events books because they are just too depressing (as in yeah, the other side is in charge and screwing everything up - I know that already!), these books are rarely `fair and balanced' these days, and I do read two newspapers and use other sources to keep up to date.
This book definitely meets the fair and balanced standard, and Brinkley has written a fascinating page-turner to boot. Pretty much everybody but the Coast Guard is a target for `biggest idiot in charge', with Mayor Nagin and also the NOPD taking perhaps the biggest hits (although Bush, Chertoff, Brown and Blanco all take well-deserved broadsides too - oh, and the Red Cross too). NO gets most of the coverage because of the floods, but Miss. and Alabama get a decent amount of print.
A fascinating read, and a great reminder to those of us who live in disaster-prone areas of what kind of help to expect when the big one hits your area. I have a few things to add to my disaster recovery stash . . .
Great Detailed & Compassionate Book.......2007-09-28
I lived thtough Katrina and this is the first book that has told the story in the most detailed & compassionate way.
A grim picture of America at it's worst.......2007-09-22
Deluge is the real deal. A true and unbiased view of the New Orleans situation. It paints government from local police to FEMA in Washington as vastly incapable of the jobs citizens believe someone will do. Since you need to pass a test to drive a motorcycle or sell insurance, shouldn't there be a test to show ability in serving as mayor, governor, president, or the head of a "relief" agency? If Katrina was the test - they all failed.
Magnus Opus account of Hurricane Katrina.......2007-09-03
This is a well written account of the dwellings in New Orleans, Hurricane's and with a few tragic personal stories before during and after the accounts of Hurricane Katrina. The author is a native of O'rleans as you will read about Tragic loss and heroism in the State of Louisiana and Miss.
Did you know that the Mayor of New Orleans was an actor? Did you know that he was holed up in the 27th floor of the Hyatt Regency before the storm while he didn't issue a "MADADORY evacuation" until 18 hours before the storm hit because he needed to consult his attorneys in fear of being sued by the restaurant and bar industry?
Did you also know that New Orleans had, when Mayor Nagin took over,a crime rate over 10 times the national average coming in at 2nd in the Nation. The poor people in the state were simply brushed under the rug and an embarrasment to this flashy Mayor.
Once you finish The Great Deluge, you will come away with an awesome understanding of not only a facsinating account of what happened before and after Hurricane Katrina but an in-depth and detailed account of how the city of New Orleans was/is run and the Leaders (crooks) who run it.
You will feel alot smarter than that you did before reading it. Buy the Hardcover...worth every penny
Horrifying!.......2007-08-27
The hurricane, flooding, and aftermath destruction (natural and man-wrought) are thoroughly described and documented in this book. Utterly disheartening. I so hope FEMA, Ray Nagin, and the other f-ups learned a great deal from their failures. And as for the bad NOPD officers -- there are just no words to describe their disgusting actions.
Book Description
The new edition: Two years after its original release, the new Obituary Cocktail has more bars, photos, drink recipes, and quotes. Six added spreads include the bar in the kitchen at Commander's Palace, The Circle Bar and its Herradura tequila shot with tonic--the Harry Tonic Jr.--and Butler's fantastically seedy interior.
WINNER Silver Medals, Publisher's Mktg Assoc & Ind Publ Assoc 2002! Book of the Year 1999 (New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association).
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Book!.......2007-01-28
If you have ever visited the bars in New Orleans, you will appreciate learning of the little known history of the watering holes that you have spent many an evening drinking and laughing. It reminds you of the many who sat on the stools before you and what interesting things have occured before your presence! The book has beautiful photographs and is very much a necessity for any lover of the city of New Orleans. It is a great coffee table book, and can spark many interesting conversations!
It will make you thirsty.......2003-10-17
first of all, this is a beautifully produced book, with wonderful photographs of the great New Orleans drinking establishments and local scenary.
Secondly, it's a must for any bartender. Not much needs to be said on this topic except for the fact that many great drinks have come out of New Orleans and the bartender (professional or otherwise) should learn how to prepare them.
Finally, the book also presents some important historical information on New Orleans and its saloons. The two go hand in hand.
The Spirit of New Orleans.......2003-08-09
Ms. McCaffety has captured the essence of New Orleans with her wonderful book. The pictures are gorgeous, and the addition of a few traditional New Orleans cocktail recipes and the history of the saloons rounds out the book nicely. I can't wait to get back to New Orleans and visit the bars I've missed.
A Bourbon Street Hopper.......2002-11-08
I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like the bars in New Orleans! They are fantastic! The press has given Bourbon St. such a negative view, but I had no trouble the two times I went down by myself! I mean if you use a little common sense, then there's no problem! The people were some of the nicest I've ever met! Everyone treats you like family and you have such a great time! This book shows that down-home, friendly atmosphere! It was interesting for me too, to see a lot of the places off of Bourbon that I didn't get to see! You know, the 5 star places that cost an arm and a leg, and require reservations! This is just another great book to relive memories of your trip to "Sin City."
Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloon of New Orleans.......2000-05-29
Growing up in New Orleans is a rare experience. Living away often makes one nostalgic and wistful.. Reading "Obituary Cocktail" brings the sights, sounds, smells and tastes roaring back. This is a beautiful book. The photos are warm, romantic and evocative. The commentary is pure magic and the recipes are fabulous. Whether you live there now, once were there or have never visited - this book captures the charm, the quirkiness and the mystery of New Orleans and her great watering holes.
Book Description
Hurricane Katrina shredded one of the great cities of the South, and as levees failed and the federal relief effort proved lethally incompetent, a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe. As an editor of New Orleans’ daily newspaper, the Pulitzer Prize—winning Times-Picayune, Jed Horne has had a front-row seat to the unfolding drama of the city’s collapse into chaos and its continuing struggle to survive.
As the Big One bore down, New Orleanians rich and poor, black and white, lurched from giddy revelry to mandatory evacuation. The thousands who couldn’t or wouldn’t leave initially congratulated themselves on once again riding out the storm. But then the unimaginable happened: Within a day 80 percent of the city was under water. The rising tides chased horrified men and women into snake-filled attics and onto the roofs of their houses. Heroes in swamp boats and helicopters braved wind and storm surge to bring survivors to dry ground. Mansions and shacks alike were swept away, and then a tidal wave of lawlessness inundated the Big Easy. Screams and gunshots echoed through the blacked-out Superdome. Police threw away their badges and joined in the looting. Corpses drifted in the streets for days, and buildings marinated for weeks in a witches’ brew of toxic chemicals that, when the floodwaters finally were pumped out, had turned vast reaches of the city into a ghost town.
Horne takes readers into the private worlds and inner thoughts of storm victims from all walks of life to weave a tapestry as intricate and vivid as the city itself. Politicians, thieves, nurses, urban visionaries, grieving mothers, entrepreneurs with an eye for quick profit at public expense–all of these lives collide in a chronicle that is harrowing, angry, and often slyly ironic.
Even before stranded survivors had been plucked from their roofs, government officials embarked on a vicious blame game that further snarled the relief operation and bedeviled scientists striving to understand the massive levee failures and build New Orleans a foolproof flood defense. As Horne makes clear, this shameless politicization set the tone for the ongoing reconstruction effort, which has been haunted by racial and class tensions from the start.
Katrina was a catastrophe deeply rooted in the politics and culture of the city that care forgot and of a nation that forgot to care. In Breach of Faith, Jed Horne has created a spellbinding epic of one of the worst disasters of our time.
Customer Reviews:
book- never received.......2007-10-01
I have still yet to receive the book I ordered. The shipper e-mailed me he had the wrong address??? How is that possible? Now he has correct address and claims he shipped it. I still do not have it. I will not be purchasing from Amazon again.
Clearer Perspective on a True Life Experience.......2007-09-24
This is an excellent account of the author's take on this nation's worst catastrophe which my state continues to try and rebuild from to date. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book...your perspective is right on the mark and the lives you detail are remarkable to say the least.
As someone who lost their home during Katrina here in Baton Rouge, but not her two children, two dogs, mother, or her own life, we give thanks daily to God first, and then our many family members, friends, and the generosity of complete strangers for their love, assistance, and kindness in our time of greatest sorrow. We have garnered the strength to go forward even stronger and more blessed than before, and we pray for all the thousands still struggling to rebuild their lives.
Thank you for insight that will bring so much to others when they read your book.
Clarity at a Cost.......2007-09-12
As a displaced resident of lower Plaquemines Parish and a guardsman mobilized for aid, I have seen and heard a lot about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. This book was great to finally put to rest so many rumors (some of which I believed two years later) and bring light to facts that were buried under sensationalism. The only problem I had with this book is that it jumps around too much. However, with the wealth of information and the thousands of people involved the author did an outstanding job tying as much as he could together, but there were just some frayed ends.
Inside View.......2007-08-12
I can't add much to the editorial review that appears on the product page, except to say that in many ways I'm glad that Horne used the balance of head and gut that he did in recounting the damage and aftermath of Katrina. The stories of the survivors are so gripping--sewage, snakes, stinging mosquitos, searing heat while waiting to be rescued followed by squalid conditions at the various collection sites--the Superdome, the Convention Center and a variety of road overpasses--then the gruesome cleanup stories (the exploding hamburger story is guaranteed to make anyone's stomach flip). Had the accounts been any more personal, I couldn't have finished the book. But this is coming from someone who experienced the storm just 75 miles up the road in Baton Rouge, where the story was already personal enough. Our suffering was very limited--some hours without electricity; days without cable TV; working around and with the thousands of evacuees, but we know how profoundly the storm and flood have affected Louisiana in general and the New Orleans metro area in particular.
I salute the doughty Picayune for publishing throughout and Horne for publishing such a thorough account just a year after the disaster. I also thank Horne for presenting a more comprehensive picture of Louisiana Governor Blanco's actions during and after the storm. The reputation of this dedicated and experienced public servant took a heavy hit from the storm, enough so to discourage her from running for a second term. Horne reveals that in the context of the event and the politics surrounding Washington's response, Blanco probably did about as well as anyone could, and better than many other political figures managing the response to the storm.
Horne also adds some structure to the story of the chaotic "planning process" (or lack thereof) that's taken place in New Orleans since the storm. This process goes on to this day as people and businesses make decisions about whether or not to return.
As fellow Louisianans, we do our best to support the recovery of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina and the resultant flooding. Horne has helped us in that effort with his thorough and thoughtful account of the tragic events.
Quality journalistic effort.......2007-06-17
This book is a very good read. It tells the story of Katrina from many different perspectives and the author seems to present each view fairly. I live in Baton Rouge, and I have friends who lived in New Orleans and have left the city since. I feel the book is an accurate portryal of Katrina and how it affected the great city of New Orleans.
Book Description
The ultimate inside story: how bureaucracy, politics, and a disregard of science combined to cripple—perhaps forever—a great American city
As deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, Ivor van Heerden had for years been warning state and local officials about New Orleans's vulnerability to flooding. But like Cassandra's, his predictions were ignored—until Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. Suddenly, van Heerden found himself at the center of a media maelstrom. Stepping forward to challenge the official version of events, he revealed the truth about the city's shoddy levee construction.
Now, in The Storm, van Heerden shares up-to-the-minute reporting from his investigations and connects the dots among the Army Corps of Engineers, the bureaucrats, the politicians, and the chain of events—both natural and human—that culminated in catastrophe. An epic of cutting- edge science and systemic bureaucratic failure, The Storm is the first book from a major player in the Katrina disaster and a riveting narrative that brings expertise, passion, and a human viewpoint to America's greatest natural disaster.
Customer Reviews:
The Storm.......2007-05-14
Good description of what happened during Katrina and the causes of it. However, it is a first person narrative with a bit of self-congratulation embedded throughout (which is kind of annoying).
Read This, and worry about your town..........2007-01-09
I am a New Orleanian. I was there, I know the details, and I know this writer has a lot to teach about disasters and personal responsibility to the community. He's a good guy who a lot of politicians tried to gag.
The book does a lot of CYA- people who knew what they were doing during Katrina have taken a lot of bludgeoning from fools. Mostly fools in politics and the Corps of Engineers- who caused the whole damn New Orleans disaster through sheer idiocy.
Rad this book and weep, for us, for yourselves. Where ever you live, there's the same incompetance waiting to fail you.
Worth The Time.......2006-11-15
Let me first start by explaining that Ivor Van Heerden is my step father, and Mike Bryan is my good friend. During the months in which this book was written, my family was not only dealing with the aftermath of Katrina, but the effects of someone with such huge ideas and opinions trying to fit them into a few hundred pages. The amount of time and dedication that went into this book alone was enough to encourage me to read it, but once i did i realized that it's positively genius. The detailes he goes into just to make sure the readers can understand what he is about to discuss definitly sets him apart from other katrina authors. And Mike Bryan's years of writing experience really bring eveything together in this book. All in all I have to say that this book is definitly worth your time, if you want to understand the big picture behind katrina, as well as the things not many people knew at the time.
Eye-Opening .......2006-08-04
Get your dictionary out for acronyms... very confusing at times. Great storytelling in the first half of the book, but much finger pointing at the end. Van Heerden is very passionate about his work and point of view. Story matches reality I guess in relation to this catastrophic, horrible event. Very eye-opening, as our government continues down the same road, levee's ...FEMA... wars..... cover-up after cover-up.... Etc...
The Sad Truth.......2006-07-14
As a former emergency management planner, I found this book to be an excellent analysis of what really went wrong in New Orleans. It is a treatise for government officials to learn what not to do and an outline of what we as citizens should demand from our government leaders. It presents very technical information and scientific analysis in a manner that even an elected official can understand. But, beyond presenting the scientific basis of why New Orleans flooded, it presents an outline of solutions that should and must be considered. It is an great testament to the fact that some issues should be above everyday politics and that some important decisions that a government may be asked to make should be based upon science and not political considerations. This is a must read for every citizen and should be a mandatory read for every elected official.
Dr. Barksdale
Customer Reviews:
Stone versus Chesnut.......2007-02-07
Like Mary Boykin Chesnut, Kate Stone wrote her diary during the Civil War. They were both members of the slaveholding planter class and at the start of the war both were surrounded by servants who met their every need. But twenty year old Kate Stone's life would be more directly affected by the war. Her young uncles and brothers went to join up at the onset and before the war ended several were dead of injuries or disease. Kate Stone's Louisiana home was occupied by the Yankees forcing the family to flee to Texas. Both describe the deprivations of the war years, lack of shoe leather, lack of cloth and the unavailability of new books, and both were at times cheered by false reports of great southern victories. The two diaries complement each other.
An Extraordinary Lady in Extraordinary Times.......2001-03-26
Kate Stone is one of my favorite Civil War diarists. She is an admixture of a great privilege, passionate beliefs, lover of literature, keen social observations and amazing fortitude. Her Civil War was dangerous, turbulent and life changing.
Brokenburn was a large plantation containing over 150 slaves in Madison Parish, LA. From 1862 on, it was in the center of the Union Army's fierce assault to gain control of the Mississippi River and divide the Confederacy in half. Plantations were commandeered and slaves were encouraged to revolt. The civilian population was helpless before the demands of military control. Madison Parish had a population of approximately 9,000 of whom 7,000 were slaves. After 1861, the Parish was emptied of able-bodied white men, most of whom had been sent to far-off Virginia and Tennessee, leaving none to protect the civilians.
In 1861, Kate was 20 years old, her immediate future being beaus, courtship, and a gay social life before she settled down to become a proper southern matron. She was unsure whether this route was ideal, as she remarked, "women grew significantly uglier in wedlock and ignored and abandoned their former female friends." This comfortable world was turned upside down, never to reappear again. With great enthusiasm and some trepidation, she watched her three older brothers go off to war. Her widowed mother made it clear that 14-year-old James was now in charge of the running of the plantation and the protection of the rest of the family. I was amazed at the serene assumption that a young teenager was thrust in this role, but it seems that was the custom of the times. If you had to grow up fast, you did. Yellow fever was a constant in the area, and longevity was not a norm. Both Generals Grant and Lee wanted their troops out of these areas during "the seasons of pestilence." This was not to be, and both armies suffered devastating losses to disease. Kate treated the "fever season" as a fact of life, and planned around it with remarkable briskness.
By 1862, the Stone family was desperate. The Federal leadership demanded that they stay on their property; yet there were serious slave insurrections that threatened the lives of the plantation holders. Those slaves who were not hostile were running off, and there was no labor to farm the crops. Many southerners could not believe that their "loyal" slaves would run away. Kate was not among them, saying, "If I were in their place, I'd do the same." She was by no means sympathetic, just practical.
The family finally escaped through the bayous in a rickety canoe with nothing, not even underwear, and finally made it across the border into Texas. They were refugees along with many other prominent Louisiana families. Kate was convinced they had arrived at "a dark corner of the Confederacy." Upon noting the barefoot but hoop skirted frontier ladies, she sniffed "there must be something in the air of Texas fatal to beauty."
Kate agonized over the increasingly bad war news and was devastated by Lee's surrender. Kate is one of the most vivid, perceptive diarists of the Civil War. Her diary is one of social history, a time of calamitous change and invaluable for understanding this crucial time in American history. Kate is a natural writer and observer. A highly enjoyable read.
Book Description
David Duke's riveting autobiography.
Customer Reviews:
An Autobiography with an Engaging Presentation of Research.......2007-04-20
MY AWAKENING is a captivating book that exemplifies how a student is to do a research [theme] paper. Dr. Duke used autobiography to structure his awakening that was thoroughly researched, cross-checked and referenced. His writing engages and draws you deeper into each of two topics using the facts and evidence; while his multiple sourced examples test the credibility of his sources. Here you will see how racial differences evolve in geographically separated populations; and you will see how influential zionist leaders can maintain their culture of excusiveness while directing others to multiculturalism. The author studied, awoke and was surprised by the discoveries.
The voice of tolerance.......2006-12-14
At last, a book which explains the most important issue of modern times in a way which will help rather than hinder the cause. Most racially-conscious writers are full of such spleen and venom that they overplay their hand and turn off those they wish to convert. Duke doesn't. He has clearly thought deeply about this issue and holds no hatred for anyone. He just demands the same rights for his own people that non-white "community leaders" demand for theirs. If every American read this book, Duke would be the next president.
Freedom of Speech Begins Here.......2006-04-25
I read David Duke's semi-autobiographical "My Awakening."
This is 3 books in one:
1)the Duke story
2)a study of race and society
3)a study of the Jewish question, including their dual code of morality, the non-Semitic origin of the Ashkenazi Jews, reasons why the accepted Holocaust story may be wrong, and the Jewish role in communism and the New World Order.
The portion on race and IQ cites the same experts as "The Bell Curve," but is nowhere near as dry or boring. This is easy reading because of the conversational tone of the book, and the very well-presented charts.
So, is Duke synonymous with hatred? Yes, because if you believe him, powerful people will hate you.
Enlightening.......2006-01-19
This book is probably the most important I've ever read. It is very difficult to find, a testament to the type of suppression that has followed the auther David Duke throughout his entire life.
The book jumps back and forth between details of the author's life and research on sociology, anthropology, history and genetics; all of it is carefully referenced. The transformation of the American media is shown clearly and factually. Foreign influences with nefarious purposes have been shown to exist at the heads of all major newspaper publications in the entire country. Most of the legislation which has brought down the national average IQ, school systems and neighborhoods are exposed. It was all blurry before I picked up this book and it is now frighteningly clear. Everybody should read this book if we are to survive.
Those who have sought to discredit and bash the author have been shown as the criminals they are. David Duke has never commited a violent or criminal act in his life, yet he was almost murdered on three occasions. Why? There is not a racial slur or virulent phrase in this entire book. The message is purposeful, positive and redeeming. Open your mind and give it a read, it's well worth it.
Read and perish.......2006-01-03
Warning this book will cause your IQ to drop by several points. Mr Duke using flawed and false research and broken reasoning to make the same old tired racist claims of superiority of the white race. The views being no diferent than when he was spouting them as a member of the KKK, same old pig but with new lip stick. what magazine/comic book did he apply to for his PHD? The only people who will find this book useful will be those wishing to re-enforce the same point of view.
Average customer rating:
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The South-Central States: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
Mel White
Manufacturer: Random House
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Southern Rockies: Colorado and Utah (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: Central Appalachia: West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Southeast: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: Pacific Northwest: Washington, Oregon (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
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The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Mid-Atlantic States: The Mid-Atlantic States: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
ASIN: 0679764798
Release Date: 1996-09-17 |
Book Description
Readers explore the natural treasures of America's south-central region--Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi--with this information-packed guide, featuring more than 180 color photos throughout, and nine clear and detailed maps.
Book Description
An eye-opening explanation of the greatest natural disaster in American history. Katrina was the seminal event of the new century, a body blow to the national self-image. Could such devastation have been prevented? Sensationalism and political finger-pointing have made it nearly impossible to distinguish the truth from the spin. But now, in Path of Destruction, John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein cut through the confusion to offer a clear explanation.
Customer Reviews:
Katrina and survival.......2007-01-04
I am a Katrina survivor and, of course, am interested in all things written about this storm and its aftermath. This is the best of all that I have read and reads like a great novel with good descriptions of the devastation as well as the principles involved.
A must read!.......2006-09-18
In 2002, John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein wrote "Washing Away," an award-winning series for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The authors exposed the unique vulnerability of New Orleans to hurricanes, exploring "an obvious but little-acknowledged fact: here was a city that, for the six months of every hurricane season, lived with a substantial risk of utter annihilation...much of the city was built on top of a swamp, below sea level and gradually sinking."
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Louisiana coast. In Path of Destruction: The Devastation of New Orleans and the Coming Age of Superstorms, McQuaid and Schleifstein revisit familiar territory, helping readers understand why this tragic event happened when there were so many warnings.
Path of Destruction outlines the factors that contributed to the tragedy in New Orleans. By 2005, many levees were still incomplete and those built had inadequate safety levels, with safety factors of 1.3 (bridges have a safety factor of 2). The Army Corps of Engineers were more interested in commerce than hurricane safety. When combined with sinking marshlands and unstable soil, these facts increased the likelihood that levees would be overtopped or broken by a Category 2 hurricane, turning much of New Orleans into a lake. Hurricanes sweeping in off the Gulf of Mexico no longer have extensive marshlands to diminish the storm's strength for "the delta has collapsed like a souffle."
McQuaid and Schleifstein also provide extensive evaluation of Katrina's aftermath. Once the levees broke, 80% of New Orleans was under water and the delayed response by FEMA severely increased the misery caused by Katrina.
Despite the harrowing experiences of one year ago and the knowledge that what happened in New Orleans was "catastrophic structural failure" not an "act of God," the U.S. government is poised to repeat prior mistakes. The Corps is rebuilding levees to their former level of protection, leaving New Orleans as exposed as before Katrina. At one point, Corps contractors were caught "dredging up weak soil and incorporating it into a new levee." Given the prediction of an increase in Katrina-like storms, the time to act and prevent future tragedies is now.
Armchair Interviews says: Alarming information from award-winning journalists.
The only Katrina book you need to read.......2006-09-18
This is not your typical Hurricane Katrina book, and that's why you need to read it. Of all the books I've read about the storm, this book best explains what happened to lead up to the events of Aug 29, 2005. The other reviewers have really summed the book up well.
Thoughtful, Informative and Readable.......2006-09-15
Path of Destruction provides an in-depth background to the geographic, technical and political contributions to the Katrina disaster. It describes the natural challenges of settling on the active Mississippi delta, the innately human bone-headed attempts to protect settlements on an increasingly vulnerable marshland, and the classic political forces (farces?) over the centuries that made problems worse, and it does it all in a very readable way.
I grew up in New Orleans, and visit family there often, so I thought I understood the growing threat from hurricanes, yet McQuaid and Schleifstein filled in the gaps, and corrected common misconceptions; it is impressively well researched. (The horrendous tale of the response to the great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 alone is worth the price of admission.)
This is what I would call a "crossover book": Even if you're sick of hearing about Katrina-this and New Orleans-that, this book is interesting and readable enough to earn space on your "classic studies of human behavior" bookshelf.
I second that WOW!.......2006-08-18
This is an amazing book, a real page turner. I lived in Louisiana for eight years, and the book really captures a lot of the history, the culture and the realities that led up to the tragedy that befell my beloved former home on my birthday last year.
The narrative is riveting without insulting the intelligence of the reader.
The tragedy of Katrina began many years earlier, and this book helps place events in context. Fully a third of the book recounts history prior to the first raindrops hitting Louisiana.
The book steers a nice balance. It is deep enough to illuminate the political, economic and engineering factors that created the mess, but not so dry as to make it stuffy. It really presents a compelling case study in public policy and illustrates how important geography is to understanding our future.
It is clear that the authors' familiarity with the subject going back several years helped with the background portion of the book. These guys really know this stuff.
This should be a model for a popular account of a major event.
I know that some people may be unhappy that the book skirts over material supporting the second half of the title ("Coming Age of Superstorms") and others may object to any discussion of that topic, but I think that the authors do a good job placing their argument within the framework of mainstream thinking about climate change.
My only complaint is that I wish that there were more maps.
Average customer rating:
- Laugh out loud
- "...the result of all our travels will be to arrive back where we started, and know it for the very first time."
- Don't be a meanie!
- Dahlin', Jerry is telling it for True.
- "Ya didn't hav ta be there"
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Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans
Jerry Strahan
Manufacturer: Broadway
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Binding: Paperback
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Ignatius Rising: The Life Of John Kennedy Toole
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French Quarter Fiction: The Newest Stories of America's Oldest Bohemia
ASIN: 0767903242
Release Date: 1999-02-16 |
Customer Reviews:
Laugh out loud.......2007-03-16
I read this book just recently. The material made me laugh- Due to my Management storys. I reccomend if you ever Read Dunces you must flollow up with This book.
"...the result of all our travels will be to arrive back where we started, and know it for the very first time.".......2005-10-21
Lucky Dogs hold a Zen quintessence that can only be approximated by the sobriquet "Bourbon Street Steak," and are oddly more satisfying than Café du Monde beignets and chicory coffee in invoking memories of New Orleans and her pleasures.
Are Lucky Dogs, therefore, our petite Madeleine dipped in tea? Proust's ghost will not say, for now is discretion, and these are our memories, after all.
Historian Jerry Strahan has had a very American career. He is a respected and indeed famous and authoritative scholar of military history, but like many a family man needed to provide for his brood with a higher cash flow than itinerant academic leavings would provide, and fell into managing the Lucky Dog operation through those twin hands, fate and opportunity surrounded by less appealing alternatives. Over the decades he grew into the job, and even expanded the operation to Washington, D.C., where I was a happy customer.
Strahan's academic career is only a leitmotif in "Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans" for he places the characters of the vendors he deals with and his colorful memories front and center. For those not in the know, the "Ignatius" of the title is the immortal character of John Kennedy Toole's "Confederacy of Dunces" who has a comic scene selling weenies from a push wagon that is possibly one of the greatest memorable pieces of character and action reinforcing each other in American literature. To describe this scene as classic damns it with faint praise, for it simultaneously captures the character, the city, the soul, comedy, and tragedy in a single sustained breath. It should be a tattoo, and no American high school student should be unfamiliar with it.
And the primary emphasis of "Managing Ignatius" story is that Strahan works with many who are at the margins of employability, yet have personalities that draw you. "Managing Ignatius" therefore should serve as a management science alternative textbook, for indeed Strahan's goal is to sell weenies with a volatile cast and crew. He makes many bricks with very little straw.
Yet, there is a very tender side to his memoir, for Strahan never deprecates nor condemns even the most fricative people he must motivate. Indeed, he often observes that some of his most prickly characters end up being the best and most enduring vendors, and acknowledges that in an odd way many of them have found their calling in life, just as Strahan has found his.
This is an excellent, amusing, informative book that commands attention on multiple levels, and is not simply for tourists of New Orleans or Toole fans. For the story Strahan tells here is like our own as even the soul has a journey in life. In "Managing Ignatius" Strahan tells that story and "...the result of all our travels will be to arrive back where we started, and know it for the very first time." (T.S. Eliot)
Don't be a meanie!.......2005-09-23
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this--a great companion to John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. What I enjoyed most were the vignettes of collected memories of those who've pushed the weinie carts. I've probably purchased a weinie or two from some of those very people, which reinforces my belief that everyone has a story and that some of our stories are more interesting than others. I'd much rather read anecdotes about the fallen and runaways and drunks and misfits than bios of those more fortunate, like a Donald Trump per se. What you get a sense of in reading "Managing Ignatius" is the importance of life, its simplicity, its pain, its brevity, its humor and joy. There are lots of funny, laugh-out-loud sections in this book. The only detraction is the author's tendency to stray away from the weinie cart pushers and focus on himself and his personal endeavors. These parts I found mostly uninteresting, but not enough to diminish all of what's right with this read. Highly recommended.
Dahlin', Jerry is telling it for True........2004-07-20
I grew up in New Orleans and spent a lot of time in the Quarter eating "Lucky Dogs" aka Bourbon Street Steaks. The characters are not exaggerations. From the shake down cops, to the vendors from Mars, Jerry is tellin' it for true. A visit with these characters is a great way to pass a good time.
"Ya didn't hav ta be there".......2003-11-06
You didn't have to be there, however if you were, you'll know. Now, if you have ever been in the food service industry, regardless of the establishment, you will recognize these characters and know what it is to "manage" them. This is one of very few books that I read over and over again. I relish just opening it up and reading a few paragraphs. I was joyously
surprised with this gift of a book. It is fluid, fun and more factual then you may want to know! This IS New Orleans. I know. I was born, bread, and fried there. This may be a story for "our" eyes only. I can smell the streets and feel the night. The hot, sweaty, sticky nights, and sticky shoes. I can taste the bourbon from the bottom of the cart...I can feel their pain. This is a great read. Read it before you go there,
or read it on the bus home. Moreover, pass it along. This is a great afternoon read wherever you may be. This is a long story, with a long shelf life. Like my life, so far, it just goes on and on and on......
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