Digging to America

Book Description

In what is perhaps her richest and most deeply searching novel, Anne Tyler gives us a story about what it is to be an American, and about Maryam Yazdan, who after
Thirty-five years in this country must finally come to terms with her “outsiderness.”

Two families, who would otherwise never have come together, meet by chance at the Baltimore airport—the Donaldsons, a very American couple, and the Yazdans, Maryam’s fully assimilated son and his attractive Iranian American wife. Each couple is awaiting the arrival of an adopted infant daughter from Korea. After the babies from distant Asia are delivered, Bitsy Donaldson impulsively invites the Yazdans to celebrate with an “arrival party,” an event that is repeated every year as the two families become more deeply intertwined.

Even independent-minded Maryam is drawn in. But only up to a point. When she finds herself being courted by one of the Donaldson clan, a good-hearted man of her vintage, recently widowed and still recovering from his wife’s death, suddenly all the values she cherishes—her traditions, her privacy, her otherness—are threatened. Somehow this big American takes up so much space that the orderly boundaries of her life feel invaded.

A luminous novel brimming with subtle, funny, and tender observations that cast a penetrating light on the American way as seen from two perspectives, those who are born here and those who are still struggling to fit in.

Customer Reviews:

another good read.......2007-09-30

God sprinkled some special magic on Anne Tyler because her writing shines like a gem. Rarely I have encountered such exquisitely drawn and vivid characterizations. Maryam, the main female character is so real that I can almost feel her. BTW, I'm not usually a fiction lover.Most fiction feels fake and contrived to me but this was utterly believable and sprinkled with flashes of occassionally brilliant insight on the human condition.

The best Tyler ever!.......2007-09-20

I've read most of Anne Tyler through the years. This is the best--doesn't have the quirkiness nor the bummer-beat atmosphere of most of her other novels. Here, instead, she plunges so aptly into the cross cultural diverse world we all live in these days.

And what a perfect way to do it. Tyler must know Iranians well as her late husband was an Iran-born psychiatrist on the University of Maryland faculty. Tyler knows the culture she portrays intimately--and what a timely novel.

Sweet sweet story.......2007-09-18

Through an amazing coincidence, two families are gathered to meet the same flight in order to welcome home the Korean girls they have adopted. Thrown together by chance, the Donaldsons and the Yazdans become friends, even though they have nothing in common other than adopting girls from the same country.

The Donaldson family is a big and boisterous all-American family who'll use any excuse to hold a party. They let their girl keep her Korean name, and try to teach her as much about her culture as possible. The Yazdans on the other hand is a small and private family of first-generation Americans hailing from Iran. They immediately decided to Americanize the name of their girl, in order to help her fit in as easily as possible.

Digging to America is a wonderful tale of the first five years the girls spend in USA. The characters are described lovingly but with tongue in cheek, making the reader immediately care for these quirky people. Sure Mother Donaldson thinks she knows everything better than the Yazdans, and Grandmother Yazdan secretly looks down upon the Donaldsons for being `so typically American', but through the years they get to know and love each other and realize they aren't so different after all.

The point of view changes from chapter to chapter with every second chapter being told by somebody from the Donaldson family and every second by somebody from the Yazdan family. This works out really well and is a good way to show the personality of all the main characters.

I couldn't put the book down once I started it. For one thing my husband and I have considered adoption ourselves, and therefore I had a personal interest in the book. But even if that hadn't been the case I would still have enjoyed it, because it is an incredibly charming book. The characters are complete with flaws and everything. They're people I know and love and I feel at home with them.

A perfect comfort read about two families, how they work independently and together, and what it really means to be an American.

Armchair Interviews says: A sweet story many will love to share with friends.

I'm sorry, I have to agree . . ........2007-09-16

I have to agree with some of the negative reviews written about this book. There's none of the Anne Tyler quirky-ness that I've enjoyed so much in her other books. It's way too repetitive and written so matter-of-factly that it seems more like a long newspaper article than a novel. Do I really believe that the two families could have had a lifetime friendship? No--just a short one--if any at all. Bitsy Donaldson's vocal child rearing ideas would make anyone who doesn't have the same opinions run for the nearest exit pretty quickly. In my long ago child raising days I used to know a few women just like her and found them very tiresome. I guess I have to give Anne Tyler praise for her character development of Bitsy. It was "right on" --down to the shapeless hand woven clothing. I think I would recognize Bitsy on the street if I walked by her.

I also like Anne Tyler books because of the Baltimore location. I've lived in the Baltimore area for many years--have spent hours in the airport and time in some of the locations she writes about. It's always interesting to see the places I know well in a book.

I wish I could write a nicer review, but I found the book disappointing.

Boring.......2007-09-13

I am struggling to finish this book so I decided to read the reviews to see if there was any hope it might get better. I've got to say, I really don't understand the 5 star ratings. Really? You thought it was THAT good? It seems like the entire book revolves around them all getting together for parties all.the.time. I've read so many books which discuss people of different cultures existing in a foreign or native country, and they can be so extremely intriguing. This book, however, is just plain boring. *yawn* Maybe the problem I'm having with it is that the character POV changes so many times. And when it's Dave or Maryam, which is it seems it is a lot, I don't care really to hear what they have to say/think. Sorry, I don't recommend this one.

Data Assimilation: The Ensemble Kalman Filter

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Data Assimilation: The Ensemble Kalman Filter
Geir Evensen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 354038300X

Book Description

Data Assimilation comprehensively covers data assimilation and inverse methods, including both traditional state estimation and parameter estimation. This text and reference focuses on various popular data assimilation methods, such as weak and strong constraint variational methods and ensemble filters and smoothers. It is demonstrated how the different methods can be derived from a common theoretical basis, as well as how they differ and/or are related to each other, and which properties characterize them, using several examples.

Rather than emphasize a particular discipline such as oceanography or meteorology, it presents the mathematical framework and derivations in a way which is common for any discipline where dynamics is merged with measurements. The mathematics level is modest, although it requires knowledge of basic spatial statistics, Bayesian statistics, and calculus of variations. Readers will also appreciate the introduction to the mathematical methods used and detailed derivations, which should be easy to follow, are given throughout the book. The codes used in several of the data assimilation experiments are available on a web page. In particular, this webpage contains a complete ensemble Kalman filter assimilation system, which forms an ideal starting point for a user who wants to implement the ensemble Kalman filter with his/her own dynamical model.

The focus on ensemble methods, such as the ensemble Kalman filter and smoother, also makes it a solid reference to the derivation, implementation and application of such techniques. Much new material, in particular related to the formulation and solution of combined parameter and state estimation problems and the general properties of the ensemble algorithms, is available here for the first time.

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A true story of the "stolen generation"
The movie was Outstanding!
M*E*G*O
An amazing story
As Slow Moving As the Escape Itself

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
Doris Pilkington
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786887842

Book Description

Following an Australian government edict in 1931, black aboriginal children and children of mixed marriages were gathered up and taken to settlements to be institutionally assimilated. In Rabbit-Proof Fence, award-wining author Doris Pilkington traces the story of her mother, Molly, one of three young girls uprooted from their community in Southwestern Australia and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement. There, Molly and her relatives Gracie and Daisy were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their heritage, and taught to be culturally white. After regular stays in solitary confinement, the three girls planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp.

Customer Reviews:

A true story of the "stolen generation".......2007-04-14

A true account of the author's mother who was part of the "stolen generation", a group of aboriginal children who were taken by the Australian government's as part of their policy for the protection of indigenous children.
It is hard to believe that this policy was once considered the right thing to do, and not so long ago either, 1930's. But then again, Australia only granted Aboriginal people the vote in the late 1960's.
This book is about Molly, who was taken by the Australian government as a young girl and put into a settlement, and her journey back to her family.
A great story of courage and determination. Well worth a read.

The movie was Outstanding!.......2006-07-20

I visited the Amazon site after viewing the DVD "Rabbit Proof Fence." Although I have not read the book, the DVD contained a lot of landscape and many periods during the movie were what some may consider "quiet." When experiencing literature from another era or culture, I believe it helps to try to put self into the environment of the characters. The pace of "Rabbit Proof Fence" helped me be there.

I would reccomend reading the book (even though I didn't...) and highly recommend viewing the DVD. I experienced the grace and courage that exists in all of us at some level.

M*E*G*O.......2006-04-01

Sorry folks I just could not get through this book. Unanimously the "critics" said the first 50 pages were disorganized and tedious. I read up to page 10, "zzzz" I then skipped ahead to page 50 thinking "OK NOW the action will begin" nope just more of the same rambling sentences. I am keeping the book for its historical reference, and maybe someone else will read it and then convince me of the story's value.
M*E*G*O = My Eyes Glazed Over!

An amazing story.......2006-03-16

Rabbit-Proof Fence is the story of 3 young part-Aboriginal girls in Australia, the oldest only fifteen years of age. Historically, "half-caste children", (half-Aboriginal and half-Caucasian) were considered wards of the Australian government and were, therefore, forcibly removed from their families and taken to settlment schools that were little more than jails. The purpose of these schools was to prepare these Aboriginal children for their role in white society as domestics and farmworkers. This book is a true story of 3 girls who escaped from the Moore River Settlement school. Their story is nothing less than amazing. The description of the "weevily porridge" that they were served for breakfast at the school, or the sheets that were only issued when the big inspectors were coming to visit and the other hardships they faced should sadden and anger every reader. Unfortunately, there are many similarities between their story and the treatment of Native Americans in this country. It is a must read!

As Slow Moving As the Escape Itself.......2005-09-27

Even the best of countries has its dark spots. In one of the best of countries - Australia - half-white, half-aborigine children were taken from their homes in a forced assimilation into white society. RABBIT-PROOF FENCE is about three young girls who ran away from this forced assimilation and walked back to their native people across the Australian outback. Although the story is interesting, the writing is such that getting through the book, even at a slim 130 pages, is as slow and plodding as the girls' trek itself.

The first half of the book is a snapshot history of Western Australia. Although some points are interesting, it is far too disorganized and even rambling to provide a solid picture of the period. This is further complicated by the author's slant of the native people living in peace and harmony before the brutish white man came along. No doubt there is truth to this, even a large degree of truth. But as the aborigines are later described as voluntarily working for whites and describing certain employers in positive terms, it is obvious that the full story and texture of the environment is not provided.

The latter part of the book describes the girls' actual journey from the southern part of Western Australia to the north, following the rabbit-proof fence which dissects the country and will lead them home. Even given the lifeless writing style, one cannot help but be impressed with the tenacity this required, especially as they had professional trackers on their trail. This book is good for someone interested in Austalia but be forwarned that the writing is not up to telling a tale such as this.

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Not bad for the dreaded "required reading"!
An Outstanding Book with Several Flaws
Awesome book
"All pioneers have to get hard to survive."
I wanted to shake some sense into Sara's father

Bread Givers: A Novel
Anzia Yezierska
Manufacturer: Persea Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0892552905

Book Description

The classic novel of Jewish immigrants in new trade paperback format and design, with sixteen period photographs.

This masterwork of American immigrant literature is set in the 1920s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and tells the story of Sara Smolinsky, the youngest daughter of an Orthodox rabbi, who rebels against her father's rigid conception of Jewish womanhood. Sarah's struggle towards independence and self-fulfillment resonates with a passion all can share. Beautifully redesigned page for page with the previous editions, Bread Givers is an essential historical work with enduring relevance. 16 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad for the dreaded "required reading"!.......2006-11-10

This book was required reading for my history class, but it turned out to be a pretty fast and fun read. Though branded as a novel, this book reads very much like a turn-of-the-century (20th) biography of a young immigrant woman.

An Outstanding Book with Several Flaws.......2006-08-10

This book vividly portrays the culture clashes that arise when a parent remains devoted to Old World traditions and beliefs and a rebellious daughter sets out to find her own way in America. Reb Smolinsky, the family patriarch, is chronically unemployed and content to be supported by his wife and children while he spends his time in meditation and study of his beloved Torah. Sara's three older sisters find romance, but each in turn finds her chances at marriage and happiness sabotaged by their dictatorial father. Reb Smolinsky, insisting he knows best for his daughters, pairs them up instead with men they can't possibly love or be happy with. Sara decides to rebel before history repeats itself in her life, and in the face of horrendous condemnation and taunting by her father, leaves home to support herself and pursue a dream of becoming a teacher.

This is a fine story, which should have been written in third person narrative, considering the private conversations that occur in the early part of the book. Reb Smolinsky seems a bit exaggerated, and his oft-repeated citings of the Torah that say a woman without a man is less than nothing are not substantiated with book, chapter, and verse. One has to wonder, does the Torah really say such things? I tried to find proof of this, but could not find any. Also, some loose ends are left unresolved at the story's end, particularly the plot complication that ensues when Reb Smolinsky buys a grocery store in Elizabeth, New Jersey, only to find himself the victim of a clever swindle. Anyone who is only somewhat familiar with the history of the Lower East Side and the lives of early twentieth century immigrants will be left wondering if life was really this fraught with conflict, despair, and misery for daughters of Jewish rabbis unable to leave their Old World ways behind. How plausible is this story? What can we really learn from it? It is a book worth reading, nevertheless, although further reading and study will probably be needed to avoid being confused by the situations Ms. Yezierska has presented.

Awesome book.......2006-07-21

I read this book for a college English class many years ago. I just finished reading it again for about the 10th time. This book is just truely mesmorizing and captivating. You don't have to Jewish or an immigrant or a female struggling - this book is for anyone that is willing to let their mind enter a time where we have no idea what it was like first hand and to go off on a jouney. Matter of fact, all her books are wonderful as I've read them all, but Bread Givers is still my favorite. Sorry I'm not offering a critique of the book, I just simply love it and want to share it with everyone.

"All pioneers have to get hard to survive.".......2006-03-16

Anzia Yezierska's "Bread Givers" is, in a sense, two overlapping stories. The first half of the book is the melodramatic tale of an impoverished Jewish immigrant family living in the New York ghetto, a family suffering under the tyrannical and hypocritical piousness of the father. At times the foolishness and ineptitude of the father is almost comic, but the suffering inflicted on his family is harrowingly poignant. The second half is a psychologically and sociologically astute feminist coming-of-age tale, as the youngest daughter breaks from her family to re-define herself as an "Americanerin," leaving for college and eventually becoming a teacher in her old neighborhood. The broader strokes of the novel's opening give way to provocative considerations of the difficulties inherent in the narrator's at times ambivalent desires for assimilation within an alien culture and for a self-respecting independence from her own patriarchal family.

I wanted to shake some sense into Sara's father.......2005-11-05

for being such a tyrant, for spoiling his daughters' wedding plans, and for RUINING their lives -- and believe me-- that kind of stuff REALLY went on in those days! And I wanted to shake some sense into her mother for PUTTING UP WITH THIS!!!

Sara Smolinsky's life most probably parallels Anzia's real life. And if that is true, then I have the UTMOST respect for Sara/Anzia who against all odds, and especially as a woman back in the 1920's, found a place for herself and worked VERY hard to get that education and respect and "the good life" that all the middle-class American kids took for granted.

Someone reading this book today -- who has not read any books on the Immigrant experience or who has not become aquainted with Immigrant life in America in the early 20th Century -- wouldn't have a CLUE as to what it was really like back then, and to them this book would perhaps only serve to confuse or bore (!) them. Hopefully this book will not only shake readers out of their complacency, but it will encourage them to read other books about the Immigrant experience, such as "call it Sleep" by Roth.

The Bread-Givers is a great book.

The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World

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School Book

The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World
Bruce Knauft
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0072972637

Book Description

What is it like for a native people of the rainforest to confront features of a modern world? In 1980-82, the Gebusi of Papua New Guinea held elaborate ritual dances and spirit seances, practiced alternative sexual customs, and endured a very high rate of violence. By 1998, however, most Gebusi had been willingly transformed by Christian conversion, schooling, market activity, disco music, sports leagues, and local government. This book vividly portrays both the traditions and the dramatic changes of Gebusi society and culture. Written especially for students, the account uses personal stories and ethnographic examples to connect developments among Gebusi to topics that are widely considered in anthropology courses, including comparative features of subsistence, kinship, economics, politics, religion, gender, ethnicity, and nationalism.

The author lived among the Gebusi for several years, on two occasions. His account of his experience with these fascinating people aims to illustrate issues and topics prominent in undergraduate anthropology courses; provide a dramatic, personal, and well-written story of cultural transformation; and unfold the relation between so-called traditional customs and so-called modern ones. His goal in publishing the ethnography is "to let the Gebusi come alive to readers, to portray their past and their present, and to connect their dramatic changes with those in my own life and those in contemporary anthropology."

Customer Reviews:

School Book.......2007-04-27

I had to read this book for an Anthro class at my University, it was an easy read....very very easy read.

Jews And Baseball: Volume I: Entering the American Mainstream, 1871-1948

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Jews And Baseball: Volume I: Entering the American Mainstream, 1871-1948
Burton A. Boxerman , and Benita W. Boxerman
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786428287
Release Date: 2006-12-27

Product Description

Long before Hank Greenberg earned recognition as baseball's greatest Jewish player, Jews had developed a unique, and very close, relationship with the American pastime. In the late nineteenth century, as both the American Jewish population and baseball's popularity grew rapidly, baseball became an avenue by which Jewish immigrants could assimilate into American culture. Beyond the men (and, later, women) on the field, in the dugout, and at the front office, the Jewish community produced a huge base of fans and students of the game. This important book examines the interrelated histories of baseball and American Jews to 1948-the year Israel was established, the first full season that both major leagues were integrated, and the summer that Hank Greenberg retired. Covered are the many players, from Pike to Greenberg, as well as the managers, owners, executives, writers, statisticians, manufacturers and others who helped forge a bond between baseball and an emerging Jewish culture in America. Key reasons for baseball's early appeal to Jews are examined, including cultural assimilation, rebellion against perceived Old World sensibilities, and intellectual and philosophical ties to existing Jewish traditions. The authors also clearly demonstrate how both Jews and baseball have benefited from their relationship.

Ocean Weather Forecasting : An Integrated View of Oceanography

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Ocean Weather Forecasting : An Integrated View of Oceanography

Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402039816

Product Description

The field of physical oceanography has matured to a point where it is now conceivable to combine numerical models and observations via data assimilation in order to provide ocean prediction products on various spatial and time scales. As a result, many nations have begun large-scale efforts to provide routine products to the oceanographic community and started to develop operational oceanography systems. The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) provides a framework for these efforts, i.e. a global system of observations, communications, modeling, and assimilation that will deliver regular, comprehensive information on the state of the oceans, in a way that will promote and engender wide utility and availability of this resource for maximum benefit to the community. The societal benefit of this experiment will be an increased knowledge of the marine environment and ocean climate, predictive skills for societal, industrial, and commercial benefit and tactical and strategic advantage, as well as the provision of a comprehensive and integrated approach to the oceans. The chapters collected in this volume cover a wide range of topics and summarize our present knowledge in ocean modeling, ocean observing systems, and data assimilation.

A Woman in Amber: Healing the Trauma of War and Exile

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A wonderful read
Compelling
Woman in Amber
One Woman's War - Transcends All Borders
Honest memoir of suffering makes painful reading

A Woman in Amber: Healing the Trauma of War and Exile
Agate Nesaule
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140261907

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful read.......2007-01-11

Agate Nesaule has captured the horror of war and its aftermath on the life of a young woman who was there.
She writes with the authority of one who has experienced the horrible effects of war on the psyche of one who is young and impressionable. Her realism is so that we feel the suffering that she experiences.
Although a story of trauma and sadness it does have a hopeful conclusion.
A fine story, well written, and intriguing.

Compelling.......2002-12-31

Others have argued the authenticity of Ms. Nesaule's account of life in the concentration camps; indeed, the author herself voices her own uncertainty of her story, confessing to much she has forgotten. Still, it is a story worth reading. American born, I've never found myself, or even thought to imagine myself, in a situation where I have feared for my life and the lives of my family.

Ms. Nesaule's account, which she manages to relate with frank detachment, is disturbing. Who among us, in America, can understand how it feels to be kept in a basement, never knowing when it might be our turn to be taken behind the partition to be raped, or taken outside to be lined up to be shot? To be cuffed or threatened for whispering to a sibling?

During her ordeal, the young Agate learns the futility of prayer, that what doesn't kill you doesn't make you stronger, and that wounds such as those she endured never heal; although by the end of the book, after a failed long-term marriage left her the victim, she finds a semblance of peace.

Despite its obvious flaws-among others, Ms. Nesaule's son Boris is virtually non-existent and her portrayal of her husband Joe is far too one-dimensional... his dialogue is stilted and comprised of only a few phrases, which she uses time and time again (perhaps these are all she recalls after two decades of emotional abuse-A Woman In Amber is a compelling read. Whether more fiction than fact is immaterial. Ms. Nesaule's simple message is this: her suffering, as is the suffering of all men and women since the dawn of civilization, is but a single page in the history of mankind. How sad that man cannot get along with himself, sadder still that he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again and never learns.

Recommended.

Woman in Amber.......2002-08-04

The families of both of my parents fled Latvia and the invading Russians when my parents were young. This book actually is what got my mother and me talking about her childhood in Latvia and in the DP camps, so in that sense, it is a very important book. Everyone I've ever talked to, though, has had the same general opinion of Ms. Nesaule's book -- she exaggerates a bit. She makes things up. She does say this in the introduction: "I have forgotten some things..." This book leaves a good -impression- of what life was like, but it should not be read as Gospel.

One Woman's War - Transcends All Borders.......2002-07-23

Being of Latvian heritage myself, perhaps it is impossible for me to read Nesaule's book as anyone else of a different heritage might. I have grown up on stories that are but variations on a theme to this one. My first language was Latvian, my first book was Latvian, my own first efforts in creative writing were in the Latvian language. Indeed, I have just participated in a literary reading of Latvian authors at the 11th Latvian Song Festival in Chicago, Illinois, where I had the honor of sharing the podium with Agate Nesaule. Is it possible for me to turn the pages of "Woman in Amber" without a deeply ingrained bias? Perhaps not. But I can say that these pages, these words, these memories, resonated profoundly with me. The war experience in many ways, however, is a suffering and a horror that crosses all lines of ethnicity, all borders of nationality. For this reason, I believe this is an important account for a far larger audience than just the Latvian reader; I am thrilled that this book was written first in English, then translated into, I believe, seven other languages.

Latvia is a tiny but beautiful country on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The Latvian language is one of the oldest still in existence. The country's history is one of the most war-torn and ravaged of any country anywhere - although it has existed for many, many centuries, Latvia has been independent, free of occupation by other armies, for only a wink in time. If this nation can be proud of anything, it can be proud of its ability to survive even the cruelest and most oppressive conditions. This memoir, "Woman in Amber," opens a small window of light shed on how such a people survive. Even more precisely, it gives an account of how a very young girl can survive - losing her home, losing her family, conditions of hunger, rape, pillage, exile, and the terrifying experience of being a stranger in an immense and completely alien country where the culture and language are all new and strange. Most memoirs of war and battlefields are written by men. It is particularly interesting to read a different kind of account, from the perspective of a woman. If soldiers on a battlefield suffer, there is a quieter, less evident suffering that happens behind the front lines, and this memoir reveals, painfully and movingly, the no less violent and scarring battles that happen there.

Agate Nesaule's memoir is a couragous sharing of the experiences she endured - not just during World War II, but for many years following the war. Long after the sounds of war have died down, the wounds are still bloodied and pulsating with pain. Healing can often take a lifetime. My respect to this author for sharing her experience, and my hope that it has offered her healing. This is a book I am proud to recommend to both my Latvian friends as well as my non-Latvian friends.

Honest memoir of suffering makes painful reading.......2002-05-30

Suffering is not good for the soul, no matter what anyone tells you. There is nothing redemptive about it. The pain continues long after the actual experience is over. You do not become a better person because you have endured much, though perhaps your patience increases. No, we don't learn lessons from reading about others' suffering, even from such a well-written book as Nesaule's. Her life is not an example to anybody. Certainly not an inspiration. If you keep your eyes and ears open in life, and don't watch too much TV, you cannot but become aware of a huge amount of suffering and pain in the world. Whether abroad---during World War II, in Korea or Vietnam, or in the myriad wars and dictatorships of the late 20th century-or at home thanks to racism, poverty, substance abuse or simple human cruelty, we should be no strangers to the tragedy of life on earth.

A WOMAN IN AMBER describes a life broken by war, dislocation and brutality. Darkness surrounded Agate Nesaule at an early age, a gray cloud that did not begin to dissipate for nearly forty years. After early childhood happiness in Latvia, her homeland was occupied by Russians, then Germans, then Russians again. Obviously fearing the Russians more, when Soviet forces loomed on the horizon in 1944, the family fled to Germany, a refugee camp where Jews and Gypsies were sought out and taken away. Then came the raping, thieving Soviet forces, a dramatic escape to the British-occupied zone of Berlin, and five years of life in the DP camps. In 1950, the whole family, still miraculously together, emigrated to Indianapolis to begin the hard process of rebuilding a life in America. Life in the slums, little income, sub-standard housing, but at least the chance for education followed. Nesaule made a disastrous marriage to a repulsive, manipulative slob of an American, perhaps the worst choice possible, and stayed with him for over twenty years. Through everything, she longed for a close, open relationship with others, especially her mother, but could not achieve it, thanks to her own unfortunate choices. At last, divorced, she reached some peace thanks to an understanding psychiatrist and a decent, loving man. For years, the writer could not distinguish normal authority and everyday forms of social control from stark, cruel, and arbitrary forms found in squalid refugee camps, under foreign military regimes, or in the hearts of parents in the most extreme situations. At times, Nesaule seems to take a perverse pleasure in her pain, but I felt that this emerges due to her extreme honesty, her attempt to plumb the depths of her feeling in order to arrange it on paper, and remove from her psyche all those feelings warped and twisted by war, by the desperation of her childhood.

The question a reader must ask, as does the author, is how many more Agates are there out there? In Bosnia, Kosovo, Palestine, Chechnya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Timor, Colombia, Nicaragua, and dozens of other places ? A WOMAN IN AMBER is the moving story of a sensitive personality crushed by hardship and brutality, skewed to accept ruinous relationships because all self-confidence had been lost. The use of dreams to further self-understanding is extremely effective. As a Jew, whose extended family in the Baltic area was totally annihilated by the Germans (and their local minions) during WW II, I was not inclined to be sympathetic at first to a Latvian woman whose family, after all, must have lived comfortably through that same time, but I soon relented as I read on because self-pity is entirely absent. Suffering is universal, even if human brotherhood, of which we dream, is nowhere in sight. Perhaps sharing that suffering is, indeed, the very brotherhood we seek. Bleak conclusion. Read this book, you can't fail to be moved by the honesty and lack of nationalistic drivel.

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What a stupid and ignorant title ...

more hatemongering lunacy

How Lunacy Becomes Learning

THE TRUTH HURTS! BUY THIS BOOK!

What next?

How the Irish Became White
Noel Ignatiev
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America

The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class, Revised and Expanded Edition (Haymarket)

Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race

Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Become White. The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs

The Invention of the White Race: The Origin of Racial Oppression in Anglo-America (Invention of the White Race)

ASIN: 0415918251

Book Description

Ignatiev traces the tattered history of Irish and African-American relations, revealing how the Irish used labor unions, the Catholic Church and the Democratic party to succeed in American.

Focusing on how the Irish were assimilated as "whites" in America, Noel Ignatiev uncovers the roots of conflict between Irish-Americans and African-Americans and draws a powerful connection between the embracing of white supremacy and Irish "success" in 19th century American society. Ignatiev traces the tattered history of Irish and African-American relations, revealing how the Irish used labor unions, the Catholic Church and the Democratic party to help gain and secure their newly found place in the White Republic.

Customer Reviews:

What a stupid and ignorant title ... .......2007-09-24

I find the book's title downright stupid.
I get the point: white is not just a color, it's also a social position ... Downright ignorant, white IS a color.
White Americans seem to forget where their whiteness comes from (and their English language for that matter)
Irish immigrants were no different from the original English immigrants that started it all; they simply were in a different social position because they were poor and came looking for opportunities.
Funny thing is, as of today, Irish people look actually whiter than Americans which is kind of ironic given the book's title.

more hatemongering lunacy.......2007-04-06

I don't think their is much to add to my title, other than this is just more lunacy from the same hatemonger who wrote "race traitor"

How Lunacy Becomes Learning.......2006-08-16

Let's get this straight; arriving in America in the midst of a civil war, and finding themselves in the states that were fighting to abolish slavery, Irish immigrants decided to ingratiate themselves with the ruling elite by attacking Blacks? Using Ignatiev's logic, if these immigrants had landed in the South they would have sought to assimilate with the locals by flocking to the cause of abolitionism. That's almost as brilliant as Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's conclusion that the lack of evidence of anti-Semitism in medieval Germany, shows that anti-Semitism was so widespread that no one even bothered to mention it. If Irish catholic immigrants had really wanted to ingratiate themselves with the Anglo population they would have embraced the draft and converted to Protestantism. Perhaps understandably, Irish peasants fresh from the boat had a slight aversion to facing the half-crazed Scots-Irish soldiers of the Confederacy. To make the point crystal clear they inaugurated a pogrom against the ethnic group they were being enlisted to manumit. The fact that Noel Ignatiev can claim that these attacks were part of a covert conspiracy to rehabilitate the Irish in the eyes of Wasps, says more about his obsession with race than it does about his powers of deductive logic. I expect that when Ignatiev is not calling for the destruction of the White race, he spends his time searching for "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Erin". Real historians know that the Irish assimilated into the American mainstream by embarking upon a behavioural reformation inspired by charismatic leader John "Dagger" Hughes. If Black America had more Dagger Hughes and fewer Al Sharptons maybe Noel Ignatiev would be looking for a job?

THE TRUTH HURTS! BUY THIS BOOK!.......2006-06-19

This is a fantastic book! Professor Ignatiev has written the truth, some people just don't want to hear it! Why? Because THE TRUTH HURTS!

What next?.......2006-01-23

Blame a victim anyone? I will say nothing about the author's motives. Perhaps this one will be posted. Posted on 5-12-07.

Integrating Islam: Political And Religious Challenges in Contemporary France

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A Balanced And Well-Informed Survey--Don't Judge It On The Book Cover
A book to be grateful for

Integrating Islam: Political And Religious Challenges in Contemporary France
Jonathan Laurence , and Justin Vaisse
Manufacturer: Brookings Institution Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0815751516

Book Description

France is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, roughly half of whom are French citizens. While the nation has successfully integrated waves of immigrants in the past, this new influx poses a variety of daunting challenges, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of growing Islamic fundamentalism worldwide. Because of the size of its Muslim population and its universalist definition of citizenship, France provides a good test case for the encounter between Islam and the West. Peaceful and successful integration of Muslims into Western societies is more critical than ever before. In this book, Jonathan Laurence and Justin Vaisse offer extensive and original insights into how such integration can be fostered in a diverse, secular democracy.

Many in France view the growing role of Muslims in their society with a jaundiced eye, as do others elsewhere, suspecting that new Muslim political and religious networks are a threat to European rule of law and the French way of life. Not surprisingly, however, the reality of the situation is far too complicated to be captured by slogans and slurs. Integrating Islam examines the complex reality of Muslim integration in France-its successes, failures, and future challenges.

Laurence and Vaisse paint a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of the French Muslim experience, from intermarriage rates to socioeconomic benchmarks. They pay special attention to public policies enacted by recent French governments to encourage integration and discourage extremism--for example the controversial 2004 banning of headscarves in public schools and the establishment of the new French Council of the Muslim Religion. Despite the serious problems that exist, the authors foresee the emergence of a religion and a population that feel at home in, and at peace with, French society--a "French Islam" to replace "Islam in France."

Customer Reviews:

A Balanced And Well-Informed Survey--Don't Judge It On The Book Cover.......2006-12-30

Any book that bears the title "Integrating Islam" in the context of French politics is bound to elicit strong reactions. It is therefore important to dispel any misperceptions that these two words might elicit. First, this book is neither an apology nor a criticism of Islam. In fact, it is not a book about Islam as such, and the authors distance themselves from an approach that would treat Islam as a global issue within the context of a clash of civilizations. Although Laurence and Vaisse make reference to what they call "globalized Islam", they focus on the situation of Muslims in France and emphasize their diversity in terms of national origin, cultural values, social norms, secular orientation or voting patterns. For them, Islam is not an abstract notion, hanging in the air like a crescent shining over the Parisian sky (as the unfortunate book cover would suggest.) Islam is what people make of it --Muslims and non-Muslims, proponents and critics alike.

Second, the word "integrating" in the book's title is as much a description of what Muslims are doing as it is of the political imperative guiding French policymakers in recent years. Integration is sometimes understood as an injunction addressed to Muslims to leave their cultural identity at the door and conform to French mores. This notion of integration is now rejected by a significant number of French Muslims, who expect to be recognized as full citizens. As the brother of Zacarias Moussaoui (himself a moderate Muslim and by no means a terrorist) puts it in his book quoted by the authors: "Throughout our childhood, our ears were beaten with this word. At first, we just didn't understand what it was about. We were born here, on this land, in this country. We've grown up there. So what then is the meaning of our `integration'?"

Let me state at the outset that I appreciated this book. I recommend it to any reader interested by the political and social situation in Europe and that wants to have access to a comprehensive survey on the place of Islam in contemporary France. Considering the bias and misperceptions on the issue in the American media, this publication is a very welcome event and certainly deserves a large echo. In particular, the authors set the record straight on some issues that have received a large press coverage in the US: the French response to terrorism, the urban riots of November 2005, the ban on headscarves in schools, anti-Semitism among French Muslims, the courting of the Muslim vote by French politicians, etc. On each of these issues, they take a balanced perspective, correcting the most egregious misperceptions and prejudices about France and its Muslim population without shying away from pointing shortcomings and contradictions in French policies toward Islam.

The minor squibbles that I have with this book should therefore not be seen as a criticism of the authors' achievement, but rather as a measure of the subjective distance between the actual book and the imaginary one which I would have liked to read, or better to write. I guess most of the following remarks boil down to the fact that the book is about politics and have its backing in political science, whereas I am more interested by the sociological side and wish a similar survey could be written from an anthropological perspective.

First, I found the human dimension missing, as the book largely leaves aside the trajectories and life events experienced by Muslims in France. How does it feel growing up a Muslim in contemporary French society? What leads some French people to convert to Islam, and how do their friends and family react to such decision? Why do some second- or third-generation immigrants raised in a secular environment revert to the faith of their ancestors, and how does their Islam differ from the one practiced in their country of origin? How do their experience and beliefs compare to the ones of born-again Christians or orthodox Jews? How do women who take on the veil frame their decision, and how do they explain it to those who might object to such demeanor? How was the public gaze and opinion of the French citizenry affected by events such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States or the French urban riots of November 2005? These questions find only limited answers in the book, and it is a pity that the only life stories of Muslims rendered in detail are those of French Jihadists, hardly representative cases as the authors themselves point out.

Second, the knowledge base exploited by the authors is rather thin. This is due in part to the underdevelopment of social science in France and to the taboo that has long prevented French researchers to gather data on specific communities or ethnic groups. As a result, the surveys that do exist on attitude and behaviors of French Muslims are quoted extensively by the authors, without any note of caution about their methodological limitations. On the other hand, broadening the scope of relevant sources could have compensated for the paucity of statistical studies addressing the issue, and there is a trove of first-hand materials such as novels and testimonies or anthropological studies that the authors could have used to their advantage. Indeed, the authors show a bit of complacency when they praise the quality of the expertise on the Muslim world in French academia. It could be argued that the underdevelopment of ethnic studies in France owes a large part to the limitations imposed by French academics who did not keep abreast of developments in French society.

Third, the reader sometimes wishes that the authors would take a stand on some contemporary debates. In many cases, the authors present the different sides of the argument, pinpoint discrepancies or contradictions, but fall short of drawing their reasoning to its logical conclusion. To be true, issues such as the ban on headscarves in public schools or the creation of a representative council dealing with practical issues associated with the Islamic faith are hotly debated issues, in France and abroad, and one of the merit of the book is to show that there are no easy answers. This is where a comparative perspective is especially helpful, as the challenges confronted by France find echoes in many other European countries. But addressing the broader European challenge may be the subject of another volume.

A book to be grateful for.......2006-08-31

Laurence and Vaisse have written a very sane set of analyses of Islam in France. The book is rigorously based on solid data and well conceived historical research. They also support their work with interviews with important participants in the processes they describe. Absolutely every one interested in the integration of Islam into Europe would do well to read this fine work.

Now I want to reserve the reviewer's prerogatives of a side note. The first part of the book presents of French Muslims based on survey research and an analysis of secondary material compiled by the governments of France and the US. The body of the work is largely attuned to the evolution of French institutions, both of the government and of the Muslim communities. Now someone needs to find a way to apply the same rigour and rationality to the problem placing the subaltern populations of the banlieu in the framework of French life a bit more fully than I believe is now possible. That will be another book written in another day. Whatever it looks like, it will surely build on the base established here by Laurence and Vaisse.

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