Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles (American Crossroads)

Book Description

Los Angeles pulsed with economic vitality and demographic growth in the decades following World War II. This vividly detailed cultural history of L.A. from 1940 to 1970 traces the rise of a new suburban consciousness adopted by a generation of migrants who abandoned older American cities for Southern California's booming urban region. Eric Avila explores expressions of this new "white identity" in popular culture with provocative discussions of Hollywood and film noir, Dodger Stadium, Disneyland, and L.A.'s renowned freeways. These institutions not only mirrored this new culture of suburban whiteness and helped shape it, but also, as Avila argues, reveal the profound relationship between the increasingly fragmented urban landscape of Los Angeles and the rise of a new political outlook that rejected the tenets of New Deal liberalism and anticipated the emergence of the New Right.
Avila examines disparate manifestations of popular culture in architecture, art, music, and more to illustrate the unfolding urban dynamics of postwar Los Angeles. He also synthesizes important currents of new research in urban history, cultural studies, and critical race theory, weaving a textured narrative about the interplay of space, cultural representation, and identity amid the westward shift of capital and culture in postwar America.

Saints and Shrews: Women and Aging in American Popular Film (Contributions in Women's Studies)

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Saints and Shrews: Women and Aging in American Popular Film (Contributions in Women's Studies)
Karen M. Stoddard
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0313233918

The Big 40!: Are You Ready to Face . . .The Best Age Ever

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Not what I expected.

The Big 40!: Are You Ready to Face . . .The Best Age Ever
Joshua Albertson , Lockhart Steele , and Jonathan Van Gieson
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Turning 40 : Wit, Wisdom, and Whining
How To Survive Your 40Th Birthday: The Complete Guide to Getting the Care You Need--And Avoiding Problems You Don't
What You Don't Know About Turning 40: A Funny Birthday Quiz
You Know You're 40 When...
On Women Turning Forty: Coming into Our Fullness

ASIN: 1400050146
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

Do you know someone turning the Big 40?

Are you approaching the age yourself and worried about being “over the hill”? Are you looking for the perfect birthday gift? Featuring everything you wanted to know about your 40s—and a few things you probably didn’t—The Big 40! offers a chance to reflect on past accomplishments, look ahead to future successes, and completely freak out—all at the same time. Use it to find out how you stack up against other 40somethings, or adapt it into the ultimate trivia party game.

For instance, did you know that turning 40 means you are now older than 58% of America, and that you’ve lost 10% of your muscle mass in the last decade? And that almost 90% of 40-year-olds are in debt? But don’t despair—at 40, Lucille Ball’s television career was just beginning, Gandhi’s plan for civil disobedience was just an outline, and John Glenn’s career was about to go into orbit. Chances are you own a home (71%), you feel you’re in good or excellent health (87%), and you are happy (51%). About 91% of women and 88% of men have been married, 82% have children, and, best of all, you’re still gettin’ it on—1.8 times a week.

These are but a few of the factoids, demographic stats, quotes, biographical sketches, and sage and not-so-sage observations in this illustrated celebration of this landmark birthday and the decade that follows. Do not panic! The Big 40 could possibly be the best age ever.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected........2007-01-19

I was looking for a funny gift for my girlfriend's 40th birthday...this one was a bit too serious for her.

Miracles and Pilgrims: Popular Beliefs in Medieval England

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It's a miracle!

Miracles and Pilgrims: Popular Beliefs in Medieval England
Ronald C. Finucane
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

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The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity (The Haskell Lectures on History of Religions)
Furta Sacra
Living With the Dead in the Middle Ages
Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image before the Era of Art

ASIN: 0312125283

Book Description

In Miracles and Pilgrims, Ronald C. Finucane analyzes more than 3,000 posthumous accounts of miracles. He pieces together the world of pilgrims, miracles and faith-healing, and demonstrates its hold over the medieval imagination.

Customer Reviews:

It's a miracle!.......2006-01-04

In this erudite study of the pilgrims who visited a select group of saintly shrines in England and France, R. Finucane has put numbers and statistics to the phenomenon of miracles and wonders in the central middle ages. Ranging from such canonized luminaries as Thomas Becket to obscure unknowns such as a boy named William who was killed in the woods, Finucane painstakingly reviewed the documents and quantifies them in terms of social class, gender, and type of miracle. What results is a picture of the people, more than half of whom were lower class, who resorted to seeking the aide of a revered saint when finding themselves in trouble. Not just illness, but shipwrecks, jousting wounds, blindness - a whole panoply of medieval evils is reported. The phenomenon of the spread of a saint's cult is also nicely interpreted. While it doen not read like a novel, the narrative is interesting in spite of its factual emphasis on research and stats. A welcome addition to the literature on religious pilgrimage in England.

The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages

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Something to think about

The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages
Joyce Salisbury
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Perceiving Animals: Humans and Beasts in Early Modern English Culture
Renaissance Beasts: Of Animals, Humans, and Other Wonderful Creatures

ASIN: 0415907691

Book Description

The Beast Within offers a unique exploration of the use of and attitude towards animals in medieval society. In the process, the volume sheds light on modern environmental concerns by tracing the roots of our current views about animals.

Joyce E. Salisbury surveys the ways in which inhabitants of Western Europe thought of and dealt with their animals from the 4th to the 14th centuries. She explores the impact of Christianity on our views of animals, and demonstrates the rediscovery, in the twelfth century, of the idea of an animal side to humans that made people start thinking of themselves as animals.

The Beast Within illustrates how, as property, food and sexual objects, animals in the middles ages had a distinct, and at times, odd relationship with the people and world around them. For example, animals viewed as property during the period shared in labor and increased their owners' status. However, these animals were regularly punished for the acts of their owners and owners were held responsible for the animals' behavior as well. When animals served as sexual objects for humans, much reflection, debate and even legislation was the result. Mythological and metaphoric animals also played important roles in the fables and religion of the day changing the views of humans about the beasts and themselves.

The Beast Within provides an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, weaving a historical narrative that includes economic, legal, theological, literary and artistic sources. A provocative and thorough work, this volume will inform and enlighten current debates on animal rights and offer an original contribution to the historical study of animals.

Customer Reviews:

Something to think about.......1998-09-04

Well-researched treatment of Western society's relationships with the domestic animal kingdom. Citing literature, art and historical accounts, this book traces the history of animals as fictional characters, anthropomorphic characters, beasts of burden, food, companions, and even lovers to humans. Interesting and enlightening stories accompany statistics to unjudgmentally describe these relationships and society's reaction.

I would love to see a sequel dealing with other cultures.

The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code: History, Legends, Locations

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Informative.
The book for the film
An Eye-Opener
Creeps
Not what it claims to be...

The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code: History, Legends, Locations
Michael Haag , Veronica Haag , James McConnachie , and Michael Von Haag
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fodor's Guide to The Da Vinci Code: On the Trail of the Bestselling Novel
The Art and Mythology of The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code Travel Journal
Walking the Da Vinci Code in Paris: Decoding the City and the Book
Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine

Accessories:

Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 1843535173

Book Description

Dan Brown's thriller The Da Vinci Code has created an extraordinary controversy, with its sub-plots of the sacred feminine in religion, the bloodline of Christ, the legend of the Holy Grail, and the role of sects like Opus Dei within the church. This Rough Guide explores and explains the context of the novel, including: - How the early Christian Church `edited' The Bible, and drew on earlier religions. - What art historians make of Leonardo Da Vinci's symbolism in "The Last Supper" and other works. - The true history of the Holy Grail, the Priory of Sion, and the debate on Mary Magdalene and the bloodline of Christ. - Location guides to Da Vinci Code sites in Paris, Rome, Jerusalem, New York, London and Edinburgh. - Reviews of Da Vinci Code sources and a glossary of everything from the Templars to the Fibonaccci Sequence.

Whatever you think of Dan Brown's novel, this Rough Guide has the key to understanding its wider background.

Customer Reviews:

Informative........2006-09-04

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO THE DA VINCI CODE is a little book that explores the history, legends, people, and places that are involved in Dan Brown's book THE DA VINCI CODE. The book is divided into five sections: Basic, Context, Locations, Author, and Glossary & Index. The basic section gives a general synopsis of the novel, detailing some of the major claims the novel makes. Context is an extended look at the actual history involved through the telling of THE DA VINCI CODE. Location examines the various places of setting in the novel. The author section gives a very, very brief biography about Dan Brown, discussed the books he has written, and lists and briefly discusses books that Dan Brown used for research as well as other books and websites of interest. The glossary & index contain a glossary defining key elements that a reader might need more explanation about as well as an index to highlighted items.

I know that when I read THE DA VINCI CODE I noticed several historical inaccuracies and fabrications and I was sure there were others. THE ROUGH GUIDE TO THE DA VINCI CODE helped me better understand the various inaccuracies, fabrications, and suppositions that the novel makes about history, people, and art by comparing them to the real events, people, and items. It is true that the authors don't list the sources for the information they include. However, this is a ROUGH GUIDE and that is how most if not all of the ROUGH GUIDES have been written. The book is compact, easy to read, and chock full of informational tidbits. In short, it does what a ROUGH GUIDE should do.

The book for the film.......2006-05-29

The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code not only explains Dan Brown's book, but it also explores the making of the film! Really interesting stuff, with a lot of inside information.

An Eye-Opener.......2006-01-22

Reading this book has really been an eye-opener. It has made me understand how interesting the issues are behind The Da Vinci Code. Not in a hubla-bubla sort of way, but in a serious way. You cannot do better than this for getting started on the whole historical and religious route of discovery.

Creeps.......2006-01-10

This Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code is sound, articulate, well written, and altogether a brilliant investigation into the issues surrounding Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Anyone who is curious and wants to be informed, and wants to make use of the extensive further reading and website lists, will welcome this book. But a lot of creeps will not like it because it tells the truth.

Not what it claims to be..........2005-09-24

The publication and subsequent widespread popularity of "The Da Vinci Code" has led to a host of books attempting to delve further into the subject matter and separate fact from fiction. The authors and producers of these books usually fall into two categories: those of the Christian faith that feel threatened and try to discredit everything Dan Brown presents in his novel; and those who wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Brown and seek to reinforce the subject matter of his novel. Additionally, in my personal opinion, both of these camps also seem to be motivated by a a desire to capitalize on the popularity of "The Da Vinci Code" for profitable gain. While these types of exploratory 'history' books (and I use that term very loosely in this case) no doubt succeed in clearing a decent profit margin they fail miserably as researched historical treatises on the subject matter of "The Da Vinci Code".

Both, "The Rough Guide To The Da Vinci Code" and "Da Vinci Code Decoded" purport to be properly researched exploratory works with the former taking the side of discrediting much of Mr. Brown's novel and the latter supporting much of it. However, what the astute reader will notice is that neither makes its case very well and both are guilty of the same gross error, namely not presenting any tangible historical reference to accompany the myriad of 'facts' (I use this term quite loosely as well) presented. By this I mean, whenever they present any information, whether it opposes or supports Mr. Brown, there is no specific reference as to where that information came from. As far as the reader knows, the author could be entirely fabricating the information themselves as there is no footnote and corresponding reference for the reader to check to ensure the author is not just asserting their own opinions as 'facts'. While that type of writing is entirely acceptable in a fictional novel such as "The Da Vinici Code", it is most unacceptable in non-fictional writing where the claim is made that the book presents researched historical facts. If the books are so well researched, where are the footnotes and references that will allow the reader to double check the facts themselves? These books are in essence 'he said / she said" publications where it is the word of the author against the word of Dan Brown, and as such are of no use in the realm of legitimate historical study.

Please do not be fooled by the authoritative style with which these books are written, as they are essentially just someone's opinion and should not be taken as fact. I would recommend the curious reader who desires to learn more about the subject matter of "The Da Vinici Code" to seek out and read academic historical texts for further information, but at the same time I would suggest taking that with a grain of salt as well. Historical facts have a tendency to become distorted and manipulated over the years to serve personal and national agendas. If you don't believe it is in human nature to manipulate historical accounts, consider this real world example: the Japanese government as of this day does not teach Japanese students about the atrocities and war crimes that Japan committed historically in Asia (atrocities and war crimes that are well documented by the rest of the international community). The details have been stricken, literally, from Japanese school history books. This is even more important when we remember that Japan actually lost World War II and yet they are still engaging in this type of activity. Imagine if they had won...furthermore, imagine if the Germans had won: would the attempted genocide of the Jews even be spoken of today much less remembered in a couple hundred years?

These are the types of things one must consider when studying history. So, if you want to learn more about the Da Vinci code, ignore "The Rough Guide To The Da Vinci Code" and "Da Vinci Code Decoded", do your own research, keep an open mind, and decide on your own what seems most likely from a logical standpoint.

Medieval Popular Religion, 1000-1500: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations & Cultures)

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Medieval Popular Religion, 1000-1500: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations & Cultures)

Manufacturer: Broadview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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The Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study (RSART: Renaissance Society of America Reprint Text Series)
Medieval Saints: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures, 4)
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Christianity in Late Antiquity, 300-450 C.E.: A Reader

ASIN: 1551116987

Book Description

About one-third of this book is composed of material never before translated into English.

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Cadfael--Beyond the books.

Cordially Yours, Brother Cadfael

Manufacturer: Popular Press 3
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Brother Cadfael's Book of Days
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The Cadfael Collection
Brother Cadfael's Penance (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)
The Rose Rent (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)

ASIN: 0879727748

Book Description

Detective, monk, father, herbalist, Crusader, sailor, Celt, friend—author Ellis Peters bestows all these attributes on her twelfth-century Benedictine monk-detective Brother Cadfael. As a detective, Cadfael uses his analytic mind to solve crimes and administer justice. As a man of God, he also dispenses mercy along with his famous cordials.
Why, essays ask, is a cloistered monk solving murders? How can an author combine a valid detective and an effective healer?

Customer Reviews:

Cadfael--Beyond the books........2007-03-08

This is a delightful source of information (historical and social) for the region and time of the Cadfael books. The chapters are authored by a variety of experts in the field and vary from entertaining and informative to "Oh my God, am I going to be tested on this?". All in all I highly recommend it to Cadfael fans.

Mass Market Medieval: Essays on the Middle Ages in Popular Culture

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Mass Market Medieval: Essays on the Middle Ages in Popular Culture

Manufacturer: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786429224

Product Description

Beginning in 1976 with the first issue of the journal Studies in Medievalism, all things medieval and the concept of medievalism became a hot topic in culture studies. Medievalism examines how different groups, individuals, or eras use and shape the image of the Middle Ages, differentiating between historical knowledge of the Middle Ages and what we have made the period out to be. The 13 essays in this book explore the medieval invasion of today's media and consider the various ways--from film and print to websites and video games--that the Middle Ages have been packaged for consumption. Essays encompass diverse theoretical perspectives and are grouped loosely around distinct functions of medievalism, including the exposure of recent social concerns; the use of medieval images in modern political contexts; and the medieval's influence on products of today's popular culture. The legitimization of the study of medievalism and the effect of medievalism on the more traditional subject of medieval studies are also discussed.

Popular Piety And Art In The Late Middle Ages: Image Worship and Idolatry in England 1350-1500

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Popular Piety And Art In The Late Middle Ages: Image Worship and Idolatry in England 1350-1500
Kathleen Kamerick
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Medieval churchmen typically defended religious art as a form of "book" to teach the unlettered laity their faith, but in late medieval England, Lollard accusations of idolatry stimulated renewed debate over image worship. Popular Piety and Art in the Late Middle Ages places this dispute within the context of the religious beliefs and devotional practices of lay people, showing how they used and responded to holy images in their parish churches, at shrines, and in prayer books. Far more than substitutes for texts, holy images presented a junction of the material and spiritual, offering an increasingly literate laity access to the supernatural through the visual power of "beholding."

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