Book Description
A favorite author reveals his experiences rescuing abandoned dogs--and offers solid advice for readers who "find" dogs.
Customer Reviews:
The dogs who found him... that "who" just gives him away........2007-09-21
The grammar error in the title shows me that this book is written by a true dog lover. A charming collection of writings, it shows a man making a life for abandoned animals in the face of catastrophe, health trouble and money worries. He really does concentrate on the dogs... what they do, where they go, what they like, what they need. Most of all, this is a book about who they love. The author is overwhelmed at times, though he knows he's chosen (or been chosen by) his own troubles. I have misgivings about pit bulls as a breed, and it's clear that Foster is completely aware of the dangers himself, but what a lovely dog family he's assembled. Highly recommended, but only for those of us who see animals for the fascinating, complicated characters they can be.
The Dogs Who Found Me.......2007-09-04
All three of our pets found themselves in the frightening position of having been left behind (One in AZ, one in MA and the third in NH). How they found their way into our hearts and home is miraculous! Consequently, we have a very real fondness for the topic of this book. It's an excellent story and was packaged to arrive in excellent condition!The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind
Easy Read.......2007-08-10
I found the author to be a hypocrite on a few issue surrounding pet onwership and rescue. He voiced his opinion strongly about people who are unable to meet the expenses of pet ownership, yet he had a sponsor pay all vet bills for heartworm and various other health issues, as well as covering other expenses for an injured sick dog he couldn't bear to live without. He would have found himself in the exact same position as some of the 'unfit' petowners he described if he didn't have the animal contacts.
The author didn't talk much about how his obession with rescuing dogs fit into his social life. While social situations were in fact discussed,I never felt I had a good understanding of how this man managed a full time job, numerous animals (some with health and emotional issues)and a social life outside of his few friends who also spent their time picking up strays.
The book is not one which has remained in my home. After I finished it I took it to my vets office while picking up one of my dogs who had just been neutered at my own expense~no sponsorship here!
Anything for the dogs.......2007-07-07
I got this book last weekend and read it in a day. It's a very good and easy read, that will make you smile and tear up along the way.
I've been pretty dog-obsessed lately and i was almost sad when i finished it, i wanted to read more.
The world, and dogs, need more Ken Foster.
dog lover.......2007-05-13
I love dogs and have 2 spoiled ones. I always wish I could afford more and be able to help many others. I have taken a couple in and helped to find homes for them, but Ken Foster has done so much more. It would be a better world to live in if we could be this kind to all animals in this world.
Book Description
This new collection of essays by the author of Life at the Bottom bears the unmistakable stamp of Theodore Dalrymple's bracingly clearsighted view of the human condition. In these pieces, Dr. Dalrymple ranges over literature and ideas, from Shakespeare to Marx, from the breakdown of Islam to the legalization of drugs. Here is a book that restores our faith in the central importance of literature and criticism to our civilization. Theodore Dalrymple is the best doctor-writer since William Carlos Williams. --Peggy Noonan. Includes When Islam Breaks Down, named the best journal article of 2004 by David Brooks of the New York Times.
Customer Reviews:
Our Cutlture, What's left of it: The Manadins and the Masses.......2007-09-11
Excellent. Should be a must in every Sociology class in every university. Ah, but that won't happen in any Govt run school. Too bad.
Stop Comparing Him to C.S. Lewis and George Orwell.......2007-08-14
I don't think there's any doubt that Dalrymple blames the welfare state for the cultural rot we're experiencing now in the West. But to call this a polemic against socialism misses the mark in my humble opinion. In fact most of these essays have nothing to do with socialism whatsoever. This is more of a cultural autopsy than an actual survey because realistically the corpse has been rotting for sometime now. And while the third world barbarian hordes overrun the lands our ancestors bled for, we, the heirs of a once magnificent Judeo-Christian civilization do nothing more than stand over the proverbial bloated corpse and inhale the intoxicating fumes as they waft upwards. It's not a polemic, it's a chronical of one man's disbelief at how low we've truly sunk as a society.
Naturally then Dalrymple spends alot of time scolding us for what a bunch of infants we've all become and really who can blame him? As he himself points out people can't even evoke the First Ammendment properly anymore. Every day we're forced to listen to the pedlers of smut, gore, and treason lecture us on what a bunch fascists Middle Americans are for daring to stand up and speak against the filth that is put over their airwaves. As if the First Ammendment were somehow equatable to a right to offend. Folks literally can't tell the difference anymore between purposive criticism of the status quo and deliberately vile and offensive behavior. Indeed the very notion that there's a difference between the two at all has been denied by the collective weight of the American academic establishment (i.e. the American Reeducation Camps).
Admittedly this unjustified sense of entitlement might be the logical conclusion of socialism as Dalrymple suggests but I would dig alot deeper than just this book alone before jumping to any conclusions. Where Dalrymple succeeds wonderfully is in calling American popular culture out for the dangling of the keychain that it really is. I think his phrase "amuseing ourselves to death" is an appropriate assessment of what's really going on, alot of stimulation and not much else.
This book is good for the cultural criticism that it supplies but it doesn't do much beyond that. At least in these essays Dalrymple chooses to focus on culture rather than on humanity, a distinction that alot of the reviews failed to take into account. I commend anyone who works to prevent the loss of our heritage but the comparissons to CS Lewis are totally unwarranted. This book is not the revolutionary tract some of you make it out to be and Dalrymple is not saying anything particularly profound about what humanity desires and needs. All he's doing is saying aloud what anyone with half a spec of dignity realized long ago.
A stimulating collection from this compassionate conservative.......2007-05-31
"Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses" is a collection of 26 essays by Theodore Dalrymple the pseudonym of Anthony Daniels a former English prison doctor and psychiatrist.
If you read and enjoyed Dalrymple's "Life at the Bottom" published in 2001 you will find much to enjoy here.
Dalrymple is a "compassionate conservative" deeply concerned about the devastating consequences that liberalism has brought to society.
Dalrymple's basic thesis is the the changes to society brought about by progressive intellectuals has devastated the working classes leading to the social problems we have today - single mothers, social welfare dependency, social dislocation, drug use, etc, etc.
Dalrymple also rails against art intellectuals who automatically equate "shocking", "disturbing", "breaking taboos" as good. He makes the point that once you start breaking taboos you have to keep going further to continue to shock.
The highlight for me was "How to Read a Society", which discusses a series of letters first published in 1843 written by the French aristocrat the Marquis de Custine on his experiences in Russia.
Dalrymple explores how the insights in these letters on Russian society do so much to explain how communism could take root in Russia, and how closely the tyranny of communism followed on from the tyranny of the Tsarist era.
Altogether this is a stimulating and entertaining collection.
Thought provoking. Hard going, but worth the effort.......2007-05-13
I found the first part of this book quite hard going, however that is due to my own intellectual limitations. It's a book which needs to be pondered and reflected on and I intend to return to it with that aim in mind. If you want to be stretched then this is the book for you. Theodore Dalrymple is a man who does a lot of thinking and it's very sensible, obvious stuff.
Outstanding book .......2007-04-09
I am one who is deeply concerned about the destruction of western civilization. Much of my reading the last 3 years has been on the subject. Perhaps Dalrymple has made the best of the bunch. He far easier to read than Alexander Boots' "How the West was Lost". And far more scholarly than works by Michael Savage, Neil Boortz and Oriana Falluci. Dalrymple also mixes personal experience with research to sell his point in easilu digestable chapters. Although much of his writings are in regard to England it can easily be related to america as well. My only regret is that the book was not longer, even 500 pages wouldn't be enough. I am anxouisly awaiting his next book.
Product Description
Out on My Own...Now What? is written for all those parents who desperately want to pass on the tips and insights needed for surviving and embracing the real world to their loved ones. The book is designed to assist young adults in using the tools necessary to build their dreams, create peace in their lives, and oh yeah, clean-up after themselves. With humor and poignancy, this book instructs and encourages young adults in all facets of life.
Customer Reviews:
What a great idea ! .......2007-01-10
I gave this book to a couple of my nieces and cousins for Christmas. They have all been out of high school for a couple of years trying to make it on their own. They were very impressed with the content and details... so were the parents. Someone should have compiled all of this information when I was growing up. Great job Joe Kahler.
An absolute treasure-trove for every teenager!.......2005-06-09
In "Out on My Own ... Now What?" Joe Kahler has written the ultimate self-help book for teens - even those who are a few years away from being out on their own. As a former high school teacher and principal, I met many teens who thought they were more than ready to leave the nest. With this book, that could have been true. Without it, that was not true. I wish it had been available to them.
"Out on My Own ... Now What?" is a lavish buffet of the most nutritious advice, its heavier dishes interspersed with palate-cleansing sherbets of entertaining personal anecdotes - which Kahler dubs OOMO Moments. For several minutes, readers are chewing on serious pointers regarding proper maintenance of a first car. Suddenly, a delightful coolness washes over them as they read an OOMO Moment about a friend putting oil in her car for the first time, and being proud that it had taken just over fifteen minutes to do it. "She then told me," writes Kahler, "it wasn't easy getting the oil in that little hole. I realized then, she was filling the oil in her car through the ¼" dipstick hole instead of the 3-4" oil hole located right next to it!"
Teenager or forty-teenager, anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of the "secrets" that manage the world outside the nest will benefit from this fine mixture of valuable tips and laughs. They will benefit, too, from building on the character tips included, and making character-in-action a part of their lives.
I recommend this book to teens approaching adulthood, to teachers and parents of such teens, and to all those who just want to find out what they are missing.
Teens will also enjoy the Character-in-Action Series of books. Like Kahler's work, the "proactive teaching fiction" of this series helps teens prepare for the real world - with riveting fiction.
Book Description
Is "right-brain" thought essentially creative, and "left-brain" strictly logical? Joseph B. Hellige argues that this view is far too simplistic. Surveying extensive data in the field of cognitive science, he disentangles scientific facts from popular assumptions about the brain's two hemispheres.
In Hemispheric Asymmetry, Hellige explains that the "right brain" and "left brain" are actually components of a much larger cognitive system encompassing cortical and subcortical structures, all of which interact to produce unity of thought and action. He further explores questions of whether hemispheric asymmetry is unique to humans, and how it might have evolved. This book is a valuable overview of hemispheric asymmetry and its evolutionary precedents.
Customer Reviews:
Great and timely edition........2002-03-14
This book originally apeared in the prespectives in cognitive neuroscience series in 1993, and is the best introduction and review into the subject of hemispheric asymmetry. My earlier concerns were that it was a bit dated, but it is a cornerstone in the field nevertheless.
Hellige points out that every model of hemispheric asymmetry will have to deal with five main points: The cognitive differences between individuals, general computation diferences between hemispheres, the view of the brain as an integrated unit, the development and evolution of hemispheric asymmetry and the fact that there is asymmetry in other species as well.
The book presents extensive data and studies that illuminate aspects of all of these points, and much more. Speculation is reserved for evolutionary discussions, but the author makes sure to present only hard evidence, and to warn the reader when there is controversy. It is not very technical, and for that it is a better exposition of such a complex subject.
Now the best parts of the book are when the author sets out to undermine (still current) popular beliefs about hemispheric asymmetry. There is no simple way to say that there are right or left brained people. This is a gross simplifiation of the facts. For example, Hellige notes that since every task uses multicomponent processing and modules, and since it regullarily activate distribuited locations of both hemisphers, there is no clear division within tasks of hemisphers (perhaps with the exeption of language). Sure, there is metacontrol, but that is another interesting subject. There is also no single dichtonomy between modes of processing of diferent hemisphers. Sayng that left is analytic and linguistic and right visuospatial is another gross simplification. Computation styles vary between tasks themselves. Finally, it is also not the case that there only exists hemispheric asymmetry in humans because of language and tool use. There is evidence for it in rats, birds, old world monkeys, among other species.
This is a great book from a great series, very informative, direct, uncontroversial, as well as a good read. Anyone interested in neurosciences at all should enjoy it. IT is also conforting to see hard science taking the spotlight and not cheap self help psychology. Maybe it is my left brain speaking.
An outstanding review of the research on brain asymmetry.......2000-05-30
Hellige does a superb job of reviewing the field of hemispheric asymmetry. This book is well written and has much to offer to the serious researcher or just the laymen interested in the brain.
I am looking forward to a new edition, that will include the more recent research on the topic.
Book Description
America is under attack. The threat of bombs and bullets and every other form of terrorism comes mostly from Islamic extremists. But a powerful threat also stems from homegrown anti-Americanism from the left of the political and cultural spectrum. From "comedians" working for leading Democrat candidates who call the American President " . . . a piece of [expletive deleted]," to the candidates themselves who try to whip up feelings of victimization and anger in ethnic minorities, to universities that preach that America is the main villain on Earth and that 9/11 was richly deserved . . . a full-court left-wing propaganda press is on to drag America through the mud and sap America's resolve to fight and win the war on terrorism.
Why? Where does this anger at America by Americans come from? Certainly not from reality, since all available historical comparisons tell us that America is the most enlightened, open, and forgiving of nations and the one that offers the most opportunity to its citizens.
In Can America Survive? authors Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth examine this anti-American rage, providing plentiful and outrageous examples from campuses to foundations to Democratic candidate debates to liberal "fund-raisers" that openly tout hate as their message. The authors then attempt to plumb the psychological wellsprings that generate this anger: Is it infantile narcissism? Is it a desperately incomplete maturation process? Is it competition with patriarchal figures?
The authors attempt to create a psychological road map that explores what the psychological roots of this national self-loathing might be. This is a unique approach, attempting to explain political beliefs in terms of psychological background, and the authors believe that it's the only approach that works, since a realistic appraisal of America would not allow as much rage as we see in daily political discourse.
Finally, the authors offer a plan for how to fight back: They recommend educating your children in such a way as to develop pride in their country, suggest specific reading materials, offer ways to raise your voice to talk back to the major newspapers and TV networks, and even discuss how you can work fearlessly in university settings so that the left doesn't dominate political discourse.
Can America Survive? is a portrait of what is clearly wrong with the national mood, where that malady comes from, and how those who still believe in America can work in their communities and in the nation to preserve the republic.
Customer Reviews:
Problems.......2006-10-04
The problem with writing a rebuttal to the extreme left is that people begin to think that radical liberal views are characteristic of all liberal views. This book is a great disservice to the debate between liberals and conservatives. By allowing conservatives to feel content in their ideology by bashing the far left obliterates any rational inclination to consider valid points from the "other side" that everyone should think seriously about. America has descended into an extremely dangerous form of arguing - that of getting a point across and winning the argument, regardless of facts. I hope people will begin to draw conclusions from facts and not from rebuttals to the perversions of the far left.
A Strong Stand for America.......2006-04-17
Firstly, this not an unabashed attempt by conservatives to bash liberals. Instead, as the authors verify (albeit a bit late into the text), this is a rebuttal of those in the extreme left who truly hate America. The line of argument tries to expose the extreme good being done by America and capitalism in the world. I think that it is necessary to affirm these goods and continually strive to better America further (as the authors proclaim). Envious hatred of America is never an edifying force. The act of dissent must always be one that builds up and never aims to tear down. It is against the crowd of those attempting to tear us down that the authors argue.
My disagreements with the authors are as follows:
They often begin their discussions with a variety of quotes that are taken from a variety of radicals, drawing their argument into an almost ad-hominem fallacy (as noted by another reviewer). However, this can not be fully maintained, for they do not use the character persons quoted to disprove their arguments. The real problem with this is that it could be interpreted as a narrow attempt at researching the views of America haters. Of course, I will argue that it is often difficult to discern a unified front in extreme liberalism because of its (often part and parcel) denial of objective truth and subsequent elevation of subjective understanding as the ultimate goal. (This is, of course, not meant to make humans into purely subjective computing machines. Instead, I mean to emphasize that a grounding of truth is necessitated because anything else would be a contradiction and yet this contradiction is often maintained by the elite for the sake of being "enlightened", but I digress.)
Furthermore, they are a bit too optimistic about capitalism's ability to lift up the world. I do think that the freedom in capitalism can do much good. However, we must never hope, like communism does, that we humans can work out perfection on our own. There is always the chance for humanity to fall. The authors do not directly assert this but lean that way at times. In all fairness, they hint at the advantage of capitalism: freedom is given to all. Next to the possibility for corruption, we must also acknowledge that we are also directed toward the Truth. Therefore, freedom must be maintained for all, a point truly made by the authors, although masked by an almost overzealous fideism in capitalism.
Finally, their review of "Phariseeism" is incomplete and also unreflecting upon the notion of wealth. I do not, however, read with a hermeneutic of suspicion. Based on the other ideas of these writers, I think that they have just chosen not to address this greatly and directly (although a brief mention is made with respect to gross extravagance).
In Conclusion,
All-in-all, however, this book gives a refreshing look at America. It serves as a reminder of what all we have done as Americans. From this we must take our forward thrust. This tradition must always remain a key motivating factor in progress. From the great things done in America, we must go forward in the hope of always helping our brethren in the world.
Made me feel better about things.......2005-09-01
The authors put recent events in perspective with facts and insightful thinking. A great alternative to the mass media "spin".
Just Another Liberal/Left Bashing Book.......2005-08-26
...but stated in an ever so "reasonable" way.
While reading this, I felt at times as though I was seated at an upper-crust dinner party, listening to a child of privilege tell me why: "things are really NOT bad at ALL--well, at least not for ME."
The child of privilege is Ben Stein (whose Dad worked for NIXON, by the way), and yes, I'm sure that for HIM things are NOT bad --at all.
Brilliant Analysis on What's Wrong with the Radical Left.......2005-02-13
Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth's "Can America Survive" is a thoughtful, extensive look at what is wrong with the radical anti-American Left. Theirs is not an angry polemic against them, but instead, one replete with extensive quotes from those on the Left, pointing out their errors of omission and fact on issues ranging from the state of the U. S. economy, American imperialism, the nature of the conservative movement in the United States, to the moral blindness of the left. In thirteen succinct chapters they point out what exactly is wrong with the Left, issue by issue, and close with their prescription for America's survival. Throughout this book I was impressed by the authors' decency and keen sense of fair play, even when I disagreed strongly with them, most notably the chapter on Environmentalism with its emphasis on Global Warming (I believe their interpretation of the data - which is akin to Michael Crichton's in his latest novel - is scientifically incorrect, but nonetheless, I respect their position on this issue.). Indeed, they respect the opinions of distinguished liberal Americans such as comedian Al Franken and Hollywood producer Norman Lear, noting that they should be regarded as patriotic Americans even though their political views differ substantially from the authors. However, they are greatly concerned by the immense, deep-seated anger shown by the Left, "The Rage of the Left", wondering whether it may prove as divisive to the country as the Civil War. Both Ben Stein and Charles DeMuth are active in the Hollywood media industry: Stein, the son of the late Herb Stein, the distinguished economist who had worked in President Richard Nixon's administration, is a commentator and actor; DeMuth is a screenwriter. Anyone interested in the return of civil, well-reasoned, political discourse between the Left and the Right should regard this book as essential reading.
Average customer rating:
- Alternative alternative views
- Thorough insight into middle class america
- Hard to Read? Yes...but worth it
- Comforting Piece of Social Research
- Almost impossible to read
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One Nation, After All : What Americans Really Think About God, Country, Family, Racism, Welfare, Immigration, Homosexuality, Work, The Right, The Left and Each Other
Alan Wolfe
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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ASIN: 014027572X |
Amazon.com
Few academics write as crisply as the sociologist Alan Wolfe, and even fewer are capable of making the penetrating insights that sprinkle the pages of this engaging study of suburban psychology. Based on 200 extensive interviews with middle-class Americans, Wolfe's study uncovers a striking tolerance. Americans, according to the author, can be quite harsh when judging their own behavior, but they exhibit a hands-off approach with others. (Wolfe also cites an exception to this rule: homosexuality.) Americans are not torn apart by any kind of cultural war, contrary to the claims of intellectuals on both the right and left. Instead, writes Wolfe, they are a practical people willing to accept social change. Forget the shallow opinion polls that appear every few days in the news. One Nation, After All comes closer to the real pulse of the American people than just about any other you will find.
Book Description
The subject of great critical acclaim and extensive review attention, One Nation, After All concludes that the reports of cultural divides are highly exaggerated, and Americans agree about much more--on religion, family, race, and morality--than politicians and media pundits would have us believe. These are among the surprising findings reached by renowned sociologist Alan Wolfe after two years of listening to middle-class citizens in eight communities around the nation.
In frank and often moving language, middle-class Americans, "left" and "right," express their views about immigrants of all races--whom they welcome but insist should learn English and work hard--and about giving a second chance to the deserving poor but not to the undeserving. They are remarkably tolerant on questions of religion, affirmative action, and family issues--but not about homosexuality.
Wolfe's study, which has already had an impact on the way we discuss domestic politics, disproves thought cliches that have wrongly polarized Americans, and shows the many values that hold our nation together.
Customer Reviews:
Alternative alternative views.......2006-03-07
Though I have not read this book, the last review begs for a response... if you are interested in accounts that go beyond the red and blue divisions and explore similarities, I recommend "Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America" by Morris Fiorina, a Stanford political scientist.
"Culture War?" is a marvelous little book, arguing that the great majority of Americans (i.e. all American citizens minus political elites and extremists) really agree on most of the issues we are often led to consider divisive and insurmountable. I don't personally swallow Fiorina's argument whole, but it certainly contains a lot of truth and valid arguments. In either case, it is a refreshing and thorough alternative view - concise and wonderfully smooth to read, too.
As I have not read the Wolfe Book, I'll go with the average in terms of stars, don't take the rating seriously.
Thorough insight into middle class america.......2001-10-23
I had to read this book for my introductory Sociology class, and did so purely out of requirement. However, what I found was that I actually liked the book. It was excellently written and the research behind it was sound. It offers a glimpse into the American middle class that is both interesting and important. I look forward to reading more books by Alan Wolfe.
Hard to Read? Yes...but worth it.......2001-06-06
I agree with Denise's review that this book offers hope more than anything else. It is rather academic, and does make you want to put it down.
Nonetheless, in a world where TV commentators routinely portray Americans as "us and them" based on, say, their presidential vote, it is refreshing to read of alternative views. We are more similar than dissimilar - it just won't make for an electrifying show on "Crossfire" or "Hardball".
Professor Wolfe does have some unifying themese throughout the book, which does raise this from 3 to 4 stars in my view. Without them, it's not an easy read.
In fact, I'd recommend printing a condensed version of this. Say, a NY Times Sunday Magazine-length story or even a Reader's Digest one. The story it tells is that important.
Comforting Piece of Social Research.......2000-01-25
One Nation After All is an excellent analysis for a fascinationg social research project focusing on the American Middle Class.
The study and subsequent analysis is a well thought out, detailed work packed with citations and comparisons.
As an added plus, the study shows that overall, the American Middle Class is basically a tolerant, reasonable group of people who prefer NOT to tell others how to live their lives.
For the uninitiated, research papers are writtin in the passive voice! This may require some adjustment on the part of the reader.
Almost impossible to read.......1999-11-11
The author appears not to have intended for anyone to actually READ this book. Its sentences are horrendously overlong; those few meanings which aren't badly obscured by the turgid writing are overly subtle, and in many cases underwhelming. Don't bother trying to read this.
Book Description
Among the first anthropologists to work in Eastern Europe, Katherine Verdery had built up a significant base of ethnographic and historical expertise when the major political transformations in the region began to take place. In this collection of essays dealing with the aftermath of Soviet-style socialism and the different forms that may replace it, she explores the nature of socialism in order to understand more fully its consequences. By analyzing her primary data from Romania and Transylvania and synthesizing information from other sources, Verdery lends a distinctive anthropological perspective to a variety of themes common to political and economic studies on the end of socialism: themes such as "civil society," the creation of market economies, privatization, national and ethnic conflict, and changing gender relations.
Under Verdery's examination, privatization and civil society appear not only as social processes, for example, but as symbols in political rhetoric. The classic pyramid scheme is not just a means of enrichment but a site for reconceptualizing the meaning of money and an unusual form of post-Marxist millenarianism. Land being redistributed as private property stretches and shrinks, as in the imaginings of the farmers struggling to tame it. Infused by this kind of ethnographic sensibility, the essays reject the assumption of a transition to capitalism in favor of investigating local processes in their own terms.
Download Description
Among the first anthropologists to work in Eastern Europe, Katherine Verdery had built up a significant base of ethnographic and historical expertise when the major political transformations in the region began to take place. In this collection of essays dealing with the aftermath of Soviet-style socialism and the different forms that may replace it, she explores the nature of socialism in order to understand more fully its consequences. By analyzing her primary data from Romania and Transylvania and synthesizing information from other sources, Verdery lends a distinctive anthropological perspective to a variety of themes common to political and economic studies on the end of socialism: themes such as "civil society," the creation of market economies, privatization, national and ethnic conflict, and changing gender relations. Under Verdery's examination, privatization and civil society appear not only as social processes, for example, but as symbols in political rhetoric. The classic pyramid scheme is not just a means of enrichment but a site for reconceptualizing the meaning of money and an unusual form of post-Marxist millenarianism. Land being redistributed as private property stretches and shrinks, as in the imaginings of the farmers struggling to tame it. Infused by this kind of ethnographic sensibility, the essays reject the assumption of a transition to capitalism in favor of investigating local processes in their own terms.
Customer Reviews:
specificity and generalizations all in one package.......1998-01-01
Katherine Verdery's use of her experience in Romania as the basis for generalizations on 'actually existing socialism' and 'what comes next' left me skeptical at first. However, after more serious study this books constitutes one of the seminal works for study of this region.
Customer Reviews:
Gift.......2007-08-02
When you read this book, it surprise you. The robe that witch left. There is odd things going on in the book, you have to read whole book. beginning is bad until end is good. it is filled with surprise in end.
I still have this book 20+ years later.......2006-10-18
I got this book in school from the Scholastic Book Club back in the 70's. I enjoyed reading this book so much - and I was never fond of reading. It was a fun, exciting story. This book is one of a few things I actually saved and hung on to all these years. I gave my book to my 10 year old daughter (who LOVES to read) the other day. She thought it was amazing that I still had it. She just finished the book and truly enjoyed it. She told me all about it and how exciting it was.... though she wants to know if there is a "sequel" to it...... is there ?????
What The Witch Left.......2005-12-03
One of the most memorable books from my early childhood. *Finally* found it and nailed a copy to own again. :)
What The Witch Left.......2004-12-09
I read this book when I was young, and it is probably the one I remembered the most. I had my 11 year old son read it years later in 2000, and he enjoyed it! Said it was a little girly, but liked the adventure!!
Fond Childhood Memories.......2003-12-14
I bought this through the Scholastic Book program in school and read this book when I was 9 or 10 in the 70s. It was the first book I really remember enjoying so passionately and reading several times. I loved it so much and searched high and low to find the title to be able to give it to my daughter this Christmas. Ruth Chew creates a wonderful adventure that fill you with anticipation and excitement.
Book Description
What Should The Left Propose is a manifesto that engages a vital question of our time: given that the major ideological proposals of the past two hundred years fail to address today's problems, where do we go from here?
Confronting the major debates in the world today—about national alternatives and alternative globalizations—Unger shows that there is a set of national and global alternatives that we can begin to develop with the materials at hand: opportunities available to us only if we learn to recognize them. These alternatives would, over time, vastly enhance our practical capabilities. They would also give greater reality to the central teaching of democracy: faith in the constructive genius of ordinary men and women.
For Unger, a programmatic argument is not a blueprint; it marks a direction and explores next steps.
Customer Reviews:
Good Magazine Article.......2006-11-05
This is a good magazine article disguised as a book by stating each argument and insight 4 times over.
Too bad it keeps saying the same thing over and over, because this tends to encourage brain death by the 50th page.
The ideas buried within are pretty simple and not completely unworthy of consideration --- the so-called Left, if there still is one, should spend its energies expanding small and varied ways of experimenting in the marketplace, should encourage more democratic participation and activity, should develope a caring economy to parallel the market economy, and so on.
Perhaps someone will have the energy to take this from the repeated abstractions of this dreamy thinker, and concretize with some real specifics.
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