Book Description
In the whirlwind of accusations and recriminations that has attended the post–9/11 world, one man's vital testimony has been conspicuously absent. Candid and compelling, AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM is George Tenet's memoir of his life at the CIA –– a revelatory look at the inner workings of America's top intelligence agency and its dealings with national leaders at home and abroad.
Beginning with his installation as Director of Central Intelligence in 1997, Tenet unfolds the momentous events that led up to 9/11: his declaration of war on Al Qaeda in 1998, CIA operations inside Afghanistan, the worldwide operational plan to fight terror, his warnings to White House officials in the spring and summer of 2001, and the plan for a response laid down just six days after the attack.
In his gripping narration of the run–up to the war in Iraq, Tenet provides fresh insights and background, including a privileged account of how the famous "sixteen words" made it into the President's State of the Union speech, the real context of his own now–famous "slam–dunk" comment, and the CIA's views of the rise of an Iraqi insurgency.
Finally, in addition to the backstage story of the headline events, Tenet will offer his thoughts on the future of U.S. intelligence and its role in foreign–policy decisions, setting forth an informed plan for how we can forge a more secure world.
Customer Reviews:
He said. She said........2007-10-10
There are no big revelations here, so to all those looking for some Clancy-type of story, this is not the book. For the most part Mr. Tenet just lays out his case for his tenure at the CIA, most notably during 9/11 and Iraq 2.
Was there a bigger whipping boy than Mr. Tenet from 9/11 through early 2004? Beaten like a red-headed step-child he was. So giving him his due on his side of the story was what interested me in his book. There are interesting tid-bits of info that were interspersed in a book that was a little long winded and could have been just as effective at 150 less pages. He certainly did not give away THAT much interesting, spy novel type stuff.
Cases are made that the CIA obviously, did do its job in regards to Al Qaeda, Afghanistan and Iraq. Analysts apparently were able to predict some of the fall out after Saddam. And his "slam dunk" comment was not the go-ahead start of the Iraq War that many believe it was. Actually the comment was in reference to being able to sell the war to the American people. So it depends on where you stand whether that is a harmless thing (like Saddam was a real threat) or whether is was one more tool used to fool the American people by selling them on an illegitimate war. I hope I did not give everything away.
Read this if truly interested or truly bored. I was a little of both.
Conspicuous Omission.......2007-10-01
It is an interesting point of view but there are some serious omissions and denials that make the story incredulous. Although the CIA had a complete failure on the WMD's in Iraq, Mr. Tenant fails to understand why his intelligence agency was not fully listened to in Iraq. Secondly, he fails and or doesn't bother to explain why they had absolutely no inside people or intel in Iraq or for how many years this was the case.
Mr. Tenant also claims that many of the leaks of the NSE papers were done because either people felt that they needed the information known to improve the situation in Iraq or because the people felt they were being ignored and the purpose was not political. He further states it was not the people from his office leaking the reports. He does not say there are people who wish to damage the administration and leaked the reports to do so. Either he is a liar or he was to stupid to lead the CIA. He appears to be a very bright man.
Mr. Tenant fails to even address the press reporting and the senators and congressman who continue to call for us to withdrawl and the effects that this has on the war. Mr. Tenant talks about the funding in Iraq but fails again to address the fact that when 2100 professionals were requested to train Iraqi police, the congress and the senate funded 800. All of these things were by his account, policy failures of the current administration and he never mentions those in our government actively working against our country in Iraq such as Dennis Kucinich.
Mr. Tenant makes no attempt at all in addressing the people in our own country that are working against us. Leaking our banking pursuits against terrorists or other programs. What he really fails to do is explain how programs, only known by his people got leaked to the press. Then makes the statement that leaks were not coming from his office. However, he and his people know they can leak a program to a senator and a congressman. That senator or congressman can then go on national news and leak the program and then Tenant can claim "his" people didn't leak it.
He talks about the Joe Wilson case but fails to explain why someone so unqualified for the job was sent in the first place. Secondly, why did this person not sign or agree to nondisclosure as normally would be done? Why did this scenario come to pass and how many more like it are there? Who okayed the moron to go and who paid any price for sending him? This is a minor gaff or bad trade craft. It was stupid and bad business. He omitted any kind of explanation on how something like this happened and he didn't have the curiosity to find out how many more things like this have happened. The purely political after math of this was his agencies fault. Why did he not come out and talk publicly about Joe Wilson's failure to follow CIA practices? After all he was working for them.
In the Afterward he talks about the need to form policies to fight against terrorism, yet doesn't talk about how politics have damaged our war effort. He talks about the old canard about western democracy versus middle eastern democracy. He sites our lack of engagement with the Palestinians. The problem is the middle east will point anywhere else but at themselves as a cause of the problem. They will use Palestine, the condition in a country they are not part of to justify leaving negotiations when they don't feel like talking. Saying that not settling a problem that hasn't been settled in close to 60 years is a center piece will always lead to failure. If he doesn't recognize it, that is what the rest of the middle east wants. What does the Palestinian problem have to do with Thailand or the Phillipines? There is muslim terrorism there as well. As far as domestic spying goes, we have people actively fighting it. They find people to leak the programs that were in his building. Politics do effect spying. He seems to dance around the obvious.
He had many conspicuous omissions from his analysis.
An Intelligence Chief Speaks Out.......2007-09-24
This is a valuable book and an unprecedented account by a Director of the CIA. Tenet's tenure, with its overriding focus on the threat of terrorism, bridged both the Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies. Tenet is not kind to many in the Bush administration, particularly Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Feith, Cheney, and Libbey, whom he accuses of cherry picking intelligence and asserting as fact statements that could not be backed up in their determination to justify a war with Iraq, but does not criticize the President. In the face of so many controversies and White House efforts to put the blame on intelligence for the Administration's policy errors, the book is at times inevitably defensive in tone, but this does not detract from a remarkable account full of considerable detail on matters not usually revealed in public. The "afterword" at the end makes it clear that, in Tenet's view, the war on Iraq was launched with total failure to heed warnings about the problems of winning the peace or making any real preparation therefor. For the future this account is an important reminder of both the importance and limitations of intelligence and the necessity always to "speak truth to power."
Insights from the oblivious George Tenet.......2007-09-21
Tenet comes across remarkably unaware of the world around him, while simultaneously revealing intriguing conversations within the halls of our government. The fatal flaw of the book is the utter failure to recognize his own shortcomings or failures under his watch. He does so artfully though, simultaneously projecting an air of humility while really being quite blind to any failings. In the end, it projects a tone of "aw, shucks, I guess I really was pretty smart" which just doesn't jibe with the reality of the recently disclosed 2005 report from the CIA inspector general that outlines many of the CIA's failings under Tenet's leadership. This is a painful read (to see a guy so clueless and without any sense of self-awareness), but compelling enough to finish (to understand some of the mechanics of how we got ourselves into this mess).
Better than expected........2007-09-12
"Poor George", but this George wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. After reading what he had to say, I acquired a bit more respect for him than I had gotten from the media. George Tenet was in a tough job, made no easier by the White House and its coterie of yes-men around the other George. If the president wanted this man to be Director of Central Intelligence, he should have let him do his job, which was to oversee the collection and analysis of intelligence, not babysit the Israelis and Palestinians during interminable peace talks that eventually went nowhere. The Israelis and Palestinians are hell-bent on killing each other over their scrap of land---that's what Tenet needed to tell the president, not sit in while they pretended to negotiate. Tenet made too many trips to various places, particularly the Middle East; he should have been at Langley working. Even so, one has to give the guy credit for stamina. Tenet is very careful in this book to not directly criticize George Bush. Towards the end, particularly in the Afterword, criticism of Bush's policies, but not Bush himself, becomes more noticeable. After all, Bush invited Tenet's son to the White House for a private talk to assure the boy that he wasn't "mad" at him for being the purported reason his father resigned his job. Criticism of Vice President Dick Cheney, and several others such as Scooter Libby, is obvious. Tenet obviously thinks less of some of Cheney's doings that those of his boss. On the whole, this is a well-written and well-balanced book, and much better than expected.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating and Inspiring Story
- Great read and inspiring story. Go Reichen!
- Entertaining... educational... insightful... and slightly graphic reading fun
- Where is the Honor Code in all of this?
- friends don't let friends read horrible memoirs
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Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy
Reichen Lehmkuhl
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0786717823 |
Book Description
Reichen Lehmkuhl was playing the role of his life while in the Air Force. Not wanting to face a court martial for being gay, he had to live in a world where he had to watch everything he did and said for fear of being outed; and in another world where he was free to be himself. “One of the hardest things for me to reconcile was the fact that I was completely open with my family and friends but faced the very real possibility of being court martialed and going to jail if I was open with my 'work' colleagues.” As Reichen explains, “The don’t ask don’t tell policy is so contradictory to what the Air Force and all the armed forces stand for ... but they force you to lie in order to serve your country.” It was the contradictions which led Reichen to leave the Air Force once he completed his commitment.
Happenstance brought Reichen to meet a friend at a Los Angeles restaurant where he was approached by the casting director for “The Amazing Race.” Reichen believes his military training was extremely helpful in his winning the show’s million dollar prize.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating and Inspiring Story.......2007-09-16
This story is very fascinating and inspiring story. I am sure I will read this book many more times.
Great read and inspiring story. Go Reichen!.......2007-09-03
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is coming out, who has a friend who is coming out, or thinks that Don't Ask, Don't Tell isn't hurting anyone. This is a very inspiring story about a guy who starts off like you and me and who ends up just trying to protect his friends. Read about the hypocrisy of the USAF and the military in general. I'm sure they won't admit it, but this is just one more story that confirms that Don't Ask Don't Tell is not a working program. I was impressed with the story and the quality of character described within.
Entertaining... educational... insightful... and slightly graphic reading fun.......2007-08-17
Oddly enough, before I read this book, I thought that Reichen Lehmkuhl was full of himself and drawing way to much attention away from the causes. But, as I read I discovered that he acts the way he does now because he ahs earned that right. He is outspoken, he is domineering... but most importantly, he is to some degree and to some people (like myself) heroic.
The book starts off with a childhood troubled by what other people think. He felt he was ugly and was made fun of for it. He lived in a trailer and was also teased about that. This is so relatable by pretty much anyone because who hasn't been teased or insulted?
Upon acceptance to the Air Force academy, things take on a darker turn as he battles trying to keep up with everyone else and sudden flourishes of same-sex attraction. The fact that he partook in and possibly founded the Underground gay group is a noble thing indeed... but sadly something that should not have existed at all. The story spans from childhood to his graduation from tha academy, and there are some devastating moments laced in between.
Yet, the moment that really got to me was the climax when things started to unravel and it got dangerous. I could feel the anxiety as I read about it... knowing all to well what that anxiety felt like.
This is not a great book by any stretch but it is a good one and it takes on homophobia in a homophobic military, exposing just how ugly this "religion" fueled hatred is. I found it personally refreshing that I share many of the views he does and am glad that I took the time to read this book.
It isn't for everyone though. Be advised that there is a sexual assault segment that is fairly graphic and some of the same sex scenario's are fleshed out to rather deep detail... not quite soft core porn but just a tad bit dirty. I wasn't uncomfortable with any of the book, but I'm pretty sure that there amy be some readers who will be.
So, all in all... a good book. It was entertaining and educational... and offered insight into a man that I am happy is so vocal about fighting for our rights.
Where is the Honor Code in all of this?.......2007-08-05
Being a gay man, I enjoyed reading this book, about the struggles of gay students in the Air Force Academy. Also, I come from the same geographical area of MA where Mr. Lehmkuhl grew up, and I am familar with some of the communities he refers to. However - I had problems with the book as it went along - if a cadet does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate others who do so, how did the author justify some of the stands he and his friends were prepared to take to explain their behavior to school authorities? Isn't lying by any other name still lying?
friends don't let friends read horrible memoirs.......2007-08-03
This book was atrocious. Whoever edited it should be fired. I keep seeing positive reviews for it, and I can only assume that the majority of people who choose to read this book have never been fortunate enough to read actual good memoirs and novels. Reichen is full of himself to an inexcusable degree. He goes out of his way to tell anecdotes that make him seem awesome and cool and popular, rather than focusing on anything that might actually be interesting to a person who isn't president of his fan club. This book should have been called "Growing Up, Growing Up, Being Completely Awesome, Enjoy This Repulsive Gratuitous Sex Scene...oh yeah, I came out eventually, too." There were many problems with the content, such as the way he would discuss events in non-chronological order, seemingly in the order that they occurred to him. The main problem with this book, however, is that Reichen is a terrible, terrible writer. This book should have been interesting! A really thoughtful and intelligent book about being gay in the Air Force would have been such a treat to read. Instead, we get a boring, tedious pile of pages that have moments of groan-inducing softcore porn and, more worrisome, touches of homophobic derision for gay men who don't meet Reichen's arbitrary standards for manliness.
When I say this book is awful, I mean it. Do not buy it. If you absolutely need to know what happens, get it from the library, but this man does not deserve any money from you after sleeping his way through this sorry excuse for a book. The only good thing I can say about it is that it has moments of unintentional hilarity, for whatever that's worth.
Average customer rating:
- I... don't really think Whitman wanted us to ponder this
- Walt would love this...
- not the only book on whitman, but...
- Finally, the Truth About Whitman
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Walt Whitman: A Gay Life
Gary Schmidgall
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0525943730 |
Amazon.com
Walt Whitman's place in U.S. letters is unchallenged: he is the poet of America, democracy, and individual freedom. Yet Whitman and his work have been misrepresented by scholars and critics during the 20th century, and it is only recently that they have begun admitting the poet's homosexuality and examining its effect on his work. Gary Schmidgall's bold and well-researched Walt Whitman: A Gay Life presents abundant and irrefutable evidence of the poet's vibrant sexuality and details Whitman's sexual and romantic affairs. More important, however, he explains how Whitman's attraction to men was at the root of his poetic vision: in Whitman's work the "body electric" is more than a metaphor. Walt Whitman: A Gay Life is a vital addition to Whitman studies and critical work on American literature.
Book Description
Though Walt Whitman's poetry is known for its unabashed physicality and sexual energy, few biographers have directly confronted the impact of Whitman's sexuality and his cherished fraternal relationships on his art. Gary Schmidgall's fresh, insightful readings and innovative biographical technique illuminate the vital connection between Whitman's life as a homosexual and his legacy as a landmark literary artist. Through careful examination of contemporary sources and Whitman's own writing, including his letters and personal journals, Schmidgall explores Whitman as artist, lover, and friend. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a man of deeply sexual nature, ardently pursuing the objects of his desire in erotic encounters and love affairs that fueled his creative energy and inspired his seminal literary achievements. Candid, unapologetic, and deeply revealing, Walt Whitman: A Gay Life enriches our understanding of the father of American poetry.
Customer Reviews:
I... don't really think Whitman wanted us to ponder this.......2005-04-22
In a world where historical figures as prominant and as influential as Walt Whitman are thought to be Homosexual, its very unfortunate for people who study Modern American literature like myself that "Historians" jump to outrageous conclusions, spurred on by desire for fame and a savage media, as in this book.
Didn't Walt Whitman want his readers to be captivated by his beautiful use of the English language and criticize events such as the American Civil War? These overprivalaged "hisorians" need not take out frustrations on such great men. The fist of Satan on America and the rest of the world is tightening, especially with the reelection of an international terrorist in November and our little "War on Terrorism" which enters its 4th year in September. What we need is a War on Poverty, a War on Ignorance, and a War on Men such as Bush who do an excellent job of speeding up the decline of the American Empire. "Bread and Circuses" and constant warfare with people like the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. I think America will go out in a classical style and fear that another Middle Ages will haunt generations which will come a few hundred years after this is published.
Mr. Schmidgall, I must applaud you for trying to bring Whitman to another generation but I personally think you might've taken the words of Ginsberg a little too seriously...
Walt would love this..........2005-03-26
One of the things that people often do is to take their heroes and try to see within that person themselves. It's only natural. It's through someone else's greatness that we experience it, and often, find our own. So it's not surprising that many Whitman biographers have passively denied Whitman's homosexuality, or out right refuted it. It's also not surprising that Gary Schmidgall takes a different view, and sees Whitman through the eyes of a gay man, writing an impressive, passioned look at Whitman's life called "Walt Whitman: A Gay Life".
Based on a look on Whitman's poetry, letters, and other sources, Schmidgall tells a tale of a gay Whitman. This isn't a biography, however, which Scmidgall admits right away. His book attempts to describe Whitman during different phases in his life, particularly important ones that would have shaped his gay identity. Therefore, the focus is not broad across the span of Whitman's many years, but very intensely focused specific times, for example, Whitman as an opera lover.
Schmidgall admits upfront the task before him which is enormous; being that in all of Whitman's known correspondances, interviews, archival evidence, details on his sexuality and sex life is scanity at best. We have no big true confessional, and when asked directly about the sexual content of "Leaves of Grass", his pat answer is to let the work speak for itself. However, Schmidgall does an awesome job reconstructing Whitman, looking at everything through the eyes of a gay man, bringing the poet alive much more than other biographies which I've read.Schmidgall liberally uses the words like "imagine, think, suppose" when talking about his points, but you forgive him. The task is daunting, but well done.
Whitman is alive in this book as he never has been before. Whereas more scholarly books fail to adequately persue Whitman's sexuality, this one brings it alive, and therefore, brings Whitman alive in a wonderful sense. You can almost hear the poet chuckling in the background as you read some of the passages. Whatever the effect, Whitman has been drawn closer to my heart because of this book, and I highly recommend it.
not the only book on whitman, but..........2001-08-17
this is a great book to add to the growing collection of whitman biographies. don't make this the only one you read, however. that said, it does an amazing and passionate job that i think whitman would appreciate.
Finally, the Truth About Whitman.......1999-10-26
Undoubtedly, the most amazing thing about the many Whitman bio's (and there's certainly no shortage of them), is their denial of his homosexuality. This is why Schmmidgall's work stands head and shoulders above them all (including Jerome Loving's seemingly exhaustive bio that doesn't present Whitman as being gay). The trouble with Loving and the rest who would deny Whitman's sexuality is that they are either terribly homophobic, or that they never read any of Whitman's poetry. The only reason I gave the book a three star rating, is because I don't feel it's a good first-Whitman-book to read for the uninitiated. Rather, I would start with his actual poetry, maybe read a popular bio, and then end up with Schmidgall's "Gay Life".
Average customer rating:
- Masterful and wholly unique
- An amazing book
- SEDUCTIVE IN STYLE, CHALLENGING IN CONTENT
- Beautiful Writing Smoothes Over the Rough Spots
- EXTRAORDINARY EXPLORATION OF HUMANITY
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The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the Riddle of Identity
Daniel Mendelsohn
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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GRIEF
ASIN: 0375400958
Release Date: 1999-05-18 |
Amazon.com
When Daniel Mendelsohn was growing up, he "secretly imagined a place where all the people were other boys, and where all the stores and books and songs and movies and restaurants were by boys, about other boys. It would be a place where somehow the outside reality of the world that met your eyes and ears could finally be made to match the inner, hidden reality of what you knew yourself to be." And while he's found that place in Manhattan's Chelsea district, Mendelsohn has only one foot there--his other foot is in suburban New Jersey, where he acts as a masculine role model ("not exactly a father but a man who would be present") to the young son of a close friend. The Elusive Embrace is an elegantly written memoir that shifts effortlessly between these locales, and between the events in Mendelsohn's life and the Greek and Roman classics that are his academic specialty. Whether he's elaborating upon his earliest explorations of his sexuality or teasing out the secrets that redefine his family history, he writes with admirable grace and delicacy. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
A provocative, profoundly moving literary debut--part personal history, part cultural commentary--that announces a writer of dazzling originality.
In an emotionally charged narrative that weaves together past and present, the personal and the scholarly, a young critic and classicist takes us on a search for the meaning of identity--while showing, through remarkably fresh and accessible readings of such classical Greek and Roman writers as Catullus and Sappho, Ovid and Sophocles, how ancient stories continue to hold truths for us today.
The landscapes through which Daniel Mendelsohn takes us: the deceptively quiet streets of the suburb where he grew up, torn between his mathematician father, who sought after scientific truth, and his Orthodox Jewish grandfather, who told "beautiful lies"; the Southern university, steeped in history and secret traditions, where he first experienced seductions both sexual and intellectual; Internet chat rooms and the streets of Chelsea, Manhattan's newest gay ghetto, where "desire for love" competes with "love of desire"; the quiet, moonlit house where a close friend's small son teaches him the meaning of fatherhood.
And, in a narrative tour de force that marks the book's conclusion, Mendelsohn's themes--desire and sexuality, the hidden meanings of classical and Hebrew writings, the restless search for cultural and personal identity--come together in a final revelation. In a neglected Jewish cemetery, the author uncovers a family secret that demonstrates the universal need for storytelling, for inventing myths of the self.
Customer Reviews:
Masterful and wholly unique.......2007-01-19
At first I was intimidated by the customer reviews that made mention of the author's use of classical references as I am not classically educated and often find such references pretentious. However, I am happy to report that Mr. Mendelsohn's work is compelling and always easy to follow.
"The Elusive Emrace" is equal parts memoir and essay, filled with keen observations and poignant scenes from his life. I was especially moved by those involving his god son Nicholas, and the final sections dealing with ancient family secrets and myths. His prose is beautiful, and his ideas about the duplicity of identity, how we are all many things at once, are succinctly articulated.
I highly recommend this book, though I do have one caveat. On page 82 (of the paperback) the author notes that all the happy gay couples he knows have sex outside of their relationsips. He follows this observation with the gross generalization: "This is a fact of gay life." It may be a fact for some gay couples, but certainly not all. It sounds like the author is trying to justify his own suspect promiscuity by proclaiming it to be the norm. I would advise hime to reference his own comments from page 38: "Knowledge may make you aware that the certainties of others are often more convenient than true, allowing those who hold them to live a coherent and sensible life, allowing their choices and their ideologies to make a kind of sense."
An amazing book.......2006-10-23
I was intrigued by the split in the reviews here: for the most part, readers either loved or hated the book. I found myself unambiguously in the first camp. I devoured the book in two reading sessions, could hardly put it down. For me it is less of a memoir, and more of an incredibly perceptive and thorough contemplation on identity, or rather, on how -inherently- no identities are ever simple and straightforward but always (at least) dual, entangled, complex and evolving. So the book appealed to me intellectually. Reducing the book to its "intellectual content," however, would not do it justice. The ideas are delivered in a language that is so enchanting that it almost intoxicates. Finally, the depth of some of the connections and affections described in the book made the reading of the book a poignant and moving experience.
SEDUCTIVE IN STYLE, CHALLENGING IN CONTENT.......2001-03-25
Perhaps the best thing I can say about this gorgeous and provocative book is that the author has crafted such movingly expressive arguments for his beliefs that even when I disagreed with those beliefs (for instance, his sense that sexual fidelity not worth making any personal sacrifices to maintain), I found myself taking a moment to question myself because I was so seduced by the beauty of his writing style that I almost felt compelled to agree with his content. This is a challenging work of art that, in the end, is less a broad social argument than one man's highly personal search for meaning in his own life.
Beautiful Writing Smoothes Over the Rough Spots.......2001-03-09
Daniel Mendelsohn is a beautiful writer and the Elusive Embrace is quite lyrical at times as it looks at desire and the riddle of identity. His memoir flits from his Jewish childhood, family history, gay New York (actually only Chelsea, actually only one avenue in Chelsea), Greek language and literature, and beautiful (mostly now dead) Southern boys. He is building a mythology of himself and the process is wonderful to go through even when the creation of said mythos requires the narrowing of his vision. He is blissfully unaware of gay men outside of Chelsea and the fever dreams of his Southern past, partly because many of these men would not fit his defintion as "boys" and quite likely fall outside his radar. But that is understandable in a memoir such as this when the point is to write what you see and not what remains invisible to you. Also I was less than thrilled with the chapter on being a surrogate father (gay men as the new spinster aunts?) but even here the writing carried me along. As did the references to Greek myths that connected and substantiated all the ideas. These were evocative and necessary to the entire book. A well written look at myth making on a personal level that is worth a read.
EXTRAORDINARY EXPLORATION OF HUMANITY.......2000-09-26
This is one of the richest and most intelligent explorations of the human condition--not the GAY condition, mind you, but the human condition--I've come across. I was dazzled by the way the author used his own experience to comment on the conflicts and contradictions all of us must face--pleasure vs. responsiblity, family vs. self, and so on. The language is amazingly poetic without being phony or pretentious, and I found the way the author uses Greek myths to illuminate present-day concerns to be utterly fascinating. A MUST for all readers, gay or straight. All you need to be to appreciate this masterwork is a thinking human being who's open to great writing--and thinking.
Amazon.com
William Haines was one of MGM's biggest stars in the late 1920s, playing cocky but sympathetic wise guys in movies such as Brown of Harvard. He was as self-assured in real life: dropped by the studio in 1933 because he refused to hide his homosexuality, Haines became a successful interior decorator. Journalist William J. Mann perceptively links Haines's story to shifting attitudes in the movie industry, the gay community, and America as a whole. He also paints a tender portrait of the actor's love for Jimmie Shields, his companion from 1926 until Haines's death in 1973.
Book Description
In 1930 William Haines was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw--a talented, handsome, romantic lead. Offscreen, he was openly gay. This bestselling biography captures the rich gay subculture of Hollywood before the Production Code--before studio intimidation led to the establishment of the Hollywood closet. Alone among his contemporaries, Billy Haines refused to compromise and was ultimately booted out by Louis B. Mayer. Forced to give up acting, Haines went on to become a top interior designer to the stars and to clients such as Nancy Reagan. By his side through it all was his lover, Jimmie Shields; their fifty-year relationship led their best friend, Joan Crawford, to call them the "happiest married couple in Hollywood." Wisecracker is an astounding piece of newly discovered gay history, a chronicle of high Hollywood, and--at its heart--a great and enduring love story.
Customer Reviews:
A sloppy job.......2004-04-28
This book was a major disappointment. It could have been good. Unfortunately, once you throw out all the regurgitated gossip, conjecture, and seemingly endless repetition, there's not much real information on William Haines. It doesn't help that Mann doesn't seem to know (or care) that he frequently contradicts himself. Potentially interesting topics - that Haines may have been a manic depressive, to name just one - are touched on, but Mann prefers rehashing old publicity to attempting any real insight.
One of the more irritating aspects of this book is the repeated emphasis on how "cultured" Haines was. He quit school at age 14; how and when he acquired the "culture" he was so famous for is never really made clear. It's possible that he educated himself in art, music, literature, etc., which would be laudable as well as interesting, but if this side of Haines existed, Mann does him a huge disservice by ignoring it. Apparently it's enough for Mann that Haines was well-versed in antiques and Emily Post's Etiquette.
As has been pointed out in other reviews, Mann's research leaves a lot to be desired. Take, for example, his reference in Chapter Four to Gloria Swanson's "marriages to European royalty." Supposedly Mann read Swanson's autobiography; of her six husbands -and she discusses each one-only two were Europeans and neither one was a member of a royal family. Sounds like nitpicking, but that's just one of several statements based on slipshod research.
Then there's the question of style. Mann's prose is, on the whole, pedestrian, except when he tries to be imaginative, and then the results are laughable. You may be amused by Barbara La Marr's "extravagant green eyes," but my personal favorite is "Already movies [sic] stars like Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino were building outrageous castles to their absurd fame." Say what?
Overall, I think Haines probably deserved better than this. There may be, buried in all the muck, a truly interesting and even admirable man. Mann tries to tell that there is, but he's too fascinated by the muck to present a clear picture of the man.
Things you can tell just by skimming through it.......2003-06-02
This book is very informative and full of eye-opening photographs. It reflects an issue that needs to be addressed much, much more. I already knew much about this silent star, and have learned more just by simply skimming through Mr. Mann's excellent survey. I definitely recommend it as I also recommend another of the author's books, which I am currently reading as well, "Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969."
AN ALMOST TRUE BOOK.......2003-05-11
For those looking for an introduction to the career of William Haines and for some insights into gay life in the 1920s and 1930s, this book will suffice. But it has as its grounding assumptions several false facts.
1) William Haines was not the biggest moneymaker or the biggest star at MGM in 1930. He was not the Gay Gable. That "fact" is gleaned from one minor poll of distributors and is not reflective of the reality that by 1930 -- even 1929 -- Haines was fading.
2) Haines was fading partly because he was losing his looks -- an odd thing to say about a thirty year old man -- but true. He was getting heavy; he was losing his hair, and he was losing the boyish look that had been the source of his appeal.
3) Anyone who has ever seen a Haines talkie will understand why his career faded. His wiseguy personna did not translate well to the talking screen. He was, in a word, obnoxious. He looked like a big obnoxious stiff.
4) Mann says that changing mores in Hollywood, mores that would soon result in the Hays Code, partly brought about Haines's downfall. Wrong. Haines was already finished by 1932, long before the Code was instituted. And in any case the Code wasn't a product of some kind of consensus within Hollywood. And there could have been no moral re-trenchment in Hollywood, in anticipation of the Code, because in 1932, no one saw it coming. And to know that, all one has to do is watch some 1932 movies.
5) Half the people Mann says were gay weren't.
6) Some of the sex stories are specious, undocumented, seventy-year-old gossip.
7) Haines gayness was a nuisance, so far as MGM was concerned, but if his movies were making money the studio would have kept him indefinitely. He was dropped because his movies were tanking.
There was an honest story to tell here. Haines was a fairly major actor (for about three years). He was gay. He was out. He traveled in an interesting circle. That's all here, too. It's just the connections, the conclusions, the assumptions and the assertions that need to be taken with a bucket of salt.
WONDERFUL Biography of a Star!.......2002-04-13
I got much more out of this biography than I expected. I wanted to learn more about Billy Haines, and his struggle to be openly gay in Hollywood, and about his long marriage to Jimmie Shields. But, what I learned was how alot of people in Hollywood were gay, and openly so, but then became closeted later. Stars I never knew were gay, Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert and many others. The book was fascinating. Lots of gossip, Hollywood stories, movie star information, but more than all that its a book about the amazing life of Billy Haines, and more than 50 year love affair with his companion Jimmie Shields. The book was well researched and never really left me wanting more. I recommend this book as a source for Hollywood lovers, and for gay men and women. A story all would enjoy, and a life worth reading about.
Badly Researched Book by William J. Mann.......2002-04-06
William J. Mann's book Wisecracker seems at first well written. Also, it appeared well researched and Mr. Mann
wanted to write about FACTS and not sensationalize a not so interesting life as William Haines. The book
centers around William Haines gayness above all.
But I totally lost interest in reading any more of this book when I reached page 116 where Mr. Mann
refers to Virgina Rappe as a "young starlet" when in fact she wasn't young by any means and her profession was
actually "prositute." She did do some modeling (adverts for make up) but never appeared in a film. Also he states that the "lured
details of the Fatty Arbuckle case came out..." The details he lists may have come from some old publicity
rag, but not the facts stated in Arbuckle's court transcripts. Rappe tried to extort money
from Arbuckle and to get back she said he raped her. He was never seen in ripped pajamas, and did not
wear anyone's "smashed hat" since there was no such item in that set of hotel suites in San Francisco.
Arbuckle barely saw Virgina Rappe since she lay sick - in another room with complications from a botched
abortion done a week before. Which was proven and the stories that circulation were just rumors.
THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED THIS BOOK IS JUST A HUGE COLLECTION OF COMPILED PUBLICITY
SHEETS..or rag, more like. Don't bother to read this book if you want to know the truth.
Amazon.com
In 1973 Andrew Tobias published The Best Little Boy in the World under the pseudonym John Reid in order to avoid telling people (including his parents) that he was gay. Since then, he's gone on to become a bestselling finance writer (The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need) and columnist for Worth magazine. "Much of my life," writes Tobias, "the context of this book notwithstanding, has had little to do with being gay...." This may seem like an odd statement to find in the sequel to one of the major gay memoirs of the late 20th century. Yet it's also perhaps the point: as Tobias has "grown up" and fully accepted his sexuality, it has become so natural to him that were it not for other people's attitudes there would be almost no reason to call attention to it.
In this memoir, Tobias avoids discussing his sexuality in detail, and apologizes for even the occasional indirect remarks he makes to get around talking about sex. Instead, he covers his emotional relationships and the significant advances for gays and lesbians in American society that he has both witnessed and experienced since 1973. He writes in a charming, conversational style, frequently following digressions and then forcing himself back on track. Tobias is lavish in his praise of those he admires, including Bill and Hillary Clinton (who have "done more than anyone in the history of the world for gay and lesbian people"), and tries to see the good in those with whom he profoundly disagrees. The Best Little Boy in the World Grows Up is a thoughtful, self-assured memoir that shows that one way to start making the world a better place is to become at peace with oneself. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
John Reid's The Best Little Boy in the World was hailed as a classic memoir of growing up gay in a straight world. But "John Reid" didn't write it. Years would pass before the writer could reveal his true identity as Andrew Tobias, America's bestselling financial guru, author of The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need. Now, twenty-five years later, Tobias, proud to use his real name, brings his remarkable life story up to date.
Writing with his customary charm and frank humor, Tobias tells of love affairs and heartbreak, hot New York parties and tough political battles, the excitement of genuine social change and the tragedy of seeing dear friends die young. Here too are the unforgettable scenes of Tobias revealing his sexual orientation not only to his parents but to the president of the United States.
The author is an irresistible companion as he shares with us his proud stories, embarrassing confessions, and hilarious musings on "the homosexual lifestyle." Witty, heartfelt, and wonderfully affirming in every sense, this is Andrew Tobias's finest book to date.
Customer Reviews:
Funny, touching and thought-provoking.......2007-06-07
I found "The Best Little Boy in the World Grows Up" well-written, insightful and inspiring. I am a straight female and don't usually read a lot of material about gay men, nor do I read a lot of biographies (boring). So why did I read this in the first place? Actually, because I liked "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" so much.
The investment guide was invaluable to me when I inherited some money and had no clue what to do next. That book transformed me rather rapidly from someone who felt like she needed help but was not even sure where to turn, to feeling that I could handle things just fine on my own, and it's working out very well for me. In addition to being useful, I found that book so well-written and just plain entertaining that I have re-read it several times and started looking for other things he had written.
I tried "My Vast Fortune" but it didn't grab me for some reason, and I liked "The Best Little Boy in the World" better. But I felt this follow-up book about his adult life is extraordinary. I have known quite a few gay folks in my life, but I have to admit this book still made me more aware of their issues than I had been. I'm not very political, and if the book were preachy, I would have tossed it. But Tobias makes his points with deft humor and a variety of fascinating anecdotes. It is quite entertaining as well as emotionally gripping. I highly recommend it.
I have to agree with most reviewers.......2006-09-15
I'm not going to reiterate the negative reviews here, mostly because they're right on the mark. This book is boring, unnecessary, grandiose, and lacking in any editorial judgement. I read his first book many years ago, enjoyed it, and thought that its follow-up would be equally entertaining. Boy was I wrong. I bought it back in '98, tried to read it, and gave up. I recently moved and found the book in a box. I thought I'd give it another try, and it was just as insipid as it was eight years ago. If you want a good memoir, go elsewhere.
tedious bore.......2006-07-30
pretty much useless. for much better memoirs, i would say go look at paul monette, edmund white, or augusten burroughs, all of which are way superior to this narcissistic and charmless writer whose name i won't even bother mentioning. waste of bucks.
What's with all the cynicism here?.......2005-09-12
I've just read this wonderful book and cannot understand how some of the other reviewers here can call Mr. Tobias self-absorbed. I saw him as merely human and in fact found that he was often self-deprecating--and also it is a book about HIM, so what did the other readers here expect him to write about, his mother? Make no mistake, Andrew Tobias is not a saint, and neither is any of us. His writing reflects his very human experience.
Name dropping? Please. Did some of the other reviewers here expect Andrew Tobias to indulge in navel gazing or something? In any case, I found his experiences to be inspiring. His descriptions of how significant others in his life managed later on in life was to me a great way to vicariously learn some of the lessons of life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. I have in fact read this book before I read TBLBITW because I felt that it would be more relevant to present times.
An self-absorbed name-dropping boring memoir.......2002-10-18
What a shock! The Best Little Boy in the World was one of those formative books I read when I was coming out in the 70's. I naturally assumed this was going to be a powerful follow-up to that volume. It was anything but that. Mr. Tobias tells us all about the wonderful, glamorous, rich and political un-gay and then gay-gay life he has had. With references to that book. If not for the fact that the book was cheap, I would've been furious. As it was, I just threw it away when I was done with it.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent overview of Thomson's life
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Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle
Anthony Tommasini
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
ASIN: 0393040062 |
Amazon.com
Best known for an opera he set to Gertrude Stein's text, Four Saints in Three Acts (1934), and for the Pulitzer Prize-winning score of the documentary Louisiana Story (1948), composer Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was also an unswerving champion of modern American classical music during his tenure as the powerful music critic of the New York Herald Tribune (1940-54). His works' tonality, stress on simplicity, and skillful use of traditional American tunes strongly influenced Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and many others. Lively prose evokes the crusty character of an American original in this enjoyably opinionated biography.
Book Description
In this vivid portrayal of a giant in American twentieth-century music and criticism, Anthony Tommasini recounts Thomson's experiences as a composer, critic, and gay man. Tommasini chronicles Thomson's upbringing in turn-of-the-century Kansas City, along with his struggle to accept his sexuality-"I didn't want to be queer"-as he searched for a place in the wider world through army service in World War I as well as at Harvard and in 1920s Paris. There Thomson studied with Nadia Boulanger and formed an artistic alliance with Gertrude Stein that would result in the pioneering opera Four Saints in Three Acts. Thomson's fourteen-year tenure as chief music critic for the New York Herald Tribune showcased his talent for brilliant, biting commentary and established him as an influential writer on music and an arbiter of musical taste. The result of this involving narrative is a classic American biography of a classic American character.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent overview of Thomson's life.......2004-06-25
The late composer Virgil Thomson did write an autobiography. However, autobiographies are not often fully honest. Nor do they often capture the essence of the person. Anthony Tommasini has accomplished both tasks. His portrait of Thomson, while certainly uncompromising is neither a scandal volume and it certainly is not hagiographical. He portrays Thomson very much as he was.
At the time when Thomson wrote his autobiography, American attitudes towards homosexuality were less than favourable. His colleague, Henry Cowell had done time at San Quentin Prison for his homosexual relationships with young men. Tommasini very frankly discusses Thomson's many relationships, particularly his long relationship with the painter Maurice Grosser.
Tommasini obviously does hold his subject in high esteem. However, that does not preclude Tommasini's critical look at his subject. He presents us with a portrait of an often irascible composer/critic whose contributions to American musical life have not yet been fully realised. Bernstein's statement on the death of Thomson unfortunately rings true today: 'we loved his music but rarely played it.' Hopefully, those who read Tommasini's work will become more interested in the extraordinary oeuvre of Virgil Thomson. His is a unique voice. Hopefully, it will be recovered.
Book Description
In a sweeping synthesis of American history, Mary Ryan demonstrates how the meaning of male and female has evolved, changed, and varied over a span of 500 years and across major social and ethnic boundaries. She traces how, at select moments in history, perceptions of sex difference were translated into complex and mutable patterns for differentiating women and men. How those distinctions were drawn and redrawn affected the course of American history more generally.
Ryan recounts the construction of a modern gender regime that sharply divided male from female and created modes of exclusion and inequity. The divide between male and female blurred in the twentieth century, as women entered the public domain, massed in the labor force, and revolutionized private life. This transformation in gender history serves as a backdrop for seven chronological chapters, each of which presents a different problem in American history as a quandary of sex. Ryan's bold analysis raises the possibility that perhaps, if understood in their variety and mutability, the differences of sex might lose the sting of inequality.
Customer Reviews:
The Mysteries of Sex.......2007-09-19
The "Mysteries of Sex" is a fascinating and enlightening book, not a sex manual as you might suppose, but an analysis of the relationships between men and women through four centuries of American history, from the American Indians to the present day. Mary Ryan explores the way in which gender differences, and the political response to them, has shaped, and is shaping, our history. I was impressed, not only by the scholarship, but especially by the prose style: a heavy subject, but an easy read!Mysteries of Sex: Tracing Women and Men through American History
Impossible to Ignore!.......2007-01-12
Detailed and vastly documented study of gender differences throughout American history. Impossible to ignore.
Book Description
Through the life of Benjamin Ryan Tillman (1847-1918), South Carolina's self-styled agrarian rebel, this book traces the history of white male supremacy and its discontents from the era of plantation slavery to the age of Jim Crow.
As an anti-Reconstruction guerrilla, Democratic activist, South Carolina governor, and U.S. senator, Tillman offered a vision of reform that was proudly white supremacist. In the name of white male militance, productivity, and solidarity, he justified lynching and disfranchised most of his state's black voters. His arguments and accomplishments rested on the premise that only productive and virtuous white men should govern and that federal power could never be trusted. Over the course of his career, Tillman faced down opponents ranging from agrarian radicals to aristocratic conservatives, from woman suffragists to black Republicans. His vision and his voice shaped the understandings of millions and helped create the violent, repressive world of the Jim Crow South.
Friend and foe alike—and generations of historians—interpreted Tillman's physical and rhetorical violence in defense of white supremacy as a matter of racial and gender instinct. This book instead reveals that Tillman's white supremacy was a political program and social argument whose legacies continue to shape American life.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect Complement to C. Vann Woodward's "Tom Watson".......2004-04-18
Stephen Kantrowitz, a gifted writer, accomplishes that rarest of achievements in academia: theory that is actually readable. With "Ben Tillman & the Reconstruction of White Supremacy," recipient of the Organization of Amerian Historians' Hawley Prize, he wades through American history's murkiest waters, those of race and gender. And with remarkable clarity, Kantrowitz shows that you just can't sieve race from gender, or vice versa.
Perhaps what makes all the theory understandable is how well Kantrowitz grounds it all in the dirt of real-life "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, a Red-shirt terrorist who advocated lynching and a reconstruction of white supremacy.
Kantrowitz also reconstructs our ideas of what exactly makes the stuff of white supremacy (hence, the title of the book includes a double entendre of "the reconstruction of white supremacy," as both subject and author are engaging in projects of "reconstruction," making for what I think is the most creative history book title I've seen). Instead of racial instinct formed in primordial ooze, Kantrowitz exposes white supremacy as a political program, similar to Philip Gourevitch's exposition of the political--as opposed to inherent or inherited--nature of Hutu Power in his equally masterful "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families."
This is a brilliant book: elegantly written, restrained, thoughtful, and thought provoking. It reminds us that white supremacy doesn't reside in our blood, but in our history--not just the past, mind you, but our still-unfolding history. As for whether Kantrowitz is fair to Tillman, the passages that made my skin crawl weren't accusations from Kantrowitz or the "anti-Tillman press" but words of hatred spewed directly from Tillman's lips. Don't get mad at Kantrowitz for putting Tillman up to the light illuminated by facts!
I'm baffled by the accusation that Kantrowitz is a "shallow author." This is a book of soul-shaking depth, a political tragedy that cuts to the marrow, all the more tragic because of its factual truth. The "obvious agenda here" is not Kantrowitz's. The OAH doesn't give out awards to "spin artists." No, you have to do some research and back up what you say with footnotes (Kantrowitz has 55 pages of them, in itty-bitty print). Amazon.com, on the other hand, with its admirably democratic attitudes toward open forum, allows people to say just about any old thing in reviews. The "A Most Innacurate [sic]..." review accuses Kantrowitz of "conveniently [choosing] to omit and obviously [failing] to research Tillman's admirable private life as it would destroy the credibility of the subject and agenda." Well, I don't know what to say except that while I think Kantrowitz does expose the private life of the biography's subject, Tillman and his white supremacist agenda, I agree that such an exposition does in fact "destroy the credibility of the subject and agenda."
A Most Innacurate Piece of Fiction.......2003-04-09
Obvious agenda here by a shallow author looking to capitalize on a recently re-elevated subject. The entire book fails to make any positive remarks about the most popular and elected politician in the history of the state of South Carolina. Most of the research by this "author" is conveniently taken from anti-Tillman press while bypassing all of the many contributions to the state and to the U.S. Senate. Tillman was honored and revelled by many fellow U.S. Senators from opposing parties (and from Northern States). He established Clemson University, Winthrop College and the Charleston Naval Shipyard. There were two U.S. Navy Ships named after him. None of these accomplishments and honors are worthy of mention by this spin artist. He conveniently chose to omit, and obviously failed to research, Tillman's admirable private and personal life as it would destroy the credibility of the subject and agenda.
Kantrowitz fails miserably in the area of accurate and balanced historical journalism. The slant is conspicuous and offensive and breaks the golden rule of interpreting sources and historic events in the context of the times they were written.
Don't waste your time or money.
marvelous distillation of powerful truths.......2001-09-07
The reader from Washington says the book is too long, but he wants more personal detail! How would that happen? Fact is, for a major figure in American political history, Tillman has found biographer whose economy of language is commendable; Kantrowitz only uses 309 pages to do a magnificent job of storytelling and analysis. And it is a great read, especially given the deep and subtle insights that Kantrowitz squeezes from this Dixie demogogue's pernicious but important career. And he does so without turning Tillman into a demon, but rather by revealing that the Senator was not so much a tribute but a trickster of the people, and far from being a populist, served the richest and most powerful of his constituents as he poured salt into the worst of the nation's wounds--the scar of white supremacy. This book is eloquent and profound, and could scarely have been better crafted.
Ben Tillman by Stephen Kantrowitz:Revealing But Too Long.......2001-08-15
Professor Kantrowitz, a professional historian, has written a book that is revealing of the man and the times but too long and detailed for the nonprofessional reader of history. He has mined old newspapers from South Carolina and other documents energetically--and it would appear that every one of his index cards, so to speak, has been carried over into the text. Consequently, there is more detail than this reader needed or could possibly absorb. This failing is compounded by the author's inadequate treatment of Tillman's life. Milestone personal and family events are mentioned in a sentence, with no indication that the author is interested in Tillman the person--although, to his credit, he does on several occasions remind us that Tillman was devoted to his wife and wrote her loving, and playful, letters. But Tillman's relations with his children are not covered adequately. Nor do we learn much about his nonpolitical relationships with friends, relatives and neighbors. In other words, Professor Kantrowitz has scanted the biographical aspects of his book in favor of doctrinal analsyis. He has given his readers too many excerpts from Tillman's speeches, letters and interviews--primarily on how he felt about the place of Negroes in a white-dominated society. Kantrowitz shows that Tillman took a hostile view towards Negroes, as African Americans were called (and worse) in the 19th Century, and yet he and other farmers needed them as low-wage laborers. His racism and support of violence, part of his calculated appeal to white "producers," are well established early on. But the point is made over and over. Tip to readers: Kantrowitz, a disciplined writer in some respects, introduces paragraphs with topic sentences. Very often the supporting detail that follows can be skimmed or skipped because the general point already has been made.
Circular History.......2001-05-25
I'm currently reading "Ben Tillman And The Reconstruction Of White Supremacy" as part of my ongoing effort to understand the failure of Reconstruction. This is an excellent book that, as one of the reviewers has indicated, is more a history of the post-Reconstruction development of white supremacy in the United States than it is of "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, although Tillman's life story may be said to be a perfect illustration of white supremacy. Tillman, as a "Red-Shirt" mob and militia leader, governor, and U.S. Senator,loved to brag of his successful efforts to disenfranchise Afro Americans through fraud, murder, manipulation of the laws and legal processes, usurpation of legitmate governmental authority,campaigns of terror, lies, deceits, and the dividing and conquering of any cooperative, biracial political efforts by playing whites and their fears of "negro domination" against Afro Americans and their interests. But more, Tillman did not limit his attacks to Afro Americans aspiring to realize the full benefits of citizenship: poor, landless, uninfluential whites, supporters and sympathizers for Afro Americans' increased citizenship rights, whites who disagreed with his policies and political rule, Republicans, and the federal government were all his enemies and he attacked all of them with the same duplicitous ferocity. It is all too apparent that the legacy that he left was embraced by racists and segregationists throughout most of this century in their opposition to civil rights activities.
For those interested in the "real", too long hidden history of race and race relations in this country, this book is an absolute must for their libraries.
In my view, Kantrowitz joins Leon Litwack, Ira Berlin, Eric Foner, W.E.B. DuBois, Frazier, Woodward and the other luminaries of historical writing who worked to provide an accurate, inclusive history of the peoples of the United States of America with this book. "Ben Tillman..." is a book that will fascinate, enrage, infuriate, disgust, amaze, and disturb its readers, especially those who recognize what appear to be parallels between the latter parts of the 19th and 20th centuries and the beginning of the 20th and 21st centuries regarding race and politics.
Perhaps history is circular after all. Read the book and decide for yourself.
Book Description
A Question of Manhood is the first anthology of historical studies focused on themes and issues central to the construction of Black masculinities. Volume II picks up where volume I left off, continuing to focus on gender by examining the lives of African American men in the tumultuous period following the Civil War through the end of the nineteenth century.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent articles on black manhood.......2002-07-13
It is hard to find a historical reader which deals with this area. Most are about the philosophical or print images. While some try to say all of black history is about black manhood, that is not accurate. This reader is important because it deals with manhood in a systematic, historical way, using historical methodology. The first vol. is excellent. I await the second.
A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Men's History.......2000-05-23
It was an immense pleasure to read A Question of Manhood. This trail blazing and illuminating anthology of black men's history and masculinity will surely prompt many, perhaps grudgingly at times, to abandon some of their long held beliefs about the nature of the experiences of black males in American history. This excellent collection of essays will remind lay readers and scholars that a gendered analysis of women and men's history is not optional but quite necessary. Indeed, this book examines the critical role that the intersection of gender, race, and class has played in the lives of black men in American history. A Question of Manhood examines American culture at the macro level by using family, work, sexuality, and social reform movements to provide context to an unprecedented black male history.
One of this books primary strengths is its ability to underscore the strength, creativity, character, and fluid nature of black masculinity throughout early American history; an appraisal which thankfully subverts the popular myth of the nihilistic, irresponsible, ravaging black male. The book's "juice," however, flows from its ability to elucidate the impact of African cultural antecedents upon African American concepts of masculinity, resistance as a racialized as well as gendered phenomenon, and occupations, such as barbering, as frequent axis' of African American male articulations of masculinity and "blackness". Magnificently constructed, this book stands as a sensitive yet powerful testament to the dynamism of black men's history. Straight forward, devoid of superfluous jargon, and replete with substantive analysis, this anthology will certainly appeal to a wide audience. Academicians and lay readers will fine this work enlightening, lucid, and timely.
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Recommended Books
- What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coff
- The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set
- Dictionary of Microscopy
- History: Fiction or Science
- Introduction to the Finite Element Method
- Paula Pryke's Flower School: Mastering the Art of Floral Design
- Living With Limoges
- Hans Haacke: Viewing Matters
- Film Posters of the Forties: The Essential Movies of the Decade
- Home Front Soldier: The Story of a Gi and His Italian American Family During World War II
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
The Reagan Diaries
Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
The Assault on Reason
