Book Description
From one of the world's best-known development economists—an excoriating attack on the tragic hubris of the West's efforts to improve the lot of the so-called developing world
In his previous book, The Elusive Quest for Growth, William Easterly criticized the utter ineffectiveness of Western organizations to mitigate global poverty, and he was promptly fired by his then-employer, the World Bank. The White Man's Burden is his widely anticipated counterpunch—a brilliant and blistering indictment of the West's economic policies for the world's poor. Sometimes angry, sometimes irreverent, but always clear-eyed and rigorous, Easterly argues that we in the West need to face our own history of ineptitude and draw the proper conclusions, especially at a time when the question of our ability to transplant Western institutions has become one of the most pressing issues we face.
Customer Reviews:
Frustrating and Illuminating.......2007-09-03
I found The White Man's Burden frustrating and illuminating at the same time. I was frustrated by the fact that despite masses of foreign aid little seems to have helped Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the other areas known as "the Rest". It was illuminating in that William Easterly oes such a good job of analyzing the reasons why so much good will and so much money have accomplished so little.
Basically, Westerners who seek to help the rest of the world have largely been Planners, Easterly's term for people and organizations who think the way to help others is to help them become more like themselves. Despite historic, cultural, religious, and a host of other differences, the West tries to improve the Rest by trying to make it into a New West. On the other hand, there are the Searchers, who try to find ways to help and to help the Rest help itself. Unfortunately, too many agencies and too many powerful people are Planners, and far too few are Searchers. Easterly dissects the failures of the Planners and compares them with the successes of Searchers in a scholarly, well researched manner that leaves room for the occasional witticism.
As I read The White Man's Burden I recognized so many of the same problems that I, as a public school teacher, face dealing with bureaucracies full of Planners, who think the way to solve a problem is to come up with a big overall Scheme and throw tons of money around, usually unsuccessfully. Easterly has performed a valuable service by revealing the problem and identifying the solutions. Maybe someday the Searchers will be in charge!
A Wake-up call for the Aid-Industry.......2007-08-07
William Easterly gives, in his book, The White Man's Burden, an important contribution to the debate on foreign aid to developing countries. As a counterpart to economist Jeffrey Sachs and the World Bank's utopist policies, most of all suitable to give the West and their politicians a clean conscience - this book gives more realistic and down-to-earth suggestions to what really could work and what is possible to accomplish. It also calls for greater UN/World Bank/ NGO accountability towards the poor and not only towards donors...A "must-read" for all involved in foreign aid and other citizens alike.
Skip Part 3.......2007-07-26
In this book, William Easterly does an excellent job of critiquing the West's efforts at foreign aid and why they have been so unsuccessful despite constant efforts over the past decades. He draws on his extensive experience with the World Bank and knowledge of the practices of other aid agencies to build a solid foundation for his argument. His claims that the grand plans of agencies simply do not address the real problems that the poverty face and that their efforts are simply not working are well founded.
However he divides the book into 4 parts, the first an introduction and the second a more detailed critique of development agencies. The fourth section presents his conclusions about the future of foreign aid and suggestions about how to make it more effective. But in part 3 he strays from the topic of direct foreign aid to address other ways that he claims that West has tried to aid the Rest. The section consists of 2 chapters. The first chapter addresses a proposed idea that Western powers take over certain sections of the developing world as a sort of economic protectorate. The idea is not clearly outlined but Easterly is immediately opposed to it because it sounds sort of like colonialism. He then analyzes decolonization for examples of why colonialism was bad for the developing world and, by analogy, so will these economic protectorates. His analysis of decolonization hinges on the fact that the colonial powers left behind countries with artificial boundaries that grouped antagonistic ethnic groups together and led to warfare and rivalry that hindered the country's development. However, he gives examples in which he twists historical facts to support his thesis, presenting colonial powers in an exclusively negative light. His treatment of the partition of India at their independence is the best example. As India was achieving independence from Britain, Muhammad Jinnah, the leader of the Muslims of India, pushed for a separate Muslim state, against the wishes of Gandhi and Nehru. He claimed that India will come to be dominated by Hindus and the Muslims would suffer under such a situation. The actual point of independence was overseen by Lord Mountbatten, sent in by Britain to peacefully bring about independence. The creation of Pakistan was the result. Unfortunately Pakistan would encompass a number of ethnic groups, including Sikhs, Baluchis, Pashtuns as well as Muslim Indians, who were uncooperative and led to Pakistan being an underdeveloped state. All of this is presented well by Easterly in the chapter. However his final take is that the problems of Pakistan are Mountbatten's fault for allegedly grouping all the ethnic groups together in that country. But Pakistan was Jinnah's idea who was doing something that Easterly would have advocated, separating 2 mutually antagonistic ethnic groups into separate states so that each could control their own destiny. Easterly twists historical facts in order to put Britain (a.k.a. the West) in a negative light. This attitude and distortion of history characterizes the entire chapter. Moreover his critique of colonialism says nothing the possible success of the proposed economic protectorates. Colonies were focussed on the economic development of the mother country. The economic protectorates would theoretically (and the whole idea was only a theory at the time of writing) focus on the economic development of the Third World.
The second chapter of the section does not fare much better. He addresses military interventions into developing countries, positing them as attempts to bring development to a country by bringing peace. However his detailed critique of them never presents them as economic development measures. Many of them were simply peacekeeping missions just to stop people from killing each other or undertaken as a means of national security. They were nothing more than political moves and should not be used as an example of the West's failure at development.
Overall this section simply reveals Easterly's biases and shows that he has stepped far outside his area of expertise. The section is misplaced and should have been deleted from the book altogether. It only detracts from an otherwise well-written and carefully thought out critique of foreign aid. In all I agree with his critique and his belief that the West needs to abandon its grand plans and listen to the world's poor to find out how we can address their needs more specifically.
Incidentally, I found one point where Easterly does not follow his own advice. At one point he is talking with a South African woman diagnosed with HIV, who will likely die within a few years, who, instead of resigning herself to her fate, is working as hard as she can to ensure a good life for her children. He asks what the biggest problem the country faces is. She answers "No jobs". Easterly then turns back to the reader with a twinkle in his eye and uses her unwillingness to give up as a call for better aid. But she didn't say she wanted aid, did she? She wants jobs. The real problem that all the developing world faces is a lack of economic investment. They need jobs so that they have a better chance of standing on their own in the future. What was that idea about economic protectorates?
Very informative, unfortunately too much detail.......2007-06-22
Prof. Easterly knows what he is writing about as he spent many years with the World Bank. His basic thesis is, that the aid to developping countries does not lack funding, but the funds are applied very inefficiently. The "customers" of the help agencies are not the needy poor, but the "rich" donor countries and their citizens. Hence aid is applied to please these customers, rather than pleasing the poor. In other words, he applies market logic to explain the reasons for failure.
The only draw back to the book is its length. After some time, the book starts repeating itself, and the details become onerous for the interested lay person. (Who, except the specialist really cares about some fine differences between World Bank IMF and the various UN agencies?)
Even though I did not finish the book for that reason, I highly recommend it to anybody, who wants to know, why his aid money does not seem to work.
Thought-provoking and memorable.......2007-06-04
As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Africa -- but someone without a lot of formal training in macroeconomics or knowledge of the politics and history of the IMF, World Bank, and associated other organizations -- I picked this book up hoping for a cogent and intelligent perspective on the "larger picture" driving what I observed on the ground. I wasn't disappointed.
Easterly arrives at many of the same conclusions I did, backed up with reams of analysis and a deep understanding of the nature of the IMF, World Bank, etc., as well as the historical roots explaining why they are the way they are. I found the book to be slow-going in parts, but that's probably more because much of the content was totally new to me: it's dense, but that's a good thing. And even though it is dense, I thought it was very readable.
One thing that I thought would have been valuable was more of a discussion about how a foreign policy oriented around a bottom-up, "Searcher" type approach could be sold. He acknowledges that the reason "Planner" solutions are so popular is that they make us feel good, like "something is being done" -- but, unfortunately, the psychological power of that is so strong that a fundamental shift in policy will not occur simply on the basis of rational evidence that it doesn't work. That said, I don't think it's impossible: it's just about appealing to a different aspect of our psychology. Peace Corps, for instance, I think does a pretty good job of selling the Searcher ethos, and it does so by emphasizing the small-scale stories of success, as well as the OTHER benefits of being a Searcher (such as learning from the other cultures). A Searcher-based foreign policy, on the larger scale, could sell itself similarly -- buzzwords like "empowerment" and "grassroots" spring to mind. Anyway, I would have appreciated more of a discussion about that (or, if these ideas are silly, a discussion of exactly why).
Still, this book is important reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and foreign aid. And it should be required reading for the people in charge of such things.
Book Description
The country bunny attains the exalted position of Easter Bunny in spite of her responsibilities as the mother of twenty-one children.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely the Best!.......2007-07-06
I found this book in the attic of our old apartment, before I could even read English. I fell in love with the book then, because I guided myself through the book's gorgeous illustrations. When I finally did learn to read in English, it was even more magical. I carried this book (torn pages and all) for 13 years everywhere I moved until one day, I spotted the bookcover's color out of the corner of my eye at a bookstore---I was ecstatic! It was still in print! Since then, I've purchased well over 100 copies to give away to every child or baby I know. If you ever buy a book for a child--boy or girl---this is the one they should have. It's not only utterly beautiful, but it's story is powerful!
A Heartwarming Tale of Courage and Compassion!.......2007-05-17
I've loved this book for nearly 50 years.... my children loved it, too. It's the story of a little "country bunny" who has high aspirations - to be the next Easter Bunny. Despite all odds, and with the help of her little (?!) family, she braves gigantic obstacles to prove that she has what it takes: she's courageous, swift, and kind. It's beautifully written, and the illustrations capture the tenderness of the story. Reading it will affirm that goodness and compassion can provide the strength to achieve what may seem impossible!
The Counntry Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.......2007-05-13
This was the first book I checked out at the library as a first grader.
I wanted my grannybabies to know a little about Grannymaw; when she was little....
Fabulous!.......2007-04-10
I read this book in the early 70's for the first time and now give it away as gifts. It's a wonderful Easter story that encourages little girls to dream big dreams! The drawings are artful, the colors are memorable and the story is very sweet. I enjoy giving it to others as much as I loved having it read to me as a child.
A True Working Mother.......2007-04-03
A Classic. This book was written prior to the Women's Lib movement but wow, does it ever celebrate women, especially mothers. How refreshing to read and what an unusual perspective on the hard-working
Easter Bunny
Average customer rating:
- little black sambo
- Review of book purchase.
- Important historically, but not delightful
- Rembering the good old days
- Noteworthy Because of its historical context
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The Story of Little Black Sambo
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0397300069 |
Book Description
The jolly and exciting tale of the little boy who lost his red coat and his blue trousers and his purple shoes but who was saved from the tigers to eat 169 pancakes for his supper, has been universally loved by generations of children. First written in 1899, the story has become a childhood classic and the authorized American edition with the original drawings by the author has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Little Black Sambo is a book that speaks the common language of all nations, and has added more to the joy of little children than perhaps any other story. They love to hear it again and again; to read it to themselves; to act it out in their play.
Customer Reviews:
little black sambo.......2007-09-16
check book dimensions. I was surprised at the size. My mother read this book as a child and has always wanted a copy. I knew of the controversy but had never seen the book myself. After buying it I was eager to see what the fuss was about. I don't get! Apparently it is the pictures which were not done buy a professional(in 1899). As for the name sambo, it was turned into a slur by some bigot and probably would have happened with any name chosen. I'm sure many will be offended when I say "get over it" you brought more attention to this "offense" than it ever would have gotten otherwise. EVERYONE has had an unflattering portrayal at sometime. Let it go. I thought it was a cute story.
Review of book purchase........2007-09-10
I was very pleased with my purchase - prompt and efficient service, reasonable price. I was a little surprised that the book was "mini" size and wished that had been indicated; but I liked it nevertheless. I would definitely purchase again.
Important historically, but not delightful.......2007-04-26
To me, it is not a matter of being offended or not. But if you can read this without any discomfort you need to review your history. Of course kids can like it, but they like throwing rocks at ducks too. What is disturbing to me is how anyone can be nostalgic for a colonial past. Sambo is very lovable, but that is the point. It paid to maintain that the 'primitive' races were childlike, endearingly innocent. This idea of a paternalistic love actually supported Western dominance. They were the 'white man's burden,' permanently in childlike relation to the West, incapable of self rule or living in a modern world. In exchange for being guided to civilization, their natural resources could be had for the superior races. The childlike, innocent native is cut from the same cloth as the threatening cannibal, or the easily scared servant, or the lazy slave. All of these stories came out of that system of beliefs. This is not an Indian folk tale, however clever and tricky Sambo is. This is not, as one reviewer writes, "A loving attempt to reach across the racial divide." The historical record contradicts this reading. Read just a line or two from the official reports written by colonial administrators like Helen Bannerman's husband. This kind of nostalgia erases the history of colonial rule. Maintaining divisions between a ruling class (British) and a subaltern class (colonial subjects) was the whole point of colonialism, of which this tale is a product.You and your children may find this character cute and cuddly, but stop and think about that. So are puppies. It is quite possible to love your mammy or your servant, just as you love your dog. (The mother in this tale is a direct relation of Aunt Jemima and her pancake mix, introduced at the Chicago World's Fair just two years previously) Exactly WHO is nostalgic for this past? I understand how remembering black slaves and coolies as 'happy darkies' is a lot less painful than actually remembering the truth. This was not a simpler time but one in which brutal subordination of a people was sanctioned by the state. If you miss that 'simpler time' I hope you don't live next door to me. My children would not be safe.
Rembering the good old days.......2007-03-09
My wife and I had this book when we were children. We are now in our late 60s.And often talked about this book. Didn't know we could still buy them. This was a great little book.Think every one should read this book. keep up the good work. Thanks
Noteworthy Because of its historical context.......2007-03-05
I recall Little Black Sambo from my childhood as well. My Aunt worked as a domestic for a Jewish household and they would give her their children's discarded playthings to take to her nephews. Little Black Sambo was among the offerings. I remember reading with fascination the story of this child and I knew nothing at the time of its racist connotations. Unfortunately, despite the denial of some of the prior reviewers, it cannot be ignored that this book might be considered offensive to some. Just like the black lawn jockeys that were so popular at one time, and the Aunt Jemima pancake box before they took the bandana off of her head, these icons represent post cival rights era reality. I supppose some of you see nothing wrong with the Little Rascal character Farina with the rags tied in his head, or Buckweat either. I would not advocate banning any of the aforementioned symbols, because I think they should be cherished as a sign of just how far we've come. I have mammy salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars, etc., because as a Black man in America, I want to remember and cherish the past. If I find the version of this book I had as child in which Sambo was jet black with white eyes and huge red lips, I'd add it to my collection in a heartbeat!
Average customer rating:
- Great Motivational book for children
- Almanzo's Childhood: Preparing for His Life and His Wife (His Bride)!
- Farmer Boy
- ...makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying 'early to bed, early to rise'...keeps you reading long into the night
- Read it aloud yourself, please.
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Farmer Boy (Little House)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
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Binding: Paperback
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Little House on the Prairie (Little House)
ASIN: 0064400034 |
Book Description
The story of a boy named
Almanzo Wilder . . .
While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days-no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.
Farmer Boy is the third book in the Laura Years series.
From shearing sheep and milking cows to training young calves, Almanzo Wilder worked very hard on his family's farm in New York. But when his chores were all done, Almanzo could go to his favorite place in the whole world -- the Horse-Barn. Although his father wouldn't let him handle the frisky colts, Almanzo could still look at them and dream of one day having a horse all his own!
Customer Reviews:
Great Motivational book for children.......2007-05-17
If your kids complain that you give them too many chores to do and they never get any time to have fun this book should be a must read! Not only does it contain numerous lessons about farming techniques and problems but it also shows how much a little boy of 10 years is capable of doing and how willing and proud he is of doing it. I was very impressed with the book and found myself reading it on my own, without my child. Laura Ingalls Wilder has quite a talent in putting pictures down in words. Almanzo Wilder's one year in this book was facinating and enlightening. I have a much larger appreciation for both what times were like and how much easier they are now.
Almanzo's Childhood: Preparing for His Life and His Wife (His Bride)!.......2007-04-27
Of all the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" books, FARMER BOY is, hands down, my very favorite.
The book covers a portion of the boyhood of Almanzo Wilder, who was to grow up to become Laura's husband. Almanzo grew up on a thriving, successful farm in New York state. Almanzo's father was especially known and respected for raising top-quality horses. Almanzo's mother had her own home business ventures and was known for making top-quality butter, fetching top dollar, to be served in some of the finest restaurants in New York City.
I could probably write a book about this book and why I love it so much. Through the examples of the Wilder family, its strengths and limitations, the author puts forth some enduring lessons about hard work, mutual respect, the value of time and money, hope... and more. FARMER BOY stands out among the other "Little House" books because: a) it is about Almanzo, long before he ever met Laura, ten years his junior (so Laura was not even born yet at the time this book starts its story); and b) the Wilder family, like the Ingalls family, faced hardships, but not to the relentless and ridiculous level that the Ingalls family seemed to do so, leaving more room to delineate normal, day-to-day life, which itself was incredibly rich and interesting.
During the time that Laura, many miles away, was an infant and young child, Almanzo was growing up in New York, developing his love of horses and skill in working with them. During the time he was a young man venturing out west, Laura herself was developing her love of horses and skill in riding them. That they were both "horse lovers" provided a lovely and important common ground later when they met, courted and married.
Almanzo James Wilder was born February 13, 1857 and died on October 23, 1949, at the age of 92. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born on February 7, 1867 and died on February 10, 1957, at age 90. They were married on August 25, 1885. These details mean that Almanzo was very much alive in 1933 when FARMER BOY was published, and presumably, very much available as a resource for his wife Laura, the author. To me, that is precious and relevant, for it attests to longevity (both of their marriage and their lives) and to the presumption of authenticity regarding this wonderful book. Highly recommended!
Farmer Boy.......2007-04-03
Farmer Boy
Do you like farms? Well, this boy certainly does! This boy named Almanzo is a boy who just loves the farm. Farmer Boy tells you how farming was done in the 1870's. It describes how they used to have to spend two weeks cutting hay, and how they had to wake up at three o'clock in the morning on Independence Day just to save the corn. It tells what it was like to live in the house with his two parents, and his annoying big brother and sisters! This is the life of a true farmer! I thought that this book was great, and I really encourage you to read it.
Farmer Boy is recommended for kids eight to twelve. Personally, I think that this book is great for people8 and older. I know s that still like it, and I know that I do! Even though a lot of people over twelve do not give it a chance, I hope that you will.
The words in this book are very easy to understand, and there is no inappropriate content either. For example, in the book it says, "The ice-house was built of boards with wide between. It was set high off the ground on wooden blocks, and looked like a big cage."(Sic) You can see just from this quote that it is easy to read, and Laura Ingalls Wilder did a great job of describing things.
Farmer Boy is also a good chapter book for visual learners. In every chapter there is at least one picture. This helps you visualize what is happening in the book, and it helps you understand what is going on.
I thought that Farmer Boy was a great book. I really learned a lot about life and farming in the 1870's. This book is perfect for people who love history and biographies. The best part of the book is at the end when Almanzo gets a big present; it is something that he has always wanted. The only way you will find out what it is is read the book!
...makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying 'early to bed, early to rise'...keeps you reading long into the night.......2007-01-24
Nine-year-old Almanzo "Manzo" Wilder has a delightful family, complete with three older siblings (Royal, Eliza Jane, and Alice), along with two loving parents, and never wants for anything - especially not food, as the table is always laden with lavish spreads of food, from mashed potatoes to chicken, and pumpkin pie to apples and onions. But now, as Manzo begins preparing for school, he realizes that there's something he wants more than anything, and that's a colt of his very own. Pa, however, doesn't believe that Almanzo is old enough to break a colt. He feels that Almanzo's duties lie more within weeding the fields, and training a team of young oxen to pull carts, and assist with the daily chores. So Almanzo decides to prove to his family that he has the strength, and the maturity, to have his own colt. From sun up, until sun down Almanzo works as much as he possibly can, helping his father with everything from seeding to weeding, and pulling to sheering. It is only, however, when the New York State resident realizes that skipping school all the time to work among a farm, and neglecting his studies to play with his friends and spend the day sledding, that Almanzo learns that proving your responsibility doesn't only take a lot of manual labor, but labor for your mind, as well.
As an avid viewer of the "Little House On the Prairie" TV show, I wasn't exposed to the character of Almanzo Wilder until he was well out of childhood, and considered a man. So I was quite excited to have the opportunity to learn more about his quirks as a pre-pubescent boy growing up in northern New York State. Almanzo, even at the age of nine, was a responsible boy who grew up to be a responsible man. He worked hard, but never forgot to enjoy his youth by getting into all sorts of mischief - from overeating ice cream, to staining the family's parlor wall with blacking. His interactions with his older brother and sisters are comical, as he is treated like a baby more often than not, and appears to resent it more than anything. As strange as it sounds, I was a big fan of Almanzo's mother throughout the tale. Talk of her days and nights slaving over a stove, preparing the most mouth-watering meals known to man really gave me an accurate depiction of the amount of work that took place during the frontier years, while at the same time leaving me with a serious craving for a thick slice of pumpkin pie. As with the previous book in the series, LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS, FARMER BOY includes a biography about the author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with a brief history on two very important subjects (the county fair, and school days), the lyrics to a song (Yankee-Doodle), and a recipe (Pulled Molasses Candy). FARMER BOY makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying "early to bed, early to rise," for it will keep you reading long into the night.
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
Read it aloud yourself, please........2006-11-29
I love all of the Little House books, and have since I was a little girl. I can spew out more information about the books than most readers, and have visited all the Little House sites. I love that I am getting to do this all over again with my daughter, and that she loves the books too.
That said, I do not like the CD versions of the books. There is an insincerity that comes across in the readings of the books, almost a mocking. Cherry Jones' accent is actually very distracting from the story. Her sense of the writing in the story, and how it would be delivered is very off. I'm not sure why anyone would have approved of the readings much less printed them and sold them at such a high price.
I know that Ms Jones is an accomplished actresses. That's why it's so sad that these wonderful stories are mangled by someone who should be able to give them the beauty they deserve.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent choice for pre-readers
- Wonderful books
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Summertime in the Big Woods (My First Little House)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0064434974 |
Book Description
Summer is here!
The warm days of summer have arrived, and that means Laura gets to spend fun-filled days outdoors!
The winter is finally over, and now it is summertime! Laura and Mary are busy all day helping Ma in the garden and playing outside. RenÉe Graef’s enchanting full-color illustrations, inspired by Garth Williams’ classic artwork, bring Laura and her family lovingly to life in this sixth title in the My First Little House book series, picture books adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved storybooks.The winter is finally over, and now it is summertime! Laura and Mary are busy all day helping Ma in the garden and playing outside. RenÉe Graef’s enchanting full-color illustrations, inspired by Garth Williams’ classic artwork, bring Laura and her family lovingly to life in this sixth title in the My First Little House book series, picture books adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved storybooks.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent choice for pre-readers.......2007-07-21
My daughters love the colorful, cheerful pictures. This series captures the charm of Prairie Life without being too complicated for little ones to follow. - It's a great intro to the original series!
Wonderful books.......2007-03-10
If you like Little House on the Prairie you will really like this series. The books are simply written with a wholesome story about how life was a long time ago. The illustrator is magnificent. The pictures are colorful and have nice detail.
Average customer rating:
- Little Town in the Ozarks is excellent!
- Little Town in the Ozarks is excellent!
- Just as charming as her Mama
- Ozarks Adventure Story
- They just get better
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Little Town in the Ozarks (Little House)
Roger Lea Macbride
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
1800s | Fiction | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 006440580X |
Book Description
The Little House books have captivated generations of readers with their story of the little pioneer girl Laura Ingalls growing up on the American frontier. Now the Little House story continues with The Rocky Ridge Years, books that tell the story of Laura and Almanzo Wilder's daughter, Rose.
The first four books in the Series, Little House on Rocky Ridge, Little Farm In The Ozarks, In The Land Of The Big Red Apple, and On The Other Side Of the Hill, describe the Wilders' covered-wagon journey to Missouri and their first three years in their new farmhouse,Little Town In The Ozarks continues their story, as hard times on the farm force Rose and her family to move to the town of Mansfield. Life in town is so different from living on Rocky Ridge Farm that Rose wonders if she will ever learn to like the hustle and bustle of town life.
Little Town In The Ozarks continues the story that Laura Ingalls Wilder began more than sixty years ago -- a story whose wonder and adventure have charmed millions of readers.
Customer Reviews:
Little Town in the Ozarks is excellent!.......2003-02-06
This book is just great. Rose is one of my favorite character. She like to read books and has a great appeal. I think every girl who are around 11~12 would find this book wonderful. So I give 5 stars to this book.
Little Town in the Ozarks is excellent!.......2003-02-06
This book is just great. Rose is one of my favorite character. She like to read books and has a great appeal. I think every girl who are around 11~12 would find this book wonderful. So I give 5 stars to this book.
Just as charming as her Mama.......2002-09-10
The girl was quite a firecracker. Again, just as charming as Little House, but the storytelling is a bit more complex and more reflective of who Rose was. This series truly equals the charm and storytelling of Laura's story. Kudos to those who thought to bring this series to print.
Ozarks Adventure Story.......2002-05-15
Little Town in the Ozarks is the fifth book in a series about Laura Ingalls Wilderýs daughter Rose. Rose has many fun, exciting, and scary adventures, such as getting Pneumonia and rolling down a hill in a barrel.
One of my favorite characters, is Nate who lives on a farm with his older brother, Abe, Abeýs wife, Effie, and Effieýs twin babies, James and Elza. I like him because he is nice , like when Rose gets sick, he comes to see her a lot.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about 12 year old girls who have lots of adventures and who love to read. One adventure is when a tree falls on their henhouse, after a big ice storm, and makes a big hole that the chickens escape out of, and then they have to find all of the hens and roosters.
They just get better.......2002-04-06
...I found this book quite enjoyable to read. Rose is growing up and I had a Feeling she would Fall in love with one of the Cooley boys. I was also delited to learn that Swiney had a real name.(Although it took some getting used to, I was used to knowing him as Swiney). I was also saddened when I read that Grandpa Wilder had died...
Average customer rating:
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Education, Cultures, and Economics: Dilemmas for Development (Garland Reference Library of Social Science)
Angela W Little
Manufacturer: RoutledgeFalmer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Gender, Education and Development: Beyond Access to Empowerment
ASIN: 0815327838 |
Book Description
This edited volume reviews the conflict between economic prescriptions for improved education in the developing world and local cultures. Among the issues reviewed are: conceptions of culture and economics in development and education literature, economic considerations of school systems to promote cultural goals, the differentiation of schools from other sites of cultural reproduction, learning experiences of various cultural groups, and the cross-cultural work of development agencies.
Product Description
This superb fingerpicking reference book features 101 authentic, traditional blues fingerstyle licks for guitar. The goldmine of licks is divided into the following categories: Four-beat licks; Eight-beat licks; Introductions and turnarounds. The licks are written in both standard notation and guitar tablature, and recorded at a moderate speed on the companion CD. This is not a method book for beginners, but a nice collection of licks for guitarists who have some fingerstyle ability and want to do some exploring. Another GREAT guitar book from Red Dog Music Books.
Book Description
Blessed Mary rewards Teresa's good deeds with a shining gold star. Later she punishes Teresa's unkind stepsisters, Isabel and Inez, with hideous horns and donkey's ears that they try to hide under heavy veils! But will Teresa outshine her stepsisters at the festival? Robert D. San Souci retells this popular folktale in a lilting narrative that includes all the magic of the beloved Cinderella story and traditional elements from Spanish tales. Luminous watercolors by Sergio Martinez accentuate the beauty and goodness that radiate from Little Gold Star.
A Selection of the Junior Library Guild
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Customer Reviews:
Not Appropriate for the Classroom.......2007-07-12
ATTENTION TEACHERS: The religious content of this book may make it inappropriate for your public school classroom. (Little Gold Star is rewarded by the Virgin Mary after she spends an afternoon caring for baby Jesus and Saint Joseph.) I would not risk angering my administration or my students' parents by including it in my classroom collection.
Beautiful Book.......2000-10-12
Little Gold Star offers a wonderful blend of story and illustrations from San Souci and Martinez. Little Gold Star is a Spanish American fairy tale similar to Cinderella. However, the role of fairy godmother is filled by Blessed Mary, showing the traditional Catholic influence in this culture. San Souci is always wonderful with words, but Martinez gives the story a serene beauty with his illustrations. The book has a peaceful feeling with its subdued tones. The reader knows the story will end happily and enjoys the journey to the end all the same. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
Beautiful, poetic study of the Southwestern desert. Fourteen sketches describe plants, animals, mountains, birds, skies, Indians, prospectors, towns, other features in serene, beautifully modulated prose. Desert seen as a place of rare, austere beauty that weaves a lasting spell over its inhabitants. Preface.
Customer Reviews:
Land of Little Rain.......2007-05-10
This book was about the desert and desert people which Austin knows well. Her language is beautiful. I purchased as a gift book for people who love the Southwest and the people.
Overlooked Masterpiece of Nature Writing.......2007-03-23
Mary Austin's work is roughly contemporary with John Muir's, although "The Land of Little Rain" comes after the publication of Muir's best work. It's been said that Mary Austin's work is the finest nature writing between John Muir's and Aldo Leopold's. I dearly love John Muir's writing, but Mary Austin is the better writer. There is a haunting, mystical quality in this book. At times it reads like beautifully stark poetry, like the landscape she describes. For me it reads like music. I read this after visiting Owens Valley, Death Valley and the valleys and mountains between. For me it was an affirmation of what I felt and sensed there. If you let it, the landscape has a way of burning itself into you, and she describes that very well.
Ho Hum.......2006-02-05
Land of Little Interest would be a better title; it looks like even old Cactus Ed didn't read beyond the first chapter. All the references he makes in his introduction are from the beginning of the book, and he seems to ignore the rest of the book, as I wish I had. Boring, unless you want to know about what grows next to irrigating ditches. And I still don't know what the hell a "campoodie" is (a term used over and over), but, who cares?
Makes me want to go to Death Valley.......2005-10-07
It's pretty easy to write a book that makes people want to go somewhere that already looks appealing to them--Manhattan, Yellowstone, other places where tourists flock to--but to write a book that makes one of the most desolate, bleak, inhospitable places on the entire planet seem like somewhere you have to see for yourself as soon as possible...well, that takes some skill.
That's what Mary Austin has done however, in "The Land of Little Rain." This book examines the wildlife, plants, terrain, weather, and people of Death Valley and the surrounding area, and it does so with the eye and the pen of a true poet.
Mary Austin lavishes her words on this area in sparse, measured prose, and distills the essence of this harsh California desert into sentences and paragraphs. She finds a handful of words that perfectly suit this terrain and the life it supports--words like white, slant, tilt, sessile, and winey--and bends and twists these words every way possible to serve her every purpose.
As a result, the land she describes comes across vividly. She writes of how the desert and the wilderness "uncramps our souls," of "the days too hot and white," of slant-winged scavengers," of wandering hopelessly through the desert trodding on vultures' shadows, of "the westering sun," "the late slant light," of "a stream that knows its purpose and reflects the sky," and of the sun dancing up the slope of a mountain.
Her prose is KILLER.
She also tells firsthand accounts of Death Valley's craziest miners, of little towns that could (kind of, sometimes), and of such sad sights as a cougar lamenting the destruction of its lair and family that had been destroyed by a torrential rainstorm, "crying a very human woe." In another such rainstorm she talks of "a bobcat mother mouthing her drowned kittens in the ruined lair built in the wash...."
I highly recommend this book. It's very brief, and is plotless, but the insights and descriptions are invaluable. I've never been to Death Valley, but I'm already planning on going there.
If the book has faults though, it's in some of the generalizations it makes about the area's people (All Spanish people dance and sing every evening? Really?), and in how abruptly it ends. It's a bit like taking a long, beautiful scenic drive and then ending up in a parking lot.
"This is so great, look at that--oh. Oh, we're there."
Intimate & Beautiful Appraisal of Life In a Harsh Land.......2005-04-11
The famous American-West landscape photographer, Ansel Adams and friend of M.H.A., said of The Land of Little Rain: "The sharp beauty of The Land of Little Rain is finely etched in the distinguished prose of Mary Austin. Many books and articles have probed the factual aspects of this amazing land, but no writing to my knowledge conveys so much of the spirit of earth and sky, of plants and people, of storm and the desolation of majestic wastes, of tender, intimate beauty, as does The Land of Little Rain." (Re: "A Note on the Land and on the Photographs", from "The Land of Little Rain"- Houghton-Mifflin Co. 1950).
Indeed, M.H.A. displayed an uncanny sensitivity and understanding of the desert lands in the Owens Valley, California. Death Valley is, indeed, harsh and unforgiving, but to the astute observer who has learned how to live within the limits of sparse resources, it is an unequaled Paradise. She writes so eloquently and poetically of how the desert people and flora/fauna survive. The interaction of desert botany, biology, hydrology, geography, meteorology, and ecology come across vividly and often humorously with such lines as:
"Once at Red Rock, in a year of green pasture (a wet year), which is a bad time for the scavengers, we saw two buzzards, five ravens, and a coyote feeding on the same carrion, and only the coyote seemed ashamed of the company". (chapter 3- "The Scavengers")
M.H.A. studied the land, the flora/fauna, the weather (her "2" basic desert seasons- summer and winter) and she learned from her neighbors the Shoshone and Paiute Indians (she preferred to call the American Indians "Amerinds") , the Mexicans, the white settlers, and many colorful desert loners such as the "Pocket Hunter" (for seeker of pockets of gold)- her name for an old prospector friend. She learned much wisdom and practical knowledge from her Indian friends like "The Basket Maker", Seyavi, whose life story is so eloquently told. The Indians shared with her their survival knowledge of how to find water from signs displayed by plants, how to read the activities of animals for food, how to "know" which plants are medicinal and/or edible and which plants to stay away from:
"Live long enough with an Indian, and he or the wild things will show you a use for everything that grows in these borders". (Chapter- "Shoshone Land")
This beautiful little book finishes with: "Come away, you who are obsessed with your own importance in the scheme of things, and have got nothing you did not sweat for, come away by the brown valleys and full-bosomed hills to the even-breathing days, to the kindliness, earthliness, ease of Pueblo de Las Uvas."
According to Ansel Adam's notes, Las Uvas is Grape Canyon or Creek and is part of the Tejon area south of Bakersfield, Ca.
After reading this fine book, one will come to understand why so many people have referred to M.H.A. as the "Henry David Thoreau
of the American West". Thoreau is the author of the renown classic, "Walden".
There are many different publications of The Land of Little Rain and many have variations from the original format, ie., different introductions, preface, illustrations, etc. The text is all that really matters, of course, but I have checked-out a few of the different copies from regional libraries so I could copy the intros by such notables as "Cactus Ed" (Edward Abbey- "The Monkey Wrench Gang", et al.). Abbey's Forward is in the 1988 Penguin Books edition. My copy is a reproduction of the original 1903 edition complete with line drawings by E. Boyd Smith who knew M.H.A. and the regions she wrote about.
Ansel Adams teamed-up with Houghton-Mifflin Co. in 1950 to give tribute to this outstanding classic by publishing a version her book with 48 of his photos taken in the Owens Valley, California region where the book was written and M.H.A. lived for sometime.
In describing the various areas and geographical locations in her book, M.H.A. cloaked many of the popular modern regional names with original Indian or old nicknames known only to a few to protect the privacy of those she wrote about. Adams and the editors used several resources to decipher the pseudonyms so he could match them to his photographs with the current regional names for accurate descriptions. They published an interesting glossary of all the names that could be deciphered in this 1950 edition.
More information including photographs of M.H.A. and her life can be seen at the Owens Valley Historical Society website:
www.owensvalleyhistory.com/mary_austin/page49.html
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Development as Freedom
