A Yellow Raft in Blue Water: A Novel

Book Description

Michael Dorris has crafted a fierce saga of three generations of Indian women, beset by hardships and torn by angry secrets, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of kinship. Starting in the present day and moving backward, the novel is told in the voices of the three women: fifteen-year-old part-black Rayona; her American Indian mother, Christine, consumed by tenderness and resentment toward those she loves; and the fierce and mysterious Ida, mother and grandmother whose haunting secrets, betrayals, and dreams echo through the years, braiding together the strands of the shared past.

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The national bestseller A Yellow Raft In Blue Water is a fierce saga of three generations of Indian women, beset by hardships and torn by angry secrets, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of kinship.

Customer Reviews:

Memorable!.......2007-08-30

There were times in this book when I had to force myself to keep reading because it slowed down. But for the most part, it was astonishing. As a reader, just when you think you've made good judgements of the characters, light shines on the passed leading up to the moments of judgement, and a whole new perspective is found, over and over again. Of all the books I've read this book has left the deepest impression on me. Fantastic!

unforgettable.......2007-06-08

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water is a novel I won't soon forget. Set in Seattle and Montana, it tells the tale of three Native American women--Rayona, Christine and Ida--each in her own voice. They are related, a family, and their worlds intersect and tear apart, span out and braid back together, but it is not until the ending that the reader fully understands how the events which start the novel have come to pass.

It is told in reverse, starting with the youngest, Rayona or Ray for short. At first, her strength lies in the unconditional love she has for her mother but after her mother deserts her and she is forced to fend for herself (and is molested by a priest), she shows that her strength does not come from others. She is a warrior and by the end of her story, she comes to embody the spirit of all those missing who came before her--all those we don't truly know about until the end of the book.

Christine seems weak, diseased and tormented with feelings that her mother did not love her. These lifelong feelings led her down a path of promiscuity and jealousy goaded her into pressuring her beloved brother to enlist. And when he does and dies in Vietnam, it is as if he is reborn in her daughter. The same feelings of unworthiness consume her until her health fails and she returns home to find love again--love in an old friend, love in her daughter and love in the woman who raised her.

Aunt Ida is the true enigma and the undying and unexpected source of strength. She has martyred herself and because of this, the lives of others have turned sour. But her goal was an honorable one. She wanted love and to be loved. She wanted safety. She wanted to weave together disparate parts and form a whole. As shown at the end of the book when Ida takes the one man who never hurt her to the roof of her house, she wanted to braid her loved ones together and have them be stronger for it.

Great read.......2007-01-06

Absolutely wonderful. Three women. Three intertwined lives - like braiding "the rhythm of three strands, the whispers of coming and going, of twisting and tying and blending, of catching and of letting go..."

What a twisting river!.......2007-01-05

I had to read this book for a class, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. The identities of each character are so distinct and well-written that you begin to believe you are there with the character. Dorris provides a great insight of family and womanhood. There are so many surprises and jolts along the way, I just LOVED it. The book really reminds me of people today, of the old generations before us and how they see the new group. Very good book indeed. Plus its an easy read.

A Very Good Story.......2006-12-12

"I sit on the bed at a crooked angle, one foot on the floor, my hip against the tent of Mom's legs, my elbows on the hospital table."
So starts "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water," one story told in turns by mother, daughter, and granddaughter. When I first heard about this, I was looking for a book for school. It looked intriguing, so I chose it. By page 50, I was having difficulty putting the book down. The first part of the book is told by Rayona, a 15 year old girl with a Native American mother and an African American father, and the basic plot and the outcome is revealed. Then the story switches to Christine, the mother of Rayona, and the story is embellished and added to, until finally Ida takes over. Ida is Christine's mother and Rayona's grandmother, and she finally supplies the last piece of a story spanning three generations. The only pieces that are not so great are the ending, which seemed a little clunky and unresolved, and the end of each of the sections, especially Rayona's. This is overall a very good book, and I recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Hippies before their time
Five Stars for Adventure, One for Archaeology
An Amazing adventure all the way through...
re-writing history
Rightful classic

Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft
Thor Heyerdahl
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671726528

Book Description

Kon-Tiki is the record of an astonishing adventure -- a journey of 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east, led by a mythical hero, Kon-Tiki. He decided to prove his theory by duplicating the legendary voyage.

On April 28, 1947, Heyerdahl and five other adventurers sailed from Peru on a balsa log raft. After three months on the open sea, encountering raging storms, whales, and sharks, they sighted land -- the Polynesian island of Puka Puka.

Translated into sixty-five languages, Kon-Tiki is a classic, inspiring tale of daring and courage -- a magnificent saga of men against the sea.

Washington Square Press' Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. This edition of Kon-Tiki has been prepared by an editorial committee headed by Harry Shefter, professor of English at New York University. It includes a foreword by the author, a selection of critical excerpts, notes, an index, and a unique visual essay of the voyage.

Customer Reviews:

Hippies before their time.......2007-05-31

It's a great read and an epic journey. What amazed me, even more than the raft itself, was that the crews' relationships with each other survived the trip. I don't know many (any) people I'd want never to be able to get out of sight of for months on end...

Read and be impressed, be very impressed!

Five Stars for Adventure, One for Archaeology.......2007-05-26

I made some Mormons angry over my reviews of books that defend the Book of Mormon, and they have been slamming my reviews. Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks

On Kon-Tiki: I absolutely got lost in this magnificent adventure. Nevertheless, Heyerdahl's theory that civilization was spread around the world by some lost white race is simply bogus racism. Still, I enjoyed all his books, including "The Ra Expeditions," and "Aku-Aku."

It is sad to think that Heyerdahl's career as a fearless adventurer is marred by his zealous devotion to a dated idea. Yes, Peruvian Indians could have crossed the Pacific, but it is more likely that contact came from the other way. At any rate, Heyerdahl manufactured the archaeological evidence he found on Easter Island.

In the July 2002 issue of the "Smithsonian Magazine," Richard Conniff demonstrated that Heyerdahl actually paid the natives to make reed-boats relics (Kon Artist?" was the title). "A good story," said Conniff, "can be so compelling that teller and subject become entrapped together in its charms...." (p. 28). This astute observation could apply to novels claimed to be actual history, and anyone interested in the Book of Mormon should give it long thought.

Heyerdahl wrote about Pedro Pate, an Easter Islander and how Pate found a two-masted reed boat in a cave. Conniff wrote: "I showed Pate a two-page photograph of the reed boat from Heyerdahl's book, and he grinned. He'd carved the boat himself, he said. Dubious, I offered him $100 to carve such a boat now, 37 years later, and he accepted." "A few days later, he presented me with the 18-inch-long reed boat he had carved. It was as good as the one in the book" (p. 29).

In "The Ancient American Civilizations," Friedrich Katz asked some very hard questions of Heyerdahl's theory.

"If the Polynesians really do come from America, why do their chronicles record the exact opposite direction, naming South-East Asia as their place of origin? Why is their language first and foremost related to South-Asiatic and Malayan languages? Finally, as Trimborn remarked, 'Were not the Polynesian Vikings, rather than the Indians, not the sailors who crossed the high seas?'" (p. 18).

Heyerdahl should also be criticized for playing word games, selecting a word here and there, but ignoring the whole language. Many linguists criticized this erroneous method of relating two ancient peoples. See Robert Wauchope's magnificent little book, "Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents: Myth and Method in the Study of the American Indians." See my review. Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents Myth Method in the

Mormon writers frequently cite Heyerdahl because he proved that ancient voyages across the oceans were possible--an idea going back hundreds of years and not new with Heyerdahl. Very few scholars ever denied that such ancient voyages were possible.

But ah, there's the rub, as Hamlet said. If they occurred, what would be the effect on an entrenched native culture? The Book of Mormon has ancient voyages (the Jaredites were supposed have crossed the ocean on a 344-day voyage in eight submarines in about 2,000 BC). It is primarily about the great civilizations the Jaredites and Nephites established in the Americas.

Robert Sharer summarizes the modern state of knowledge in his heavy and authoritative book, "The Ancient Maya." Sharer writes:

"After more than a century of gathering and analyzing archaeological evidence, we have discovered nothing to support the idea of intervention by people from the Old World." "This is not to say that accidental contacts between the Old and New World peoples could not have occurred before the age of European exploration" (p. 6).

"On the basis of the available evidence, then, the courses of cultural development in the New and Old Worlds seem clearly independent of each other and devoid of significant contact until 1492" (intro., p. 7).

The ancient Maya civilization, Sharer continues, "are to be `explained' not as a product of transplanted Old World civilization, but as the result of the processes that underlie the growth of any culture, including those that develop the kind of complexity we call civilization."

"The idea, which either explicitly or implicitly asserts that the peoples of the New World were incapable of shaping their own destiny or developing sophisticated cultures independently of Old World influence, is still popular in quarters."

"But this is but one more popular myth devoid of fact, for the evidence points unmistakably toward the evolution of civilization in the New World independently of developments in the Old World." See Sharer's book and my review. The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition

None of these serious criticisms of the claims of Mormons or of Heyerdahl's theories, however, should detract from Heyerdahl's great adventures. His accounts of his raft voyages are breathless and compelling reading.

For a masterful telling of Polynesian history (especially about Easter Island) by a scholar with a Moari heritage, read the essential book "Vikings of the Pacific," by Peter H. Buck. Click here to read my review:
Vikings of the Pacific

An Amazing adventure all the way through..........2007-05-15

Heyerdahl was either extremely ignorant of the sea, completely sure of his hypothesis that ancient peoples traveled the sea in rafts, or both.

I worked offshore, and couldn't imagine doing what Heyerdahl did. I've spent my life on the water and the sea just has never been so forgiving in my case. To build a raft for the first time without testing it first against the sea was just madness. But to put out, without the technology we have today, that was just ballsy.

In the end, history proved him right, over and over again. Heyerdahl is a man who certainly knows how to put his money where his mouth is. If you want to know about the spirit of those who have the faith to really lean on their convictions, this is a great book.

-H

re-writing history.......2007-02-20

I was very pleased that i stumbled across this book and thoroughly recommend it as in terms of history and the movement of people the book is very important,history books had to be re-written.Before the incredible journey was taken not many poeple thought it possible that a raft could leave the west coast of S.America and reach the polynesian islands solely by nature alone ie current and wind,most people excepted what scientists wrote ,that is the polynesian islands were populated from the west side of the Pacific(asia)only and no native South Ameicans could have made such a journey especially before technology came into play.But these men had done there homework on sea currents,weather patterns(winds) and construction of the raft which was constructed using the same materials as they had used in inca times.
If you want an insight into how ancient peoples risked everything by sailing into the unknown this is the book for you,its compelling stuff.

Rightful classic.......2006-12-05

This is an excellent morale boosting story for anyone with a wacky idea that just won't quit, and has been dying their whole life to say "Ha, I told you so!". It's also a great travel epic complete with the quirky locals, the gadget guru, and a group of men willing to risk their lives for an ultimate adventure.
Parts of the book did read like a 1960's documentary. I could almost envision the "exciting world of color" technicolor intro and Thor narrating over the action. But I think it all adds to the ambiance of the book. It makes you realize in days before GPS and sattellite radios how crazy this band of pioneers really were. Also Thor doesn't really get into the emotional implications of first signing on to the expedition, then being at sea with a handful of men for three months. Instead he spiced up the day to day desciptions with detail about sea life and what the crew did to entertain themselves. I would have imagined the trip to be much more monotonous and morale killing then he makes it out to be, but it definitly makes a much more exciting read.
I woudl recommend this book to any travel book lover. It a classic of it's genre and a must read.

Handmade Houseboats: Independent Living Afloat

Average customer rating:

Real-world House Boats for the Rest of Us.
Handmade Houseboats
Good book.
Historic Information
re - garys latest review - please delete !

Handmade Houseboats: Independent Living Afloat
Russell Conder
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071580220

Book Description

Water-loving people of modest means have lived aboard houseboats for centuries, and why not? Unlike expensive, cramped, and hard-to-build liveaboard cruising boats, spacious, homey houseboats are easily and economically constructed from commmon lumberyard materials. And unlike those high-priced waterfront cottages, there's no lawn to mow and often no property taxes. And if you don't like the new neighbors, just up anchor and be off.

This book tells those who would live afloat how to design and build their own place on the water. There are detailed plans and building instructions for sample houseboats; help with designing a personalized houseboat from scratch; resource-stingy contrivances for easing life aboard, including a solar oven, a windmill-powered washing machine, and innovative power-, water-, and waste-management systems; and more.

Customer Reviews:

Real-world House Boats for the Rest of Us........2006-12-05

First off, its important not to get the kind of boats this author is writing about mixed up with the strange beasts seen on Lake Powell - Conder is describing homes that float rather than those that move around at (relatively) high speed.

This is the best book I've come across if you are planning on building a houseboat. Some of the reviewers below criticize it for being dated. True: the prices of materials are off. But most of the information is right on and fairly timeless (Barron's comments [below] are simply not accurate - the book was first released in 1992 - not '53 as he states - he must be writing about another book).

The book is inspirational in that it serves to remind the reader that there's more to life than a house on a quarter acre with a mortgage.

The bottom line is that this book offers all the information needed to plan, build, launch and live in a floating home.

Handmade Houseboats.......2006-11-05

This book was unhelpful and dated. I sold it to a used bookstore shortly after
I looked at it. If you are looking for information on bulding a contemporary houseboat, do
NOT purchase this book.

Good book........2005-08-16

I read this book, and in August 2005 built a floating 10x12' shed housing a 12kw generator on a 12'x20' barge floating on 34 plastic 55 gallon drums using the methods described in this book. I bought those drums for $11 a piece, and found out later they can be had for $8 or maybe even for free. Yeah, the information may be old, but it's still good. It's a way to get yourself out on the water for pennies on the dollar of what you'd have to pay to buy a used commercially built houseboat, and it'll be new and things inside it will work, and not need constant fixing. I had the barge itself built in 3 days, helped mostly by an unruley 12 year old. It could have easily been 36 x 12' and had a nice little house on it. One caveat: You won't be able to insure a craft built using this method. Even if you don't build using the barrel raft method, there's lots of other good information in the book about houseboats, and I like the Jimmy Buffetesque attitude that the author seems to have.

Historic Information.......2005-01-05

The author seems to be a true original and obviously has a wealth of experience with houseboats.
Trouble is, most of the content of the book is over 40 years old. Since the book was originally copyrighted in 1953 materials and techniques have advanced by light years.
This book might be helpful if you're building your own boat on a really tight budget and and you think you can benefit from early 50's technology, or, you like reading about older boatbuilding techniques.

re - garys latest review - please delete !.......2004-01-18

Webmaster

Would you be so kind as to please delete my last review sent today. I do not want the website mentioned to be published as the boats are no longer there.

Amazon.com

Imagine passing a summer drifting up and down a slow-moving river, watching as cranes, turtles, raccoons, otters, and ducks grow accustomed to your presence. Envision days spent poling the raft through lily pads and grasses, glimpsing foxes through the trees on shore. On hot, sticky nights, picture a tent set up on the raft, from which you have an unobstructed view of huge bucks drinking from the moonlit river. Nicky has no idea what he's getting into when his father drops him off for the summer at his grandmother's cottage in the woods. And he's not especially pleased at the prospect. "There's nobody to play with ... She doesn't even have a TV." But this "river rat" is not the normal kind of grandma. Without pushing, she quietly allows Nicky to discover for himself the wonders of river life. Gradually, Nicky's interest in drawing the wildlife he sees brings him closer to his artist grandmother, and to an inner peace that looks as though it will last for a lifetime.

Jim LaMarche draws on his own childhood summer experiences for this lovely, serene story. As the light and weather change through the summer, the river reflects all the beauty of the season. LaMarche has illustrated many remarkable and award-winning picture books, including the magical Little Oh and The Rainbabies. (Ages 4 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

A flock of birds was moving toward me along the river, hovering over something floating on the water. It drifteddownstream, closer and closer, until finally it bumped up against the dock. Though it was covered with leaves and branches, now I could tell that it was a raft. I reached down and pushed some of the leaves aside. Beneath them was a drawing of a rabbit. It looked like those ancient cave paintings I'd seen in books--just outlines, but wild and fast and free.

Nicky isn't one bit happy about spending the summer with his grandma in the Wisconsin woods, but them the raft appears and changes everything. As Nicky explores, the raft works a subtle magic, opening up the wonders all around him--the animals of river and woods, his grandmother's humor and wisdom, and his own special talent as an artist.

Book Description

Like Huck's raft, the experience of American childhood has been both adventurous and terrifying. For more than three centuries, adults have agonized over raising children while children have followed their own paths to development and expression. Now, Steven Mintz gives us the first comprehensive history of American childhood encompassing both the child's and the adult's tumultuous early years of life.

Underscoring diversity through time and across regions, Mintz traces the transformation of children from the sinful creatures perceived by Puritans to the productive workers of nineteenth-century farms and factories, from the cosseted cherubs of the Victorian era to the confident consumers of our own. He explores their role in revolutionary upheaval, westward expansion, industrial growth, wartime mobilization, and the modern welfare state. Revealing the harsh realities of children's lives through history--the rigors of physical labor, the fear of chronic ailments, the heartbreak of premature death--he also acknowledges the freedom children once possessed to discover their world as well as themselves.

Whether at work or play, at home or school, the transition from childhood to adulthood has required generations of Americans to tackle tremendously difficult challenges. Today, adults impose ever-increasing demands on the young for self-discipline, cognitive development, and academic achievement, even as the influence of the mass media and consumer culture has grown. With a nod to the past, Mintz revisits an alternative to the goal-driven realities of contemporary childhood. An odyssey of psychological self-discovery and growth, this book suggests a vision of childhood that embraces risk and freedom--like the daring adventure on Huck's raft.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL CONDITION!.......2007-05-12

THIS BOOK CAME IN PERFECT CONDITION! NOT A MARK ON IT! I LOVED THE CONTENT TOO... THIS BOOK OPENED MY EYES TO THE UNIQUENESS OF AMERICAN CHILDHOOD, AND ITS HISTORY! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

superb!.......2005-12-25

I used "Huck's Raft" in a senior seminar I taught in the fall 2005 semester on Children's Health, Education & Welfare, and it was one of my students' favorites. It works especially well as a first book in a course, because it is so comprehensive and engrossing. Seldom do academic books read as well as this one. It is literally hard to put it down and, at the same time, one learns so from it much chapter after chapter. For a history of childhood in the U.S., this is probably the best book available. I cannot recommend it more highly.

good general discussion, loses detail toward end.......2005-04-05

Delving into the complete history of childhood in America is a huge undertaking, and for the most part Mintz handles the difficulties with detailed aplomb. Surveying the culture of childhood as lived by children and as represented and mythologized by current or later society, Mintz moves from pre-colonial times to the very-near present.
With so much to cover, not just chronologically but socially as well (after all, "childhood" isn't the same for all at any given time--race, class, ethnicity, etc. all create separate spheres of childhood rather than an all-conclusive web), one might expect some problems. Luckily, the strongest parts of the book are also those which will probably be most insightful and new to readers.
The sections that deal with pre-colonial and colonial times are especially detailed. Richly vivid, they open up a world most people are unfamiliar with or, if they are familiar with it, are so through less-than-accurate myth or romanticism, the kind of "history" we all "know" to be true.
As the book progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to keep that level of detail and richness as the topic literally grows larger and larger. Slavery, war, immigration, race, class, economics all force Mintz to deal with different subsets of childhood as well as with the relatively simple chronological changes and so some detail is shed, some richness lost, and the book begins to feel a bit scattershot, a bit unwieldy. By the time we get to the last 20-30 years, one feels Mintz is running to keep in place. The sections are more generalized, the conclusions not so deeply explored. But as nothing really new comes up in these sections in comparison to what one has read in recent articles or books dealing with just this time period, it isn't really much of a loss.
It's hard to imagine a longer work, or one more fully documented. And while I personally would have wished the same length but with a narrower focus on the pre-1900's, I can't really fault Mintz for not deciding to write several volumes, say one for each century. So the negatives aren't really much to complain about and are more than overshadowed by the scope of the book as a whole and the depth of the first half. Stylistically, the book is clearly written, if at times dense, and the more personal, anecdotal stories focusing on a single historical individual do a nice job not only of conveying the more academic arguments, but of breaking up some of the factual density. Strongly recommended, especially for its early history sections.

The More Things Change?.......2005-04-05

An excellent scholarly work that brings together a lot of work on the history of childhood in America. Mintz is concerned with looking at the way in which we have mythologized childhood and to what degree the truth is reflected in that mythology. What he discovers is that our recent conception of childhood is a fairly modern phenomenon. Along the way, he constantly draws our attention to the fact that childhood experience varies greatly depending on class, race, religion, etc.

The thing I found most interesting about his work is the degree to which adults have defined how children experience childhood for most of this nation's history. It was only in the last part of the century that youth began to define their own culture. For the vast majority of the history of childhood, children have faced a difficult road fraught with perils and privation. In contrast, modern-day parents work hard to shield children from the reality of culture and the world around them. Part of what Mintz argues here is that modern day children need to return to some of that freedom while parents and government works to ensure their health and access to a home, food, clothing, etc.

This is an incredibly broad work that sets itself up to cover a huge time span--both in terms of history and childhood. Mintz covers all stages of childhood and youth. This is my only criticism of this wonderful book. I wish he had focused more closely on the different stages of youth. At some point he focuses on infancy and in others the teen years; this leads to a somewhat scattershot narrative. This is the sole thing that prevents me from giving this book an enthusiastic five stars. Having said this, I will say this is a small criticism for an otherwise fantastic and highly readable work.

An American childhood .......2005-03-10

I have read two truly outstanding reviews of this book. One is by Joyce Carol Oates in the Times Literary Supplement. Another is by R. Hardy on this Amazon site. Both of them provide clear outlines of Mintz's book, and excellent analysis of it. They show how Mintz explains Americans changing conception of the child, the evolution from the little sinner of Colonial times, to the pampered superconsumer of today. They show too how one fundamental theme, of the older generation's lament on what the younger generation is, runs through American history. They indicate that Mintz's treatment is exhaustive, scholarly, clearly written and of course the by far best work on the subject that has ever been done. They suggest that this work is one that anyone who takes a real interest in American society and its development would be interested in reading.

Average customer rating:

Moving worlds with a touch of magic
Disappointing
Satisfying--a well-rounded allegory
Confession of humility of human beings at the extreme adversity
A CRAZY IDEA FOR A WONDERFUL STORY

The Stone Raft
Jose Saramago
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156004011

Book Description

When the Iberian Peninsula breaks free of Europe and begins to drift across the North Atlantic, five people are drawn together on the newly formed island-first by surreal events and then by love. “A splendidly imagined epic voyage...a fabulous fable” (Kirkus Reviews). Translated by Giovanni Pontiero.

Customer Reviews:

Moving worlds with a touch of magic.......2007-03-27

Perfection may not be of this world, but in Saramago's "Stone Raft" it happens: without as much as a sigh, the Iberian peninsula separates itself neatly from the European continent and steers for mid-ocean on an uncompromisingly linear course. The geophysics of this separation remain unintelligble: it is a true miracle that suspends a small part of humanity into a state of grace. So the world moves but time seems to come to a standstill and an eery stillness descends over this vast chunk of land.

Saramago singles out five individuals and a dog from the crowd and lets them join up. As in a morality play, the personalities of these chosen ones remain highly stylised. In fact, we learn to distinguish between the five of them not so much by their personal histories and idiosynchrasies of character - of which we know very little - but by quirky episodes in each of their lives roughly synchronous with the onset of the peninsular separation.

The state of grace initially leads to a benign state of nature. The three men, two women and their guardian angel-dog start to wander over the peninsula, cherishing memories of the events that brought them together, and finding deep, if only precarious, satisfaction in the relationships that unfold. Saramago lets the air crackle and the earth tremble with anticipation. Masterly he kneads the ebb and flow of the energy field enveloping this lot. An occasional minor miracle comes to pass.

The end, however, is a fairly sordid affair. Hope wafts in from beyond the horizon and the sense of mystery vanishes. In a brief, but hauntingly beautiful episode we take our final leave of one the protagonists. Whatever happens after that, we don't know.

Disappointing.......2006-06-01

I was really disappointed in this book. It was like slogging through a swamp to get back to the same place you started. The story was a really interesting premise, but the discussion of politics and the destinationless and pointless journey bored me.I supposed there is some meaning somewhere in all the molecules of description, but my patience is too far gone to find it. I LOVED the Tale of the Unknown Island because it was direct but slow enough to keep me thinking there was something around the corner. This one just left me hanging.

Satisfying--a well-rounded allegory.......2005-11-29

I became a fan of Saramago's when I picked up "Blindness" two years ago. "The Stone Raft", though less sharp and not as emotionally wrenching as "Blindness," is nonetheless a well-crafted allegory.

It is a quiet study of national and individual identity, of loneliness and companionship. As the Iberian Peninsula splits from the European continent, scenes of fear, chaos and scrambling are juxtaposed with subtle episodes of the five main characters and how they come to meet each other.

The story is really about the interaction of these five characters (and the dog). The supernatural phenomenon of the continental split is merely a literary device Saramago uses to minimize extraneous details and heighten the strength, weakness, wisdom, and yearning of his characters. When I was reading the book, an image of a stage devoid of any props came into mind; set against this minimalist backdrop, every gesture, every word, every little thing they do or don't do resonates strongly with the readers.

There is a passage that, in light of what happened in France earlier this month, seems quite prophetic. Look for it.

Confession of humility of human beings at the extreme adversity.......2005-06-23

Like BLINDNESS, Jose Saramago nimbly spins off another what-if tale in THE STONE RAFT with a tinge of a political overtone between his native country and Europe. The Iberian peninsula simply breaks free from the European continent: drifting away at an awestruck speed of 750 kilometers a day, splitting, parching, stretching the earth and bringing down cables with it and sailing as if it is a gargantuan stone raft.

At the initial stage a most innocent crack manifests at the Spanish-French border and evolves into a 20-meter ditch into which a major river plunges down into an abyss like a waterfall. What follows is an inconsolable shudder of fear that sweeps through the peninsula and nearby Europe. Terror-stricken inhabitants begin to evacuate the region. No sooner than the news make headlines than hundred and thousands of tourists hastily cut short their vacations and fled.

All of the above is so quintessential of the Portuguese writer. But the charivari is too predictable and so tip-of-the-iceberg for an author who is down for delving in deeper meaning of the strange occurrence. Some decide not to leave and accept the event as an irreversible act of fate, a plausible demonstration of mother nature. Some see it as an imperious sign of destiny. Others opt for silence and conform to what future will bring. Among those who brave the danger are five strangers who find company and comfort with one another. A man who throws a rock far out to the horizon of sea. A man who charms a swarm of starlings. A man who is literally a human seismograph. A woman who draws an indelible line that splits the earth with a woodstick. A woman whose thread of her sock never exhausts.

Like in BLINDNESS, Saramago puts his characters face-to-face with an unusual predicament and the outcome of which forever changes their lives. THE STONE RAFT again serves as a steel proof and a confession of humility of human beings at the extreme adversity, which forces the strangers to reflect on their lives, especially their experience accumulated and the mistakes perpetrated.

The scope of this audaciously creative novel transcends the consequences of the unprecedented geological event. It does not make light of the panicky reactions, pandemonium, massive exodus, and the altered contested political spheres. But more profusely it examines the entwined fate of the five sang froid strangers whose surreal experience have conincided to the Iberian fracture. In the midst of risk-savvy milieu, the five recognize their inescapable fate that has overlapped. And as bureaucrats baffle and bungle at handling the crisis, they surrender to what best serves the deeper interest of humanity and human beings: carnal pleasure.

THE STONE RAFT is a passionate questing tale against the backdrop of a world that finds itself in a state of suspense, something that is ulterior to any human being.

A CRAZY IDEA FOR A WONDERFUL STORY.......2005-05-26

One fine day a thin crack appears on the ground between France & Spain, soon followed by another. Within days they grow and deepen, before the unbelieving eyes of the world watching the phenomenon on TV, until the whole Iberian peninsula breaks apart from the rest of Europe and becomes a gigantic island drifting into the Atlantic.
If you think this is an idiotic idea (I did), never mind: you're in the expert hands (or should I say words?) of José Saramago, and pretty soon you won't be able to put this book down.
Do yourself a favor: stop looking in the "Best Seller" area of you local bookstore and get "The Stone Raft".

A Raft from the Other Shore : Honen and the Way of Pure Land Buddhism

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Good intro to Pure Land, general Buddhism
A reliable guide to the teachings of Honen
One of the few books ever written in English on the founder of the Jodo Shu "Pure Land" Buddhist School - Honen Shonin
For Pure Land practitioners only

A Raft from the Other Shore : Honen and the Way of Pure Land Buddhism
Sho-on Hattori
Manufacturer: Jodo Shu Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 4883633292

Book Description

Honen (1133-1212) is one of the outstanding figures in the history of Pure Land Buddhism. His lifelong search for spiritual illumination and enlightenment lead him through an exhaustive journey into the Buddhist teachings. Having chosen the Pure Land Path and refuge in the Buddha of Infinite Light, Amida, he made the pioneering move of establishing the exclusive practice of the recited nembutsu (senju nembutsu). This sparked a revolution in Buddhist practice in Japan which led to the popularization of Buddhism amongst the masses and spurred the emergence of other great masters of the time like Dogen, Nichiren, and Shinran, Honen's disciple.

In this volume, Sho-on Hattori uses a simple but penetrating prose to introduce us to the life and teachings of Honen. He also gives us an illuminating and essential view of how Pure Land Buddhism relates to the entire Buddhist tradition. This is the first time that an English language volume accessible to the common reader has been offered on Honen, his teachings and Pure Land Buddhism from the perspective of his very own denomination, Jodo Shu. With a deep knowledge of Buddhist teaching and a feel for the western audience from his over ten years in the United States, Hattori-sensei offers us an invaluable view of this great master and the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan.

Customer Reviews:

Good intro to Pure Land, general Buddhism.......2007-04-18

Having been a Pure Land Buddhist for a little while, I have read my fair share of books on Pure Land Buddhism, but many of them suffer from either translation issues, or from a kind of tunnel-vision where all they talk about is Amida Buddha only. They don't have much to offer someone who isn't already a Pure Land Buddhist.

I think this book was a refreshing change from the usual literature. Rev. Hattori makes a serious effort in presenting the origins of Pure Land Buddhism, as founded by Honen, and the theories behind it. Then he weaves these into the more general Buddhist doctrine. What I got from this book was a good introduction to Pure Land Buddhism, both easy to understand, but also serious in exploring Pure Land Buddhism from an academic point of view. I found that this book reads somehow like a college course on Pure Land Buddhism, and this makes sense given that the Rev. is professor in Japan.

I liked for example its explanation of the three "Buddha Bodies", the different kinds of nembutsu that existed in Asian Buddhism, and it's later explanation of interdependent-coarising and emptiness. These are tough subjects, and people either delve into them too deeply, or not enough. I felt the books explanations were just right.

The unorthodox format of the book was interesting too. Other Pure Land books start with traditional Buddhist teachings, and then gradually move to Pure Land specifically. Here, the order was almost reversed. Rev. Hattori started explaining about Honen and why he developed the kind of BUddhism he did, then it talked about Honen's beliefs. Later it sort "went back" and covered deeper Buddhist subjects. I thought this was strange at first, but I think what Rev. Hattori's approach intended to do was start simple and small (Honen's life and basic ideas), which are easy to grasp, and then delve into the deeper truths that provide context for those beliefs. I think in this way, people are not overwhelemed in the first chapter or so, as can happen in other books that try to rush through "basic Buddhism".

All in all, I found this book short, but sweet. It was a pleasure to read, and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about Pure Land Buddhism (the largest school of Buddhism in Asia). Honen was kind of a revolutionary in a way, and few books convey that as well as this one does.

Namo Amida Butsu

A reliable guide to the teachings of Honen.......2005-10-08

This book constitutes a very welcome addition to the paucity of works available in English on one of the great figures in the history of Pure Land Buddhism, Honen (1133-1212). Although Honen received his ordination and training in the Tendai tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, he eventually broke with this school and established the Pure Land way of refuge in Amida Buddha as an independent path for the first time. In this respect, his outlook was revolutionary in that it opened up the treasures of the Dharma to the masses in a way that had never been possible until that time. Honen was also the teacher of Shinran who was another great master of the Pure Land tradition of Buddhism.

Hattori's book is easy to read and informative. It eschews academic jargon and aims to speak to the reader directly, appealing to both the mind and the heart. This makes for an engaging read and it is very refreshing to see that the work lacks any kind of sectarian bias. It simply aims to faithfully present the thought of this gentle and visionary man, and to explain the deep significance of the reforms he felt compelled to undertake.

Chapter One `The Life of Honen Shonin' is a succinct and helpful introduction to Honen's life. In simple outline, it focuses on the significant events of his life and times which is useful in providing the essential context needed to understand Honen's mission. One gets a very clear sense from this chapter of the remarkable personality of this man.

Chapter Two, `The Way of Honen Shonin', really forms the heart of this book and provided the most substantial treatment of a number of significant Buddhist themes in Honen's work. For instance, Hattori presents a very clear and compelling account of the theory of Mappo-ji (Decadent Age of the Dharma) and how, in Honen's time, both priests and lay people alike, considered that they were living in a defiled time rampant with corruption, violence and natural disasters. It was widely considered that people living in such an age were no longer capable of fulfilling the taxing requirements laid down by the Buddha for the attainment of enlightenment. Accordingly, the concept of Mappo-ji is critical to a proper understanding of Honen's emphasis on becoming enlightened through the `Other-Power' of Amida Buddha.

This chapter also provides a compelling account of another of Honen's preoccupations, namely the notion of `universal salvation'. For Honen, the truth and efficacy of a Buddhist path is not just in whether its doctrinal aspect is intellectually convincing to learned monks and scholars but whether it is capable of being practiced by all people, including warriors, prostitutes, peasants etc. In other words, the `truth' of a particular practice should not be judged merely by its philosophical content but whether it is genuinely capable of liberating all people from the bondage of ignorance and suffering. Although Honen held the established monastic schools of his day in great respect, he became convinced that they were only suitable for an increasing few who had exceptional abilities and gifts in meditation and the observance of precepts.

The other major discussion in this chapter is an explanation of the principal practice of the Pure Land Buddhism - the nembutsu or recitation of the name of Amida Buddha. Hattori gives a thorough and considered treatment of this subject. He stresses the two main features of the nembutsu which Honen thought made it a truly universal practice. Firstly, the name of Amida Buddha comprises the full reality and virtues of that Buddha which are, in turn, conferred on the practicer who recites this name with faith. Secondly, the requirement of universality is fulfilled through the fact that any person, even someone who is illiterate, is capable of undertaking such a practice and benefiting from it. Indeed, Honen considered that this was the only way for ordinary people saddled with heavy karmic burdens to reach Nirvana and thereby become Buddhas themselves.

Nevertheless, Hattori would have made his discussion of the nembutsu more interesting and helpful if he had engaged, a little more deeply, into how the nembutsu actually functions and is capable of transmuting our negative karma into Enlightenment. In this respect, one feels that Hattori raises more questions than he answers.

Chapter Three, `Pure Land Buddhism', addresses itself to a discussion of some of the key concepts necessary in understanding this school of Buddhist thought, such as Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. Hattori's treatment of these subjects is somewhat less satisfying than his discussion of Honen's life and significance. It is clear that Hattori subscribes to a literal view of the origin of Amida Buddha as it is related in the Pure Land scriptures, ie. that he was once a man who by dint of bodhisattva practices over aeons and many lifetimes finally became the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life and established the nembutsu as the way to liberate all suffering beings. Hattori says `Now you may notice that Amida was a man and became a Buddha. He is not the creator nor an absolute being, but his prolonged practices made him a great saviour of the world.' However, he also says `Amida Buddha is the symbolic expression of the ultimate nature of Shakyamuni Buddha. He is the great liberator of the world and the great source of all life.' There appears to be a tension here between regarding Amida Buddha as a symbol for the ultimate reality (the Dharmakaya), which is eternal and without origin, and as the fruition of a historical event in which a king called Dharmakara made vows and undertook his selfless practices and austerities which led him to becoming this Buddha. In the view of Honen's most illustrious disciple, Shinran, Amida Buddha is the compassionate aspect of the highest reality and, in that respect, can also be considered `the ground of being' -which Hattori explicitly denies as being applicable to Amida Buddha.

With respect to the author's treatment of the Pure Land, one can say that it is generally sound but suffers from some perplexing statements. For example, while stating that the Pure Land is the realm of purity, bliss and ultimate happiness where enlightenment can take place through Amida Buddha's `Other-Power', Hattori also says `The Pure Land is understood as the ideal world that shall be established on this earth some day'. This is a puzzling statement. The Pure Land is `pure' precisely because it is contrasted to this `impure' world of strife, misery and imperfection. The enlightenment we attain in the Pure Land is posthumous and no ordinary person is therefore capable of seeing this world as the Pure Land - otherwise there would be nothing to aspire to. Only a fully-awakened Buddha can see the world in this way and we do not become Buddhas until our birth in the Pure Land. Until such time, despite being able to receive the Buddha's wisdom and compassion through the nembutsu, we are still fundamentally benighted and far from being enlightened beings. Again, Shinran, makes for an interesting contrast. Rather than consider the Pure Land as a place created by the Buddha in which we undergo further purification and illumination, Shinran insisted that the Pure Land is really none other than Nirvana itself which the faithful attain at the moment of death. For Shinran, the literal descriptions of the Pure Land which we find in the sutras are simply a way of conveying the infinite bliss of enlightenment using concepts that are intelligible to ordinary people. Hattori comes close to this way of viewing the Pure Land when he states that `This is the world of purity because of the realization of the pure or original nature of being.' However, in view of his general treatment of this matter, Hattori leaves a number of important questions and issues unresolved.

In Chapter Four, `Essential Buddhism', Hattori directs himself to dealing with some other fundamental concepts in general Buddhism such as pratitya-samutpada, impermanence and the doctrine of no-self. Again, one feels that a more rigorous and balanced discussion could have been had in relation to these fundamental concepts but one is left a little disappointed by the superficial treatment they receive. The doctrine of pratitya-samutpada is certainly important but to claim that it is the most fundamental or basic concept in Buddhism is misleading. There is no discussion of how this concept relates to equally important notions such as Nirvana, Dharmakaya, Moksha etc. which are arguably of even greater importance in any balanced assessment of the Dharma. Similarly, the analysis of `Self' and `Soul' is inaccurate and misrepresents the Hindu conception of these terms which is much more sophisticated and complex than many Buddhist commentators give it credit for. While the discussion on `oneness' seems promising at first, it quickly develops into a very vague and unsatisfying treatment that lacks any real penetration. It was also a lost opportunity to bring together some of the very important threads Hattori touches on throughout this chapter but which are, unfortunately, left disconnected.

Chapter Five, `Buddhism in Life' includes some important and valuable insights into the spiritual impasse facing the modern world while Chapter Six, `Buddhism in Japan', explains the significance of some of the traditional Pure Land practices and customs that are observed in Japan.

In conclusion, I would whole-heartedly recommend this book as a reliable and informative work on the life and thought of Honen. There are very few, if any, books of this kind in English and its appearance is most welcome. However, as a book on general Buddhist philosophy directed at a Western audience, this book has some conceptual shortcomings which vitiate its otherwise favourable impact on the reader.

One of the few books ever written in English on the founder of the Jodo Shu "Pure Land" Buddhist School - Honen Shonin.......2005-10-07

First of all, it should be noted that it was the Jodo Shu Press who produced this book. For those who are not familiar with Japanese Pure Land Buddhist studies, Jodo Shu is the Japanese Pure Land School founded by Honen Shonin, and Jodo Shinshu is a denomination of Pure Land Buddhism founded by Honen Shonin's student, Shinran. It is my opinion that the Jodo Shu Research Institute has a translation project led by some of the greatest scholars in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism today. The works they are producing at this time are recognized by many scholars in the field to be of tremendous importance.

While there are a plethora of books produced in English regarding Shinran's teachings, there are only very few produced that specifically focus upon the teachings of Honen Shonin. That is why books like "A Raft from the Other Shore" are so incredibly important to we students of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism who are not able to read them in their Classical Chinese or Japanese forms.

There are two other books produced in English by the Jodo Shu Research Institute that I highly recommend to those serious about Jodo studies. Certainly the most important one is "Honen's Senchakushu: Passages on the Selection of the Nembutsu in the Original Vow (Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu) (Classics in East Asian Buddhism)" written by Honen Bo Genku himself; and also the most recent effort produced by the Jodo Shu Research Institute entitled "Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin" by Jonathan Watts (Editor), Yoshiharu Tomatsu (Editor). Both can be found available for purchase here on Amazon.

For Pure Land practitioners only.......2004-06-15

A narrowly focused historical and theological "defense" of this Buddhist sect's belief system. This is not a good book for the general reader who wants to learn more about Budhhism. However, if one was already a practitioner of Pure Land Buddhism, and one wanted a better understanding of how its theology developed in 13th century Japan, this book would be very helpful.

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Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft
thor heyerdahl
Manufacturer: rand mcnally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000AS5QYC

"Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!"

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"Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!"
Leslie A. Fiedler
Manufacturer: Partisan Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GS50TW

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Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft

Manufacturer: Rand McNally & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FJN5SU

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