Book Description
Maeve Binchy once again brings us an enchanting book full of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that have made her one of the most beloved and widely read writers at work today.
When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. But young Father Flynn is most concerned with the fate of St. Ann’s Well, which is set at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction. People have been coming to St. Ann’s for generations to share their dreams and fears, and speak their prayers. Some believe it to be a place of true spiritual power, demanding protection; others think it’s a mere magnet for superstitions, easily sacrificed. Not knowing which faction to favor, Father Flynn listens to all those caught up in the conflict, and these are the voices we hear in the stories of Whitethorn Woods—men and women deciding between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future, ordinary people brought vividly to life by Binchy’s generosity and empathy, and in the vivacity and surprise of her storytelling.
Maeve Binchy is at the very top of her form in this irresistible tale.
Customer Reviews:
Overrated.......2007-10-10
Whitethorn Woods:
I love the Irish authors, but Maeve Binchy is one that I have never ever managed to get into. The times I've tried her books, only to give them up because they are so hum-drum and there are so many excellent books out there, why waste time with mediocre? This is definitely the last one I'll ever try. She just ain't got it.
Single Voices Combine To Tell the Story.......2007-09-09
Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite authors and is extraordinarily gifted in telling stories in an amazingly inviting manner. Each chapter of Whitethorn Woods is told from the perspective of someone who either lives in or has a connection to Rossmore, a small town in Ireland. As she has done with some of her previous books, the chapters are each almost a short story in themselves. Characters (written in her charmingly warm and descriptive style) from each chapter intertwine and collectively tell the story.
The many individual voices from each chapter gives you insights and nuances you would not have if told from the perspective of one or two people. The end result is that the story was more about the people of the town of Rossmore - with the plot line actually becoming secondary - and I felt almost as if I'd visited the town and it's citizens by the conclusion of the book. Goodness usually prevails in Maeve Binchy's books and that is satisfying in itself.
I enjoyed Whitethorn Woods more than the author's last, Night of Rain and Stars, but I don't think it's her best (Tara Road among them). That said, any Maeve Binchy book is a soothing and enjoyable read that is probably better than three quarters of the books out there and worth reading!
A nice, pleasant book.......2007-09-08
This is a nice feel-good book--a pleasant read. At some points, I felt like each story was much too contrived. I love being swept away into another world when reading a novel, but it didn't quite happen with this book. Some parts were too unrealistic, and others too predictable. The ending was nice, but not satisfying. Overall, it was a nice book to read at the beach, under an umbrella.
Maeve's Done it Again!.......2007-08-27
Maeve Binchy's newest book is a charming addition to her body of work. There is humor and drama in a bittersweet mix. This book was as enjoyable as all her others.
Unconventional characters come alive.......2007-08-20
No one can make characters come alive in a few short paragraphs better than Maeve Binchy. She brings the most interesting characters to Whitehorn Woods, a satsifying page turner set in a small Irish town. Based on a proposed highway that would destroy St. Ann's well, which is thought to bring miracles to many, we meet diverse characters who are somehow connected to the shrine. Ms. Binchy is a genius when it comes to creating a conventional person who has more depth and layers than we would expect.
All of the characters have challenges and they learn how to use their talents to better their lives and others. I would have liked to have some of the stories resolved, particularly the tragic tale of the stolen baby. It probably was more realistic that the long-suffering mother never knew what happened to her daughter, but I did want the child robber punished and the child to know her background. I could come to terms with the other characters' fate, but this story was the most heartbreaking.
There is a "Hollywood" ending in regards to the proposed highway which tied up the many pieces of the plot. And, of course, the hero was the character who was not considered the brightest or most ambitious. A good read.
Amazon.com
David J. Pelzer's mother, Catherine Roerva, was, he writes in this ghastly, fascinating memoir, a devoted den mother to the Cub Scouts in her care, and somewhat nurturant to her children--but not to David, whom she referred to as "an It." This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy being starved, stabbed, smashed face-first into mirrors, forced to eat the contents of his sibling's diapers and a spoonful of ammonia, and burned over a gas stove by a maniacal, alcoholic mom. Sometimes she claimed he had violated some rule--no walking on the grass at school!--but mostly it was pure sadism. Inexplicably, his father didn't protect him; only an alert schoolteacher saved David. One wants to learn more about his ordeal and its aftermath, and now he's written a sequel, The Lost Boy, detailing his life in the foster-care system.
Though it's a grim story, A Child Called "It" is very much in the tradition of Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul and the many books in that upbeat series, whose author Pelzer thanks for helping get his book going. It's all about weathering adversity to find love, and Pelzer is an expert witness.
Book Description
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.
Book Description
An unprecedented account of life in Baghdad’s Green Zone, a walled-off enclave of towering plants, posh villas, and sparkling swimming pools that was the headquarters for the American occupation of Iraq.
The Washington Post’s former Baghdad bureau chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran takes us with him into the Zone: into a bubble, cut off from wartime realities, where the task of reconstructing a devastated nation competed with the distractions of a Little America—a half-dozen bars stocked with cold beer, a disco where women showed up in hot pants, a movie theater that screened shoot-’em-up films, an all-you-could-eat buffet piled high with pork, a shopping mall that sold pornographic movies, a parking lot filled with shiny new SUVs, and a snappy dry-cleaning service—much of it run by Halliburton. Most Iraqis were barred from entering the Emerald City for fear they would blow it up.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews and internal documents, Chandrasekaran tells the story of the people and ideas that inhabited the Green Zone during the occupation, from the imperial viceroy L. Paul Bremer III to the fleet of twentysomethings hired to implement the idea that Americans could build a Jeffersonian democracy in an embattled Middle Eastern country.
In the vacuum of postwar planning, Bremer ignores what Iraqis tell him they want or need and instead pursues irrelevant neoconservative solutions—a flat tax, a sell-off of Iraqi government assets, and an end to food rationing. His underlings spend their days drawing up pie-in-the-sky policies, among them a new traffic code and a law protecting microchip designs, instead of rebuilding looted buildings and restoring electricity production. His almost comic initiatives anger the locals and help fuel the insurgency.
Chandrasekaran details Bernard Kerik’s ludicrous attempt to train the Iraqi police and brings to light lesser known but typical travesties: the case of the twenty-four-year-old who had never worked in finance put in charge of reestablishing Baghdad’s stock exchange; a contractor with no previous experience paid millions to guard a closed airport; a State Department employee forced to bribe Americans to enlist their help in preventing Iraqi weapons scientists from defecting to Iran; Americans willing to serve in Iraq screened by White House officials for their views on Roe v. Wade; people with prior expertise in the Middle East excluded in favor of lesser-qualified Republican Party loyalists. Finally, he describes Bremer’s ignominious departure in 2004, fleeing secretly in a helicopter two days ahead of schedule.
This is a startling portrait of an Oz-like place where a vital aspect of our government’s folly in Iraq played out. It is a book certain to be talked about for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding book about the incompetence we have shown in Iraq.......2007-10-11
Any book has bias and I do not doubt that Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a journalist for the Washington Post, saw some things in Iraq in a bias way. Still, this book is a MUST read for anyone to better understand just where we went wrong in Iraq. At times, I felt I was reading a PJ O'Rourke or Carl Hiaasen book about government bureaucrats ruining yet another program. At other times, I just shook my head in disbelief and some of the arrogance and absurdity of the people put in positions of power in Baghdad. As I read the book I realized that it is no wonder that the Iraqi people are tired of us.
The author points out that many Americans were put in positions of power and authority with no real expertise or understanding of Iraqi culture or Islamic culture. Resumes from neoconservatives were all that was needed to head up programs so loyalty meant everything. The drawback, of course, was that people with no real idea of what the heck they were doing ended up bungling up everything they touched.
This book reminds me that our nation needs to stop and think of what our role is supposed to be. George Marshall, creator of the genius Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, is spinning around in his grave right now as the incompetence in Iraq makes me wonder what happened to real leaders in our nation. Bremer? Rumsfeld? Cheney? Clueless. This book points that out with the evidence and it's a chilling reality of the mistakes we are making on an hourly basis in that nation.
Pretty close to the truth...sorry to say.......2007-10-09
I was working at the CPA during the time the author covers in his book. I think I may have been at some of the meetings he describes. He captures the sense of the CPA, a bunch of well-intentioned, hard-working people without much of a clue about how to run an occupation in an Arab country. These were heady times and we believed we were birthing a new democracy. Few of us were equipped to pull it off and the split between DoD and the rest of the US and coalition governments doomed us from the start.
I was there!.......2007-10-06
I did a tour at the American Embassy in 2006, after the events recorded in "Imperial Life." It was fun being able to read about details of the Republican Palace, then go to that particular feature and see it for myself. More importantly, I could put what I read into context, both in the Embassy and in Iraq itself. Even though the CPA no longer occupies the Green Zone, the isolation of the military and state department staff from events occurring around us was similar to what happened to the CPA in "Imperial Life." Most staff (military included) rarely leave the the Green Zone making the average non-Iraqi resident unaware of what goes on beyond the walls. If you want to understand what living in the Green Zone is like, and why progress is slow in Iraq read this book.
Timely information.......2007-09-23
"Imperial Life" is honest, first hand, information. The author has a good grasp of the subject, of the surroundings and above all, of reality. He is able to pick up the essentials and deal with them without exaggerating his importance or his role. He is a well informed man, as he should be. The book is very well put together, and a pleasure to read. It is above all, timely. This means, regretably, that its importance shall pass, as the events he decribe will give in time place to "new improved" versions. The importance for historians to come and to serious readers will not be diminished.
Worse than a civil war; because most civil wars include some ethics........2007-09-18
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the reasons we are involved in Iraq. It is a personal account from a journalist who travels out of the green zone to get an inside look. The critical message I got from this book is that we shouldn't dictate how the people of Iraq should run their government. Rajiv Chandrasekaran with the Washington Post reports on the life of people involved with the CPA and their attempts to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. His book outlines a critical perspective and helps to answer many questions. "Iraqi's needed help (good advice and ample resources) from a support of corps of well meaning foreigners, not a full scale occupation with imperial Americans cloistered in a palace of the tyrant, eating bacon and drinking beer, surrounded by Gurkhas and blast walls." Why should Americans be so concerned about Iraq being a democracy? Where the officials are debating over western ideas to propegate the policies of modernizing Iraq; In the shadow of a war torn country without the bare necessities for survival. The CPA who (couldn't produce anything) poisoned Iraq's politics and had big ideas of rebuilding Iraq, but couldn't provide essentials like: Safety for the Iraqi people, electricity, water, and adequate health care. You could argue both sides of this issue, but I think this book paints a very good portrait of life in the green zone.
Average customer rating:
- Great Comics, Bad Price
- WOW
- too violent; should be banned
- The best comics i've read!!
- Very good stories
|
Frank Miller's Complete Sin City Library
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1593963149
Release Date: 2005-08-01 |
Book Description
This bundle contains all seven volumes of Frank Miller's landmark Sin City, the hard-boiled stories that started it all! The books that inspired the critically-acclaimed film, the now-infamous Marv, Dwight, Gail, Miho, Hartigan, Nancy, and the Yellow Bastard will transport you to Sin City and show you the bloody lives they lead ... bloody by choice or by circumstance. Frank Miller's Sin City is a triumph for its fiercely independent creator, and has been honored with Eisner awards, Harvey awards, and the prestigious National Cartoonists' Award.
Customer Reviews:
Great Comics, Bad Price.......2007-08-06
It is a lot cheaper if you buy each book seperatly off Amazon. I paid around ninety for all seven with free shipping.
WOW.......2007-06-05
After seeing the movie, I was blown away. It was truly a unique experience and so I decided to read the graphic novels from whence it was spawned.
What a treat! Frank Miller is a rare talent and the books are difficult to put down once you pick them up. Of course these books are for adults but you will not be disappointed when you read them.
too violent; should be banned.......2007-05-24
These books are filled with mindless violence. They should be banned immediately, and anyone caught owning them should be put into jail for being stupid enough to read this tripe.
The best comics i've read!!.......2007-03-27
Ok, i'm assuming you know a bit about sin city, so i'll simply say, these books are awesome. I just love the way it's written from the main character's point of view, and how they narrate the story. The drawings are excellent too. Very stylish, almost completely black and white, with the most amazing silouhette pictures. The set is amazing. Decent size books, each is around 200 pages. 7 books all up. The only thing lacking is a box to put them in. But great value for the complete set of the most captivating comics i've ever read.
Also, if you like Max Payne, these comics are very similar in style.
Final note: these comics are not for children, contains violence, sex, and drugs/alcohol abuse.
Very good stories.......2007-03-08
I was a fan of the movie and wanted to get a flavor of the source material. I'm glad I did. Very entertaining and thought provoking. And the more I read, the more impressed I am at how faithfully the movie translated the story and feel into the movie. Can't wait for the next one!
Product Description
Thoroughly updated, the second edition of Professional Real Estate Development explains the nuts and bolts of the real estate development industry. You will learn how to develop and manage five types of real estate products: land, residential, office, industrial, and retail uses. Focusing on small-scale projects, the authors show you practical methods for developing each major type of real estate, including feasibility analysis, design and construction, financing, marketing, and management. Photos, site plans, diagrams, and case studies provide examples of actual projects and how the process works. Information is specific and detailed, with costs, rents, and financing information included by product type.
Customer Reviews:
Academic. A text book that needs a refresher for today's issues........2006-04-24
Rick is first and foremost a professor, so the book follows an academic format best suited for the young student of development seeking a broad introduction to the process. Of course, the real world is more complex than any text book could ever capture. That said, the book has become a bit dated for the contemporary developer, whose world is increasingly governed by investors, special interest groups and oft ill-informed government officials! The book delivers fundamental building blocks in a logical, sequential process. The examples cited are, as another reviewer pointed out, on average probably 14 year old analogies. Perhaps the largest ommission is an accurate portrayal of what a developer really does - assembles a diverse team of people together to share in a singular vision, then rule over this creative, temperamental team with an iron fist in velvet gloves. A chapter called 'Cat Herding' would best summarize that world.
My recommendation is, buy the book, join the Urban Land Institute, attend your meetings, be a good listener, and dont think reading one book will set you off on your path to that infamous (maybe fictitious unless you happen to be the primary investor in an opportunity fund!)in that $100,000,000 net profit deal!
Excellent starter book.......2005-10-02
Excellent starter book. Should be required reading for every real estate professional. Wished I'd had about 5 years ago.
ULI Guide.......2004-01-28
For its high price, you may want to seriously think about your needs. If your intention is to buy a book for a broad overview of the development process with a somewhat academic approach, then this may be right for you. If you are builder or someone with prior real estate brokerage/service experience, you may find this too ivory tower and not practical. This book was a bit theoretical for my taste.
Although this book has been reprinted recently, all the data dates back to the late-1990's. Social and economic data are perhaps presented for illustrative purposes only, however, it is a bit disheartening.
There are some interesting project data, financial models and checklists, but frankly, the reader could figure those out on his/her own with some common sense and marginal experience in the industry.
Bottom line -- my suggestion is to review the book at the public library before you buy.
An Excellent Overview Of The Development Process.......2003-04-23
I am a 66 year old developer with several successful projects under my belt. This is a fine book for beginning, intermediate, and yes, advanced developers. The best I've ever read, and I've got bookshelves full of them. Also, for a modest fee, you can download from the publisher the software used for the financial illustrations in the book. I had to learn this material the hard way, because when I started out, there weren't any good books on development. If you want to be a developer, start here. If you're an experienced developer, you'll learn a lot from this book. I congratulate the authors for putting in such an immense amount of work.
Book Description
Based on the author's extensive experience as a working planner, this book gives readers an insider's view of sub-state urban planning—the “nitty-gritty” details on the interplay of politics, law, money, and interest groups. The author takes a balanced, non-judgmental approach to introduce a range of ideological and political perspectives on the operation of political, economic, and demographic forces in city planning. Unlike other books on the subject, this one is strong in its coverage of economics, law, finance, and urban governance. It examines the underlying forces of growth and change and discusses frankly who benefits and loses by particular decisions. A four-part organization covers the background and development of contemporary planning; the structure and practice of contemporary planning; fields of planning; and national planning in the United States and other nations, and planning theory. For individuals headed for a career in planning.
Customer Reviews:
Get a Broad spectrum of Urban Planning for the Beginner.......2000-07-11
This book gives a broad spectrum of what to expect in the planning field, but there are a few flaws. One is that the book is not written for the technocratic planner, it is written for the beginner or someone who is not going to make planning their career. But this book will give the beginner a broad basis to start from and for this I do suggest the beginner to read this before they choose planning as a career.
Book Description
* The foremost professional reference on the physical design of cities and urban places
* International coverage including recent European and Asian sustainability initiatives
* Covers essential topics such as preservation, renewal, patterns of settlement and more
* Outstanding contributors include Alan Plattus, Dean of the College of Architecture, Yale University
Book Description
Imagine a young boy who has never had a loving home. His only possesions are the old, torn clothes he carries in a paper bag. The only world he knows is one of isolation and fear. Although others had rescued this boy from his abusive alcoholic mother, his real hurt is just begining -- he has no place to call home. This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to A Child Called "It". In The Lost Boy, he answers questions and reveals new adventures through the compelling story of his life as an adolescent. Now considered an F-Child (Foster Child), Dave is moved in and out of five different homes. He suffers shame and experiences resentment from those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of being loved just because they are not part of a "real" family. Tears, laughter, devastation and hope create the journey of this little lost boy who searches desperately for just one thing -- the love of a family.
Book Description
From the Introduction:
ghet-to n. (Merriam-Webster dictionary) Italian, from Venetian dialect ghèto island where Jews were forced to live; literally, foundry (located on the island), from ghetàr, to cast; from Latin jactare to throw
1: a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live
2: a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure
3a: an isolated group
b: a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity
ghet-to adj. (twenty-first-century everyday parlance)
1a: behavior that makes you want to say “Huh?”
b: actions that seem to go against basic home training and common sense
2: used to describe something with inferior status or limited opportunity. Usually used with “so.”
;
3: a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure.
4: common misusage: authentic, Black, keepin’ it real
As current and all-consuming as “ghetto” is in these days of gold teeth, weaves (blond and red), Pepsi-filled baby bottles, and babymamas, ghetto has a long history. The original ghetto was in the Jewish quarter of Venice, a Catholic city. Before it became the Jewish quarter, this area contained an iron foundry or ghèto, hence the name. These days, ghetto no longer refers to where you live, but to how you live. It is a mindset, and not limited to a class or a race. Some things are worth repeating: ghetto is not
limited to a class or a race. Ghetto is found in the heart of the nation’s inner cities as well as the heart of the nation’s most cherished suburbs; among those too young to understand (we hope) and those old enough to know better; in little white houses, and all the way to the White House; in corporate corridors, Ivy League havens, and, of course, Hollywood. More devastating, ghetto is also packaged in the form of music, TV, books, and movies, and then sold around the world. Bottom line: ghetto is contagious, and no one is immune, no matter how much we like to suck our teeth and shake our heads at what we think is only happening someplace else…
From an award-winning journalist and cultural commentator comes a provocative examination of the impact of “ghetto” mores, attitudes, and lifestyles on urban communities and American culture in general.
Cora Daniels takes on one of the most explosive issues in our country today in this thoughtful critique of America’s embrace of a ghetto persona that demeans women, devalues education, celebrates the worst African American stereotypes, and contributes to the destruction of civil peace. Her investigation exposes the central role of corporate America in exploiting the idea of ghetto-ness as a hip cultural idiom, despite its disturbing ramifications, as a means of making money. She showcases Black rappers raised in privileged families who have taken on the ghetto persona and sold millions of albums, and non-Black celebrities, such as Paris Hilton, who have adopted ghetto attitudes and styles in pursuit of attention and notoriety. She explores, as well, her own relationship to the ghetto and the ways in which she is both part of and outside the Ghettonation.
Infused with humor and entertaining asides—including lists of events and people that the author nominates for the Ghetto Hall of Fame, and a short section written entirely in ghetto slang—Ghettonation is a timely and engrossing report on a controversial social phenomenon. Like Bill Cosby’s infamous, much-discussed comments about the problems within the Black community today, it is sure to trigger widespread interest and heated debate.
Customer Reviews:
(RAW Rating: 4.5) - A Mindset.......2007-09-29
Author Cora Daniels gives us her take on what she believes is ghetto. She states that ghetto is a mindset and no one is immune from it be it, inner city or suburban residents. While this is not a critical analysis of the ghetto phenomenon, Daniels does site some sociological ills and possible blame. That in itself is cause for debate.
Often portrayed with humor, the author interviews an array of people on what their take is of the term ghetto; what ghetto is to one may not be ghetto to another, be it children or adults. She speaks with boys hanging on street corners, boys and girls who are doing well academically and have college set in their minds and those who have done well financially, but chose to stay in the inner city, further demonstrating that ghetto is a mindset and running to suburbia does not eliminate the ghetto mentality, nor the chance you may see not ghetto. While GHETTONATION by Cora Daniels can cause a serious debate, it is also a reality check for many.
Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers
A great book even though some readers miss the point!.......2007-08-29
A Great book that will have a broad appeal to people of all ages! To those of you who feel like the book didn't offer you enough, I think that you miss the point that this book is written not just for the highly educated but its also written in a style that is of interest to the young men and women on the street corner. BrotherMan on the corner is not interested in black socialism or a book about black culturalism. This book is a wake up call to all people in the sense that it's asking you to think about what it is that you do and why you do those things that are considered to be ghetto. On that note, Mrs Daniels hit the mark. Pass it on to those that are ghetto fabulous and see if you have something worthwhile to talk about! Peace!
'Should be on Oprah's Book Club list.......2007-08-25
Some weeks ago I watched as a mainstream television newscaster referred to the police as the "po po's," a term that is, at this moment used by inner city youth. It's obvious that when such language becomes "accepted" by the mainstream, the words are on their way out...or are they?
Author Cora Daniels would probably say that such usage is further indication of the ghettonization of America and she's more than likely correct. In her amusing and thought-provoking book, the writer exposes all the aspects of American society that reflects how the ghetto mentality flourishes. She sites the entertainment industry, Madison Avenue, professional sports, as well as the everyday instances wherein that which we once thought was only a part of the inner city has become commonplace.
As entertaining as the book is, she hits hard when she challenges readers to consider her words and take action in order to stop or, at least, slow down the spread of "ghettoism" in this nation.
This is a definite "must read" for all Americans that want to understand what's going, not just with the young people, but among us all as we fall further and further into the rationale of the street.
Finally, someone who articulates the problem!.......2007-08-21
Suffering for sometime from the notion that the end is nigh for American civilization, being assaulted daily by the sights, sounds and stories of angry babbymammas and the gangstas who did 'em wrong, mysogynistic rap, the objectification of the female figure everywhere; girls as young as ten wearing t-shirts that read "If you surf I'm available" and crusted with bling, picking visible thongs out of their exposed cracks; young folk with the crazed look of meth/crack/coke in their eyes; fearless pedophiles defiant both about their sickness and civil rights; celebrities crashing and burning; and wondering who and where were the new role models, and where were our real poets and music makers -- and please don't tell me its Fall Out Boy, The White Stripes, or Pussy Cat Dolls or Beyonce or Timblaland or Timberlake-- I wearily picked this book up at my local library and began to read, and continued, and couldn't stop. In fact, I read Ghettonation in two readings, stopping only to pick up my kids from school and make a (rather ghetto) meal of hotdogs and canned beans. I had to rush back to this book.
I've been wrestling with American notions of class, race, identity, the decline of Western civilization, economic disparities, greed and respect, what constitutes illegal immigrants, education, environmental devastation, pitbulls, drugs, babymammas, and rap and hip hop music for a decade and more. I see how lowering the bar, for all of us, has resulted in a free fall for relationships, in parenting, manners, basic common sense, civility, charity, and even basic human discourse. In Ghettonation, Ms. Daniels finally articulated my inchoate thoughts and theories.
When Gwenyth Paltrow called her baby Apple that was a ghetto move. What a concept! This patrician looking, some would say Aryan, blonde with blue eyes doing something other than the classy she generally projects, but it's an absolute spot-on observation. An ah-hah moment, and this book has no shortage of other such examples to remind us all that ghetto isn't a class thing, it's not a race thing, it's simply about not being the best of what we can and should be.
The section on ghetto literature is terrifying. Proceed with caution. I had no idea these books were B. available and B. popular. I also had no idea that high profile music industry figures, such as Snoop Dogg (and more recently Dave Navarro) were getting involved in porn and doing well with it. Yes, we've come a long way from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and MoTown. Yes, we are much more morally bankrupt than we used to be, even compared to the anything goes 70s days of decadence.
This is an important book, it's a wake up call to all who care about the world and our human family, that we need to be smart, we need to be kinder, we need to take care of our children, our business, our schools, and our world. It's the only one we have.
Thanks, Ms. Daniels, for this eye opening and cogent analysis of the most urgent problem facing America today. You managed to walk the fine line without resorting to snobbery, elitism, and also without giving an inch.
Ghettonation is essential reading.
Long on Examples, Short on Analysis.......2007-07-26
This book offers a blend of opinion, autobiography, and ethnography to ask why "ghetto" (and its adjectival uses, as in "That's sooo ghetto") has become an accepted "mind-set" in this country. Daniels does well to catalog the many ways in which ghetto culture is organized by "low expectations" and fosters carelessness, irresponsibility, and general unpleasantness. Her examples can be illuminating, including the website Gizoogle.com, which translates any webpage into "ghettospeak."
The problem with this book is its complete lack of organization and argumentative structure. I second one reviewer's claim that Daniels tends to substitute her own rambling musings for critical social analysis. Her back-and-forth rhetoric about "I'm ghetto, I'm not ghetto" typifies this problem: Daniels seems to think her examples are so self-evident that we should already know WHY she supposedly "is" or "isn't" ghetto. This sleight of hand is inexcusable for a book that means to delineate the properties of the "ghetto mind-set." We expect explanation here, not self-indulgent "you know it when you see it" joking.
The book also suffers from having an overly expansive definition of the ghetto mind-set. Daniels's examples are so wide-ranging and far-fetched (even referencing the heir to the throne of Monaco's philandering) that she loses sight of the specific (social, cultural, historical) reasons why "ghetto" has become fashionable among American youth. At times it seems Daniels interprets ghetto as signifying anything (or anyone) that thrives off "low expectations." Such an abstract definition means very little when applied to concrete examples.
In the end, I wanted more critical focus in this book. (A little less authorly self-indulgence would have helped.) The examples are sometimes illuminating, as I noted, but Daniels's basic theme is tackled more pointedly in black sociological criticism and black cultural studies.
Book Description
This is the updated third edition of an atlas first published in 1998. During the past six years, the transportation network of the metropolitan area of Tokyo has changed a good deal. In the case of the subway system, lines have been extended, and some rapid-transit lines have been added, so
code numbers for each station are given in our atlas for foreign travelers to identify them easily. In addition, as a result of urban development in areas such as Roppongi, Shinagawa, and Shiodome, quite a few new company buildings, stores, and hotels have appeared. These developments are also
covered in this updated edition.
- 21 area maps of Metropolitan Tokyo (42 pages) showing not only chome numbers but also block numbers (banchi).
- 18 detailed maps of Central Tokyo (30 pages) to guide the reader even to numbered subway station entrances.
- An additional 7 maps of central Yokohama and Kawasaki and access maps to 3 U.S. military bases (Yokosuka, Yokota and Zama).
- Comprehensive index: More than 3,600 entries of town and station names, as well as major organizations and buildings, provide the user with easy access to all destinations.
Customer Reviews:
At the advice of others.......2007-08-24
I recently went to Tokyo. Before I got there I thought I'd be lost if there was no way to figure out the somewhat strange addressing system in use there. Well, as it happened, you can get lost just the same (especially if you're looking for an establishment that closed two years ago!). I think the map is quite good but one has to keep in mind that if one is lost with the map, it's as good as not having a map if you can't speak Japanese.
Don't even think about going to Tokyo without it. .......2007-08-16
Quite simply, this atlas is worth its weight in gold. There are few street address systems more confusing than the Japanese variety, streets are rarely labeled (and even then, if you don't read Japanese, you're usually sunk), and guidebook maps, as I know from rueful experience, look precise and then require half an hour circling several look-alike blocks in confusion.
To all these problems, the Bilingual Atlas is the solution. Streets are labeled in Japanese and in romaji, block numbers are clearly designated, shrines, temples, hotels, stores and almost every conceivable point of interest are clearly labled, and the maps even mark where the various subway station exits deposit commuters. The subway and train maps are comprehensive and as easy to understand as anything you'll find.
My only complaint? The pages aren't completely waterproof, as I found out the hard way one night in Shinjuku.
thank god we bought this book.......2007-08-12
this is an indispensible guide for tokyo. do yourself a favor and buy this book if you plan to be in tokyo longer than a week. we would be lost without it. hell is coming back as a tokyo mailman!!!!!
Good Maps, but heavy to carry........2007-07-16
While I did use this book a lot (I had the paperback version), I found it heavy to carry. What I did most days was refer to it and cross referance with my paper map, plan our days travels and then leave it back at our apt. I brought my paper map everywhere.
I like to tear out the sections of the travel book that I will need for the day to cut down on weight and bulk. Since we needed umbrellas(it rains a lot in Tokyo), Jackets and water bottles, camara, hats and maps it was all a bit cumbersom.
Never Lost In Tokyo.......2007-07-04
This atlas is very light-weighted and handy in size. All location names are written in both romaji (English characters) and Japanese/Kanji characters. In addition to enclosing Metropolitan Tokyo Rail System and Tokyo Subway System, it provides detailed maps of Central Tokyo such as Ginza, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Ikenukuro, Harajuku, and Ueno, etc. All maps show the chome numbers and block numbers so that readers can easily identify the physical address location in Tokyo. The maps also show underground passage, park, subway, hospital, hotels, and so on. For all the subway stations on the maps, it indicates all the exits' numbers of the station, readers can locate which exist they should go to for getting closer to their destination.
Besides the Central Tokyo maps, it covers all 23 wards in Tokyo including: Adachi-ku, Arakawa-ku, Bunkyo-ku, Chiyoda-ku, Chuo-ku, Edogawa-ku, Itabashi-ku, Katsushika-ku, Kita-ku, Koto-ku, Meguro-ku, Minato-ku, Nakano-ku, Nerima-ku, Ota-ku, Setagaya-ku, Shibuya-ku, Shinagawa-ku, Shinjuku-ku, Suginami-ku, Sumida-ku, Taito-ku, and Toshima-ku. The atlas also inlcudes helpful supplemental indexes for looking up Hotels and Inns, Embassies, and Airlines locations. Overall, this is a MUST-HAVE for tourists walking & shopping around in Tokyo.
(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 03-July-2007)
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