Book Description
Top New York chef and restaurateur
Matthew Kenney and his partner,
Sarma Melngailis, had been thinking of opening a Moroccan restaurant. But one night they were invited to a raw food restaurant -- and it changed their lives. They instead opened Pure Food and Wine, a restaurant devoted to creative, tasty raw food, and it has been drawing rave reviews. Dishes such as Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagne, Golden Squash Pasta with Black Summer Truffles, and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart with Vanilla Cream have given raw food a sexy new appeal.
The decision to go raw was shocking at first for these two ex-carnivorous chefs, but they soon found that preparing and eating raw food made them and their guests feel their physical best. Melngailis noticed a difference almost immediately -- "Light, clean, natural, and alive foods make you feel light, clean, and more alive. And sexy." This new way of life has changed their outlook on eating and cooking and connects them to the world around them. As Kenney says, "Raw foods and the lifestyle associated with it are so compelling and complex that we will be forever learning and growing. Already it seems that we have discovered some of the magic that life offers."
In this lushly photographed book, Kenney and Melngailis share some of that magic -- and show that preparing and eating raw does not mean bland, unsatisfying, or impossibly time-consuming meals. Using dehydrating, Vita-Mix blending, a nuanced understanding of spices, and unprecedented creativity, they explore a whole new outlook on raw food that transfers beautifully and easily from their kitchen to yours -- no matter what your present diet. And you'll immediately begin to reap the benefits of healthful, delicious, life-giving raw food.
Customer Reviews:
buy it just for the lasagna recipe !.......2007-10-07
i've had this book for about a week now, and though i have only tried the lasagna, it is an amazing cookbook. it's definitely a fresh, young perspective, easy to read, pretty photos, and even though some of the recipes are labor/ingredient intensive, they are worth it for those special occasions. the lasagna recipe is seriously THE best lasagna i have ever had. the flavors are complex, and it's just divine. i can tell this book will get a lot of use ! highly, highly recommended !
Fantastic!.......2007-09-20
This is one of the rare raw vegan cookbooks where the food is spectacular. The recipes are not for beginner cooks but are well worth the effort! There are photographs of every recipe. Beautiful photographs! They have commentary for each recipe and that makes is extra special! I loved this.
Excellent way to start a raw food adventure.......2007-09-09
My girlfriend and I are trying one month of raw food to see how it goes. This was the introductory cookbook, and I can't say how lucky we were to choose this one. It has great recipes and the authors take a practical approach. I particularly appreciate their separation of church and food. I don't recall one mention of praying, crystals, or any other filler that would take up space that might have bumped out one of these amazing recipes.
I can't wait to get back to NYC to check out their restaurant!
One of my favorites.......2007-09-09
The title says it well, raw food real world. The authors are obviously somewhat extreme to be raw foodists, but they are more "real world" than most other raw food books I've read. The authors really enjoy food and the experience of creating and eating. They have the most wonderful deserts. This book has fresh new recipe ideas. The layout and photos are wonderful to look at. This and the Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon are my favorites, and they are different enough that you need to own both.
So far the BEST raw foods book I have.......2007-08-30
Mattthew and Sarma, the authors of "Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow" were regular "meat eating people" who owned restaurants. Ok, so they weren't that "regular" as most of us don't own restaurants! Their discovery of raw foods and raw foodism was by chance. They relate this story in their book. A friend was supposed to take them out to a fancy restaurant that Sarma had chosen, and she was looking forward to it. The friend calls and asks if he could take them to another restaurant instead as he had changed his diet for some time. Sarma reluctantly agrees but she was disappointed. Their experience at the tiny raw foods restaurant was not that impressive (to them), the place was hot and the A/C wasn't working, but the food was delicious. They then explain how they took time off to try raw foods exclusively,and they both loved it.
They don't preach about raw foodism, or veganism, etc. They just explain why they enjoy the way they are eating now. And you can't help but believe them! There are some great photos of them in the book, and they have a wonderful glow on their faces, and their strong lean bodies look well nourished and cared for.
Some recipes may take a little more time to prepare, and some call for unusual ingredients, but on the whole you can prepare these recipes several times a week, and enjoy wholesome meals.
Book Description
If you want to take your Flash Professional 8 skills to a new level while learning how to produce games that rival anything available on the web, this is the book for you. Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development is written by a professional game developer. Using the power of Flash and the most recent advancements in ActionScript, the book progresses through the entire development process to teach programmers and Web developers how to create professional quality games quickly. It teaches techniques for producing fast 3D effects that can be used with "cheat" techniques to produce powerful, high-performance results. It details the actual science of game development, including design, character development, the physics and motion of a game, and audio issues. And in this new edition, all of the latest features of Flash Professional 8 are covered, including the new sound channels, bitmap caching, texture pages, and more. The book covers many advanced topics in a simple, easy to understand way. It emphasizes the incredible power of the new BitmapData class and teaches how it can be used to take the performance of Flash games to a whole new level. It has never been easier to get right down to the pixel level and manipulate things at blazing speeds, making previously impossible games a breeze to make. So get to your computer, insert the CD-ROM, and prepare to begin your journey into the world of Flash Professional 8 game development.
Customer Reviews:
Good for the intermediate Flash programmer.......2007-07-30
The book provides several examples that progress the reader through the programming of gradually more complex games. The reader should have a basic knowledge of Flash and Actionscript, as the book brushes over beginner-level concepts. At the time, the book is fairly up to date, however there is supposedly quite a jump between Flash 8 and Flash CS3, which uses Actionscript 3.0. Nonetheless, the concepts taught in the book are universally applicable regardless of what Flash version you are using. The inclusion of a CD-ROM is an added bonus and a must with this kind of book.
Great Book.......2007-06-11
I found the book easy to read and very practical. The use of examples to explain things is great. And of course, examples that do work is great also!!!
It's the right book for those that already know something about flash and actionscript (doesn't need to be an expert), and want to learn to develop some games in flash, and perhaps aplly those technics on other apllications.
The book is great fun!!!
very limited discussion of incorporating physics.......2007-05-29
As a physicist, I looked at the chapter on "Physics for Games". It's very introductory Newtonian mechanics. Applying these in time-discrete form for moving objects in the game. Gravity is considered for vertical motion, and wind is incorporated to affect horizontal motion. Freshman level stuff. If you are developing a game where you need to seriously incorporate physics, there are entire books devoted to it, like Physics for Game Developers.
Though to be fair, the book is about learning Flash and its effects. Other chapters offer code fragments. Of necessity, these are all elementary, from a programming complexity standpoint. But they help explain how to apply Flash.
The most intricate part of the book seems to be when you model a 3d world. Nice rendering examples. Doesn't go very deeply here. Flash almost certainly has more advanced functionality.
In-Depth game Development!.......2007-05-17
I've bought this book with the purpose of starting to make flash games. Well, i couldn't have chosen a better way! The book is very easy to read and understand and the the examples are incredible. It explores the appropriate tools to create games like the BitmapData while giving other tools an explanation too. 5 stars!
Specifics for beginners, bad habits for mid-levels.......2007-04-28
If you've worked with strongly type languages like Java/C++/etc then this book might make you cringe a bit. First, the code is very terse with clever tricks to shorten the number of lines. Eventually it makes sense but methods like makeFader() don't really make a fader, they do other things like remove a game object from the scene.
So along with softreferences ( for i to 10, make a variable box_i=i ) - ew, and bad naming conventions, it plays out more like an Oreilly Cookbook that encourages bad habits. Granted, I ordered it and I'll keep it as a book full of complete examples. But I think any of the examples that I copy/type/study, I'll refactor later to be more clear and well-coded.
It's a fast ramp-up to ActionScript 2.0. If you're looking for smarter and more mid-level code then maybe wait for a book on AS3.0 that is more class oriented and less procedural like this book. Else, if you just want to see end-to-end examples as fast as possible the author does a good job of explaining code blocks as he goes even if he's encouraging bad habits.
Average customer rating:
- Write more Jayne!
- Follow up to "After Dark" and another good fun outing
- The "after glow" after reading After Glow
- Dust bunnies!
- Yet another failure
|
After Glow (Ghost Hunters, Book 2)
Jayne Castle
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Contemporary
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Contemporary
| Romance
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Romance
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
After Dark (Ghost Hunters, Book 1)
-
Harmony (Ghost Hunters)
-
Ghost Hunter (Ghost Hunters, Book 3)
-
Orchid
-
Amaryllis
ASIN: 0515136948
Release Date: 2004-02-24 |
Book Description
Para-archaeologist Lydia Smith has spent her entire adult life digging into the past, and building a career. But all that changes when she finds herself lost in the catacombs below the city, with no memory of how she came to be there. Now it's her own past that is eluding her; and the secret of what happened to her will endanger everything she's worked to rebuild, including her new marriage to Emmett London, who has a dangerous past of his own to overcome.
Download Description
"The followup to her bestselling After Dark. Para-archaeologist Lydia Smith has spent her entire adult life digging into the past, and building a career. But all that changes when she find herself lost in the catacombs below the city, with no memory of how she came to be there. Now it's her own past that is eluding her; an the secret of what happened to her will endanger everything she's worked to rebuild, including her new marriage to Emmett London, who has a dangerous past of his own to overcome."
Customer Reviews:
Write more Jayne!.......2007-10-02
I loved the Orchid series books she wrote. And then I really enjoyed the two books in this series. It was different, but same kind of interesting setting as the Orchid series. For years I've been checking back at book stores hoping she has written more in these series. But no such luck for me.
Follow up to "After Dark" and another good fun outing.......2007-04-14
This book follows "After Dark" which includes the same characters and describes how Lydia Smith and Emmett London met. It isn't necessary to have read the first book to understand this one (in fact I read this one first and didn't have any difficulties in understanding what's going on) but it does rather give away some of the events in the first book, if you haven't yet read it.
The events in After Glow take place a month after the end of the previous book. Lydia is still working in Shrimpton's museum, is continuing her relationship with Emmett London, and is getting along quietly with her life after the excitement of the murders and the discovery of the dreamstone jar in the previous book. However she finds herself at the scene of another death - this time a former professor of archaeology who appears to have overdosed on drugs. As she waits for the police to arrive Emmett London meets up with her and she discovers that the head of the Cadence Guild, the local Ghost Hunter organisation which sometimes seems rather like its own private army, has been shot. Emmett is now acting head of the Guild, for reasons which he eventually explains to Lydia.
The first section of this book is taken up with Lydia coming to terms with Emmett's position in the Guild. She's not sure about their relationship - how seriously he takes it - and has strong misgivings about the Guild. But when she discovers there's a threat to Emmett's safety with this new position she does all she can to protect him, involving some surprising actions. The threads of events start to click together for Lydia and she realises the death of the Professor might have something to do with her 'Lost Weekend', a 48 hour amnesia that she experienced 7 months ago and which put an end to her highbrow career. When events get nasty Lydia has to fight for her safety and freedom as well as understanding more about her relationship with Emmett.
Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick) is good at writing books that are well paced and interesting. Her worldbuilding in this book isn't brilliant - there are a lot of irritating repetitions of things like "rez" to apparently show it's a different type of world but the whole underlying Ghosts and Traps ideas are enough and some of her writing seems to be rather silly. Still, the characters are good, particularly Lydia who is feisty and honest and appealing, and the relationship with Emmett isn't the main focus of the book, there's more about the plot and whodunit aspect to keep the reader's attention. It's a worthy sequel to the previous book and one that I can recommend.
The "after glow" after reading After Glow.......2007-02-10
I really, really liked this book. It picks up just weeks after the events in After Dark which can be read in the book Harmony. The main reason I am so enthusiastic about this book is that After Dark took me into a completely new genre and After Glow has made me an avowed "Harmonic".
This futuristic/romantic/mystery was a delight for me from beginning to end. Since I had already read After Dark it was fascinating to find that Jayne Castle had written this book as if the first book had been an installment, not a separate writing. All the lovely characters were there (except for those killed off in the first book, of course!) with Lydia and Emmett moving directly into their second adventure. As a futuristic novel I am happy to say that I had no trouble coming up with my concept of what the "world" (both above and below ground) looked like. That is pretty important as I have never ventured into any alien landscapes in my reading material. As a romantic novel I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the relationship between Lydia and Emmett mature. Some reviewers did not find favor with the lack of descriptions for the physical relationship side for this couple. As for me, I have a great imagination and appreciate Ms Castle giving me the opportunity to utilize it and fill in the blanks myself. Minute descriptive details are not always welcomed. As a mystery novel it was quite good. I consider myself a huge fan of mysteries and I was satisfied with this plotting. The author threw in a double blind but there is only so much she could do to draw attention away from the villian of the piece. Still, I kept on reading and I think that is what the author wants to hear.
All in all, a lovely book. An absorbing book, and a book which makes me want to read more about those folks of Harmony.
Dust bunnies!.......2006-08-24
2nd in Castle's books about Harmony, a colonized planet that has been cut off from Earth, this is another "dust-bunny" book. It follows After Dark - and continues the story of Lydia Smith, former professor and current curator, and her Ghost Hunter boyfriend Emmett London, who is trying desperately to avoid the life of Guild Master. Lydia and Emmett get caught up in guild business when the local guild master checks himself into a hospital after an attempt on his life, and Emmett has been selected as the stand-in until his recovery. Lydia, as usual, winds up in the midst of trouble when she walks into a meeting to find the other person dead of an apparent overdose. Emmett and Lydia, accompanied by Fuzz, a dust bunny, follow the clues and mazes while dodging ghost attacks to find the links to all of the mysteries, and their own happiness. You definitely want to read After Dark first, and follow it with Ghost Hunter.
Yet another failure.......2006-05-11
the story from "After dark" gets a second wind. Now Emmet has to act as guild boss and Lydia manages to "save" him from peril by marrying him. The same idiotic problems of a love affair spiced with two-three rather boring sex scenes, the worst use of an alien enviroment ever to be found in a book.
Still, a beautiful cover. Too bad, again.
Not recommended.
Book Description
The first of its kind, Glow is more than a cookbook, more than a health-and-beauty guide - it is a path to a healthy lifestyle. Using the healing properties of whole foods, the author demonstrates how to use them in daily life to achieve an overall, healthy glow.
By combining ancient Eastern practices for health with more than 150 delicious, whole-food recipes, and healing face washes, massage oils, cleansers, scrubs and soaks, this book caters to a burgeoning market of consumers interested in whole foods and vegetarianism, but most of all to the readers interested in a more balanced, more natural way of life.
Customer Reviews:
Not much new.......2006-06-15
Pirelli does a nice job recycling the standard macrobiotic approach to health (and beauty as a by-product). The complaints about the yin and yang classifications aren't Pirelli's fault--they go back to Georges Ohsawa and his dharma heir, Michio Kushi, who changed the old Taoist classifications to suit their agenda, and possibly simplify explanations. Pirelli's a little looser and more fun than Kushi though--easier reading.
The most amazing treasury of life guidelines!.......2006-03-25
Unlike other Pirello books, this one is far more than just a cookbook. And it is certainly not a mere girlie beauty-tip manual, as the title might suggest. Rather than focusing on the outer effects of beauty products (a common plague of the looks-obsessed Western civilization), this book invites us to take a look at the internal processes of our bodies, the functioning of different organs and the actual causes for many beauty catastrophes. The theoretical part of the book takes us on an intense biology course, with a slightly different angle than we had been accustomed to during our school-years. She explains the functioning of the body, offers tips for achieving balance, as well as guidelines for diagnosing our own health condition.
Great recipes are no news when Pirello is concerned, and these ones really work, as you take the responsibility for your own health and beauty. Great remedy recipes, as well as general life-style guidelines. A book to keep by the bed and get back to it whenever in need or curious to learn more. Even my meat-eating boyfriend enjoys reading it (not to mention eating the tasty dishes that provide him both with health, energy and glow). A clear proof that macrobiotics and whole-foods approach DO work for anybody with an open mind and a courage to explore new possiibilities in the adventure called life!
Okay advice... unless you eat animals........2005-12-11
There was a lot of interesting advice, and I enjoyed the thoughts it provoked. However, I got the constant feeling that becoming vegan would solve all of my problems. It seemed like every condition was because I was eating animal products. I know that some people are vegan and that's fine, but I'm not for health and taste reasons, and so I found myself at sort of a dead-end with this book. Also, the self-diagnosis was a little difficult; there are only so many ways to describe bumps on your face.
great book, about the YIN YANG confussion.......2005-10-08
"The original meaning of the Chinese ideogram for 'Yin' is the shady side of a hill. it represents darkness and passivity, and its associated with the qualities of yielding, softness and contraction. It moves downward and inward, and its primary symbols are woman, water and earth." ....
so the boyfriend is right...
For the Michio Kushi fans outhere, with all due respect to his name, just want to clarify that he is not even Chinese he is Japanese. So I'm going with the original Taoist explanation by Daniel Reid taken from Tao Teh Ching
Yin and Yang, that's what I know about.......2005-09-20
I am a Chinese from Hong Kong, China. I agree with Jill Anthony's boy friend. Somehow seems it's a little confused what the author explained about Yin and Yang. As I know Yin is feminine and Yang is masculine. Yin is shy (inward) and Yang is outward in the nature. You can take the moon as Yin and the sun as Yang. If you did see the T'ai Chi, it's a circle that contains both Yin and Yang inside and they share the equal space. If Yin expand then Yang will be forced to be constricting, if Yang expand then Yin will be forced to be constricting. Because the circle represents the universe and it's all the space they can share. That's the nature of Yin and Yang. If they lost the balance it will effect the balance of nature. If they keep in balance then everything would go well. So that's why we have to keep the balance of Yin and Yang. And that's what this book pointed out about keeping the balance of the body. Our Chinese doctors always indicate when the body is in good balance everyone would look good. Good skin and good figure, etc. I haven't bought this book yet but I will buy it to see what ingredients this author used for the recipes.
Book Description
A modern healer draws on Aztec folk medicine to offer a new perspective on women's health.
Showing readers how to become not only physically healthy but also creatively and spiritually whole, Elena Avila's book presents a global vision of how the gifts of indigenous health care, married with contemporary technology, can create a medicine of the future.
Customer Reviews:
From the Horse's Mouth.......2005-08-28
I am the co-author of Woman Who Glows in the Dark. I had not visited this page for quite some time and was deeply troubled to read the review written by Edward B. Holman. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I feel that Mr. Holman has made some grave misjudgements about an author he has never met. He has also reported information, inaccurately and out of context, regarding a book I find it difficult to believe he has read. None of his references get beyond p. 28, and Chapter 1 starts on p. 41.
I spent eight months writing this book with Elena. That work involved traveling through Guatemala and Mexico with her, meeting her Aztec teacher Ehekateotl, staying at her home in New Mexico for weeks at a time, and meeting and interviewing her students and some clients. As someone who knows her personally and had to do extensive research to write this book, let me tell you, from the proverbial horse's mouth, what really happened and something of who this woman is.
Mr. Holman writes "Curanderismo is mainly the province of the people who are, essentially, exorcists, and their conterparts, brujos, brujas, and hechiceros, are people who are paid by their clients to place hexes on others."
This is incorrect. First of all, many modern curanderos are midwives, herbalists, chiropractors, bone-setters, and counselors. For a more in-depth discussion of this topic, please see, Chapter 1: Types of Curanderos and Their Specialties (beginning on p. 69).
Second, to infer that this class of healers, and Elena by extension, deals only with the darker arts is a gross mistatement.
Elena is a healer of the highest integrity--and, I might add, an inspiring humility. Every time we met to write, she spoke of the responsibility that healers have toward their clients. She never claimed any "magical powers" for herself but emphasized over and over that she was just God's instrument.
The stories she tells in this book are of clients who were healed in a profound way. You have only to read them to see the love and commitment she brings to this work. Writing this book with her brought profound healing into my own life.
I also saw the fruits of her work in her students, whom I met and interviewed for the book. The foundation in healing that she gave them was solid and rich. I refer you to Chapter 6, which is filled with stories about what she taught them about curanderismo. Read the book and let these students, who have worked and traveled with her for years, speak for themselves.
Mr. Holman goes on to say, "she replaces it [the 'conventional wisdom of curanderismo']with a concoction that she largely invented herself, with the help of a couple of fraudulent pretenders from Mexico who claim to be the heirs of the magical and religious traditions of the Aztec Indians."
Again, I was there. I traveled with her to Mexico and spent time in the community center of her teacher Ehekateotl, who is truly one of the spiritual heirs of the Mexica (Aztec) tradition. How do I know this is true? Because I met the people he helps in his community and found them to be good and intelligent souls. I helped them to build a huge altar for the Dia de los Muertos ceremony and did ceremony with them. I was permitted to visit some of their sacred sites. I listened to their stories, I met other healers who deeply respected Ehe.
All I can say is that Ehekateotl is a man of deep humility, great humor, and dedication to his people. To call such a kind and generous man, sight unseen, a "fraudulent pretender," as Mr. Homan does, is inexcusable. Ehe lives very humbly, has little money, and spends his days healing people who come to the community center where he lives. (And they keep coming, obvously, because they get results.) He is really quite overworked and kind, and carries on with a lot of courage.
To really understand how a culture could go underground to survive the Spanish Conquest, take a look at Chapter 7: The Gods That Refused to Die. It's not unthinkable that cultures go underground. When I wrote A FOREST OF KINGS and MAYA COSMOS with Linda Schele and David Friedel, it was the same story. The Aztecs, as well as the Maya, are alive and well.
On the subject of cursing, Mr. Holman quotes Elena as writing, "'Some times the "cursed" individual is suffering from some kind of chemical imbalance, such as schizophrenia, and needs medication and psychiatric help.'... That is the impression I get of her. People come to her expecting to be treated in the way that any other curandera would treat them, and she sends them off to someone who will get them started on Prozac. Thanks a lot, Ms. Avila!"
This is taken entirely out of context. I quote from p. 53 of the book, "Recently, I saw an elder named Anna who had give a 'curandero' her life savings--ten thousand dollars--to take away a hex. I was deeply saddened by her story. Her thirty-six-year-old daughter had been diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia but was refusing to take her medication."
Elena goes on to say that the daughter was becoming violent and was unable to care for her small children. When the woman brought her daughter to Elena, who is also a trained psychiatric nurse, "It was obvious to me that her daughter had a chronic condition and needed to take her medication. Not taking her medication was what was causing her to become violent with her children."
This brings up an important point, that there is, as Mr. Holman implies, some sort of "right" or "orthodox" way to be a curandera. This is a terribly limited way of looking at any healing modality. A true healer applies the APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE cure for the situation, not some kind of rigid prescription.
What Elena writes about in this book is how she has taken what she learned of curanderismo and applied it to THIS culture. Sometimes that looks very, very traditional indeed; and sometimes it looks creative and appropriate and effective. The stories told in the book, particularly the story of Donna and her soul retrieval in Chapter 4: The Weeping Soul, p. 193, attest to how skillfully Elena works with her patients and how astute she is about finding ways to help them.
I would also like to address Mr. Holman's remark "I am quite sure she charges for her sessions, her lectures and tours and workshops, and anything else she can charge people for. And I doubt if she is cheap, either." It is true that in traditional cultures a healer works by accepting donations. But it is also true that they never have to go without food or lodging or the necessities of life because the community values them and takes care of them. To expect a curandera in America to accept only donations is just absurd. Elena started out this way, she told me, but soon discovered that people would give her $15 for two hours of work. One wealthy client, who had a $100-a-day cocaine habit, handed her a twenty for hours of work.
Why do we believe that traditional healers don't deserve to be paid? We pay our medical doctors, don't we? Yes, Elena does charge, reasonably, but I also know for a fact that she would not turn away someone who really needed her help. When we were in Mexico City together doing research for the book, the owner of the hotel we stayed at found out she was a curandera and sent his whole staff to her. She didn't charge a penny and willingly worked on everyone because that is her calling.
It is also very interesting that the book that Mr. Holman holds up as the ideal, CURANDERISMO by Robert Trotter, does not seem to have been well-reviewed by him. I quote from his review of that volume: "This book is what one would expect from a team of American academics starting from scratch trying to assemble a definitive body of knowledge while based on US soil and focusing on a population located inside of the US." On the other hand, Elena has lived her whole life in this culture and WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK is written with depth and intelligence, honesty and passion.
I just do not believe that Mr. Holman carefully read this book and I am curious about the virulence of his attack.
I can only urge you to read this book and judge for yourself. It is a wonderful record of the history of curanderismo, of love and service to others, and of deep respect for a wonderful, endlessly creative, living healing tradition.
Another New Age book for the gullible.......2005-08-22
Lewt me start off by saying that I have been interviewing curanderos and curanderas in Mexico, along with their clients, for 15 years now, and I have read all of the major books on the subject, and I know what curanderismo is and what it isn't. This book is just another New Age piece of fiction, such as the market abounds with, and the author is taking advantage of the gullible with this work.
Curanderismo is mainly the province of the people who are, essentially, exorcists, and their conterparts, brujos, brujas, and hechiceros, are people who are paid by their clients to place hexes on others. Besides that, they do treat regular illnesses, and also they treat "folk illnesses" such as "susto", with prayers and simple cleansing ceremonies known as limpias. In addition, they sometimes perform candle burning magic, usually wherein images and statues of saints are involved, and these are known as "trabajos" - "works".
Avila has concocted a scheme of things that overlooks and actually, at times, rejects the conventional wisdom about curanderismo and she replaces it with a concoction that she largely invented herself, with the help of a couple of fraudulent pretenders from Mexico who claim to be the heirs of the magical and religious traditions of the Aztec Indians.
Here are just a very small sampling of the nonsense and contradictions that she offers, which, for anyone who is actually familiar with Mexican curanderismo, do not represent in any fashion the conventional wisdom or what one would find on ones own if one were to interview real curanderos or their clients.
On page 21 she states: "Although I do not believe in curses, I respect the cultural perspective of those who do, and I listen to them with respect" ... "Some times the 'cursed' individual is suffering from some kind of chemical imbalance, such as schizophrenia, and needs medication and psychiatric help". So, what she is saying is that she completely rejects and dismisses out of hand the very foundations of curanderismo, and since she obviously des not anything about curanderismo, she finds this very easy to do. That is the impression I get of her. People come to her expecting to be treated in the way that any other curandera would treat them, and she sends them off to someone who will get them started on Prozac. Thanks a lot, Ms. Avila!
More: "Curanderas build up a person's energy and self-esteem, and teach him or her how to break the vicious cycle of depression and hopelessness." So, here we can see that her concept of curanderas is that they are essentially counselors who give pep talks to people, and this sort of speculation derives from her fumbling around to idealize them as some sort of folk psychoanalysts along with her not having any contact with any real ones wherein she would find out soon enough that none of this is true.
Page 23: (in which she is making the assertion, apparently, that the principal roots of curanderismo come from Africa) "As a curandera, I use ritual, ceremonies, dances, drums, rattles, divinations, painting of the face and the body during ceremony, and fasting as tools of healing." That all sound like the sort of thing your average New Age shaman would do, but I have never heard of a real curandera doing any of that.
She says that she had "Aztec teachers" (p. 23). These people, it turns out, are a couple of men who claim that they are part of a tradition that has been kept alive secretly by members of the Aztec priesthood who operated underground for the last 500 years ago before resurfacing and appearing in Northern New Mexico where they became Avila's gurus. What we have here is a tale that seems to be copied from Gardner (of Wicca fame) and Carlos Castaneda (with his ficticious Yaqui guru "Don Juan").
I won't elaborate on the text, but her description of the "spiritual theory" of curanderismo, as she describes it, on pages 27 and 28 indicates that she does not understand the core concepts of curanderismo and brujería. This seems to indicate that she has always been insulated from actual curanderismo and its practice, and that, even though her clients keep trying to bring her into the fold, she seems to not be interested because she has been promoting this pseudo-curanderismo that she invented for so long that she cannot even begin to accept the conventional wisdom such as what the people who really did grow up steeped in this culture hold. She also thinks that people who are under curses are only suffering from "suggestion", and that this is the reason for their reactions. This is a point that we have discussed at length in the 1curanderismo group in earlier exchanges. People who do not believe that curses are possible contend that this is all a psychological occurrence based on the fear reaction that occurs in people who believe themselves to be cursed, and this allows an explanation as to why people might get sick or even die. It is all psychosomatic, according to these explanations. However, we know that brujos and hechiceros go to pains to prevent their victims from knowing that they have been cursed. Avila also claims that people who supposedly cure the victims of these supposed fictitious curses are charging a lot of money and bilking their clients for bogus services That is not true either. Certainly, there are plenty who do that, but it is well known that the best curanderos never ask for money. They only accept donations. Inasmuch as she is willing to tar all legitimate curanderos and curanderas who are actually practicing curanderismo and doing what curanderos and curanderas do more often that anything else with this sort of cynical charge, I think that no one should object to her being exposed for the way that she presents herself and how she does business either. Let us be perfectly honest here. I am quite sure she charges for her sessions, her lectures and tours and workshops, and anything else she can charge people for. And I doubt if she is cheap, either.
If anyone wants to read about curanderismo from the standpoint of ligitimate researchers, you might try the Trotter book, which I think is the best in its field in English (some excellent studies have been written in Mexico, but they are in Spanish). Such books, you will find, almost categorically contradict Avila's assertions. The shame of all this is that there are, no doubt, a lot of people who would really like to know more about curanderismo, and as long as Avila is allowed to dominate the scene with this nonsense, people are going to have a hard time getting at the facts. I think that is about time that she were exposed for the fraud that she is, if only for the sake of those who might benefit from actually knowing about curanderismo, which is a fascinating subject. One person who would likely benefit from such knowledge is Avila herself.
invaluable wisdom and knowledge on modern Curanderismo.......2003-09-16
One of the most, if not the most important book of Modern Curanderismo. Lovely book, that is hard to place down, and belongs in every Healer's shelf. Beautifully written, touching, and very informative. The book teaches the importance of not just healing the body and mind, but also the soul. As a Puerto Rican Espiritista and Santero, I have really appreciated the deep wisdom and body of knowledge that came from this book. I Highly recommend this book. The lessons learned can be applied by any healer or spiritual councilor, no matter what ones spiritual path or religion, or race may be. The wisdom and knowledge that Elena Avila shares with her readers and students is invaluable.
Well worth the money, and it is like having a wise sage or Curandera in your living room. I hope to see future works by Elena Avila, as I believe she has a voice and knowledge that needs to be heard. I am late commer to this book, and am happy to have had the chance to find it, and enjoy, brazo to you Seniora Elena Avila. Luz, Progresso, y Caridad!
This is a wonderful book.......2002-03-25
There is no end of thanks for such insight as is reflected in this book. Elena Avila is a selfless healer. What she does is the blessing of the Creator. Anyone interested in Healing will do well to read this book.
Exceptional writing by Joy Parker.......2000-05-30
This book is a beautiful and powerful testimony of the potential that lies within each of us to heal. Joy Parker accurately details the experiences and inner world of a curnadera working in the Aztec tradition. Her mastery of language and her ability to translate on paper the magic of Elena's work is exceptional. I highly recommend this book to any serious seeker on the path of healing, spirituality, native studies/indigenous cultures, and/or women's studies.
Customer Reviews:
Okay, but not worth $65 plus.......2006-03-17
I've seen copies of this book priced at over $100. Before you spend that kind of money, be aware that:
What I consider the most valuable advice in this book on portraits is repeated in Painting Beautiful Watercolors from Photographs, also buy Jan Kunz, and available at a much more reasonable price.
Roberta Carter Clark's How to Paint Living Portraits, which covers oil and watercolor, and charcoal, is a better book over all. Two examples are, how to paint hair, and a much clearer presentation of value in painting. Clark's book even has a better index.
I'm not saying Painting Watercolor Portraits that Glow isn't worth looking at, but borrow it from the library, and make sure before you shell out $100 to buy one.
terrific book to learn from.......2001-11-21
One of the last things I wanted to learn in painting watercolor was painting portraits because quite honestly, I didn't care for it mainly because I didn't know how. But after reading this book, I no longer feel apprehensive about painting portraits. Jan Kunz's book is a terrific instructional guide on how to start, as well as what colors to use and where to use them. The book even includes some step-by-step samples based on real-life models Ms. Kunz has used that you can start off first as a guide.
For beginners, this is a very good book to use to get started.
THE best portrait instuction book I have ever read and read.......1999-06-30
This is the one portrait book I would recommend for artists at ANY level of expertise and for all media., but especially for watercolor artists.
The best realistic watercolor portraiture resource.......1998-10-19
Jan Kunz has written a thoughtful, well-organized, presentation on how to paint watercolor portraits. Her realistic style of painting still manages to be expressive due to her emphasis on careful planning of how the image will be painted beforehand, allowing the artist's brush to put in correct values and hues with freedom and control at the same time. It's where I look whenever I get in trouble painting a portrait.
Book Description
Reach for the stars, with this beautiful glow-in-the-dark guide to the science and mythology behind the constellations.
Children will see the stars shining brightly right in their own room with this glow-in-the-dark introduction to the night sky. Each constellation sparkles brilliantly on the page, thanks to the special ink that illuminates the lush artwork. And even as the luminous illustrations encourage stargazing, the kid-friendly text presents a perfect mix of simple science and storytelling. Along with very basic astronomical facts about our galaxy and the major constellations are the world myths of the gods and heroes whose names grace today’s star maps. Take the tale of Andromeda—the princess sacrificed to save her father’s kingdom who lives in the long, curved “V” of stars best seen in late fall. With information on constellations from Cygnus the Swan to Orion the Hunter, it’s an appealing, interactive approach to a popular subject.
Customer Reviews:
A Glow In The Dark Guide to the NIght Sky.......2007-05-15
This is an interesting book for youg children.
We had to wait for a very overcast day to darken the room enough to see the glow. The kids liked it.
great introduction to constellation gazing.......2007-01-28
Each two page spread introduces a constellation, gives a brief synopsis of the story, and illustrates the constellation. The embedded stars glow in the dark, so you can turn off the lights and view what the constellation looks like in the night sky. The glow in the dark feature helps imprint the pattern of the stars in each constellation on your brain with the added drama of "and now let's turn off the lights and see...." The inside flaps of the book offer a picture of the constellations without illustration but with the stars connected.
Amazing!!.......2006-08-07
This is one of the most unique books I have ever seen! Both my four year old and myself have learned so much about the constellations. The details about each constellation make it easy for my son to remember the names and stories behind them. The glow in the dark feature is amazing. I definitely recommend purchasing this high quality unique book.
Book Description
Develops detailed understanding of the deposition and etching of materials by sputtering discharge, and of etching of materials by chemically active discharge. Treats glow discharge at several levels from basic phenomena to industrial applicationsâpractical techniques diligently related to fundamentals. Subjects range from voltage, distributions encountered in plasma etching systems to plasma-electron interactions that contribute to sustaining the discharge.
Customer Reviews:
Mixed feelings.......2001-07-16
I wholeheartly recomend this book to someone just starting out in plasma processing. It is THE best introductory book on the subject.
However, if you have read the literature and have been exposed to the subject for a while, you will find that the book is very basic and a little outdated. Chapman used to be the VP of Technology for a Plasma Etch firm when he wrote the 1st edition. Now he is (and has for some time been) President of a vacuumn diagnostics company. He really has not been updating this. With that caveat, if the other books/literature is "over your head" - go to this book for simply to understand explanations of so called "low temperature" plasma phenemena.
Great fundamental reference.......2000-08-22
While the specifics of various systems is dated, this is a great reference for the basics of plasma processing. Even though the equipment I use today is significantly more advanced I continually refer to this work for baseline information. The explanations are clear and well written. A rare example of a reference / textbook one can actually read.
Good introductory book, too expensive.......1999-05-06
This is the ideal book for beginning students attempting to navigate the maze of plasma physics for the first time. The book concentrates on developing an intuitive feel for ionized gases while including enough real physics to back up the intuition with numbers. It's unfortunate that the publisher has priced this work out of the range of the average student for whom it would be so useful.
Book Description
In this complete guide to flower painting, Jan Kunz teaches how to capture the brilliant glow that all watercolor artists want in their floral compositions. In six detailed, step-by-step demonstrations she describes the finer points of painting flowers, covering everything from materials to setting up a subject to her special floral painting techniques.
Chapters include insightful tips on exactly how to:
* simplify every flower into shapes that are easy to paint
* draw or paint from life or from photographs
* capture the illusion of sunlight
* create dramatic compositions that focus on a few important blooms
* mix clean, brilliant darks and subtle glazes for special effects
By applying the simple ideas and techniques Kunz offers in her book, artists will soon be painting beautiful, light-filled flower paintings that truly seem to glow.
Customer Reviews:
Gorgeous pictures but how do you get there?.......2007-07-15
I've owned this book for several years and have gone through all of the exercises at least twice over those years. I am totally puzzled by the other reviewer's rave reviews. Jan's paintings are absolutely gorgeous; in fact, she is my favorite watercolor painter- but don't expect to be able to paint anything like her after studying this book. There are many, many important techniques covered in this book, but the descriptions of how to do the different techniques are completely inadequate. There are only four steps for each demonstrated painting and there is no way you can produce a picture anything like Jan's by following those steps- unless you already know how to do those techiques. And I am an intermediate painter, not a beginner, just so you know. If you want to buy a book with lots of pictures of beautiful flower paintings in it, go for it, but don't expect to become a flower painter from it.
a great teacher!.......2005-08-03
Jan does a supurb job of simplifying a complex painting problem.
What a fine teacher! An excellent book to keep in a painters library.
Magnificent is the only word.......2001-06-03
This book is detailed, well illustrated, well written, and filled with clear instructions for all levels, but even a novice could paint a respectable flower picture in minutes by following the techniques in this book. Intermediate students should be able to paint one that would sell in minutes.
A must for floral artists.......1999-06-30
A very straightforward instruction book which helps one achieve a wonderful glow in florals as well as other subject matter.
One of the BEST books on watercolor floral painting!.......1998-08-07
This is one of those books that you read from cover to cover, cause you just can't get enough! After following Jan's instructions on the 40% rule of shadows, my florals now not only glow, but they have taken on a real three dimensional look!!
Book Description
Ultimate Stickers Books make learning fun. Each Ultimate Sticker Book presents an array of colorful, photographic stickers of baby animals or dinosaurs, the U.S. Presidents or the night sky -- there's something for everyone. Young children will love working with these durable, reusable stickers, and they can have fun using the stickers to make picture books and projects on their own. These entertaining books provide a hands-on way to explore new subjects. (And some of the stickers even glow in the dark!) Includes over 60 full-color, self-adhesive stickers.
Customer Reviews:
Dinosaur lovers will love this!.......2005-09-21
Great combo book with both stickers and dinosaur information. Plenty of scenes to place stickers and the book boasts you can remove the stickers which we haven't tried yet. They really do glow in the dark and you can see their skeletons then.
Books:
- Ready or Not... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
- Rules (Newbery Honor Book)
- Secret Sins of the Mothers
- Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Teenagers
- Sign Babies ASL Flash Cards, Set One: First Words
- SIGN with your BABY Complete Learning Kit: US DVD Version, Book, Training Video (DVD), Quick Reference Guide
- Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (6th Edition)
- Someday
- Survey Of Historic Costume: A History Of Western Dress
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding The Market
- Understanding By Design
- Money Makes the World Go Around
- Phil Gordon's Poker Box Set: Phil Gordon's Little Black Book, Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, Phil
- The Essential Guide to Managing Talent: How Top Companies Recruit, Train & Retain the Best Emplo
- To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home
- The International Traveller's Guide to Doing Business in the European Union
- General Ledger Software and Accounting Principles Third Edition Set
- Revolution and Economic Transition: The Iranian Experience
- Bacterial Growth And Division: BIOCHEMISTRY AND REGUALTION OF PROKARYOTIC AND EUKARYOTIC CYCLES
Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People
The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss
Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods (Avery Health Guides)
Green for Life
Raw Foods for Busy People: Simple and Machine-Free Recipes for Every Day
