The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance

Book Description

Mysticism, in the sense of a “longing for God,” has been present in all times, cultures, and religions. But Soelle believes it has never been more important than in this age of materialism and fundamentalism. The antiauthoritarian mystical element in each religion leads to a community of free spirits and resistance to the death-dealing aspects of our contemporary culture. Religion in the third millennium, Soelle argues, either will be mystical or it will be dead.

Therefore, Soelle identifies strongly with the hunger of New Age searchers but laments the “religious fast food” they devour. Today, a kind of “democratized mysticism” of those without much religious background flourishes. This mystical experience is not drawn so much of the tradition as out of contemporary experiences. In that sense, each of us is a mystic, and Soelle's work seeks to give theological depth, clarity, and direction.

This, her magnum opus, conjoins Soelle's deep religious knowledge and wisdom with her passion for social justice into a work destined to be a classic of religious literature.

Part One: What Is Mysticism? Explores mysticism as it has appeared in major religious traditions and especially in traditional Christian figures, such as Meister Eckhart. Part Two: Locations of Mysticism. Tracks the sites of mystical experience in chapters on nature, sex, pain, community, and joy. Part Three: Resistance. Argues for the importance of mysticism in countering the destructive aspects of ego, group bias, materialism, and violence.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful farewell gift.......2004-01-16

Dorothee Soelle's "The Silent Cry" appeared shortly before her death, and it's a fitting swansong for a theologian who spent her entire life exploring and living the intersections between action and contemplation. Her exploration of mysticism accomplishes three goals. In the first section of the book, Soelle works out a general definition of mysticism, arguing that it is a sensibility all of us possess even though it's rarely appreciated (much less cultivated) by either society or institutionalized religion. Her reflections (chapter 4) on mysticism's essentially uncommunicable insights into God and reality, and hence its search for a "new language," are particularly good. In the second section of the book, she explores five foci of mystical experience: nature, erotic love, suffering, community, and joy. Each of these contexts can birth awareness of the Beyond that is also Present. The chapter on eroticism is especially insightful. But it's in the third section that Soelle comes into her own and offers truly original and masterful work. Here she argues at great length for the thesis that mysticism isn't at all a private, individualistic mode of experience, but in fact is a mode of social resistance and liberation. Her position might be called "liberation mysticism." Of particular interest are her discussions of voluntary simplicity and nonviolence.

Amazon.com

Readers of Anne Perry's series of Victorian murder mysteries know that her novels are as much social histories as crime stories. She pens her tales with an acute eye for period detail and a strong moral outrage at the hypocrisies and miseries of life in 19th-century England. Mysteries featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt and his upper-class wife, Charlotte, explore the life of the middle class and aristocracy; those that center on William Monk illuminate the back alleys and pauper's hospitals of England's lower classes. In The Silent Cry, Monk and his friend Hester Latterly, an independent young woman inured to life's horrors by her nursing service during the Crimean War, investigate the murder of prostitutes in Seven Dials. As always, Perry's grim landscape of tenements, sweatshops, and boozing kens becomes almost as much a character as the living people who inhabit them, while Monk and Hester's rebellious intelligence and unconventionality keep us coming back for more.

Book Description

Deep in London's dangerous slums, Victorians transacted their most secret and shameful business. For a price, a man could procure whatever he wanted, but it happened now and then that the price he paid was his life.

Now, in sunless Water Lane, respected solicitor Leighton Duff lies dead, kicked and beaten to death. Beside him lies the barely living body of his son, Rhys. The police cannot fathom these brutal assaults until shrewd investigator William Monk uncovers a connection between them and a series of rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Then, shockingly, it begins to appear that young Rhys may have killed his own father. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Not My Favorite.......2007-04-24

I am a devoted reader of Ms. Perry's Monk & Pitt novels; but I must say that this book is a far cry from her best. Her character development is usually spot on and the reader usually has a myriad of possible culprits from which to choose. However, this reader was left wondering if the author allowed her parlormaid to write the book as the ending was so implausibly and melodramatically far-fetched.

just okay.......2004-08-10

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, the Victorian atmosphere and detail are absorbing, the Cockney dialog is well-rendered, if occasionally heavy-handed ("D'yer want me ter say 'oo I got, an' wot 'e found?"), and the mystery does come to an unexpected and dramatic conclusion.

However I found the investigation to be very slow-moving and implausible. A murder has occurred in a dodgy London slum, and several prostitutes have been raped in another. On the surface these crimes appear to be unrelated, but Inspector Monk comes to an "inescapable" conclusion as to what happened and the motive behind them based on, in my view, the thinnest of circumstantial evidence. I could never accept that a detective of his purported caliber would see this as a closed case. Similarly, when the book moves to the courtroom, the defense attorney -- supposedly a man of unparalleled gifts -- is stymied as to how to refute the iron-clad case against him. I would fire that attorney.

Lastly, while the turmoil of Monk's halting romance with Hester and his memory loss may be a satisfying thread for readers of the ongoing series, I didn't think either of these dimensions moved far enough along to engage people who have just read this book alone.

I found John M. Gray's "The Fiend in Human" to be a much more subtle and effective Victorian thriller. This one left me flat.

Annoying flaws and inconsistencies.......2002-02-22

Other reviewers mention small flaws and inconsistencies in the plot of this book and I am afraid, for me, they detracted from what was otherwise an interesting look at the hypocrisy of Victorian London. Unfortunately it is hard to point out these flaws without being a spoiler so suffice to say that the ending was not borne out by the behaviour of the characters throughout the book and I think that, even allowing for the mores of the time, there are elements of a nurse's job that would have required closer contact with the patient than Miss Latterly seemed to exercise.

A great, great mystery........2000-05-14

I read a LOT of mysteries, and the outcome of this one left me stunned. When you read a mystery, you hope to be surprised by the resolution, and this one rates with the best of Agatha Christie.

If you've never read Anne Perry, this one showcases all that she's capable of.

A "must read" for any Victorian mystery buff........1998-07-20

The story's topical subject matter adds suspense to the already curious mystery which slowly unfolds. Monk and Hester are still unsure of how they feel about each other, and this just adds further spice to the mix. A well thought out plot, which only leaves one yearning for more.

Silent Screams and Hidden Cries: A Compilation and Interpretation of Artwork by Children from Violent Homes

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Silent Screams and Hidden Cries: A Compilation and Interpretation of Artwork by Children from Violent Homes
Agnes Wohl , and Bobbie Kaufman
Manufacturer: Brunner-Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0876303920

The Silent Cry: A Novel (Japanese for Busy People)

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its all about mirrors
The Great Post-War Japanese Novel?
A difficult but brilliantly written novel
a moribund, melodramatic piece of Japanese weirdness...
Weird and wonderful surreal tragi-comedy

The Silent Cry: A Novel (Japanese for Busy People)
Kenzaburo Oe
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 4770019653

Book Description

The Silent Cry traces the uneasy relationship between two brothers who return to their ancestral home, a village in densely forested western Japan. While one brother tries to sort out the after-effects of a friend's suicide and the birth of a retarded son, the other embarks on a quixotic
mission to incite an uprising among the local youth. Oe's description of this brother's messianic struggle to save a disintegrating local culture and economy from the depredations of a Korean wheeler-dealer called "The Emperor of the Supermarkets" is as chillingly pertinent today as it was when
first published in 1967. Powerful and daring, The Silent Cry is a thoroughly compelling classic of world literature.

Customer Reviews:

its all about mirrors.......2005-01-02

this is the first novel i read by kenzaburo oe. and its simply superb. the post war its brilliantly portraid in this book. when a couple of brothers return to their hometown, each one has some experiences that changes his vision of the world. but theres another aspect that i loved in it. there was a revolution a century ago, directed by their grandgrandfather. slowly, they go discovering more about this, and finally they mirror the characters and the revolution. its a success repeating itself. the time is a circle. Oe proves it brilliantly here. Its a bit hard to read, but its worth it. DO IT!

The Great Post-War Japanese Novel?.......2004-09-06

Many critics believe The Silent Cry (not it's translated title: which would be Footbal in the First Year of Mannen) is the great post-war Japanese novel, ranking above even Mishima's The Sea of Fertility tetraology.

If there's one thing that should be mentioned first about this novel, is that it achieves for Japan exactly what Voss does for Australia, and what The Tin Drum achieves for Germany . Like all of these, an epic landscape is evoked to explore the major issues, profoudnly yet simply handled. It also has the markings of a masterpiece, in that it reads like both a summary and yet at the same time an advancement on all that the author has said to date, on a canvas of a biblical size (a definition that, in my opinion, ought to extend the franchise to other masterpieces: Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom! or David Storey's Saville, for instance). This explores every facet of post-atomic, post-imperial Japan's inner life - all the more remarkable for being able to slice through the all-pervasive level of regimentation. It's also a wry commentary on the 'Emperor system' of thought that was so prevalent at the time, and led to the ritualistic suicide of Oe's friend, Yukio Mishima.

A difficult but brilliantly written novel.......2003-01-30

Oe in " The silent cry" deals with the perplexing problem of finding ones root. The novel is a story of about two brothers who return to their village, each for their own reasons.

The story deals with by the main characters search for answer to ýhow does a modern man communicate( in philosophical sense )?ý One brother thinks, we can communicate by death and in our silence. The other wants to communicate by connecting his present with the past of the society.

It is a difficult novel due to the hard subject matter. But Oe does SPLENDID job in expounding the difficult issues through his excellent narrative.

a moribund, melodramatic piece of Japanese weirdness..........2002-09-30

Despite all the glowing comments in previous amazon.com reviews I must confess that I really don't see how The Silent Cry can be judged as anything other than a strange (read: unbelievable, contrived), totally depressing piece of (otherwise well-written) literature. It compares poorly to some of Yukio Mishima's and Haruki Murakami's better works. Having lived in Japan for years I shudder to think what sort of image it projects about post-war Japanese youth.

The story is a bit complex. Generally it portrays the lives of dysfunctional brothers returning to their ancient country estate, and somehow making parallels between their lives and those of their great-grandfather and his brother during the time of the Meiji restoration (1860s). Some of the insights are interesting, but sadly these are buried in what can be described as a mess. The modern day (actually, circa 1960) brothers and the friends and family have an impossibly depressing, unfortunate lives. The wife is an alcoholic, children/siblings/friends commit suicide and/or suffer from horrible physical/mental anomalies. In this 300 page book no one, and I mean *no one*, so much as smiles. So you think the Japanese people are a nature-loving, inherently serene people? If so I suggest you do NOT read this book!

Having said all this, the story does pick up some pace towards the end (..after an extremely tedious first half). And generally speaking the author, and the translator, have produced nice prose. A shame it is all wasted on a strange story with neurotic (and uninteresting) characters.

Bottom line: time would be better spent on reading some better examples of modern Japanese literature. Best give The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Murakami) a try and forget The Silent Cry.

Weird and wonderful surreal tragi-comedy.......2001-06-24

It has been said by some that to know a country is to read its novels; far better than to read its (manufactured) history. Novels too are manufactured but novels are more likely to expose the emotional and spiritual "truth" of the country concerned. In THE SILENT CRY the writer OE covers much historical, emotional, social, Japanese ground but does it in such a way as to make it a wonderfully entertaining journey for the reader. I for one would love to read a Freudian criticism of it. For example, a recurring motif is suicide, in various forms, one being hanging and that image is conveyed by a the anti-hero's best friend who removed all his clothes, painted his head red, shoved a cucumber up his arse and then hanged himself; another being the anti-hero's brother who shot himself in the head the remains of which reminded the brother of a pomegranate. Such vivid imagery recurs throughout this novel. Another distinguishing feature of it is its lack of cliches, its almost poetic prose, poetic in the sense of dense. You daren't skip a phrase let alone a line. It is a rich read. Historically, the novel covers the transition from an agrarian village life to the impact of the supermarket, racism, the vulnerability of the Japanese economy (this written in 1966- in 2001 have the Japanese finally faced up to real economic reform?)foreigners, and on the cover, an artistic representation of the Hiroshima ground zero. The one-eyed hero is self-effacing and has an alcoholic wife, retarded son and is a cuckold. His brother is vain, hostile, proud, an adulterer who has sex with his retarded sister. It is true that it is reminiscent of the Cain and Abel story or the Brothers Karamazov and I think it deserves mention in that mythical company. Its themes that resonate with me most tellingly are the need for one and one's country to come to terms with the truth about the past. The anti-hero Mitsu is on a search for the "truth" throughout the novel.As an individual I need to come to terms with my mother's suicide as well as other aspects of my personal history. As an Australian, my nation needs to come to terms with its past and our genocidal attitude to Aboriginal Australians. The second theme for me is that constant internal worrying and guilt can be self-defeating - at the close of the novel Mitsu feels "throughout the time remaining to me..a hundred pairs of eyes (of his cat, of his great grandfather, brother, wife) would glitter like a chain of stars in the night of my experience. And I would live on, suffering agonies of shame under the light of those stars, peering out timidly like a rat, with my single eye, at a dim and equivocal outer world..."(p.269) Yet, at the urging of his now pregnant wife, he chooses to accept a job in Africa instead of a job at a University, symbolic I would guess of his need to accept the past come to terms with it and get on with living, for some sort of peace. Survival becomes the key to that peace. Its weird at the end too because despite all the preceding horrors, the novel's ending creates in the reader a wry grin or satisfying chuckle as the anti-hero realises with his new job he may be able to achieve an important personal goal - building a thatched hut.A memorable read.

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Silent Cry
Silent Cry is a wonderful read.
An Accurate Depiction of the 50's
Fantastic First Novel
A good read

Silent Cry
Julie Bigg Veazey
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1419636960
Release Date: 2006-08-16

Book Description

New Hampshire's Julie Bigg Veazey has created an intimate coming-of-age novel set in an elite girls' boarding school in the 1950s, rich in psychological insights, compelling characters, and gothic elements. Silent Cry is a moving story of strength in the face of shattering life-changing events.

Customer Reviews:

Silent Cry.......2006-12-28

Julie Bigg Veazey's Silent Cry is a realistic fictional portrayal of life in a boarding school during the '50's. Its excellent characterization and riveting plot keep the reader thoroughly engrossed through surprising twist-turning events until the very last page. A must read.

Silent Cry is a wonderful read. .......2006-11-18

Silent Cry is the kind of book that you can easily lose yourself in. You are instantly carried into the life and times of the 1950's. The characters are introduced in such a way that you feel connected with them from the very beginning. The author has a magical way of telling a story. As I read the book I was thinking about who might play the characters if the book was brought to the big screen. It would translate wonderfully!

An Accurate Depiction of the 50's .......2006-11-08

I hardly know where to start. As a reader of the usual best seller novels,
this story held my interest to the point where I could hardly wait to see what happened next. The lineup of characters, both the students and the faculty at Winthrop Academy, were all so vividly portrayed that in my mind I started to have favorites. As a guy who was just slightly older than the girls at Winthrop at that time, I visited a similar school for a social event that had similar boy/girl restrictions. Even today I find it hard to know the thoughts of young girls so vividly brought out in this book. Julie Bigg Veazey deserves the highest praise for this work. I hope to see more of her writing in the future.

Fantastic First Novel.......2006-11-03

I found "Silent Cry" was just a great book to sit down and read. I was intrigued by the plot and after meeting the author I couldn't wait to find the tiime to sit down and read her work. The girl's featured in this book were very real and had the same fears/insecurities/cliques/drama that any girl in high school faces today. They were a lot of fun to get to know and the twists in the plot took me completely by surprise. I hope there are more works of fiction coming soon from this author and I would be honored to host those authors signings as well!!

A good read.......2006-10-21

Few would name the 50s as their favorite decade, but those who lived through it, especially if they happened to go to a straight-laced private boarding school, are likely to remember feeling conflict between the normal impulses of adolescence and the imposed manners and mores of a time reminiscent of the Victorian era.

Such is the case in Silent Cry, a novel that explores the concluding months in the senior year of a small group of girls "privileged" to attend Winthrop Academy, an elite all-girls' school in Connecticut.

Nancy Waldron enters in the middle of senior year, sent away by her family to avoid "disgrace." She meets a group of girls who are each struggling with their own inner demons. Intense bonds and conflicts develop, and Nancy experiences the first true friendship she has ever known.

Dramatic incidents propel the novel along unexpected lines, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. Julie Bigg Veazey demonstrates a keen eye for physical detail and psychological nuance in this first novel.

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Secret Wounds and Silent Cries
Dewey M. Bertolini
Manufacturer: Victor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1564761169

The Silent Cries Of A HELLP Syndrome Baby

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The Silent Cries Of A HELLP Syndrome Baby

Manufacturer: CallieBeth Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0970207700

Product Description

Tells Jackson's amazing story of survival as a micro preemie as well as stories from other families who also faced this unforgiving syndrome.

5 Titles By Richard P. Henrick : Beneath the Silent Sea Cry of the Deep The Golden U-Boat Ecowar Nightwatch

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5 Titles By Richard P. Henrick : Beneath the Silent Sea Cry of the Deep The Golden U-Boat Ecowar Nightwatch
Richard P. Henrick
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000SOSNCK

Product Description

multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

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Cherubs Silent Cries
Gracie Boss
Manufacturer: Authorhouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0759653356

Book Description

Cherubs Silent Cries is a true, poignant drama about a little Down?s Syndrome boys? fight for life. It is an inspiring story of how a family unites in time of crisis. Keep tissues handy. It will touch your heart.

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Cries. . .But Silent
Andrew Costello
Manufacturer: Thomas More Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IMZU3M

Product Description

From DJ, It is a listening post sensitively, vibrantly tuned to the deepest pulse of love, spirit, joy, sorrow, compassion and the whole range of reverberatig "cries" by which God pervades the fabric of our actually very extraordinary lived. Andrew Costello is a Redemptorist priest.

Book Description

Attempting to stop a bank robbery on a crowded New York street, the amazing Spider-Man finds himself blamed for the accidental shooting of an innocent bystander. The newspapers--especially The Daily Bugle and its publisher, J. Jonah Jameson--have a field day with the incident, which makes the web-slinger the perfect target for mayoral candidate Brian Timilty. However, Timilty is secretly the pawn of Tyler Stewart, a wealthy businessman seeking to take over New York's crime syndicates. With Timilty in office and the mob under his control, Stewart will become the undisputed king of New York. To ensure his success, Stewart executes a plan guaranteed to keep the wall-crawling superhero from interfering with his grand designs: He frames Spider-Man for a grisly murder! Wanted by the police and forced into hiding, Spider-Man must find a way to clear his name. And that's when Electro and the Rhino--two of his deadliest foes--arrive on the scene to complicate matters.

Customer Reviews:

Friendly? Yes. Amazing? Maybe. Spectacular? Not so much........2007-09-29

A 2007 Summer reading list mini review.

In Spider-Man: Wanted: Dead or Alive, Craig Shaw Gardner blends a well known character with effective (at times) story telling and a solid concept. Peter Parker AKA Spiderman is entangled in a web (sorry, I could not resist.) of intrigue as a New York mobster tries to fix a mayoral election.

While it is an enjoyable read for any fan of the web slinger, there is also much left to be desired. The pacing and the plotting flounder at critical points. The inclusion of known super villains in sub plots is not a bad idea. The Electro story line works just fine. The inclusion of a world weary Rhino is a little troublesome. Rhino is a great character for a visual medium. He doesn't exactly make the same impression on the printed page.

I would not mind reading more exploits of Gardner's web head; I just hope they're more fluid.

This Book is Definitely Worth Whatever You Put Into Getting It..........2007-08-05

I love Spider-Man, but I've only read a couple of the comics. When I saw this book a few years ago, I thought it might be kind of stupid, but I'd give it a chance. I started reading it and definitely could not put it down. This book was AMAZING. I lost it somewhere in my house, and even though I already read it, I plan on buying it again so I can read it again. It's really that good. :) I highly recommend buying it if you enjoy books that keep your heart racing and leave you never wanting to put them down.

Peace - Mira

Good Story.......2003-08-04

Good story but one of the worst Spider-Man novels that I have read. I don't know what was going through the authors mind. He had a good story but the book lagged "puzazs!" The book dragged and the story jumped around between charactors every paragraph. I was truly dissapointed with this one.

A good read for hardcore AND beginner Spidey fans........2002-07-25

My sister picked this book up for me about a week back, and I was interested to check into it, it being my first Spider-man novel. And boy, I was pleasently surprised. There is only so much one can do, with taking a comic-book character, and bringing it into a 300 page book. But Gardner really did a nice job of taking the usual characteristics of Spider-man, and adding some interesting new ideas.

This book has a solid plot, revolving around a mayoral candidate's tie-ins with a big crime-boss. When the mayoral candidate's infamous campaign manager Michael Luce is violently sleign in a dark alley in the company of Spider-man, Spider-man is quickly thrown into the hat of suspects for his murder. Meanwhile, the man behind it all has also hired Spider-man foes Electro and Rhino to add some extra trouble to the mix.

All-in-all, the book has it's minor flaws. Namely Rhino's entire spot in the book. He is kind of just 'there.' He never really ends up having any relevence, or even a big part, in the book. But the book evolves the plot from cover to cover, and offers a very nice ending.

Any hardcore Spidey fans will enjoy this interesting tale of Spidey on the run from some underground wrong-doings, and any 'beginner' fans are sure to enjoy it as well.

Dont bother.......2002-05-30

I picked up this book with very high hopes. Since almost every other Spider-Man novel i've read were great, my expectations were to high for Wanted Dead or Alive. The plot is pretty lame at times, even darn right confusing. The Rhino shouldnt have even been brought into the story at all, since he served almost no pourpose to keep the action going, well, whatever little action you actually get to read. This is a poor excuse for a Spider-Man novel, it's collecting dust in my closet right now.

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