Book Description
From one of the worldÂ's best-known development economists—an excoriating attack on the tragic hubris of the WestÂ's efforts to improve the lot of the so-called developing world
In his previous book, The Elusive Quest for Growth, William Easterly criticized the utter ineffectiveness of Western organizations to mitigate global poverty, and he was promptly fired by his then-employer, the World Bank. The White ManÂ's Burden is his widely anticipated counterpunch—a brilliant and blistering indictment of the WestÂ's economic policies for the worldÂ's poor. Sometimes angry, sometimes irreverent, but always clear-eyed and rigorous, Easterly argues that we in the West need to face our own history of ineptitude and draw the proper conclusions, especially at a time when the question of our ability to transplant Western institutions has become one of the most pressing issues we face.
Customer Reviews:
Accurate assessment, poor presentation.......2007-10-15
This book makes the very accurate argument that pumping more money into foreign aid is not the answer to the Third World's problems. He correctly notes that:
a. Market-based approaches to aid are more effective than top-down planning.
b. Currently, aid providers often overlap in their efforts, reducing overall effectiveness, and are not held responsible for the success or failure of their efforts.
c. The goals of aid are often so broad that it is difficult to determine what works and what doesn't. Foreign aid is usually more cost-effective with projects that have a single, well-defined goal.
d. No feedback mechanism exists for receivers of aid, receivers have no say in how aid money is distributed or utilized, and not independent analysis of aid providers is ever performed.
e. Aid currently focuses on development, but a lot of development requires money for maintenance and this aspect is frequently not funded.
f. In the case of AIDS, too much money is spent on extending the lives of people that are HIV-positive, while not enough is done to prevent additional cases. This is the least effective way of dealing with the problem.
Unfortunately, Easterly presents his arguments in a somewhat haphazard manner. The book is written in short burst sub-chapters, with macro-level discussions intermixed with individual-level stories that struggle to blend into a single coherent argument. Thus, while the ideas presented suggest a 5-star rating for this book, the presentation and readability pull it down to 4-stars.
This book is best read with Jeffrey Sach's "The End of Poverty", which provides the opposite, big-Planner aspect of foreign aid.
Frustrating and Illuminating.......2007-09-03
I found The White Man's Burden frustrating and illuminating at the same time. I was frustrated by the fact that despite masses of foreign aid little seems to have helped Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the other areas known as "the Rest". It was illuminating in that William Easterly oes such a good job of analyzing the reasons why so much good will and so much money have accomplished so little.
Basically, Westerners who seek to help the rest of the world have largely been Planners, Easterly's term for people and organizations who think the way to help others is to help them become more like themselves. Despite historic, cultural, religious, and a host of other differences, the West tries to improve the Rest by trying to make it into a New West. On the other hand, there are the Searchers, who try to find ways to help and to help the Rest help itself. Unfortunately, too many agencies and too many powerful people are Planners, and far too few are Searchers. Easterly dissects the failures of the Planners and compares them with the successes of Searchers in a scholarly, well researched manner that leaves room for the occasional witticism.
As I read The White Man's Burden I recognized so many of the same problems that I, as a public school teacher, face dealing with bureaucracies full of Planners, who think the way to solve a problem is to come up with a big overall Scheme and throw tons of money around, usually unsuccessfully. Easterly has performed a valuable service by revealing the problem and identifying the solutions. Maybe someday the Searchers will be in charge!
A Wake-up call for the Aid-Industry.......2007-08-07
William Easterly gives, in his book, The White Man's Burden, an important contribution to the debate on foreign aid to developing countries. As a counterpart to economist Jeffrey Sachs and the World Bank's utopist policies, most of all suitable to give the West and their politicians a clean conscience - this book gives more realistic and down-to-earth suggestions to what really could work and what is possible to accomplish. It also calls for greater UN/World Bank/ NGO accountability towards the poor and not only towards donors...A "must-read" for all involved in foreign aid and other citizens alike.
Skip Part 3.......2007-07-26
In this book, William Easterly does an excellent job of critiquing the West's efforts at foreign aid and why they have been so unsuccessful despite constant efforts over the past decades. He draws on his extensive experience with the World Bank and knowledge of the practices of other aid agencies to build a solid foundation for his argument. His claims that the grand plans of agencies simply do not address the real problems that the poverty face and that their efforts are simply not working are well founded.
However he divides the book into 4 parts, the first an introduction and the second a more detailed critique of development agencies. The fourth section presents his conclusions about the future of foreign aid and suggestions about how to make it more effective. But in part 3 he strays from the topic of direct foreign aid to address other ways that he claims that West has tried to aid the Rest. The section consists of 2 chapters. The first chapter addresses a proposed idea that Western powers take over certain sections of the developing world as a sort of economic protectorate. The idea is not clearly outlined but Easterly is immediately opposed to it because it sounds sort of like colonialism. He then analyzes decolonization for examples of why colonialism was bad for the developing world and, by analogy, so will these economic protectorates. His analysis of decolonization hinges on the fact that the colonial powers left behind countries with artificial boundaries that grouped antagonistic ethnic groups together and led to warfare and rivalry that hindered the country's development. However, he gives examples in which he twists historical facts to support his thesis, presenting colonial powers in an exclusively negative light. His treatment of the partition of India at their independence is the best example. As India was achieving independence from Britain, Muhammad Jinnah, the leader of the Muslims of India, pushed for a separate Muslim state, against the wishes of Gandhi and Nehru. He claimed that India will come to be dominated by Hindus and the Muslims would suffer under such a situation. The actual point of independence was overseen by Lord Mountbatten, sent in by Britain to peacefully bring about independence. The creation of Pakistan was the result. Unfortunately Pakistan would encompass a number of ethnic groups, including Sikhs, Baluchis, Pashtuns as well as Muslim Indians, who were uncooperative and led to Pakistan being an underdeveloped state. All of this is presented well by Easterly in the chapter. However his final take is that the problems of Pakistan are Mountbatten's fault for allegedly grouping all the ethnic groups together in that country. But Pakistan was Jinnah's idea who was doing something that Easterly would have advocated, separating 2 mutually antagonistic ethnic groups into separate states so that each could control their own destiny. Easterly twists historical facts in order to put Britain (a.k.a. the West) in a negative light. This attitude and distortion of history characterizes the entire chapter. Moreover his critique of colonialism says nothing the possible success of the proposed economic protectorates. Colonies were focussed on the economic development of the mother country. The economic protectorates would theoretically (and the whole idea was only a theory at the time of writing) focus on the economic development of the Third World.
The second chapter of the section does not fare much better. He addresses military interventions into developing countries, positing them as attempts to bring development to a country by bringing peace. However his detailed critique of them never presents them as economic development measures. Many of them were simply peacekeeping missions just to stop people from killing each other or undertaken as a means of national security. They were nothing more than political moves and should not be used as an example of the West's failure at development.
Overall this section simply reveals Easterly's biases and shows that he has stepped far outside his area of expertise. The section is misplaced and should have been deleted from the book altogether. It only detracts from an otherwise well-written and carefully thought out critique of foreign aid. In all I agree with his critique and his belief that the West needs to abandon its grand plans and listen to the world's poor to find out how we can address their needs more specifically.
Incidentally, I found one point where Easterly does not follow his own advice. At one point he is talking with a South African woman diagnosed with HIV, who will likely die within a few years, who, instead of resigning herself to her fate, is working as hard as she can to ensure a good life for her children. He asks what the biggest problem the country faces is. She answers "No jobs". Easterly then turns back to the reader with a twinkle in his eye and uses her unwillingness to give up as a call for better aid. But she didn't say she wanted aid, did she? She wants jobs. The real problem that all the developing world faces is a lack of economic investment. They need jobs so that they have a better chance of standing on their own in the future. What was that idea about economic protectorates?
Very informative, unfortunately too much detail.......2007-06-22
Prof. Easterly knows what he is writing about as he spent many years with the World Bank. His basic thesis is, that the aid to developping countries does not lack funding, but the funds are applied very inefficiently. The "customers" of the help agencies are not the needy poor, but the "rich" donor countries and their citizens. Hence aid is applied to please these customers, rather than pleasing the poor. In other words, he applies market logic to explain the reasons for failure.
The only draw back to the book is its length. After some time, the book starts repeating itself, and the details become onerous for the interested lay person. (Who, except the specialist really cares about some fine differences between World Bank IMF and the various UN agencies?)
Even though I did not finish the book for that reason, I highly recommend it to anybody, who wants to know, why his aid money does not seem to work.
Book Description
A groundbreaking examination of the psychology of homosexuality, why it leads to shame over one's identity and how to overcome it
The gay male world today is characterized by seductive beauty, artful creativity, flamboyant sexuality, and, encouragingly, unprecedented acceptability in society. Yet despite the progress of the recent past, gay men still find themselves asking, "Are we really better off?"
The inevitable byproduct of growing up gay in a straight world continues to be the internalization of shame, a shame gay men may strive to obscure with a faade of beauty, creativity, or material success. Drawing on contemporary psychological research, the author's own journey to be free of anger and of shame, as well as the stories of many of his friends and clients, The Velvet Rage outlines the three distinct stages to emotional well-being for gay men. Offering profoundly beneficial strategies to stop the insidious cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior, The Velvet Rage is an empowering book that will influence the public discourse on gay culture, and positively change the lives of gay men who read it.
Customer Reviews:
Another self-help book this is not!.......2007-09-20
From the first day I came out 6 years ago to today, I've been all too familiar with the LGBT self-help books displayed prominently on bookstore shelves. For 6 years, I've been disappointed with what I have found. I find them to be repetitive, lacking nuance, and not very insightful. So, I've found myself going about my life left only to my own personal insights and experiences. Until now.
The Velvet Rage has given word to the countless abstract notions and ideas of my sexuality that have been floating around in my head for years. The book is insightful, manageable and interesting. I see deep parallels between myself and the words on the pages of this work. I truly suggest it for those looking for a deeper understanding of themselves and in filling the emptiness they may still feel as a gay man. I already feel I am on my way to a more fulfilled, peaceful and authentically happy life! And, no one even paid me to write this review!
Read the book twice.......2007-09-05
I've read it cover-to-cover and I've started to read it again simply because I was taken aback by how much I actually related to the experiences of the author and the patients he's treated over the years.
I cried in certain parts and has made me think as to how I could have handled things differently in my past and present with the people I love. I also realized "what was I even thinking??".....that thought rang right through me.
Its made me think an aweful lot about me, my behavior, how I see people, trust and those around me now and those that will be in the near future. I realize that I have a lot to learn, but I have always stated it back then and even now that when you don't listen to your gut, that's when you get screwed royally. When you do however, in the end you know what you are doing is right. But in this case I'm learning that doing and saying anything was it all worth it? The price I paid cost me dearly.
I just have to figure out how to ACT not REACT and I'm learning how to do that.
I'm in the process of "letting go" of years of sheer pain and heading towards the road of healing. It's going to take me a while but I know I'll find it. This book along with the struggles I've had over the past 3 years has really been helpful.
I've shared this book with one other person whom I consider my best friend and care deeply about after a good friend of mine that I've known over 10 years suggested I read it. I think EVERY person out there needs to read this book INCLUDING gay men.
We NEED to understand each other and heal ourselves before we find each other.
A Contemporary Must Read for Anyone.......2007-07-27
The Velvet Rage was recommended to me by Davis Mallory of MTV's Real World: Denver, and I have to say this book is a must read. Author Alan Downs of Santa Fe, New Mexico, puts primary components of the homosexual lifestyle into perspective for a myriad of readers. The book is divided into three stages based on shame, rage, and contentment with a life lived by so many males. Downs, a clinical psychologist, provides detailed personal faux pas and timeless reflections of arguably truthful testimony from some of his own clientèle. His introduction will grab any reader immediately as he opts to describe the contemporary gay lifestyle as being "a culture of [our] own." He ends The Velvet Rage with his longest chapter delineating 10 profound life lessons applicable to gay men who are cycling shame continuously. Gay males will find this book invigoratingly refreshing while the heterosexual counterparts will grasp abundant information and practical knowledge for personal growth and development in understanding the homosexual male characterization that Downs has offered. Quite frankly, The Velvet Rage should be used as a resource for educational and entertainment purposes, but hopefully, all readers will gain a more positive outlook on life after reading Downs' book.
Something for Everyone...Sort Of.......2007-07-16
As a gay white man, I found a lot in the book that I could say "yeah, that's right". about. At the same time, The absence of the mention of the experience of women, people of color or of pratically anyone else who was not also a white middle class or wealthy gay male was missing from the text.
I still think that this is a book to read...and re-read. Most of what the author talks about are universal issues...with a gay slant. It can be read by anyone who has grown up in in a straight WHITE man's world, including many (most?) straight white men.
Yes, my growing up experience has been difficult - and there are a plethora of books out there that focus on growing up female, non-white, poor, overweight, etc, etc. I'd say give this book a good read, and "fill in the blanks" whenever the references to gay men don't apply to you. It is well written and has many good anecdotes, suggestions and insights - enough to make me want to look up and see what else the author has written.
Insightful Reading.......2007-06-27
I really enjoyed reading this book, once I was done I had both my parents read it as well. They said it helped them a great deal to understand me a lot better, not only now, but why they couldn't always "reach me" when I was younger.
Amazon.com
John Perkins started and stopped writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man four times over 20 years. He says he was threatened and bribed in an effort to kill the project, but after 9/11 he finally decided to go through with this expose of his former professional life. Perkins, a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, says he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business. "Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars," Perkins writes. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Think John Le Carré, except it's a true story.
Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led. --Alex Roslin
Book Description
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man reveals a game that, according to John Perkins, is "as old as Empire" but has taken on new and terrifying dimensions in an era of globalization. And Perkins should know. For many years he worked for an international consulting firm where his main job was to convince LDCs (less developed countries) around the world to accept multibillion-dollar loans for infrastructure projects and to see to it that most of this money ended up at Halliburton, Bechtel, Brown and Root, and other United States engineering and construction companies. This book, which many people warned Perkins not to write, is a blistering attack on a little-known phenomenon that has had dire consequences on both the victimized countries and the U.S.
Customer Reviews:
READ IT.......2007-10-15
This book, regardless of it's validity, is an interesting read. There are plenty of summaries, I will spare you that, what makes this book interesting isn't in the book, but the questions it raises. What in this book is true? How much impact does the American consumer have on the world? etc... to bigger questions: What impact does anyone (wo)man have on the world? What relations should corporations and governments have? What is Power? and how is it derived? etc...
My advice to everyone I know is: read this book, with an open mind and a large grain of salt.
P.S. Two things, there are parts of this book that are unreadable (e.g. the dream about Jesus) and this book is not for academics, it is, at points, a memoir and for a large portion of the book is a chronicling of world events.
Life is too short to waste reading this junk........2007-10-14
Here I thought I was reading book about economics and found myself knee deep an left wing conspiracy theories. When he praised Hugo Chavez for standing up to the authors tactics he claimed he was using to destroy the economies of south and central America I closed the book.
It was interesting what he wrote without realizing what he was saying... He talked about how America's tactic was to give poor countries food, not to help the starving masses, but to bankrupt the local farmers. Once the country became dependent on our largess and could never become self sufficient we had them where we wanted them. Now America would call on them for payment when we needed a vote in the UN to, say, take over the oil fields in Iraq.
Perhaps the leftists should realize the right wingers have been saying the same thing about their welfare payments to the poor in this country. The people receiving those payments become addicted to the free money and never go out an get jobs.
Don't waste your time on this book, I lost two hours of my life I'll never get back on it...
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man .......2007-10-10
So Interesting. It proves what we have suspected all along. It makes you rethink what the world says about our government. Perkins has a lot of guts to come forward to inform us of what is really going on in the Middle East and globally
The Hit Man Takes Hits.......2007-10-08
I was loaned this book by a friend who believes the world is controlled by a conspiratorial group whose goal is world domination through a one-world government. Therefore, I was fully prepared to write off Perkin's story as just another conspiracy theory. But, in deference to my friend (with whose theories I DO NOT agree), I read it.
Surprisingly, I found I could not put the book down. For me, Perkin's revelations were like having an insider's guide to a difficult jigsaw puzzle, one where I had many of the pieces but was having trouble seeing how they fit together.
There have already been enough reviews written about this book and its contents. I will focus on what I can add by way of my own personal experiences. Incidentally, this book is definitely NOT a conspiracy theory, as the author makes clear.
Since 1995, I have been cruising fulltime on my sailboat, visiting many countries south of the border. My travels include spending many months (in some cases, years) in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Bonaire, the Dominican Republic, etc. I'm presently spending six months in Venezuela. I don't hesitate to claim that I've learned much more about these countries and their peoples than the average U.S. citizen. I don't stay in insulated tourist hotels and resorts, but much prefer to mingle with the locals, playing music on guitar and talking politics. (BTW, knowing how to play guitar will buy infinitely more good will among the common people of Latin America than all the Gringo dollars you can carry.)
As far as Perkin's descriptions of events in the countries I've visited, I found him to be 100% credible; e.g., the unilateral invasion of Panama by the U.S., the role of United Fruit in the Latin countries, the devastating effects of U.S. big oil interests in Venezuela and Ecuador, his account of the ascendency of Hugo Chavez, the explanations of why and how Torrijos, Roldos and Allende met their untimely ends. Perkin's accounts of such things may be new and surprising to U.S. readers, but they are completely accurate and well-known facts among Latins.
Having for a long time been a serious student of world history, I can also find nothing incorrect about Perkin's accounts of events in other parts of the world. In my opinion, this is a very important book. It should be made required reading at every high school in the U.S. Then we might have a chance of producing a new generation of U.S. citizens whose heads are not buried in the sand and who might stand some chance of reaching valid conclusions, DESPITE their incessant exposure to the U.S. mass media, about how the rest of the world lives and thinks.
If you are considering buying this book, read the five-star reviews. Most importantly, don't be intimidated by the caustic language and attempts at character assassination evident in many of the negative reviews. It shouldn't require much of your critical thinking skills to see that most of those reviews are nothing more than irrational, vindictive mud-slinging by right-wing fanatics. The mere fact that there are so many virulent condemnations of the book, the author, and his message, should alone be enough to stimulate your interest.
In sum, Perkins is entirely credible, the book is sufficiently documented, and his story is important for an understanding of the political realities surrounding "globalization" and the role of U.S. mega-corporations in that effort. It was also very well-written. I couldn't recommend any book more highly.
A human story about change of heart, not just economics.......2007-10-02
John Perkins, a man who has written mostly about his experiences with shamanism and only eluded to his "dark side", now comes clean in this eye-opening expose of how real people are paid to destroy countries economies in order to create wealth for the elite. But more than anything, this book for me is about one man's conversion experience - from selling his soul to the highest bidder (even while studying with indigenous shamans) to facing the human and environmental consequences of his actions. Eventually, he changed his life and stepped into the full potential of his heart.
Despite the harsh reality Perkin's truth-telling offers, this book is inspirational in that it proves that anyone can change from a life of greed and domination to one of kindness and compassion. I highly recommend his previous books (such as Shapeshifting) which speak to his spiritual awakenings and the role of indigenous people's teachings in leaving the Hit Man life behind.
Amazon.com
From 1991 to 1994, Keith Richburg was based in Nairobi as the Africa bureau chief for the Washington Post. He traveled throughout Africa, from Rwanda to Zaire, witnessing and reporting on wars, famines, mass murders, and the complexity and corruption of African politics. Unlike many black Americans who romanticize Africa, Richburg looks back on his time there and concludes that he is simply an American, not an African American. This is a powerful, hard-hitting book, filled with anguished soul-searching as Richburg makes his way toward that uncomfortable conclusion.
Book Description
In “the most honest book to emerge from Africa in a long time” (USA Today), a black american correspondent for the Washington Post reports on the horrors he witnessed in Somalia, Rwanda, South Africa, and other troubled African nations-and reflects on his own identity. Map; updated with a new afterword.
Customer Reviews:
disturbing.......2007-03-29
this is a very disturbing and frightening account. While I agree with the authors premise of "straight talk", I do not agree with the pessimism.
I grew up in Africa and it has its own unique beauty. Africa is not for everyone though, black or white, only certain people can appreciate it. Africa has many problems, and many of them cannot be blamed on western or European nations. They are africa's problems so africa must find its own solutions. I agree with the author that african dictators have committed terrible atrocities to their own citizens
Richburg seems to focus on the extreme negative sides of Africa, rwanda war, somali civil war, war in the congo. But they were people in other parts of Africa who were equally shocked and revulsed by those wars. I am african but I do not think even I could manage to keep myself together if I had seen 3 different civil wars in three years. You do not have to be a non-african to be affected.
Basically you cannot make generalizations about Africa. In my whole life in africa( more than 25 years) I have never seen anyone killed, never, I have never seen anyone fire an AK47. Petty theft is a part of life that you get used to, what do you expect when folks live on less than $1. just keep your wallet in your front pocket. And if you do not want burglers to rob your home just have a large family with plenty of extended relatives- too much to handle for burglers, life goes on.
I disagree with the authors pessimism because around 80% of all african countries have mulitiparty democratic elections. Liberia elected africa's first woman president. Africa is largely entering its second round or phase of multiparty democracy as the terms of most two term presidents have ended. Malawi, tanzania, zambia, south africa have all entered this phase. Nigeria is about to have its first transition from one elected leader to the next.
It is known there is a stigma about africa amongst many of African descent. Because of the "poverty" and lack of development many would like to distance themselves and not be associated with Africa. I can understand that, its a personal choice. But I think that is what is at the heart of this book. This book is very anti-african, for a man who spent 3 years in Africa and did not integrate well with africa and felt like an alien- well I think that says alot.
A must read.......2007-03-02
I read this book when it first came out. It is a fascinating, gripping and honest portrayal of the author's experiences in Africa. Some of the images it painted in my mind are still with me, such as the scene of the bodies flowing down the river from the upstream genocide.
Africa is a big enough and important enough place that everyone should read this book to get a dose of the reality that is Africa.
I noticed a strange thing with the few critics that did not like this book. Every single one of them resort to psycho analyzing the author. They theorize that he is traumatized and not in his right mind, or he is suffering from self hatred and self doubt and that, more than his actual experiences, explains the book. To me it is certainly ok to dispute or disagree with an author if you don't like his book, but is it necessary to attack his mental health if you dont't like what he reports? It reminds me of the tactics of the Soviet Union where dissenters were declared mentally ill and put into institutions. What is it about all these folks who are offended about his reporting on conditions in Africa that make them want to attack the author's mental health? One of the reviewers even went so far as to call him a "murderer" and "traitor". One reviwer who even claimed to have been a friend in college used the mental health approach to undermine his work. Some friend!
When I read the book I saw a brilliant reporter at work and detected not a hint of mental illness or psychosis. Read the negative reviews for yourself and help me get a grip on this strange approach to critisizing this book....I've never seen anything quite like it....at least not since the decline of the Soviet Union. Is this a new trend?
A brilliantly-written book that bravely bucks conventional wisdom.......2007-01-17
Richburg's book is both immensely important and immensely readable. His command is majesterial. He marshalls facts and personal experiences to substantiate the twin arguments that are at the book's core: (1) that modern-day Africa is a place of almost unimaginable violence and dysfunction, and (2) that black American identity has wrongly tried to establish an unquestioning affinity with that troubled continent.
Truth is always in short supply, particularly at the nexus of race, identity and global politics. Richburg's book speaks with a precision and intelligence that inform, provoke and ultimately enlighten his readers. Highly recommended.
"There but for the grace of God we go"-excerpt from the book.......2006-10-26
It's one of the best and most gripping book I've read. It's a very vivid account of someone on the ground of what really happened in Africa in the early nineties. ..very honest, passionate , and angry.
I must admit, in the first few chapters I thought, here's a very intelligent black man whose circumstance shielded him from the discriminating lot in America. As you read on, you would come to admire this man for coming out victorious, successful and grateful amidst the discriminating environment he grew up with.
I've recommended these books to my friends-regardless of whether they think America owes them anything or not.
A Black Man confronts his worst fears, his identity:.......2006-09-16
Keith B. Richburg was the Washington Post's Africa bureau chief from 1991 to 1994. In his memoir "Out of America" Richburg's tale of Africa is interesting. He describes himself as a man torn between two worlds. First he copes with living as a black man with Euro-centric tendencies and second, he refers to him self as a black man who doesn't quite fit in an Afro-centric world.
Many reviewers have labeled Richburg a self hating black man because of some of his statements. Many Blacks who've read the book were offended. I guess some of his views could be construed in a negative manner when perceived from a racially myopic standpoint, and I quote, "Thank God my nameless ancestors, brought across the ocean in chains and leg irons, made it out alive. Thank God I am an American." To properly ascertain why Richburg made this comment the reader has to comprehend the horrors that he's witnessed. A Case in point: the atrocities in Rwanda. In chapter 5, "Thy Neighbor's Killer," in reference to the Rwandan massacre Richburg states that, "I first saw the bodies floating down the Kagera River from Rwanda into Tanzania. They floated down the river and over the Rusumo Falls." What has to be ascertained is that during the 1994 campaign the Hutu massacred the Tutsi. Belgium lost control of the territory and the Tutsi were in league with the Belgians while the Hutu became second class citizens. The Hutu in a jealous rage perceived that the Tutsi were the enemy and in a sense they were since they represented the years of sanguineous oppression that the Hutu experienced, which sparked their recalcitrancy or insurrection. However, this doesn't justify the Hutu's barbarous acts.
The overall point that Richburg was making was that he's glad he wasn't involved in this gravitas situation. I think most people would have the same response if they had experienced this atrocity.
In chapter 3, Richburg takes a journey through Somalia. He begins his tale quoting a U.S. intelligence official, "Somalia has ceased to exist. And right now, nobody cares." Richburg covered the 1992 atrocities in Mogadishu which lead into the United Nations' mission "Operation to Restore Hope" which was a complete failure. Later the U.N. succeeded in alleviating the famine conditions in the country. But in the end the U.N. retreated and the country has been in a state of entropy ever since.
Moreover, Richburg delves into the issue of economic strangulation. His inquiry was, "why has East Asia emerged as the model for economic success while Africa has seen mostly poverty, hunger and economies propped up by foreign aid?" And Richburg's answer, "corruption is the cancer eating at the heart of the African states. It is what sustains Africa's strongmen in power, and the money they pilfer, when spread generously throughout the system, [this] is what allows them to continue to command allegiance long after their last shred of legitimacy [is] gone." One particular case was Zaire president Mobutu stashing nearly $10 billion in overseas bank accounts, while ripping off state-run corporations. The African people are not receiving the funds necessary to run their countries. According to the World Bank,"Africa is home to the world's poorest nations." African children's mortality rate is abysmal. Children are most likely to die before age five and most adults don't make it beyond age fifty. The book gives many answers, unfortunately the answers given are uncomfortable ones, and may not be what the reader wants to read. But the bottom line is that the truth hurts.
Also, the book briefly alludes to Liberia's late 1980's free fall and the maniacal Valentine Strasser's ascension to power. The fact that in 1993 African American leaders such as Coretta Scott King, Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan attended a summit meeting between Africans and African Americans organized by the Reverend Leon Sullivan (who is an anti apartheid activist) leaves something to the imagination.
The question that was raised during the summit was a legitimate one. How come black leaders are so quick to call for social change in America under white suppression but waffle around the issue when it involves black suppression on black people in African countries? It's just something to ponder on, but remember be circumspect when contemplating on the issues brought up in this book. Don't read this with a reactionary point of view. You'll do yourself a deserves then.
This book should be read by a wide readership because it is so thought provoking. Many Blacks need to take an internal journey of the self and contemplate the true meaning of ethics and justice, then and only then will all Africans taste freedom.
Richburg succeeds in taking the reader through his personal journey, but if you are looking for an academic perspective then look elsewhere because this is his story, his experience. If you want to learn more about Africa this book will lead you in the right direction, but academia it is not.
Book Description
With a compassionate eloquence reminiscent of James Baldwin's Letter to My Nephew, Ellis Cose presents a realistic examination of the challenges facing black men in modern America.
Black men have never had more opportunity for success than today -- yet, as bestselling author Cose puts it, "We are watching the largest group of black males in history stumbling through life with a ball and chain." Add to that the ravages of AIDS, murder, poverty, illiteracy, and the widening gap separating the black "elite" from the "underclass," and the result is a paralyzing pessimism. But even as Cose acknowledges the obstacles that confront black men, he refuses to accept them as reasons for giving up; instead he rails against the destructive attitude that has made academic achievement a source of shame instead of pride in many black communities -- and outlines steps black males can take to enhance their odds for success.
With insightful anecdotes about a broad range of black men from all walks of life, Cose delivers a warning of the vast tragedy that is wasted black potential, and a call to arms that can enable black men to reclaim their destiny in America.
Download Description
With an eloquence and compassion reminiscent of James Baldwin's Letter to My Nephew, Ellis Cose presents a frank and realistic examination of the daunting challenges facing black men in twenty-first-century America and offers a way out of the cycle of defeatism and despair that wreaks havoc on America's black communities.
Black men have never had more opportunity for success than they do today. Yet, as Ellis Cose bluntly puts it, "We are watching the largest group of black males in history stumbling through life with a ball and chain wrapped around their legs. If brought together in one incorporated region, the population of black males behind bars would instantly become the twelfth largest urban area in America." Add to that the ravages of AIDS, murder, poverty, and illiteracy, the raging anger between many black men and women, and the widening gap separating the black elite from the so-called underclass, and you have a prescription for a paralyzing pessimism.
But even as he acknowledges the systemic obstacles that confront black men of all social strata, Ellis Cose refuses to accept them as reasons for giving up or giving in. In powerful and stirring prose, Cose rails against the historical worldview that has categorized academic achievement as a source of shame instead of pride in many black communities; he also outlines steps black males can take to enhance their odds for success.
With insightful anecdotes about a broad range of black men—from Franklin Raines, the first black man to run a Fortune 500 company, to unlettered ex-prisoners—Cose documents the amazing journey the black race has made, and contemplates the challenges ahead. Both a warning of the vast social tragedy that is wasted black potential and a vital call to arms that can enable black men to reclaim their destiny, The Envy of the World is an honest and important book for anyone concerned about the future of America.
Customer Reviews:
Cose, good writer, bad read!.......2007-10-10
I felt that the book was well-written; I thought that it would have gave a solution to the problem not just re-state the facts. If you plant o get this book, save your time; check it out from the library.
UMMM........2007-04-08
Well after reading a chapter I thought I would check it out, and sorry but that is what I should have done, checked it out. It was on point but I was looking for something new, something different. I never found it, but I have read other works by Cose that was thought provoking. So it may be a good read but at a different time.
Uplifting and Humbling @ the Same Time..........2006-01-18
As a young, black, recent college graduate, I was inspired, enlightened, uplifted, and humbled by reading this book. It helped me to realize some truths and fallacies of my own existence. I am more than aware of what being a black man in America consists of. On the other hand I have shielded myself from certain aspects of life in order to protect my sanity and peace in such an unjust nation. I could relate to just about everything, if not everything this book touched on. Ellis Cose did a marvelous job in both exposing some defects in today's society and inspiring young blacks not to use them as a crutch, but to focus on the many opportunities society prevents us with. This is a great read for anyone.
Well documented book on what's going on...........2003-02-25
The Envy of the World: On being a Black man in America is a well done book that gives the reader a view on what it's like to be black or if you are black helps you to understand some of the issues that you're facing. At the end of the book in "The twelve things you must know" he gives some important points that I think Blacks should pay close attention to. He also makes great points in the "Too cool for School" chapter. He brings out important points in the book, like the fact that the quality of education that Blacks receive is far lower than that of whites. Also, the important distinction of the inner city school and the rich suburban school. There are two different types of education going on here and if some people expect the inner city school kid to compete with what the rich suburban kid has, you're really living in a fantasy world. Sadly, the people who would most benefit from this book, probably won't even read it or probably won't even hear of this book. I tend to agree with most of what Ellis Cose has to say in this book and I think it is a book that every person should read to view the struggles of the Black man. A lot of people say that in essence, you're blaming society. However, if the evidence is supporting the claim, who can deny the facts?
don't buy this book.......2003-02-03
not the envy of this world. for those out there who want a message that is powerful and just, try reading dr. martin luther king, jr. instead.
Customer Reviews:
Classic cultural critique.......2003-09-04
Henry was a cultural anthropologist who studied contemporary American culture rather than primitive cultures as most do. This gave him a certain perspective on society that I appreciated, although many might find his criticisms a little harsh. Nevertheless, Henry's analysis of the American culture of the 50's is hard-hitting, trenchant, and mostly spot-on. His analysis of "Blondness" is entertaining as well, and the chapter on "Human Obsolescence," where he summarizes his observations in convalescent and retirement homes, are only too familiar to readers today given the scandals that have surfaced in this industry in recent years. Overall, a classic of social commentary and one of the greatest to come out of the 50's. In reading this book, you'll see that in many ways, American culture hasn't changed much since the book was written almost 50 years ago.
Culture and Man.......2000-03-15
I first encountered this book while in High School as a small piece of it was reprinted in an anthropology textbook. Though Henry goes off of the deep end a little bit in the veracity of his anti-American rhetoric, most of his observations are fairly sound. Probably the best analysis of the educational climate and processes ofcultural and social conditioning in the 1950's that I have read. In a sense, education in America is still very much about "Learning the Nightmare" as he calls it, wherein children are socialized into an overly hierarchical and competitive environment.
Culture and Man.......2000-03-15
I first encountered this book while in High School as a small piece of it was reprinted in an anthropology textbook. Though Henry goes off of the deep end a little bit in the veracity of his anti-American rhetoric, most of his observations are fairly sound. Probably the best analysis of the educational climate and processes ofcultural and social conditioning in the 1950's that I have read. In a sense, education in America is still very much about "Learning the Nightmare" as he calls it, wherein children are socialized into an overly hierarchical and competitive environment.
Amazon.com
Man's Fate was first published in 1933. As a fictional account of the early days of the Chinese Revolution, this novel remains a powerful expression of psychological insight into the spirit of political revolution. From the opening scene, in which Chinese terrorist Ch'en Ta Erh struggles internally over his task of assassinating a sleeping man, Malraux combines gritty action with an elaboration of the existential principle that social change is powered by the actions of individuals.
Book Description
As explosive and immediate today as when it was originally published in 1933, Man's Fate (La Condition Humaine), an account of a crucial episode in the early days of the Chinese Revolution, foreshadows the contemporary world and brings to life the profound meaning of the revolutionary impulse for the individuals involved. As a study of conspiracy and conspirators, of men caught in the desperate clash of ideologies, betrayal, expediency, and free will, Andre Malraux's novel remains unequaled.
Translated from the French by Haakon M. Chevalier
Customer Reviews:
A SAGA OF THE SECOND CHINESE REVOLUTION.......2007-02-17
As a young man in the late 1920's many held out high hopes that the French writer Andre Malraux would become an accomplished revolutionary writer, or at least an extraordinary writer of revolutionary sagas. No less a communist literary critic than Leon Trotsky, the consummate man of action and letters, praised his early work. Man's Fate is a prime example of the reason that leftist critics praised his work. Although later events would destroy his reputation as a writer and as a man of action on the left this novel takes its place in the pantheon of well written expressions of the dilemma of modern humankind confronted as it is with one half of itself mired in the mundane bourgeois (and in this case also feudal) world and the other half striving toward a more just and equitable society.
The action of the novel takes place in the throes of the Second Chinese Revolution at a point where the alliance between Chiang Kai-Shek's Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party had broken down and Chaing was ready to butcher the Communists in order to take undisputed control of the Chinese state. Like Russia before it, everyone had known that a second Chinese Revolution was coming. The only question at that point was whether it was to be a bourgeois revolution in the classic Western sense or a socialist revolution that would go a long way to helping the Soviet Union of the 1920's break out of its isolation after various unsuccessful revolutionary attempts in the West had failed. As it turned out neither event occurred at that time. This tension, and especially the tension of the Communists who were under orders from the Communist International, and hence Moscow, to subordinate themselves to Chiang unconditionally, is what drives the action.
The novel is also a snapshot of what the Communist International's `high policy' looked like as it was implemented on the ground among the secondary cadre and rank and filers of the Chinese Communist Party, their allies, semi-allies, adversaries and the merely indifferent. In addition, it is also an early literary expose of the relationship between those who carry out, even if in small ways, Western imperialist policy in their separate and exclusive colonial enclaves and those `natives' who do the `coolie' work. That tension exists today, as can readily be seen in places like Iraq, so one should pay particular attention to that dynamic. Read on.
Hardly worth reading.......2007-02-07
This book read as if the Malraux was going through some sort of teenage life crisis when he wrote it in which he views all of humanity with extreme cynicism. This book really has no hero, and there is something detestable about every character. I realize that some would say that is an accurate reflection of the human condition; and certainly we all do have our own problems. However, the point here is that the negative traits are the salient ones for these characters, which is hardly realistic. As a work of fiction I don't think this book has anything to offer except a deep sense of depression. The writing is not exceptionally good, and Malraux's insight into humanity is base and weak.
Nevertheless, I think this book does earn two stars due to the fact that it fairly accurately covers the issues surrounding one of the most important events in Chinese history: the KMT purge of the Communists in Shanghai in 1927. Malraux does capture the feelings that many Chinese were dealing with, and he makes those feelings apart of his characters. Malraux clearly presents a more favorable view of the Communists in this episode, though he's objective in admitting that they aren't the best people, either.
I would recommend this book to those people who are interested in a fictional, yet historically significant portrayal of this event in Chinese history. You don't need any background knowledge of Chinese history to get through this book, even if you do need a good deal of staying-power due to its ridiculously depressing portrayal of humanity.
Less a novel than an explication of adolescent, half-baked ideas.......2006-07-22
Ugh. This novel is just as clumsy as I remember from college.
I like to occasionally re-read books that I read long ago in school. I often find that I was previously too immature to appreciate them, and I find much more that I understand from the perspective of an adult.
This novel let me down badly; it's no better than I remember it.
I have almost the exact same impression now that I had then. It has a gripping beginning -- Chen standing at the foot of the bed of his intended assassination victim, talking himself into striking through the mosquito netting. But after that exciting first scene, the remainder of the book is tedious.
This novel is set in China, during revolutionary battles in the 1920s. What a missed opportunity to set irresistible scenes! How I would have loved to see these cities in my mind, to feel the commotion on their streets, to smell the smells and taste the tastes. But this novel provides almost none of that. These places and people remain lifeless, two-dimensional, little more than vessels for Malraux to impart his philosophies.
The basic message of this book is that "man's fate" is to replay the same violent conflicts again and again, that they signfy nothing other than basic human drives. Ideology and politics are illusions, in Malraux's world. Although his sympathies are with the communists, he doesn't really provide clear reasons for this. Instead, he creates characters to represent different archetypes and to make his points; one has become a revolutionary to seek the dignity denied him by his mixed ethnic background; another is driven by the desire to die a meaningful death; another is cynically interested only in his own profit and then survival. Malraux suggests that these character types will always be with us, enacting the same tragic, violent dramas over and again.
(For what it's worth, I believe Malraux to be wrong in this. One wonders if his world-weary cynicism is a function of his Frenchness, that is his having witnessed the hypocritical, self-serving nature of imperialism, and living with the historical fact that the French Revolution, in contrast with the American, truly was little more than an exchange of one set of authoritarians for another. But Malraux's core beliefs are wrong; the condition of humanity does in fact change; average man can and does conduct himself differently in a modern democracy than he did in Ivan IV's Russia; in our modern world, Malraux's fatalism is worse than merely wrong, it's dangerous.)
If you like novels that serve as forums for fleshing out philosophical or political conceptions, you might enjoy this one. But if you read to experience the pleasure of an author's gift for narration, steer clear.
Man's fate.......2006-03-20
I read the "Shanghai station" before and found this book mentioned in the appendix. This is a much better story. Tells very realistic the pre-revolutionary struggle in Shanghai, the conditions under which the local population lives. The state of Shanghai with it's international, foreign, colonial part. The desparation of the people. This book is very fascinating, however paints a somehow somber, depressing picture.
Another Great French Novel Mangled by a Bad Translation.......2003-07-04
I am a native French speaker and a professor of French Literature. I love this novel and have a real bone to pick with this 1932 British translation, which refers to the hero-revolutionaries as "terrorists," a word which has come to mean something quite horrendous in America. Malraux's writing style is anything but stiff. It's the translator who chose stiff and stuffy words. Where there seems to be a tone of condescention from the translator, there is none whatsoever in the French. If anything, this is a very fluid novel, based on what Malraux considered an American style of novel writing. Fluid, fast-paced, character-driven. Why is this the only translation available to us in the US? Because the publisher probably didn't have to pay a copywright fee to publish this translation. It's a sin of greed -- how ironic when this novel is basically about that very thing.
Book Description
This thought provoking examination of relationships critically looks at issues such as economics, selfesteem, compatibility, trust, and communication from an Africentric perspective. Anyone who has asked the questions, where are all the brothers or why is the divorce rate so high, will find answers and solutions in this valuable book.
Customer Reviews:
you know you wanna know.......2007-06-01
when we want to buy a car, we read consumer reports
when we buy electronics, we go to cnet.com
assuming you are an African American trying to love yourself and connect with someone else who does, I highly suggest this book. i'm sure there are others. check them out too.
otherwise, rely on fate
;-)
Excellent educational read!!.......2002-06-10
The author made excellent points about the relationships among African-Americans. His explanation of statisitics tied in with his theory show that he is very educated, and that he is not basing his ideas on what he "think he knows". This book has made me realize the mistakes I've made in life, and taught me how to move on and not make the same mistakes again. One important point he makes is to take care of all YOUR issues first, so you have the time and energy to focus on a LASTING relationaship later.
My marriage.......2000-06-10
This book saved my marriage!I wish I had read it before I walked the aisle ,but now that I have, it has given me sound advice.
Book Description
A collection of thought-provoking essays on what makes America the great nation that it is today, from John Ratzenberger, host of the Travel Channel's John Ratzenberger's Made in America.John Ratzenberger's life philosophy is one our ancestors knew well: wake up in the morning, put your hand to something useful, and take care of yourself and your family. It's direct, it's simple, it works, and it's how we lived for over a century. But today, we're losing sight of the principles our country was founded on as companies move production overseas and fewer products are American made. In our fast-paced lives, all too often we take for granted all of the things that make America such a unique and amazing country. Things John Ratzenberger sees everyday as he travels all over the U.S., filming his show John Ratzenberger's Made in America. Now, John will show us the heart and soul of our nation. He'll tell us how and why we're losing it, why we need it, and how we can protect it for future generations.
Customer Reviews:
Makes good points but ............2007-10-10
I wish I had read all the reviews before buying this book. At least I bought a used copy. As another reviewer wrote, this book starts off very well and I looked forward to more stories about workplaces and life in general across the US. He even wrote that not all workplaces are "happy" environments for the workers. And just as things were getting interesting, the book turned into a Fox News Rush Limbaugh rant. And after the first chapter of this, I understood his perspective but from then on, it kept getting worse with even more of the same. He obviously loves the idea of US as world's policeman even though we cannot afford this and at least points out the hypocrisy of our wars for "freedom" while ignoring places like Africa. He also criticizes Bush for illegal immigration (but that is a Fox News stance, too). And that affects our jobs and livelihoods.
There are some self-contradictions as well. He praises the "garage shops" of years past where father and son would work on "projects" and some businesses actually got their start. And then later he curses pack-rat syndrome where we accumulate so much especially in our garages. But then he does not acknowledge the change (in how it got this way or his point of view in the book).
In a few places he does make good points. But this was more like buying a CD and only getting one good song while the rest suck. Check this one out at the library, skim for the good parts, and watch the show (which is great).
Must read!.......2007-03-30
This book is a must read for anyone who loves America and embraces traditional American values like hard work.
A must read for all Americans!.......2007-01-21
I have been a huge fan of the Made In America TV series, so I was very excited to learn about this book. I was not disapointed. This should be required reading in every High School and for every American. It's a wonderful look at our country and what makes us great. I plan on getting the "on/off switch" set up for my cable tv this weekend. My kids are going outside! John has my vote for Emperor!
excellent.......2007-01-16
thank you. the book arrived on time, and the packaging was very good too.
a breath of fresh air.......2006-12-18
sitting down with this book in Borders today was like being released from prison.
the prison of constant left-wing indoctrination from the media.
you become hypnotized with the same rhetoric over and over.
it's like being swallowed up by a avalanche.
and then, you sit down with someone like John and pick anywhere
in his book and like magic, the avalanche melts and the mind clears refreshingly. i would vote for this man for president in a heartbeat.
thanks John for speaking out.
Amazon.com
Susan Faludi, author of the feminist bestseller Backlash, has done it again with an exhaustive report on the betrayals felt by working men throughout the United States. American men are angry and discontented, she argues in Stiffed, because their sense of what it is to be a man has been destroyed by everything from corporate downsizing and the shrinking military of the post cold war era to the increase in local sports teams leaving town. Whether she's interviewing the teenage male members of Southern California's infamous Spur Posse (who collected "points" for every female they had sex with), Cleveland football fans shaken by the departure of the Browns football team, militia movement activists, or Sylvester Stallone, Faludi seems stuck on the idea that American men today are man-boys, unable to completely grow up because they never received the nurturing they needed, and now constantly disappointed by life. Yet while many of the men Faludi interviews have real problems--bad luck and sad, troubled lives--somehow Stiffed still seems a bit whiny. Faludi's "travels through a postwar male realm" are a fascinating slice of male American life "under siege" at the end of the 20th century, even if she does finally leave us like the men she talked to--still wondering just what went wrong. --Linda Killian
Book Description
One of the most talked-about books of last year, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Backlash now explores the collapse of traditional masculinity that has left men feeling betrayed. With Backlash in 1991, Susan Faludi broke new ground when she put her finger directly on the problem bedeviling women, and the light of recognition dawned on millions of her readers: what's making women miserable isn't something they're doing to themselves in the name of independence. It's something our society is doing to women. The book was nothing less than a landmark. Now in Stiffed, the author turns her attention to the masculinity crisis plaguing our culture at the end of the '90s, an era of massive layoffs, "Angry White Male" politics, and Million Man marches. As much as the culture wants to proclaim that men are made miserable--or brutal or violent or irresponsible--by their inner nature and their hormones, Faludi finds that even in the world they supposedly own and run, men are at the mercy of cultural forces that disfigure their lives and destroy their chance at happiness. As traditional masculinity continues to collapse, the once-valued male attributes of craft, loyalty, and social utility are no longer honored, much less rewarded. Faludi's journey through the modern masculine landscape takes her into the lives of individual men whose accounts reveal the heart of the male dilemma. Stiffed brings us into the world of industrial workers, sports fans, combat veterans, evangelical husbands, militiamen, astronauts, and troubled "bad" boys--whose sense that they've lost their skills, jobs, civic roles, wives, teams, and a secure future is only one symptom of a larger and historic betrayal.
Customer Reviews:
What DOES it mean to be a man?.......2007-07-20
I just read "Backlash" this spring and wished I'd picked it up 10 years ago. But in "Stiffed" Susan Faludi paints the story of my generation, and that of my parents, with a much broader brushstroke. Why would an avid feminist care about men's problems? Because the situation of women cannot be fully understood in isolation from male experience? I think yes!
As she painstakingly documents the values which got us enmeshed in Vietnam it becomes obvious they are the same values which have led us into a parallel entanglement in Iraq, and other things equally pernicious.
Would that every American could and would read this book.
Want to offer understanding to the men in your life?.......2007-05-29
Her argument made sense and represented the way corporations are undermining individuals. Women are not the only ones suffering from image-culture and low-paying jobs. This book ties together the experiences of the boy next door, celebrities, your father, your grandfather, and their brothers.
Were the Astronauts Who Went to the Moon "Stiffed?".......2006-01-06
Susan Faludi won justified praise for her massively researched, deeply interpretive, and broadly insightful "Backlash: The Undeclared War against American Women" (Crown, 1992). This book is an attempt to continue this story by focusing on men, but while interesting it is a much less satisfying work. Faludi offers an analysis that is both sweeping and penetrating, if not quite as original as her work in "Backlash." Moreover, she probably could have done just as well in arguing her thesis of male anger at marginalization in a post-industrial and post-modern society with a more disciplined and slimmer volume. Overall, however, "Stiffed" is an interesting book that should spark sharp discussion.
At sum, Faludi makes the case, sometimes strained but always relentlessly argued, that fundamental shifts to a stable and traditional society in the 1960s and 1970s transformed the male world in ways that required totally new mindsets. Particularly, she sees the move from a culture that valued loyalty, collegial relations, and skill in a vocation to what she calls an "ornamental culture" focused on image and celebrity. The emphasis of flash over substance has been found in all sectors of modern America's society, Faludi insists, and it continues to dominate our public discourse.
Since there are many fascinating reviews available of "Stiffed," I want to focus attention on the section of the book I found most useful. I have been working on a study of "Project Apollo in American Myth and Memory" and Susan Faludi's chapter, "Man in a Can," has proven quite useful in igniting thoughts on the place of the astronauts in the Moon landings. In this chapter Faludi concentrates on telling the story of the deep depression, alcoholism, "nervous breakdown," and divorce of Buzz Aldrin after his return to Earth following the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. No single person was more important than Aldrin in helping the United States reach the Moon, whose work on orbital rendezvous made possible the Gemini and Apollo missions. But Aldrin had a delicate psyche. He could never accomplish enough to satisfy his father and his failure to become the first person on the surface of the Moon signaled a fundamental failure, something he was spring-loaded to adopt anyway because of years of conditioning by his father. Aldrin tells that story in his confessional and courageous memoir, "Return to Earth" (Random House, 1973).
Susan Faludi mines Aldrin's book, as well as others, for evidence of a devolution of the importance of individual skill and the emergence of an "ornamental culture" at NASA in which the astronauts were little more than props for a larger publicity campaign. She asserts, quite rightly, that "The astronaut served as an emblem in many matters preoccupying cold-war America: beating the Russians, demonstrating national mastery, wedding technology to progress, proving the point of man over machine. But paramount among his symbolic roles, he was to be a masculine avatar for a strange and distinctly new realm on earth." She argues that the astronaut was "a first-draft response to disturbing questions about manhood in an ornamental age" (p. 452). Rather than being valued for their capabilities in pushing back the final frontier, Faludi comments, the astronauts were charged with the opening of a new entertainment frontier. She draws direct linkages between Aldrin and his fellow astronauts with earlier western entertainments such as Wild Bill Hickok's Wild West Show. "But the astronauts heralded a time," she emphasizes, "when the sideshow would as never before supplant the main event" (p. 452).
All of this was totally understandable to Faludi. She adds: "NASA needed the pleasing faces, the frenzy of celebrity, to seduce the government, the media, and the public into accepting the huge expense of the aerospace program" (p. 461). Aldrin reacted to this "ornamental culture" drastically, but Faludi believes that many other astronauts recoiled from this approach. They just responded in different ways.
Were the astronauts simply "ornamental?" Clearly, they were celebrities, but their celebrity status seems to have been predicated on their exciting and important work. An interesting question: Were the astronauts "famous for simply being famous?" Were they famous for "real" feats, or "perceived" feats? Did the public really understand (or care) about the feats that were achieved? Or were they famous because somebody told the public they were famous? I believe astronauts can be likened to sports and entertainment idols. Like them, to remain a hero they had to attain great feats. This begs the question, how effective was NASA in scripting the perception of the public?
I question if Faludi is correct in her analysis, at least in the context of the Apollo astronauts, but her discussion provides an interesting perspective on masculinity in recent America and highlights some, but not all, of the issues at play among men in this post-modern society.
This book is about me and every man I know.......2005-11-18
As one who studies labor history as a passion I found this book incredibly enjoyable. I found common ground with all the characters, and the book filled many gaps of knowledge about each of the issues the author touched upon, which made headline news from sports, religion, to the Vietnam war during my lifetime. I would say with great conviction that this book is probably one of the most important books anyone could read for a better understanding of the times and challenges we live in today. I highly recommend this book!!!
An analysis of masculine angst and masculine decadence.......2005-03-23
In this book, Faludi tries to explain the breakdown of men. As a feminist and the author of Backlash, where she critiqued the power-maintaining reactions of men to the feminist movement, she sets out to identify how and why men go wrong and ends up investigating the world of masculine pain, angst, decadence and vulnerability. In this book, men come out as weak, flawed, but also heroic.
This book analyzes the disintegration of the American man and discuses it in the context of Post-War American history. Faludi points out how unemployment, loss of meaning, breakdown of the family system, the culture of competition and corporatism, Vietnam war, the fashion system, ghetto cultures, etc., systematically contributed to the loss of meaning among American men.
Although this book only proclaims to be an anaysis of American Post-War men, much of what it analyzes and describes holds true even in a global context. Vietnam may be a very American wound, but corporatization, consumerism, the culture of ornamentalism, cosmetics, industrial crises, rising unemployment levels etc., make men anywhere in the world today feel more 'hemmed in', than they were a few decades ago.
Faludi's basic argument is similar to that of Robert Bly's 'Iron John' and sees the increasing distanciation of fathers from family affairs (due to migration for work), as the reason why most sons have a checquered road to manhood.
Her inquiries also show how modern culture tries to deprive men of their softer, maternal affections (positive feminity or 'maternal masculinity' which can enrich men if they adapt it to temper their negative masculinity) and forces the empty ornamental display of self (dressing up, grooming up, dandying up etc. or ornamental masculinity which borrows from weaknesses of women rather their strengths) as the 'model' of masculinity to adopt, after emptying men of their core values.
Men, Faludi says, cannot fight the enemy because they cannot name the enemy unlike women who are clear that they want to blame men for their predicament.
As a diagnosis of the male predicament in today's culture this book is incisive and thoroughly insightful.
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Books Index
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Development as Freedom
