Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution

Average customer rating:

Interesting overview of the not-so-intentional leader of California Cuisine

Saint Alice - hagiography of a restaurateur

Life altering

Fine history of fascinating people and a wonderful place to eat

Alice Waters and the food revolution

Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution
Thomas McNamee
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594201153
Release Date: 2007-03-22

Amazon.com

You can't tell the story of Chez Panisse, Berkeley's famed restaurant, without relating that of its diminutive founder, proprietor, and sometime chef, Alice Waters. This is what Thomas McNamee does most handily in his Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, a chronicle that begins with the seat-of-the-pants opening night of the "counterculture" venture in 1971, and ends 35 years later with Waters's restaurant an American institution--one credited with birthing California Cuisine, a style devoted to simplicity, freshness and seasonality. The book also limns, with tasty gossip, the ever-evolving Chez Panisse family, including the cook-artisans uniquely responsible for dish creation; follows the attempts, mostly failed, to put the restaurant on sound financial footing; shows how dishes and menus get made; and of course pursues Waters as she broadens her commitment to "virtuous agriculture" by establishing ventures like The Edible Schoolyard and The Yale Sustainable Food Project.

The success of Chez Panisse--Gourmet magazine named it the best American restaurant in 2002--has everything to do with Waters, yet she remains an elusive protagonist. Sophisticated yet naive, professional and amateur, hard-driving but emotionally blurry, she invites reader interest but doesn't always satisfy it, as least as presented here. If McNamee cannot quite bring her to life, and if his tale lacks an insider's full conversance with his subject, he still engages readers in the considerable drama of people finding their way--blunderingly, with talented intent--to something new. With menus, narrated recipes, and photographs throughout, the book is vital reading for anyone interested in food, period. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

In an authorized biography-the story of Alice Waters, Chez Panisse, and the San Francisco 1970s counterculture food revolution that invented "American cuisine"

Not so long ago it was nearly impossible to find a cappuccino or a croissant in this country, and goat cheese and mesclun lettuce were virtually unheard of. Most people had no idea what "organic" food was, and even fewer thought about "sustainable farming." But in 1971, in a corner of Berkeley, California, a young Francophile named Alice Waters opened a small counterculture restaurant for her friends called Chez Panisse and launched an entirely new way of thinking about and serving food in America. Without an ounce of business sense or financial discipline, Alice relied on the coterie of devoted friends and followers who developed around her and on her strong principles of, among other things, using only locally grown and organic ingredients at the peak of their seasons, to keep her restaurant afloat. It was a reckless, extravagant, inexperienced venture that would have failed at any other time and place, but that instead-somehow-turned into a food revolution.

Today, Alice Waters may be the most important figure in the culinary history of North America. Chez Panisse revolutionized what it means to eat out and gave birth to a new nationwide cuisine-the first in this country not associated with a single region or ethnic group, the first "American" cuisine. Gourmet's 2002 appraisal ranked Chez Panisse as the best restaurant in America, and The New York Times has called Alice "the mother of American cooking." Alice has become a public figure, revered and idolized by many. The first "foodie," she has become a famous chef, activist, advocate, and spokeswoman whose personal beliefs have become the values of an entire food movement. But her complex personal character is hardly known at all.

Thomas McNamee was selected by Alice to document her story and was given exclusive access to her and her closest friends, to the Chez Panisse archives, and to private collections and memorabilia. As the story unfolds over the decades, we learn of her many passionate loves, her marriage, her divorce, the birth of her daughter Fanny, her failures, her critics. We come to know the extraordinary cast of characters who have formed the ever-shifting Chez Panisse community-a make-shift family with complex relationships, competing interests, and a strange, almost cultish, devotion to each other and to their work.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting overview of the not-so-intentional leader of California Cuisine.......2007-10-08

Any foodie worth her sun-dried sea salt knows the name Alice Waters. Waters was the person who spearheaded the move to fresh, local produce that's grown sustainability and locally, and Chez Panisse is probably the most famous restaurant that most of us have never visited.

So I was particularly interested in Waters' story. I'm glad I read it, as I feel like I now know things that I ought to know... but I can't say that this is a Wow book. If you have the opportunity to read the book, do; but I don't think you have to drop everything to put it on the top of your Must Read pile.

Yes, Alice Waters created a revolution in the way that Americans, or at least food-conscious Americans, think about food. But she didn't set out to do so as though she was on a lifelong mission... she just wanted to open the sort of one-star Michelin restaurant that she had encountered across France. Through a set of remarkable happenstance (which makes me think simultaneously -- if oddly -- of both Forrest Gump and Connie Willis' Bellwether), Waters was always in the right place at the right time. The right person always showed up in her life, at the time needed. And -- here's a lesson far beyond foodiehood -- she repeatedly took disaster and turned it into opportunity.

For example, after she brought Italian wood fired pizza to the States (oh geez, she started *that* trend, too?), an oven started a huge fire. The restaurant had to be renovated in a hurry, so instead of recreating the small door between kitchen and dining room, she made a big open area... and began a trend towards the "open kitchen." Waters was just solving a problem, but her innovation started a trend.

This is all interesting stuff, and it's interwoven with the events of Waters' own life (such as a procession of lovers, her marriage, motherhood), as well as the strong personalities who have been associated with the restaurant (many of whom have become celebrity chefs or written cookbooks, too). Much of this is from quoted interviews. It's interesting, and the author does a good job (though not dispassionately, as it's clear that the author *likes* Waters). The result, though, is that I felt informed and educated, rather than blown away or inspired or fascinated. That is: I liked this book. I didn't adore it.

Saint Alice - hagiography of a restaurateur.......2007-09-25

McNamee's book is an excellent read, no doubt. The story flows, the characters build, the plot thickens. I've been fortunate enough to often eat at Chez Panisse, particularly in its first 5 years, and had seen more than a few of the scenes the author, or one of his correspondents, describes. Alice's determination and pursuit of the best possible ingredient have always been remarkable. She's a Taurus, isn't she!

My only quibble is the rather overly respectful view McNamee takes of her. She's more a flesh and blood person than a saint, and the author might take that into account if he continues to plumb this vein of research.

All in all a fairly well researched and well written tome. Perhaps not as evocative as the chapter on Chez Panisse in David Kamp's, United States of Arugula, but a good book to open to any page & foster a laugh, a sigh or an hurrah!

Life altering.......2007-09-06

Adored this book. It will change the whole way you look at food, from farming it to eating it. It also helped hone my palate and I am still running about buying ingrediants mentioned in it. Have bought three additional copies for friends.

Fine history of fascinating people and a wonderful place to eat.......2007-07-05

The background and history of Chez Panisse is a grand addition to the good meals I've eaten there over many years. Thanks to the author for capturing the early years with such vitality.

Alice Waters and the food revolution.......2007-06-08

This is an inspiring and clear-eyed view of the woman who is indisputably linked to the revolution in American cuisine. Before Alice Waters, thinking about organic food, local food, support for small farms, eating seasonal foods, food as essential to a return to civility, did not pervade the collective consciousness of our society. The book paints her, warts and all, breathtakingly well and Alice gets into your mind leaping off the pages to look over your shoulder as you buy and prepare dinner. Her revolution is not about food. It is about life and how to live it. It's a great read.

Average customer rating:

Excellent analysis
"If We can Keep It" - quote of the Forefathers
Success was not guaranteed
It Can't Be Said Enough, Excellent, Superb, One of the Best
1776: A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE!

1776
David McCullough
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743226712

Amazon.com

Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance.

Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian. --Shawn Carkonen

The Other 1776
With his riveting, enlightening accounts of subjects from Johnstown Flood to John Adams, David McCullough has become the historian that Americans look to most to tell us our own story. In his Amazon.com interview, McCullough explains why he turned in his new book from the political battles of the Revolution to the battles on the ground, and he marvels at some of his favorite young citizen soldiers who fought alongside the remarkable General Washington.

The Essential David McCullough

John Adams
Truman
Mornings on Horseback

The Path Between the Seas
The Great Bridge
The Johnstown Flood

More Reading on the Revolution

The Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff
Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer
His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis

Washington's General by Terry Golway
Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub
Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum

Book Description

In this stirring book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

Here also is the Revolution as experienced by American Loyalists, Hessian mercenaries, politicians, preachers, traitors, spies, men and women of all kinds caught in the paths of war.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

The book begins in London on October 26, 1775, when His Majesty King George III went before Parliament to declare America in rebellion and to affirm his resolve to crush it. From there the story moves to the Siege of Boston and its astonishing outcome, then to New York, where British ships and British troops appear in numbers never imagined and the newly proclaimed Continental Army confronts the enemy for the first time. David McCullough's vivid rendering of the Battle of Brooklyn and the daring American escape that followed is a part of the book few readers will ever forget.

As the crucial weeks pass, defeat follows defeat, and in the long retreat across New Jersey, all hope seems gone, until Washington launches the "brilliant stroke" that will change history.

The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

Download Description

"In this stirring book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history. "

Customer Reviews:

Excellent analysis.......2007-10-15

This is a terrific book that brings some of the most dramatic moments in the war of independence to life. If you're interested in how this country started, this is a good book to read.

"If We can Keep It" - quote of the Forefathers.......2007-10-13

It's people like David McCullough that manage to bring American History alive once more.

I remember sitting in American History class, bored to tears by the dryness of the whole thing, knowing it was vastly important, yet no stimulus was forthcoming from the instructors, further compounded by being too young to care. Perhaps, most of us just need to get older to appreciate what we have, what was given us by our predecessors, but whatever the reason, David McCullough opened the door of my jaded imagination to a vibrantly alive century long past, full of real people, feet of clay, possessing all the human frailties, yet coming together across racial, social, and intellectual lines, doing an impossible job against all odds, under the worst possible conditions, and triumphing in the end simply because they refused to recognize defeat, even as it surrounded them from every direction.

Two facts that starkly stand out in the whole mix: The patriots Knox and Greene, neither of them gentlemen by birth in the accepted way, possessing no great wealth, nor education, became two of the major components behind Washington that granted him the victory. Perhaps in other times, they, endowed of such natural talent would have been entirely overlooked. American ingenuity, one of our greatest strengths, was born out of them to us - on the spur of the moment, out of pressing necessity - with nothing more asked - or to be gained, other than death - than the passion (no other word will do) to support a new idea - Freedom.

We all know what the outcome was, so I won't bore any of you with more of that in my own heartfelt review of the book. What I really wished to convey to any reader, especially a younger one, who may not have opened the pages as yet - is that it will bring a new generation to experience anew the sense of pride that most of us as American's feel, and do it in a way that is truly "readable".

What a book - written by someone who leaves "dry" at home and digs down deep into the "human experience" to tell us the vibrant story about the courage that slumbers until needed - among a people who possess the desire to live free.

We weren't "Born Free" - it was won "for us" by others long gone - let's never forget.

Success was not guaranteed.......2007-10-01

Looking back on the American revolution of 1776 we sometimes
make the mistake to think success was guaranteed.
In David McCulloughs splendid book 1776 we clearly see
that it was not.
Its the gripping tale of american patriots like Nathanael Green,
age thirty three, who knew nothing of war except what he had read in books, and twenty five year old bookseller Henry Knox - who joined the
cause with George Washington to fight the biggest army in the world.

A weird assembly - the cause of liberty being led by a slavemaster
(Washington had more than 100 slaves). Still, in the end he is the one
who overcomes all bad odds and makes independence real.
In december 1776 leading a down and out army of some 3.000 to surprise attack Christmas night on hessian forces in Trenton and later Princeton. Turning the tide.
Having narrowly escaped the british and certain defeat in Brooklyn,
where the american army eventually only escaped over the East river,
because of the curtain of night concealed them and later a heavy fog.
Had they been spotted by the british - defeat would have been certain.
At Kips Bay Washington finds his troops in panic. Turned cowards
in front of the enemy. When no one obeys and only runs in panic,
Washington throws his hat to the ground, exclaiming in disgust:
"Are these the men with which I am to defend America".
As he and his defeated men are chased through New Jersey
by the british, thousands of the good people in New Jersey
flock to the british camps to declare their loyalty.
Washingtons followers reduced to a pitiable collection of ragged,
dispirited mortals that ever pretended to the name of an army.
As the sick and elderly were being abused, raped and murdered by british and Hessian forces in the New Jersey countryside - Washington forces quit in large numbers and return home.
And still, Christmas night, Washingtons men attack Trenton and conquers
1.500 Hessians - and turned the tide.
In McCulloughs word- Washington was not a brilliant tactician,
not a gifted orator, not an intellectual. At several crucial moments
he had shown indecisiveness and mistakes in judgment. But he
never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up.

What a story 1776 is. It makes sense that one book can't follow
event all the way to Yorktown or from the beginning with the Boston teaparty.
Simply 1776 has so much drama - that it is more than enough
for one book. But I will look forward to sequels. 1775, 1777 etc.
The John Adams book was more complete in the sense that we got both the begining and the end to the story, so that got five stars. Here I missed something on what happened after 1776 - but then again, I am sure the author is busy working on sequels !

-Simon

It Can't Be Said Enough, Excellent, Superb, One of the Best.......2007-10-01

There has probably been enough written about this book to fill more pages than the book itself. Of all the military books I have read, this book more than any other brought the information alive. The way writing was beyond excellent and the information presented in an engaging manner. Obviously this book represents General Washington and the American cause in a positive manner. That's not to say that it glosses over any of Washington's mistakes. On the contrary the author is quick to point out the general's mistakes and weaknesses. But as history would prove, Washington did enough right to survive 1776 and all the events of that dramatic year to keep an army in the field. Keeping the Continental Army in the field was most likely the single most important achievement of George Washington's tenure as Commander and Chief, during the war years. The book gives you insight into the lives of both officers and enlisted while maintaining it's focus on the overall impact of the decisions made during each chapter. It's difficult to write a review for a book that has already won the Pulitzer Prize. All this reviewer can really say is that all the accolades this book has received were very much deserved

1776: A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE!.......2007-09-21

David McCullough's book "1776" chronicles the first major year of fighting in during America's war for independence. The strength of this book is how McCullough gives the reader a humanistic portrayal of all the key players of the American Revolution. His accounts of key battles and events are exciting and dramatic, rivaling the best of historic fiction. This book will keep you glued until the very end. I highly recommend it!
Grade: A

Average customer rating:

LOVED IT!!!!
So far as I know, this is the last in the series
Good ending to the series
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)
love, love, love, Diana's writing

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385340397
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Book Description

Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.

Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

LOVED IT!!!!.......2007-10-12

Great book! WOW!!! If you've loved the series so far, you will love this one too.

So far as I know, this is the last in the series.......2007-09-22

I've seen some negative comments about The Fiery Cross - and there is an explanation for its being less than Gabaldon fans have come to expect. It's not my business to explain it and that's all I'm going to say. If you want more of Claire and Jamie, you'd better start over - I just did. AND, you can always buy The Outlandish Companion or the Lord John Grey novels.

Good ending to the series.......2007-09-14

Finally the last epic of Claire and Jamie, Diana G has compleded the series in a good way, I was satisfied with the completion, it was time for the end to come, after all how many war's could Jamie still conquer! Good read, recommend.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander).......2007-08-24

Another really good read from Diana Gabaldon. It turns out I had already read this book but all her books of this series are worth a second or third read. I have already re-read the other books from this series and wish she would get the next book done and quit keeping us in suspense.

love, love, love, Diana's writing.......2007-08-02

I have absolutely fallen in love with this series! I read all six books within one month. I can't get enough of Jamie and Claire; other historical romance novels pale in comparison. The whole series is in depth both historically and emotionally. I can't wait until the next two books come out! Please continue writing Diana!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

It was a good deal too
Theoretical background for Operations Management - setting a new standard
written with the heart of a teacher
Exceptional enlightened and insightful!
Excellent and valuable book

Factory Physics Second Edition
Wallace Hopp , and Mark Spearman
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0256247951

Book Description

Comprehensive Introduction to Manufacturing Management text covering the behavior laws at work in factories. Examines operating policies and strategic objectives. Hopp presents the concepts of manufacturing processes and controls within a "physics" or "laws of nature" analogy--a novel approach. There is enough quantitative material for an engineer's course, as well as narrative that a management major can understand and apply.

Customer Reviews:

It was a good deal too.......2007-08-16

The Book was in Excellent shape. It was a good deal too

thank you

Theoretical background for Operations Management - setting a new standard.......2006-10-03

This book provides you with the fundamental insights of manufacturing and assembly. Even though I do not like statistics to much, the book is written in a understandable manner and provides the fundamental knowledge to understand what is going on in manufacturing. Based on this knowledge, the flaw of MRP-systems are even explained as well as the basics of JIT/Lean. The book provides mainly the hardfacts of this science and for practical people, reading first Quick-Response-Manufacturing (from Rajan Suri) might be the easier way for many of us and gives you the motivation to take a deeper look later on - as provided by Factory Physics.

Factory Physics describes not only how to describe a single workstation and the interactions between many of them, than as well the great importance of variability reduction in a production line and how to analyse it. CONWIP-lines, as a mix of push-pull, are a central key in this book and a simple way to analyse the performance of any system is provided by the book. This book, together with Quick-Response-Manufacturing (this book includes important softfactores as well) have changed drastically my way of operational thinking and given me a sense, which system to apply (QRM or JIT/Lean) and why. The insight can even be used for services as well. One central point is the utilisation of a workstation and the knowledge, that the more you reduce variability in arrivals and processing, the higher the utilisation can be - still achieving low lead times. You will find as well important and simple laws helping you out in the daily business (Little's law and queueing theory).

As for JIT/Lean, lead time reduction can use the same japanese tools:

- SMED: setup-time reduction (lot sizes for reduction in lead time and WIP)
- TPM: productive maintenance (higher machine availability and decrease of variability)
- ZQC: fool-proof quality inspection for Zero defects (against capacity lost and to decrease variability)

All the books mentionned above, have a big advantage over traditional SCM-books: they provide you with a framework how to trim a single chain-element of the supply-chain and therefore how to built the whole supply chain. The operational strategy should be derived from the overall company strategy and with this new insights you can tailor a unique production system that fits your company's goals - or even give you an advantage over your competition. Anyway, it will not make obsolet the importance of having a sound and consistant overall business strategy (for your markets) first!

Enjoy reading, Best Regards

written with the heart of a teacher.......2006-03-13

Though the two authors are consultants, they are foremost - teachers. What is useful, and kind to a degree, is they put an effort to explain the numbers as pragmatic as possible. That idea made this book very accessible. To the industrial engineers or those who are involved (and passionate) in operations or in understanding systems - next to the Industrial Engineering Handboook, this should be in our library.

Exceptional enlightened and insightful!.......2006-02-18

I found this book to be very insightful. It helps to explain many of my own observations in my factory. The authors did an excellent job of explaining the key concepts using only average use of mathematics and in simple layman's terms. The readers will only need basic mathematics/beginner calculus, and basic statistics. Reading it was like discovering new ideas to implement in the factory to quickly realize efficiencies and cost savings. It was one of the best books I have laid eyes on in a very long time.

I highly recommend this book for every mfg and production engineers working in assembly or automation-driven factory. This book is not applicable to chemical processing, thus may not bring significant values to chemical or petroleum engineers.

Excellent and valuable book.......2005-12-23

This is the best course textbook I have had so far over about ten industrial engineering courses (and I have had some very good textbooks and courses). The book basically describes how to analyze and improve manufacturing operations through examining key areas that include: variability and its sources, push and pull systems, and supply chain management.

The authors approach is to present ideas in a very clear and relevant way. What I particularly like is that they do a great job putting things into perspective in a style that is highly readable. While there is some math involved if one wants to delve into the details that are in side notes, a basic understanding of calculus is more than sufficient. The authors are clearly very bright and, more importantly, are able to communicate very effectively and with a sense of humor.

This book can definitely be read on a stand-alone basis outside of a school environment. Many of the central ideas are very valuable.

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

Average customer rating:

American Gospel - No Answer
Pablum
Finally, a Balanced Truth
Bad history written by a journalist
Meacham has done excellent research

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
Jon Meacham
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0812976665
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

The American Gospel–literally, the good news about America–is that religion shapes our public life without controlling it. In this vivid book, New York Times bestselling author Jon Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice.

At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, American Gospel draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the fascinating history of a nation grappling with religion and politics–from John Winthrop’s “city on a hill” sermon to Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence; from the Revolution to the Civil War; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan.

Debates about religion and politics are often more divisive than illuminating. Secularists point to a “wall of separation between church and state,” while many conservatives act as though the Founding Fathers were apostles in knee britches. As Meacham shows in this brisk narrative, neither extreme has it right. At the heart of the American experiment lies the God of what Benjamin Franklin called “public religion,” a God who invests all human beings with inalienable rights while protecting private religion from government interference. It is a great American balancing act, and it has served us well.

Meacham has written and spoken extensively about religion and politics, and he brings historical authority and a sense of hope to the issue. American Gospel makes it compellingly clear that the nation’s best chance of summoning what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” lies in recovering the spirit and sense of the Founding. In looking back, we may find the light to lead us forward.

“In his American Gospel, Jon Meacham provides a refreshingly clear, balanced, and wise historical portrait of religion and American politics at exactly the moment when such fairness and understanding are much needed. Anyone who doubts the relevance of history to our own time has only to read this exceptional book.”–David McCullough, author of 1776

“Jon Meacham has given us an insightful and eloquent account of the spiritual foundation of the early days of the American republic. It is especially instructive reading at a time when the nation is at once engaged in and deeply divided on the question of religion and its place in public life.”–Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation

“An absorbing narrative full of vivid characters and fresh thinking, American Gospel tells how the Founding Fathers–and their successors–struggled with their own religious and political convictions to work out the basic structure for freedom of religion. For me this book was nonstop reading.”–Elaine Pagels, professor of religion, Princeton University, author of Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

“Jon Meacham is one of our country’s most brilliant thinkers about religion’s impact on American society. In this scintillating and provocative book, Meacham reveals the often-hidden influence of religious belief on the Founding Fathers and on later generations of American citizens and leaders up to our own. Today, as we argue more strenuously than ever about the proper place of religion in our politics and the rest of American life, Meacham’s important book should serve as the touchstone of the debate.”
–Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors

“At a time when faith and freedom seem increasingly polarized, American Gospel recovers our vital center–the middle ground where, historically, religion and public life strike a delicate balance. Well researched, well written, inspiring, and persuasive, this is a welcome addition to the literature.”–Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, author of American Judaism: A History

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

American Gospel - No Answer.......2007-09-28

I have to admit, after reading A Peoples' History of the United States, I had much concern about this book. It seems that it was either going to state that the United States was founded on Christian beliefs or it was going to say that it was absolutely not founded on Christian beliefs. Much to my surprise, the answer was 'sort of.'

As much as one could, Mr. Meacham seems to have taken a middle road, analytical view of the topic. From the origins of separation of church and state to discuss what God and maker were the founding fathers speaking of, the book was found to be most informative an interesting. It seems that some readers will get annoyed because they want the book to pick a side and argue it but instead he presented both parts of the argument and follows history to where we are today with respect to faith, God and government.

His citation system is far superior to that found in A Peoples' History though it was still lacking. He provided a long citation list but only by page with no corresponding reference on said page. I don't know...maybe in popular history books editors feel that when a reader sees a superscript number that they will be turned off. What I would hope is that two editions could be published, one as the book currently is but also one with exact citations so the reader, if she so chooses, can look up a quote or fact and see if it is presented in an appropriate context. Another good thing was the inclusion of entire documents within the appendix to allow the reader to see the source material as it was and to either agree or disagree with Mr. Meacham's interpretation.

Pablum.......2007-09-13

Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Adams, and Madison were Deists, not Christians. Deism, not Christianity, was the religion of the enlightenment and of the early American intelligentsia. This work is well-intended, but superficial, and only feeds into the big lie that America is a "Christian country." That charade needs to be played out, not played into.

Finally, a Balanced Truth.......2007-08-18

American Gospel tells the truth of the history of religion (primarily the belief in Christianity) in the United States. It is very satisfying because it tells the whole story.

I have been an evangelical (born-again) Christian for almost 30 years. In that time, I have heard people say "America is a Christian nation," and I even went to a lecture by David Barton, founder of Wallbuilders, who claimed that the founding fathers were all Christian men.

I love the Lord and I love to study American history. But when I would hear and read about how Christian the nation was (and many evangelicals want to ensure that it remains so), I always think, "How could this Christian nation have tolerated slavery? How could these Christian men say 'thou shalt not steal,' and then take land away from Native Americans?" I often felt like those I've heard go on about how America was founded by Christians would like for people to forget our country's greatest sins, or believe that Christians had nothing to do with them. In fact, on Independence Day weekend 2007, I went to Church and my pastor gave a message about America, and he said "The battle cry of America has always been freedom." That's a nice thought, but it's just not true.

The truth is that the founders wanted a nation where people could be free in every aspect, including their spiritual beliefs. I'm glad for a book that respects Christianity but does not justify, minimize or ignore America's sins.

Bad history written by a journalist.......2007-08-15

If you want a real historical account and worth while scholarship, I would suggest reading "The Faiths of the Founding Fathers." Meacham is an amateur. Any senior in an undergraduate history course should be able to point out the glaring omissions, half truths and shoddy scholarship. His thesis is not even original. It seems to me Meacham is a reporter who found a way to make money during a time where religion and government are of more concern to Americans. Meacham should stick to reporting and let historians write history.

Meacham has done excellent research.......2007-08-09

Jon Meacham has researched the history of religion (mostly Christianity) in the colonies and in the founding fathers writing. His detail is excellent, and his intrepretations are thoughtful and well supported.

The debates that occurred with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were carried out with the spirit of allowing religious freedom, yet acknowledging that religion played an important role in the lives of citizens and politicians alike.

Before anyone concludes that we declare the U S a Christian nation, it would be well worth your while to review the accounts of our founders as presented by Meacham.

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A Gripping Royal Life
Engrossing from beginning to end
A sympathetic biography of a much maligned queen
Amazing Biography
A Well Told Biography

Marie Antoinette: The Journey
Antonia Fraser
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0307277747
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Amazon.com

In the past, Antonia Fraser's bestselling histories and biographies have focused on people and events in her native England, from Mary Queen of Scots to Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot. Now she crosses the Channel to limn the life of France's unhappiest queen, bringing along her gift for fluent storytelling, vivid characterization, and evocative historical background. Marie Antoinette (1755-93) emerges in Fraser's sympathetic portrait as a goodhearted girl woefully undereducated and poorly prepared for the dynastic political intrigues into which she was thrust at age 14, when her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, married her off to the future Louis XVI to further Austria's interests in France. Far from being the licentious monster later depicted by the radicals who sent her to the guillotine at the height of the French Revolution, young Marie Antoinette was quite prudish, as well as thoroughly humiliated by her husband's widely known failure to have complete intercourse with her for seven long years (the gory details were reported to any number of concerned royal parties, including her mother and brother). She compensated by spending lavishly on clothes and palaces, but Fraser points out that this hardly made her unique among 18th-century royalty, and in any case the causes of the Revolution went far beyond one woman's frivolities. The moving final chapters show Marie Antoinette gaining in dignity and courage as the Revolution stripped her of everything, subjected her to horrific brutalities (a mob paraded the head of her closest female friend on a pike below her window), and eventually took her life. Fraser makes no attempt to hide the queen's shortcomings, in particular her poor political skills, but focuses on her personal warmth and noble bearing during her final ordeal. It's another fine piece of popular historical biography to add to Fraser's already impressive bibliography. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

France's iconic queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous "Let them eat cake," was alternately revered and reviled during her lifetime. For centuries since, she has been the object of debate, speculation, and the fascination so often accorded illustrious figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted child was thrust onto the royal stage and commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in European history. Antonia Fraser's lavish and engaging portrait excites compassion and regard for all aspects of the queen, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but in the culture of an unparalleled time and place.

Customer Reviews:

A Gripping Royal Life.......2007-08-29

Light on analysis and heavy on chronicling, MATJ efficiently and often movingly recounts a notorious chapter in history. AF does a fine job of evoking life in a European court in general, and in the times of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in particular. She treats her subject objectively, though with a reasonable measure of implicit sympathy. The Antoinette depicted in MATJ is far more nuanced a figure than the one many of us were first introduced to in public school history lessons. Though not without flaws, Marie Antoinette emerges in MATJ as no more flawed a person than most -- a product and a victim of circumstances that were largely of others' making. MATJ is particulary affecting in its treatment of the Terror, the collapse of the French monarchy, and Marie Antoinette's ultimate fate -- a fate as brutal as one can imagine. As a history of the Terror and the French Revolution, MATJ falls short. But it does not purport to be a broader work of historical synthesis or analysis. It hews closely to its subject -- the queen whose life intersected, tragically, with enormous national and world-historical events. In doing so, it offers a full and affecting portrait of one of history's most compelling figures.

Engrossing from beginning to end.......2007-08-09

"Marie Antoinette: The Journey" was my first experience with the work of Lady Antonia Fraser. Having read many biographies of famous British historical figures, I noticed that her name always seemed to crop up in various authors' "Acknowledgements" or bibliographies. In fact, the point at which I first recall reading her name was in reviews for John Guy's "Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart". My interest piqued, I ordered a copy of "Marie Antoinette" to test the waters of an author whose scholarship and style was, it seemed to me, almost universally respected. And I can safely say that I've never been more pleased with the outcome of an experiment.

Antonia Fraser's sparklingly eloquent and witty writing style lends itself perfectly to the glamorous story of the ultimately tragic French queen. What I appreciated most about the narrative (aside from its seamless fluidity) was the lack, thankfully, of shameless allusions to the subject's eventual disastrous fate. Lady Antonia stated in the introduction to her biography that she would endeavor to present Marie Antoinette's tale `without the perils of hindsight' (her words, although not in the introduction), as most authors I'm sure would have been prone to do. Despite the fact that I was aware of Marie Antoinette's death going in, I had little knowledge of the reasons for it.

And thusly I come to another brilliant aspect of this biography: the sound and thorough description of events leading, not only to Marie Antoinette's beheading, but the French Revolution itself. Obviously, Antonia Fraser's intention in presenting the queen's story was not to simultaneously provide the reader with an exhaustive analysis of the Revolution (for that, many would recommend Simon Schama's "Citizens"); so with that said, I found the author's breakdown of the events occurring throughout Marie Antoinette's adopted country entirely satisfying within the confines of a biography.

This is one of the few biographies in which I was so sufficiently engrossed by the story that I gradually disregarded my previous knowledge of how the story ends. So swept along was I by the narrative's current that I actually harbored quiet hope for the queen's rescue from the Conciergerie, where she was incarcerated prior to her execution. As a result, I was crushed when Marie Antoinette met her gruesome death. Such unquestioning absorption is, in my opinion, the mark of any quality biography, when coupled with an objective and engaging presentation of facts that envelopes you in the world of its subject. "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" shines vividly in that regard and many others.

Elizabeth Longford, Antonia Fraser's mother and a highly-respected biographer, stated in a later-edition introduction to her masterful "Victoria R. I." that the word `definitive', in describing biographical works, is meaningless. Various authors studying the same subject may interpret facts and events quite differently. Having never read another biography of Marie Antoinette, I cannot rightly speak of Lady Antonia's book as being the essential source for information. But based upon my own experience with it, and those of most other reviewers, I would wager that this is the best possible place to start.

A sympathetic biography of a much maligned queen.......2007-07-12

Always the victim of fate and controlled by external powers, Marie Antoinette warmed to her roles well. From her idyllic childhood in Austria to her life as a princess (the Dauphine) in France during her adolescence to her extravagant Queenship in Versailles and Petit Trianon to her staid motherhood and finally to her untimely death at the hands of the Jacobins, Marie Antoinette filled her role with grace and dignity. Fraser brings us a portrait of Marie Antoinette as she certainly would have liked to have been remembered rather than the villainous harpy she was portrayed as during her life and beyond.

Starting, as any biography of Marie Antoinette must, in Austria under the reign of Maria Teresa, the book proceeds to describe life in the Empress' household and the various intrigues therein. The book tries not to miss any significant points along the way, but the book soon moves to the marriage of Marie to the young French Dauphin Louis XVI. From there, the life and political machinations of the courtiers and Marie among them are highlighted. Fraser sometimes seems to get lost recalling all the courtiers and their significances, but Marie is always kept as the central figure. Through this storytelling the reader watches a young woman grow up, sometimes under bad influences, but mostly under the watchful eyes of responsible advisors.

There is quite a bit of focus on Marie and Louis' failure to consummate their marriage, with the lightness of the King's attitude towards the Prince (Louis) in sharp contrast to the heavy yoke of responsibility laid on the Prince by Marie's brother the Emperor Joseph. In time, the married couple figure out their roles and they give birth to the first Dauphin.

What stands out about Fraser's prose is her ability to evoke great joy in the reader, as well as great sadness. She gives the joy of the royal family at the birth of their first child directly to the reader. Likewise, when the Dauphin, a sickly child, dies at a young age, Fraser pulls no punches and the sadness of the royal family is also felt by the reader.

Naturally, the book goes on to cover the rule of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as she oversees her hobbies and children. The attempted escape, called the flight to Varennes, is well covered and Fraser does a good job of bringing out the tension and suspense of the incident. The recounting of this event reads very much like fiction, though the events are very real. Finally, the book wraps up with the incarceration and execution of the royal family at the hands of the French revolutionaries.

The inclusion of paintings and photographs of important people and places makes the book all the more enjoyable. From the cute portrait of the Austrian imperial family to the sketch of Marie Antoinette on her way to the guillotine, each picture frames the period discussed so well that the reader's imagination is free to explore the world of 18th century France and Austria.

Fraser's book is an easy, if long, read, but it is enjoyable and reads very much like fiction rather than a dry biography. The only places it lags are when the number of characters gets too unwieldy or when Fraser tries to explain the bloodline relationships between various courtiers. I think anyone wanting to get a solid background on the life of Marie Antoinette would welcome this book to their library.

Amazing Biography.......2007-07-08

This is an awesome book, written on such an intriguing person in history. Marie Antoinette has gotten a bad rap throughout the years, the whole French revolution has been blamed on her, which is wrong. There are MANY MANY reasons why the revolution happened, and many don't have anything to do with her. It's a great book and the movie by S. Coppolla is also great (if you liked Clueless, you'd like this because it has an innocent air to it). The Marie Antionette in this book comes off a little more sympathetic because the reader is able to see how young and vulnerable she was. We must remember she became Queen of France at such a young, immature age and it's no wonder she had all those lavish parties. This is a great book by a great author and I highly recommend it.

A Well Told Biography.......2007-06-16

Ms. Fraser is a well known author of historical biographies. She does her research and manages to be fair in all things when it comes to delving in past lives that have touched the world. Her attempt at penning Marie Antoinette's story is well done, fair, and shows the world a different young woman that is often portrayed in historical films.

Beginning at the young archduchess start in life to her horrid end, we travel beside this young woman, learning what she had to endure and seeing her in a way not always portrayed. With plenty of historic facts, color pictures the author has penned a fair biography that will give the reader insight into a much misunderstood woman. This is one book I highly recommend.

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WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Vinyl Bound

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Contemporary Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Feminist Theory | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0914357999

Book Description

There had never been art like the art produced by women artists in the 1970s--and there has never been a book with the ambition and scope of this one about that groundbreaking era. WACK! documents and illustrates the impact of the feminist revolution on art made between 1965 and 1980, featuring pioneering and influential works by artists who came of age during that period--Chantal Akerman, Lynda Benglis, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Valie Export, Mary Heilmann, Sanja Ivekovič, Ana Mendieta, Annette Messager, and others--as well as important works made in those years by artists whose whose careers were already well established, including Louise Bourgeois, Judy Chicago, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Lucy Lippard, Alice Neel, and Yoko Ono.

The art surveyed in WACK! includes work by more than 120 artists, in all media--from painting and sculpture to photography, film, installation, and video--arranged not by chronology but by theme: Abstraction, "Autophotography," Body as Medium, Family Stories, Gender Performance, Knowledge as Power, Making Art History, and others. WACK!, which accompanies the first international museum exhibition to showcase feminist art from this revolutionary era, contains more than 400 color images. Highlights include the figurative paintings of Joan Semmel; the performance and film collaborations of Sally Potter and Rose English; the untitled film stills of Cindy Sherman; and the large-scale, craft-based sculptures of Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Written entries on each artist offer key biographical and descriptive information and accompanying essays by leading critics, art historians, and scholars offer new perspectives on feminist art practice. The topics--including the relationship between American and European feminism, feminism and New York abstraction, and mapping a global feminism--provide a broad social context for the artworks themselves. WACK! is both a definitive visual record and a long-awaited history of one of the most important artistic movements of the twentieth century.

Essays by:
Cornelia Butler, Judith Russi Kirshner, Catherine Lord, Marsha Meskimmon, Richard Meyer, Helen Molesworth, Peggy Phelan, Nelly Richard, Valerie Smith, Abigail Solomon-Godeau, Jenni Sorkin

Artists include:
Marina Abramovič, Chantal Akerman, Lynda Benglis, Dara Birnbaum, Louise Bourgeois, Judy Chicago, Lygia Clark, Jay DeFeo, Mary Beth Edelson, Valie Export, Barbara Hammer, Susan Hiller, Joan Jonas, Mary Kelly, Maria Lassnig, Linda Montano, Alice Neel, Senga Nengudi, Lorraine O’Grady, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Orlan, Howardena Pindell, Yvonne Rainer, Faith Ringgold, Ketty La Rocca, Ulrike Rosenbach, Martha Rosler, Betye Saar, Miriam Schapiro, Carolee Schneemann, Cindy Sherman, and Hannah Wilke.

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The Best Book Ever!
My Favorite!
--A classic story of the American Revolution--
Celia Garth
Best Historical Fiction Book

Celia Garth
Gwen Bristow
Manufacturer: Ty Crowell Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0690183488

Customer Reviews:

The Best Book Ever!.......2005-12-14

At the prompting of my mother, grandmother, and aunt, I first read Celia Garth before I was old enough to even understand half of what Gwen Bristow writes about. Since then, I have read it many, many times, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. Celia is such a vivid character, and getting to see Charleston and the Revolutionary War through her eyes is like being there yourself! I cried my eyes out at the plantation death scene, marveled at Celia's courage through it all, and could barely contain my glee when she finally realizes her true happiness. I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old; if you haven't read Celia Garth, you're missing out. And if you haven't ever visited Charleston, SC--well, need I say more? You can see the harbor as Celia did, walk the same streets, see the spire of St. Michael's, and much, much more. It's not the same Charleston as it was a hundred years ago, but it's close enough and thoroughly enjoyable.

My Favorite!.......2005-05-02

The first time I read Celia Garth was about eight years ago. I found it sitting on a bookshelf in my house, and I couldn't put it down. It immediately became my favorite book, and to this day still is. I just recently started reading Gwen Bristow's others, and I can't put them down either! Her Historical Fiction is amazing, and her ability to combine her fictional characters with non-fictional people and places is the best I have ever seen.

--A classic story of the American Revolution--.......2003-08-29

CELIA GARTH takes place during the American Revolutionary War in the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Celia, the main character is a "sassy" twenty-year-old woman who worked as a seamstress in a very fashionable clothing shop. The inhabitants of Charleston were divided in their loyalties. Some were Tories and supported the king and England; many others were supporters of the revolution. After two months of conflict and bombardment, British forces occupied the city of Charleston.

The local hero in South Carolina was Francis Marion, called the "Swamp Fox," by the British. His goal was to keep the British army occupied in South Carolina, and away from General George Washington who was fighting another British army in the north. Celia and her friends supported the revolution and acted as spies for Francis Marion during the two years of the British occupation of Charleston.

The book is full of the flavor and feeling of the late 1700's. Luke Ansell, an American soldier sings the following little ditty, as he walks home after his first meeting with Celia Garth.

"Now girls why act so shy
When provoking men come by?
You know you're only wondering
how you strike us--

Oh forget the won'ts and can'ts!
For since half the world wears pants,
You might as well own up to it--
you like us!"

I learned a great deal about Charleston and how the people of that town lived through the very difficult years of the American Revolution. The book gives a lot of little tidbits of interesting information. For instance, it was popular for the colonial women to name their male babies, George. They would then tell if their baby was named after King George of England or General George Washington.

This is a well-written and very enlightening story.

Celia Garth.......2001-11-21

I first read this book in high school many years ago. I have not been able to find another copy until Amazon. It is probably one of the best historical fictions next to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Gwen Bristow is a great writer as you can also experience in her Santa Fe Trail. Anyone interested in the Revolutionary War from a woman's prospective will love this book.

Best Historical Fiction Book.......1999-12-21

I read Celia Garth about 12 years ago. It was my mom's copy from when she was a young girl. I have read it many, many times and love it still! Celia's character is so likeable, as are all the other characters, especially Luke and Darren. My next favorite characters. I recommrnd this book to everyone. My mom and I enjoy all our Celia Garth chats. I never get tired of reading about Celia.

A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 (New York Review Books Classics)

Average customer rating:

Chilling Masterpiece
Read it before you start a Mid-East War
Shines a light on insurgencies in the 20th century
Peering Into the Cesspit
Mirror For Our Times

A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 (New York Review Books Classics)
Alistair Horne
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Algeria | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

North Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1590172183
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962. It brought down six French governments, led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic, returned de Gaulle to power, and came close to provoking a civil war on French soil. More than a million Muslim Algerians died in the conflict and as many European settlers were driven into exile. Above all, the war was marked by an unholy marriage of revolutionary terror and repressive torture.

Nearly a half century has passed since this savagely fought war ended in Algeria’s independence, and yet—as Alistair Horne argues in his new preface to his now-classic work of history—its repercussions continue to be felt not only in Algeria and France, but throughout the world. Indeed from today’s vantage point the Algerian War looks like a full-dress rehearsal for the sort of amorphous struggle that convulsed the Balkans in the 1990s and that now ravages the Middle East, from Beirut to Baghdad—struggles in which questions of religion, nationalism, imperialism, and terrorism take on a new and increasingly lethal intensity.

A Savage War of Peace is the definitive history of the Algerian War, a book that brings that terrible and complicated struggle to life with intelligence, assurance, and unflagging momentum. It is essential reading for our own violent times as well as a lasting monument to the historian’s art.

Customer Reviews:

Chilling Masterpiece.......2007-09-26

I selected this book wishing to know more about the French war in Algeria. Mr. Horne more than satisfied my curiousity. He provides an in-depth, virtually blow-by-blow account of the eight year conflict, pulling no PC punches, and taking great care to remain as impartial as possible. This is no easy feat, given the intensity of the situation. He is very careful to present this as not a typical colonial war as much as a battle between 2 diametrically opposed visions for Algeria. On one side were the Pieds Noirs, whose families had lived in Algeria for generations, understandably saw Algeria as their home, and wanted to preserve "Algerie Francaise." On the other hand, you have the FLN (not the spokesman for most Algerians), with its demands for Algerian independence, sans the Pieds Noirs. What made this conflict a battle between extremes was the FLN's reign of terror against relative moderates among the Algerians (many of whom had advocated finding a "middle ground" in the conflict). This has the effect of presenting the FLN as France's only "negotiating" partner within Algeria. Moreover, it pushed many of the Pieds Noirs to support such hard-line groups as the OAS. Essentially, the FLN set up the conflict to end in its favor, as the war nearly tore France apart on several occasions (and nearly claimed the life of Charles De Gaulle on an equal number of occasions). Mr. Horne captures this story very nicely, weaving back and forth between Algeria and France. He demonstrates beyond all reasonable doubt that the conflict had very high stakes for the French. Also, he describes how the outcome of the conflict proved to not be France's finest hour, to put it very charitably.

Read it before you start a Mid-East War.......2007-09-21

What every President should know before getting seriously involved anywhere in the Mid-East or Muslim world. It would seem that we are damned if we do, and equally damned if we don't. It's not so much the book's details (although the book is magnificently detailed), as it is the portrayal of the depth of hatreds and the commitment to violence as the sole means to the proponents ends.

Shines a light on insurgencies in the 20th century.......2007-08-19

Horne's classic book on Algeria is one of those rare works of history that breaks open the subject at hand to peer deep into the heart of an era. It details the entire Franco-Algerian war from its historical antecedents through the military and political struggles of the war itself and into the late 20th century, tracking the Algerian fight for independence and the wrestling of the French nation with redefinition after colonialism. The parallels to numerous other insurgencies in the 20th and early 21st centuries are obvious.

What is most tragic about Alistair Horne's tale from my perspective as a theologian, however, is the seeming inevitability of the whole Algerian tragedy. Though Horne highlights several points at which the confrontation might have taken a faster and more complete track toward reconciliation, it's difficult to see how the actors in the moment could have grasped these opportunities. The stage seems to have been set for years of violence sometime deep in the past, as pieds noirs became firmly Algerian and native Algerians became jaded at the empty rhetoric of their French occupiers. Plenty of blame can be spread around to perpetrators of horrible and inhuman acts during the seven and a half years of conflict, but it is difficult to see how any one actor or group could have decisively brought about a clearer peace.

The lessons of the Algerian conflict are ripe to be picked by anyone willing to study it. Many of Horne's insights about these types of confrontations carry over to the war in Iraq, civil war in numerous spots around the globe, and the struggle to combat terrorism around the world. Indeed, the book is being studied at the highest levels in Washington, according to news reports. One can only hope that the venerable chronicler of France's last years as a colonial power is being heeded.

Peering Into the Cesspit.......2007-08-10

One of the things that perplexed and, frankly, disgusted me, throughout this book was the posturing of many key figures on the French side about "honour" and "grandeur". In pursuit of their honour, many of these people behaved in the most disgraceful and dishonourable manner.

They preened themselves on their honour and spoke volubly about "restoring the glory of France", but when the going got difficult, they mostly resigned their positions or simply abandoned their responsibilities - often to return later to repeat the whole disreputable process - or intrigue among themselves.

Perhaps a psychologist could shed more light on this cesspit of misplaced values than an historian.

But what of the other side - the Algerian independence movement? The alphabet soup of factions (FLN, CRUA, MTLD, UDMA etc etc) was liberally peopled by thugs, assassins, torturers and thieves. They squabbled among themselves, intrigued for office, occasionally betrayed each other, and terrorised their own people - all in the cause of Algerian independence.

Even after independence, members of the ruling clique continued to wage war upon each other and upon the Algerian people. The struggle continues to this day.

Ordinary Algerians on both sides were the victims of the war - as is ever the case. At its end, within months, almost all the "pied noir" population had fled the country in one of the great mass migrations of the post war era. Muslims who had worked and fought for the French and who were unable (or chose not) to flee were mercilessly hunted down.

I finished the book with a sense of disgust, of having been soiled by the mostly contemptible people shaping events on both sides. When one peers into a cesspit of struggling fanatics, one inevitably gets splashed.

However, readers should not be deterred from reading this book. "A Savage War of Peace" deserves to be read. Its lessons are equally valid today in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The book gives an excellent account of the war from both French and Muslim sides, but while the latter was adequately covered in a factual sense, that side of the story was somewhat dry and impersonal.

To a large extent this simply reflects the availability of sources - and those willing to talk freely and honestly. The author claims to have been hampered by the "traditional secretiveness and suspicion of the Algerian Arabs" - especially when the possibility of assassination was ever present for those critical of the Algerian leadership.

Within these limitations, Horne gives an objective account of the 8-year war, during which up to 600,000 French military personnel were stationed in Algeria. As the struggle went on, both sides resorted increasingly to torture and terror to achieve their aims.

At one point military victory seemed in sight, although one must suspect that, had the French "won" in a military sense, the price would have been some sort of partition of Algeria into French and Muslim zones, and the permanent military suppression of the latter. Sound familiar?

Another conclusion one can draw from the book is that the relentless pursuit of an ideology rarely, if ever, results in a better life for ordinary people who are to be "improved". This was true for Communism and will probably be proven true eventually for the various forms of Islamic fundamentalism currently destroying lives in many parts of the world - and true also for ideologues on the other side who fight them in the name of freedom and democracy - and who are equally convinced of their righteousness.

Mirror For Our Times.......2007-08-09

Alistair Horne's seminal book on the Algerian War, A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962, is a thorough look at a war that closely resembles the current conflict in Iraq. I read a couple of really interesting articles on this book earlier and felt compelled to read it. Terrorism, civil war, torture: these things also took place in Algeria and it would seem that there are some lessons to learned, but it seems they have not been heeded. It was a very long and complicated book, but not without its rewards. Apparently it has been read by Bush and several of his advisors. I think it would have been more meaningful to me if had a better grasp of the conflict and French history since 1945 in general, but that being said there was a lot of interesting information about this conflict. Terrorism, de Gaulle, France, and other conflicts like those in South Africa, Ireland, and Indo China. I think this paragraph sums up the situation pretty astutely:

One is left with the controversial role of de Gaulle, criticized both for going too slow and too fast. As far as the latter reproach goes, in the last stages of negotiations he suffered from the lesson not learned by Kissinger in Vietnam, or perhaps by Israel vis-à-vis the Arab world, or by the South Africans; namely, that peoples who have been waiting for their independence for a centenary, fighting for it for a generation, can afford to sit out a presidential term, or a year or two in the life of an old man in a hurry; that he who last s the longest wins; that sadly, with the impatience of democracies and their volatile voters committed to electoral contortions every five or four years, the extremists generally triumphs over the moderate. Just keep on being obdurate, don't leave deviate from maximum terms, was the lesson handed down by the F.L.N. (Front de Liberation Nationale) and remains as grimly valid today-Northern Ireland or the Middle East or southern Africa. One after another de Gaulle saw his principles for peace eroded in the face of the F.L.N.'s refusal to compromise. As his disillusion grew, so did his resolve to liquidate the war with all the speed. In his final haste injustices were perpetrated, such as the exclusion from the peace talks of any representative Algerian faction (e.g. the M.N.A.-Mouvement Nationaliste Algerienne)) other than the F.L.N. Yet de Gaulle did liquidate that savage war.

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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Paradigm of Paradigms
A timeless classic!
Is this book proof that the world has gone mad?

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas S. Kuhn
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226458083

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There's a "Frank & Ernest" comic strip showing a chick breaking out of its shell, looking around, and saying, "Oh, wow! Paradigm shift!" Blame the late Thomas Kuhn. Few indeed are the philosophers or historians influential enough to make it into the funny papers, but Kuhn is one.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is indeed a paradigmatic work in the history of science. Kuhn's use of terms such as "paradigm shift" and "normal science," his ideas of how scientists move from disdain through doubt to acceptance of a new theory, his stress on social and psychological factors in science--all have had profound effects on historians, scientists, philosophers, critics, writers, business gurus, and even the cartoonist in the street.

Some scientists (such as Steven Weinberg and Ernst Mayr) are profoundly irritated by Kuhn, especially by the doubts he casts--or the way his work has been used to cast doubt--on the idea of scientific progress. Yet it has been said that the acceptance of plate tectonics in the 1960s, for instance, was sped by geologists' reluctance to be on the downside of a paradigm shift. Even Weinberg has said that "Structure has had a wider influence than any other book on the history of science." As one of Kuhn's obituaries noted, "We all live in a post-Kuhnian age." --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

Thomas S. Kuhn's classic book is now available with a new index.

"A landmark in intellectual history which has attracted attention far
beyond its own immediate field. . . . It is written with a combination
of depth and clarity that make it an almost unbroken series of
aphorisms. . . . Kuhn does not permit truth to be a criterion of
scientific theories, he would presumably not claim his own theory to be
true. But if causing a revolution is the hallmark of a superior
paradigm, [this book] has been a resounding success." —Nicholas Wade,
Science

"Perhaps the best explanation of [the] process of discovery." —William
Erwin Thompson, New York Times Book Review

"Occasionally there emerges a book which has an influence far beyond its
originally intended audience. . . . Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of
Scientific Revolutions . . . has clearly emerged as just such a
work." —Ron Johnston, Times Higher Education Supplement

"Among the most influential academic books in this century." —
Choice

—One of "The Hundred Most Influential Books Since the Second World
War," Times Literary Supplement

Thomas S. Kuhn was the Laurence Rockefeller Professor Emeritus of
linguistics and philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His books include The Essential Tension; Black-Body Theory and the
Quantum Discontinuity, 1894-1912; and The Copernican
Revolution.

Customer Reviews:

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.......2007-09-19

Frankly I found this book difficult to understand. It isn't hard to grasp the concept of the book, but forget trying to retain anything specific.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.......2007-08-06

I haven't read this book, so do not review the text, but say only that I bought it for a teacher in Meghalaya, India who is taking post-graduate studies and needs it for his own classes. He was extremely appreciative to receive this book and will use it to help him serve his community better.

The Paradigm of Paradigms.......2007-07-22

When a book has so many enthusiastic supporters and detractors, it's surely a classic. Kuhn delivered one of the all-time landmarks of the philosophy of science, with the potential to truly capture the interest of the informed layperson. However, it's far from foolproof, as if any work of philosophy could deliver ALL the answers. You can see many of the other reviews here for very specific critiques from the hardcore philosophy crowd. For the interested and educated general reader, Kuhn supplies an inherently fascinating historical focus on the way science has worked over the eons, and any reader could enjoy his highly plausible connections between the behavior of scientists and the structure of revolutions. He also gets credit for defining the term "paradigm" - which was once much more useful than today's trendy buzzword lovers could imagine.

However, I tend to agree with some of the biggest philosophical critiques of Kuhn's theory, particularly the fact that he was able to come up with very few examples of supposed scientific revolutions. Meanwhile, Kuhn's theory is completely at odds with the vast majority of scientific progress that is not necessarily "revolutionary." One could plausibly condemn Kuhn for coming up with his theory first, finding historical episodes that could be used as proof, and ignoring historical evidence that does not fit the theory. This is hardly the method followed by the groundbreaking scientists lauded by Kuhn. Also, while nobody should expect a work of philosophy to be generally accessible, Kuhn badly damages his interesting ideas with wooden prose that is nearly impenetrable, with entire sentences bordering on incomprehensibility. For example, "those questions will seem ever more urgent if we now note one respect in which the terms used so far may be misleading." In his introduction, Kuhn succeeds in obfuscating his major philosophical question to the point of absurdity, in asking "how could history of science fail to be a source of phenomena to which theories about knowledge may legitimately be asked to apply?" Kuhn immediately alienates many potentially fascinated general readers and sets himself up for severe criticism from the small body of professional philosophers who think that this kind of language is more insightful than the straight talk delivered by revolutionary scientists. [~doomsdayer520~]

A timeless classic!.......2007-07-09

Although written in 1962, this book is as valid now as ever, perhaps more so. Right now we are witnessing a paradigm shift. Move over Big Bang, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and mathematical anbstraction in general, and say hello to Plasma Cosmology and The Electric Universe!

Is this book proof that the world has gone mad?.......2007-06-05

Iconic? Absolutely. Influential? Undoubtedly. The source of an incredible amount of philosophical error and mischief? Yes - perhaps more so than any other book of the 20th century. Was this despite its many errors? I doubt it. I think it was precisely BECAUSE of its many errors it became so popular. But to explain...

The primary implication of "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is that science has no, and should be granted no, privileged standing amongst competing methods of ascertaining reality. It claims that knowledge is "created" merely by "assent" (not *discovered*), and likens the replacement of one theory with another - like Newtonian physics with Einsteinian - to "religious conversion" (an act regard by most critical thinkers as the example par excellence of irrationality).

That being the case, it is no wonder that the book should have become so popular amongst members of the softer sciences, like sociology, philosophy, political science, history, etc., as well as amongst the clearly insane, like astrologers, religious lunatics, and palm readers. To quote Kuhn himself, "as in political revolutions, so in paradigm choice - there is no standard higher than the assent of the relevant community". Well, of course not, once it has been adopted as a premise that nothing about the world-in-itse

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