Amazon.com
One thing all can agree George W. Bush deserves credit for is creating a groundswell of bestsellers in the run up to his 2004 reelection campaign. Most of the anti-Bush tomes of the time are marked by a sense of outrage and anger. It says something that even E. J. Dionne, Jr., a radio and print columnist noted for a generally placatory left-center tone, allows a clear sense of outrage to creep into his take on the Bush II era, starting with the title. Indeed, Dionne's discontent grows more pronounced with each page, though ultimately Stand Up, Fight Back maps out practical responses to what the author sees as the two maladies that infect contemporary politics--resolute conservative maliciousness and irresolute liberal defensiveness. The Washington, D.C.-based scribe chronicles the three-decades-long ascendancy of the right in response to Democratic complacency. The key for the G.O.P. was its "clarity of purpose and a certainty about the moral superiority of their creed." Dionne, however, finds gaping holes in right-wing morality, notably when chronicling the 2000 Florida debacle and the "grotesque" Supreme Court decision that handed the presidency to the second-place finisher in the popular vote. Dionne wraps things up by outlining a program to stall the precipitous shift to the right. It would be engineered by a moderate and liberal alliance that emphasizes fairness, compassion, justice, and the common good. Not particularly original, and certainly there are bolder perspectives on the current political landscape, but by navigating the practical path, Dionne may have penned one of the season's most influential reads. --Steven Stolder
Book Description
One of our most visible, trenchant, and witty political commentators, the author of the bestselling Why Americans Hate Politics, offers a tough critique of President George W. Bush and the Democratic opposition on the eve of a landmark presidential election -- and points to a way out of cynicism and defeatism.
With passion, clarity, and humor, E. J. Dionne describes today's political atmosphere as the bitterest he can remember. Never have Democrats been as frustrated by their inability to move the debate. The party of Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Clinton, Dionne says, is lost in pointless feuds, outdated strategies, and old arguments. Democrats have lost track of what they stand for so they don't know what they're fighting for and besides, they've forgotten how to fight back.
In describing how Democrats, moderates, and liberals have failed to match Republicans and conservatives in commitment, resourcefulness, and clarity, Dionne invents what is likely to become a popular parlor game among the politically committed. In "The Wrong Stuff," he lists ten futile arguments -- big versus small government, for example -- that Democrats keep having with themselves. "The Right Stuff" focuses on ten arguments they should start making about taxes, business, and the role of government.
Dionne zeroes in on how a floundering Bush administration used September 11 to politicize national security issues for partisan advantage. Enraged but intimidated by ruthless opponents, the Democratic party failed to find its voice on security issues and was soundly beaten in 2002.
Drawing on some lessons from the 2004 primary campaigns, Dionne argues that anger and frustration have in fact awakened progressives
to the need for innovation in organizing, in approaching an increasingly conservative media, and in formulating politically useful and plainly stated ideas. Learning from the conservative movement's successes, liberals have begun the work of reconstruction.
The politics of revenge, Dionne argues persuasively, can give way to something better: a progressive patriotism built on hope and optimism about America's role in the world and its capacity to renew social justice at home.
Download Description
"One of our most visible, trenchant, and witty political commentators, the author of the bestselling Why Americans Hate Politics, offers a tough critique of President George W. Bush and the Democratic opposition on the eve of a landmark presidential election -- and points to a way out of cynicism and defeatism. With passion, clarity, and humor, E. J. Dionne describes today's political atmosphere as the bitterest he can remember. Never have Democrats been as frustrated by their inability to move the debate. The party of Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Clinton, Dionne says, is lost in pointless feuds, outdated strategies, and old arguments. Democrats have lost track of what they stand for so they don't know what they're fighting for and besides, they've forgotten how to fight back."
Customer Reviews:
Another call for a true opposition party.......2006-09-05
After the 2004 presidential election when John Kerry went down to defeat I was angry. Not so much at the Republican electorate who seemed bizarrely awed by a man who was clearly not up to the job of presidency. Republican's, after all, are going to vote Republican. No, I was angry with Democrats and Progressives who couldn't or wouldn't support their candidate as loyally as Republican's supported their own. E. J. Dionne quotes one Democrat who said, "They seem to believe more in their ideas than we do in ours". I was angry that John Kerry ran such an uninspiring campaign that, to the casual observer, seemed to barely distinguish itself from the current president. The author writes, "The Democrats lost in 2002 because Bush - and Rove - were much tougher than they were, much smarter in the issues they chose. Republicans had passion and conviction." The book came out prior to the 2004 election but Mr. Dionne's statement was just as applicable in that election as it was in 2002.
Stand Up, Fight Back is another book that asks why the Democrats keep losing elections and what progressives can do to improve their fortunes. The publication date was back in 2004 and it's looking more and more like the Republican's are simply going to implode without much help from Democrats. However, even if the current conservative trend is dealt a heavy blow, progressives and liberals need to learn why and how conservatives were able to rise to power in the first place. The modern conservative movement developed during the golden age of liberalism and took a long term approach to rebuilding credibility. Conservatives spent millions on creating institutions to develop, hone and disseminate ideas. The author writes, "conservative foundations were `institution builders' liberal foundations were merely `project supporters'. Conservatives were able to get a lot more bang for their buck when it came to reshaping the political landscape because they weren't concerned with anything except changing opinions. The author gives a laundry list of ideas on how progressives can counter conservatives in the arena of ideas. Winning elections without changing perceptions is only a short term fix.
I have to give E. J. Dionne credit for showing a rare level of common sense. From countering the claims of those who believe in the perfection of the market to explaining how a strong government is necessary to ensure freedom the author is right on the money. If there is one quote that I'll take away from this book it's the following, "It [United States] is a middle-class nation that wants the poor to rise and the rich to know they will be respected as long as they don't seek to dominate". We are in the midst of one of, if not the most, brazen power grab by wealth in the history of this country. The Republican's have chosen their side and the Democrats really REALLY need to shed their timidity and present themselves as the opposition party truly defending the middle class and poor.
Not your typical liberal bloviating.......2006-07-15
This was not your typical liberal, foam at the mouth, Bush-bashing/hating propaganda piece from the left. I was a youthfully naive Democrat in the 70s and then grew up and had to deal with real life. Dionne made me yearn for my younger days when things were a bit more idealistic and not so caustic. However, he didn't make me yearn too long for those days, but he did give me pause while reading the book. Not too bad for a lefty!
The Age of Unreason.......2004-09-04
E.J. Dionne is a levelheaded and experienced Democrat and here he tempers his criticism of the Republican Party's harmful policies with deeper examinations of how the Democrats have failed to remain part of the scene and to stand up for their own ideals. The root of both problems is the current American political climate of revenge and power grabs, rather than the constructive advancement of strong ideas. Dionne realizes, much better than most of this year's political writers, that the arrogance and unyielding ideology of the Bush camp is really just a symptom of the current political culture.
Dionne does a great job pointing out the ridiculous double standards employed by the Republicans. Examples include calling even the mildest criticism of Bush unpatriotic even though Republicans continuously heaped far worse on Clinton; claiming populism while slavishly kowtowing to corporations and wealthy campaign contributors; or piling on rhetoric against "big government" at home while acting in Iraq as the most heavy-handed government the world has ever seen. But Dionne also has plenty of constructive criticism for the hugely disappointing failure of the Democrats in opposing the relentless push of far-right conservatism, not just in politics but also economics, moral values, media, and even language. The Democrats have failed to present a united front (as can be seen in the vastly different behavior of the two parties during the Florida recount travesty of 2000), are afraid to stand up for their own beliefs, are prone to watering down their agenda to avoid Republican name-calling such as "liberal" or "un-American," and have failed to inspire the large percentage of Americans looking for an alternative to the elitist policies of the neo-conservatives.
I agree with some other reviewers that anyone concerned about the performance of the Democratic Party should read this book. This will both encourage strength in those interested in America's (now dormant) tradition of progressivism, and shed light on the faults and weaknesses of the Republicans. The only problem with this book is a rather irritating know-it-all attitude, as Dionne often throws around stipulations like "most Americans feel..." or " the majority believes..." with little indication of how he knows this. Dionne is certainly in tune with the electorate, but I suspect that he may be relying on inaccurate polling data just like those more out-of touch politicos from both sides. [~doomsdayer520~]
Great Book.......2004-08-06
Clear, insightful, E.J. Dionne puts things together that you may have had a gut feeling about, but haven't actually thought thru.
Taking the Fight to the Opposition.......2004-07-31
E.J. Dionne is a mild-mannered, highly erudite Oxford graduate who pens reflective and intelligent political opinion pieces for the Washington Post. This book is a wakeup call to liberal-progressives that the battle so long thought lost by so many is far from that; the seeds for victory are at hand as long as the case is correctly made.
Dionne tackles the proposition that, because of a well-financed Republican spin machine, which has sought to demonize the word "liberal" and put forward the proposition that those who follow the philosophy's principles are misguided or worse, too many progressives have backed away from the fight and often taken apologetic positions. Dionne believes that any posture of defensiveness should be abandoned for an aggressive campaign. Dionne points out that, while moral fiber and patriotism are trotted out as staple Republican core values, the record tells a different story in instances where tax cuts are sought to please a wealthy coterie of party supporters and traditional beliefs about war and peace are turned upside down by neoconservatives who all too frequently seek to attack first and ask questions later.
A reporter who took the Howard Dean movement seriously from the beginning and was on the scene during key periods of the Vermont populist's presidential campaign, Dionne quickly noted that the fresh new face on the block was attracting a large support base by tackling the issues and asserting hard-core progressive positions on taxation, health care, and the environment. While Dean might not have won even one primary, Dionne was perceptive enough to notice that other more successful Democratic candidates, including John Kerry, began adopting a position of "We're fed up and we're not gonna take it anymore" rather than the more vanilla brand of "play it safe" politics earlier prevailing. By being afraid to tackle the bloated Republican special interest culture the twin dangers of 1) losing voters to the sidelines through apathy, or 2) losing them to Ralph Nader and Green Party candidates based on conviction are more likely to be realized. A solid agenda needs to be projected to counter an increasingly sharpening rightist Republican tilt. As Dionne notes, when this happens people become engaged, as was the case with the Dean movement.
Dionne believes, as does conservative political author Kevin Phillips, that the Republicans have abandoned the vital center. While they attempt to attack Democrats as being out of step with mainstream American voters, Dionne believes that the opposite is true, that the Democrats have the vital American center in reachable co-opting distance, and what is needed is the resolute tenacity and clarity of message to take control of mainstream America at the polls. Dionne argues that it is time to stop being timid and come forward with alternative proposals to a current Republican philosophy of hard core rightist rigidity that is a far cry from the conservatism of Senator Robert Taft and the centrist Republicanism of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Book Description
n Introducing a stunning collection of homes as magnificent as the vistas they showcase. n A 32-page full-color gallery section showcases the best of the best n Expansive windows, quaint porches and wide-open decks bring the outdoors in and allow these plans to take full advantage of their surroundings. n Painstakingly crafted by the top architects and residential designers in the nation. n Complete construction blueprints are available for every home in this collection.
Customer Reviews:
House on the River.......2007-06-27
This book was particularly helpful with orientations toward a particular view. We live on a river and are looking for ideas.
Give me a break.......2007-04-30
Not really homes with a view. Just run of the mill home plans. Save your money!
Disappointed.......2006-03-03
I was looking for house plans that had the major rooms on the front of the house overlooking a view. The title led me to believe I would find that type of home in this book. I did not. Also, most of the plans were very complicated with multiple roof angles and expensive building items.
Book Description
"...this impressive collection of essays provides an important, though too long neglected, part of American literary history. This book effectively gives Appalachian literature the serious attention it deserves." ---–Sandra L. Ballard, editor of Appalachian Journal and Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia ****An American Vein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature is an anthology of literary criticism of Appalachian novelists, poets, and playwrights. The book reprises critical writing of influential authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Cratis Williams, and Jim Wayne Miller. It introduces new writing by Rodger Cunningham, Elizabeth Engelhardt, and others. Many writers from the mountains have found success and acclaim outside the region, but the region itself as a thriving center of literary creativity has not been widely appreciated. The editors of An American Vein have remedied this, producing the first general collection of Appalachian literary criticism. This book is a resource for those who teach and read Appalachian literature. What’s more, it holds the promise of introducing new readers, nationally and internationally, to Appalachian literature and its relevance to our times. ****ABOUT THE EDITORS----Danny L. Miller is the chair of the Department of Literature and Language at Northern Kentucky University. He is the author of Wingless Flights: Appalachian Women in Fiction. Sharon Hatfield is an independent writer and editor whose interests include Appalachian history, literature, and media. Her book Never Seen the Moon: The Trials of Edith Maxwell is forthcoming from University of Illinois Press. Guerney Norman is a novelist and short story writer. He is the director of the creative writing program at the University of Kentucky. His books include the short story collection Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories. He coedited Backtalk: Stories from an American Region.
Amazon.com
Late in life, the American novelist and conservationist Wallace Stegner left California, where he had lived for half a century, to move to Vermont. The reason, he said, was simple: there is more wilderness to be found in the pine forests of western New England than in the Far West. John Elder supports Stegner's claim, writing in Reading the Mountains of Home that the abandoned farmsteads of so many of Robert Frost's Vermont poems have now reverted to wild lands, dense with fallen logs and snags, full of bird and animal life.
A longtime resident of the state, Elder uses Frost's great but little-known poem "Directive" as a touchstone by which to guide his discussion of how modern humans can truly inhabit a landscape--in this case, a landscape that had been developed for generations and then all but forgotten. In such places, Elder writes, the issue is not one of wilderness versus civilization, that old trope, but the wildness that endures at the edges of settled places, wildness that is accessible to people all around the world. His celebration of returning greenness, of the forest's seasons, and of his own life in the woods makes for engaging reading indeed. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Small farms once occupied the heights that John Elder calls home, but now only a few cellar holes and tumbled stone walls remain among the dense stands of maple, beech, and hemlocks on these Vermont hills. Reading the Mountains of Homeis a journey into these verdant reaches where in the last century humans tried their hand and where bear and moose now find shelter. As John Elder is our guide, so Robert Frost is Elder's companion, his great poem "Directive" seeing us through a landscape in which nature and literature, loss and recovery, are inextricably joined.
Over the course of a year, Elder takes us on his hikes through the forested uplands between South Mountain and North Mountain, reflecting on the forces of nature, from the descent of the glaciers to the rush of the New Haven River, that shaped a plateau for his village of Bristol; and on the human will that denuded and farmed and abandoned the mountains so many years ago. His forays wind through the flinty relics of nineteenth-century homesteads and Abenaki settlements, leading to meditations on both human failure and the possibility for deeper communion with the land and others.
An exploration of the body and soul of a place, an interpretive map of its natural and literary life, Reading the Mountains of Home strikes a moving balance between the pressures of civilization and the attraction of wilderness. It is a beautiful work of nature writing in which human nature finds its place, where the reader is invited to follow the last line of Frost's "Directive," to "Drink and be whole again beyond confusion."
Customer Reviews:
Hope for Co-existence.......2002-09-27
This is an unusual book. John Elder has written a book that blends the rhythms of life with the rhythms of nature.
Using Robert Frost's poem "Directive" as a springboard, Elder guides the reader through a series of year-long hikes that provide a rare glimpse into the writer soul, family and surroundings. His musings transport the reader from the glaciers that shaped his the plateau for the Village of Bristol, VT., the farmers who struggled and more often than not, failed to scratch a living from the rocky soil that surrounds his adopted home.
He carries us from broken china to Abenaki settlements, meditating on family relationships and deeper relationships with the land.
This is a beautiful example of nature writing, a work that draws a balance between the machinations of civilization and the beauties of wilderness. By inviting the reader to follow the last line of Frost's "Directive," to "Drink and be whole again beyond confusion.", Elder creates a sense of hope that Vermont's balance between nature and culture can speak to the rest of the nation.
An outstanding book.......1998-10-31
I have read many of the reviews of Reading the Mountains of Home--both before and after I studied the book itself--in various magazines and newspapers, and, while many of them summarize accurately and manage to convey fairly clearly its complex and compelling structures, the musical grace of the sentences, the unique of John Elder's vision about the interlinking of language and place and time and family, of Robert Frost's "Directive" and of the concept of wilderness in America. There is a sense also in which he has taken nature writing--a broad genre forever in evolution--and brought it to new heights through this creative interweaving.
But what I notice most is the book's quiet heroism. By this I mean simply that the author exhibits the courage to put all of his deepest convictions, his most strongly held beliefs, the raw stuff of his very life in a place for all to see. One does not see this very often in books. We need more writers like John Elder. We need people like John Elder, people who have the courage to write from the deepest parts of themselves for the greater good of all of us and the larger home we call earth. If there were six stars I would give it six stars.
Smart and moving and insightful........1998-07-25
I learned much about New England from this fine book -- and about Robert Frost.
Average customer rating:
- When You Wish.....
- Lets be in Harmony
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Harmony (Readers Circle)
Rita Murphy
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Memories of Summer (Readers Circle)
ASIN: 0440229235
Release Date: 2004-03-09 |
Book Description
Harmony McLean has been different from the moment she was discovered. When a falling star struck his chicken coop, Felix McGillicuddy never expected to find a baby girl miraculously left behind. He names her after the harmony of spheres in honor of her celestial arrival, and his wife, Nettie Mae McLean, gives Harmony her strong Irish surname to keep her grounded.
Soon after her 15th birthday, something special begins coursing through Harmony–the power to move objects and affect the universe with her energy. But this mountain-bred girl is looking for a way to fit into the big world, not stand out any more than she already does.
In this powerful novel from the writer of Night Flying, a young woman must learn to accept who she is before she can claim the magic that has chosen her.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
When You Wish............2003-05-06
Is it real? Did Harmony really fall from the stars into the chicken coop? Does she really have ESP? Did she really save the "Old People" from the logging company? It's all magic, and beautifully written, including desire and wishes and the beauty of the stars and heaven and nature and love and caring and, well, you make your wishes and see what happens!
This book is a jewel.
Lets be in Harmony.......2003-04-06
Such a wonderful, thoughtful book to read. Harmony, A girl with a breliant way of life..an amazing presonality and a great view to life. i like Rita murphy and her type of writing her books, such a book. poeple with a goal in life and a very strong feeling with there spirte, are willing to read this book. the book amazed me and probubly Rita Murphy will be my Writter.
Product Description
A collection of articles about common insects, illustrated with index.
Product Description
The activities in the Skilpak for Level 13, "Mountains Are for Climbing", are designed to be used as an integral part of the instructional program in the "Developing Reading Skills" section (Part 4) of each lesson plan in the Teacher's Edition. Preliminary instruction and teacher strategies for use with these activities can be cound in Part 4, along with each activity. These activities are designed to be completed with little or no assistance after the pupil has receive proper preparation.
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Read at Home: More Level 5c: Mountain Rescue
Cynthia Rider
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0198387040 |
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Read at Home is a new series designed for young, beginner readers. It features all the popular Oxford Reading Tree characters in 18 exciting stories specially written for parents to support their children's reading at home. These entertaining stories, with real life and fantasy adventures, are now carefully graded across 5 levels, and contain vocabulary repetition and gradual progression within each level, from Book A to Book C. Mountain Rescue, a magic key story, is Level 5c for children Reading with Confidence - those children who can recognize 75+ words by sight, can read with less support and who can read silently and read ahead. The story has 4-6 sentences per page. Approx ORT level: Stage 6-7 BL Highly successful, high profile author and illustrator team: - Roderick Hunt, author of the original Oxford Reading Tree stories, and Cynthia Rider are superb storytellers with over 50 years educational experience between them. - Alex Brychta's humorous and detailed illustrations bring the stories alive and are known to and loved by millions of Oxford Reading Tree readers
Books:
- Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right (Politics and Society in Twentieth Century America)
- Terrorism and Homeland Security
- The American People, Brief Edition: Creating a Nation and a Society, Volume II (Since 1865) (5th Edition) (MyHistoryLab Series)
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- The Brave New World of Health Care
- The Challenge of Democracy: Government in America
- The Cointelpro Papers: Documents from the Fbi's Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States (South End Press Classics Series, Volume, 8)
- The Constitution in Exile: How the Federal Government Has Seized Power by Rewriting the Supreme Law of the Land
- The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties' Legacy to the Underclass
- The European Economy since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
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