Book Description
Against All Hope is Armando Valladares' account of over twenty years in Fidel Castro's tropical gulag as a result of his philosophical and religious opposition to communism. He gives a picture of the Cuba that he lived in and tells of how his deep Christian faith kept him from abandoning hope during the most evil treatment.
Customer Reviews:
Makes Shawshank seem like a Club Med.......2007-10-15
Another Amazon reviewer got it right when he wrote that this book should be given to all one's deluded friends sporting hip "Che" T-shirts. This eye-opening, stomach-churning account of the author's 22 years in Cuban prisons, the conditions of which make Shawshank seem like a Club Med, demolishes the romanticized memory of "freedom fighters" like Che and exposes the lie that Castro's Revolution created a socialist paradise. And it highlights Communism's inability to understand or erase one of the most important traits of human nature: our hunger for individual freedom and personal dignity.
Valladares wastes no time plunging us into a hell Dante himself could barely have imagined - on page one he is abducted in the middle of the night by the political police on trumped-up charges (having been denounced, he feels, by a jealous coworker for his disapproval of Castro's embrace of Communism), and before his prison odyssey is over, he endures and observes the worst extremes of totalitarian repression. The tension and the drama never let up, and often reach the breaking point. The litany of sadistic human rights abuses goes on page after page, every page; the degree of physical and psychological cruelty is so incomprehensible as to nearly defy belief. And yet Valladares and others maintain an almost superhuman strength of character and will to live that are inspirational and humbling. Amazingly, there are even flashes of humor and an ultimate triumph in this maddening and disturbing memoir.
Against All Hope is one of the most gripping books you will ever read. It has a compelling social conscience and an inspirational message of hope, faith, courage, determination, and even love, and it will leave you with a changed perspective on yourself and the world.
Cuban paradise.......2007-07-05
Give a copy of this book to all your friends wearing Che t-shirts. After so many descriptions of beatings and hunger strikes, you become numb to the next ones. I recall the AI campaigns in the 70s-80s to send letters and postcards to the Cuban and Soviet embassies just to remind them that the world was watching. Sadly today AI has degenerated into just another wacko outfit. The UN comes in for a beating of its own in this book, as it just sat back and closed its eyes, passing resolutions against Israel and other nonsense instead of putting pressure on Cuba. This continues today with Zimbabwe, NK, and others.
Take a look at "The Aquariums of Pyongyang" for a look at the same song, different verse.
A conscience's prisioneer life in Cuba........2006-03-19
I read this book, translated to the portuguese, here in Brazil, some years ago.It's a book about the decades, who this Castro's victim was under prision in Cuba.A nightmare's life and for more then two decades.
The failures of this book really exists.At first, the author don't tells you nothing about cuban revolution.In fact, never there existed a battle in cuban revolution.Fulgencio Batista simple scaped, without a single shoot.A mafia's man, whithout a single drop of moral or courage.This was really the true Fulgencio Batista.
At second he doesn't tells you nothing about the sucess of castrism in latin America and the catholic church "liberation theology".Having nothing of liberation and nothing of theology, the catholic church in latin America became a marxist organization.
A Great Chronicle Of Castro's Achievements .......2006-02-19
Castro has now ruled across the terms of 10 US Presidents. The secret of his longevity is not his popularity with the Cuban people, but rather his ruthless suppression of any dissent or competition. Valladares provides a keyhole view into this world of true terror and depravity.
Behind the warm white beaches where libbies from around the world find paradise there exist prisons where the brutality is only equaled by that of Stalin, Saddam, Mao and a few others. Any yet, like the American press' refusal to admit the terrible atrocities of the Soviet Union, these are happening in our back yard.
Those who claim to be against abuse of prisoners or the imprisonment of those whose only crimes are peaceful protest or political unreliability should take an evening to read this book.
It is not a comforting book and evening reading may lead to sleepless nights for the routine horrors of Castro's prisons are the stuff of nightmares. Without assurances of its validity, this book reads like fiction in that it is difficult to conceive that so much could be inflicted on another human who poses no threat.
Highly recommended
should be read alongside orwell and wiesel.......2005-11-14
This is a great book. It should be given to every sap and sucker who somehow finds merit in Castro's Revolution. Valladares chronicles the absolute repression at the core of Castro's regime. The torture and executions at La Cabana and Isle of Pines prisons are among the most brutal and extensive cases of barbarism any government has ever devised. The next time some Oliver Stone or Michael Moore type tells you about Castro's achievements such as a "high literacy rate," give them this book. And remind them that this is one book you'll never see in Cuba, or in an American college classroom that romanticizes Castro's oppression. This is the real "Animal Farm," folks: a powerfully written nightmare of tyrannical cruelty and the deep spiritual resilience needed to pull through.
Book Description
As president of Washington's premier nanny placement agency, White House Nannies, Inc., Barbara Kline has spent the last twenty years handpicking and delivering nannies to elected officials, cabinet members, advisers to the President, and the media who report on their every move. In this hilarious account of her life in child care, Kline discloses the mayhem that ensues when these powerful parents find themselves at the mercy of tiny tyrants-and the nannies who offer their only hope of salvation. Offering "an especially insightful insider's perspective," White House Nannies also "addresses more serious questions, from what nannies really think of their employers and their young charges to the tricks of hiring a great caregiver for your family" (Child magazine).
In this "very funny, very insightful, and very well-done" (Kirkus Reviews) memoir, Kline casts a keen eye on one of the most complicated of relationships under the sun: that between extremely busy people and their nannies. Following the major events that launch powerful D.C. parents into parenthood (discovering they're pregnant; hiring a fabulous nanny; giving birth; hiring a second nanny in a pinch when the first one is nannynapped), this book goes behind closed doors in our nation's capital to reveal the laughter-and of course, the tears-involved when overworked professionals attempt to raise a child.
Customer Reviews:
Awful Read.......2007-08-27
I read quite a bit. This is the first book in years that I have actually disliked (it was a gift from a friend).
This book is what happens when someone thinks they have good stories (and the may have, to a degree), takes one writing course and proceeds to write what I would call a bloated, pompous expanded pamphlet for her business.
There were a few decent stories about crazy DC/VA/Maryland power elites...but even those could have been told much better.
But - egads - this book needed a competent editor, at least, to point out the repetitive statements, thoughts and self-congratulations this incompetent author dished out.
My rewrite of the book. There are wealthy power couples in the town that are very, very important. I will drop names beginning now and will not stop until the end of the book. I am very important and am almost as wealthy as these power couples. I roll my eyes at the mishaps of my minority nannies, while my clients are fairly racist/classist and often treat the nannies like animals, even though their entire existence depends on them.
Believe me, I would not be picking on the content of the book (attitudes of the clients or the nannies), if it weren't for the terrible writing.
I loved it!.......2007-05-28
I loved reading this book! As a 'new' nanny, I found this book very useful. At first i said I wouldn't want to work with a family like these mentioned in the book, but then I thought more about it, and I actually wouldn't mind getting the 'experience'. I live in So cal, so we do have families like those D.C. families. This is a must read!!
Cute Read.......2007-05-07
While the title of the book is kinda misleading (I thought this was a book about actual nannies of the White House) it is a cute read. I personally wouldn't have wanted to be the families picked in this book but then again, she had to get their permission to write it!!
Entertaining read.......2006-08-22
I found this book to be entertaining and engaging. I thought the other reviews were a bit harsh and it seemed like maybe the book hit a bit too close to home for them. Ok, this book won't change the world, but it was interesting and fun to read. I live in the midwest and apart from a brief trip to DC, I am completely unfamiliar with the city, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book one bit.
Bravo - what honesty.......2006-06-16
I loved reading Barbara Kline's book on nannies. I have worked in this industry for over a decade and found this book to be informative, honest but fun. This is a tough career. I have read all the books recently written about nannies, they all have something to offer. Barbara's book showed us this world from the agency perspective which was new to us. I have to make a comment about everyone that noted the "name dropping" as something negative. This is too small a world for Barbara not to get permission from each client and employee. So before you go pointing fingers, don't. Just read the book and enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Chekhov's Doctors.......2004-04-20
The greatest works of fiction afford a glimpse into human nature, into its dark secrets, pettiness, and callowness, as well as into moments of true magnanimity. Conflict and misunderstanding between individuals is another core ingredient in the best of fiction. The best writers have an innate grasp of what makes up the human creature, and have a fluency in psychological analysis that comes only from keen natural intuition. Yet even the most subtle grasp of human nature alone is insufficient material for the creation of great fiction; for the successful author must also be able to draw from a rich backdrop of life experience.
Medicine, like few other professions, provides such a backdrop and as such it is likely not coincidental that there exists a glorious intersection between the fields of writing and medicine. A physician, in the course of his daily work regularly comes across the themes that most people encounter only infrequently-fear, illness, suffering, and death, as well as hope, courage, and perseverance. These titanic forces flush out the essence of human nature, and the physician who is so inclined is provided with boundless material for the exploration of humanity through fiction.
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), the great Russian author and playwright, was a physician by trade. Chekhov draws abundantly on his experience in medicine in his fiction and drama, and this is brought out in a recently published compilation of Chekhov's medically-related short stories.
In this volume of stories, Chekhov imposes a frank-almost brutal-examination of human nature, and a critical look at the practice of medicine and at those who practice it. The themes in his stories are apparently timeless; any practicing physician will recognize the cynicism, politics, burnout, and overwork that is described by Chekhov. In one story of a beleaguered, overworked rural doctor in the employ of the state, Chekhov even provides a glimpse into what must have been a nineteenth century Russian version of the frustrations of working in a managed care environment. In the story, the physician is forced to care for a large, impoverished population in a clinic over which he exercises no executive authority. Not only is he powerless under the system to fire his incompetent, corrupt, and drunken support staff, but in his prescriptions is at the mercy of a central power that determines the source of pharmaceuticals.
Another story traces the devolution of an earnest, ideological young physician into a money grubbing, lazy, and cynical doctor who treats his patients like objects. This same doctor, who possesses abundant theoretical knowledge of pathology and the practice of medicine, is utterly unable to apply his wisdom to heal patients because of his stifling arrogance and lack of empathy for his patients.
Some of Chekhov's physicians struggle to strike a balance between adequate time for their own lives and families and availability to their patients. This conflict is starkly illustrated by a story in which a physician is forced to choose between attending the deathbed of his only child and responding to an emergency call.
Chekhov also examines the proper role of professional objectivity and distance in medicine. At what point does the curtain that every physician draws between himself and his patient in order to facilitate detached, objective thinking become a mighty bulkhead constructed primarily for self defense? Several stories explore this question, and Chekhov seems to conclude that the answer lies in a happy medium.
All is not dark, however, in the world of Chekhov's doctors. Even amidst the burnout, substance abuse, and money-worship of some of his characters, there are the redeeming qualities of absolute dedication, devotion to the pursuit of medical knowledge, and perseverance even under very unfavorable circumstances. The doctors in his stories are complex, and some of these redeeming qualities even coexist with the uglier traits in some of Chekhov's characters.
Chekhov's Doctors is a well-edited volume that arranges stories in an inviting and readable sequence, (saving lengthier, heavier stories for later in the volume). Dr. Coulehan, the editor, also places Chekhov's stories in historical context, providing the reader with, for example, an ample yet not overwhelming background of Chekhov's relationship with Tolstoy (whose titan influence was difficult for any contemporary Russian author to escape). Of particular interest is a series of commentary in the back of the volume that provides a brief analysis of each story from the author's perspective as a medical doctor.
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Tales From A Charmed Life: A Balinese Painter Reminisces
Hildred Geertz , and
Ida Bagus Made Togog
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0824828224 |
Book Description
Tales from a Charmed Life is the last in a trilogy of works by Hildred Geertz exploring the complexity of Balinese history, religion, and society. A landmark study by one of the most distinguished anthropologists of Indonesia, it centers around the stories and paintings of Ida Bagus Madé Togog (1913-1989), an artist and ritual specialist who played a significant role in the history of Balinese ethnography. In the 1930s, Togog was central to Mead and Bateson's pioneering studies of "Balinese character" and came under the influence of expatriate artists Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet to emerge as a major representative of the Batuan style of painting. Togog's art and anecdotal stories of his most memorable life experiences are here interwoven with Geertz's illuminating commentary to construct an innovative framework for understanding Balinese culture.
Togog shares stories of his early life, relating dilemmas from his childhood and youth. Growing up in the wake of Dutch colonization, he came into contact with new languages, customs, and economic opportunities that presented him with puzzling and poignant experiences. He tells of his association with Spies and Bonnet and later Mead and Bateson and his role in the creation of a genre of painting for which Bali is now famous. This is a view of Bali from the inside—a vivid, highly personal look at a world where spirits, ancestors, and sorcerers have the power to intervene in one's life. According to Togog, who narrowly escaped death numerous times, his was indeed a "charmed life."
As an experiment in ethnographic research and writing and a contribution to our knowledge of Balinese art and tradition, Tales from a Charmed Life will be of great interest to historians, art historians, anthropologists, and anyone with a serious interest in Balinese studies.
Book Description
The tradition of pets in the White House goes all the way back to the Founding Fathers. From the parrot and foxhounds of George Washington to Spot and Barney, the current canines of the Bushes, the First Family's animal companions have always had a special place in America's heart. These various (and often exotic) animals have enjoyed the special privileges of living in the nation's capital, giving them access to the scenes of power. So when something goes awry in the White House, who better to solve it than these pet detectives? Did Rex, Ronald Reagan's King Charles spaniel, play a role in uncovering Irangate? What mystery did Franklin Roosevelt's Scottish terrier, Fala, uncover when left on the Aleutian Islands? How would some of the more unusual pets, such as John Quincy Adams's pet alligator or Calvin Coolidge hippopotamus, search for clues in the halls of the Executive Mansion? The authors and stories are:
"Martha's Parrot" by Edward D. Hoch • "A Mimicry of Mockingbirds" by Lillian Stewart Carl • "Alligator Tears" by Bill Crider • "The Greatest Sacrifice" by Brendan DuBois • "Tabby Won't Tell" by Jan Grape • "Under Hoof" by Jeffrey Marks • "The Princess and the Pickle" by Carolyn Wheat • "Remember the Maine?" by Jeanne Dams • "The Secret Staff" by Janet Pack • "Trouble A-Bruin" by Esther Friesner • "Izzy's Shoe-In" by P. N. Elrod • "Fala and The Ghost of Bulows Minde" by Kate Grilley • "Dr. Couch Saves a President" by Nancy Pickard • "Sax and the Single Cat" by Carole Nelson Douglas
Book Description
The Knight’s Tale is a popular title in the well-established series Selected Tales from Chaucer. The series has been updated with scholarly introductions and attractive covers. Texts are in the original Middle English throughout, and each has an introduction, detailed notes and a glossary.
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Tales Of A Cold War Submariner (Texas a&M University Military History Series)
Dan Summitt , and
C. D. Summitt
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1585444146 |
Book Description
Though Dan Summitt retired from the U.S Navy years ago, he still regrets not receiving clearance to fill a submarine missile tube with thirty-five thousand pounds of wet grits and launch it at a very pesky Russian spy ship. In Tales of a Cold War Submariner, Summitt tells the story of his military career, proving that navy life at the height of the Cold War as commander of two nuclear submarines kept him on his toes. He relates his work with Adm. Hyman Rickover, recounts the efforts to stay undetected while patrolling for Soviet submarines, and shares the everyday dangers faced by a submarine crew. Summitt graduated from the Naval Academy in 1947, entered Submarine School, and rose to become deputy chief of staff for the commander of the Submarine Force Atlantic Fleet and chief of staff for the Submarine Flotilla 8. He served as commander of the USS Seadragon on its secret mission to the North Pole, where he rendezvoused with the USS Skate to conduct experiments under the ice. Summitt later took command of the USS Alexander Hamilton, one of forty-one Polaris-class nuclear submarines, which carried sixteen thirty-five-foot-tall missiles. Summitt takes the reader on a tour of this vessel, describing daily life and the routine and not-so-routine missions in close quarters with no outside contact for days or even months.
Through it all, the fear of mechanical malfunctions, detection, or imminent attack always lingered. Summitt's anecdotes and descriptions capture this tense era in history.
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Gothic Passages: Racial Ambiguity and the American Gothic
Justin D. Edwards
Manufacturer: University Of Iowa Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0877458243 |
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Phoenix: Portuguese Voyages 1498-1663: Tales from the Great Age of Discovery
Manufacturer: Phoenix Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 184212109X |
Product Description
Unknown publication year. May be older than 1930.
Books:
- Alexis de Tocqueville: A Life
- Antietam : The Soldiers' Battle
- Arkansas Mischief: The Birth of a National Scandal
- Barn Burning Barn Building: Tales of a Political Life, From LBJ to George W. Bush and Beyond
- Billy Carter: A Journey Through the Shadows
- Blood of the Liberals
- Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot
- Capital Mysteries #5: Who Broke Lincoln's Thumb? (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Volume One: 1919-1968
- Communication Circuits: Analysis and Design
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