Memoirs of Jafar Sharif-Emami (Iranian Oral History Ser. 7)

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Evocative and Intelligent

Not so bad. . .not so good.

Reads like fiction, sounds like life.

As a filipino-american....

Peter Bacho is the literary Martin Scorsese of our time.

Dark Blue Suit: And Other Stories
Peter Bacho
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0295976373

Customer Reviews:

Evocative and Intelligent .......2005-04-10

Peter Bacho's Dark Blue Suit (1997) offers readers a book of short stories which reflect the struggles of a young Filipino-American boy whose father once labored in Alaskan canneries, "Dark Blue Suit". It is in this first short story, we see Buddy as a five-year old, watching his gruff but protective father, Vince, negotiate a complex world in which men fear, respect, and dislike Vince for an authority he carries with considerable strength. Buddy learns quickly how to read his father's "look" when he risks misbehaving but also recalls his father's gait before imitating him with pride.

Dark Blue Suit depicts the difficulty of being Filipino-American at a time in which US culture was ambivalent if not hostile to the presence of Filipinos. Bacho writes a poignant but sad tale in "August 1968" which chronicles Buddy's adolescent friendship with an African-American boy, Aaron, who eventually leaves for college only to return to the rising tensions which characterized the Civil Rights Movement. If Buddy's friendship collapses under the weight of cultural history, it is because Bacho argues that cultural appropriation of another culture has its limits and its consequences. "August 1968" offers an honest portrait of Buddy's affiliation with an African-American and the problems which occur when one assumes cultural privilege while performing his friend's race identity. Can one "act Black" and expect long-term affiliation? At what cost to one's own sense of self does appropriation take place? Given the pervasive influence of hip-hop culture among Filipino-American youth, Bacho's story offers a response to a question which persists even today.

The rest of the stories focus on Buddy's various relationships including friends and family. Buddy's history shapes him and the choices he makes. When he drives home to see a dying relative in "A Matter of Faith", Buddy relies not on his own faith which flickers against his ongoing doubts but on the faith of his uncle who believed deeply and lived out of his beliefs. When Buddy prays at the conclusion of the story, he does so not only out of respect for his uncle, but also as a means of engaging in a cultural memory which includes his uncle. His characters may struggle with religion and its attendant beliefs but he writes his characters with enough sophistication to provide them with a cultural history that does not deny Catholicism its rightful place in the lives of Filipino-Americans.

Dark Blue Suit is a powerful and beautiful work. Bacho's tight, precise style, reminiscent of Hemingway's masculine prose, never risks excessive description or wordy dialogue. He relies on what is said and the silences to carry the narrative through. As stories, Dark Blue Suit is not merely a set of impressionistic portraits, but a series of black and white photographs which gain force as one reads through to the end. One might recall the work of Sherwood Anderson or Sarah Orne Jewett as a means of comparison.

Not so bad. . .not so good........2001-06-05

Overall, I'm glad I read this book. With a few exceptions--the narrator and his father--I genuinely liked most of the characters in the book, but I found this to be a bit of a problem--they were all *characters.* Similarly, as I read the book, I sensed heroic adulation sprinkled liberally throughout. Unfortunately, many of the heroes exhibited behavior that shouldn't be emulated. I especially wondered about the rather heroic depiction of Buddy's father. His signature behaviors--intimidating those around him, whoring around on his wife, and ignoring the resulting children--aren't what passes for heroism. Overall, I was surprised the narrator didn't include a single story about a stable, well-adjusted, decent, family-man. Remarkably, the non-fictional, but ancillary, Taky Kimura did the best job of filling this role.

Furthermore, the role of women in the book was a bit strange. With the exception of Buddy's ever-so-religious, ever-so-pure mother, they were cast, rather angrily, as stupid whores. Since I wouldn't normally notice such things, the author must've done this explicitly. I don't understand what the author's motivation for this might have been.

Reads like fiction, sounds like life........1999-01-14

Bacho's book captured this reader, who upon intial reading thought it was a non-fiction work. The short-stories all come together to form a well-rounded and captivating story of Philipino Americans, especially in the Northwest.

As a filipino-american...........1998-05-08

I liked the stories in the book alot. I could understand what several of the characters were going thru almost like a slice of my own life. I highly recommend it for filipino-americans becoming of age and who see a need to understand the boundard between american and filipino cultures.

Peter Bacho is the literary Martin Scorsese of our time........1998-02-09

If you've ever wondered what the daily lives of the early Philipino immigrants to Seattle were like. Read this book. In vivid flowing prose Bacho captures the look and feel of Philipino life and culture in Seattle in the old days.

The Man In The Brown Suit (Agatha Christie Mystery Collection) Bantam Blue Leatherette Edition

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The Man In The Brown Suit (Agatha Christie Mystery Collection) Bantam Blue Leatherette Edition
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0553350773

Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red-State, White-Ass, and Blue-Suit America

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Republican Like Me is THE Great American Novel
somebody get this guy a tv show
It's Satire!!!!!!
Unintentionally Ironic Title
Tell 'em how it is, Harmon!

Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red-State, White-Ass, and Blue-Suit America
Harmon Leon
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591023602

Book Description

When the red states trumped the blue states in the 2004 presidential election, many Democrats were left wondering just what makes the conservative mindset tick. Wonder no more. Join self-described "infiltration journalist" Harmon Leon as he goes undercover to explore what being conservative really means. A flaming liberal in real life, Leon has been called "a cross between Michael Moore and South Park." He shares with readers his hilarious misadventures as he dons the persona of a "pissed-off convenience store clerk" at the Knob Creek Biannual Machine Gun Shoot in Bullit County, Kentucky. Next, he's working security in southern California at an "Arnold for Governor" rally, where he has several memorable encounters with the Terminator himself—and finds himself constantly promoted! But this is only the beginning. Leon paints on temporary tattoos, wears a black T-shirt reading "Kill `em all. Let God sort `em out!" and then entertainingly describes the reactions he gets when he tries to purchase a condominium in an exclusive gated community. Uncertain about whether his inspiration is Jane Goodall or journalist John Howard Griffin, author of the 1950s' classic Black Like Me, Leon nonetheless perseveres from one adventure to the next, hoping not to be found out and get his head broken. Leon's daring anthropological romps into finding out how the other half lives are by turns outrageous, disturbing, and hilarious, yet always illuminating. Don't be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud as you turn each page!

Customer Reviews:

Republican Like Me is THE Great American Novel .......2006-05-26

I drive big rig trucks across this great nation and have alot of free time to read. I can tell you this is an amazingly funny book about real american culture AND I've seen it all! Buy this one next time you go on a vacation or a business trip. You'll laugh out loud from front to back cover.

somebody get this guy a tv show.......2006-03-16

I need my Al Franken and Michael Moore to be a little younger and edgier, so I thought this might be the guy. He's pretty funny and cool, but I think his stuff would translate better to television or film. Not that he's a bad writer--I giggled out loud a few times while reading this on a plane, especially when he's describing the job he did dressing up as Uncle Sam for a tax company. But the whole time I was laughing because I was imagining how the scene must have looked.

The first chapter on meeting white supremacists at Appleby's is pretty funny--Appleby's antiseptic atmosphere of simulated family togetherness seems like the perfect setting for meeting white supremacists who just look like office guys, soccer moms, and dumpy college students. The chapter on volunteering for Arnold's governor campaign was also pretty funny. He really shows how the people who work for Republicans at the grass-roots are just pathetic and lame losers who are pissed because they'll never get laid, like mini Karl Roves or something. Then again, most fascists are just "little men," as Wilhelm Reich called them.

It's Satire!!!!!!.......2006-02-23

Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red States, White Ass, and Blue Suits is sooooooo obviously satire. Satire means a literary work in which vice or folly is attacked through inrony, derision, or wit.

Even the title is a satirical off of the John Howard Griffin book, Black Like Me. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think the two books would be the same in approach. Look at the cover!
It's a naked guy with a flag covering his privates. It's meant to be humor and satire. Do you get it now?

In Republican LIke Me, Leon takes a partisan turn as he goes under cover to see what makes conservatives tick. If you like humor mixed with edgy writing and politics, this book will keep you laughing and scratching your head at the same time.

Remember, it's satire!

Unintentionally Ironic Title.......2006-02-22

I think it's fine to satirize people to whom you consider yourself superior, as Harmon Leon does in this book. But I think he's chosen a misleading title here, one that is unintentionally ironic as it shows just how deep his hatred of the Republican "other" runs while it refers to a book that was intended to actually increase understanding of the other and overcome hate.

"Black Like Me," which "Republican Like Me" references, was the story of a white man in the South who posed as a black man so that he could better understand other people's points of view. The result is enlightening (for its time): all his prejudices about blacks are turned on their head, as are his assumptions about white benevolence.

Leon's purpose is the opposite. Where John Howard Griffin (the author of Black Like Me) posed as something he was not in a region dominated by people like him, Leon poses as something he is not in a region dominated by people UNlike him. The results are unsurprisingly unenlightening: all his prejudices about Republicans are confirmed. If he wanted to walk in Griffin's footsteps, he would have posed as a Republican in the Blue States, and thus embark on a self-education about how "his" people are unfair to others.

Essentially, Leon's book is a hatchet job on people he hates, where Griffin's book was an attempt to overcome hatred. Hatchet jobs have their place -- this book is funny, no question, and will no doubt be read and enjoyed by many people who already agree with everything Leon thinks and are looking for someone to confirm their views and avoid challenging them. But that doesn't change the fact that it was a bad move for Leon to compare his book to one that actually sought (and succeeded, to some degree) in improving understanding and repairing strained social relations in our country. Leon's book does not profit by this comparison.

Tell 'em how it is, Harmon!.......2006-01-27

I really loved the wit, sarcasm and charm of this book. Harmon took an idea I always thought would be good and actually did it...he infiltrates the Republican party by becoming one! He meets with bigots, young advocates, Southerners, and also makes a mockery of the Governator (Arrrrrrnold!). While he obviously takes a stand against the GOP, he also rips of the Democrats' way of doing things. It's fairly liberal but not "commie" as some of the GOPers might call it. Definitely a read for liberals, Democrats, independents, leftists, communists, progressives and so forth!

Country Bound!: Trading Your Business Suit Blues for Blue Jean Dreams

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A view of the future
The best of it's kind
Loved this book!
Detailed, realistic insights for aspiring country dwellers
A useful tool for Chambers of Commerce too.

Country Bound!: Trading Your Business Suit Blues for Blue Jean Dreams
Marilyn Heimberg Ross , and Tom Ross
Manufacturer: Upstart Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1574100696

Customer Reviews:

A view of the future.......2000-11-25

This book is a classic for all of us who are looking for a change of pace and a better way of life. With the Virtual Office a reality, we can work virtually anywhere, so why not choose the pastoral life? We refer our readers who harbor such dreams to this book again and again. Sarah Edwards, author The Practical Dreamer's Handbook.

The best of it's kind.......2000-11-08

This is the best book of it's kind that I have read - out of about 5 or so. Written in 1997, the authors considered the Internet and telecommuting as well. And it is nearly as relevant to Australia (where I find myself) as to the USA. Easy to read, it contains many useful hints, tables, and resources. Valuable questionaires and lists. What you should and what you shouldn't. What you need, and what you don't. Even so, we also had a "First Try". But nothing ventured is nothing learned.

Loved this book!.......2000-06-17

Your book is well informed and plenty of resource that gave me more confidence. Reread it few times. I really enjoy reading it very much. Thanks

Detailed, realistic insights for aspiring country dwellers.......1999-09-15

If you have been dreaming of moving to the country, but don't know if you can really do it successfully, Country Bound! is a great resource. The Rosses lay all their personal experience on the line, frankly and comprehensively. They help you ask yourself the "nitty-gritty" questions that you MUST consider before making such a big life change. The book's separate sections on lifestyle and business considerations help you break down the decision into manageable pieces. The many quizzes and activities are fun as well as eye-opening, and the writing style makes it a quick, enjoyable read. One reading may not be enough, however! There's so much good information here, you will want to review many sections over and over!

A useful tool for Chambers of Commerce too........1997-10-23

As the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Partnership for Economic Development, your book has become a major source of reference.

Average customer rating:

First Review for this product in 4 years!
Interesting plot for Gundam Fans
Good. Could be better.
Blue Destiny
hav'nt read it yet

Mobile Suit Gundam: Blue Destiny
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1892213109

Customer Reviews:

First Review for this product in 4 years!.......2004-09-17

I think, when this was release almost 5 years ago, people didn't quite understand, you see, during that time, They were in the After Colony frame of mind (and then, that was THE first GUNDAM SERIES in america EVER! I think in todays world , The Gundams of Cosmic Era (Seed) People who haven't read this yet will appreciate it more than people did then. This is a very good Graphic novel, But it does seem to end quite abruptly. I feel that this will appeal to Universal Century fans as well since this is when and where it takes place. I do reccomend this product. VERY MUCH!

Interesting plot for Gundam Fans.......2003-06-04

I've been a fan of Anime and Manga for a long time. I was attracted by the original story and technology concepts present in the original Gundam UC world (not GWing). I've always wanted to have a Gundam manga, so when I had the chance, I bought this one, and after a quite detailed inspection, I found the following topics very useful for the people interested in it:
As a manga, the artwork is good, but of course is at a lower level compared to, for example, the Clamp / Satoshi Urushihara works. But the consistency of the story is really good and the fact that the story fills only 1 volume makes it a best-buy.

And for the Gundam fans (minor spoilers), there are so many concepts developed here, that surely makes it interesting. For example to see the early experimentation of the Zion army on Newtypes, at a time when they weren't implemented for combat purposes yet. The setting of the story is in the early days of the war with the Zion, which makes everything much more interesting, and it's fun to see how all the combat units were "malfunctioning" GM's (don't expect to see a RX type here, they didn't exist at the time of this story).

So... my advice is... get it now, if you are a Gundam fan, because it provides some background information about the series. If you are a Manga fan, it could be nice for you, but there are more options, even based in the Gundam world.

Good. Could be better........2001-10-11

This is a pretty cool manga. You may need to read it a few times to understand it due to numerous plot twists and flash-back sequences. If you're a fan of the Wing series, this may be a good intro to the Universal Century timeline. As for the plot, it's a bit slow at points, but great battle scenes make up for it. Overall, 4/5 is just about a perfect rating for this manga.

Blue Destiny.......2001-07-16

This book was great!! The plot was good and the book was full of pages and pages of action! This book is good for Gundam fans familiar with the original Gundam series (Mobile Suit Gundam).

hav'nt read it yet.......2001-07-12

Hi, I am a big fan of Gundam Wing and anticipate the arival of Moble Suit Gundam on cartoon network. I love the series and I'm reading a different book by Yoshiyuki Tomino. I hope this one will be as good as others say it is.

Average customer rating:

Reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can.....
An excellent book of self-discovery
Fascinating and candid confessional

The Blue Suit: A Memoir of Crime
Richard Rayner
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0395752884

Amazon.com

Sleaze meets scholarship in this compelling combination of crisply sketched childhood miseries, Cambridge recollections, and compulsive stealing. The slightly offbeat title--a passing nod to crime classics--suggests there's a mystery to be solved, and indeed there is: the mystery of compulsive behavior. Rayner's compulsion is manifested in--among other things--his relationship with books. He is a book collector, although the term collector hardly does him justice: he has " ... bookcases stuffed with first editions" by the likes of Byron, Leslie Marchand, Frank O'Hara, and Raymond Chandler. "I'm obsessed with books," he says, "and I'd accumulated more than three thousand since we'd been here, to add to the eight thousand back in London and the mere thousand in Yorkshire, where I was born." Rayner steals books compulsively, as if they will supply him with a sense of identity.

First published in 1995, Rayner's recollection begins in the present time but travels far beyond; the understated, candid prose builds terrific suspense as he unearths the details of his life, from childhood--the three-year stint in a turreted Victorian boarding school in Northern Wales--to young adulthood, and reveals his very peculiar brand of thievery. It's a poignant and bizarre exploration of self-loathing and subsequent redemption.

Book Description

Richard Rayner's first book of nonfiction, Los Angeles Without a Map, was hailed by the New York Times as a classic. His second, The Blue Suit, is equally compelling and, for its intensity and honesty, deserves comparison with Geoffrey Wolff 's The Duke of Deception and Frank Conroy's Stop-Time. This is a story about the absence of identity. Rayner had a peripatetic childhood, but it seemed he found some sense of place when he attended Cambridge University in the mid 1970s. Far from affording security, however, Cambridge - combined with the study of philosophy and an obsession with books - was the setting for the start of a bizarre life of crime. Mounting debts propelled the author into a series of frightening, foolish, and hilarious adventures. He plundered bookshops for elusive first editions, forged checks, broke into houses, and acted as accomplice in a Keystone Kops-like attempt to rob a local bank. Seventeen years later, Rayner tries to come to terms with this long-buried nefario

Customer Reviews:

Reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can............2002-12-22

This is a compelling read. I have had the book for some time and just never read it.... But when I finally did pick it up I didn't put it down (except to eat and sleep) until I finished it. It is very reminiscent of Frank Abagnale's memoir Catch Me If You Can in that both writers were devastated by fathers they both loathed and loved and as a result turned, themselves, to lives of crime. Psychologically, it is very interesting, although it does not pretend in any way to be an analysis of the writer's actions or thinking or even feeling. This book has been described as humorous, but I didn't find it funny at all. It is painfully sad and excruciatingly honest and describes various situations the author got himself into, but funny they are not. In fact, after many of the crimes and weird situations with people he knew, he burst into tears, not being able to explain why. It's something we can all feel without having to know. I love to find such honest books. It was a delight to read and now I will move on to Rayner's other books.

An excellent book of self-discovery.......2002-11-04

I picked up this book on a lark and was very, very pleasantly surprised. The book is subtitled, "a memoir of crime," but the book is less about the author's life of crime than it is about his examination of himself. The story goes: Rayner, the author, is a smart Cambridge student whose life stifles him, so he turns to a life of petty crime and deception. Along the way, he grapples with such issues as love and whether he is destined for this life of lies (his father was a crook). But the tale is told through the lens of the middle-aged Rayner, reflecting on his upbringing. "The Blue Suit" is a colorful coming-of-age tale told with the powerful but delicate voice of a man reflecting on his growing up. I highly recommend!

Fascinating and candid confessional.......1996-09-21

I read an excerpt from this book in Granta and couldn't put it down. What's so riveting about a guy talking about his former life of crime? In this case, he's a Cambridge student who steals for thrills. You keep wondering, "When is he going to get caught?" It's not a moral tale of a fall from grace and subsequent redemption. It's more like the strange tale of a man's youthful excesses

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in Blue Suit & dark Tie smiling with Martha , Jean Hagen in Blue Dress with Arms outstretched holding Coat in Room with Sconc

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1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in Blue Suit & dark Tie smiling with Martha , Jean Hagen in Blue Dress with Arms outstretched holding Coat in Room with Sconc
Red Skelton Lobby Card
Manufacturer: National Screen Service Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unbound
ASIN: B000JD5N4Q

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in Blue Suit & Red Tie smiling with Young Pete, Hugh Corcoran & Boss, Charles Dingle & Jean in Blue Dress with white Trim

Average customer rating:

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in Blue Suit & Red Tie smiling with Young Pete, Hugh Corcoran & Boss, Charles Dingle & Jean in Blue Dress with white Trim
Red Skelton Lobby Card
Manufacturer: National Screen Service Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unbound
ASIN: B000JD9B94

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in blue Suit holding a Derby Hat with Nurse white Uniform

Average customer rating:

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in blue Suit holding a Derby Hat with Nurse white Uniform
Red Skelton Lobby Card
Manufacturer: National Screen Service Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unbound
ASIN: B000JD5N1E

Average customer rating:

1953 Red Skelton Lobby Card from M-G-M riotous Movie Comedy Half a Hero with Jean Hagen & Red Skelton #53/499, picture of Red in blue Suit holding a Derby Hat with Nurse white Uniform & Bill Green as The Doctor in Brown Suit & Hat
Red Skelton Lobby Card
Manufacturer: National Screen Service Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unbound
ASIN: B000JD3VPO

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