Book Description
In the 1920s, thousands of white migrants settled in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate. Six miles from downtown and adjacent to Watts, South Gate and its neighboring communities served as L.A.'s Detroit, an industrial belt for mass production of cars, tires, steel, and other durable goods. Blue-collar workers built the suburb literally from the ground up, using sweat equity rather than cash to construct their own homes.
As Becky M. Nicolaides shows in My Blue Heaven, this ethic of self-reliance and homeownership formed the core of South Gate's identity. With post-World War II economic prosperity, the community's emphasis shifted from building homes to protecting them as residents tried to maintain their standard of living against outside threats—including the growing civil rights movement—through grassroots conservative politics based on an ideal of white homeowner rights. As the citizens of South Gate struggled to defend their segregated American Dream of suburban community, they fanned the flames of racial inequality that erupted in the 1965 Watts riots.
Customer Reviews:
Am I Blue?.......2004-07-12
Though I've read many books on obscure topics, Becky Nicolaides' 'My Blue Heaven' surely tops them all for being a conversation-stopper. Telling someone you're reading a history of a blue-collar suburb of Los Angeles through the middle decades of the 20th century nearly guarantees eye-glazing, if not outright abandonment. Yet, if a reader has even a passing interest in any of the ambitious ground Ms. Nicolaides covers--urban trends, suburban sociology, the political emergence in the 1960s of the famous "silent majority," among many others--I wholeheartedly recommend this work. Only some thready allegations in the final chapter mar an otherwise superb survey.
I'll also admit to a personal interest. Both my parent's families--at least two generations worth--hail from these neighborhoods. Beyond some sketchy childhood memories from the 60s, I don't have any solid impressions of how my immediate ancestors grew up and therefore found myself riveted by--in essence--a detailed family history.
So beyond supplying a nearly endless string of familial "ah-ha!" moments for me, Ms. Nicolaides also blankets her study with incredible (and often myth-puncturing) detail; among them:
* Impressive majorities of pre-WW2 homeowners actually *built* their own homes in the south LA "suburbs." Prototypical developer housing arrived much later.
* In the late 20s (*before* The Depression) the average household spent over a third of its income on food--but only a quarter on housing
* As soon as LA residents could drive, they did: 50% of residents owned a car by *1925* (concurrently compared to 16% nationwide, and 9% in Chicago), and as many commuted to downtown as took (excellent and cheap) public transit. This early automotive embrace neatly skewers the "Roger Rabbit myth," i.e., that evil oil companies "forced" Angelenos into smog-belching cars and conspiratorially drove the beloved streetcars out of business
* Teenagers commonly hitchhiked (!) to popular hangouts like movie theaters and the beach
This list could go on and on. The author is nothing if not comprehensive--and, as shown, she backs up her claims with reams of statistics. A more nuanced and revealing portrait of emerging suburban America would be hard to find.
But the book reaches far beyond strings of lifestyle anecdotes, however fascinating and well-supported. The formation and consolidation of local political attitudes provide both the strongest and most contentious parts of her thesis. The author rarely misses a chance to show how these blue-collar suburbanites swung from being 1920s "Republicans" (boot-strapping home-builders and farmers) to 1930s/40s "Democrats" (New Deal-embracing proponents of post-war government expansion)--and finally back to 1960s "Republicans" (anti-Civil right protectionists), the so-called "silent majority." Her best work shows the underpinnings of these political transformations, fleshing out how they were both formed at the local level and reflected nationally.
My strongest objection to her political theses comes in her final chapter--on race. Leaving aside any sensitivities about my south LA relatives being natural bigots (I can personally attest that many were), I'll only note that the author fails to connect some obvious dots about neighborhood segregation. For example, after a withering critique of blatant bigotry shown by the New Deal-spawned Home Owners Loan Corporation--their notorious loan appraisal maps included such lovely language as "blighted," "menace," and "subversive racial elements" while denying loans to blacks and hispanics--she conveniently neglects mentioning this government segregation complicity in any later contexts. This omission struck me as especially curious since she saves her strongest venom later for white homeowners who opposed many civil rights measures on economic grounds. Whether whites were segregationist bigots or trying to protect their property values (or both), to neglect the money-loaning agent who initially subsidized these conditions struck me as selective at best.
A further racial swipe perhaps comes closer to the author's philosophical biases. After noting that Southern migrants to the area brought "a new style of working-class populism, melding racism, economic populism, and anti-elitism," (a point I'll surely concede) she notes in the same paragraph that "self-help, Americanism, homeowner rights, and a distaste for activist government persisted as core values (among residents); in the new context of economic prosperity and racial encroachment, they *blended easily with the southern political style*." (Italics mine.) We're to conclude that racism and populism "blended easily" with self-help and "Americanism" (whatever that is)? To be fair, Nicolaides sets the context ("The values forged in the distinctive context of working-class suburbia during the interwar years fused smoothly with these imported ideals"), but unlike the rest of the book she provides no evidence for these profound statements.
Ultimately, I found 'My Blue Heaven' a five star effort with a severe markdown for these objections. Aside from an occasional anti-capitalist sneer ("the vagaries of the free market subjected working people to lives of economic instability ...")--almost *de rigeur* from an academic, I suppose--I found her scholarship sound, her organization tight, and her supporting data nearly overwhelming. (Indeed, she is her own worst enemy as topics lacking evidence clearly stand out.) I discovered more here about my parents and relatives than I could have probably ever unearthed on my own and for that Ms. Nicolaides has my utmost gratitude and respect.
A Must-Read.......2003-12-15
I was absolutely riveted by Ms. Nicolaides' study of LA suburban culture and how the struggles therein eventually culminated into the Watts riots. This is a must-read for anyone searching for answers about how these neighborhoods developed and how the families within them struggled from poverty to middle-class. It is written beautifully and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.
My Blue Heaven - a fascinating history of L.A. Suburbia.......2002-12-08
I loved this book! I never thought of suburbs as being all that
interesting or important, thinking that cities were important, and suburbs were minor satellites around them. This book, however, tells the real story of the working class suburbs of L.A. and how they developed. Often, one hears that the purpose of studying history is to understand why things are the way they are today. As a history buff, this book motivated me to travel to LA and ride around the streets of South Gate and some of the other suburbs, visualizing the events of days gone by. Ms. Nicolaides shows how these suburbs changed from street after street of self-built houses inhabited by struggling workers, chicken coops, and makeshift stores into the dynamic communities of today. Once I started it, I was totally engaged through the last chapter.
Product Description
Foreward by former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Using the life and work of one of the worlds most accomplished diplomats, Swedens Jan Eliasson, this provocative book offers a unique inside view of how modern diplomacy shapes world political debate and affects the outcome of major events and international relations. Ambassador Eliasson has provided diplomatic reporter John Shaw with up close access to his work for a year - his last in Washington as ambassador. Shaw has attended policy meetings with the Ambassador, watched him give speeches, host high-level receptions, and interact with other senior diplomats. Using Eliasson as the vehicle, "The Ambassador" delves into what modern diplomats really do and offers a unique, personal, behind-the-scenes glimpse of international statesmanship. Eliasson is of special interest because he was recently selected to be the president of United Nations General Assembly beginning in September, 2005. He will be in the news over the next several years. Contents Chapter 1 The Ambassador from Central Casting An overview of the life and work of Jan Eliasson, Sweden's ambassador to the United States and one of the stars of Embassy Row, deeply involved in Washington's political, economic, and philanthropic worlds. Ambassador Eliasson is a master of all things that modern diplomats must do: work a reception room, draft a policy memo, lobby a lawmaker, chat up the Chief Justice, nail down a trade or investment deal and host a reception. Chapter 2 The Swedish Context A brief account of Sweden's impressive diplomatic traditions, including its intensive work with the United Nations, its support for humanitarian causes, and the importance it has placed on its bilateral relationship with the United States. Chapter 3 Diplomatic Excellence Ambassador Jan Eliassons background, including his family, education and training and his remarkably wide-ranging career in diplomacy which includes postings in Paris, Bonn, Washington, and Salisbury, Zimbabwe, where he opened the first Swedish embassy in 1980. He has worked in war zones in Somalia, Sudan, and the Balkans, negotiated a truce in the brutal war in Nagarno-Karabakh, spent more than 25 hours in direct talks with Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, including harrowing negotiations in Saddams presidential palaces, was diplomatic advisor to the Swedish prime minister, served as the U.N.s first undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, was a university professor, and became ambassador to Washington in September 2000. Chapter 4 Ambassador to the Capital of the World How Jan Eliasson has emerged as one of Washington's best diplomats, creating an extensive network of contacts in Congress, the White House, State Department, Supreme Court and Washington's think tank community; how he works on Capitol Hill, Embassy Row and with Swedish-Americans across the country. Chapter 5 Reflections and Ruminations A probing look at Jan Eliasson's views on how diplomacy has changed during his storied forty year career; how he has managed to bridge the worlds of classical diplomacy which he was taught in Sweden and the informal diplomacy that he has practicedand perfectedin Washington, D.C. The chapter concludes with his assessment of the state of diplomacy in the modern world.
Customer Reviews:
international networking - advanced class.......2007-02-15
Had the benefit of seeing the author and subject at a DC event , so must say from the outset, that this may have an unfair advantage.
Shaw does a fine job, capturing the essence of Eliasson's modus operandi and how that translates into cognitive and situational connectedness.
The book is a "how to" and ""why you should" parlay networking skills to enable a greater good.
Though written from the POV of an Ambassador in international settings and circumstances, I got the impression that if one picks up on the themes and techniques - one could improve one's lot in life personally, career, and in business, overall.
Enjoyed the blunt, straight forward, A-political nature of the discussions, and picked up (learned ) where the Ambassador stopped short of going to far, after he had made his point.
Excellent insite into how/why certain international situations happenned, and gives suggestions as to how some may have been avoided, without sounding like a monday morning quarterback. More. like lesssons for us to observe for the next time.
Book Description
Cities Ranked & Rated: Your Guide to the Best Places to Live in the U.S. & Canada provides timely facts and unbiased information on over 400 U.S. and 30 Canadian cities in an easy-to-access format. Whether you're mulling over the idea of relocating, trying to decide where to start out, or just curious about how your hometown stacks up, you’ll be intrigued by Cities Ranked & Rated. In addition to providing population statistics, each city is ranked on a number of essential factors, many of which are of vital interest in today's economy. Categories include: economy and jobs, cost of living, climate, education, health and health care, crime, transportation, leisure, and arts and culture. Easy-to-use tables help you put this wealth of information to work to find the city that best suits your special needs and interests.
Customer Reviews:
Must read for anyone moving to a new city or wanting to.......2007-03-17
I've been looking for a place to settle down for a few years now and it's much easier to read a book written by those who have researched every major and medium sized city in the country and Canada than to try and do it myself. This book also includes small cities but obviously not EVERY one. It is very informative and it ranks the cities in an easy to understand way. This book includes details most people trying to relocate want to know about such as - weather, crime rates, what kind of crimes occur the most, water quality, air quality, population, job growth rates, #of hospitals nearby, airports nearby, colleges, sports and culture nearby.
where should i be?.......2007-02-28
I bought this book in hopes of finding my ideal location. The book is useful but almost all statistical. Also, the real estate and economy sections are very much out of date - then again, our economy in general is always changing. I found the sections on Canada very helpful. For more stats, try the US Census website, talk about all the right tools!
Fat book of facts.......2006-02-05
I found this book a delightful conglomeration of every fact you might want to know about a city and it's livability. The catagories were population,economy& jobs, Cost of living, Climate, Education, Healthcare, Crime, transportation, Leisure,arts& culture, and quality of life.The charts, tables,and maps kept me in a sense of discovery! The info is really easy to understand and not too abstract. Peter Sander and Bert Sperling, the authors have a great background and created a very flowing publication.
Truth: its a good book for most of us.......2006-01-28
I think this book is uncannily accurate in the way it described many cities with which I am familiar. Must be accurate for the others as well, right? So I would say it is actually very useful.. Anything with a gazillion bits of information will have some errors, but on the whole, trust me, it's a good book.
A Publisher's Huge Embarassment.......2005-11-24
This book rates cities by several livability factors, then adds the ratings to determine who's #1 (it's Charlottesville, VA), who's #2 (Santa Fe, NM) . . . all the way down to who's #331 (Laredo, TX), dead last.
In doing so, the authors have inadvertently switched the ratings of cities with the same name: Columbia (Missouri and South Carolina), Columbus (Georgia and Ohio), Decatur (Alabama and Illinois), Florence (Alabama and South Carolina) Jackson (Michigan and Mississippi), Lafayette (Indiana and Louisiana) and Springfield (Illinois and Massachusetts).
For example: Florence (Alabama) gets Florence (South Carolina's) rosey score for employment, while the latter is saddled with the former's rather grim employment score. Or, Jackson (Michigan) receives Jackson (Mississippi's) milder weather rating, while the latter is stuck with the former's rotten climate rating.
Since a city's ranking depends on the rankings of other cities, these astounding errors affect the final results of every other city listed in the book. You can verify this yourself by comparing ratings summarized in the beginning of the book with ratings in each city's profile.
This book is a fraud. If this had happened in health care or financial services, the authors would have been fired and their study withdrawn.
Book Description
The Chinese are fond of using four-character phrases, known as cheng yu, to improve their writing style. The Chinese characters on the cover spell out one such idiom: pao zhuan yin yu. Translated literally, this would be "throw bricks attract jade." It can also express the idea of throwing out something of little value to induce a potential business partner to offer something more valuable. The authors of Turning Bricks into Jade, a more idiomatic rendering of pao zhuan yin yu, like to think of each critical incident in this collection as a brick, which, when combined with similar bricks, good sense and effort, can be used to construct relationships more valuable even than jade. A critical incident is a story about cross-cultural conflict or misunderstanding. Many of the forty-one incidents are based on actual events that involved one or more of the authors or their acquaintances. Some are a composite of several authors' experiences. You choose one of four or five possible alternatives that explain the misunderstanding. Following each incident is a discussion of possible solutions, based on the authors' experiences and grounded in current research. Misunderstandings between Chinese and American interactants are complicated; there is almost never just one thing going on. One result of this complexity is that many of the incidents have more than one correct explanation. Forty-one Americans and Chinese with considerable experience in both cultures read the collection of incidents for validation. As you work through the incidents, you may feel the need for a more detailed explanation or definition of certain recurring themes. A section on key theoretical concepts in Chinese-American interactions provides such detail. Included are individualism and collectivism, guanxi (interpersonal connections), hierarchies, gender relations in the workplace, regulations, deference to authority, work incentives and ownership. The Index of Incidents According to Themes and Concepts is also helpful.
Book Description
Being able to build effective relationships is at once the most important factor and the most frustrating challenge in creating success and satisfaction at work.
Customer Reviews:
Practical advice on an issue that's always emotional.......2006-03-04
The simple truth is that being good at what you do simply isn't good enough if you can't work with people. Technical abilities may get you promoted into a management position, but it takes interpersonal skills to keep you there. Bob Wall explores first, what makes work relationships successful and what makes them fail. He then provides some common-sense steps you can take to improve work relationships that aren't working.
The most effective way to improve work relationships, says the author, is to learn to distinguish between personal and professional relationships. A professional relationship exists solely for the purpose of getting work accomplished, while personal relationships can have many purposes. In personal relationships there is an assumption of equality, while professional relationships are often hierarchical. Conflict at work is often based on miscommunication. We are often blind to how our behavior affects others, while we are very critical of the faults of others. When there isn't adequate communication, we often stereotype others as "aggressive jerks" or "incompetent" without understanding the issues or perspective of the other.
To confront conflict at work, you must first understand that most people honestly mean well, but often fail to understand how their behavior and attitudes affect others on the team. Unless someone tells them about it, how will they know they should change? This is true of your own behavior as well. You must be willing to listen to how others are affected by your behavior on the job.
The easiest way to begin fixing problems at work is to agree on goals, roles and procedures. The most common source of problems in teamwork is ambiguity. The team should begin by asking themselves:
· What goals are we going to accomplish?
· What role is expected of every team member?
· How will we coordinate our work with each other?
A Solid Effort!.......2001-06-02
If you’ve been at loggerheads with a co-worker, calm down and read this. Bob Wall takes a close look at why the ubiquitous “personality problem” persists at work. His conclusions boil down to basics: Co-workers mix professional and personal relationships, confuse organizational roles and expectations, and simply clash due to dislike or incompatibility. He offers a number of familiar solutions to workplace conflict, advising you to pick your battles, agree to disagree and consider the possibility that you might be at fault. Not exactly rocket science, but Wall’s book is fresh, easy-to-read and reader-friendly. We ... recommend this book primarily to supervisors, who will find the dissection of professional relationships useful in managing your sometimes-hard-to-understand employees.
An important job and business practice guide........2000-05-04
This practical, important business books offers specific advice for users interested in business advice and enhancement. Bob Wall's Working Relationships presents facts on how to get along with friends and foes alike in a business setting. From building professional relationships and understanding different personality types and their motivations to handling complaints and requests, this provides an important job guide.
Working Relationships: The Simple Truth about Getting Along.......2000-01-24
This book is both practical and insightful. I could easily relate the situations described to my own. Mr. Wall provides down-to-earth and effective solutions to at-work problems that have the potential to ruin the day, the week - and sometimes the job! The principles can be applied to personal relationships as well.
great tool for anyone who works with people.......1999-12-13
I found this book to be an enjoyable read as well as a great resource for solving problems at work. It has some great excersizes to do and believe me they do work. This book is a must to own for anyone who needs help with a situation or problem at work .
Book Description
"Shortchanged" takes an uncompromising look at the corporate vultures that prey on America's working class. Made up of pawnshops, payday lenders, check cashers, credit card companies and the like, the fringe economy entices vulnerable consumers into an economic netherworld of high interest rates and ever-increasing debt. The book examines the factors behind the fringe economy's rise -- stagnant wages, rising numbers of working poor, and the 12 million U.S. households without bank accounts -- and investigates the sleazy practices -- instant credit, cash-for-your-title loans, predatory mortgage lending, E-Z home equity loans -- that result in phenomenal growth for the industry and a nightmare for the consumer. Powerful analysis is combined with moving personal stories of the mothers, fathers, and families whose lives have been put on the line for the perpetuation of this economy. Ruthless, compelling, outrageous, and often enraging, "Shortchanged" puts the spotlight on the shady side of America's economic underbelly.
Customer Reviews:
Socialist Rant.......2007-01-29
I bought this book because I love books about economics and finance. I enjoy reading about the pitfalls of credit and the dangers of an over-leveraged society. And I wish everyone could pull themselves out of this dangerous cycle and live debt-free.
What I don't love, however, is reading an author who puts the blame for society's ills on everyone but the individual. For example, it's not Joe Sixpack's problem that he makes $8 an hour, but HAS to have a $4,000 big-screen LCD television. It's Sony's fault for having compelling marketing, and the predatory bank's fault for loaning him the money, and Wal-Mart's fault for selling him the TV, and the cable company's fault for broadcasting NFL games, and the NFL's fault for allowing games to be televised. Poor Joe Sixpack -- he can't possibly live with a 20" CRT TV -- he needs an LCD TV. So he's a victim.
It's also not Joe's fault for the 32% interest, over-limit and late fees he's paying. It's the bank's fault for not letting Joe slide when he needed beer money and a cool stereo for his new car and couldn't pay his bills for a few months. Poor misunderstood Joe.
The author also rails against payday lenders. Never mind that payday lenders employ ten of thousands of people in blighted urban areas, and provide much needed access to money to buy food or heating oil. They're evil because they expect that money back! And who are they to add an interest rate to cover operational expenses and provide salaries for those inner-city employees? The nerve!
I should have read about the author before purchasing this book. If I had realized that he was a purveyor of pseudo-science (sociologist) living in an ivory tower, and not an employed, real-world financial analyst I would have passed. I did manage to sell it used for two-thirds of what it cost me though. I guess I'll just consider that interest paid.
the underbelly of a modern economy.......2006-07-02
Karger reveals what he accurately terms the "fringe economy". Something possibly unknown to those safely enscounced in the American middle class. This fringe is inhabited by working class people, which might have experienced a bout of bad luck. This can come in the form of losing a job, or having a very low paying one. Or perhaps a chronic illness, that severely restricts what types of jobs one can get.
Within the fringe economy, the book shows a range of companies that might be accurately described as predatory. Offering short term payroll loans that amount to over 100% interest on an annualised basis. Or for those unable to buy furniture, these are made available on a rental basis. Again, typically at an annual rate of over 100%. Such techniques might perhaps be aimed at those who exhibit poor personal money management. The deservedly imprudent, if you will. But the techniques also take aim at those who carefully count every dollar, and who do not squander what little they have.
Intriguing, insightful, suffers only from some disorganization.......2006-01-21
The fringe economy is a poorly-understood shadow structure operating below the surface of maintstream life, according to Karger, a professor of Social Work in Texas. His outlook is more broad than deep, but I applaud both the scope of his work and his policy recommendations. While I would disagree with a few of them (as an economist I have a slightly different perspective of the function of financial institutions), the suggested policy actions offer a launching point for further discussion that is missing in some other purely emotive works. I also applaud Karger's effort to tackle this fairly ethereal subject (much like the idea of the 'economy' itself) and put it into human terms.
I knock one star for the presentation of statistics - there's a little too much of it without enough order to support their presentation. However, these do not detract from the logic of the book, only from the continuity in a few sections. Otherwise, an eye-opening read.
Excellent Book!.......2005-12-28
"Pawn shops, check cashers, rent-to-own stores, payday and tax-refund lenders, auto-title-loans, buy-here-pay-here used car lots - what seems to be small independent storefront operations turn out to be part of an economy dominated by well-financed corporations with little-no oversight and increasingly strong ties to mainstream financial institutions" - so claims "Shortchanged" summary material. The book then goes on to provide stories of real people trapped in perpetual debt, usually starting with overpriced goods, and acerbated by high interest rates and required extra charges.
Karger admits that serving the poor can cost more, and thus would justify higher prices. However, he cites examples of pawning a vehicle for 1/3 its value and paying interest of up to and over 300%/year to get it back, depositing $100s-$1,000+ in low-interest savings accounts to acquired a secured credit card that charges 30%/year rates (and more) to use, check cashers paying 3% to cash relatively risk-free government checks - and concludes that clearly the line separating "reasonable" from "unreasonable" was crossed.
Karger's material is well-documented, providing sources for his claims - eg. "almost 10% of unbanked households' net income is spent on alternative financial services,." "consumer debt, excluding mortgages, averaged about $19,000/family in '04," "68% of EITC and CTC eligible families use tax preparers (average cost $305 in '01; total of $1.3 billion vs. $EITC payouts of $30 billion." However, sometimes these claims, despite documentation, do not seem to hold water - eg. Karger states that the "bulwark of public assistance programs cost $125 billion/year or less (low-income housing, AFDC and its successor program, food stamps, WIC, school lunch), compared to check cashers, payday lenders, pawn shops, rent-to-own growing $78 billion in '01 - the problem is that the $78 billion did not appear substantiated by the detail.
Information on how these purveyors of credit to the poor avoid usury laws is provided - eg. require a loan applicant to sell up to three household items to the lender, and then lease them back.
The material on home mortgages for the poor was particularly eye-opening - balloon payments, shared appreciation mortgages (due at maturity), extra insurance fees, foreclosure "help" that often takes the customer's equity, and high interest rates (location, credit rating). Car sales (over-priced to begin with) that allow the seller to break-even in about three months, accompanied by a 30% repossession rate for "buy-here-pay-here" and frequent profitable trade-ins upon breakdown. (They even have companies that rent tires - at high fees and rates!)
Debt counselors get about 15% from money paid to credit card companies - some counseling firms are reputable and provide good service. Others steer money towards the credit card companies, neglecting home mortgage and car payments. Only 26% complete the process.
So, one wonders, if these firms are making so much money, why don't others come in and compete down the charges. In some cases this is happening - Wal-Mart is now providing check-cashing services at far lower charges than check-cashing stores. On the other hand, there is also a problem with low-income consumers being their own worst enemies - eg. not knowing that they could cash a payroll check free at the issuing bank, or even the advantages of having a bank account. (I'm left wondering how President Bush's privatization of Social Security would possibly avoid these people being taken advantage of.)
An excellent book, even for someone like myself who thought he knew it all already!
Wake Up Call/Christmas gift.......2005-12-18
While Nickel and Dimed is an excellent read, in key ways it lacks authenticity. Barbara Ehrenreich, while attempting to live the marginal life, could always fall back on the resources of her "real" life, which she admittedly does on occasion. Her actions in these instances underscore the importance of Karger's book. Where do the actual poor, who can't step out of a temporary context, go when they need something to fall back on? As Karger so clearly illuminates, they must look to those who "have" and are anxious to give - at interest rates that guarantee the customer will be back, again and again. Karger's keen observation of the relationship between morality and economy may hit too close to home for those benefiting from the system. For those committed to reform of a predatory economy, he offers critical strategies for change. This book is an eye opener and a wake-up call to those of us who have not lost our moral center.
On a personal note, my friends and family who will see themselves in this book - lured by the "easy" money of the fringe economy - have gotten this book as a PRE-Christmas present. I hope they read it before they borrow money they'll never to really be able to pay back to buy Christmas gifts they can't really afford.
Average customer rating:
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Hands: Physical Labor, Class, And Cultural Work
Janet Zandy
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
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Paper Daughter: A Memoir
ASIN: 0813534356 |
Book Description
What are two hands worth?
In linking forms of cultural expression to labor, occupational injuries, and deaths, Hands: Physical Labor, Class, and Cultural Work centers what is usually decentered--the complex culture of working-class people. Janet Zandy begins by examining the literal loss of lives to unsafe jobs and occupational hazards. She asks critical and timely questions about worker representation--who speaks for employees when the mills, mines, factories, and even white-collar cubicles shut down. She presents the voices of working-class writers and artists, and discusses their contribution to knowledge and culture.
Zandy also illuminates the relationship between contemporary poets and historical events such as the Triangle fire, and argues for consideration of Ralph Fasanella as a great narrative painter of the working class. Hands concludes with an imaginative interpretation of how our complex system of technology affects laboring bodies through various speed zones of history, culture, and lived experience.
This path-making book reveals the flesh and bone beneath the abstractions of labor, class, and culture. It is an essential contribution to the emerging field of working-class studies, offering a hybrid model for bridging communities and non-academic workers to scholars and institutions of knowledge.
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Flexible Working And Organisational Change: The Integration of Work And Personal Life
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ASIN: 1843766183 |
Book Description
Organizations and the nature of work have undergone fundamental changes in recent decades. At the same time, the traditional family pattern in Europe is being challenged by the growing number of dual-income families, and by the rise of women's employment. The central aim of this book is to consider to what extent changes in organizations and in the nature of jobs are compatible with the need, increasingly expressed by employees, for greater integration between work and family life. The book questions what sort of dilemmas modern and future employees face, in terms of shaping their careers and organizing their lives at home. The authors formulate answers to these problematic questions by shedding light on relevant developments in the European labor markets, the European workplaces, in (flexible) working patterns, changing preferences for working hours and in gender relations at work. With a focus on future developments, this book will be of interest to labor market researchers and social policymakers in Europe, and also students in the social sciences, management (HRM) and social policy.
Book Description
Challenging assumptions about the separation of high politics and everyday life, Belinda Davis uncovers the important influence of the broad civilian populace—particularly poorer women—on German domestic and even military policy during World War I.
As Britain's wartime blockade of goods to Central Europe increasingly squeezed the German food supply, public protests led by "women of little means" broke out in the streets of Berlin and other German cities. These "street scenes" riveted public attention and drew urban populations together across class lines to make formidable, apparently unified demands on the German state. Imperial authorities responded in unprecedented fashion in the interests of beleaguered consumers, interceding actively in food distribution and production. But officials' actions were far more effective in legitimating popular demands than in defending the state's right to rule. In the end, says Davis, this dynamic fundamentally reformulated relations between state and society and contributed to the state's downfall in 1918. Shedding new light on the Wilhelmine government, German subjects' role as political actors, and the influence of the war on the home front on the Weimar state and society, Home Fires Burning helps rewrite the political history of World War I Germany.
Customer Reviews:
full of information but lacked impact.......2004-04-28
Davis' Home Fires Burning: Food, Politics and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin focuses on the "economic war" aspect of WWI. When Great Britain declared war on Germany, they put their greatest weapon, the Navy, to use. The British placed a naval blockade and stopped imports of weapon and food supplies. The British waged "economic war", with the intention of destroying the morale of the German civilians. German soil was poor for growing wheat and so Germany had to import two-thirds of the wheat needed to made bread. 1915 and 1916 had especially poor harvests of potato, which is a staple crop. Along with the British naval blockade, there were significant food shortages, which affected the general population. Davis wanted to introduce the reader to the food shortages and hardships inflicted on the public by the food shortages. Davis wanted to bring out the point that WWI did not only affect the young men going off to fight but the women who stayed home as well.
WWI in Germany was all encompassing war, which included not only the military aspect of the front lines. Davis wanted to illustrate the government neededed to realize WWI also included the home front and the commoner who also was sacrificing for the war. It was not just the soldier, who was fighting for the Fatherland, but the housewife was "fighting" for the Fatherland too. She made her contribution to the Fatherland through dealing with shortages of essential food supplies, rising prices and long food lines. Davis continued her argument with the officials realizing the home front aspect of the war; the administration now understood the connection between the condition of the home front and the condition of the front line.The morale of the people at home would affect the fighting capabilities of the soldier. By the government being aware of this correlation, the soldier's wife, housewife, and factory worker wheeled a considerable amount of political power. "As Berliners cast it, it was still in midwar the women of little means, a figure without formal political rights but with great symbolic power as the leader on the right side of the economic war and of the war over Germany's future."
Even though the book had a great deal of information, she organized the information into a format, which all lead to her point. The reader wasn't overwhelmed with facts thrown at them. Yet, Davis had a tendency of dehumanizing the hardships of the shortages of food.The reader never truly gets the feeling that the Berliners are starving to death.The reader is not able to understand the desperation of the situation. Davis was missing emotion from her book. She reduces starving situation of the common people into a premeditated political move.
really great--I learned a lot.......2004-01-08
I found this book fascinating. I am a World War I buff, and have read dozens of books on the subject, but had no idea about the role played by food shortages in Germany-and I certainly didn't realize before reading this book how important they were politically. I liked this book because the story really came alive for me; I also liked finding out so much about civilian life, which I didn't really know about before. It was interesting to see how civilians reacted to different military battles, military policy, etc., and to compare it to there reaction to domestic policy. This was a great read. My professor recommended it to me because I wanted to read some new books on World War I for my paper, and I'm really glad he did.
Almost unreadable.......2003-02-23
Belinda J. Davis examines the German home front during World War I by describing the severe food crisis affecting "a broadening population of Germans" (2) from the beginning of the war, particularly the lower and working classes in Berlin. Davis asserts that "women of lesser means" (3) were hardest hit by food scarcity, inflation and governmental ineptitude in dealing with the ever-growing food crisis in Germany's capital city, and that these careworn women came to symbolize the hardships of all Germans facing starvation, price-fixing, and hoarding by producers. "Gender plays a central role in this account of the war," Davis announces (3), and goes on to depict the new political role women came to play by way of street riots, public protests and entrance in to the work force (most notably munitions work.) She demands that "we must acknowledge the changes brought about" by the protests of women of lesser means during the course of the Great War that eventually led to revolution in 1918 and the collapse of the German war effort. (234) These important changes were in the form of a "just distribution of material goods and political power," (236) with which Berliners struggled for years to come. Although Davis' innovative focus on lower class women consumers from 1914 to 1918 is a provocative one, Home Fires Burning suffers from a number of organizational and conceptual problems that ultimately undermine the book's success.
Several problematic evidentiary questions are apparent in Home Fires Burning. Davis uses Berlin as a microcosm for all German cities in describing the catastrophic food shortages, such as bread, potatoes and butter, and distribution problems. Yet, despite her introduction in which she discusses Germany as a whole and a willingness to extrapolate from Berlin's example for all of Germany, Davis goes on to say that Berlin was "clearly unique within the empire." (17) This contradiction raises a question of how representative Berlin is for the entire nation, particularly since Davis engages in very little discussion of other German cities. Furthermore, she concludes that Berlin policemen observing rioting women in the streets gradually began to sympathize with those "of lesser means," and eventually colored their reports to superiors with subtle calls for actions and relief. (99-103) If it is true, however, that these police officers manipulated their statements for their own benefit, it casts doubt as to the credibility and reliability of the value of these records (upon which Davis relies heavily) as evidence-something she seems not to have questioned throughout the book.
Davis also commits the "fallacy of insidious generalization," most notably in her lack of quantification. Although Davis does provide several tables in this study and briefly discusses caloric intake quantitatively, she repeatedly generalizes in her narrative and for the most part avoids numbers. In a lengthy discussion of special consumer privileges granted to soldiers' wives, for example, her analysis rests on impressionistic accounts of police reports that echo resentments of those not afforded these benefits (primarily extra food coupons and rent protection.) She provides no analysis of what this allowance meant to soldiers' wives in real terms-was it significant or meaningful? Did those not receiving this benefit have a legitimate gripe, or were their protests based on misperceptions? Throughout this study, the reader gets little sense of the scale of the home front crisis due to a sense of imprecision. Davis employs frequent generalizations (such as "many", "all," or "none") and a persistent, sweeping use of jargon to summarize broad concepts with little or no description.
Hyperbole characterizes Davis' prose. She claims broadly that women were an "inner enemy" of society, while "particular circumstances of the war [resulted in] ...the vilification of femaleness." (45) Nowhere does she prove that all women were vilified for being females-or for any other reason. Additionally, Davis asserts that the "primacy of gender" led to working males receiving more food subsidization, and labels this "a social tragedy." Describing class and gender issues as tragic while a horrific war raged for four years is an inappropriate exaggeration, ultimately weakens the credibility of her entire argument, and should have been avoided.
Throughout her account of World War I food and politics, Davis reveals her own aesthetic of what good government should be, then and now: interventionist. She uses prose to dehumanize her descriptions of government agencies and workers responsible for providing aid, too often referring to them coldly as "the state," "the commission," or "high-level authorities." (67, 91) This literary device creates an impression of an unsympathetic, faceless bureaucracy plodding along, rather than an overwhelmed group of individuals struggling to solve and react to unprecedented domestic problems. Her choice of words when referring to government actions is telling: official actions to solve food crises were "partial, grudging," (109, while their efforts were "hapless." (115) The free market had a "degrading effect" on the German economy, and was inappropriate, (124) while Germans had "to serve, rather than be served" (11) by the state-a condition Davis evidently laments.
Davis uses a grinding, repetitive narrative to hammer home her theme that only a total governmental intervention in the economy and food distribution system of Imperial Germany, especially in Berlin, could have-and should have-saved thousands from starvation and potentially have warded off revolution by the end of the war. She employs repeated examples of limited efforts by imperial agencies to solve the various food and price emergencies to support her claim that partial solutions failed, such as ill-conceived rent controls (210), price ceilings for milk (162) and soup kitchens (156). Thus only radical measures such as "equalized distribution" of food resources (180) and "total control" of the economy by government officials (115) could bring about the "just distribution of material goods and political power," (236) especially for lower class women short of revolution. Unfortunately, Davis' argument is largely unpersuasive, given her failure to provide evidence that such extreme measures would have proven any more effective in alleviating the suffering of Berliners during the war years than the attempts of the state authorities she repeatedly condemns.
Stunning integration of cultural politics and daily life.......2000-04-21
What I loved about this book was how it helps reframe the cultural politics of Weimar and transition Germany. The use of daily life in the theorization of politics and culture is rewarding for Davis, whose use of police reports and bureaucratic documents, buttressed by newspaper and other sources, forces us to rethink the role of the state and working class women in politics.
Because of the lively writing, this book makes good reading for the layperson as well as the academic. It is a fine example of the high quality of historical writing possible when scholars merge contemporary theories of gender and culture with traditional narratives of politics and consumption in wartime Europe.
Book Description
For every woman who works with men-an immediately empowering guide to rising above gender politics and succeeding in the workplace
Knowledge is a powerful tool. The Male Mind at Work answers troublesome and intriguing questions about how men behave on the job. This thought-provoking book shatters myths about what really goes on in the male mind while confirming for women the realities about gender differences that have always existed. It offers clear strategies for women who feel frustrated and confused because male colleagues speak a different language or play by different rules, and contains valuable truths about the male psyche so that woman can more effectively operate in the workplace.
By looking through this gender lens, a woman will gain a better understanding of the male perspective in order to network with men, manage a difficult male colleague, boss, or subordinate, and compete with confidence. The Male Mind at Work arms women with the power to use this knowledge effectively-without sacrificing their own identities and personal strengths.
Customer Reviews:
some interesting if not earth-shattering observations.......2001-08-13
Though I didn't feel that there was any shocking bit of new information, I did enjoy reading the candid comments of many CEO's regarding their perceptions of women. No surprise that many are intimidated by the very smart women that have risen to their level. I did feel that at times the differences between men and women were exaggerated somewhat, but the author does provide helpful pointers at the end of each chapter that are meant to help the reader put theory into practice. Most interesting is the idea that many top CEOs cite graciousness at the top quality they think makes them a strong leader -- I think men have learned something from women here as women are more likely than men to share the credit. Humility and graciousness go a long way, both in the business world and out. A good read with some useful information.
Gender-Specific and Yet...........2001-01-06
Throughout eight chapters, Swiss suggests how women can "add swagger to their step, put on a game face, balance feminine and masculine traits, maneuver adversity and adversaries, cope with mixed signals and the great gender divide." She also offers reasons men why like working with women, secrets of strong leaders, and concludes with suggestions as to how to open "the gender lens. "Here is a woman's guide to working with men. (It could also serve as a man's guide to working with other men as well as with women.) Based on extensive interviews, Swiss offers some insightful comments and practical suggestions which, in this male's opinion, will help women to improve (or at least clarify) their relationships with men. Of course, not all men think and act alike; nor do all women. We all know abrasive and aggressive women as well as gentle and acquiescent men. Each possesses a unique combination of what are perceived to be masculine and feminine traits. Men and women often approach quite differently a broad range of career issues such as hiring and firing, conveying confidence, facing competition, participating on a team, building business alliances, saying "no" and setting limits, dealing with difficult people and difficult situations, managing and motivating others. Sound familiar? I agree with Swiss that there are certain "valuable truths about the male psyche" which, properly understood, can reduce (if not eliminate) problems many women have with that psyche in action. (Many males do not as yet understand, much less appreciate these "valuable truths.") This book will be valuable for anyone who seeks a better understanding of the male mentality, not only at work but everywhere else.
I really loved this book........2000-10-03
This book is incisive and helpful. As a woman in a male dominated field, I can attest that Swiss' advice is entirely on target. In addition to offering effective ways to succeed, it's also a good read. Very entertaining. If you are a women who wants to work more effectively with male colleagues--read this book.
A wonderful reference for corporate women!.......2000-08-22
This book is a wonderful reference for women who work with men, especially those in the corporate world. I work in corporate finance for a large, international corporation and there are very few women in my world. Reading this book gave me a great deal of insight on how men see work situations differently than women, and, by putting this knowledge to work, I've already improved several relationships. (By the way, I first read this book in a bookstore - spent the afternoon sipping lattes and reading - and am now buying my copy from Amazon.)
Books:
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- Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Reality and Challenges (with InfoTrac®)
- Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations (Student Text)
- Organizational Behavior Reader, The (8th Edition)
- Organizational Behaviour: Understanding and Managing Life at Work (6th Edition)
- Organizations Evolving
- Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
- Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin'
- Power of An Hour: Business and Life Mastery in One Hour A Week
- Richard Nickel's Chicago: Photographs of a Lost City
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