Book Description
The Spanish-style architecture of Southern California's seaside estates, canyon villas, and courtyard bungalows is central to its romantic image, one that has traditionally evoked a Mediterranean paradise. The details of this inexhaustively rich style-- ornate wrought iron and wood balconies, colorful tiles, graceful arches, and palm-dotted gardens-- reflect the region's Spanish, Mexican, and southwestern history and culture as well as its popular outdoor lifestyle.
This book showcases Southern California's most historically significant and beautifully preserved Spanish-revival houses of this century. Twenty-one private homes built between 1922 and 1991 are featured in stunning color photography that captures exterior and interior architectural details, Spanish and Mexican antique furnishings and folk art, and lush landscaping and tiled fountains. Among these are the Adamson House in Malibu, with its extraordinary collection of custom tile from Malibu Potteries; the contemporary Greenberg House in Brentwood, by Ricardo Legorreta; The Andalusia Courtyard Apartments in Hollywood; and Casa Pacifica, the former home of Richard Nixon, overlooking the ocean in San Clemente. Brief narratives highlight the history of each building and its design influences on the Spanish-revival movement in California.
The Spanish revival grew in popularity around the turn of the century when many young American architects traveled to Spain, Italy, and Mexico, bringing back sketches and, as the foreword notes, romantic memories of "graceful foliage...small Indian towns...tiled dome and rococo towers." Hundreds of Spanish-style houses, apartments, and bungalows were built throughout Southern California in the following decades, many of them commissioned for movie stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino.
The Spanish revival is marked by two main phases: the mission revival, which incorporates the white stucco, cloistered patios, tile roofs, and exposed-beam ceilings typical of eighteenth-century California missions; and the more elaborate Mediterranean revival, influenced by Spanish and Italian Renaissance sources, eighteenth-century Spanish plateresque and churrigueresque forms, and Moorish-Andalusian styles.
Customer Reviews:
Casa California evaluation.......2007-09-11
This book is a very useful handbook for any Architectural or interior designer, it contains a lot of ideas a lot of which (in my openion) are easy to be implemented and does not cost so much.
Best Regards
Tareq Azzam
Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente.......2007-03-09
Ideal for learning about the architecture and decortating styles of Spanish style homes. The photgraphs are beautiful. I will rely on this book when I design my new home.
Wonderful Book!.......2006-08-12
Great book! The minute I opened it I knew it was going to be a thrilling trip to another time in California history. Beautiful pictures of grand homes, grounds, and other structures built with Spanish and Mexican influence. If you want just one book covering this subject, this would be the one to buy. Highly recommend.
Images of California Style.......2006-06-09
CSAS CALIFORNIA is one of the coffee table books bound to please not only those who live in California and are eager to study examples of California architecture termed Spanish Revival, but also a fine gift for those out of state friends who wonder if California has any history before 1950!
After an informative foreword by art historian David Gebhard and a tasty introduction by former Architectural Digest editor Elizabeth Jean McMillian the pages of this beautifully designed and elegantly captioned book survey some twenty-one homes built between 1922 and 1991 from Santa Barbara to San Clemente. Not only are the homes photographed formally by photographer Melba Levick, but they also show details of tiles, arches, columns, floors, fixtures and other aspects of design. Each home is then shown with images from the gardens surrounding it as well as the vistas from every vantage. And of special note are comments from the architects (the homes all date from between 1922 and 1991) as well as anecdotes about the current and previous owners.
This book, though published in 1996, remains the most complete examination of the combined Hispanic mission and Mediterranean revival styles now termed Spanish Revival. This is a fine book for those with the California Dream, and for those living it! Grady Harp, June 06
Not that special.......2006-04-18
I didn't glean anything more from this book that I couldn't have gathered on a Sunday drive. Most of the pictures are of exteriors and amazingly enough, none of them really inspires appretiation of this architechtural style. I'm an absolute sucker for Spanish Colonial. There's almost nothing built during the classic era of the 1920's and '30's that I don't swoon over. This book, however, compiled some of the least attractive examples of that style and ends up being thoroughly disappointing. Definitely look elsewhere if your objective is designing interior details that honor the classics.
Book Description
One of the few case studies of undocumented immigrants available, this insightful anthropological analysis humanizes a group of people too often reduced to statistics and stereotypes. The hardships of Hispanic migration are conveyed in the immigrants' own voices while the author's voice raises questions about power, stereotypes, settlement, and incorporation into American society.
Customer Reviews:
Clerical error.......2007-04-21
Reading this book I could not get past the fact that my own parents stories are far more compelling. My father fleeing the communist Rushkies and my mother joining him from Italy. Proud hard working people who embraced America. Learning to read, write and work here as well as teaching themselves to drive. Both have told me that they would never have come here illegally. My father fled Lithuania due to persecution under threat of imprisonment but still would not have come here illegally. How could he flee lawlessness only to enter a country by breaking the law? The writer and readers of these books can't grasp this type of character and courage.They hide from the truth by using terms like undocumented workers. Leaving the incorrect impression that their lack of citizenship is only a clerical error. Decieving only themselves. My parents are the real thing and those who enter under a cloak of darkness are mere law breakers no matter how you spin the truth.
Best ethnography on undocumented aliens ever written.......2006-02-20
Anthropologist Leo Chavez presents a very descriptive and detailed account that takes readers into the lives and experiences of illegal immigrants living and working in the farms and orchards of San Diego County. Chavez avoids the technical and complex jargon so common among contemporary audiences, so this book will be readable by anyone. Detailed accounts are given concerning peoples' decisions to migrate, their experiences of crossing the border and living in the United States without documentation. Although the entire book is great, the best chapter by far is the Epilogue, where the author contextualizes the lives of undocumented immigrants within the larger political and social environment that has recently sought to crack down on illegal aliens.
This book is important reading for anyone with an interest in illegal immigration and the experiences of people who have actually crossed the border. I strongly recommend reading this book along with watching the great 1983 film "El Norte."
A case study of human survial.......2000-11-23
Chavez provides a clear unbiased look at the harsh and often dangerous life of undocumented immigrants mainly in Southern California. Chavez engages the reader through accurate portrayals of people who remain on the fringes of American society for fear of deportation. Their stories are moving; their tenacity amazing. North American readers will be reminded of just how protected and sheltered they are by the virture of living in America. A must read for anyone trying to understand the complexities of illegal immigration or in the postion to make policy on the topic.
Average customer rating:
- A Thoroughly Enjoyable Summer Read
- Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagle
- A good read
- poorly written,inaccurate
- Hotel California - the way to stardom
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Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends
Barney Hoskyns
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Book Description
Advance praise for Hotel California
"A British rock critic obsessed with America, Barney Hoskyns brings a genuine love as well as an outsider's keen eye to the rise and fall of the California scene in the sixties and seventies. This is a riveting story, sensitively told."
—Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone
"Comprehensive and lively, Hotel California offers a front-row seat on the wild ride—fueled by drugs, sex, and lots of cash—that took Southern California singer-songwriters from hot tubs and local bars to sold-out stadiums, private jets, and the bestselling album of all time."
—Alan Light, author of The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys
"One of our finest pop historians reappraises a neglected and often maligned milieu. Barney Hoskyns deftly evokes not just the decadence but the sense of discovery rooted in 1960s idealism and fostered by a gaggle of record industry mavericks who, for a brief period, managed to make art and business coexist."
—Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again
Customer Reviews:
A Thoroughly Enjoyable Summer Read.......2007-08-20
This is the definitive story of Laurel Canyon and the rise and fall of the singer-songwriters that defined an era. Fabulous backstage gossip, great interviews, and a long, revealing look at David Geffen and his role in shaping the sound and artistry of so many great musicians -- Joni, Laura, CSNY, Gene Clark, JT, you name it.
I enjoyed this book so much I didn't want it to end. It also turned me on to some forgotten songwriters and albums that got lost in the shuffle -- Judee Sill being one amazing example.
An essential read for music fans.
Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagle.......2007-08-04
No Pretender. Interesting insight into the genre of singer-songwriter and into the time period when music was becoming personal to a generation that would lay the groundwork music for future generations. Good background story on the artists and players, explaining with some detail the lyrics that still roll around in my head. Somewhat shallow story describing a shallow lifestyle that resulted in deep emotion. Too much repetition, would have been more interesting if more of the story was told with less dialogue. That said - it's worth the time, and the knowledge gain. Good to know who's behind Linda's "You're no good", and Joni's "Case of You" and why James went to "Mexico". Boomer fodder.
A good read.......2007-08-03
An enjoyable book with a lot of insight into the rock stars of the era.
poorly written,inaccurate.......2007-06-10
don't bother to buy this very poorly written book that has distorted facts.The author is basically repeating various quotes from many sources repeatedly.Boring...His facts are wrong.For example he states that Graham Nash was a very compromising person.In fact he was not and this has been verified with his past history with the Hollies.
I am not a critical person but this book was a real disappointment to me...
Hotel California - the way to stardom.......2007-05-12
This books gives details of how various musical artist found their way to the big leagues; who was dating who; who was living with who; and all the secrets that you want to know about your idols.
Customer Reviews:
"Must Buy".......2006-04-09
Not only is this book beautiful, Ruth Lilly Westphal created an important, highly useful educational and in my opinion an essential reference tool for art students, collectors, dealers and art historians interested in the California "Plein Air" art movement. It features generous artists biographies along with rich examples of each artist's works. As one of California's foremost buyers of California Impressionist paintings, I highly recommend this book! www.LawrenceBeebe.com
Comprehensive survey.......2000-06-01
The most comprehensive survey of the work of plein air painters who worked in California.
Book Description
Culled from the remains of an original scrapbook comes a long overdue publication of the work of an architect who all but defined the Spanish Colonial Revival of the early twentieth century. Containing magazine articles and photographs published during Smith's lifetime, this book is an essential addition to the library of any student, practioner or afficionado of Southern California Architecture. It also contains a brief introduction written by Marc Appleton.
Customer Reviews:
SPANISH COLONIAL MASTER.......2006-09-26
This is a fascinating book on a singular talent. It was so interesting to see images and articles, gathered from the era in which Mr. Smith practiced. The photos are wonderful and the text is highly informative. George Washington Smith was the foremost master of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and this book honors him. I highly recommend it to anyone with any interest whatsoever in this style of architecure, you wont be disappointed, it is a long awaited tribute to one of the finest American residental architects of the 20th century.
Fantastic collection.........2003-02-22
This is truely is a must have book for anyone remotely interested in Santa Barbara architecture. Beautiful images and sketches of the historic work of George Washington Smith make up this coffee table treasure. Highly reccommended.
Book Description
ISBN: 1570068119 TITLE: 2007 Los Angeles/So. California Restaurants AUTHOR: Zagat Survey DESCRIPTION: Consumer based survey covering the Los Angeles/So. California area including Orange County, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.
Customer Reviews:
Zagat 2007 Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants .......2007-09-21
Gives you everything you want to know about places to eat in L.A. I'll probably pick up versions for other cities that I travel to.
Helpful - actually it makes me hungry ;-).......2006-12-14
Choc-full of great information, Zagat once again shows the best and the worst of so many different types of eateries in the greater LA. From The Abbey right through to Zucca Ristorante it goes alphabetically through some great sounding places. Many I've been to and the reviewers are accurate more times than not, so this is a book I think you can trust. It includes websites for the restaurants and it includes prices and even eateries in Palm Springs, Orange County and Santa Barbara etc. It's easy to follow and there is practically something in here for everyone. I mean EVERYONE. From all types of cuisines in all price brackets. It's a great guide that gives you a little insight into new places to try or just your old favourites. I highly recommend this great book.
Customer Reviews:
Don't understand the hype.......2007-08-21
I am completely perplexed by the multitude of 5-star reviews for this cookbook. 35 of 37 reviews gave 5 stars, the other 2 reviews 4 stars at the time of writing this. Not a single other person out there was even remotely dissatisfied? Something seems wrong...
I'm not Vietnamese but I live near Little Saigon and eat there quite often so I think I have a pretty good grasp of the cuisine and how everything should taste. It's my favorite cuisine, and I have even learned to cook some of the dishes from friends, etc. I bought this book because I wanted to expand my repetoire, however, everything I have tried has come out tasting 'off'.
I found the directions in the recipes to be either misleading or not descriptive enough. Take the bu'n rie^u recipe, for example. The ingredients call for a large onion, pealed. In the directions, she just instructs you to saute the onion in a small skillet. Obviously you are not expected to saute a whole onion, however there is no mention as to whether you should quarter it, dice it, chop or mince it, etc. as you would expect in any other cookbook. Not to mention a large onion + shallots + crab won't even fit in a small skillet. That may sound picky but for a cuisine that is still considered somewhat exotic and unfamiliar to most Americans I think these kind of details are very important if the food is going to come out right.
The good aspects of this book are the descriptions of the culture, cuisine, and history of Little Saigon and it's people, which is really quite interesting. I just wouldn't recommend using this book to try cooking the food. I would suggest maybe trying the more detailed (albeit more difficult) "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen" cookbook for that.
In short, to^i kho^ng thi'ch sa'ch na`y.
Thank you!!!.......2007-07-09
I am an Indian who is married to a Vietnamese. I have always loved cooking and never have been afraid to try something different. I am always searching for authentic Vietnamese cookbooks in English and I have to say that this one is going to be my favorite. I thank Ms. Le for writing this book in such a detail and for her recipes.
Love it!.......2007-04-12
I like to try my hand at cooking foods I enjoy eating in restaurants and Vietnamese happens to be one of my favorites. I borrowed this book from the library and cooked several dishes, all which came out absolutely delicious. I liked it so much that after I returned the book to the library, I bought my own copy on amazon.It looks like I'll be able to recreate my favorite rice vermicelli, spring rolls, and pho dishes at home on a regular basis. For anyone who wants to try their hand at cooking Vietnamese dishes at home this one's a definite keeper.
Armenian man with a vietnamese food fetish .......2007-03-03
I've always had a thing for vietnamese food. I love everything about it, only problem is, I've just never been able to cook any of it. Born into an Armenian kitchen, the flavors, spices, and methods of cooking I've learned do me no good. I had resigned myself to eating out for vietnamese the rest of my life.
Then I saw an article in the March issue of Sunset magazine. A girl with dimples promising to teach me how to make vietnamese food. On a rare impulse, I bought The Little Saigon Cookbook (I think it hit a chord of sentimentality since I live in LIttle Armenia). The recipes are simple, fast, and delicious! I've now been able to make new friends and influence people using my new found cullinary skills. Thank you Ann Le!
Brings a piece of Vietnam to American kitchens........2006-10-15
Southern California's Little Saigon Restaurant serves as the inspiration for a cookbook of the same name, providing Vietnamese specialties geared to home cooks. From Braised Eggplant and Tofu in Caramel sauce to Traditional Spring Rolls and Whole Salted Fish with Lemongrass and Chili Paste, THE LITTLE SAIGON COOKBOOK: VIETNAMESE CUISINE AND CULTURE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S LITTLE SAIGON brings a piece of Vietnam to American kitchens.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Average customer rating:
- Great Roadtrip companion
- What exactly does the San Fernando Valley look like from the air?
- Not a standard road guide
- Okay, I guess
- The 'Orange Map Book' Rocks
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Southern & Central California Atlas and Gazetteer
Manufacturer: Delorme Mapping Company
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Binding: Paperback
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Product Features:
- Detailed topo maps make your trip planning easy!
- Trail & Road designations
- Waterways, railheads, etc all marked
ASIN: 0899332854
Release Date: 2005-05-01 |
Product Description
EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about a State! These Atlas & Gazetteer Books give you detailed geographical information, GPS grids, complete travelways for fishing and hunting areas (indexed by type of game), hiking, canoeing... even seaplane routes, for Pete's sake! Large 11 x 15 1/2" soft cover books, most topographical (see below). Select State, as available in the Shopping Cart below. *Note- Florida, Maine, Michigan and Ohio are Non-topographical maps (elevations not shown) but with same information otherwise. Atlas & Gazetteer
Customer Reviews:
Great Roadtrip companion.......2006-11-04
Delorme Atlas and Gazetteers are esential in planning my road trips and as take-along maps. I don't worry about getting lost or whether I should deviate from my planned route with these in the car for reference!
What exactly does the San Fernando Valley look like from the air?.......2006-03-02
While visiting family in Encino, a portion of Los Angeles, I was curious to know what exactly the San Fernando Valley looked like in relation to the rest of L.A. A trip to the Encino Library left me only partially satisfied. But, by purchasing the Southern & Central California Atlas and Gazetteer, I finally understood the boundaries of the valley, the configuration of the mountains separating the two major portions of L.A., and the logic of travelling "West" to Encino from the rest of L.A. on the 101 without falling into the Pacific Ocean. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to know more about the geologic and geocultural configuration of the southern half of California. Should I find an equal curiosity about the northern half of the state, I'll be sure to buy the companion volume. And some day, I'll even donate my copy to the Encino Public Library (which is a great place, by the way; they just didn't have this terrific atlas).
Not a standard road guide.......2005-06-20
This is not the book you want to take with you if you are navigating the CA freeways or surface streets. I use it solely for backwoods trips into the Sequoias and the Kern Valley, and even then, it can be a little frustrating to a novice. I use AAA maps as a first resort, and this as my second (last) resort.
Also, all of the elevations are in meters, which isn't what I'm used to, but it might be a standard for hiking that I'm not aware of...?
Okay, I guess.......2003-10-21
Well, I have never been too impressed with this atlas. I fell in love with the beautiful Benchmark & rarely look back. The dirt roads in Delorme look like hiking trails, the book splits California into 2 sections, paper is weak quality. It will do in a pinch, but I would rather have my 'REAL map book'.
The 'Orange Map Book' Rocks.......2001-07-24
The Southern and Central California Atlas and Gazetteer by DeLorme always travels with me on my frequent road and rock-hounding trips in SoCal. These maps are a cross between road maps and topo maps and may or may not be what you need. If you want a standard road atlas, you will probably find the contour lines and dirt road details distracting. For these folks I'd recommend Thomas Bro's California map book or a trip to AAA. For folks who know what 7 1/2 minute quadrangle they'll be exploring, I suggest you visit the USGS map sales room at the Menlo Park office [it's self-serve...I always spend at least 3 or 4 hours pouring over the topos] and find the specific quadrangle you need. I generally use this atlas on trips when I'm going to visit areas I've never been to before. I need more details than the standard road atlas offers, but I usually don't buy the USGS topos for an area unless I intend to go back and spend some time at that location. This is the atlas that guides me when I first visit a new rock-hounding site. My friends and I refer to the atlas as the 'orange map book' since the old editions had an orange cover. I'm on my third copy [but I keep my older trashed copies for all the annotations I've made in them]. As any experienced map user knows, no one set of maps will work for all purposes. I recommend you add this atlas to your map reference library.
Average customer rating:
- Read the 'Dream' and weep
- Should Be Called a History of Southern California
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Inventing the Dream: California through the Progressive Era
Kevin Starr
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0195042344 |
Amazon.com
California seems to have been the source of almost every cultural trend that defines modern America--often in contradictory ways. Consider the waves of conservative and progressive politics, self-love and selflessness, sushi and Big Macs, great literature, and banal films. Inventing the Dream traces this extraordinary state through the early years of the 20th century, when Americans began to flock westward and Los Angeles grew from a town of 50,000 to a large city of 320,000 in justa couple of decades. By 1926, Starr writes, Hollywood was the United States' fifth-largest industry, grossing $1.5 billion a year and accounting for 90 percent of the world's films--and, of course, changing the values of whole cultures. This is a fine work of historical reconstruction, joining Starr's other well-regarded works of Californiana.
Book Description
This second volume in Kevin Starr's passionate and ambitious cultural history of the Golden State focuses on the turn-of-the-century years and the emergence of Southern California as a regional culture in its own right. "How hauntingly beautiful, how replete with lost possibilities, seems that Southern California of two and three generations ago, now that a dramatically diferent society has emerged in its place," writes Starr. As he recreates the "lost California," Starr examines the rich variety of elements that figured in the growth of the Southern California way of life: the Spanish/Mexican roots, the fertile land, the Mediterranean-like climate, the special styles in architecture, the rise of Hollywood. He gives us a broad array of engaging (and often eccentric) characters: from Harrision Gray Otis to Helen Hunt Jackson to Cecil B. DeMille. Whether discussing the growth of winemaking or the burgeoning of reform movements, Starr keeps his central theme in sharp focus: how Californians defined their identity to themselves and to the nation.
Customer Reviews:
Read the 'Dream' and weep.......2006-07-24
I read this book 20 years ago. It has held up remarkably well. California is the victim of its own utopian dreams.
Should Be Called a History of Southern California.......2004-02-18
... Not that I have a problem with that. This is the second volume in Starr's definitive six volume history of California. Starr writes history that combines straight forward "who, what, when" facts with digressions into literary criticism and pyschologlogical speculation. This is a blend that is quite apt for California, and I have found volume one and two to be rewarding.
Starr (who is also the state librarian for California) also includes excellent essays on his sources for each chapter, which makes further reading a snap! For example, after reading his first volume "Americans and the Californian Dream", I read "The Octopus" by Frank Norris and "Two Years Before the Mast" by Dana.
This book covers roughly the same time period as the first volume, and there is some overlap. After all, there wasn't THAT much going on in California from 1850 to 1900. However, while the first volume focuses almost totally on Northern California, this volume focuses almost totally on Southern California.
And by Southern California, I mean Los Angeles, with a little bit of Riverside thrown in. As a native of San Francisco and a current resident of San Diego, I simply couldn't believe at how little San Diego county came in for mention. Again, I'm hesitant to label this as a criticism, since I did love the book, but I just wonder what San Diego did (or didn't do) to get left out.
Starr spends ample time covering pre-American Southern California history. He charts the development of California agriculture, talks about the "Craftsman" movement and, as his wont, spends entire chapters talking about the artists and boosters of the time. Personally, after reading this book I have resolved to read at least one book of Mary Austin.
Towards the end of this volume Starr dishes out a hefty dose of the history of the Progressive movement in California. His essay on sourcing for this chapter reveals a penchant for the works of more traditional political history writers, and I felt like this chapter was kind of "eh."
His final chapter is on the growth of Hollywood. I don't feel like he adds anything to the voluminous literature on this subject, but hey, this is a survey of California history, and I suppose he had to include it.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. If you are more interested in Southern then Northern California, you may want to skip the first volume and proceed directly to this one.
Average customer rating:
- Another good read from Butler
- Amazing/Frightening
- One of the world's top authors
- Dystopian near future fiction at its finest!
- philosophical story told in journal format
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Parable of the Sower
Octavia E. Butler
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
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ASIN: 0446675504 |
Amazon.com
Octavia E. Butler, the grande dame of science fiction, writes extraordinary, inspirational stories of ordinary people. Parable of the Sower is a hopeful tale set in a dystopian future United States of walled cities, disease, fires, and madness. Lauren Olamina is an 18-year-old woman with hyperempathy syndrome--if she sees another in pain, she feels their pain as acutely as if it were real. When her relatively safe neighborhood enclave is inevitably destroyed, along with her family and dreams for the future, Lauren grabs a backpack full of supplies and begins a journey north. Along the way, she recruits fellow refugees to her embryonic faith, Earthseed, the prime tenet of which is that "God is change." This is a great book--simple and elegant, with enough message to make you think, but not so much that you feel preached to.
Book Description
Octavia E. Butler, the grande dame of science fiction, writes extraordinary, inspirational stories of ordinary people. Parable of the Sower is a hopeful tale set in a dystopian future United States of walled cities, disease, fires, and madness. Lauren Olamina is an 18-year-old woman with hyperempathy syndrome--if she sees another in pain, she feels their pain as acutely as if it were real. When her relatively safe neighborhood enclave is inevitably destroyed, along with her family and dreams for the future, Lauren grabs a backpack full of supplies and begins a journey north. Along the way, she recruits fellow refugees to her embryonic faith, Earthseed, the prime tenet of which is that "God is change." This is a great book--simple and elegant, with enough message to make you think, but not so much that you feel preached to.
Customer Reviews:
Another good read from Butler.......2007-08-20
If you have enjoyed her other novels, buy this book. I think it is one of Butler's best works.
Amazing/Frightening.......2007-06-05
Reading this book makes you long for what was, as though you are with the characters in 2025. Every time the world looks bad right now, think of this book and you'll know just how much more dark and out of control it's capable of becoming.
The simple style of the writing is both beautiful and addictive, drawing you in until you're worn out by the end. A must read for those who like post fall of civilization stories.
One of the world's top authors.......2007-05-28
Because of "Lilith's Brood" and "Kindred," I became an ardent fan of Butler's writing. I consider her one of the world's all-time best authors. If you've never picked up a Butler book and you're into fantasy or sci fi, you're shorting yourself of a great experience. She was such a fantastic writer that the reader swears her created worlds and characters are real...somewhere, sometime. In that light, reading this book ripped me to pieces. I am tempted to say I didn't like the book because it is quite believable that this could be our future. Yet, it is superbly written. If you're prone to depression or emotional reactions to books, you might steer clear of this one and go for "Lilith's Brood" instead.
Dystopian near future fiction at its finest!.......2007-05-17
this book changed my life. the story is so moving, the main character so compelling... i reread it almost immediately. whenever i have the opportunity to recommend this book to a thoughtful person, i do not hesitate. it may not be for everyone- it is no romance novel or flashy sci-fi adventure. it is a moving, character driven, prophetic look at where our society might be headed. herein lives an example of a hero(ine) who happens to be black and happens to be a girl, but whose wisdom is universal. this is a story with universal appeal: there is pain/ suffering, politics, religion/ spirituality, action, adventure, romance and love, hope and idealism.
the sequel, 'parable of the talents' is also quite compelling, but not in the same league as 'sower'. i have a special love of dystopian fiction, and this is among my absolute favorites (of any genre).
philosophical story told in journal format.......2007-05-10
I disliked the categorization of the book on the jacket. The blurb says this is a road-trip story and a coming of age story.
To me it was much more of a story as a vehicle for philosophical ideas. Butler is clearly discussing human nature (exploitive vs. cooperative) and the continuum of societies from slave-based to free. Butler is also examining how religion and ideology shape our society and interact with human nature.
The characters are compelling enough. The story is good.
The story is written in the from of a diary or journal, so it's not as descriptive as modern writers often are expected to be. I read on book on writing that explained the difference between 19th Century novels and modern novels as being that in the 19th Century it was like the audience watching a stage with the actors delivering their lines off stage. Modern audiences usually expect to see the action for themselves.
Because "Sower" is told in journal format the narrator has to infer and give second-hand accounts of some of the action scenes.
Books:
- Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization
- Conservation and Globalization: A Study of National Parks and Indigenous Communities from East Africa to South Dakota (Case Studies on Contemporary Social Issues)
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
- Debris-flow Hazards and Related Phenomena (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)
- Debris-flow Hazards and Related Phenomena (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)
- Diffusions, Markov Processes and Martingales (Cambridge Mathematical Library)
- Digging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Mysteries
- Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (8th Edition)
- Earth System History
- Earth System Science From Biogeochemical Cycles to Global Changes (International Geophysics)
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