Book Description
This highly visual, non-technical survey emphasizes broad, up-to-date coverage of basic topics and principles in geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy, giving readers a sense of the observational techniques and reasoning processes that characterize the field of earth science. First-rate illustrations and a thoroughly revised narrative reflect the latest research and schools of thought.
New introductory section explores the concept of Earth as a system composed of many interacting subsystems. Includes 100+ pieces of new or revised art, plus expanded discussions of minerals, stream erosion, causes of floods, landslides, glaciers, folds and faults, volcanic hazards, global warming, and severe storms. Also features n ew findings and revealing photos from the 2004 Spirit rover expedition.
For anyone interested in learning more about earth science.
Customer Reviews:
Product Great...Distributor Poor.......2005-09-23
I paid a premium for faster delivery. From the time the order was placed to the time It was delivered, was a week. If thats premium service then it's a joke. For as much as the shipping charges were I would have expected a much faster delivery. I actually did not have it when my class started which set me behind from day one.
For the younger studier of earth science.......2001-05-10
I used this book for a class I took. It is definitely for someone with no prior knowledge to eaerth science. This would include if you have taken any middle or high school level Geoscience class
Book Description
ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED
BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP
A poignant tale about the life and labors of a Chinese farmer during the sweeping reign of the country¹s last emperor.
EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:
• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information
• A chronology of the author's life and work
• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context
• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations
• Detailed explanatory notes
• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work
• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction
• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience
Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.
SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON
Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking..........2007-10-09
Just like Lisa See's book, once again we can see how women are seen as so unimportant, even though the book proves over and over that this is not true. The farmer would have never gained all the riches that he did without his wife O-Lan. Yet, he could never see it. And thank goodness her feet were not bound!!! I loved the rich culture that you can take away from this book, even though the treatment of women still really bothers me. It was amazing to me that you cannot refuse a family member from leaching off of you even if you know they are terrible, dangerous people. Amazing! They have so much more patience than I ever could. I also learned that I really am a whimpy pregnant lady. I am a whimp...O-lan is a warrior!
synopsis.......2007-08-29
The story takes place in 18oo's china and retells the history of a farmer and his family fro being dirt poor to the achievement of wealth. It is fast paced and a good read.
The Good Earth.......2007-07-12
Pearl S Buck. A classic and always a pleasure to read. Easy to get lost in it.
Stands up to the tests of time.......2007-07-11
This was one of my favorites in my teens -- I must have read it dozens of times. I recently re-read it and I still love the story, the evocative language, the vivid re-creation of a time and place. A great example of an epic novel.
creaky.......2007-06-29
I wish my grandmother were still alive. It's for her generation - it's not for today. The Good Earth reads like like a parable - many, many paragraphs beginning with conjunctions. The author gives the reader no insight - it's all story. Recommended for lazy readers who don't want to challenge themselves. Little to think about...Terribly dated...politically incorrect...that the pages turn is the best I can say about The Good Earth.
Book Description
Are you ready for the Cob Cottage? This is a building method so old and so simple that it has been all but forgotten in the rush to synthetics. A cob cottage,cobb, however, might be the ultimate expression of ecological design, a structure so attuned to its surroundings that its creators refer to it as "an ecstatic house."
The authors build a house the way others create a natural garden. They use the oldest, most available materials imaginable—earth, clay, sand, straw, and water—and blend them to redefine the future (and past) of building. Cob (the word comes from an Old English root, meaning "lump") is a mixture of non-toxic, recyclable, and often free materials. Building with cob requires no forms, no cement, and no machinery of any kind. Builders actually sculpt their structures by hand.
Building with earth is nothing new to America; the oldest structures on the continent were built with adobe bricks. Adobe, however, has been geographically limited to the Southwest. The limits of cob are defined only by the builder's imagination.
Cob offers answers regarding our role in Nature, family and society, about why we feel the ways that we do, about what's missing in our lives. Cob comes as a revelation, a key to a saner world.
Cob has been a traditional building process for millennia in Europe, even in rainy and windy climates like the British Isles, where many cob buildings still serve as family homes after hundreds of years. The technique is newly arrived to the Americas, and, as with so many social trends, the early adopters are in the Pacific Northwest.
Cob houses (or cottages, since they are always efficiently small by American construction standards) are not only compatible with their surroundings, they ARE their surroundings, literally rising up from the earth. They are full of light, energy-efficient, and cozy, with curved walls and built-in, whimsical touches. They are delightful. They are ecstatic.
Customer Reviews:
Practical, Comforting, and Fun.......2007-01-06
This book gives basic instructions on everything you need to know about cob home construction with many illustrations and a great set of glossy color photos in the middle of the book.
This book is great to read even if you never build a cob home because of the amount of information it contains that can be of use for any kind of house.
Also, the book walks the reader through several excercises that are meant to open up one's own innate creativity.
I really enjoyed the integration of spiritual philosophy into very practical instructions, it makes for a great balance.
I felt that the book was very fun to read and put me into a lighthearted mood.
The book also contains many references to other natural/alternative building techniques that can be employed instead of or in addition to cob.
Enjoy!
great book.......2007-01-04
great work on clay building, includes everything from history to philosophy to detailed practical building guidelines.
Christo.......2006-07-09
If there is one book that you need to read than this is it. Get your feet in the mud and find out who you really are. This book changed my life. Gave me the empowerment to throw off the chains of being dependent on paying alot of money for a basic need: good housing. Now I've embarked on a path of creativity, to build a house that is healthy, and will suit all my needs. My thanks are great!
Stunning AND the Absolute Last Word in Cob Info.......2006-03-23
I spent hours and hours with this beautiful and entertaining book, and I was only barely interested in Cob! This book is absolutely terrific, it is wonderfully and beautifully illustrated, includes color photos of some great cob houses, and is absolutely THE book you need if you want to learn about cob, or build your own cob structure. It is a wonderful balance of fun, personal stories, expertise, and technical info. (And really very inclusive too!) I read both Becky's and then this book. It really made me comfortable with cobbing because it is so well done, so inclusive and informative. A testimonial: Some time after reading this book over and over, we decided that cob was not appropriate for our site, and I STILL recently picked up this book for a good read!
Simply gorgeous!.......2005-09-23
First, it's fun just to browse through the gorgeous homes and creations in this book. Second, cob is well researched and documented here, for instance, did you know there are cob homes in Devonshire England that are over 400 years old? Third, this is a remarkably practical handbook for siting, designing, and building a home from cob.
On a practical note, you might want to start with a cob oven for practice. Kiko Denzer wrote a lovely book on the subject, "Building your own wood fired oven". Cob is incredibly fun to work with, but very, very labor intensive.
I really wish I could give this book six stars, because it's truly a fabulous and peerless manual for building with cob.
Buy it, you won't regret it a bit! It's a book you'll go back to again and again, and dream with on cold winter days.
Book Description
Discover how easy and profitable it is to grow and sell vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and small livestock from your own backyard market garden. Learn how to:
• Earn top dollar, with minimum effort and maximum profits.
• Improve your garden soil for super yields and superb flavor.
• Buy or build tools that speed your work and increase profits.
• Enjoy a guaranteed salary from community supported agriculture or a membership garden.
Customer Reviews:
Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepeneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow.......2007-07-15
My Husband has not put this book down since it arrived! It contains exactly the information he's been looking for to help him make the right decisions about selling what we grow. Needless to say, this book gets a very high rating for content!
$1 per square foot margin.......2006-08-18
For eight years, Lee averaged 110 cubic years of compost per season. Each year Lee added 5,000 square feet of garden. The idea was to cash in on new farmer markets in Boston Neighborhoods. In 1988, Lee had nearly one acre planted and grossed $36,000 and that average out to 50 hours a week or 12 an hour. Don't be afraid of creating too much competition. Growers are currently only serving 1 to 3 percent of the market with organic foods. The number of acres dedicated to growing organic foods amounts to less than 1 percent of the national agricultural land base. Organic foods include more than 200 varieties of vegetables, 1,000 varieties of flowers, and close to 100 different herbs, several distinct growing methods, and at least 10 prime marketing methods. 97 percent of the market buys from the supermarket.
Tomatoes grown organically have five times more calcium and 2,000 times more iron than conventionally grown tomatoes. 16 commonly known trace elements are: boron, calcium, carbon, chlorine, copper, hydrogen, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and zinc. Without the proper balance of soil pH, moisture, naturally occurring soil minerals, and biological activity, the nutrients may remain locked in the soil and usages of compost is one of the best ways to increase humus levels. Compost provides a healthy, nutrient-filled environment for the plant roots. You need 3 cubic yards of cow manure for every 1,000 square feet of garden. A 1,000 square feet of garden can grow 100 tomato plants. After three years of manure, tomato plants yield 14 pounds per plant; and in super rich soil, potatoes yield 5 pounds per plant. To get 65 yards of compost, 200 cubic yards of raw materials will need to be formed into a 4 foot piles, 10 feet wide, and 200 feet long.
In 1990 the farm had four hogs. After a year the hogs are moved and rock phosphate is added. Potatoes and strawberries are planted first; wood ash is added and two years of peas and beans replenish nitrogen in the soil; and in the fourth year the plot is ready for any crop.
Take in $36,000 From Your One-Acre Garden.......2006-01-09
After five years of backyard gardening and selling his produce, author Andrew W. Lee took in $36,000 from his one-acre garden. That is quite an increase from the $1,700 he made in his first year in addition to that being one VERY productive acre! This is a very good book, covering nearly everything a farm marketeer might want to consider before starting a garden and setting up a roadside stand. If you are considering venturing into the lucrative business of growing and selling your own produce, this book will be valuable.
There are over 200 pages on how to market your produce. "Fix the soil and get close to your customers", Lee advises. He shares many of his experiences and entertains numerous marketing ventures from setting out a curb-side table to community-supported farms, cooperatives, sales to restaurants and other farm markets, and peddling door to door (although today this works better through the pre-paid subscription method).
Even if you're not going to plant a garden, this book is well worth looking over as a clear and pragamatic account of how to start your own business. Lee tells how he successfully did that.
Great information for gardeners hesitant to sell their product........2005-10-09
I found this book very informative, inspiring and motivational. I have been gardening for 7 or 8 years (started when corporate America was killing me)just for relaxation. Now I am retired and have a very big garden, but more than my family and my neighbors can eat. I'm seriously considering a greenhouse, but before such an investment needed some research. This book really helped me make the decision to proceed with the greenhouse. Our Farmers Market kicks in next week and I can't wait. This book will make you think of things you hadn't considered, the ups and downs. I really enjoyed it. Wish me luck!
Great Collection of Advice.......2002-02-07
It's not a step by step guide to how to do it, but more a collection of interesting articles on many aspects of market farming. I love all the conflicting ideas that leads one to believe there is no one way to do this. But you should do it and have fun and hopefully make some money!
Book Description
From Lark Books and Natural Home magazine—which has a circulation of 200,000—comes an illustrated, unique guide to building an earth-friendly home.
To create a dwelling that’s both ecologically sustainable and attractive, Natural Home magazine is the place to go. With this exquisitely illustrated guide, packed with 400 photos and illustrations, anyone can put environmentally friendly ideas into beautiful practice. Here’s an intelligent look at how a home is supposed to function and a variety of different building approaches. What’s important is finding the right solution to fit your individual needs, local climate, and natural resources. The broad range of topics covered include choosing a site; selecting materials; building with straw bale, cob, adobe, or rammed earth; and plugging into alternative home power systems. Interviews with six homeowners, and photos of the dream homes they built, provide invaluable insight.
Customer Reviews:
Informative.......2006-04-30
This is a great book to introduce the topic of building strawbale, cob etc. homes. The wonderful point about it is that it details the pros and cons of each building style and lets you compare each method carefully so that you are able to next select a more detailed book about a particular style.
It has beautiful colour photos and lots of information. Highly recommended.
Good Book about Good Houses.......2005-12-22
Isn't it nice to dream of being able to build your own home...especially an environmentally "friendly" one!? I am learning so much about houses in general from this book, let alone alternative building. It is well written and has beautiful photography. My husband & I may never get to build our own home (or we may!) but we can sure enjoy the dream in more vivid detail because of this book. I think it should be required reading for politicians, city planners & the like!
Among the best of books.......2005-11-21
Superlative well-balanced, insightful, entertaining, stimulative text, superlative graphics/layout with an abundant and marvelous and beautiful and very effective array of color photographs, superlative resource section, superlative physical book quality including stay-open binding.
If you're thinking of building a house or if you're interested in alternative housing possibilities (solar, etc.) or if you're interested in the topic of housing in general or if you'd like an ideal coffee table book, you will probably find this book a delightful fulfillment.
(Thank you, Amazon, including reviewers, for helping me to discover this book.)
Tremendous book .......2005-05-19
Very comprehensive book which expertly and clearly details the differences between natural/sustainable methods and ideas versus conventional methods. The book makes an incredible cases for natural building and the philosophy of sustainability. After reading this book its hard to understand why you wouldn't want to build a house this way. On a personal note, this book has been inspirational to me as an undergrad student trying to get into an architecture school and train to be a sustainable architect. Also I'm coming from a traditional carpentry background and know that the things Clarke Snell is writing about are right on the money.
Likeable, Readable and Profound.......2004-06-08
Okay - so I've never thought about the actual mechanics of building a house nor about the choices that allow us to enjoy the beauty of the planet without doing it harm. My concerns have usually been of the strict ly visual - I am an artist . This book is almost startlingly good - Clarke Snell has managed to stimulate even the most laissez-faire amongst us to pay attention to laws respect ing our environment and combine them with our desires for beauty and comfort not only for the past but indeed for the future.
Average customer rating:
- For the Good of the Earth and Sun is Good for All!
|
For the Good of the Earth and Sun: Teaching Poetry (Heinemann/Cassell Language & Literacy)
Georgia Heard
Manufacturer: Heinemann
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Similar Items:
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Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky: Poems
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Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People
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Where Are You Going, Manyoni?
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If You Listen
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Fireflies (Reading Rainbow)
ASIN: 043508495X |
Book Description
Intelligent, respectful, and beautifully written, this book bypasses lesson plans and gimmicks and gets to the heart of what writing poetry is all about . . .
- The Writing Teacher
For the Good of the Earth and Sun is for teachers at all levels, especially for those teachers who feel anxious about introducing poetry to students.
Georgia Heard offers a method of teaching poetry that respects the intelligence of students and teachers and that can build upon their basic originality. She explores poetry from the inside as it is: a powerful and necessary way of looking at the world, and one of mankind's most durable inventions.
Her book provides detailed, organized information so that teachers themselves can begin to enjoy and feel knowledgeable about poetry, and, from there, pass those feelings on to their students. The author's text is supplemented by examples of students' work in original and draft form.
Customer Reviews:
For the Good of the Earth and Sun is Good for All!.......1999-10-10
I am a senior studying elementary education at the University of Florida. I practically used this wonderful book as my bible for methods and strategies of how to teach poetry to young and/or reluctant students.
This book is a clear and concise journey of how to "prepare the soil" and get children writing poetry! The book includes extensive examples of student writing and is highly recommended to anyone teaching (or who is planning to teach) a language arts curriculum, students, and even parents who want to encourage the writing of their children.
Amazon.com
The beauty and grace of rammed earth construction is described in fascinating detail by David Easton. The photographs of different structures, both modern and ancient, by Cynthia Wright, create a breathtaking glimpse into a building technique that is as old as human history, but exactly suitable for today's resource-conscious and environmentally friendly building needs. Trees may be getting a bit scarce these days, but there's no current shortage of dirt, the main component of rammed earth homes. From such a prosaic material, gold has been spun in these timeless, graceful, and nearly indestructible homes and buildings.
Customer Reviews:
A 'must' for any studying alternative housing, and sure to be a popular, repeat lend for any public lending library........2007-10-06
Any owner/builder who would study up on rammed earth construction, both theory and applied concepts, must have The Rammed Earth House: this edition has been completely revised and pairs color photos by Cynthia Wright with discussions of the art and technology of rammed earth housing. Chapters come from an architect and discuss everything from field testing soil to understanding layout, design, and soil compaction. A 'must' for any studying alternative housing, and sure to be a popular, repeat lend for any public lending library.
This One's A Keeper.......2007-10-01
I bought this book because I'm researching wall systems, hoping to build a place of my own some day. After lots of study, I probably won't use the rammed earth system, but I think it's fascinating, and I will probably use this book for reference in the future. If you're interested in earth walls, this one is a must-have for your library.
the most comprehensive rammed earth guide on the market.......2007-06-20
this is the guide to rammed earth. David Easton's enthusiasm and expertise provide for the most informative and readable book on rammed earth on the market.
"East Coaster" Looking to use Rammed Earth.......2000-04-06
I purchased this book in order to find an optimistic source on the subject of rammed earth. David Easton does have a positive attitude about the subject. I enjoyed his enthusiasm. I enjoyed the 10 or so pages of color pictures and the many black and white pictures through the book. Like another reviewer, I felt the book lacked some good engineering sketches and some good pictoral illustrations of the forming systems. I was encouraged enough by his book to want to build a rammed earth house somewhere in the coming years. johnkurtz@comcast.net.
Excellent resource!.......1999-01-22
I found this book, as other books by Real Goods, to be very informative and easy for the layperson to comprehend. David presents the information in a reader friendly style, and the photos greatly enhance the script.
Book Description
Can power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is beer essential to the good life? The Lord of the Rings raises many such searching questions, and this book attempts some answers. Divided into five sections concerned with power and the Ring, the quest for happiness, good and evil in Middle-earth, time and mortality, and the relevance of fairy tales, The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy mines Tolkien’s fantasy worlds for wisdom in areas including the menace of technology, addiction and fetishism, the vitality of tradition, the environmental implications of Tolkien's thought, Middle-earth's relationship to Buddhism and Taoism, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Make room for that lembas, you don't need this.......2007-10-06
"The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy" hoists itself upon two basic foundations in the form of numerous essays by prominent 'philosophers': one foundation rests upon things readers already know since leaving Middle-earth, the other upon things that just don't make a lot of sense, and in some cases, are devoid of any useful Tolkien parallels (essay about nanotechnology essay, for instance). To all students of "Lord of the Rings," there is no exceptional insight in the entirety of this book, and even if you did learn something new about Tolkien's epic, then you didn't pay enough attention to the story. That's the problem with this book, in that delving into 'LOTR' and discovering these themes for your own self is what is so magical and fun about them in the first place, in addition to all the adventure. This collection doesn't serve as a useful alternative or beneficiary to the Tolkien legacy, so there's no need to pack this one along for the journey. You'd be better off trekking through Middle-earth with Gandalf and Frodo alone anyway.
Quality varies, as with any multi-authored work........2006-06-27
Some of the essays offer real insight into LOTR; others seem to be using LOTR as a convenient peg on which to hang the authors' special interest. However, all show that LOTR is a work of more substance than many would give it credit for.
Its about Philosophy........2005-07-22
If you buy this book looking for what philosophical ideals Tolkien imbued his literature with, you may be disappointed with this book. While there are some essays I think Tolkien would certainly agree with, there are also many he wouldn't. This book is first and foremost about philosophy. What this book does is illustrate different philosophical ideas by using characters and situations from the Lord of the Rings as examples to help you understand. With this in mind, I think a lot of people can certainly enjoy this book.
For Philosophers Only --well mainly.......2004-11-11
If you don't have any interest in higher thinking, and just want to read something else that deals with the Lord of the Rings or thought that the picture on the cover looked cool. I suggest going over to the Fiction section in Amazon, this book is not for you.
For intellecutally minded people. This book will help getting you to see many different levels in what you read. The first essay takes Nietzsche and introduces UberHobbits...I really appricated seeing more serious types of philosophy being interegrated into the thought provoking literature that has come about in this day and age.
I also suggest the other Popular Culture and Philosophy series, for serious minded people. Having a basic understanding of Philosophy is helpful before picking these up. They do not spell out what the philosophical theories they are applying they are expecting you to know it already.
Superb.......2004-08-16
This was an absolutly wonderful book. As a fan of Tolkien and his universe, I was joyfully bemused to find that there was a "Lord of the Rings for smart people", and this book has lived up to its montif.
Book Description
This short book explains hot water heating (hydronic) controls and circuits from the perspective of power suppy, switch, and load. The book starts with a simple control circuit and builds to multiple zone circuits. It explains that adding a control panel simplifies a job rather than making it more complex. The book then looks at various panels, building from an aquastat relay to multiple-zone and multiple-purpose panels.
Customer Reviews:
A little too basic.......2006-02-27
This book would make a good school book to show kids the basics of electrical circuits.
It unfortunately is based on obsolete technology for the hydronic controls and has no controls for heat pumps. It's based around boilers etc.
Excellent for the novice.......2005-05-18
I am a complete novice when it comes to hydronic controls. Basically, I'm an owner-builder who decided to install radiant heat. Since I know nothing about setting it up, I rely on elementary books and materials from the internet to gain knowledge.
Installing the PEX tubing in the slab was easy enough as was attaching the tubing to the underside of the second floor. I had intended to hire someone to finish the set-up but when finances became tight I decided to have a go at it.
I'm not done yet but this book has given me confidence to continue on.
way too simple.......2005-01-06
This book is far too basic. Almost all of the book is
about very simple electrical concepts; the "hydronic
controls" portions are only examples of these general
concepts. I was greatly disappointed with the book --
most manufacturer's web sites have much better and
more understandable descriptions.
This is a worthless book on Radiant Floor Heating.......2004-10-13
This book is totally worthless if you are hoping to understand and design the control systems for radiant floor heating. I wish I could get my money back. The book description by the publisher and the Editorial Reviews are misleading at best. I wish there had been a buyer review at the time I placed my order with Amazon--I would have passed on this book. Avoid.
Too basic to be of use.......2002-11-21
I was very disappointed in this book. It says right on the front cover that it's "A Contractor's easy guide to hydronic Controls, Wiring, and Wiring Diagrams". If a contractor needs to refer to this basic of information, I don't think I want them working in my house. I learned everthing in this book in High School. Don't waste your time unless you have no idea about how electricity works
Book Description
A House Divided, the third volume of the trilogy that began with
The Good Earth and
Sons, is a powerful portrayal of China in the midst of revolution. Wang Yuan is caught between the opposing ideas of different generations. After 6 years abroad, Yuan returns to China in the middle of a peasant uprising. His counsin is a captain in the revolutionary army, his sister has scandalized the family by her premarital pregnancy, and his warlord father continues to cling to his traditional ideals. It is through Yuan's efforts that a kind of peace is restored to the family.
Customer Reviews:
Least favorite of the trilogoy.......2006-06-18
The final book in the House of Earth trilogy was my least favorite and most disconnected of the three. She jumps into the third generation and third book with not a whole lot of background or character development (except for Yuan), so I cared the least about the characters, their situations and trials. The story was interesting, but I found that I could not relate as well to the characters or understand their plight. But I think she did a marvelous job at showing the differences between the generations and how exposure to new ideas, cultures and technology can quickly change the traditions of a culture; sometimes the change is good and beneficial, sometimes it's detrimental. I also like how she juxtiposed Yuan, who tries to hold on to his tradition and country and resists change, to other family members who embraced the change with all their hearts. I think that The Good Earth is a brillant read, but if you missed the next two in the trilogy it wouldn't be a tragedy.
Caught Between Two Worlds.......2005-05-28
A HOUSE DIVIDED is the final book of Pearl S. Buck's trilogy about the family of Wang Lung, the protagonist of THE GOOD EARTH. This book finds his grandson, Wang Yuan, son of the warlord Wang the Tiger, graduating from the war college at the beginning of the first Chinese Cultural Revolution. Yuan, a serious, thoughtful, but willful boy does not want to follow in his father's footsteps, but instead feels an affinity with the earth and growing things as his grandfather Wang Lung did.
Yuan defies his father and runs away to live in his grandfather's old mud farmhouse. This begins a chain of events which take Yuan across the world. He ends up in the coastal city where his half-sister and her mother live, as well as his uncle, Wang the Landlord, along with his spoiled family. Yuan gets exposed to, but never really embraces, the westernized party lifestyle of his half-sister and the revolutionary activities of his cousins Sheng and Meng.
After Yuan is arrested as a revolutionary, his family ransoms him and sends him to study in America, where he spends six years attaining an advanced degree in horticulture. Being a foreigner in a strange land causes Yuan to examine all his feelings, beliefs and prejudices. He is doubly introspective when he returns to China and sees his country anew through foreign eyes. Yuan is caught in a trap by his education, neither belonging wholly to either the old China or the new, his heart as divided as his family - half live in the modern coastal city and half live back in the country.
I thought this was the best of the trilogy because Yuan's introspection makes him the most well-developed and conflicted character in this multi-generational tale. However, Buck's plodding, biblical style is not for everyone and I will admit that every page seemed like as two or three (or more!) It took me several weeks to complete this novel.
a house divided.......2005-01-24
It looks like it has some really old stuff in it that's why i think that i will like it.
An insightful adventure..........2003-04-10
I would say that this book could certainly stand alone simply because there was so much happening in this turbulent setting of the revolution. In many ways "A House Divided" was my favorite of the "House of Earth" trilogy, (still, The Good Earth was beautiful!) because it was an adventure that spanned the globe. Yet there was no lack in telling how the main character evolved emotionally and intellectually from the first page to the last.
Many times throughout the book, Pearl Buck successfully showed how Yuan's world was filled with black and white; no grey. For example, a person was expected to be 100% revolutionary, or a 100% traditionalist. Or one had to be 100% Chinese, or 100% foreign. Yuan was a very conflicted man from the start and struggled with these issues pretty much until the end. To me that was the most intriguing part.
I was fascinated with Yuan's six-year stay in America. He experienced racism first-hand, the confusion of living in another country, trying to assimilate, seeing and appreciating the beauty of the country and the friendliness and openness of some of its people, the freedom to pursue one's happiness and potential, but clearly his own traditions and culture prevented him from fully accepting the foreigners into his heart.
I think the author gave some real insight into the minds of people living during the revolution. Many people, like Yuan's cousin, Meng, were fevently passionate about it. It was clear that it took a certain kind of person, with a linear, unwavering focus in order to hasten a violent change. In this case, that meant one had to be filled with anger and hatred.
Also through Yuan, we were exposed to the hypocrisy of the revolution as well. While the ideology spoke for the common people, the revolutionists were frustrated and repulsed by the common people's ways of life, such as they were for centuries. Eventually, many gave up on the older generation, and focused on the youth of the poor, because they were more easily influenced. Of course, it touched on the fact that no one was permitted to question this new state. Those who followed the cause were expected to accept it blindly.
In keeping with his torn mental state, Yuan's hesitation to decide where he stood in terms of the cause was understandable. His experience gave him first-hand knowledge of how frustrating it was to live under the old filial rules, yet he'd also witnessed the softer moments with his father, and others who represented the old world. He at least was mature enough to realize that people were deeply complicated, which made it impossible for him to truly believe that "rich people are evil, poor people are good." At the same time, as much as he loved the land, and found peace of mind working among the common people, he was at times, disgusted by their surroundings, their "odor" permeating his space no matter where he went.
Pearl Buck eloquently described the same black and white issues of the heart in Yuan. Time and time again, he wished to be emotionally open, yet didn't dare. Yuan was repulsed by the display of free behavior of the new generation of China and the young Americans. Again, his reaction to the American women who danced with his cousin Sheng was an interesting glimpse into his perception of himself. Although Yuan hated the white women who ignored or rejected Sheng because he was Chinese, he had no respect for the white women who did dance with Sheng. And he felt ashamed for Sheng for "lowering his standards" to such women.
Yes, perhaps the end was unrealistic, but as a hopeless romantic American, I can appreciate it. However, one can see the huge circle this book fills out with the trilogy. Yuan is ultimately the one who understands and respects his grandfather's efforts with the land, back in the first novel. Yuan is the one who finally repairs the ties to his father and ends the cycle of broken relationships. The trilogy ends as his father, the Tiger, spends his final days in the earthen house where he was born.
When I read certain books, I sometimes imagine what they would be like on film, and I think it would be fantastic to see it done with the entire "House of Earth" trilogy. But then again, is it even possible to make a film that would do this epic justice?
Relevant Today.......2001-09-01
This third book in The Good Earth series was somewhat a slower read the the previous two. However, the story was wonderful, and despite the ending, which some might find unrealistic, I enjoyed it. I was so pleased that Yuan found happiness, acceptance and love.
I found the themes of the book relevant today in that our culture, ideas, lifestyles, and the influence and relationships with our children, effect their lives and influence future choices.
Yaun was deeply loved by the Tiger, however, was not free to grow into an individual. This somewhat stunted Yuan emotionally, and he found himself in constant conflict over the ideas of his father and the new China. His time in America began to mature Yuan. It allowed him to return home to begin his journey into manhood and make choices about his future. However, although he now had choices, he was still duty bound to his family by a debt incurred by the Tiger.
The book was wonderful and I am sorry to see the Good Earth series end.
Books:
- From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1)
- Gone with the Wind
- Heart of Darkness (Norton Critical Editions)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Inferno
- Invisible Cities (A Harvest/Hbj Book)
Books Index
Books Home
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- Conversations of Socrates
- Cloud Watcher
- Jeff Allen's Best: The Resumes Set/Win the Job/Get the Interview/the Resume
- Africa and Global Tourism Prospects to the Year 2020/L'Afrique Et Les Perspectives Du Torisme Mondia
- 2004 U.S. Master Pension Guide
Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (5th Edition)
National Geographic - Amazing Planet
Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product (5th Edition)
Total Learning: Developmental Curriculum for the Young Child (7th Edition)
Foundations of Earth Science Student Lecture Notebook
