Book Description
With a whirling dervish of a teacher and a sprinkle of magic fairy dust, the English Roses learn valuable lessons about friendship and surviving their first crush. Readers of all ages will delight in this much-awaited sequel to Madonna's first children's book, The English Roses.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect Assumption ..........2007-08-16
New Kid in Town (... I think his name was Donovan ...) he lives near the airport (... La Guardia ... get it?) - is turning all the girls heads - Never in the history of the planet... (... on all 6 (7?) continents ...) has so much angst been shared amongst a bunch of 5th (6th?) grade girls - until M(r)s. Fluffer-nutter comes up with a devious plan - (... some have called it religion ...) - this is the tale of three (4?) brothers - the elder (8th grader?) has a wand..., ...the second (7th grader?) a stone, ... the third (6th grader?) - virtually invisible -- will he-who-has-no-nose beat it? -- ... it's a thriller ...
not too good to be true.......2007-05-10
Out of all the children's books Madonna has written, this was my LEAST favorite. However - just like the rest of her books the illustrations are beautiful and the story teaches a lesson.
Despicable, uninspired propaganda.......2007-03-19
Well, I finally purchased something at amazon, and now I too can write a review. I note the warning to "focus your comments on the product." Which is, I admit, a fair request, but with this series of books (this one being the newest), the review must include things other than the product itself.
These books are vanity projects. No publisher which respects the special significance of a children's book should allow this monster, Madonna, anywhere near such things. The reviews for the other books in this series tend to be comprised of two camps: Madonna's feckless fans, ecstatic over the release of any new "product," and the small percentage of the population which encounters the books by accident, with the latter category almost unanimous in their condemnation of these "works."
Madonna is a person who happened to be in the right place at the right time, and had enough sense to decide to exploit herself to make a dollar over the last twenty years. And, because she was a willing participant, that makes her a genius to some of you. Not to me.
Outside of her catchy pop songs, which even I enjoy for the fluff they are, Madonna has made the bones of her career out of a ceaseless parade of cheap stunts, almost always involving sex. Her body of work which has made her a celebrity has almost nothing to do with music, and everything to do with reckless and clumsy titillation. The last three times Madonna caught our attention, she was pouring hot candle wax on a man's genitals in the terrible film Body of Evidence, hanging naked from chains in an S&M club in her Sex book, and hanging from a mirrored disco cross while wearing a crown of thorns to open her most recent tour.
The reason why she is producing these books is not to improve the quality of children's material, nor is it to raise money for charity, as she is already so wealthy it matters not if she receives so much as one penny from these sales. If she wants to donate to charity, she can always sell one of her castles.
The reason she is doing this is to shovel her sick, twisted view of life straight down the throats of the most impressionable members of society. The books exist to introduce children to her name, so that they may remember her, and then go on to discover her life's work, which is nothing but greed, self-exploitation, and depravity.
The books themselves provide Madonna with the thrill of being famous and talked about, which is worth more to her than money, as she already has plenty of money. The books are not good. It is well understood that if a non-celebrity were to submit these projects, they would be rejected. However, due to her name, they will sell. Madonna then takes that as some kind of indication that her work has triumphed, as you can tell, as the self-serving introduction to this newest book indicates.
I could go on, at length, but briefly: Madonna moralizes, but she had her daughter, Lourdes, sired from a brief encounter with a man she admits she no longer has anything to do with. She points the finger over money, but is herself a supremely wealthy person who lives a lavish, materialistic lifestyle. She preaches humility, yet contrary to the tradition of children's books, she denies credit on the books' covers to the artists who illustrate them.
You could not ask for a more repulsive and hypocritical role model. She is a [...] actress who sings, and is the last among us who should be writing children's books. If you have not gone mad, I would suggest that you purchase any one of the many, many wonderful children's books available, or take the time to play with your child and write one together just for fun.
Do not, under any circumstances, buy these books, unless it is for a gag gift, and only then, do so only if you can be guaranteed it will be burned to ashes in less than an hour after the joke is over, lest the damn things find their way into a library or a school.
To reiterate: These books are vanity projects and garbage, meant to indoctrinate children into Madonna's wretched life philosophy. Avoid every one of them, and when you get the chance, do us all a favour, and destroy them.
Awful.......2007-02-27
Anyone remember when she deep throated that bottle in her documentary? Yeah, I remember thinking, "Someday I hope to buy a childrens' book from her." And yeah, the book is as uninspiring as her others.
yogagirl5117.......2007-02-13
Either I am having a "that time of the month moment" or I am just an emotional person but this video did make me cry. We saw a different side of Madonna. I saw from her true sincerity since no one in Malawi knows MADONNA: POP ICON/QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE. Once you travel to a third world nation either in Africa, Asia (as I have) the word "culture shock" does not prepare you. It's the commitment you make while you are there and the therapy you NEED to seek when you return to a developed nation in Europe, North America or South America. I have a new respect for Madonna. I hope this documentary though when it comes out is NOT all about her mission but the plight of the Malawians!
Book Description
In the female psyche nowadays, “contradictions speckle the landscape, like ingrown hairs after a bad bikini wax.” So writes Laura Kipnis, author of the widely acclaimed polemic Against Love. With “the gleeful viperish wit of Dorothy Parker” (Slate), Kipnis now offers a fresh and provocative assessment of the female condition in the post-post-feminist world of the twenty-first century. For every advance toward sexual equality on the part of women in recent years, she argues, some new impediment just “seems” to appear. Ironically, feminism ran up against an unanticipated opponent: the inner woman.
An ambitious and original reassessment of feminism and women’s ambivalence about it, The Female Thing brims with bracing and funny social observations informed by psychological acuity. For all the upbeat “You go, girl” slogans, women remain caught between feminism and femininity, between self-affirmation and an endless quest for self-improvement, between playing the injured party and claiming independence. Feminism is bedeviled by the same impasses and contradictions it seeks to rectify. But rather than blaming the usual suspects–men, the media–Kipnis takes a hard look at culprits closer to home, namely women themselves and their complicity in upholding male privilege, even as they resent men deeply for it. Which makes relations between the sexes rather thorny at the moment, and Kipnis serves up the gory details of the mutual displeasure between men and women in painfully hilarious detail.
In the tradition of The Feminine Mystique and The Female Eunuch, this is a pathbreaking work. As audacious as it is historically and socially grounded, The Female Thing explores age-old quandaries: the war between the sexes, what women “really” want, and to what extent anatomy is destiny after all.
Customer Reviews:
Respect from a non-feminist man, with a daughter........2007-02-17
As a man, there were many parts of this book that caused me an eye-roll or two. But I had to concede by the end that I found "The Female Thing" to be an enjoyable and enlightening read on balance. Guys will be able to read this because it has ample doses of humor and doesn't take itself so deadly seriously as most women's books do. Kipnis examines four topics in women's culture (a term introduced to me by Kipnis herself, just what the heck is women's culture?) :Envy, Sex, Dirt and Vulnerability.
Women want more. More of what, they are not sure but they want more of it; and men seem to have it, whatever it is. Power seems like a good thing to have and money seems to be the key to power so maybe women should get more money. But that just feeds capitalism and that can't be good (eww!) And if women earn more and men relatively less and women continue to rate men based on how much they make, won't women thus be denied one of the very things they've always wanted i.e. rich men? What women really want is not to feel inadequate. Or maybe just for men to feel inadequate too. Maybe if men started worrying about tummy fat and laugh-lines and their hair and using the right lotions and...wait a minute...metrosexuals... Never mind. Let's look at Sex.
Women are faced with an uphill climb to sexual fulfillment, there are physical and social barriers to satisfying recreational sex. Or so Kipnis tells me. My own field research suggests that women who write books about women's sexual problems are over-thinking the thing but I will take her at her word (so to speak.) Then there is pregnancy and childbirth. The profound asymmetry between men's and women's participation and investment in procreation poses socially insurmountable barriers to an equitable distribution of rights and responsibilities. Only technological and legal changes can change outdated paradigms and...wait a minute...designer babies, family law crisis... Never mind. Let's look at Dirt.
In what is by far the most readable section for men, Kipnis concedes what men have known all along: women are crazy. Okay, to be fair she offers a lucid examination of the economic, technological and social trends that have shaped modern women's feelings and attitudes toward hygiene and cleanliness and how those feelings and attitudes have presented an obstacle to women's equality (cukoo.) Kipnis fails to mention a well-known truth about the housework wars: A woman will be mad if her man does not enough housework, she will be ballistic if he does too much or does it too well or, worst of all, does it too publicly. Couldn't women ditch these images of feminine perfection and adopt a utilitarian mode of dress and hairstyle more like men's in order to...wait a minute...Rosie O'Donnell... Never mind. Let's look at Vulnerability.
Kipnis wades bravely into the issue of rape (you didn't think she meant emotional vulnerability, did you?) Referring grudgingly to statistics, she goes on to talk about the fear of rape being a bigger issue than the actual incidence of rape. She lays out a wide range of what has been written by feminists about rape and the fear of rape that plays such a large role in women's lives and makes a deft observation: "The opposite of desire isn't aversion, it's indifference..." At what the author concedes is a Freudian (ergo discredited, outmoded) level, women are fascinated by the idea of surrendering to the powerful rogue archetype. (Hey, she said it, not me!) The upshot of decades of loud talk about the socio-political gender ramifications of the fear of rape is a raft of laws and rules that make every sidelong glance a potential train-wreck. Kipnis ends the chapter and the book with the following endearing sentence: "A full accounting of the female situation at the moment would need to start roughly here." Some clever typesetting leaves most of that last page invitingly blank. It is simultaneously humble and defiant; I like it.
Someday, anthropologists will discover a tribe that has no word or concept for gender. When visitors point out that some people have one kind of plumbing and some another, some bigger shoulders, some bigger hips, they will shrug as though the distinction were no more important than the shape of one's earlobes. They will have suitably elaborate mating rituals which allow the necessary mechanics to be glossed over while still allowing procreation. And we will set up discrete viewing blinds in order to make full use of this gender-neutral laboratory. Until then, we are muddling through and, for me anyway, Kipnis' subtext seems to be that we are making progress.
As a man who likes women and wants them to be happy (along with everyone else) I hope so.
Comments invited.
The Evolution of the Feminist........2006-12-11
Perhaps the best way to educate an audience about a particular subject is to outline the uniqueness of its properties, which is most easily done by juxtaposing its essence alongside what it is not. Professor of Media Studies at Northwestern, Laura Kipnis, in her new book, The Female Thing: Dirt, Sex, Envy, Vulnerability, uses this strategy to illuminate intrinsic female qualities via the four emblematic areas listed in the title. While it may sound rather popish, her brisk essays succeed in their goal. The author has produced a competent, intelligent, and valuable narrative.
It may surprise conservatives that a book written by a leftist-feminist could possibly appeal to them, and undoubtedly some will disagree with this reviewer's assessment. Although, The Female Thing's central theme is key to my reasoning. Kipnis believes that it is their own "inner woman," as opposed to men or a global conspiracy, that acts as the biggest barrier to women realizing the progressive utopia they deserve--a utopia for which, the author concedes, many women are not even interested. Females have certain refractory predispositions and fascinations which cannot be propagandized away. This is revealed in the female longing for men, the way in which feminine personality types persist despite their sometimes being cloaked in feminist garb, and the world's assigning to women a higher worth based on their bodies. By identifying Woman as a free-thinking agent, Kipnis infuses the opposite sex with responsibility, and this immediately places her on a plane far above her peers. Hopefully, more non-equity feminists will agree that, socially and psychologically, our "respective anatomies produce different situations." That's not to imply that she is a biological determinist, however. What she does state is that, "what kind of anatomy you've been assigned invariably structures the female experience here on earth." These views are a major advancement for feminism as they eschew the lie that only social construction makes us who we are.
The book's greatest strength are the arguments produced by the author's iconoclastic and insightful mind. Many novel ideas are on display. She clarified that women's empowerment came with a cost because much was lost in the process. Furthermore, has not femininity been on its own, from its earliest beginnings, an incredibly effective strategy for the acquisition of resources? From there, we turn to a major dilemma for the modern woman: one can't really be feminine and a feminist at the same time for they are mutually exclusive conditions. The former denies weakness and frailty while the latter promotes it. We find that the root of women's ever-increasing resentment of men--a resentment which is largely not reciprocated--is their own disavowal and self-deception. Their over expectations can be attributed more to a lack of personal fulfillment than to the inadequacies of men.
While The Female Thing may not be a precise fit for conservatives, it undeniably marks an advancement in our relations with feminists. Its pages are steeped in argumentation and debate as opposed to calls for castration and lesbianism. Laura Kipnis is her own woman and not a slave to dogma which is all we can ask for. When leftist-feminists desire truth over propaganda they become allies or worthy opponents instead of buffoons walking around blaming "the other" for their own poor decision making. If her peers follow her example, political correctness will join the gargoyle that sired it, Marxism, upon the list of intellectual viruses which only history will remember.
The conflicted female psyche (3.75 *s).......2006-11-22
THE FEMALE THING is an irreverent look at the conflicted and contradictory female "thing" - that is, the female psyche. Achieving equality with and independence from the male of the species has been the goal for feminists for the last forty years, and while somewhat achieved, there is a sense of dissatisfaction, of things missing.
At least for heterosexual women, men do have something that women want - the possibilities of love, etc. Apparently those needs have driven a tremendous consumption of advice and self-enhancing products and procedures, even among the most ardent feminists. Self-acceptance seems to be in short supply.
Attaining financial independence by entering the workforce also has its problems: the loss of time and being subject to the rules of workplace regimes. Now in the name of empowerment, some younger women are opting for child-rearing - eschewing careers. The drive for equality and independence is indeed taking strange directions.
Women are also conflicted over the nature of sex. According to the author the location of orgasmatic centers and the assignment of technical responsibility for achieving such is engendering debate among frustrated women. And then there's dirt. Women have been in charge of dirt ever since the rise of domesticity and men are generally oblivious. But the female anatomy itself has, through the centuries, been considered "dirty" by some elements creating no small amount of consternation even today.
The author also considers the hysteria that can surround even the potential for rape, while acknowledging female vulnerabilities. She strongly questions a couple of well known feminists who have either forgotten their complicity in unwelcome advances or fabricated the same.
Kipnis' appraisal of the female psyche, actually female sexuality, is intended to be provocative. Her writing is difficult, at times, to follow - just as in her other recent book, Against Love. But it's worth the effort. She forces a re-examination of issues that many may have thought to be settled.
Dirt, Sex, Envy, or Vulnerability... Kipnis explores (western) female identity.......2006-10-23
Well, that "Female Thing." Does it lead to backlash or ambivalence? Feminism or femininity? What is the "inner woman"?
In this book, The Female Thing, Kipnis explores what it is like to be a women (in western culture, and particularly in the US) in today's society. Have "we've come a long way, baby?" Or, as Linda Hirshman claims in Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World, are women continuing to miss the boat?
Kipnis more or less issues a report card here: where are women now in regards to social status and equality? My interpretation of her analysis is that the report card would be a "C-".
She looks at 4 primary issues that she calls Envy, Sex, Dirt, and Vulnerability.
Envy: "If you're a modern female, unfortunately something's always broken" (p. 9). Women are obsessed, for complex reasons, about their "imperfections." [Note: read I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron for an example of this.] Kipnis summarizes this concept in her phrase "...voluntary servitude to self-improvement" (p. 10). There is a huge focus on looks instead of health, by the way. This commands women's attention to the detriment of other issues in their lives.
Sex: Suffice it to say that women are told they don't need it, or they deserve more, or there are tricks of the trade that are either hidden from them or that fool them, or something! To borrow a title from Star Trek IV, sex for many women is "The Undiscovered Country."
Dirt: Your various "apertures" make you vulnerable to nasty things in life. Women in many societies take the major role in managing dirt (internal and external). "Needless to say, being in charge of all the dirt has not made women particularly jovial" (p. 91).
Vulnerability; Kipnis' bottom line is that the "custodianship of a vagina really is the female Achilles' heel..." (p. 124). She discusses whether female anatomy is fundamentally vulnerable and perhaps "overvalued". Rape is the quintessential vulnerability, and she discusses the effects of sexual trauma (for example, experiences of Andrea Dworkin) in detail.
And then the book ends! I really was expecting a concluding synthesis at the end of these four sections.
All in all, this was a well-written, interesting discussion of the plight of many women in search of their various identities... as individuals, as members of family groups, and in societies. It is not a discussion of all the plights, nor all the opportunities. However, Kipnis focuses on the cages surrounding "free women." I expect this book will be an interesting one to discuss in your local book club.
Average customer rating:
- Re-Reading it! SoOo good!
- Entertaining
- What a turkey
- Pretty good
- Five Huge Stars!
|
Envy
Sandra Brown
Manufacturer: Warner Books
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ASIN: 0446527130
Release Date: 2001-08-28 |
Amazon.com
The prologue of a novel arrives in the Manhattan offices of a book editor, who's intrigued enough to chase its mysterious author, identified only by his initials, to his decrepit plantation on an island off the Georgia Coast. That's the first clue that fiction is stranger than fact; few publishers (if any) would go to that sort of trouble for anything less than a new J.D. Salinger novel. But bestselling author Sandra Brown makes the most of her far-fetched premise, setting up a convoluted plot that keeps the reader engrossed despite its flaws and foibles.
Maris Matherly-Reed is more than an editor. She's also the beloved daughter of the publishing house's highly respected and successful leader, and the wife of Matherly Press's second-in-command, the smooth, suave, double-dealing Noah Reed. Reed, it develops, is the real target of the literary scam set up by the reclusive writer of the novel whose opening pages so captivate Reed's spouse. P.M.E., the writer, has a score to settle with Maris's husband, and he doesn't care whom he hurts as long as he brings Noah down. At least, not until he meets Maris, who has an unfortunate habit of falling in love with her authors (see above; that's the second clue). Brown is a master at romantic suspense, and Envy displays the talents that have won her a devoted following: a deft hand at evoking the vulnerability and humanity of her protagonists, a sure command of narrative tension, and a nice sense of place. This is a terrific hammock read, just right for a summer day as sultry and humid as Envy's Low Country setting. --Jane Adams
Book Description
One of the few authors ever to have three simultaneous New York Times bestsellers, Sandra Brown is a world-class suspense writer who "carefully crafts tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats" (USA Today). In her latest novel, she entwines two plots into an explosive tale of a long-ago crime and the victim's plan for revenge...
Maris Matherly-Reed is a renowned New York book editor, the daughter of a publisher and the wife of bestselling author Noah Reed. It isn't often that an unsolicited submission so captivates her that she feels she must immediately meet its author. But Maris has just received a tantalizing partial manuscript submitted by a writer identified only as P.M.E., with the return address of an obscure island off the Georgia coast. P.M.E.'s blockbuster potential-and perhaps something else-compels Maris to search for him.
On an eerie, ruined cotton plantation, she finds Parker Evans, a man determined to conceal his identity as well as his past. Working with him chapter by chapter, Maris is riveted by his tale of two friends who charter a boat with a young woman for a night of revelry...an excursion from which only one person returns.
As the story unfolds, Maris becomes convinced it is more than just fiction. Disturbed about her growing attraction to Parker and gripped by a chilling suspicion about his novel's characters, she searches for the undisclosed truth about a crime committed decades ago. Then someone close to her dies, while even closer looms the presence of evil-a man who will use her, or anyone, to get what he wants...
Exploring the way love and hatred shape lives, ENVY uses both Maris's quest and Parker's novel to create a breathtaking story of suspense. Not until the shattering, surprise finale will readers guess the solution to its puzzle of deceit and murder, retribution and redemption.
Customer Reviews:
Re-Reading it! SoOo good!.......2007-06-20
This was the second Sandra Brown novel I read, and I loved it! I just saw it in my bookcase yesterday and decided to read it again. I dont like to give away plot or anything, so I'll just say out of the 5 or 6 Brown novels that I've read, this is one of my favorites. So, if you are on the fence about her, or haven't read anything by her...or heck even if you have and love her, this is a good one to read.
Entertaining.......2007-05-21
I listened to the audio version of this book which is narrated by Victor Slezak. I hadn't read a Sandra Brown book in a few years and I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It's a romantic suspense that is entertaining and held my interest through all 13 CDs. Yes, it was somewhat predictable, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I had a little problem distinguishing the voices between a couple secondary characters, but that was a narration issue.
What a turkey.......2007-02-01
I have a long commute and listen to many audiobooks as a result. My most recent listening experience was "Envy" by Sandra Brown. I have to say that when one is able to figure out a plot, including most of the so-called twists, very early on, it's pretty obvious you've got a turkey on your hands. However, to go beyond the plot transparency of "Envy" and be more specific: the characters were cardboard archetypes and superficially drawn (Noah is absolutely not to be believed), and the many sex sequences were over-ripe to the point that they were often hilarious. I was literally laughing out loud at times. I enjoy a thrill ride as much as the next person but this was just poorly done formula hokum.
Pretty good.......2006-12-27
This was a very entertaining book, although it was very predictable I still enjoyed reading it. I gave it 4 out of 5 because of it being so predictable to me, there were a couple little surprises that I didn't see coming though. All in all I would recommend it.
Five Huge Stars!.......2006-11-17
Sandra Brown has outdone herself with this novel. Fast paced, interesting characters with a great little twist. Once in awhile a author just blows you away with a great book and this is one of those times. I am not going to go into the scoop on the book (just read the back cover) and then go out and get yourself a copy you will not be disappointed. Great book!!!
Book Description
A how-to on the ancient art of physiognomy, updated and practical. Rosetree's system of Face Reading Secrets ® is designed to open your heart, even as it provides knowledge with uncanny accuracy.
Customer Reviews:
Very informative.......2007-07-03
I ordered three face reading books to try to get as much information as I could. This book by far was the best. She adds a bunch of humor. This book is very well written and easy to read. I recommend this to all who are curious about what the face means. I am very pleased.
Useful and Insightful.......2005-12-10
After reading The Power of Face Reading, I am shocked by the response from "Almost Useless". In her book Rosetree asserts that we all have various challenges as well as styles with which we excell at, and I think Rosetree does an excellent job of expressing our different styles for work, spending money, communication, etc. with great compassion and depth. This is not a "too positive spin on every negative interpretation"; it's more a realistic way of looking at our strenghts and weaknesses.
I also firmly disagree with "Almost Useless"'s assertion that some of the interpretations are "just inaccurate." I have done many readings after reading the book, for friends and people that I've just met, and everyone remarks how surprisingly accurate they are! Rosetree also points out that the traits of our face reveal our propensity for a certain style of being. We are all human and can choose to behave in other ways as we choose. Knowing what are preferences are can help us use them with more strength, and to also gain understanding for the strengths and propensities of others. Brilliant for relationships!
In terms of "putting it all together" for doing face readings, I found this to be no problem. Like I said, I started doing readings for friends and new people I met right away. Rosetree also explicity states to set an intention to be of service, and begin with the features that strike you the most, and then notice what you notice next and go from there. This is what I've adhered to and what has made my readings so successful.
Lastly, I would be cautious with the review titled "Gems for Tabliod and Intellectuals." I might chuckle at these having not read the book. Rosetree's book provides much more depth than these quotes reveal. The book shows us that there are many ways to be in the world, and the beauty is that we can choose. I find it powerfully useful to know my style preferences at my very core.
The best of the best!.......2005-12-03
I know this book. I know this author. Rose Rosetree is a woman of the highest integrity and she is a great force. She's been on this path for many years, researching ancient studies and particularly refining the hidden traits found in faces. Each one of her books is a gift. But the wisdom contained in this one, The Power of Face Reading, showers the reader with clues and tips on discovering the very essence of, say, co-workers, first dates, celebrities, politicians -- any person with whom you might come face to face. For those with a sense of wonder and a hunger to know more, this is an easy read.
Amazing insights.......2005-12-02
I found this book, like all the ones I've read by Rose Rosetree, to be witty, insightful, and very useful. When reading this book, keep in mind that reading faces isn't just a formula, which is a point that Ms. Rosetree makes. The whole face needs to be considered, since it is a reflection of the soul as a whole. I use face reading often, and it's amazing how accurate it is. In addition to the companion book WRINKLES ARE GOD'S MAKEUP, I strongly suggest reading AURA READING THROUGH ALL YOUR SENSES. Combining aura reading with face reading is a very powerful tool and provides a far more complete picture.
Almost useless.......2005-05-02
The author tries so hard not to offend anybody, that she puts too positive spin on every possibly negative interpretation and overemphasizes what would already be considered as a positive one. Also, I found the most interpretations just inaccurate. Examples from nose chapter:
short nose - workaholic
long nose - talent for planning and strategy
straight nose - you work systematically
arched nose - creativity
...
Ok, of course you are supposed to interpret everything and put it all together, eliminating contradictions on the way, but the book falls short on instructions how to do that. There should be a chapter titled "putting it together" where the author should explain the process of face reading: what to look first? how to determine basic information about a person and go from there? Instead the book focuses on details without giving you the big picture.
Book Description
From bestselling author Madonna comes two stories about the English Roses, five best friends who do everything together. With the help of a little magic fairy dust and a quirky, lovable teacher, the English Roses learn that the bond of female friendship is unbreakable!
Each of these luxuriously boxed and limited editions are numbered and are available exclusively on Amazon.com. Each includes:
- A letter from Madonna, personally autographed
- A giclée digital print on fine-milled paper, signed by Stacy Peterson, the illustrator of The English Roses: Too Good To Be True
- First edition hardcovers of The English Roses and The English Roses: Too Good To Be True
Customer Reviews:
Madonna's lousy signature.......2007-09-28
I've been a Madonna fan for over 20 years and I was never so diappointed in the signature than was included in this book. Give me a break. Thank goodness I waited until they were $30. My husband bought me a copy at the original price last Christmas and when I found out the signatures were awful, I was so disappointed.
It seems Madonna's perfectionism is starting to crumble, or she just didn't give a flying fudge about it--that's what it looks like to me anyway. So disappointing in the signature and in Madonna!
Madonna: YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN SOME SCRAWLING SIGNATURE!
I doubt these last five in stock will sell at the original price. It's really not worth it, unless you are a die-hard Madonna fan and have to have it.
Worth it.......2007-09-04
This is very well put together. The package is very nice but, of course, the most interesting part of it is the "signed" letter from Madonna. This might be the only way for any fan to get a real Madonna's signature. Yes the signature is rushed and the author could and should have paid more attention to it, simply out of respect for her fans. I paid 30 $ for it and it is really worth it's price...it's not worth 150 dollars though.
nice package.......2007-08-31
I already had both books but this box with Madonna's personal letter and autograph and the litho for only 30US$ instead of 150 US$ was just to good to let go.
nice collectors item
The English Roses.......2007-08-26
the bok was well packaged, the autograph of Madonna sucked, it was a mess no wonder she could not sell that book for $150.00. Amazon did a great job getting rid of them.
It is what it is!!.......2007-08-04
Just as previous reviewers stated, it's a Madonna autograph. Not a great autograph but at $30.00 it's worth it.
Book Description
With a compassionate eloquence reminiscent of James Baldwin's Letter to My Nephew, Ellis Cose presents a realistic examination of the challenges facing black men in modern America.
Black men have never had more opportunity for success than today -- yet, as bestselling author Cose puts it, "We are watching the largest group of black males in history stumbling through life with a ball and chain." Add to that the ravages of AIDS, murder, poverty, illiteracy, and the widening gap separating the black "elite" from the "underclass," and the result is a paralyzing pessimism. But even as Cose acknowledges the obstacles that confront black men, he refuses to accept them as reasons for giving up; instead he rails against the destructive attitude that has made academic achievement a source of shame instead of pride in many black communities -- and outlines steps black males can take to enhance their odds for success.
With insightful anecdotes about a broad range of black men from all walks of life, Cose delivers a warning of the vast tragedy that is wasted black potential, and a call to arms that can enable black men to reclaim their destiny in America.
Download Description
With an eloquence and compassion reminiscent of James Baldwin's Letter to My Nephew, Ellis Cose presents a frank and realistic examination of the daunting challenges facing black men in twenty-first-century America and offers a way out of the cycle of defeatism and despair that wreaks havoc on America's black communities.
Black men have never had more opportunity for success than they do today. Yet, as Ellis Cose bluntly puts it, "We are watching the largest group of black males in history stumbling through life with a ball and chain wrapped around their legs. If brought together in one incorporated region, the population of black males behind bars would instantly become the twelfth largest urban area in America." Add to that the ravages of AIDS, murder, poverty, and illiteracy, the raging anger between many black men and women, and the widening gap separating the black elite from the so-called underclass, and you have a prescription for a paralyzing pessimism.
But even as he acknowledges the systemic obstacles that confront black men of all social strata, Ellis Cose refuses to accept them as reasons for giving up or giving in. In powerful and stirring prose, Cose rails against the historical worldview that has categorized academic achievement as a source of shame instead of pride in many black communities; he also outlines steps black males can take to enhance their odds for success.
With insightful anecdotes about a broad range of black men—from Franklin Raines, the first black man to run a Fortune 500 company, to unlettered ex-prisoners—Cose documents the amazing journey the black race has made, and contemplates the challenges ahead. Both a warning of the vast social tragedy that is wasted black potential and a vital call to arms that can enable black men to reclaim their destiny, The Envy of the World is an honest and important book for anyone concerned about the future of America.
Customer Reviews:
UMMM........2007-04-08
Well after reading a chapter I thought I would check it out, and sorry but that is what I should have done, checked it out. It was on point but I was looking for something new, something different. I never found it, but I have read other works by Cose that was thought provoking. So it may be a good read but at a different time.
Uplifting and Humbling @ the Same Time..........2006-01-18
As a young, black, recent college graduate, I was inspired, enlightened, uplifted, and humbled by reading this book. It helped me to realize some truths and fallacies of my own existence. I am more than aware of what being a black man in America consists of. On the other hand I have shielded myself from certain aspects of life in order to protect my sanity and peace in such an unjust nation. I could relate to just about everything, if not everything this book touched on. Ellis Cose did a marvelous job in both exposing some defects in today's society and inspiring young blacks not to use them as a crutch, but to focus on the many opportunities society prevents us with. This is a great read for anyone.
Well documented book on what's going on...........2003-02-25
The Envy of the World: On being a Black man in America is a well done book that gives the reader a view on what it's like to be black or if you are black helps you to understand some of the issues that you're facing. At the end of the book in "The twelve things you must know" he gives some important points that I think Blacks should pay close attention to. He also makes great points in the "Too cool for School" chapter. He brings out important points in the book, like the fact that the quality of education that Blacks receive is far lower than that of whites. Also, the important distinction of the inner city school and the rich suburban school. There are two different types of education going on here and if some people expect the inner city school kid to compete with what the rich suburban kid has, you're really living in a fantasy world. Sadly, the people who would most benefit from this book, probably won't even read it or probably won't even hear of this book. I tend to agree with most of what Ellis Cose has to say in this book and I think it is a book that every person should read to view the struggles of the Black man. A lot of people say that in essence, you're blaming society. However, if the evidence is supporting the claim, who can deny the facts?
don't buy this book.......2003-02-03
not the envy of this world. for those out there who want a message that is powerful and just, try reading dr. martin luther king, jr. instead.
Well worth the read.......2003-01-29
I agree that every young African American male ought to read this book (but I'd also recommend Rage of the Privileged Class). It tells a concrete-hard story of what most Black young men go through with tenderness and compassion. Without the angst filled, anger inducing stories which lamentably are a part of the life of most of those to whom the book is directed, it explains what life is likely to be about.
Most of us have had the experience of the fear during the extended police stop, the frustration with the overly attentive shopclerk at the exclusive store or the amusement at the person shrinking in fear upon entry into an elevator. This book is filled with insights and wisdom obtained from men from Harvard to prison. "The Envy of The World" is well worth reading, sharing with friends and contemplating. While it is not the source of all the answers, it does close with a section on solutions and it certainly adds insight in exploring the questions and challenges.
Book Description
A NEW YORK REVIEW BOOKS ORIGINAL
One of the delights of Russian literature, a tour de force that has been compared to the best of Nabokov and Bulgakov, Yuri Olesha's novella Envy brings together cutting social satire, slapstick humor, and a wild visionary streak. Andrei is a model Soviet citizen, a swaggeringly self-satisfied mogul of the food industry who intends to revolutionize modern life with mass-produced sausage. Nikolai is a loser. Finding him drunk in the gutter, Andrei gives him a bed for the night and a job as a gofer. Nikolai takes what he can, but that doesn't mean he's grateful. Griping, sulking, grovelingly abject, he despises everything Andrei believes in, even if he envies him his every breath.
Producer and sponger, insider and outcast, master and man fight back and forth in the pages of Olesha's anarchic comedy. It is a contest of wills in which nothing is sure except the incorrigible human heart.
Marian Schwartz's new English translation of Envy brilliantly captures the energy of Olesha's masterpiece.
Customer Reviews:
A small gem from a Russian writer, Envy was published when literary expression earned the writer government censorship or death.......2006-11-09
I had difficulty reading the first few pages simply because I didn't catch on that the first person narrator--who is derisively observing his roommate's bathroom routine--is to some degree emotionally destabilized by his own hard life as well as misplaced perceptions. I usually prefer lyrically-written work with sentences that flow beautifully, however, while reading Olesha's Envy, I realize just how much the novels I prefer are the way they are because the writer lives in an environment that enables some hope. As harsh as the environment is, Olesha's novel is peppered throughout with charming phrases which disarm the critical reader: Valya was "lighter than a shadow. The lightest of shadows--the shadow of falling snow--might have envied her" (54).
The novel's Introduction, by Ken Kalfus, is informative. Envy was published in 1927 when some form of satirical protest against the Soviet government was still possible; Lenin had died in 1925 and Stalin had ousted Trotsky, and it wasn't much longer--in about 1934--that it was no longer possible for a writer or journalist to speak and write freely. Olesha's work was suppressed and not re-printed until after Stalin's death in 1956. At only 152 pages, this novel is ideal for high school students wanting something more than routine American literature; honors students can definitely handle comparing the fictional treatment of social conditions. Also college freshman in Comparative Literature or fiction writing can study how a writer's environment conditions the craft of fiction.
To go into more detail, if the world of Envy feels claustrophobic, there are good reasons: Yuri Olesha's narrator, or main character, is responding to a society in which the rich and poor are increasingly polarized. People in control seem to dominate the powerless, and those in control are absolutely stupid and boring people. The conditions Olesha wrote about also indicate that most people have diminishing expectations for the future, and to want change seems futile because change is impossible. (Sorry if this situation sounds familiar in 2006.) To create a novel out of this sort of human dilemma, conditions which were escalating in 1920's Russia, the author had to position himself somewhere between the two poles of rich and poor, of government official and social outcast. To do so, Olesha created the character Nikolai Kavalerov, a sort of slacker or lay-about whose vague or shapeless revolt against his conditions engages the reader's attention. The novelist's craft must give the characters energy so that the plot moves forward to some resolution; to do that, Olesha gives Kavalerov a kind of offensive honesty, a raw self-expression. One-third of the way through the novel, Kavalerov writes a cathartic letter to Comrade Babichev declaring, "Actually, I have just one feeling: hatred. . . . And like all officials, you're a petty tyrant." To understand this eruption as refreshing or humorous, one must read carefully. Read and find out if Kavalerov actually delivers the letter.
Not to be overlooked.......2004-02-20
Olesha is on par with Gogol, Dostoevsky, Voinovitch or Bulgakov, but he never gets treated that way. The first part of this is brilliant. Possibly meant to be a condemnation of Kavalerov, instead this wicked, jealous, indecent, and meek man is real and quite sympathetic.
The second part is not nearly as good, but still worth it. Some argue that this was pro-Soviet, some anti-Soviet, I think it's somewhere in the middle: an ingenious juxtaposition that forces one to reflect on life and the nature of consciousness, be it a burden or not.
Olesha's Envy.......2001-10-13
I love this book. Olesha is a masterful artist and his descriptions of the world are strange and wonderful. He is my favorite Russian author save Gogol.
As Wild and Doped Up As Hamlet's Ophelia.......2001-05-10
This book is magical! (Wink, Wink) You start off reading from the first person perspective; but before you realize it, you are reading from a third person point of view. From first to third, you will be stratching your head and asking yourself, "The main character, what's up with him? Is he on [drugs]? Is Ophelia really alive?" And the comments you make to yourself. "I didn't know they had minage a tois back then" or "Wow...people can people really get excited about sausages." Of course, if you are reading this book for a class, you might want to ask yourself: "Am I reading an anti-socialist criticism of the Bolsheviks or the proproganda of poletariats? Is this an examination of values between two different generations?"
But for what ever reason you pick up this book to read, it is going to be like Dostoevsky's "The Double" or Mandelstam's "The Eyptian Stamp" all over again, but only this time you feel as if you are high [or something].
Unknown piece of genius writing.......1999-12-17
If you can scare up a copy, do it. This book has a dreamy, insane, "Russian" quality I haven't come across in anything else except Gogol and Dostoyevsky. The book was written shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution, during a brief period when artists still had a fair amount of freedom in Russia. It's a haunting book about dehumanization and insanity.
Customer Reviews:
Unconvincing mix of interesting and boring ideas.......2006-11-28
This book makes a moderate number of interesting claims about envy and its economic effects, interspersed with some long boring sections. The claims are mostly not backed up by strong arguments. It was written 40 years ago, and it shows - his understanding of psychology seems more Freudian than modern.
If you read this book, I suggest reading only these chapters: 1,3,5,8,13,17,21,22.
His most interesting claim is that many societies have more envy than ours, and that prevents them from escaping poverty. An extreme example are the Navaho, who reportedly have no concept of luck or of "personal achievement", and believe that one person's success can only come at another's expense. This kind of attitude is pretty effective at discouraging people in such a society from adopting a better way of growing crops, etc.
Unfortunately, his evidence is clearly of the anecdotal kind that, even if I were to track down the few sources he cites for some of them and convinced myself they were reliable, his examples are too selective for me to believe that he knows whether envy and poverty are correlated. His hypothesis sounds potentially important, and I hope someone finds a way to rigorously analyze it.
He describes a few attempts to create non-envious societies, with kibbutzim being the clearest example. He gives adequate but unsurprising explanations of why they've had mixed success.
He claims "The victims claimed by a revolution or a civil war are incomparably more numerous among those who are more gifted and enterprising", but shows no sign that he knows whether this is true. He might be right, but it's easy to imagine that he's been mislead by a bias toward reporting that kind of death more often than the death of a typical person.
He mentions that tax returns have been public in some jurisdictions. I wish he did a better job of examining the costs and benefits of this (one nice example he gives is that people sometimes overreport income in order to appear more credit-worthy than they are).
On page 82, he describes Nazis as having "an almost equally fanatical attachment to the principle of equality". He seems there to be referring to when they were in power, but somewhere else he implies they moved away from this belief when they gained power. He was born in Austria in 1922, and studied in Munich from 1941 to 1945, which gives him a perspective that we don't hear much these days. How much of the difference in perspectives is due to his flaws, and how much of it is due to our focus on the worst aspects of Nazism? There's probably a hint of truth to his position, in that hatred of the Jews partly started with an egalitarian disapproval of their success.
I found a number of other strange claims. E.g. "The incest taboo alone makes possible the co-operative and stable family group."; "Lee Harvey Oswald's central motive was envy of those who were happy and successful"; "In 1920 President Woodrow Wilson predicted class warfare in America that would be sparked off by the envy of the many at the sight of the few in their motor cars.".
He says "No society permits totally uninhibited promiscuity. In every culture there are definite rights of ownership in the sexual sphere, for no society could function unless it had foreseeable and predictable rules as regards selection of the sexual partner." I'm not sure how close-minded that would have sounded in 1966, but there are
cultures today which discredit it fairly well.
Mildly written -- and revolutionary.......2006-04-28
Just as one point: our "environmentalist" thinkers have decided that all human evil originates from the OUTSIDE. We are all born lovely and natural, but society corrupts us.
How then to explain envy, the cancer which grows from within -- and only grows in SOME people?
I strongly suggest you read this book; it is an important part of anyone's education. And the insights will suddenly start coming: Lee Harvey Oswald shooting John F. Kennedy -- could there be a clearer case of ENVY in the universe? Oswald, a lonely, failed drifter, prey to any radicals who wanted to use him -- versus Kennedy: rich, handsome, famous, brilliant, President of the U.S. and married to Jackie.
Oh, envy pulled that trigger.
What about Al-Qaeda and the Islamofascists? Does anyone doubt that, beneath all their hand-waving, their entire movement is based on ENVY?
Domestically, in the U.S., we have huge cohorts of "political activists" driven by envy. As Schoeck points out, virtually nobody believes that establishing the grand egalitarian socialist state will eliminate envy: on the contrary, such a state will only exacerbate an evil which is detested by all societies on the face of the earth.
On a smaller level, but still very important, this book does an excellent job of explaining that short masterpiece by Herman Melville, "Billy Budd." What was wrong with Claggart? Nothing other than envy. He envied everything good about Billy Budd: his beauty, his charm, his ease of making friends, his lack of envy, and his overall grace. Now there is something to think about when you go to bed at night: malignant people who hate and fear ALL the good qualities of their fellow human beings. (This actually makes me fear for some of my good friends, who are the kind we call "a prince among guys:" -- that snake envy may be waiting to take them down!)
An extremely high recommendation, indeed!
Essential sourcebook for understanding political events.......2005-10-16
I read Helmut Schoeck's book many years ago and I still consider it the fundamental source for the study of politics. Envy and the deflection of envy are so fundamental to political movements that without understanding these mechanisms, comparative analysis of political systems is worthless.
Because of my proximity in NW, USA his description of the potlatch societies was particularly thought provoking. I believe their relative stasis for 9,000 years can largely be attributed the way in which they treated envy.
Successful societies are those that have developed and continue to nurture coping mechanisms to reduce the prominence this most dangerous of human traits. Unsuccessful societies allow envy to be come prominent and often celebrate it's deflection.
Insightful, thought-provoking, and eye-opening........2002-09-04
Envy is without a doubt the most corrosive of all human emotions, yet sociological, psychological, and anthropoligical study of its phenomenology is non-existent. How unfortunate!
Enter Helmut Schoek who traces the origins of envy through cultures, philosophy, psychology and politics. After reading this book you will be able to see how politicians appeal to this basest of human emotions to engender dissatisfaction and rage.
The phenomenology of envy needs to be studied in depth because of its pervasiveness in human nature, and societies worldwide. No people, government, religon or social group is immune from its poison.
Brilliant.......2001-01-04
I will never look at politics, society, or myself in the same way ever again. This book is a masterpiece, and Helmut Schoeck does an outstanding job of showing just how influential and pervasive the emotion of envy is in society. He studies societies all over the globe and shows us one of human nature's uglier aspects which seems to be universal. I found in this book many lessons for myself personally, and I obtained a more profound understanding of society, especially in terms of damaging economic policies peddled by expediency-minded, power-hungry politicians which not only reduce the prosperity of the wealthy, but do not improve the lot of the poor which such policies are intended to help. This book is an excellent guide to human nature and societal structure.
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Looking Back in Envy (Architectural Design)
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Poetics in Architecture (Architectural Design)
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Book Description
In architecture, looking back is a rerequisite to looking forward. Inspired and competent design has to be informed by a knowledge and understanding of earlier design and technology. For no one is this truism more applicable than Jan Kaplicky of Future Systems. Future Systems is well known for its futuristic work,including the highly acclaimed Media Centre at Lord's, as well as the soon-to-be-built Selfridges department store in Birmingham. It is Kaplicky's delight and enthusiasm for 20th-century design and architecture, which have helped feed his appetite for innovative design solutions and exploring new technologies. In Looking Back in Envy, Kaplicky invites ten key architects,artists, designers and engineers of our time to choose their favourite work of the previous century. Contributors include Ron Arad, Peter Cook,Tony Hunt,Zaha Hadid and Anish Kapoor.
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