The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa

Average customer rating:

overrated

Easily the best cookbook I own.

Warning about animal welfare

Impressed

The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa

The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa
Marcus Samuelsson , Heidi Sacko Walters , and Gediyon Kifle
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
African | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
International | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Tutu, Desmond | ( T ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0764569112

Amazon.com

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New York is one of the world's great food cities; it is also one of the most culinarily diverse. Check out these great cookbooks from some of the stars of the New York food scene, as they make their great recipes accessible to the home cook.

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Book Description

"For as long as I can remember, I've had Africa on my mind." Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson may be best known for his innovative take on Scandinavian cuisine at New York's Restaurant Aquavit, but his story begins thousands of miles away, in Africa. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden by adoptive parents, his life transcends national boundaries, and his individual approach to cuisine is a global yet personal one that draws freely from many ethnic and cultural influences.

In The Soul of a New Cuisine, Marcus returns to the land of his birth to explore the continent's rich diversity of cultures and cuisines through recipes and stories from his travels in Africa. Stunning color images by award-winning photographer Gediyon Kifle bring the breadth of the African experience to life, from fishermen at sunset off the coast of Zanzibar to French baguettes loaded onto a bicycle in Senegal.

Marcus shares more than 200 enticing recipes, including his own African-inspired creations and traditional dishes from all parts of Africa. You can delight in spicy stews and Barbequed Snapper from West Africa and the familiar Mediterranean flavors of dishes like Moroccan Lemon-Olive Chicken, or make your way east and south for the irresistible taste combinations of dishes such as Curried Trout with Coconut-Chili Sauce from Kenya and Apple-Squash Fritters from South Africa's Cape Malay. Using ingredients that are readily available in American markets, the recipes are doable as well as delicious.

Of course, one of the keys to authentic African cooking is the use of spice blends and rubs, which elevate simple cooking techniques to an excitingly varied and intense level. Marcus includes his favorites here, with blends that go from sweet to spicy and feature everything from hot chili peppers and peppermint leaves to sesame seeds and ginger.

As he says, Africa is "a state of mind that I hope this book will help you tap into wherever you are." By cooking with a handful of this and a pinch of that, trying new foods and enjoying old ones in a new way, and lingering over meals with family and friends, you will bring the free, relaxed spirit of African cooking to your table and discover for yourself the soul of a "new" cuisine.

Customer Reviews:

overrated.......2007-09-13

I was really disappointed with this recipe book.
tried many recipes but they were awful. I don't
understand how anyone thinks it's a great cookbook.
This guy means well and probably cooks well, but
I thought the recipes were yucky. sorry.

Easily the best cookbook I own........2007-09-08

This book is gorgeous. It starts with a lovely introduction by Desmond Tutu, then goes on to Marcus explaining his background and inspiration and on to the most amazing history, photographs and recipes I have ever seen compiled in a book about Africa. He even states that he wrote it because there was such a dearth of them, and he did a fantastic job.

This is the kind of cookbook you can read from cover to cover, which is what I'm doing now. The way it is broken down and the sheer number of recipes and photographs make it one to be captivated by for hours and hours!

Covering the entire continent is no easy feat, but he does so in a way that all countries are represented, and I've enjoyed the rich history facts the most. I swear I've learned more in this cookbook that I did in 12 years of school; you'd think slavery and pyramids were Africa's only legacies if you have an American education. LMAO

Each recipe has a wonderful little backstory and history and I think the writing is beautiful. Samuelsson brings African cooking to American shores in a way that isn't daunting, and you can't wait to give the recipes a try. It's worth making the various seasonings, spices and rubs alone to add some excitement to meats and fish if you only want to ogle the pics of everything else (especially him - rawr)!

I was reminded to pick this book up when I saw a scaled-down version of it on sale at Starbucks, along with two special pastries/coffee pairings he created in time for fall. This big version is worth every penny and then some.

Warning about animal welfare.......2007-06-13

Based on the positive reviews I had read, I recently bought THE SOUL OF A NEW CUISINE for a public library. And as the reviews said, the book does have a wide variety of tasty and interesting recipes, and beautiful photography of both the foods and scenes in Africa to enjoy as well. I was dismayed, however, to note that a few of the recipes have as ingredients veal and pate de foie gras. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the production of these involves much animal cruelty. Veal is derived from calves that have been separated from their mothers within a few days of birth, and it is customary in the United States for these calves to be kept in tiny crates too small for them even to turn around, in which they live until they are slaughtered at 16-18 weeks of age. In the European Union, these tiny crates for calves have been banned, but they are still customary in the U.S. Similarly, the Humane Society says pate de foie gras is the product of "extreme animal cruelty." To produce this food, farmers force-feed ducks and geece excessive amounts of food through metal tubes that are shoved down their throats, causing liver enlargement and disease such that the animals cannot move comfortably or even walk in some cases.

As I said, these products of cruelty involve just a few recipes in the book, so if you buy it for yourself you can just ignore those recipes. But if you buy it for someone else, as I did, you can't assume that no one will purchase those foods that are the products of extreme cruelty. As an animal advocate, I have given up all meat, and this book does have many meat recipes, but I have come to expect that in most cookbooks. But there are many non-meat recipes here as well. However, I believe the author should have at least avoided promoting the use of foods that are produced in an excessively cruel manner.

Impressed.......2007-05-21

Thoroughly enjoy reading not only the recipes but the story that goes along with them. Very interesting cuisine, well written, lots of very nice pictures and a wonderful story. I'd like to see more books from this Chef!

The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa.......2007-04-03

This book was all I expected. The stories and the photo made you want to try a dish as soon as possible.

Principles of Food, Beverage, and Labor Cost Controls

Average customer rating:

Principles of Food, Beverage, and Labor Cost Controls
Paul R. Dittmer , and J. Desmond Keefe
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Hospitality, Travel & Tourism | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Principles of Food, Beverage, and Labor Cost Controls, Student Workbook

ASIN: 0471429929

Book Description

Principles of Food, Beverage, and Labor Cost Controls, Eighth Edition is the essential text for understanding the ins and outs of controlling food, labor, and beverage costs. It comes accompanied by ProMgmt Student Workbook, which allows students to obtain a certificate from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Includes a diskette which contains Excel spreadsheet applications.

Special features include:

Accompanied by a diskette which contains Excel spreadsheet applications
400f chapters contain revised materials
Full supplements package

Average customer rating:

Genius
Excellent edition of The Republic
Not the best
"republic" of the soul...aka: self help
Very good for an inexpensive translation

The Republic (Penguin Classics)
Plato
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medieval | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140449140
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Book Description

Ostensibly a discussion of the nature of justice, The Republic presents Plato's vision of the ideal state, covering a wide range of topics: social, educational, psychological, moral, and philosophical. It also includes some of Plato's most important writing on the nature of reality and the theory of the "forms."

Translated with an Introduction by Desmond Lee

Customer Reviews:

Genius.......2007-09-07

If you can only have five books on your library shelf, this book has to be one of them. Plato argues against democracy and total freedom and does such an amazing job. You may not agree with him, but after reading the book you will have so much respect for someone that is seeking the absolute truth no matter what it turns out to be.

Excellent edition of The Republic.......2007-05-06

Shorey's english rendering of the Greek in the Loeb edition is, in my opinion, excellent. More than anything, he captures the passion and fervor of Socrates beautifully, as his english rendering of the text is significantly more poetic than the vast majority of translations of The Republic. While, obviously, there are countless other editions and translations of The Republic, few of these do "justice" to the work qua literature as Shorey does. Shorey's translation, while perhaps a little less accessible to beginning readers than Alan Bloom's or WHD Rouse's, is not difficult to the point of inaccessibility, and its strengths in other regards are too significant to make it necessary to purchase anything other than the Loeb edition of The Republic.

It is my hope that this review is actually helpful to someone that is deciding which edition or translation of The Republic to buy. Far too many Amazon reviews are little more than opining on the ostensible subject matter of a book that the individual either did not read, or did not understand.

Not the best.......2007-01-10

This work is poorly written and difficult to understand. Philosophy books are dense in the first place, but this edition adds to any confusion and created lots of headaches. Furthermore, the book in other editions usually have line numbers so that people can compair notes across editions, the Dover book lacks these. I purchased a different book and found in depth analysis to be much easier.

"republic" of the soul...aka: self help.......2006-12-20

i have no comments on this particular translation of republic, as it is the only version i have read.

republic does not live up to its namesake. as "socrates" says (i think we all know that socrates is really just plato's play dough after book 1) at the close of book 9, the vision of kallipolis only "exists in theory" or perhaps there is a "model of it in heaven." the earlier differentiation between theory and practice make it clear that plato only intended to use kallipolis as a model for the human soul. therefore, the suggested policies of eugenics, infanticide, communal property, and holding women and children "in common" are probably not to be taken seriously. plato himself predicts the inevitable unraveling of such a city.

after reading republic for the second time, it occurred to me that it is little more than a self-help manual. reason should rule spirit and passion. "dabbling" weakens the character. understand the difference between necessity and luxury. shatter your illusions about what you think you know, etc etc. not that these are not important, but such ideas do not require the complex analogy of a totalitarian society. thus, i think republic is slightly overrated.

the most compelling portion of this book, in my opinion, was the critique of the various constitutions. while the critiques of oligarchy, tyranny, timocracy and democracy map on nicely to the individual soul, they also make logical sense independently. while convention has led us to disregard the former 3 constitutions, democracy is often placed on a pedestal as the most ideal form of government. plato challenges this notion and succeeds with vigor in tearing down this pedestal. democracy, even in its representative form, is not much more than tyranny of the majority. we can witness democracy's inherent flaws today in the U.S., on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. this, in my opinion, is the only significant thing republic has to offer to the modern political theorist.

Very good for an inexpensive translation.......2006-11-10

I'm wrapping up a semester of teaching this translation of Republic, and I've had few complaints. Waterfield's editorial hand is visible, but that in itself, in the hands of a competent teacher, leads to good discussions above and beyond Plato's ideas.

With regards to Plato's masterwork, there's no good place to start save reading it for oneself. Plato is dead wrong in places (with regards to poetry and marriage just to get rolling), but his genius is that he's wrong as an idealist philosopher, encouraging readers to assert and refine their own ideals as counter-arguments. In other words, in order to refute Plato, one must out-Plato Plato.

Deconstruction is fine for deconstructionists, but a good discussion of this juggernaut of ancient thought is the life for me.

God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time

Average customer rating:

Love, Charity and Devotion to Jesus Christ
A terrific study course on reconciliation!
perfect
This book should be required reading for every American
Book review

God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time
Desmond Tutu
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0385483716
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Book Description

Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu has long been admired throughout the world for the heroism and grace he exhibited while encouraging countless South Africans in their struggle for human rights. In God Has a Dream, his most soul-searching book, he shares the spiritual message that guided him through those troubled times. Drawing on personal and historical examples, Archbishop Tutu reaches out to readers of all religious backgrounds, showing how individual and global suffering can be transformed into joy and redemption. With his characteristic humor, Tutu offers an extremely personal and liberating message. He helps us to “see with the eyes of the heart” and to cultivate the qualities of love, forgiveness, humility, generosity, and courage that we need to change ourselves and our world.

Echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., he writes, “God says to you, ‘I have a dream. Please help me to realize it. It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts. When there will be more laughter, joy, and peace, where there will be justice and goodness and compassion and love and caring and sharing. I have a dream that my children will know that they are members of one family, the human family, God’s family, my family.’”

Addressing the timeless and universal concerns all people share, God Has a Dream envisions a world transformed through hope and compassion, humility and kindness, understanding and forgiveness.

Download Description

Echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., he writes, "God says to you, 'I have a dream. Please help me to realize it. It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts. When there will be more laughter, joy, and peace, where there will be justice and goodness and compassion and love and caring and sharing. I have a dream that my children will know that they are members of one family, the human family, God's family, my family.'"

Addressing the timeless and universal concerns all people share, God Has a Dream envisions a world transformed through hope and compassion, humility and kindness, understanding and forgiveness.

"I have the highest regard for my good and trusted friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I admire him for the wonderful, warm person he is and especially for the human principles he upholds, and I have no doubt that readers will enjoy and benefit from what he has to say in God Has a Dream."
    HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

"Desmond Tutu shows each of us how to transform our pain and sorrow into hope and confidence in the future. Whether you are the head of a country or the head of a household, you will cherish his words."
   NELSON MANDELA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT

"Archbishop Desmond Tutu, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. before him, has offered us a luminous vision of love and hope. God Has a Dream shows us how our personal and global suffering can be transformed into joy and redemption. With his great warmth and compassion, Archbishop Tutu offers a spiritual message that if heeded can change lives as well as history."
    JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT

"Like Desmond Tutu's life, this book is a testament to the power of faith and optimism in human affairs."
   SENATOR GEORGE J. MITCHELL

Customer Reviews:

Love, Charity and Devotion to Jesus Christ.......2007-09-14

What an eloquent writer! Bishop Tutu writes so beautifully, especially when he describes the Love of God. The concept of transfiguration is explained in a passage about the cross which truly brought me closer to my Lord. Dear Christian brothers and sisters: read this book and be prepared to have your prejudices and fears about other people shattered by the Love of God.

A terrific study course on reconciliation!.......2007-05-14

I am leading a group study at St. John's Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida using this beautiful book of meditations by Bishop Tutu. There are discussion question after each chapter.

perfect.......2007-03-11

The book came in in a short amount of time, and was in great condition.

This book should be required reading for every American.......2007-01-09

Desmond Tutu is a man of morals and conscience with the courage of his convictions. This book should be required reading for every school student. Better yet, invite him to talk -- he is outstanding!

Book review.......2007-01-04

A wonderful book that has so many good points. This book is full of love, compassion, and sharing attributes. Gentleness and forgiveness for all seems to be the theme throughout the book.

Average customer rating:

Forgiveness as the Road Less Traveled
Healing for the Nations
I love Archbishop Desmond Tutu!!
"One Courageous Man"
Beyond retributive justice.

No Future Without Forgiveness
Desmond Tutu
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

South Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0385496907
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com

Archbishop Desmond Tutu stands alongside Nelson Mandela as one of the most iconic figures of the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. As archbishop of Cape Town throughout the 1980s, Tutu came to symbolize dignified, rational opposition to the iniquities of the apartheid regime, a faithful irreverence for unjust authority that led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. In 1995 he took up his greatest challenge, as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the remarkable yet harrowing attempt by South Africans to come to terms with the gross violations of human rights committed throughout the apartheid era by offering amnesty and forgiveness rather than punishment and dismissal.

No Future Without Forgiveness is Tutu's remarkable personal memoir of his time as chair of the commission. It records his insistence of the need to discover a "third way" in the healing of the national psyche and his powerful belief that "we can indeed transcend the conflicts of the past, we can hold hands as we realize our common humanity." Tutu's characteristic humor, resilience, and compassion are evoked in a way that demonstrates how essential they have been to his unique political style--and his ability to get results where all others failed. He recalls the darkest days of apartheid's "vicious awfulness" when, preaching about God's authority, he was "frequently tempted to whisper in God's ear, 'For goodness sake, why don't You make it more obvious that You are in charge?"'

No Future Without Forgiveness could be profitably read alongside Antjie Krog's equally compelling Country of My Skull, as it considers the emotional toll that such a process of national soul-searching has had upon its participants. As Tutu himself points out, "It is a costly business to try to heal a wounded and traumatized people, and those engaging in that crucial task will perhaps bear the brunt themselves ... we were, in Henri Nouwen's celebrated phrase, 'wounded healers.'" --Rachel Holmes, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

The establishment of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a pioneering international event. Never had any country sought to move forward from despotism to democracy both by exposing the atrocities committed in the past and achieving reconciliation with its former oppressors. At the center of this unprecedented attempt at healing a nation has been Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whom President Nelson Mandela named as Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With the final report of the Commission just published, Archbishop Tutu offers his reflections on the profound wisdom he has gained by helping usher South Africa through this painful experience.

In No Future Without Forgiveness, Tutu argues that true reconciliation cannot be achieved by denying the past. But nor is it easy to reconcile when a nation "looks the beast in the eye." Rather than repeat platitudes about forgiveness, he presents a bold spirituality that recognizes the horrors people can inflict upon one another, and yet retains a sense of idealism about reconciliation. With a clarity of pitch born out of decades of experience, Tutu shows readers how to move forward with honesty and compassion to build a newer and more humane world.

Customer Reviews:

Forgiveness as the Road Less Traveled.......2007-01-10

I was fascinated by the courage and foresight of the South African people regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Archbishop Tutu's account was very readable yet profound in the truth he was trying to explicate: revenge and retaliation do not heal; they create bigger divisions between the victim and the perpetrator. I think he clearing illustrates how forgiveness is the harder, but ultimately saner, route.

Healing for the Nations.......2006-04-03

This book is not only about the evils of apartheid, but also about how a nation was able to move toward healing and forgiveness through the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Desmond Tutu was appointed to head up this commission that would offer amnesty to all of those who had been involved in political acts of torture and violence during the period of apartheid in South Africa, but only if those that perpetrated the violence came forward, applied for amnesty, and told the truth about what they had done. The victims of the crimes were also allowed to come and tell their stories and ask their questions. Within these stories are remarkable tales of how people who had been tormented or had their loved ones tormented or even killed were able to reach out and find healing themselves by forgiving those who had done this to them.
Archbishop Tutu tells his story and the story of his nation and how that South African has been and is being healed through the power of truth and forgiveness. He speaks about many of the trials and tribulations that the commission went through, such as Winnie Mandela's part in the atrocities that she allegedly had a part in. The details of some of the torture stories are hard to take, but necessary to tell and to hear so that we know that evil exists in appalling ways in the world, but that evil can be overcome through forgiveness.
The trees that were sacrificed to make this book were well worth the sacrifice, because within its pages are the leaves for the healing of the nations. When Jesus hung on the cross, evil having done its best to him, he cried "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." He could have called twelve legions of angels and destroyed the whole lot of them, but he answers evil of the worst kind with forgiveness and reconciliation. This message and the message of the book is what is needed in all of places today were we are causing one another pain and suffering and can see no way around or out of the dilemma. I believe that this kind of move is what is necessary to heal the Middle East conflict and all of the other feuds and racist hatred that has gone on in the world. The only way forward to any type of life giving future is through forgiveness. I recommend this book to everyone who cares.

Questions or comments contact me at darrengjohnson38@yahoo.com

I love Archbishop Desmond Tutu!!.......2005-12-01

What a beautiful and graceful man he is!!!!!! It is important to note that humility is above all the most precious characteristic of a man. This man is the most humble that lives. The struggles that is described in No Future Without Forgiveness is transforming. It is such a simple thing to say, "forgive." It is a very advance technique to live it, use it, and practice it. Archbishop Tutu is the tool of forgiveness. We should all learn from him and use the gift he gives.

"One Courageous Man".......2005-08-07

Nothing fancy, often repetitve but extremely inspiring. Archbishop TuTu chaired The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa from 1994 to 1996. He along with many other brave people pulled off a miracle. I am not aware of anything like this happening in our modern world. It gives us all hope. Apartheid came to an end and there was no bloodbath. This is the story of that time and the healing work of the Commission in Archbishop TuTu's words. Worth reading.

Beyond retributive justice........2005-01-01

". . . to go beyond retributive justice to restorative justice, to move on to forgiveness, because without it there was nor future."

This is a beautiful book, the work of a beautiful mind. Tutu, retired Anglican archbishop and Noble laureate, presents his reflections on the work of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and on his personal insights and problems as the Chair of the TRC. The Commission was conceived as a tool in South Africa's transition from an oppressive apartheid regime to an open constitutional democracy. The lessons are important ones to learn in a world where human abuses continue in many forms and in many parts of the world.
Mans capacity for cynical self-obsession, paranoiac blindness to that which he perceives as being outside himself, and for the kind of abuse that arises between himself and his external world -- including his fellow beings, is difficult to come to grips with. Tutu discuses this with as much compassion and dignity as anyone likely can. Something dark lurks near the will of man, manifesting opportunistically, often unacknowledged, in fact unnoticed. Yet, in perceiving it clearly, wisdom informs us that we must resist too easily becoming holier-than-thou; we're not all that pure ourselves. As Tutu reminds us, many times, "there, but for the grace of God, go I." The temptation is to respond in kind, injustice for injustice, violence for violence, and obviously, many do respond in this way. There is a better way.
Justice, charity, and finally forgiveness, speak to us too, and wisdom will not turn a deaf ear. The TRC was established to, among other things, bring to light the hidden abuses of South Africa's recent history. Many of the violent crimes in question were sadistic, deeply disturbing, and of course, covert. The evidence and details of these atrocities would not be feasible, in most cases, for prosecutors to obtain, meaning that violent crimes and conspiracies would remain untreated. Resentment and suspicion would fester, probably resulting in still more violence. Another result would be that a sound basis for reparation could not be developed. By offering amnesty to perpetrators, many shrouded truths were brought to light, apologies were offered (in many cases sincere no doubt), in the African way of "ubuntu" forgiveness was often gifted (which is amazing), and the wronged found a measure of healing. It simply could not have happened in a setting significantly different than the TRC. "After all, forgiveness, reconciliation, reparation were not the normal currency in political discourse." Here is certainly a model for a conflict-riddled world.

"As related in the Old Testament, the prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by a host of enemies. But the prophet remained strangely calm and somewhat unconcerned while his servant grew ever more agitated. The prophet asked God to open the servant's eyes and the servant then saw that those who were on their side were many times more than those against them. We South Africans have experienced this in our lives -- that the forces of good turn out to be many times more than the forces of evil." p202.

Tutu writes with great care, qualifying and clarifying his thoughts, such that he is often given to writing Dostoevsky-sized sentences (50-60+ words). I do not have a problem with this, but it may be distracting to some readers who are used to reading lighter fare. Without reservation, I highly recommend this volume to anyone with an interest in human relations and justice, psychological well-being, conflict resolution, and/or spiritual growth.

Rabble-Rouser for Peace: The Authorized Biography of Desmond Tutu

Average customer rating:

Gripping
Well researched, well written!
Rabble Rouser for Peace?
God = Love in Action

Rabble-Rouser for Peace: The Authorized Biography of Desmond Tutu
John Allen
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

South Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743269373

Book Description

To be a rabble-rouser for peace may seem to be a contradiction in terms. And yet it is the perfect description for Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate and spiritual father of a democratic South Africa. Tutu understood that justice -- a genuine regard for human rights -- is the only real foundation for peace. And so he stirred up trouble, courageously engaging in heated face-to-face confrontations with South Africa's leaders; he stirred up trouble in the streets, leading peaceful demonstrations amid the barely controlled fury of police battalions; he stirred up trouble on the world stage, seeking international disinvestment in the apartheid economy.

Tutu has led one of the great lives of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and to read his story in full is to be reminded of the power of one inspired man to change history. In this authorized biography, written by John Allen, a distinguished journalist and longtime associate of Tutu, we are witnesses to courage, stirring oratory, and a demonstration of the power of faith to transform the seemingly intransigent.

We know in retrospect that the apartheid resistance movement was successful and that South Africa, though not without its problems, today faces an infinitely brighter future than it might if it had not been for the efforts of Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and other leaders.

But no such outcome was ever a certainty. Through the author's personal experiences, total access to the Tutu family and their papers, and considerable research, including the use of new archival material, Allen tells the story of a barefoot schoolboy from a deprived black township who became an international symbol of the democratic spirit and of religious faith.

Allen personally observed how Tutu, at genuine risk to his own safety, repeatedly intervened between armed soldiers and stone-throwing students to keep the peace, how he faced constant death threats and angrily stood up to the leaders of the cruel apartheid system. Using his own faith as a cudgel, Tutu asked those officials to confront their own Christian background and made them reconcile their actions with their own professions of belief.

Often through the sheer power of moral example and with a lyrical command of the English language, Tutu was able to appeal to the conscience of the world and to the emotions of an angry crowd in the streets. And then, when the battle for South African rights was finally won, it was Tutu who insisted on finding a path to forgive the former oppressors by strongly backing and serving on the unprecedented Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Today, the archbishop continues to appeal to the world's conscience by opposing the continuance of war and the inadequacy of the international response to the AIDS/HIV crisis sweeping Africa. He has led a life of commitment, one that continues to matter.

John Allen has movingly captured the flavor and details of that life and marshaled them into a commanding story, one that sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of our times.

Customer Reviews:

Gripping.......2007-09-29

The book starts in a very dramatic fashion with the description of a confrontation between Tutu and P.W. Botha. The vividly-written drama of the meeting has a certain sense of urgency to it and immediately draws in the reader and keeps him/her enthralled throughout the book. Though a thick book, I finished it fast since I didn't want to put it down. That for me is a thumbs-up.

The author leads us through Tutu's life with ease and finesse as he describes Tutu's youth, his stay in England, his slow climb up the hierarchy in the clergy in South Africa despite resistance, his forays into the anti-Apartheid movement. He not only made the international community aware of Apartheid (`apart hate') but also lobbied with them for imposing sanctions on South Africa. The book climaxes with the freeing of Mandela and the holding of elections in mid-1990s.

Throughout this easy-to-read book, Allen slowly builds up a mosaic of Tutu as being strong willed, persistent, compassionate and with a sense of humour. The various layers of Tutu's personality are revealed to the reader through anecdotes and reminiscences of others.

The strength of this book also becomes one its only drawback. It is extremely well-researched but then there is so much happening all the time, so many characters both well-known and less known that the book, at certain pages, becomes a muddle of facts through which the reader has to plod through. However, that doesn't take away significantly from the quality of the book.

Well researched, well written!.......2007-07-17

An excellent biography. I will echo another review that this book is highly readable. I wish I would have been tuned into the events in South Africa as a teen (or that my Social Studies teachers would have been tuned in) in the 1980s. This book helped to inform me of broad events in South Africa as well as give me an honest picture of Desmond Tutu. It is incredible how Tutu's theology informs his actions. He understands God in such a way that he could not sit safely on the sidelines. The book not only informs, but inspires. From a historians perspective, the use of primary sources throughout the book is clear. Well researched, well written! I highly recommend this book.

Rabble Rouser for Peace?.......2007-06-15

Having lived in South Africa for 36 years (1954-1990), I found that there were (not surprisingly), two sides to Desmond Tutu. My namesake John Allen has given the mainly positive aspects of the man, while my own book, 'Apartheid South Africa: An Insider's Overview of the Origin and Effects of Separate Development', gives the other. For instance, the Archbishop was accused by South African President Thabo Mbeki of being a liar and a charlatan, while President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, in his better days, called Tutu 'an angry, evil and embittered little bishop'.
I have listed much more about Mr Tutu in Apartheid South Africa, but coming from such well-informed people, statements like these should be enough to get readers thinking.

John Allen

God = Love in Action.......2006-12-02

Journalist John Allen has given us both a highly readable, engaging biography of retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and of the remarkable story of South Africa's transition to true democracy. What emerges is a portrait of a complex man of God, who understands that faith that is not translated into action to advance justice is worthless. Tutu's so-called "African spirituality"--in which there are no false (Western) distinctions between the sacred and secular, the body and soul--holds great wisdom and the power to heal many of the world's deepest problems. This is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in modern history, world events, and the role of people of faith in shaping and altering the course of events in positive ways. The diminutive Tutu stands alongside the giants of our own, and any other, age.

Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World

Average customer rating:

Informative and Authoritative
Great for travelers looking for more depth
Disappointed
A remarkable achievement
Nothing's irrelevant for the serious student

Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World
Peter D'Epiro , and Mary Desmond Pinkowish
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 038572019X
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Amazon.com

"Everyone knows the difficulty of things that are exquisite and well done," the Renaissance philosopher Baldassare Castiglione once remarked. "So to have facility in such things gives rise to the greatest wonder." Italians call that artful facility sprezzatura, a term, Peter d'Epiro and Mary Desmond Pinkowish maintain, that well describes the nation's genius.

They have reason to celebrate: Italy, after all, has exerted an influence in world affairs and culture all out of proportion to its size and population, and has done so for hundreds of years. Among the authors' subjects are the navigators Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Giovanni Verrazano, whose transoceanic voyages changed the course of world history; Andrea Palladio, the architect whose theories have guided designers and builders to the present day; Claudio Monteverdi, whom the authors call "the father of modern music," who gave the world not only fine operas but also the modern orchestra; Enzo Ferrari, the great automaker; Roberto Rossellini, the often overlooked pioneer of New Wave cinema; and the anonymous Roman engineers who built aqueducts, sewers, and roads that still stand today.

Though short on interpretation (d'Epiro and Pinkowish offer little insight into why Italy should have produced such an abundance of inventive, often daring men--and women, though only a few figure in their pages), this anecdotal collection of biographical sketches is a pleasing entertainment for admirers of all things Italian. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

A witty, erudite celebration of fifty great Italian cultural achievements that have significantly influenced Western civilization from the authors of What Are the Seven Wonders of the World?

“Sprezzatura,” or the art of effortless mastery, was coined in 1528 by Baldassare Castiglione in The Book of the Courtier. No one has demonstrated effortless mastery throughout history quite like the Italians. From the Roman calendar and the creator of the modern orchestra (Claudio Monteverdi) to the beginnings of ballet and the creator of modern political science (Niccolò Machiavelli), Sprezzatura highlights fifty great Italian cultural achievements in a series of fifty information-packed essays in chronological order.

Customer Reviews:

Informative and Authoritative.......2006-08-22

This is a terrific book that really covers the best and the brightest of Italian culture.

You'll read about St. Thomas Aquinus, the Roman Empire, Dante, and of course Leonardo Da Vinci. It not only discusses the people, and the events, but what they thought and how they thought it.

As this is a very scholarly book, although this can be a bit difficult at times to get through, in the end you will learn a lot about Italian history and influence.

Great for travelers looking for more depth .......2005-06-19

I read this book while on my first trip to Italy and was very happy with the way it introduced me to major thinkers and artists of this amazing culture. The essays are short, which is ideal when your attention span is limited due to being jostled on the train. More importantly, when on this trip I actually saw works by Michangelo, for example, I now knew something about his life and personality. The book was entertaining, and enriched my travel experience.

Disappointed.......2002-08-30

This book has good intentions, but I found it difficult to read, and too academic in style. This book is a collection of essays, and some are on unimpressive subjects. It's an ok read at best.

A remarkable achievement.......2002-05-12

Sprezzatura is a remarkable achievement. D'Epiro's and Pinkowish's tour of two thousand years of Italian history demonstrates the same "effortless mastery" they chronicle in the fascinating men and women who people their book.

The 50 essays are well chosen and cover the whole gamut of Italian genius - in art, in music, in science, in politics, in fashion...you name it. It's an excellent overview of Italy's contributions to world civilization that touches all the main bases. At the same time, it's a collection of self-contained essays, each a pleasure to read and each chock full of unexpected facts and anecdotes - the texture of history, or what I believe Ezra Pound called the "luminous detail."

Bottom line: Sprezzatura is learned and well-written - never dull or pedantic. Sure, the essays aren't all of the same quality. Some are merely very good, while most are superb. For anyone who knows Italy - its people and its history - Sprezzatura is a must. I've lived there, I've studied there, and I love this book. For anyone who doesn't know Italy but wants to, Sprezzatura is a must too. I can think of no better introduction.

Nothing's irrelevant for the serious student.......2002-05-08

This book is indeed densely packed with details large and small about most of the major and some of the minor characters in the vast tapestry of Italian civilization. But surely not one of them can be irrelevant when the purpose of the volume is considered. We are promised an overview of the facility with which notable Italians, from Caesar to Lampedusa, have left their mark on the wider world of western culture, and that is exactly what the authors have provided. The facility of their prose nicely reflects the sprezzatura of their title. It conveys the numerous nuggets of information, all of which are needed to fill in the historical/biographical panorama, without strain and with clarity and precision. To have provided such an embarrassment of riches about so many diverse individuals, represents a very impressive work of sedulous research. The inclusion of some less celebrated characters, such as Malatesta and Aretino, D'Annunzio and Beccaria, as well as the giants we would expect to find, makes the work rather more interesting than otherwise. The reference to John Adams quoting Beccaria on the law during the Boston Massacre trial, is the kind of detail that one comes upon unexpectedly and relishes. The brief chapter on Italian makers of the violin and piano, and that on pioneer anatomists, are small but precious gems. If one comes to this well-researched and well-written book, looking for accurate detailed cameos of representative Italian genius, one will not be disappointed. It is a collection, not an exegesis, but no less valuable and enjoyable for that. In being such the book follows a noble if eccentric tradition that itself represents one of the accomplishments of the Italian scholar: the compilation of authorities on different topics, that was perhaps the most important vehicle for preserving what was known in academic and legal cirlces throughout the middle ages, and that made possible what we now call the Renaissance.

The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal

Average customer rating:

Classic commentary of evolutional proportions
A Mandatory Cultural Priority for Human Beings
Degrees of separation.
Very Good
Naked As In Stripped Of Our Illusions Of Self

The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
Desmond Morris
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0385334303
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Classic commentary of evolutional proportions.......2007-06-18

The concept of looking at ourselves as an animal in the zoo is a fascinating one. While Desmond Morris takes a look at humans through a zoologist's goggles, coming to terms with this idea is half the fun while reading this book. The title and introduction of the book help create the detachment so the reader can play along. This 1960's classic reads more like a commentary of an intellectual with a fertile mind than the thesis of a scientist who has dedicated his life to studying the human species. Read it with that expectation and you will not go dissatisfied. However, if you are expecting another The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, The Naked Ape will not cut it.

The book characterizes the naked ape's tedency to procreate, raise children, explore, fight, feed, live and communicate in evolutionary terms. My favorite part is where the act of sexual intercourse is put under the microscope and studied from a zoological perspective. It is like taking notes while watching a porn movie.

As with any stimulating commentary, it has opinions that may force your mind to demand substantiation. For example, throughout the book Morris' is morbidly fixated upon the problem of population explosion and that it would become the single-most important cause of destruction of our species as well as the planet. It plays such an important role in his mind, that his last words in the book are a warning sign against this phenomenon. His fear and his suggested solutions are radical. In general, he calls for sophistication of "birth control" at least to the same extent as "death control".

At the time of writing the book, the population was 3 billion growing at the rate of 150,000 per day (1.82%). If this growth continues, which Morris resigns is "highly unlikely", the book projects 400 billion naked apes in 260 years. Let's review this projection at the time of reviewing this book 40 years later. We are 6.6 billion growing at the rate of 211,000 per day (1.17%). At this rate, in another 220 years, we would be 80 billion which too, may I add, is "highly unlikely" and highly undesirable.

A commentary of evoluational proportions spans millions of years, and the selection of information to be presented is a task of astronomical proportions. Being mindful of the complexity of this problem, Desmond Morris seems to have done a fine job of selection and generally speaking, the theories are very agreeable. This is certainly one for the shelves.

A Mandatory Cultural Priority for Human Beings.......2007-05-05

Rather than denigrate religion, it helps to define mankind's potential given his human condition, and should be mandatory in high school and college classrooms to form the basis for the human condition in his collective world.

Profound as the title might seem, the philosophy is sound in that once all structures are removed from earth, what is left is essentially man, woman, and child to construct the best possible world for survival - what could be simpler to understand the nature of society that is as surely rooted in biology, as in philosophy and organization? Without a basic understanding of biology, human society cannot survive or make progress.

Well worth the read.

Degrees of separation........2006-02-26

Desmond Morris has created an extremely provocative and challenging book that forces one to question "humanity's" everyday and all-time reactions and motivations. It challenges one to analyse and understand whether we are as intelligent as we think. This book is as valid today as it was when it was written 40 years ago. Our arrogance in seeing ourselves as being intelligent beings is exposed or at least called into question. The Naked Ape, used well, forces one to continually re-assess and measure society's and one's own behaviour.

Very Good.......2006-01-25

Based on the cover illustration and the subtitle, you'd think that The Naked Ape is another book about human evolution. This is far from the truth. The Naked Ape is about man's current condition. It views people as just another animal.

Desmond Morris is trying to strip us of our superiority complex. His first tactic is to give us a new name: Naked Apes.

In a book that lacks loads of hard facts, it's easy to stray off and stretch the little data available. For example, Morris says that humans will inevitably be surpassed by another species. But he also gives evidence that goes against that. He claims that humans kill anything that competes with them. Morris stretches data very far when he talks about how the neighborhoods where houses are the same, are inhuman. He says that because we are territorial animals, we need to feel our territory is unique. He says that this leads to people in these neighborhoods doing things liking adding a room or planting a colorful flower in their front yard, to make up for the lack of uniqueness. The only thing is that if you ask someone who is adding a room to their house, they're going to say it's because they need space. We may be territorial but turning that into why we add things to our houses is quite a stretch.

To be fair, most of Morris's arguments are legitimate. In the first chapter when he talks about human origin, the theorems presented are legitimate. This is due to the fact that none of the theorems presents are Morris's. He is just reprinting other people's theories. (And crediting them) The theorem about aquatic apes makes a lot of sense.

This book is humbling. People seem to feel superior to everything, but Morris shows that humans answer to the basic laws of animal behavior. Even though city life is against our nature, we find a way to make it human. Being around hundreds of thousands of people is unusual, we still manage to talk to and be around the same twenty people.

I feel people should read this book because it shows not just how we're similar to chimps and gorillas, but each other. Though we may make different decisions, deep down we're genetically all the same.

Naked As In Stripped Of Our Illusions Of Self.......2005-09-09

If human beings ever make contact with an intelligent species from beyond planet earth, then the observations those "people" might make about us would probably read quite a bit like the ones evolutionary zoologist Morris makes in this humorous but deadly serious study of the human animal. The very things we have come to see as mundane about ourselves are the very traits Morrison zeroes in on here. Very little escapes this careful study, although in some cases humanity might collectively wish it had. In this book the human species is anatomically, psychologically, sociologically and biologically cataloged and classified. We read a dispassionate critique of our mating habits, the ways in which we raise our young, our preferences for foods, for where we live, for how we interact with one another, and what bodily features are universally desired over others. In the end I was left both amazed and embarrassed to be among the membership in this great and crazed life form.

Average customer rating:

Lots of information about Mandela
A Beacon of Promise in a Troubled Continent

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait
PQ Publishers Ltd. , Desmond Tutu , and Bill Clinton
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0740755722

Book Description

Named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has dedicated his life to fighting racism, segregation, oppression, and exploitation¿and championing democracy, equality, and education.

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait celebrates the courage, determination, and remarkable humanity of a great man and chronicles his extraordinary contribution to humankind.

Much of the story in Mandela: The Authorized Portrait is told by those whose very lives he has touched. Drawing on 60 original and extensive interviews with family members, close friends, colleagues, and many of the world's leading figures in politics and entertainment, Mandela: The Authorized Portrait tells the inspirational story of an incredible man¿from his birth and early childhood in rural South Africa and his involvement with and eventual leadership of the African National Congress through his 27-year imprisonment and eventual emergence as one of the world's notable leaders and most active agents for change.

This richly designed portrait features a foreword by former U.S. president Bill Clinton and an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It is illustrated with 250 images and features material taken from private collections as well as the Nelson Mandela Foundation archive¿some of it published here for the first time. Mandela: The Authorized Portrait features artifacts and facsimiles of Mandela's voluminous writings and correspondence¿written records of his negotiations with the prison authorities, intimate letters to his family and friends during his imprisonment, and material from Mandela's personal diaries and calendars.

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait is one of the most lavishly illustrated and comprehensive tributes to Nelson Mandela's life and work ever produced.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of information about Mandela.......2007-08-12

I hate leaving a book less than 5 stars, I really do. The book has lots of information and important facts about Mandela, but the problem I have is "ease of readability." There were so many things I just couldn't understand due to the author's extremely large vocabulary and phrasing. I suppose maybe that's my fault on some level, but the phrasing was so difficult I only grasped a small percentage of the book. Yes, there are lots of photos. Yes, there are handwritten pages Mandela wrote from his cell (none of which I could legibly read), as well as tons of dates and credits to acknowledgements. Unfortunately, I've decided to leave this book on the shelf.

A Beacon of Promise in a Troubled Continent.......2006-12-21

Nelson Mandela stands as a Beacon in South Africa, Africa, and the rest of the world as an example of what a political leader should be. Not only was he largely responsible for the 'one person one vote' changes in South Africa, but then after he was elected president he served one term and retired. This is very un-politician like. Especially in the third world politicians seem to stay in office until they die. Then again, there was FDR in this country.

This is a splendid book. It is profusely illustrated, and not quite a biography so much as a tribute. There are dozens of comments, interviews, documents from the time, historical reports and so on that record his struggle.

Mandela did marvelous things, great things. I wonder though what will be the story of South Africa after he and his legacy are gone. There are political movements afoot there who preach that the whites should all be kicked out, that their property should be confiscated, and that South Africa will be like the rest of Africa in poverty and misery.

Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros

Average customer rating:

The Big Three
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I OWN!!
best outlook on the murilists of mexico and their beliefs
very informative

Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros
Desmond Rochfort
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0811819280

Amazon.com

In Mexico in the early 1920s, a growing, collective social consciousness gave rise to a revolutionary furor focused on liberating the country's workers from harsh conditions and poverty. In 1921, Mexican artists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros were all commissioned by the government to create educational paintings on the walls of public buildings. After that initial experience, they devoted themselves almost exclusively to painting these large-scale murals--forming the foundation of a movement that would last 50 years. The muralists' work took up the themes of society and revolution. Often the paintings depicted historical vignettes like the story of Cuernavaca and Morelos crossing the barranca, or Mexico's ancient Indians. They satirized contemporary society, created ideal visions of peaceful families, and built up dark, imposing industrial cityscapes then leveled them by depicting the debauchery and death of the capitalist industrialists.

The paintings themselves reflect diverse artistic influences--surrealism, cubism, and illustration, most notable among them. Their bold colors and strong imagery practically bound out of the 150 color plates in this book. Mexican muralist and scholar Desmond Rochfort lucidly traces the development of the movement to place the work in context and provides a solid history of each of the artists' social and artistic influences. This is an excellent overview of work that should appeal both to fans of the individual artists and Mexican art in general. --Jordana Moskowitz

Book Description

Los tres grandes: Jose Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Now legendary, these men have emerged as the most prominent figures of the famed Mexican mural movement, which lasted from the '20s through the early '70s and was hailed as the most significant achievement in public art of the 20th century. The dramatic story of the movement is told here in a fascinating history of the artists, accompanied by over 100 spectacular color reproductions of the murals. Showcasing popular as well as lesser-known works from around the US and Mexico, this is the first high-quality paperback to do justice to a subject that will captivate every lover of Mexican art and culture, Rivera fan, and art historian, as well as anyone who appreciates a beautiful, intelligent art book.

Customer Reviews:

The Big Three.......2005-03-09

Read the editorial reviews first and if you are still not convinced that this book does a good job covering the Big Three than get individual books on each. The text is outstanding and puts the works of art into a political context of the time period. The author is analytical, insightful and definitely well versed in the subject matter.There is an exhaustive bibliography, extensive endnotes on each chapter and spectacular reproductions on thick quality paper stock. There are historical photographs of public works in progress and a varity of camera angles of individual murals to show the enormity of the works. I have seen many of these murals on location and this book does an excellent job of portraying them as they are. When you see a Rivera fresco on a wall at the National Palace live or in this case from a pulled out camera angle and see the railing leading to the next floor being dwarfed by the images it is truly impressive. Looking at the details within the murals is the ultimate visual experience where you can get lost in the picture and the meaning. The closeups and details of individual segments are superior. This is art for the peoples public viewing brought directly to you from Mexico to hold in your hands and examine at your leisure. There are several good books out there on Mexican Murals but this one for the money is outstanding. The three artists each had a distictive style but each brought a unifying nationalistic approach to the walls of public buildings. Is one artist better than the other? You be the judge, everyone has their own favorite. If you are unfamiliar with the works of the Big Three than check it out, you are in for a treat.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I OWN!!.......2002-12-28

This is definitely one of the best books out there for anyone interested in Mexican art. Few books can inspire as much as this one, especially for people from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco. It's loaded with many pictures and chronicles the lives of these three muralistas and has in depth coverage of specific murals, i especially enjoyed the coverage on "History of Mexico" mural by Diego Rivera. This book is definitely worth the price and a great addition to any collection. Orale!

best outlook on the murilists of mexico and their beliefs.......1999-04-03

Shows a great variety of each artists pieces and movements through out their career.

very informative.......1998-08-13

outstanding full of historical views

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