Book Description
Author of the "Prophets" series, Dr, Bill Hamon brings the same anointed instructions in this new series on apostles! Learn about the apostolic age and how apostles and prophets work together. Find out God's end- time plans for the Church!
Customer Reviews:
Gods Anointed!.......2004-07-15
I've read alot books about the whole prophet and apostle teachings, but this book was the best of the best. David Cannistraci was my Pastor and I read his book and have the audio teaching on the subject, but Bill Hammon to me is the most accurate writter on the subject. Most of the men or women who have written such books have all been under his teaching's. I am so grieved by the negative reviews I've seen, being warned myself by God not to take Prophecy in contempt and seeing the fire of God comming from this mans mouth, and just being under the anointing God has placed on this mans life makes me quiver at the thought of saying anything bad about him!!!!!!!! He goe's into the Church history and what each denomination has brought into the Church. Read it and see for yourself. I have many of his audio teachings and he's just a fun guy to be around.
Laura Smith.......2003-11-20
This book is a powerful overview of what God has been doing throughout the ages and what He's bringing together in this world for His glorious return. I believe this is the authoritative book to read on the moving of God in these end-times. I recommend it highly to everyone that wants to be on the cutting edge of what the Lord is doing today. This book, alongside the prophetic series by Dr. Hamon is inspirational and motivational.
Looking for anti-Christ!.......2003-04-08
It used to be we were looking for the prophets who would lead us to Christ, now it's apostles. This book will have the misguided lining up as 'apostle wanna-be's'. Is Jesus not capable of leading his church anymore that we have to keep seeking after specially gifted leaders? Read this book with caution - any writing that encourages Christians to be looking for 'a person' with special giftings who they can call an apostle is dangerous. You're paving the way for anti-Christ, who will be the perfect prophet and apostle all rolled into one.
Seeking to understand the calling of Apostle or Prophet?.......2000-04-12
Dr. Hamon's book is a RHEMA heavily grounded in the LOGOS. If you desire to know how Jesus intended the Apostle and Prophet to relate and operate within the body, this book is a must. It is an easy read packed with wisdom and practical application of five fold ministry.
This book is revolutionary!.......1999-11-18
This book simply removes man made tradtions that releases you to manifest as a child of God. I think that it will be many years before I realize the profound nature of the revelation of this book. God is definately doing something new in the earth and this book will cause you to be rite in the middle of it. Heaven is kissing earth and this book will lead you rite into the smack! Bill Hamon has won my heart and admiration because of the magnitude and weight that every word of this book holds. Buy it now! Your life will never be the same.
Amazon.com
Everything You've Heard About Investing Is Wrong!, by respected money manager (and one-time professional blackjack player) William H. Gross, bucks traditional wisdom by predicting that stocks and bonds will average returns of just 6 percent over the next decade. In terms understandable to novice and experienced investors alike, it then suggests ways to maximize profits during this post-bull period. Liberally sprinkled with personal anecdotes, this is a surprisingly entertaining and thought-provoking book.
Book Description
One of today's best money managers heralds the onset of a new financial era, in which the rules for investors will be dramatically different. With wit and humor, Gross details recommended strategies, revealing where the markets are headed--and how to ride them to success.
Customer Reviews:
Bond Guru Shares His Wisdom.......2007-08-13
What I Liked About It
-- Shows how to THINK ABOUT INVESTING as opposed to providing rote formulas that will probably be misused
-- Good brief overview of the yield curve and what that means for bond investing
-- Great discussion on strategies for investing in low-volatility rate environment
-- Enlightening discussion of the implicit "put" options in mortgages and corporate issues and how to take advantage of them
-- One of the most human and enjoyable financial books I've read
What Needed Work
-- Will disappoint those looking for a bond investing "playbook" or formula
-- Doesn't discuss in-depth strategies for high-volatility rate environments
-- A bit dated in some aspects.
-- Retail investors may not be able to apply these strategies without significant capital
I've written an in-depth review on my enlightened-american.com website but here's the basic gist:
All the great investors share some common characteristics -- an elegant simplicity, an ability to cut through to the essentials and an approach that integrates other disciplines or perspectives. Furthermore, the great investor-writers like Buffett, Greenblatt or Pabrai have that extraordinary ability to distill complex material into a comprehensible explanation that the average person can grasp. Bill Gross has all of this in spades and displays some of it throughout this book.
Writing in 1997, Gross posits that a combination of high debt levels, expanding globalization and shifting demographics would mean slow-growth GDP numbers. As a result, investors should expect bond/stock returns of 6% and 8%, respectively, since corporate returns should eventually track economic output. He lays out a basic lesson in the yield curve, the case for disinflation and strategies for investing in a world of 6-8% returns.
Along the way, Gross treats the reader to the pros and cons of corporate issues, mortgage-backed issues, emerging-market debt as well as more general concepts like macro-economic analysis, the famous PIMCO total return strategy and the plankton theory (especially pertinent in today's [2007] housing bust). As he discusses these potentially dull topics, he weaves real-life analogies into his explanations and as such, the book is entertaining to read while you're learning. Some of these analogies fit better than others (the Plankton Theory working best) but Gross turns a book about boring bonds into an investing page-turner -- an admirable feat.
Highlights for me include the discussion of corporate and mortgage-backed issues. He outlines their inherent drawbacks and then illustrates why and how to use these features to your advantage in a low-volatility rate environment. I also liked his discussion of stretching short-term yield maturities so that you get a nice bump in yield with marginally increasing risk.
I imagine that some may find fault with some of his predictions. Predictions are notoriously difficult and any inaccurate forecasting doesn't detract from the efficacy or validity of the investment strategies he lays out. His methods are sound and his record proves it -- it's up to you to know when to apply them.
Others may gripe about the non-linear nature of Gross' musings. These people are probably looking for a playbook on bond investing -- a no-nonsense, how-to treatment on bond investing. If that's what you're looking for, I would point to Cohen's Bond Bible. I would also suggest that you are doing yourself a disservice. There is no hands-free formula for successful investing. I can't speak for him but I imagine that Gross takes the long, winding path because for him, investing successfully is as much about surveying all of the societal landscape as it is about crunching numbers. Ultimately, an investing education is more than just how to invest -- it's about how to approach investing. The first path will always see you fighting the last war; the latter allows you to prepare for the war ahead.
-- Davy Bui
[...]
Book Description
The nearest Wodehouse ever came to a serious story, The Coming of Bill is a fascinating blend of social comment and light comedy. It concerns the offspring of Ruth, a spoilt heiress, and Kirk, an impecunious artist of perfect physique, brought together by Ruth's aunt, a believer in eugenics. The young couple are eventually successful in retrieving their child and their marriage from the influence of overbearing Mrs Poter, but only after a series of comic mishaps in a book which features a galaxy of vintage Wodehouse characters, including the bossy aunt, a tetchy millionaire, a good-natured ex-boxer and an orotund English butler.
Download Description
Bailey came poorly through the ordeal. William Bannister, a stern critic, weighed him up in one long stare, found him wanting, and announced his decision with all the strength of powerful lungs. In the end he had to be removed, hiccupping, and Bailey, after lingering a few uneasy moments making conversation to Kirk, departed, with such a look about the back of him as he sprang into his cab that Ruth felt that the visit was one which would not be repeated.
Customer Reviews:
Won't Find this in your Public Library.......2006-08-22
I read "Bill the Conqueror" before "The Coming of Bill." I could not put either one down. Though it's true that "The Coming of Bill" is much more serious than other Wodehouse books, it gives rare insight into the dangers of letting too many people into your marriage, especially controlling relatives. A happy ending made it all worthwhile.
One You Can Skip.......2006-08-17
The synopsis on the back of this book indicates that this is "The nearest Wodehouse ever came to a serious story," which I initially thought was not a very accurate description of the story. The opening part of the story is fairly typical Wodehouse, as he describes an assortment of characters, perhaps the most interesting of which is Mrs. Lora Delane Porter, a woman of very strong opinions who is more than willing to run the life of her niece Ruth, and Kirk Winfield's, the man that she has selected for Ruth.
The characters though are unable to save the plot which, soon after the introduction of the characters, lives up to description of being the most serious story that Wodehouse ever wrote. It seems as if Wodehouse took a rather mundane plot, perhaps from another work of fiction, and inserted his characters into it. Unfortunately, Wodehouse characters need a Wodehouse plot for the story to work. Instead, the reader is left waiting for the story to come to life, and it never does.
I am a long time fan of Wodehouse's work, and it pains me greatly to give such a low rating to one of his books. I struggled with whether to give this book one or two stars, but ultimately I realize that there wasn't anyone to whom I would recommend this book. Completists will read this regardless of the rating, and all others would do well to stay away.
This is a fairly early Wodehouse book which was first published in the United States under the title "Their Mutual Child" in 1919 by Boni and Liveright. In the United Kingdom, it was first published under this title on July 1st of 1920 by Herbert Jenkins. This edition is part of The Collector's Wodehouse series published by Overlook Press in the U.S., and us similar to The Everyman Wodehouse series published by Everyman's Library in the United Kingdom. This title is not part of one of Wodehouse's series.
This Novel Doesn't Work Very Well.......2005-05-30
This novel is a very atypical Wodehouse undertaking, and it's a lucky thing, because "The Coming of Bill" is not particularly successful. Wodehouse departs from his usual cast of zanies to embrace a couple of fairly straight (i.e., non-misanthrophic) characters (Kirk and his wife Ruth), who are not entertaining in the usual Wodehouse way. The greatest flaw in the novel is the voice of Bill himself. P.G.W. simply cannot capture a child's voice, and what reader of Wodehouse wants to listen to a child speak anyway? The plot, at least with regard to Ruth, is completely unbelievable, which doesn't matter in the usual Wodehouse fare, because nothing ever comes close to being believable, but here it does matter and makes "Bill" an unsatisfactory read.
A Lighthearted Look at Love and the Battle of the Sexes.......2003-08-07
Many authors today find it interesting to write novels about the early part of the 20th century. I prefer generally to read novels written at the same time by fine authors. The period details are ever so much more accurate and convincing that way. With the long and distinguished career of that brilliant comic author, Mr. P.G. Wodehouse, there are many treasures to be enjoyed in this vein.
In The Coming of Bill, Mr. Wodehouse wrote a classic about the troubled nature of wooing, family influences and rivalry among spouses for the upper hand. Into all of this turmoil comes one delightful little boy, Bill, who turns out to have the right stuff to be a future boxer.
The Coming of Bill is the unlikely story of how Ruth Bannister and Kirk Winfield came to meet and marry, abetted by Ruth's Aunt Lora Porter and Kirk's friend, Steve. Banished by an angry John Bannister, Ruth's father, they live in bliss as their marriage begins and Bill is born. Kirk abandons his feeble artistic efforts to spend time with Ruth and Bill. But unexpected setbacks in his investments make him take the desperate gamble to leave for a year to find his fortune in South American gold mines. He returns, lucky to be alive, with a greatly changed personal situation. His wife's father has died, leaving her wealthy and bored, and she soon finds Kirk and Bill boring, too. To save herself from distasteful duties, Ruth has turned over her parenting duties to a nanny and Mrs. Porter's obsessive fear of germs. To come near Bill, you have to be bathed in boric acid. The marriage is about as friendly.
Then, the marriage is rocked by Kirk's unwillingness to play along any more. Can this marriage be saved?
In most of Mr. Wodehouse's books, the plots are very predictable and the humor mostly comes in specific comic situations and funny dialogue. The Coming of Bill has all the usual comic elements, but has a quite surprising plot that takes many intriguing turns. I found myself wondering right up until the end how in the world all the problems could possibly sort themselves out.
At the bottom of all the humor, you will enjoy Mr. Wodehouse's fine sense that people are basically good and admirable . . . if you just let them do what comes naturally. Society and civilization just tend to misdirect the natural instincts, usually in the most ridiculous ways.
Bill himself is quite a charmer, as he struggles to learn how to speak and deal with all those "goims" that his Godfather Steve warns him not to worry about.
If you've liked any of Mr. Wodehouse's books, you will probably find The Coming of Bill will be one of your favorites.
I had the pleasure of listening to the Blackstone AudioBooks version which is read by Frederick Davidson. I found the reading to be an especially entertaining one that emphasized the humor effectively with many different funny voices. If you can find this version, I highly recommend it to you.
After you have finished, think about where you could show your love more clearly. Act naturally!!
Customer Reviews:
So Much for the Coming Revival.......2006-07-09
The author took 2 Chronicles 7:14 out of context. Specifically, he mistook, "my people" to mean any saved Christian. However God was talking to the rebellious Jews, not saved Jews. On top of that, he implied that the people of a country (if the saved persons in it prayed and fasted) would be forgiven AND that the pollution(?) of that country would also be removed from the land.
Well, despite the prayer and fasting gathering the author held in Orlando, Florida In 1994, who (big surprise) invited persons from denominations whose doctrine teaches that you can lose your salvation (like the Assembly of God), there has been no revival, and despite the author claiming (on page 29) that "America AND THE REST OF THE WORLD, BEFORE THE YEAR 2000, will experience a great spiritual awakening... The Holy Spirit gave me this assurance during a forty-day fast".
Well apparently, as I suspected so many times, many Christians who think God is talking to their brain or audibly rather than to their spirit (if they have one), like Charles Stanley, whose books I also reviewed, are hearing themselves, or their own hallucinations, or demons.
Thank God the antichrist didn't show up just before 2000 to take advantage of this heretical book.
Incredibly excellent, unique, and right-on view of fasting & prayer.......2005-01-16
..."...As I have said, the promise of the coming revival carries one condition. Before (it takes place), believers by the millions must first humble themselves and seek His face in fasting and prayer..." Bill Bright; p.157; The Coming Revival...
Written by one of the greatest spiritual leaders ever(?)- maybe his best & most exciting book- Bill Bright has had a unique place in my heart as a believer from the very start of my Christian life. His simple yet dynamically impacting presentation of spiritual truths will easily stand the test of time, even to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
This is an excellent work on fasting and prayer! Emphasizing revival in 2000 & beyond- Endorsed by many of today's top evangelical leaders, it cuts right through many of the divisive issues in the church to the heart of spirituality, which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But why is the church seemingly so impotent today? Why has our relationship with Jesus not been impacting our country in many obvious ways? Is it real, or is our relationship with God completely out of touch with the needs of the world around us? How exactly do we get 'in touch' with God anyway? What does it all mean, and how can it all start with me? What's my part in all this?
Bill Bright explains, in his wonderfully simple way, that it's all about drawing near to God by humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God's face and turning from our wicked ways: then, and only then, will God hear our prayers and heal our land. The power of fasting and prayer in relation to all this is what this book is about- 2 Ch 7:14 is still valid today! Packed with information from start to finish- the Appendixes 40+ pages may actually be the best part(!). The *physical details* in fasting are also included- This is truly an incredibly great book!
It's definitely the best book on fasting relating to prayer I've ever read, and it's certainly true that in giving instructions on fasting Jesus said 'when' we fast and pray, and not 'if'. Fasting has already been a blessing to me, but I'm not anywhere near a forty day fast... yet. My only *slight* criticism, and the reason for my originally giving it a slightly imperfect rating, is that I get a little uncomfortable with language that seems to tie our nation *too* closely to the Christian faith. I say it with the deepest sense of humility though(!), because I've been greatly blessed by Bright's teachings in my life. More specifically, my complaint is in regards to when he says that failing to vote is a sin against our country, suggesting it be included in confession (p.130). I believe in the right not to vote, as well as the right to vote- I can't see 'not voting' being worthy of confession. But I want to be absolutely clear on this: I'm practically nit-picking here! Ultimately, we are not just citizens of this world, and our kingdom is not to be considered an earthly kingdom- Mt 7:21; 18:3. Bill Bright, being one of the greatest evangelical leaders of our time, surely understood this point. It's just that I like to hear more about the salt and light of believers, and a little less about the role of the United States in the world. Having said that though, I still think it's a 5 star work! It's not easy uniting more than 600 influential Christian leaders, representing more than a hundred denominations & religeous organizations, together at one place in time for a common cause. And yet Bill Bright has succeeded in doing just that! The common cause is fasting & prayer for America & the world: the book is exactly about this. Praise God for the leadership of Bill Bright, and his work on fasting and prayer! (First Reviewed December 6, 2002. Bill Bright passed away July 19, 2003. He's still one of "today's" greatest spiritual leaders!).
Book Description
Arranged by letter of the alphabet, with at least one entry per letter, these short pieces capture the variety of daily life in contemporary China. Writing about traditions that endure in rural areas as well as the bureaucratic absurdities an American teacher and traveler experiences in the 1980s, Holm covers such topics as dumpling making, bound feet, Chinglish, night soil, and banking. In a new afterword to the second edition, Holm reacts to recent changes. "Holm's view is entertaining, thought-provoking and touching. After reading his book, you won't look at the United States or China the same way." - Philadelphia Inquirer
Customer Reviews:
Great Fun.......2007-09-26
As an expat currently living in China, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I find myself hoping to read other books by him as well.
An Average read about China.......2007-05-20
I have three, soon to be four adopted kids from China so I read as many books as I can about China. I was really looking forward to this book as some fellow adoptive parents had given it good reviews. I did enjoy the book and there were certain sections that were more entertaining than others but the main problem I had with it was parts of it were too literary and intellectual for my taste. I was looking more for a good fun read but unfortunately I don't share the same enthusiasm for literature and was lost of some of the references. China has also changed quite a bit since his visits in the 80s but it was interesting to see his perspective as an English teacher when access was certainly not what it is today. My favorite chapter was the Swiss Army Knife chapter and I got some real chuckles out of it and I am now seriously considering a new Swiss Army knife for my husbands birthday so he will have one for our next trip to China. I think Peter Hesslers book River Town overall is an easier read but the nice thing about Mr. Holm's book is you can just pick it up and read any chapter since its not sequential. Its a good book to read when you only have a few minutes at a time and you won't feel lost when you get a chance to come back to it.
Interesting story of a teacher abroad.......2005-05-01
Travel stories of teaching English in Japan have almost become cliche. This story of a Minnesota native visiting China was an interesting twist on the old tale. It was enjoyable reading Mr. Holm's adventures (and misadventures - those always seem to be more enjoyable) as he visited China, before it became the trendy Giant. Another variance on similar works is that Mr. Holm is a legitamite college teacher, not a wanderer using education as a visa. As such, his writing is of a higher quality than usual in the genre, and he is more qualified to speak of the educational environment.
The observations are very interesting, especially as the experience is pre-Tienneman. What's it like when the communists are watching your every move? How do is teaching in China different than Minnesota? What's Mickey Mouse mean over there? The story meanders in alphabetic manner, perhaps also suggesting that our trip memories don't always follow a linear logic.
As the title would suggest, the strongest pieces of the book are the chapters of the return. It is hard to identify personal tranformation in the midst of the journey. You notice it when you come home crazy.
Best for those interested in the foreign teacher experience.......2005-02-28
If you are looking for the "definitive China book," this is not it. Read something else. But if you are interested in how Americans cope with a year or two's posting as a teacher in a Chinese university -- or if you have been, or will be, on such a posting yourself -- you may well enjoy this book.
It's organized as a series of vignettes which average five to ten pages. The vignettes are kind of like diary entries. They describe daily life, bureaucracy, teaching, food, travel, friends, housing, and so forth. This kind of information can be hard to find. Of course the author went to China in the late 1980s, and a lot has changed since then.
This is not a book that was buffed and polished, edited, re-edited, and beautifully designed by a big publishing house looking to make it into a best seller, like Peter Hessler's "River Town." The up side is that it is very genuine and lacks the slightly annoying preciousness of "River Town." It's more like going to a slide presentation at the house of your neighbor who just came back from China, and being handed a photocopy of the journal they kept.
Having Lived In China I Enjoyed This Visit.......2004-02-27
Bill brings back memories of life in China and the amazing difficulties people deal with daily.
My time in Guangzhou in the south only varied by climate with Bill's Xian existence, and his wish to return to these education-loving students is familiar as I observe the attitudes of American students falter. I could smell the baoudze and see the Overseas Chinese tai chi in the parks just from enveloping myself in the book on my Metro train. Missed a few stops, too. Thank you Bill for your caring rendition of the life and I wish you continued travel to China.
Book Description
A moving coming-of-age story, written, possibly by one of the last of Southerners to grow up on a working sugar plantation in rural Louisiana. Told through the eyes and voice of the son of the white overseer, this is a unique portrait of a time and place on the cusp of dramatic change.
Customer Reviews:
Beyond Romance.......2007-10-01
In the American South after the Civil War -- so scarred as the culture was by fire and defeat -- it was two generations beyond Reconstruction before storytellers and writers managed to attain any objective distance from the events of seventy years previous. However, romantic notions of a glorious past had already spread, telling of a glorious place now "gone with the wind." There are no traces of that glorious South because it never existed -- but the romance of it persists, waving to this day atop more than one southern statehouse.
Mr. Hunt, on the other hand, ignores none of the uncomfortable truths of the past. Not that his book is without sentimental remembrance -- it certainly has plenty, and thank goodness. But hunt does not betray those precious remembrances by illustrating them for his readers through the gauzy web of selfish rationalizations. To be sure, Mr. Hunt has written a beautiful book -- not in spite of the truth because the ugly truths are here, too. Without them, the deception of their omission would ruin the book's ability to transform the pain into the possibility of redemption.
The Last Witness From a Dirt Road.......2006-08-09
The first chapter immediately had my attention due to a scene where you realize a journey to adulthood for a young boy is about to begin. I laughed, cried, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about an era that is now past, but not totally forgotten. It was enjoyable to read about an era where life was physically harder than today's world, but less stressful. An era where people generally helped each other, cared for each other, and knew the meaning of family. I would greatly enjoy reading more works from the author.
A touching story.......2006-08-08
"The Last Witness From A Dirt Road" is a wonderful read - heartfelt, warm, and thoughtful. Full of funny scenes and conversations, poignant descriptions of people and places, and touching portraits of the friends who filled his childhood, it is a true, complete, fulfilling tale of growth, with all its joys and pains. The book conveys with honesty and sensitivity the confusing emotional and intellectual chasm of growing up between the races in the southern United States in the mid-twentieth century. Sadly, the black and white worlds Mr. Hunt describes can't blend any more than allowed by the vision of a child's affectionate and colorblind eyes. Nonethteless, Mr. Hunt manages to capture a very real and tangible love between people; he is a solid storyteller and a talented dialogist who has given us a sweet, memorable tale. Months from reading it, I still carry the images with me - and some laughter, too.
Review by C. Arnouville.......2006-07-23
Through the eyes of a child, Bill Hunt allows his readers to relive the year 1946 on a southern plantation. Mr. Hunt's description of life on the plantation is not only informational but amusing as well. Several times I found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations in which he found himself. Besides being a book that supplies the reader with history of the time, the author also expresses feelings,that we can all relate to, as life around him changes. Also, being from the same parish in Louisiana as the book's setting, I found myself able to relate to many things Mr. Hunt wrote of. This book is a book you will not want to put down and also one you will not want to finish. We should all be able to express our cherished memories as well as Bill Hunt has.
"Coming of Age".......2006-06-22
What a great "coming of age" story! We all have childhood memories and experiences, but not all of us can share the tales as well as Bill Hunt does in this book. A great read, and a valuable history lesson!
Average customer rating:
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The Coming Kingdom
Jim Maher
Manufacturer: New Song International Ministries Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0976641216
Release Date: 2005-12-28 |
Product Description
This book tackes the difficult subject of the Last Days and the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Most believers have been taught that they go to heaven when they die and will live there for all eternity. The truth is, heaven is coming to earth when Jesus Christ returns. Christians will be ruling and reigning with Jesus during a thousand year rule known as the Millennial Kingdom. Our prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done", will soon be answered in dramatic fashion. This is a must read for believers seeking biblical revelation of the End Times.
Book Description
This sweeping drama of intimately connected families--black, white, and Latino--boldly conjures up the ever-shifting cultural mosaic that is America. At its heart is Vidamiacute;a Farrell, half Puerto Rican, half Irish, who sets out in search of the father she has never known. Her journey takes her from her affluent suburban home to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where her father Billy Farrell now lives with his second family. Once a gifted jazz pianist, Billy lost two fingers in the Vietnam War and has since shut himself off from jazz. As Billy's colorful new family draws her into their fold, so Vidamia determines to draw her father back into the world he left behind.
Customer Reviews:
Frightening talent.......2006-07-05
Capturing the readers attention by continuously drawing us back; I felt much like I did when I first read Conrad's LORD JIM. The author carries us into lives we may have never read; disturbing, rewarding and disturbing again. When I encountered the sexual violent scene I had to get up and walk away. As a vet I read through the Vietnam memories in a cathartic nod; but when the sexual violence was crammed into my face I put the book down. I no longer cared about the book's ending.
wow........2005-09-03
This book was amazing. I will never forget this book, this book has seriously contributed to me intellectually, emotionally, and has added to my world scope and view. As a puerto rican-american, I truly connected with the characters in this novel, and learned intensively from Yunqué's description of the loisaida y los nuyorriqueños in general. I've never read a book with such intensely discoursed characters and with such a widespread blanket of social, philosophical, and emotional depth contained in one book. The descriptions here and other reviews are more than enough to understand what the novel is about but I just wanted to add how inspiring this book was for me. There have been very very few books out there that have inspired real emotions in me, and this was one of them...If you felt true paranoia and fear after reading 1984, you'll feel true understanding and heartache after reading this novel. it's over 600 pages, but i highly recommend this to anyone, and for any other literary nuyoricans out there, this book will be especially touching.
edit: I went back and read some more reviews, and I have to agree that there are some parts that are long and extensive and not directly related to the main plot, but I never found the book boring. I feel that these offshoots just served to widen the scope of the book...for me, as a young reader, it's refreshing to read a book where not everything has a direct importance to the main plot yet has value and interest.
Look for other works by this gifted author............2004-06-18
The writer of the Publisher's Weekly review should be more thorough in their research before writing reviews. This is not Sr. Vega Yunque's "debut" novel. He has written and published, I believe at least two novels and at least one collection of stories and has published widely in journals/magazines. The man writes superbly and I was thrilled to finally have his beautiful book in print, after hearing so much about it. I'm furious with his publishers for the lack of promotion. Readings from this novel, which must have the longest title in publishing history, are quite special with actual jazz accompanyment. I believe that the publisher missed the boat when they failed to send the author out on a major book tour. It should be recognized, rewarded and READ.
Cool Book and whatnot.......2004-06-12
When I heard that this author had spent sixteen years writing an epic novel having to do with jazz music, I said, "Here we go again," having just read the two other 600-page Great American Novels published in 2003 -- those of Messrs. Lethem and Powers-- which somehow dealt with ethnic identity and music. And the sleeper, Vincent O. Carter's epic of growing up in Depression-era Kansas City, while not specifically about music, is certainly musical in its prose. So I had to read this book and didn't care what it was called, Concerto for Horn & Hardart or John Goldfarb, Please Come Home.
I have to disagree with the reviewer who said this novel doesn't have the 'sensitivity to music' of Time of Our Singing (undoubtedly a fine book in many ways), and I think one basis for comparison is both authors' interpretations of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and its jazz adaptation by Miles Davis and Gil Evans. I think that Mr. Vega Yunqué gets it exactly right in Garlande's dialogue with Wyndell (Joseph Strom take note).
One thing I really loved were the histories of the characters, especially the rural Southern ones like Pop Butterworth, Buck Sanderson, Lurleen, et al., and I also like the author's sense of family and the interrelatedness of some of the characters in terms of ethnicity. And I think that shows in his view of music: he knows the lyrics to St. Thomas, he knows Phil's solos on Thelonious Monk at Town Hall, and someone I know even gets a word in: "Yeah!."
Walter Mosley not too long ago wrote a great blues novel set on E. 6th St. on the Lower East Side, but this one includes some of the landmarks and history of the neighborhood, the transit system, some of the literature, etc., that you probably have to have lived there to know about.
And finally, I loved all the information about New York Puerto Rican culture, the PR sense of self-identity, and especially the humor. Another great American cross-cultural irony is that Vidamía learns more about that culture by hanging out with her white half sister than from her Puerto Rican mother and stepfather. I liked Elsa because she's smart and she grows over the course of the novel.
A lot to recommend about this fine book.
A Journey I Wish I Hadn't Taken.......2004-05-28
A "Symphonic Novel"? Perhaps, if the symphony had been composed by PDQ Bach. About the only thing I'll remember about this book is its title. It is inconsistent in the quality of its prose. At times, it is almost poetic and spellbinding. At other times, however, it's very tedious and somewhat pompous and lecturing in its tone. A little more editing could have eliminated about 200 pages of unnecessary detail and dialogue.
Usually, when I finish a book, I like to sit and savor the experience. When I got to the end of this tome, I breathed a sign of relief that it was over. Oh well, that's about 10 hours of my life I'll never get back.
Book Description
Race and Politics offers an analysis of the controversies that followed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. The question of whether the still unsettled Kansas Territory should be slave or free divided the nation into hostile and ultimately irreconcilable camps, creating conditions that only civil war could resolve. The author demonstrates, however, that the fundamental issue was not slavery as such but race: whether the country, its egalitarian slogans notwithstanding, could tolerate the expansion of African Americans, slave or free.
"Rawley in his introduction, a semi-apologia, questions the need for another book on the Civil War. He answers his own question, giving two reasons: first, to reveal how the Kansas upheaval became a main political preoccupation of the country before the war; second, to emphasize how deeply prejudice pervaded the entire populace, both Northern and Southern. In filling in the structure of these two justifications, Rawley achieves his goal in an admirable way."—Gene M. Gressley, Library Journal.
"Based to a considerable degree upon an examination of voluminous manuscript sources. New data relating to inner-political maneuvers, on the part of the Democrats, Whigs, and Republicans are brought forward."—Annals of the American Academy.
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