A Short Guide to Writing about Film (Short Guides Series)

Book Description

Doubling an introduction to film study and a practical writing guide, this brief text introduces students to film terms and the major film theories, enabling them to write more critically.

Examples from newer movies provide a fresh list of references for students introduced to film study and writing films. The author presents several approaches to film analysis and writing about film–auteurs, genres, ideology, kinds of formalism, and national cinemas, and introduces students to a range of film terms and film theories. Recent movies are used to fresh examples. Multiple approaches to writing about film as well as theories about film are given. Please enter here.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Intro to Film Study.......2007-09-10

Timothy Corrigan, in the preface to "A Short Guide to Writing About Films, sixth edition," says, "Writing essays about films is, in short, one of the most sophisticated ways to respond to them." In this concise book, he lucidly explains how to write screen reports, movie reviews, as well as theoretical and critical essays on films.

Here's a sample of his lucid writing. Defining terms often used in film study: mise-en-scene -- "the arrangement of the so-called theatrical elements before they are actually filmed; these include sets, lighting, costumes, and props"; shot/reverse shot -- "an editing pattern that cuts between individuals according to the logic of their conversation"; jump cut -- "a cut within the continuous action of a shot, creating a spatial or temporal jump or discontinuity within the action."

Moreover, this updated edition explains the supplementary features often included in DVDs such as story boards, behind-the-scene documentaries, and interviews with the cast and crews.

Even if you don't intend to write about films, reading this blessedly brief book will enhance your enjoyment of watching films. Five shining stars.

-- C J Singh

I've looked at clouds from both sides now.......2003-08-08

One thing I can say is I enjoy a good film. O.K. if it moves I'll watch it. But until I read this book I really was just looking with out seeing.
It is nice to have this guide confirm what one knows as common sense. Probably because the guide is designed to take you from ground zero to a level of appreciation and allow you to convey your opinion intelligently.
If you have an earlier edition you will still get the essence of the book. Newer editions add different resources and research information.
Some of the highlights are:
* A shot-by shot analysis of a sequence from the film "Potemkin"
* Suggestions on using the Internet
* Sample student writing

Some contents:
Writing about the Movies
Preparing to Watch and Preparing to Write
Film Terms and Topics
Six Approaches to writing about Film
Style and Structure in Writing
Researching the Movies
Manuscript Form

This guide is an eye opener.

TWO THUMBS DOWN.......2001-01-28

I am currently a film major who is being forced to read this book. Let me say that so far I am only to chapter three and have suffered through every page of it. It is filled with basic, common sense, (i.e., the best way to write about film is to take notes during the screening. and if you can, it's good to see the movie more than once), which is explained in several pages. Give me a break. Not only does he present basic knowlnedge but he repeats himself in so many words. The truth is, the only way to successfully analize film is to develop an eye for symbolism. No book, I don't care who writes it, can teach you that. It is something that must be personally developed. Why someone would waste their time writing a book trying to teach people how to do that blows my mind. I give it one star, cause after all, everyone deserves a little comething for at least trying.

fine, blessedly concise guide.......2001-01-07

I'm writing to second mitry's opinion of the book and to add to mitry's comment about kenosha's complaint of textual errors. I have the second edition of the book, and Corrigan speaks of Captain Willard and refers to Marlowe as "the other Captain Willard" (p. 43). It's clear from the context that he is comparing the film character with Conrad's protagonist. I doubt Corrigan would have revised the 2nd edition text here to make an error in the 3rd edition. Don't get turned off by an erroneous review!

Intelligence and accessibility.......2000-08-02

This a marvelous book, packed with information and much more accessible than far more expensive books. It's the perfect companion for almost any film course since it not only introduces students to the language and methods of film analysis (including how to take notes) but does so while guiding students through the work of writing a good essay (with great suggestions for doing research). The writing is clear and accurate (with none of the errors referred to by the Kenosha reviewer). I recommend it without hesitation to all students of film.

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The Film Experience: An Introduction
Patricia White , and Timothy Corrigan
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312255667

Film and Literature: An Introduction and Reader

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An Engaging Intro to "Film and Literature"

Film and Literature: An Introduction and Reader
Timothy Corrigan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0135265428

Book Description

This book is a wide-ranging introduction to the long history and provocative debates about the interactions between film and literature. KEY TOPICS: Film and Literature: A Reader presents essays from a variety of cultures that address the major issues in the exchange between film and literature since the beginning of the twentieth century. The book provides landmark discussions of different genres and practices (such as poetry and movies or film scripts as literature) through writings by such figures as Vachel Lindsay, Walter Benjamin, and Alexander Astruc. It presents a concise, but detailed history of film and literature and the critical terms and techniques used in film and literary analysis as well as a detailed history of the bond between film and literature, from theatrical narratives of the silent film era to recent blockbuster adaptations of Shakespeare and Jane Austen. It also features introductions to each essay and suggests how the essays may be used to analyze works involving film and literature. An essential resource for every reader interested in film.

Customer Reviews:

An Engaging Intro to "Film and Literature".......2007-09-20

In the preface to his book FILM AND LITERATURE, Timothy Corrigan notes the "enormous scope" of the topic. Wisely, he subtitles the book "An Introduction and Reader."

Part I, "Film and Literature in the Crosscurrents of History," comprises eight brief and lively chapters, beginning with the silent era of theatrical depictions to the adaptations of novels. Among the problematic adaptations dicussed are The Grapes of Wrath, The Shining, and Lolita.

Part II, "Critical Borders and Boundaries: Analytical Categories for Film and Literature" introduces basic concepts in Film and Literary Studies.

Part III, "Major Documents and Debates," more than two-thirds of the book, is an anthology of essays on cinema excerpted from the writings of influential scholars such as Walter Benjamin, Sergei Eisenstein, Andre Bazin, George Bluestone, and Kristin Thompson.

The book makes very engaging reading.

-- C J Singh

To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System

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The committee approach
Everyone should read this book

To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System
Committee on Quality of Health Care in America , and Institute of Medicine
Manufacturer: National Academies Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0309068371

Customer Reviews:

The committee approach.......2000-05-17

This is a book which, despite being written by a committee and showing it, has a definite point of view. It is somewhat superficial, but contains a fairly good review of the literature on medical error and some definite ideas about what to do. This is the book for policy wonks who are interested both in health care and in government intervention. Those looking for more in-depth treatment of the subject would do well to consider Human Error in Medicine, edited by Marilyn Sue Bogner.

Everyone should read this book.......2000-05-16

This eye opening book exposes the dangers of the medical health care system in the United States. Tens of thousands of people die and are injured every year due to doctors' errors, administrative foul ups, misdiagnoses, and incorrect prescriptions. The book gives general solutions for the system as a whole and advice to the individual to help you protect yourself when you are being treated by a doctor or hospital.

Book Description

This book compares Judaism, Christianity, and Islam using seven common themes, which are equally relevant to each tradition. Provoking critical thinking, this book addresses the cultural framework of religious meanings. It explores similarities and differences among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as it explains the ongoing process of interpretation in each religion. A comparative view of monotheistic religions showing the manor in which each has influenced and responded to the others. Provides readers with an opportunity to appreciate how religious change takes place and how traditions are shaped and reshaped including popular religion. Combines a focus on specific themes (scripture, ritual, ethics) with a strong narrative about the historical developments of these themes. Lets the reader see the enduring aspects of each tradition alongside of the changes. A discussion of material culture is presented.. Including an analysis of art and architecture, food, dress, and the organization of space. Written in crisp, clear prose, with a non-technical, casual approach. Includes illustrations, maps, timelines, and glossary.

Customer Reviews:

A gem of a book.......2000-06-14

A tour de force. Corrigan manages to provide literary, historical, mythological themes and contexts that illuminate current practice and belief.I found the details of this book enlarged my understanding of why and how these religions have many common strains and where they depart from one another.It also explains how the traditions of each,along with the practice,ethics and politics keep each vital enough in different countries and changing times to keep them going. A very weighty and multidimensional subject written with much grace. It's not only excellent as a reference book, it also holds up as a fascinating read.

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

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Good art, bad story, mixed whole.
Meh
Get it get it get it--in hardcover
disjointed storytelling at its best
Wonderfully depressing

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Chris Ware
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375404538
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Book Description

This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.

Customer Reviews:

Good art, bad story, mixed whole........2007-07-11

Jimmy Corrigan looks great, but thats about as far as it goes, and it seems that the phrase "all style and no substance" was coined just for this book, but I also have personal reasons for disliking the story. Well, what do I think of the book? I'll try and break this down sensibly.

Artistically, it's done very well, and the drawing is intricate, detailed, and pleasing to the eye. It portrays the cold, wintry, emotionally detached feelings that the story itself wants to convey, but fails to. In fact, the art itself conveys the feelings and meaning of the story better than the dialogue does. I love the layouts, the intricate nature of it all, and the attention to detail. Ware is good at capturing the feeling of the various time periods and environments the story takes the reader to using imagery, color, and style.

But you can't judge a book by its cover, or a graphic novel by only it's art, and this is where Jimmy Corrigan runs in to trouble. I just didn't like the story, mostly because I couldn't realate to it or find myself invested in it. I think it's largely personal, but there are some more objective issues. First, the personal issues;

So much of the story is about alienation, absentee fathers and cold parents, social awkwardness, and so forth. I just can't relate to this stuff. I've always had a good relationship with both my parents, I don't act like a deer in headlights when someone tries to talk to me, and I don't spend ten minutes trying to figure out how to do something simple. For this reason, the story seems so unusual to me and I just don't find any connection between myself or any of the characters. Jimmmy's dad, despite his occasional racist quips and goofy attitude, and his adopted daughter, are the only characters that I did not find completely irritating.

To me, Jimmy seems to have no real personality, and his reactions to the situations he finds himself in just baffle me. Perhaps there's some exagerration in his personality compared to whatever the real-life equivalent of Jimmy is supposed to be, but I still find his behavior completely unrealistic and baffling. This is one of the things that kept me from enjoying the book, as I could never find any sympathy for Jimmy because he just seemed so infuriatingly stupid. The story would have perhaps had more depth if Jimmy was supposed to be autistic, or mentally handicapped, or something else like that. As it is, I just fail to see why he behaves in the manner that he does, sitting, staring, speaking in grunts and half sentences, and so forth.

Beyond the characters, what about the story itself?

Jimmys reunion with his father is an okay template for a story, but its obvious that its something the reader is supposed to be very emotionally invested in, but I couldn't get drawn in to it. I think ware takes it somewhat for granted that not everyone else has the same experiences with alienation and social awkwardness as him, and regardless, Jimmy is a poor attempt at a realistic portrayal of social awkwardness and lonliness.

The flashback stories to the turn of the century are decent enough. I didn't like many of those characters either, but Ware gives the stories a distinct feel and character all their own.

All in all, this book gets 5 stars for the technique, the art, and the style, but 1 star for the actual content. So, that evens it out to three stars.

Is this book a masterpiece? Not by a longshot. I think there are probably a lot of stunted manchildren in the comics world, especially the "alternative" comics world, who would relate to this story and find themselves in tears at the end, but this story is far from having a universal appeal.

Ware's other work is far superior to this, especially the Rusty Brown stories, which effectively portray a gamut of emotions and issues acorss somewhat generational lines in a way Jimmy Corrigan utterly fails to do, while at the same time giving the reader fuly developed, sympathetic characters. (Well, maybe not sympathetic, per se, but I found myself much more concerned with what would happen to Rusty Brown than I ever did Jimmy Corrigan.)

So, if you want some high quality work by ware, go for the Acme Novelty Library books.

If you want themes of alienation, analyses of social interactions, and observations on life, try box Offfice Poison or Ghost World, both of which are far more satisfying, not nearly as inaccesibly personal, and not even a tenth as pretentious.

As far as comic masterpieces in general go, Dave Sim's Cerebus beats anything Ware has ever offered up.

This book is a good read for the art and method, and its a good read just to be familiar with what everyone else is talking about. But the story is not going to appeal to everyone.

Meh.......2007-04-25

I guess I can see why people are so into this. It depends on what you like, really. I mean, it's not bad by any standard. The art is good and goes with the ultra depressing tone of the book. It's just not really the type of art that I personally can get really into. I just felt that with all the super positive reviews that are out there there ought to be one written from the other point of view. I didn't hate this book by any means. I just didn't love it. Or really even like it. It bored me and worse than that, it put me in a bad mood. I understand that it's supposed to be real and about this super awkward, alienated sad little man, but it seems to me that there is a lot of reality that I don't really want to have chronicled and put into a 400 page book. I just ended up not really caring a whole lot about the characters. So if you don't want something that is very slow paced and depressing in tone and somber, then don't get this book.

Get it get it get it--in hardcover.......2007-02-16

First, the negative: As another customer reviewer has already said, the paperback edition is poorly bound. Tragic, but true. I ignored this warning and saved myself a few bucks...and after less than a week, my copy is falling apart. I've never seen such a great book put together with such useless glue. Get the hardcover edition.

The other thing about the paperback edition is that sometimes you'll need a magnifying glass to take it all in; things get tight! I was squinting and straining more than was comfortable. (I don't know if this is true for other editions or not.)

Now, the positive: Chris Ware has figured out a visual language that is all his own, as far as I know. It might take you a few dozen pages to get the hang of how to read this book (especially if, like me, you're not too experienced with reading graphic novels), but you will. I know that there are "rules" to the way his dense panels work, for example, and I have learned how to read them in the right order, pretty fluently. But I couldn't explain it--you'll just have to figure it out, which of course is part of the fun in itself. You'll also see that there are rules about color and text--these are also surprising and ingenious, but once grasped become intuitive.

The plot could hardly be simpler. (Repressed, lonely guy gets abrupt call from estranged father, meets father for Thanksgiving holiday. I'll say no more than that.) But there's lots and lots going on; Ware manages to delve into all kinds of issues. Race and ethnicity, Chicago history, Freudian sexual conundrums, the desolation of modern American architecture...You really get a sense of the author's interests and passions.

I'm not sure this is a book everyone on the planet needs to read. But if you've done enough digging to find out about it and are at all interested in graphic novels, do not miss this. It's a real mindjob I can't wait to read again and again.

disjointed storytelling at its best.......2007-02-11

After I showed my cousin a story I had written, he gave me this book. He said it was an example of how a disjointed storytelling style can still deliver a satisfying story when it's done right. He gave me the book with the caveat that it gets a bit depressing. I can handle pessimistic stories, but with all the quoted praise flanking an enigmatic schematic that my cousin says is an overview of the entire book in the opening pages, I did wonder what someone so talented and recognized could find to be pessimistic about. The story's bleak dark humour, unannounced time shifts, and sections set in the late 1800s made me feel like I was reading William Faulkner in comic book form. It can be quite hard to follow at times, but it's such a mundane story that I wouldn't have had it any other way, and as with Faulkner, the beauty of the pages that caused me to have a "WTF?" moment was usually enough that I was motivated to go back and try to figure out what had happened, although I won't pretend I understood all of it, and it's too depressing for me to want to reread any time soon. One minor gripe is that for such a demanding comic book, there's a weird tendency in the more lucid parts to over explain, sometimes for the sake of humour, but sometimes stating the obvious whereas there are much harder to understand things that Chris Ware assumed the reader was smart enough to puzzle out. This was weird, and bugged me a bit in some of the flashback sections. Otherwise this is very impressive, and if I ever do something as good as this in prose fiction, I'll be very happy and probably not able to write anything as dark as this graphic novel.

Wonderfully depressing.......2007-01-11

The art in this book is quite subtle, striking only later at how detailed the architecture is in contrast to the seemingly simple characters portrayed. This is one of those wonderful instances in which you find yourself feeling almost embarrassed to be looking at lives laid so bare. The situations, while arguably mundane, just seem so REAL.

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books

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Unreadable!
Leave Me Along, I'm Reading is a great surprise
That Thing about Thanking the Waitress
Not quite what I expected
A Book on Reading That's Worth Reading!

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books
Maureen Corrigan
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375709037
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Book Description

“It’s not that I don’t like people,” writes Maureen Corrigan in her introduction to Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading. “It’s just that there always comes a moment when I’m in the company of others—even my nearest and dearest—when I’d rather be reading a book.” In this delightful memoir, Corrigan reveals which books and authors have shaped her own life—from classic works of English literature to hard-boiled detective novels, and everything in between. And in her explorations of the heroes and heroines throughout literary history, Corrigan’s love for a good story shines.

Customer Reviews:

Unreadable!.......2007-09-30

I am a nobody in the rarified atmosphere of Corrigan's literary world.
I can say I have enjoyed her book comments on "Fresh Air," but I did not enjoy this book. I bought this book expecting something quite different.
It turned out to be either some sort of a justification for Ms Corrigan's
feminism, or a cleverly couched confession that she is barren and cannot conceive? I don't know why she would write such a book. It left me feeling voyeristic and depressed.
I am sorry Ms C that I did not like your book.
I am sad that yet another of my heroines has opened her own veins in a gesture of self destruction.
At least we do share an affection for heroines.

Leave Me Along, I'm Reading is a great surprise.......2007-07-20

I just finished reading this book and, as an avid reader all my life, I was able to relate to many of Maureen's experiences. She remembers and comments on the books she was reading at different times of her life. She is funny and smart and introspective and a very welcoming writer. She has a great list at the back of the book of her favorite books by category. I plan to pick some gems from her list for future reading.

That Thing about Thanking the Waitress.......2007-05-20

I don't have much to add about the book itself -- as a total bookworm, I enjoyed it for all the reasons already noted by those who also enjoyed it (or parts of it). The only place I thought Corrigan went wrong was in those two paragraphs discussing those who scrupulously thank anyone who's serving them and those who don't even acknowledge "the help." That fact is that it's not about coming from a blue- or pink-collar background, where, as a child, Corrigan tells us, one is "taught to feel gratitude for any service done" for you vs. being a person who oozes privilege. That's a false distinction and an unnecessary stretch for an explanation of the phenomemon she describes. Remember Occam's razor. It's simply about people who were taught (or have otherwise acquired) manners vs. people who were/have not.

Not quite what I expected .......2007-05-11

Ms. Corrigan's discussions on Detective Novels, and Female Adventure tales made me want to run out and get any book I can find in these genres. And when she speaks of her family (especially her father) one can feel the passion and sincerity in her words. But her writing is so unsentimental and irritatingly fair that I was like, "When will it all be over?" She uses phrases like "oozing priviledge," something that should make any mildly successful person feel guilty. She doesn't like it when people don't say thank you to waiters and waitresses, especially people with the aforementioned "oozing priviledge." But if you can get through this and similar baby boomer gooble-de-gook you will find she has written an intelligent book about books. (I'd like to tell Ms. Corrigan that I ,who am a baby boomer myself at 51, know working class people who are not oozing with priviledge who doesn't say thank you to waitresses either). She has such interesting incites into literary works, both old and new, that I wish she had spent more time in this area. When I finished reading the book I had the dual feeling that everything had been said, yet nothing had been said. This ambiguity persists through out the book, whenever she hints at her politcal leanings, that is.

A Book on Reading That's Worth Reading!.......2007-04-27

I'll read every word on a cereal box, if that's all there is to read when I sit at the kitchen table. Reading has marked my life, my growth and my relationships. To my delight, Maureen Corrigan is the same kind of obessive reader! It is always nice to discover others cut from the same cloth. I really felt like this book was as much about her as a reader as it was about the books that she read. So many books on reading are entirely too theoretical or scholarly, but LEAVE ME ALONE is friendly, accessible, touchable. And thought-provoking.

As an Engligh Literature major who thought of persuing graduate studies, I was also very riveted by her discussion of her years as a graduate student and professor, and how her reading tastes and preferences affected her advancement in that arena. I don't know if those who did not try to study literature within the canon-based structure of the universities will enjoy that chapter as much -- it was long. But it was my personal favorite.

Overall, LEAVE ME ALONE reads like a conversation with a kindred spirit. If you are interested in the way that being a reader is connected with what kind of person you are, or will be, I really think you'd enjoy this book.

Patient Safety: Achieving a New Standard for Care

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Patient Safety: Achieving a New Standard for Care

Manufacturer: National Academy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0309090776

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A good narrative history

Religion in America, Seventh Edition
John Corrigan , Winthrop S. Hudson , and John S. Corrigan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0130923893

Book Description

This comprehensive narrative account of religion in America from 1607 through the present depicts the religious life of the American people within the context of American society. It addresses topics ranging from the European/Puritan origins of American religious thought, encompassing the ramifications of the “Great Awakening” and the effect of nationhood on religious practice, and extending through to the shifting religious configuration of the late 20th century. For anyone interested in the history of religion in America.

Customer Reviews:

A good narrative history.......2006-10-15

For an undergraduate course in American Religious history and experience I am teaching, I use a derivative of this book (the publishers, Pearson, will customise texts for particular schools). However, the basic shell remains the same, as well as the vast majority of the content with the text one would purchase here.

According to authors Corrigan and Hudson, `the story of religion in America is the story of many religions, some claiming large memberships, some numbering only a few followers.' It involves issues of geography, ethnography, and pluralism both comfortable and conflicting. This continues into the present time, as issues of nationalism and globalism enter into relationship with the continuing diversity of religious identity and expression in the United States.

The text begins with colonial times, not simply with the various settlements in the thirteen colonies, but also in the Spanish and French arrivals dating back to 1492. It also discusses in the opening chapter the worldview of the native peoples, which is not a monolithic or unitary thing, but rather a wide range of viewpoints, practices and organisational elements perhaps outnumbering the variety within Christianity today.

The authors draw in brief discussions of the situation in European Catholicism and Protestantism as they introduce the various peoples who arrive in the Americas, as their understanding and reaction to the European versions play a pivotal role in how they attempt to constitute themselves in the Western hemisphere. The various elements within English-speaking and Continental Protestantism are covered with good definition for an introductory survey.

The text continues with a discussion of the Great Awakening and its influence on the increasingly independent colonies of North America, and how it contributed to the sense of communal identity and separateness that led to distinct denominationalism. The authors also look at the role of religion in politics at the time of the American Revolution as well as the attitudes of different churches toward independence. Included here is a brief discussion of the situation with regard to the unwilling immigrants who brought aspects of their own religious traditions from Africa.

The second section surveys the new nation as it grows and spreads from east to west, including a strengthening and realignment of denominations, with Protestant Christian dominance more or less solidified by the Second Awakening. The authors also discuss the situation of Jewish communities now forming in America, various Utopian movements, social movements such as Abolitionism, and various new developments in the American religious landscape (Mormonism, Spiritualism, etc.).

The period from the Civil War to the first world war is covered in the third section. This looks at issues dealing with north/south splits and reunifications due to the Civil War, the impact of freedom for African Americans on religious life in America, the impact of modern intellectual movements on religious thinking, and issues of the increasing urban character of the United States. Various movements here include the idea of the Social Gospel, women's issues, and missionary work both at home and abroad.

The final section looks at the twentieth century from the first world war forward. Protestantism and Catholicism underwent major changes both domestically and worldwide, and many smaller groups began to grow in importance, such as Judaism and Eastern Orthodoxy (and, as the century drew to a close, other world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam began to have a presence in the religious fabric of America).

This is a relatively brief survey for such a vast topic, considering that so many Americans take religion seriously, even if not adhering to particular churches or other institutions. Even so, the numbers of people who do not identity themselves as Christian or even as religious has grown tremendously in the last decade of the twentieth century. Still, this has not lessened the increasing diversity of religious expression. `Religious diversity in America has created an environment hospitable to popular religion. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Native America religions, and other ancient traditions are visible in as assortment of American contexts and locales. Alongside them are the many younger religions that either were born on American soil or were brought here by immigrants.'

The book includes a very useful index and a section of suggested readings, which could be fleshed out a bit more. There are footnotes rather than endnotes, which is a good thing, particularly given that the number of footnotes is adequate for scholarly purposes but not overbearing for the general and typical undergraduate reader. There is a small but reasonable number of maps, photographs, and other images throughout the text. The narrative itself is accessible, fairly engaging and helpful for anyone interested in the history of religion in America.

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The Templar Legacy
Steve Berry
Manufacturer: RH Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0739332015
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize–and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews:

The Rev. Berry.......2007-09-26

I purchased the audio book version for a road trip and around the 4th or 5th disc began fast forwarding chapters. The action and loose plot, along with mostly weak characters -- that whole cotton thing is pretty annoying-- were decent until Berry began preaching his disdain for the opium for the masses beliefs. Why do writers seem to have a need to ruin good stories with long periods of sticky shove-it-in-your-face beliefs, outlandish lies and false conclusions. Stick to action and mystery, and leave the religious "education" to those with an ounce of true knowledge, not an axe to grind.

Excruciating..........2007-09-17

I read this book a few months after reading Berry's "The Third Secret", which I enjoyed and gave a highly-rated review. Unfortunately, this book was nowhere near as enjoyable. I had to force my way through it after stopping a half-dozen times.

Characters were inconsistent, exposition was superfluous, and the pacing was erratic. "Templar Legacy" was as bad as "Third Secret" was good.

I gave it two stars because I still believe Berry put in much hard work in researching this book and I can appreciate that.

Pretty Bad.......2007-09-14

This has got to be one of the worst books I have ever read. Come on now, 400 monks at a secret monastery in France? Do they even have 400 monks in all of France today? And one of them crazy enough to try and wreak vengeance on Phillip IV of France? Who has been dead for 700 years? And this nutcase gets elected Master of the monastery? And I don't care if they are Templars, but I cannot imagine any monastery teaching the Gospel of Thomas to its monks. From the parts that I have read of that Gospel, it sounds like it was put together by some ancient con artist. If you're going to write about the Catholic church, at least find out about it before you start making stuff up. The plot of the book does move along, but the whole premise is weak, the dialogue lame and the characters barely believable.

Okay Novel.......2007-09-01

The Templar Legacy has an interesting premise, however it never excited me. There's mystery, historical information and lots of action . The story is flat. I did not care about any of the people in the story and Mark the good "brother" didn't seem to possess any kind of spirituality.
I was entertained but the novel lacked spice.

FANTASTIC!.......2007-08-26

This was the first book that I have read by Steve Berry. I picked it up on a whim when vacationing in Ireland, and I had it read before the end of my vacation!!! It starts out fast and remains full of twists and turns and an excellent historical mystery!! Berry has done his homework on the Templars, and I am quite impressed!! I read his other books, "The Amber Room", and "The Romanov Prophecy" and enjoyed them immensely! I place The Templar Legacy over Dan Browns "The Davinci Code".

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