Drown

Drown
Average customer rating:

Provocative, Compelling & Heartbreaking

Drowning in the Richness of Junot Diaz

Literary Mosaic

A vision of hope

I don't know what else to say.

Drown
Junot Diaz
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1573226068

Amazon.com

With ten stories that move from the barrios of the Dominican Republic to the struggling urban communities of New Jersey, Junot Diaz makes his remarkable debut. Diaz's work is unflinching and strong, and these stories crackle with an electric sense of discovery. Diaz evokes a world in which fathers are gone, mothers fight with grim determination for their families and themselves, and the next generation inherits the casual cruelty, devestating ambivalence, and knowing humor of lives circumscribed by poverty and uncertainty. In Drown, Diaz has harnessed the rhythms of anger and release, frustration and joy, to indelible effect.

Customer Reviews:

Provocative, Compelling & Heartbreaking.......2007-07-11

Only the second Dominican writer to be published in English in the US, Junot Diaz writes with such an authentic voice, such a clear cadence and rhythm, that your response to these perfect short storeis is a visceral as the writing itself. Often on the top of many people's favorite collections, these stories are exquisitely rough gems, bulletins from the abyss that simultaneously make you laugh out loud and wish you could hang with these sweet tigres. A must for anyone interested in learning how to develop voice, also essential for adolescents interested in global perspectives right in their own backyards.

Drowning in the Richness of Junot Diaz.......2007-04-26

This story collection started off a little choppy;
the best stories are at the end. The author
employs a stream of consciousness that reminds
you of Toni Morrison.

The characters' evolution as young adolescent teenage
boys is juxtaposed with Diaz's linear narration that
recalls the immigrant's life with desperation. Time
is not an issue in Diaz's work; the characters move
at their own paces and learn about life in their own
ways.

Though the machismo is a bit stifling at times, Diaz
is a gifted writer whom readers can expect many great
things from in the future.

Literary Mosaic.......2006-11-10

I read this book as part of my Latino Literature course at the University of Arizona. It's an amazing read that offers multicultural insight. The author 's writing style feels somewhat like Toni Morrisson's stream of consciousness effect. The book is not a linear straight-forward read, but rather separate pieces of writing that together act as a literary mosaic. It's a beautiful, at times surreal and other times gritty, read. I highly recommend; you will not regret the time spent invested in this book and will walk away with much.

A vision of hope.......2006-10-21

There are several recurrent themes running through this collection (the lost father, the regained father, the lost love, brotherhood, betrayal--often sexual) but the one I found most striking was that of facelessness.

You would think that facelessness is synonymous with invisibility, but here it is not. There is something within that facelessness, which makes the person all the more visible--scorned, pitied, hated, feared, and by some, treated with great kindness. The faced want the faceless to be gone for good because they represent the worst fear: That you, too, might one day suffer this fate where all that defines you to the outside world is stripped away, where you are a stranger in a strange land--where you are unloved and unlovable.

"Ysrael" is the boy with no face, his face having been mostly chewed off by a pig when he was an infant. Because of this he wears a mask and awaits a humanitarian intervention in which doctors in Canada are meant to restore his face. But this day never seems to come and he is scorned and beaten, but he is also an object of intense interest. There is something about him that fascinates the other boys; if only they could just see behind his mask. But even when they do, it infuriates them, repulses them. There is nothing in seeing his face that makes them feel better about themselves. It only makes them feel worse, more powerless.

Then when the reader sees the world from his point of view in "No Face," we understand that though he is deformed and maligned there is still great hope and beauty in his world, though he might not realize it. There is something strong deep within that will keep him alive despite the obstacles. He is a survivor. He will run.

So Ysrael stands for the best hope of all of the faceless within these stories--and the message is to keep going, keep running, keep moving forward no matter how people will push you down and try to keep you from being seen.

In that, a book, which might otherwise be bleak, I found quite hopeful. And so, in the end, what you have is a collection of stories that are beautiful, necessary, and heartbreaking. Read it.

I don't know what else to say........2006-10-10

I had to read "Drown" for my ENC1101, Written Communications I class. I was sorely disappointed in the school for making us read something that was offensive, poorly written, grammatically embarassing and just downright boring. The stories were disjointed, and read like a diary...which I didn't find a plus.

I then was assigned to write a number of essays on the book, which was SO hard because there isn't much to write about. The best way to approach this collection of short (very short) stories is to imagine yourself in the writer's shoes. Otherwise, you're not going to care about his crappy childhood or the women he abuses.

I have an opportunity to meet Junot Diaz this Thursday at my school. I will not attend because I'm sure that, although he is apparently an English professor, I could convince even him that his book requires some serious rewriting.

As a middle-class white female, I don't connect with the author or with his opinions, which makes the book hard to digest. Unless you are a poor Dominican male with an absentee father, it is difficult to understand the point Diaz is attempting to make, if he is attempting it at all. I would suggest that this book be removed from college curriculums. Please, stop making us read this garbage.

If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown: 10 Hard Charging Strategies for Leading in Politically Correct Times

Average customer rating:

A lot of good leadership nuggets - 95% Enjoyable!
Arrogant, Angry and a Re-hash of common sense ideas
Management advice-- politically incorrect
How to combat politically correct cancer from spreading throughout your business.
Great book and a real eye opener

If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown: 10 Hard Charging Strategies for Leading in Politically Correct Times
Dave Anderson
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 047172503X

Book Description

This is not your typical business book. You won't find academic remedies to your business challenges or exhortations to create a warmer and fuzzier workplace. In fact, you'll find the opposite-tips on how to be a tougher, take-no-prisoners-style manager. It's time to stop letting workplace political correctness push you around and get serious about your business.

In If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown, Dave Anderson doesn't pull any punches. Offering simple wisdom and politically incorrect solutions that really work, he's not here to inspire you, but to taunt you into action. He shows you how to be more direct without being disrespectful; how to give honest feedback even when it hurts; and how to hold employees accountable for results. In short, you'll learn how to get the most out of your business.

Want more politically incorrect wisdom?

Tenure is a license for laziness
Diversity without competence is worthless
Don't trade your values for valuables
Political correctness is a disease that destroys the workplace
It's time to fight back!

Customer Reviews:

A lot of good leadership nuggets - 95% Enjoyable!.......2007-08-09

Dave Anderson delivers a very candid, straight-forward rant on the politically correct office politics that are polluting work environments. I particularly enjoyed "The Business Facts of Life". Anderson makes valid arguments and some of his rhetoric is a needed wake-up call for many companies that are traveling the slippery slope of political correctness in business life. I do feel that Mr. Anderson purposely tries to be controversial and in doing so leaves the reader a bit turned off and inclined to miss the good points that are made. Sometimes you have to make waves in order to succeed in business, however, the contention that waves have to be made as a strategy is silly and unproductive. If you don't make waves you'll drown does have some leadership lessons that are worth reading and although some examples used to support his ideas didn't resonate well with me, there are enough good points in the book to make it a profitable read. Enjoy!

Arrogant, Angry and a Re-hash of common sense ideas.......2006-10-05

Anderson preaches from the right which doesn't make him wrong but he writes with the certainty of the correctness of his "politically incorrect" positions. He uses these positions to re-hash some common sense ideas like rewarding performance and hiring competent employees no matter what their race, etc.

He could have said what he had to say in half the pages. On the other hand, if you like Rush Limbaugh...

Management advice-- politically incorrect.......2006-10-03

Author Dave Anderson has a simple technique. He selects from outrageous news stories that he believes show an excess application of political correctness (that is, in his eyes, too much bending over backward to be fair) and uses them to get you angry. Then he offers basic management advice to counter the possibility that you might behave like the folks in the story. His wisdom from the work world is conventional, but he does imbue his text with personality, albeit sometimes negatively. He describes himself as a crusading truth-teller willing to speak out against conventional opinion. In fact, he writes - perhaps just in order to emphasize his ideas - in the voice of an arch conservative: anti-immigration, antiminority and, apparently, intolerant. In other words, Anderson seems quite proud that his politics are incorrect. His short doses of management advice arrive with that flag clearly flying. If you think that political correctness has gotten out of hand, and want to see the pendulum swing the other way, we believe that you'll be pretty pleased with this book.

How to combat politically correct cancer from spreading throughout your business........2006-09-13

As a fan of merit-based achievement, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dave Anderson's If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown: 10 Hard Charging Strategies for Leading in Politically Correct Times. In this straightforward tome, Anderson, president of LearnToLead, an international sales and management training organization, describes techniques for combating the politically correct cancer spreading wildly throughout businesses in the United States.

His no-nonsense strategies for implementing a meritocracy provide a great model for leaders aspiring to encourage and reward innovation and results, and weed out the dead weight. Throughout this book Anderson gives examples of political correctness run amuck. In his well researched chapter, "Peering into the PC Cesspool," his examples are enlightening, true-to-life, and at times, frustrating.

Anderson relieved my frustration by providing clear directions for eradicating the overabundance of political correctness in business. He can be blunt, and his frankness can be a little unnerving. To his credit, Anderson warns his readers of his candid approach, which comes from a conservative Christian point of view.

Anderson's knowledge comes from his firsthand experience running his own successful business, and dealing with the complications and barriers that can result from political correctness gone awry. This is an excellent book for anyone attempting to overcome challenges of this nature.

Great book and a real eye opener.......2006-04-21

I started reading the book in an Airport terminal, and I couldn't stop! What Dave Anderson has to say is honest, fair and most of all inspiring. This book caters to all, those starting out in the business world like myself, and those retired men and women who have experienced it all. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who wants great advice in their professional life.

Average customer rating:

Juvenile Justice (with InfoTrac )
Kären M. Hess , and Robert W. Drowns
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Courts | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0534630200

Book Description

This book offers a highly accessible, comprehensive look at the juvenile justice system. With pedagogy fully integrated throughout the book, readers will easily make the connections between theory and practice. The book explores the various programs and processes that exist in the juvenile justice system, including prevention efforts through school and community-based programs, and provides an understanding of the history, current state, and future of juvenile justice.

The Damned Don't Drown: The Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff (Bluejacket Books)

Average customer rating:

Interesting but Short

The Damned Don't Drown: The Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff (Bluejacket Books)
A. V. Sellwood
Manufacturer: Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1557507422

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but Short.......2002-08-06

I had read a review in Newsweek of Crab Walk (the story of the Geman Titanic) by Gunter Grass. Crab Walk is not yet available in English and I didn't want to wait until his book came out in English to learn more about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
I read Sellwood's book in a few hours. It was a good appetizer, primarily focusing on 4 of the passengers.

I will definitely be looking for other books that further detail this fascinating story.

He Drown She in the Sea: A Novel
Average customer rating:

Simply Beautiful

Voted Best New Author 2005

He Drown She in the Sea: A Novel
Shani Mootoo
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0802142605

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Set on a fictional Caribbean island during World War II and in modern-day Vancouver, He Drown She in the Sea is the spellbinding story of two childhood friends reunited late in life. As children, Rose Sangha and her housekeeper's son, Harry, are inseparable, blissfully unaware of the subtleties of class hierarchy until the night Harry is banished from the Sangha home. When Harry and Rose meet again in Canada years later, the gulf separating them is not so apparent. They have a life-affirming affair and Rose dares to reroute their destinies. This is a haunting, sensuous, and suspenseful story about love against all odds, and the sacrifice and euphoria that come with defying the life one is born into.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Beautiful.......2007-08-20

This novel is sweet and captivating. The story is well written with prose that is almost lyrical. The portrayal of the fictional Guanagaspar gives a vivid and well researched picture of Trinidad in the early twentieth century. This is truly West Indian literature at its best.

Voted Best New Author 2005.......2006-03-09

I can't believe there are no reviews for this novel. This was a moving story and was very well crafted. The story keeps you and holds you. I'm looking forward to reading more from this outstanding author. Check it out. You will like this novel.

Reviewed by
Dawnny
Mahogany Media Review
Albany, N.Y.

Swimming Where Madmen Drown: Travelers' Tales from Inner Space

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Swimming Where Madmen Drown: Travelers' Tales from Inner Space
Robert E. L. Masters
Manufacturer: Inner Ocean Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1930722079

Book Description

Mysterious tales of a dying yogi who walks away as a young man, of spirit painters who paint exquisite pictures with their opposite hand, of invisible shamans, and of schizophrenics who feel no pain.

Why Drown When You Can Walk on Water?: Applying Faith to Real Life

Average customer rating:

A practical approach to increasing faith

Why Drown When You Can Walk on Water?: Applying Faith to Real Life
David D. Ireland
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080106497X
Release Date: 2004-10-01

Book Description

What is authentic faith? How can it be cultivated and applied to daily life? How can faith become strong enough to weather life's storms? Every believer struggles with these questions. Why Drown When You Can Walk on Water? provides straightforward answers. With David Ireland's powerful insight into the Hebrews 11 ''hall of faith,'' this book guides readers to: apply God's promises; define and defeat the enemies of faith; gain perspective on God's purpose for their lives; recognize and accept trials as a means to growth; understand and live out authentic faith

Customer Reviews:

A practical approach to increasing faith.......2004-09-13

This book is a winner. It is inspirational and takes a practical and biblical approach on how to increase faith. Dr. Ireland takes a complex topic and uses humor and examples that everyone can relate too to get his point across. You will find yourself encouraged and wanting to read this book over and over again.

Average customer rating:

Skip It

As Bees in Honey Drown
Douglas Carter Beane
Manufacturer: Dramatists Play Service Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Skip It.......2007-08-13

Short Synopis - Evan Wyler is a writer who, after having his debut novel just published, is branded a 'hot' new talent. Soon he is descended upon by Alexa Vere de Vere, a social goddess who is seemingly fabulously wealthy and knows everyone in the world of the rich and famous. By the end of the first act however, Alexa has swindled Evan out of a large chunk of money and taken off. Act two deals with Evan trying to track down Alexa and take his revenge on her - whatever that may be.

What we have here is a deeply flawed work, and on top of that, it's a deeply flawed work that isn't even very fun. For a play that bills itself as a comedy, not being fun is...well...ouch.

There are two main problems - 1) The characters and 2) The story. For a play, this is a deathblow.

The characters...well, their pretty boring. Yep, pretty boring people.

We'll start with Evan Wyler, our hero(?). Evan the writer is not once, not ONE time in the entire script, an interesting character. The only thing that seems to define him is the fact that there is nothing to define him by. He doesn't really seem to want anything too badly, he doesn't seem to care about anything too badly, and therefore nothing he does seems to have any deep rationale behind it. He just sort of drifts from one scene to another, loosely tethered by the other characters. For being one of the two leads in the show, it is absolutely surprising how little of a mark he makes. After reading the piece, one will ask themselves what made Evan what he was. He's gay. Does that matter in the story? Nope. He's a writer. Is that important in the script. Not after the first four pages. The character has no passion. The character dies before anyone has a chance to bring him to life.

Our other main character is Alexa Vere de Vere. She has a whole different set of problems as a character than Evan does. She doesn't seem to be void of any sort of passion or excitement as Evan does. The problem is, simply, the girl talks too much. She talks and talks and talks without saying anything at all. Sure, the argument can be made, "Of course she talks too much and never says anything! That's the whole point! Douglas Carter Beane is lampooning that whole caste of people, those in the 'biz', the 'movers and shakers' who talk talk talk because they are trying to make nothing into something, and everybody listens until nothing actually DOES become something!" Okay, sure, I get that. I get that and that's a valid point. But I get this point by Alexa's first scene, Scene TWO. What does that mean happens when the point keeps getting hammered in during the other fifteen scenes? It means it gets VERY old, very quickly. Beane doesn't help matters by presenting Alexa as a character who never really contains any sort of dynamic change over the course of the play.

The whole middle of the play lags (from about page 25-50. The script is about 70 pages long, so this is a LARGE chunk of time). It picks up a bit when we learn more about Alexa's backstory and the creation of her persona and transformation from Pennsylvania poor-girl, to NYC glitz-goddess, but it's not nearly enough to save interest in the piece by that point.

The play also ends on a weirdly self-congratulatory note, with Beane conversing about the importance and intelligence of writers. It's wildly out of place, especially when he has constructed a large portion of the play to be a comedic 'mystery' of sorts, focusing on if Evan will ever get revenge on Alexa for bilking him and others like him out of their money.

All in all, this play is definitely skippable. There are a few clever moments, but you won't be missing a thing. You'll be surprised by how little you laugh while reading this comedy. Hell, you'll be surprised by how little you THINK of MAYBE laughing.

Average customer rating:

A new favorite

Mission To The Headhunters
Drown, Frank and Marie
Manufacturer: Christian Focus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Book Description

Isobel Kuhn questioned whether God even existed. Mary Slessor grew up in a slum with an alcoholic father. Joni Eareckson broke her neck during a diving accident and Corrie Ten Boom just lived with her family in a little watch shop in Harlaam Holland. What is so special about these girls and how did they change their world Isobel Kuhn believed in God and then obeyed his call to travel to Asia to tell the Lisu people about God. Mary Slessor put herself through evening classes and eventually became one of the first white women to venture into the interior of Africa. Joni Eareckson struggled through her treatment and endless hospital visits to become the inspiration to many Christians. Corrie Ten Boom spent most of her life just living in Holland until the Nazis started killing the Jews. Corrie Ten Boom put her life on the line to save the lives of many Jews in the hiding place a hidden room behind her wardrobe in a little watch shop in Haarlem Holland.Mary Slessor Missionary in Africa Corrie Ten Boom hid Jews in Nazi Germany Granny Brand Missionary in India Joni Eareckson Gladys Aylward Missionary in China Jackie Pullinger Missionary in Hong Kong Amy Carmichael Missionary in India Elisabeth Fry Worked among the sick prisoners and homeless Catherine Booth CoFounder of The Salvation Army and Isobel Kuhn Missionary in Asia.

Customer Reviews:

A new favorite.......2006-01-27

This book is one of the best I've read. Frank and his wife have done an excellent job of telling the story of how God used them in the jungles of Ecuador. I was challenged and encouraged in my faith. I couldn't put the book down.

Average customer rating:

"I ride out to the monstrous sea . . ."

Meteor in the Madhouse
Leon Forrest , and Merle Drown
Manufacturer: Triquarterly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810151146

Customer Reviews:

"I ride out to the monstrous sea . . .".......2005-11-26

METEOR IN THE MADHOUSE is a good sequel to Leon Forrest's famous novel of Chicago life, DIVINE DAYS. That book is a touchstone for American literature and METEOR, though sadly incomplete, follows up the story of poor Joubert Jones with great conviction and a whole lot of glee.

We are lucky that Forrest, whose work on METEOR was interrupted and finally ended by prostate cancer, kept on working pretty much right up to the grand finale, and that he had some good executors who made sure his final salvo got into print even in a mixed up, muddled up state which they have done their elevl best to untangle.

Briefly, Joubert Jones, whom we loved in the Joycean DIVINE DAYS, is undertaking a voyage of memory twenty years later, and different figures from his past come back to haunt him. Each of them comes equipped with his or her own back story, and these stories form the meat of the book. "Meat" is a good metaphor for Forrest's gritt realism, and you don't want to miss the pun in the title which is so close to "MEATIER IN THE MADHOUSE." "Forest County" became his fictional equivalent of Faulkner's famous "Yoknapatawka County" or however you say it. Some may feel that these five long stories are trivial in comparison to the Musil-sized DIVINE DAYS, but they help us udnerstand what the Master was doing in the earlier book, as well as introduce us to some striking new characters and themes. Rap makes a strong impression here. The man might have had troubles in his prostate, but he didn't let them keep him from the poetry of the living word.

The notes to the five stories have a strange quality as though the editors, John Cawelti and Merle Drown, actually thought that Forrest's characters were real people and the notes indicate the interrelationships of the characters with an eerie precision.

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