Heroes and Saints and Other Plays: Giving Up the Ghost, Shadow of a Man, Heroes and Saints

Book Description

Heroes and Saints & Other Plays is Chicana playwright Cherríe Moraga's premiere collection of theatre. Included are: Shadow of a Man, winner of the 1990 Fund for New American Plays Award; Heroes and Saints, winner of the Dramalogue, the PEN West, and the Critics Circle awards, as well as the Will Glickman Prize for Best Play of 1992; and Giving Up the Ghost, first published by West End Press in 1986, and now presented here in its revised stage version.

Chicana playwright Cherríe Moraga's premiere collection of award winning theatre.

Customer Reviews:

Great Plays from one of the best writers of our time.......2000-07-17

Cherrie Moraga is a terrific writer, and all of these plays are great. A couple of months ago I saw a staged reading of her play The Hungry Woman, and can't wait until it is published.

The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays: Riders to the Sea; The Shadow of the Glen; The Tinker's Wedding; The Well of the Saints; The Playboy ... of the Sorrows (Oxford World's Classics)

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Sounds Like Shakespeare
Playboy of he Western World and other Plays, J. M. Synge

The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays: Riders to the Sea; The Shadow of the Glen; The Tinker's Wedding; The Well of the Saints; The Playboy ... of the Sorrows (Oxford World's Classics)
J. M. Synge
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0192834487

Book Description

J M Synge was one of the key dramatists in the flourishing world of Irish literature at the turn of the century. This volume offers all of Synge's plays, which range from racy comedy to stark tragedy, all sharing a memorable lyricism. The introduction sets Synge's work in the context of the Irish literary movement, with special attention to his role as one of the founders of the Abbey Theatre and his work alongside W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. Includes: Riders to the Sea; The Shadow of the Glen; The Tinker's Wedding; The Well of the Saints; The Play of the Western World; Deirdre of the Sorrows

Customer Reviews:

Sounds Like Shakespeare.......2007-06-25

At one point in Ulysses, Stephen thinks or says something to somebody about how you can always tell Synge because he sounds like Shakespeare. That's a jab probably, but I don't think it's intended to be far off from the truth either.

I agree that reading these plays aloud is wonderful.

In a class I took, we read extended portions of "Playboy of the Western World". Some of us, including a great old professor, were busting, tearing up with laughter. The play is fall-over funny even if you're reading to yourself.

I just have to say though, that the plays are for performing.

A friend of mine and I did a scene as an acting exercise for a class she was taking--it was one of the scenes in which Christy courts Pegeen Mike. The audience--about 15 people--were spellbound. We looked out at dropped jaws.
This friend of mine and I did a competent job of acting. What blew the class away, really, was the ecstatic language and the infatuation one feels for the characters, their solidity, and the dramatic electricity between them... Lines from this bit come back to me, what? 20 years later? It's like music: delightful! The action goes from high tragedy to knockabout.
Well, it's what makes the Irish the Irish.
And the play's been just as good when others did it.

"Riders to the Sea" is like a religious ceremony, similar to the way that the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles are like religious ceremonies. They use choruses to much the same effect. The action is ritualized and repetitive. Idealized characters utter formula phrases.

Religious ceremonies should be moving even to sensitive atheists. "Riders" sounds out some elemental terrain: it packs a deep sort of wallop.

Playboy of he Western World and other Plays, J. M. Synge.......2007-03-19

These are classic plays by Irish playwrite and poet John Millilngton Synge, with the attention to language and folklore that is typical of Synge. Best enjoyed by reading the plays aloud.

Of Saints and Shadows (The Shadow Saga, Book 1)

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Terrific Twist on Vampire Tales
of saints and shadows
Great!
it was only so so to me
The Golden Touch

Of Saints and Shadows (The Shadow Saga, Book 1)
Christopher Golden
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0441005705

Book Description

Book One in the Shadow Saga is a brilliant epic that takes you into the secret world of vampires--and a secret society sworn to destroy them. Sweeping, sensuous, and shocking, it is a powerful vision of immortality that will hold you in its spell...forever.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific Twist on Vampire Tales.......2007-09-16

Of Saints and Shadows is a terrific twist on the classic Vampire tale. I enjoyed the conflict between the two secret societies - the vampires and the secret Catholic sorcerers. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

of saints and shadows.......2007-08-24

rcvd the book in a timely manner. it is in excellent condition. will buy from this agent again. thanx

Great!.......2007-07-26

I really enjoyed this book. I read all sorts of vampire fiction & I love what Mr. Golden did with the mythos. Can't wait to get the second book in the series!

it was only so so to me.......2006-11-07

I didn't really enjoy this book. It was slow to me and i had a hard time getting through it, it didn't grab me. To many side stories that kind of lead nowhere and too many extra characters.

The Golden Touch.......2006-07-18

THE SHADOW SAGA pulls you in and doesn't disappoint. So far, Golden has tapped into something worth looking into and has the potential to rival Rice in his imaginative tale of the vampire mythos. I'm hooked. I hope he continues with more stories to this series. I give credit to Anne Rice for her original take of the origin and history of vampire lore and supernatural tales. But she was, in my opinion, a hit and miss. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of some of her work. But in later novels Rice bordered on monotony and her shallow fixation on beauty became sometimes a chore to get through. Not so with Golden. He weaves sex, violence and characters you can sink your teeth into. Highly recommended. It definitely doesn't suck!

Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman's Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail

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the third eye

Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman's Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail
Jana Richman
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0307338576
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

Searching for Faith, Family, and Inner Peace on the Back of a Motorcycle

Between 1846 and 1866, about 50,000 Mormons traveled the Mormon trail, burying more than 6,000 of the faithful along the way. Four generations ago, seven of Jana Richman’s eight great-great grandmothers walked all or part of the 1,300-mile trek, from Nauvoo, Illinois, on the Mississippi River to Salt Lake City. Traveling on faith and little else, they endured unfathomable hardships—bitter cold, extreme heat, mud, icy river crossings, blizzards, buffalo stampedes, disease, hunger, and exhaustion—never stopping until they reached their promised land where they could be free to practice a religion that few outsiders understood and many violently condemned.

One hundred and fifty years later, Jana Richman packs maps and a laptop computer on the back of a motorcycle and follows the route of her ancestors, searching for the peace and faith the women before her carried with so much confidence. Jana also searches for a clearer understanding of how her devoutly Mormon mother is able to reconcile an independent spirit and enormous inner strength with her intense belief in a patriarchal institution.

Riding into the nation’s heartland, visiting graveyards, chatting with missionaries, and soaking in the rituals of the faith she so casually shrugged off as a teenager, Richman begins to unravel her family’s mysteries and confront her own long-held prejudices about the Mormon Church.

Customer Reviews:

the third eye.......2005-12-02

This is a beautifully written book. In lucid and often lyrical prose the author describes her journey along the Mormon trail by motorcycle, following the route from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City taken by several of her female ancestors and, on the way, recounts brief histories of their determination and faith in spite of horrendous obstacles. In parallel, she delves into her own struggle with Mormonism and arrives at a deeper understanding, and a redefinition, of her own faith. As the daughter of a deeply believing Mormon mother and a renegade father ("a jack Mormon") she has a lot to contend with. Her motorcycle becomes the symbol as well as the carrier of her uncertainty.

There is enough Mormon history provided to satisfy the casual reader, but the most heartening aspect of her presentation is that it doesn't fall along the usual polarizing lines: Ms. Richman offers both praise and criticism of the Mormon hierarchy and its leaders. The stories of her female ancestors along the trail are often heart-stopping in the intensity of their suffering and the depth of their faith. The book is filled with good writing and acute insights into many of the people she meets along the way.

The book left me wanting more. For one thing, by the end her situation is much like her father's - she recognizes how strongly tied she is to Mormonism, though she will never rejoin the church. I wanted the book to provide more insight into her father's character and attitudes as a way of understanding her own.

For another, throughout the book her husband (who stays home in Tucson) is described as a perfect man, loving, kind, thoughtful, supportive, insightful - almost too much to believe. At the end of the book they separate, but her only explanation is a bit of hand-waving: there are "philosophical" differences. If he was such a great guy, couldn't he make the changes needed to move with her to Utah? And what are these differences? I'd like to know more about them as a way of understanding her own changes. Perhaps that's another book.

For me, the attempt to make her own journey feel as dramatic and harsh as that of the original Saints doesn't ring true. Where her great-great-grandmothers starved, bled and buried children in the snow, the worst she has to contend with are a balky cycle and sadistic truckers. Most nights she finds a hot shower and a warm bed.

The spiritual summation in Chapter 21 is a bit talky but effective. She arrives at an idea of faith which comes close to the idea of practice as taught in various forms of Buddhism; and I'd like to see her explore that connection further. Perhaps that too, will come in another book.

Saint Francis' Shadow: And Other Stories

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Saint Francis' Shadow: And Other Stories
Forrest Johnson
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1418480002

Book Description

The people portrayed here are the kind who might be encountered by any journeyman pastor or priest. The Superior who ran afoul of the institution. The old man who found inspiration in a courageous Vietnam veteran. The ex-football coach no longer able to speak; and the young seminarian forced to work for a mercenary parish pastor.

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Saint Joseph: Shadow of the Father
Andrew Doze
Manufacturer: Alba House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0818906448

In the Shadow of a Saint: A Son's Journey to Understand His Father's Legacy

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A Befitting tribute to a great man!
Fathers and sons
amazing
A great book, for anyone to enjoy
A Humble and Honest Description of Ken Saro-Wiwa

In the Shadow of a Saint: A Son's Journey to Understand His Father's Legacy
Ken Wiwa
Manufacturer: Steerforth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

ASIN: 1586420259
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Book Description

In late 1995, the little-known Ogoni region in Nigeria became a fable for our times. Ken Saro-Wiwa, a renowned poet and environmentalist, was campaigning to protect his Ogoni people against the encroachments of Shell Oil and a brutal dictatorship. He was imprisoned, tortured, brought to trial on trumped-up charges, and executed.

At the heart of the public campaign to save Ken Saro-Wiwa was another Ken Wiwa—the author's son—who travelled the world lobbying world leaders and mobilizing public opinion, so that his father was recognized as a hero and a symbol of the struggle for environmental justice. The Saro-Wiwa name became global currency for righteousness.

Ken Wiwa has embarked on a book that tells the story—from a human, anecdotal perspective—of what it means to grow up as a child in the shadow of such extraordinary men and women. In the end, it's about Ken's attempts to make peace with himself and his father—following his journey as he reaches toward a final rendezvous with the father who was snatched by the hangman.

Customer Reviews:

A Befitting tribute to a great man!.......2007-03-17

A befitting gift to the memory of a great man from his son. Ken Wiwa has arrived as a major voice of his generation with this sincere and serious work of literature that looks at Nigerain politics and history from the eyes of a Niger Delta son. This is a personal document with a straight forward message.

Fathers and sons.......2003-11-30

A moving and evocative memoir of Ken Wiwa's difficult coming of age, caught between two cultures and the collision with history of his domineering father, Nigerian playwright and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. In effect the story is told in two parts - the author's life up to his father's hanging on trumped up charges in 1995, and his subsequent attempt to come to terms with his fathers ambiguous personal legacy, in part from seeking out the children of other political martyrs such as Nkosinathi Biko and Aung San Suu Kyi. One gets the sense that by the end of the book Wiwa has achieved some sort of closure and establishment of stable, constructive self-identity. Recommended to anyone interested in Nigeria, international diplomacy, or the relationship between fathers and sons.

amazing.......2002-10-23

I remember where I was the day I found out Ken Saro-Wiwa had been murdered. It's a day that will forever be with me.

Ken Wiwa does a beautiful job of honoring his father's human rights work and expressing the complexity of their relationship. It is a shame that Mr. Saro-Wiwa will never be able to see his son's heartfelt tribute.

A great book, for anyone to enjoy.......2002-09-18

This is a beautiful, inspiring book. It is not just a biography of internationally acclaimed activist and novelist Ken Saro-Wiwa, but also an account of a son who manages to find himself despite the notoriety of his famous father. Ken Wiwa traces the history he has shared with his father, and examines his changes in perspective through his childhood, adolescent and adult years. He recounts his father's successful life, from government worker to TV writer, novelist, and finally, to political activist. He tells of his father's efforts to improve the lives of the impoverished Ogoni people, which included a heroic struggle against a multinational oil company. With brevity, and brutal honesty, Ken Wiwa leaves no stone unturned in examining his own thoughts and emotions in relation to these events.
It would have been easy for Ken Wiwa to wax poetically about his father's heroism in the face of such a powerful opponent, and to fill all the pages of a book on this subject alone. He could have possibly sold many more books this way. But he purposely chose not to, and instead invites his readers on a rich, multi-faceted exploration of his father's life, his family and of his own growing self-awareness.
In the end, we, the readers, are just as proud of Ken Saro-Wiwa as his son is. But it is the journey that we took to get there that makes it all the more moving.

A Humble and Honest Description of Ken Saro-Wiwa.......2002-01-11

I was in bed on the morning of the 10th of November 1995 when the death of ken Saro Wiwa was announced over the radio. As it is in Nigeria there is always the official and unofficial news so speculations the previous night dismissed as rumours...even though i was almost twenty at this time, it dawned on me that i knew next to nothing about Mr Saro-Wiwa..and folks made up to many stories that usually left you confused but Ken Wiwa has done an excellent job. He initial presents hiself has a spoilt kid who saw more meaning to life in the west than in Africa his home (Or so i understood it) but as he grows, he matures to the point where he does not only understand his father and what he stands for but learns to forgive and even sympathise with his many dilemas in his struglle to liberate the lifes and minds of his people. The most refreshing thing about the story is that Wiwa Snr and Jnr reach a compromise in what seemed like a stumbling relationship (as it is with many first sons who are similar to thier fathers) and reconcile before Saro-Wiwa dies. I gues like Wiwa snr said "it's a shame we cant choose our parents" but having ready a story like this one I'm quite glad it so too.

Book Description

Living in one of the most tumultuous decades of America's history, an eight-year-old African American girl experiences the anguish of real-life heartache: she loses her beloved father in the Vietnam War, endures the dissolution of her family, and faces the challenge of integration. Yet, through a wise and eccentric old woman, she also discovers the tenacity of joy. A powerful, eye-opening read!

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Summer Read.......2007-08-25

This is the first book that I have had the privilege of reading from this author, I intend to read all of Sharon E. Foster's books before the summer ends. This book starts in 1960's in St. Louis with Shirley riding on her bike in her quiet suburban neighborhood with her cousin. The story goes on to lead you through several traumatic events that eventually lands Shirley in the country with her Cousin Mother Johnson in Tyler, Texas. (this is when the story really began for me.) Shirley has been the target of "Shirley Child Killer" for many years and "Shirley Child Killer" plans to live up to his name. Mother Johnson is truly an angel sent from heaven for Shirley to help her fight the good fight. I laughed at Ma Dear and cried along with Shirley in the end like I was banging the tambourine right along with her in the "prayer house." This book takes spiritual warfare to another level, my eyes have been open and for that I will never be the same.

Prayer has always been my first weapon of choice to use against the enemy; I've always found so much power in prayer. Thanks Mrs. Foster for confirmation, another aspect of what happens when we pray and continued success to you on future writing projects.

Powerfully poignant story of faith .......2006-07-12

Riding Through Shadows by Sharon Ewell Foster deserves more than 5 stars. This almost autobiographical look at a young black girl named Shirley growing up in the 1960s South is incredibly moving. Every now and then you find a book that completely blows away your expectations of it; this is one of them. The tragic story of Shirley losing all of the foundations of her life at the young age of eight, and her returning to life under Mother Johnson is tremendously poignant. Foster's manner of storytelling is very different than anything I've read before. The story jumps between Shirley in 1986 and 1967. It also jumps into Second Heaven, but I can't say much more about that without giving away major plot elements. Another technique in Foster's writing is long conversations between characters about current events or God. The conversations ring with truth and young Shirley isn't the only one to grow while listening to them. In one such conversation, Mother Johnson talks with her friend Ma Dear about God bringing storms into our lives to bring about new growth, and we shouldn't waste our time running from them or trying to control them. I'd never thought about storms in my life that way before, but I think it's a profound statement of faith. The book ends rather abruptly, which was a disappointment, but I can't wait to start on the sequel. Foster is telling a beautiful story of tragedy; I'm looking forward to the happy ending.

Behind the Shadows is Light.......2003-07-03

Riding through Shadows by Sharon Ewell Foster is a trimphant story of a young girl named Shirley who has to overcome many obstacles to have the childhood we all deserve.

Shirley Jones is a carefree nine-year old who lives with her mother, father and her mother's two brothers (Big and Little Uncle). She likes to ride her bike around the neighborhood and is an excellent reader in school. Then tragedy strikes and after a series of events, Shirley finds herself in the care of Mother Johnson, a distant relative who lives in Texas. It is there that Shirley has to battle not only for her own life, but for the lives of the people she cares most about.

Riding through Shadows was set in the 1960's in St. Louis, Illinois and Tyler, Texas. This novel highlights the differences in race relations between the North and South and the affects it can have on the psyche of a little girl, The story opens with an adult Shirley who thinks back on her childhood however we do not find out anything else about the adult Shirley. Shirley's childhood friend, Sheri, seems to be a pivotval character in the book yet she faces the same fate as now grown Shirley. It appears these characters will be revisted in the sequel Passing into Light. Even with these oversights, I was drawn into the story to learn what happens to Shirley.

This novel is heavily based in Christian themes and teaching. It is an uplifting and inspirational read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be reminded that the battle is not yours.

Reviewed by Nicole
APOOO BookClub

Absolutely powerful!!!.......2002-11-25

I'm so glad I didn't read the editorial review before I read any of Foster's books. I have read Ain't No River, Passing By Samaria and Riding Through Shadows. I absolutely loved Riding Through Shadows. It has a powerful message about spiritual warfare and reminds Christians that this is for real!!!. It reminded me I needed to be constant prayer, can't afford to slip up. It also reminded me of how important it is I pray for my own child. Just think of how close we've come to our breakthrough and we slacked up in the area of prayer and satan was allowed to have control in areas where he has no dominion- keep praying and God's army will do the rest. Foster took a bold step in reminding me and other readers of all of these things. I couldn't put the book down and highly recommend all her books. In fact, I'm buying my best friend all three books. Can't wait to read more from this author.

So special.......2002-06-18

I'm so glad I paid attention to the other customer reviews and ignored the editorial review. This was another very special book from Sharon Ewell Foster. I'm learning so much from her culture that I was blind to before. Yet I see so much of our shared sisterhood in the Lord. There is so much truth and wisdom and teaching.

Book Description

An immortal being who has died 1,000 deaths, Saint Germaine has traversed the paths of mankind for untold years with his companion, Lilith. But Lilith's disappearance and the perils of the modern world direct him to undertake a new quest - to surrender his immortality.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and Intelligent.......2006-03-15

Saint Germaine is a man who lives forever and he is an amalgate of many people that have lived before as he takes the memories of those dying. This allows the writer, Gary Reed, to cover quite a bit of historical ground as he reaches into the past to pull out some compelling reading. Topics such as The Crusades, the Nazi concentration camps, the life of Franz Kafka, the Salem Witch trials...all blend seamlessly into this narration.

And Saint Germaine isnt't the only one. He has his long time companion, Lilith who also does the same. These two are now opposed to each other so it makes for some great reading.

this is just a fantastic story and I'm looking for some of the other issues since this only has five issues in it. I found one dealing with Casanova and another with The Man in the Iron Mask and those are equally as good.

In an interview, someone compared Saint Germaine and Gary Reed to Sandman and Neil Gaiman. They're not the same, but they're equally as good.

Saint Germaine is a must read and I'll be sure to be look for anything else by Gary Reed...he's my new favorite writer.

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