Book Description
The Geography of Nowhere traces America's evolution from a nation of Main Streets and coherent communities to a land where every place is like no place in particular, where the cities are dead zones and the countryside is a wasteland of cartoon architecture and parking lots.
In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."
Customer Reviews:
luddite indictment of a car .......2007-05-22
The book is well written and provides a lot of facts, though many of these may be known anyhow. However, the author's pet idea - that the car is THE reason for aberrations in suburban development - begins to be more and more irritating as we read on; there is one large chapter devoted to the car and road planning, but if this were not enough the point gets reiterated every few paragraphs. Perhaps indeed the car is the ultimate evil of modern civilization; if only we didn't have to reread this again and again.
As a form of compensation, we get very limited look at the social, economic and demographic causes of all landscape changes during past century. Yes, there is a mention of some historical events, such as WWII, but it disappears under the weight of all those cars blamed for commercial strips, parking lots and suburban housing. Somehow, the population growth, which the strips, suburbs, parking lots and cars try to accomodate, gets overlooked. But then, we get also a healthy dose of nostagia after the goode olde times, when towns were small, kids could play in the streets without a risk of traffic accident, and farms were the base of economy. I could not escape the impression that the author's leading motive was to lament the lifestyles gone.
A Worthy Rant.......2007-02-08
This is book is largely a rant--well-researched and eloquent--but a rant nonetheless. Overwrought with cynicism, it is hard to distinguish Kunstler's reasonable concerns from his own sense of nostalgia. He draws some erroneous parallels (e.g. holding Disney World to the standard of anything but an amusement park) but does make an effective point regarding how U.S. citizens were ill-prepared for the after effects of the heyday of the automobile.
Fundamentally, Kunstler's cynicism aside, he's an advocate for renewed interest in civic planning, decreased dependency on fossil fuels, and models of sustainability. He presents Portland, OR as the best model for a city and the community of Seaside, FL as the model for a smaller town. He sees urban planning as the opportunity to develop while respecting the present landscape and enriching sense of community and public space.
The weakness of the book lies in the author's bitterness, which disguises his very real passion for the topic. The saving grace is that given most of his likely readership, he is preaching to the choir who understands his anger. This choir will understand that Kunstler embeds important lessons in his bleak diatribe--lessons worth embracing.
Kunstler's Gift of Entertaining While Informing.......2006-11-29
I have little more to add to the many thorough reviews already posted, so I'll just note what grabbed me: it was the rare book that was fun to read, even while dealing with serious societal problems in a thoughtful manner. A great introduction to community development issues.
highway to hell.......2006-02-01
Last night in his State of the Union speech, G. W. Bush pointed out the obvious fact that America depends far too heavily on oil to support its lifestyle. Whoever programmed him to say that must have been reacting to the mounting unrest over the crises associated with big oil: war, pollution, corruption, and extreme flabbiness.
Most of the problems associated with oil are problems associated with cars, and cars are the focus of J. H. Kunstler's book. Published in the early 90s, The Geography of Nowhere describes the impact of automobiles on the development of the U.S. Apparently, things started to go south during the Depression, when people were driven out of cities by poverty and the diminishing quality of life in the tenements. Fueling the flight to the suburbs were New Deal programs to build roads and cheap houses. In the ensuing decades the American landscape was built to serve cars rather than people, and that is what Kunstler is angry about. His main criticisms are:
1) A lot of the architecture, both residential and commerical, is very ugly. Buildings are constructed quickly and cheaply, and without regard to their surroundings. After all, what's the point of worrying about your surroundings if people are just going to drive directly to their destination? On this point, Kunstler is angry and sarcastic, though often funny. However, his tone is unfortunate, because ugliness is ultimately a matter of opinion, and I would bet that most people would say they are quite happy living in their suburban boxes. Kunstler argues that people are happy this way because they don't know any better, and he's probably right, but as far as I know there is no good way to force people to appreciate beauty.
2) When you step back from the individual buildings, and look at the organization of towns and cities, things start to look really grim. Here Kunstler's got a good point. Throughout most of America, the landscape is zoned into residential and commercial districts, which are separated by long stretches of four-lane roads. The residential zones are further divided by income (and to a lesser extent, by race and ethnicity), impeding the development of anything like a genuine community. The result is a weird mix of intolerance and paranoia that pervades the culture of what has historically been a relatively progressive nation.
3) At an even larger scale, the impact of cars on the nation and on the world seems absolutely dire. The Geography of Nowhere was written before car companies had figured out how to trick yuppies into buying pick-up trucks, and by now there is a broad scientific consensus that the Earth's climate is getting warmer as a result of human activities. Yet people continue to buy bigger and bigger SUVs, and to drive them longer distances to get to work or to buy their microwaveable burritos. It's like a hideous inversion of the idea of public transportation, in which every individual drives his or her own bus to work. Here it's not merely a matter of personal preference -- it's only possible for an individual to drive an SUV if other people subsidize the cost of cheap oil and environmental degradation. In all likelihood these other people haven't been born yet.
Ultimately, someone has to make decisions about the development of towns and cities, and there's no reason in a democratic society why these decisions have to be based on short-term economic interests. Although most suburbanites are probably not miserable in their surroundings, I doubt if anyone would consider their dependence on cars to be ideal. The Geography of Nowhere is a good way to start thinking about kicking the habit.
The Rise and Decline of Humanity.......2006-01-01
I believe that many of the ways we view our lives and live it is directly related to the relation of space, especially where our homes are and what we do daily.
Kunstler points out very cunningly and sometimes with anger how horrible America has set up its cities - cities of which I usually refer to as 'Suburbia World' and America, for a large part, really has turned into a world of suburbia, of endless homes stacked next to each other in a large sea, of which all its inhabitants commute to a Office park some 30 miles away.
Anyway, although Kunstler does not cover as in-depth as I believe he should, he points out many architectural and planning elements that even I, as an architecture student in Los Angeles, have never truly observed. He so well argues against suburban development that I am, even more than before, inspired to work on architectural projects that have nothing to do with suburban qualities (although this shall be very difficult).
If you are looking for a book to explain how horrible our cities really are (especially in the suburban world) and have never had the vocabulary to express that please read this book, it is something I wish everyone could understand and react to.
Book Description
Shortly after John Lennon’s murder in 1980, Robert Rosen was given access to Lennon’s personal journals chronicling the reclusive last five years of his life. Haunted by the journals, Rosen interviewed key figures from Lennon’s final years, visited the important locations from his life story, and pieced together the historical record to interpret his personal reflections from the Dakota years. The portrait that emerges is a life in turmoil, as Lennon vacillates between fame and reclusiveness, indulgence and asceticism. Each chapter offers a glimpse into different aspects of Lennon’s life, including parenthood, drug use, his relationship with Yoko Ono, and esoteric and religious explorations. “Entertainingly salacious.” — Booklist “Nowhere Man is a gripping read that no Lennon fan will be able to resist.” — The Times (London)
Customer Reviews:
GREAT BOOK. But note, it's FICTION.......2007-06-06
I read this book in December. When I picked it up, I could not put it down! I knew from the offset, however, that this book is mostly made up of the author's fantasy. He's read the journals and they are gone. He's filled in the blanks with his imagination. The result? An interesting, fun, and thought-provoking read.
I have never idealized Lennon because I knew that he had problems of his own. Reading this book touched on the kind of problems that he could have had. I want to read more Lennon biographies, especially since I don't know what parts of this book are true and what are false. Above all, like I said earlier, this is a gripping read that you won't be able to put down!
Just remember much of it is speculation.
A man shaped by his success.......2007-02-07
When I started this book, I knew, from the many years of following the story, that John Lennon was a unique person. But this book puts into perspective his daily struggle to maintain his life in the face of his personal demons. He was and is a testament to the fact that fame, however lucrative, creates a development pattern for the "star" that actually secludes its participant and forces the person to live inside a self created world, devoid of outside normalization. This is a tribute to a man who continued to the end to search for himself in the middle of all the noise. In my mind, he succeeded in ways you and I will never have to understand. Great insight and easy reading. I recommend this highly for any Beatle fan.
good details.......2007-01-04
I found this book good and very informative..about the mind of John Lennon. Liked it much and got an understanding of him I hadn't thought of before..
Not Just Another Lennon Bio!.......2006-05-19
I've read scores of Lennon bios over the years and "Nowhere Man" has become a personal favorite. A lot of the Lennon books that have come out in recent years aren't bringing anything new to a subject that's been written about to death in the 25 years since his horrific murder. Robert Rosen's "Nowhere Man" is coming from an entirely fresh perspective. Not only in the WAY it was written (the author read Lennon's diaries) but in the writing style itself, which features an almost poetic sensibility that really appealed to me. One of my favorite things about "Nowhere Man" is Rosen's savvy decision to incorporate the reading materials that figured so prominently in Lennon's life during his final years. By doing so he takes the reader on a journey into Lennon's inner mind. A journey the author himself took when reading Lennon's diary. The end result is a vivid portrait of Lennon's final years. I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to learn more about that era of his life.
Nowhere Man: The Final Days of Robert Rosen.......2005-04-12
I am surprised that so many people gave this trash a decent rating. While this book certainly holds your attention, the author, by his own admission, says the book is based on "fact" and the author's fantasy. And what a fantasy it is! It seems if he can find something negative to say or something sexual, he fantasizes about it and writes it.
That alone should serve as a warning, yet I read this book in my library's biography section, not the fiction section.
Rosen's other claim to fame is his admission that he began the project by working with Fred Seaman, and later became a turncoat against Seaman. He even went to far as to run to Yoko and spill his guts so Yoko could use this information against Seaman in court either at the civil or criminal prosecution. What a backstabbing jerk. So you know right away that Yukko had some say or influence in the content of this book. Otherwise, why allow Rosen to release it?
I would probably have given this book 3 stars if, right from the beginning, the author admitted that this was a fiction. But to pass this off as a biography is dishonest and deceiving.
Amazon.com
Following his critically acclaimed short story collection, The Question of Bruno, Aleksandar Hemon's debut novel Nowhere Man confirms that an important new voice has arrived. Unlike other Eastern European coming-of-age novels, Nowhere Man bucks chronological order, spanning the 1990s and sometimes reading like a memoir. Jozef Pronek, who grew up dreaming of hitting it big with his Beatles cover band, wanders through his adopted Chicago while the Bosnia conflict rages on, working as a process server and for Greenpeace, where he meets his girlfriend, Rachel. Jozef spends time in Kiev with American graduate students, such as the uncannily depicted Will, "blonde and suburbanly ... [as if his] family procreated by fission," and Vivian, "pale and in need of a carrot or something." He rooms with Victor Plavchuk, a conflicted doctoral student in literature who develops a crush on Jozef (and who is reminiscent of a subdued Charles Kinbote from Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire). Jozef is sublimely complex, embodying the listlessness and frank practicality of expatriates whose homeland is being shredded by violent conflict. Jozef wonders, "Why couldn't he be more than one person? Why was he stuck in the middle of himself, hungry and tired?" while a woman "[keeps] her hands in the pockets of her formerly blue jacket, as if despair were a marble in her pocket." Hemon's wit is also present: "The only thing that distinguished Pronek in school was that he never, ever volunteered to do anything." Nowhere Man is a somber, saddening, yet vibrant and warm debut novel. --Michael Ferch
Book Description
A native of Sarajevo, where he spends his adolescence trying to become Bosnia’s answer to John Lennon, Jozef Pronek comes to the United States in 1992—just in time to watch war break out in his country, but too early to be a genuine refugee. Indeed, Jozef’s typical answer to inquiries about his origins and ethnicity is, “I am complicated.”
And so he proves to be—not just to himself, but to the revolving series of shadowy but insightful narrators who chart his progress from Sarajevo to Chicago; from a hilarious encounter with the first President Bush to a somewhat more grave one with a heavily armed Serb whom he has been hired to serve with court papers. Moving, disquieting, and exhilarating in its virtuosity,
Nowhere Man is the kaleidoscopic portrait of a magnetic young man stranded in America by the war in Bosnia.
Download Description
Aleksandar Hemon, author of The Question of Bruno, one of the most celebrated debuts in recent American fiction, returns with the mind-and language-bending adventures of his endearing protagonist Jozef Pronek.
This is what we know about Jozef Pronek: He is a young man from Sarajevo who left to visit the United States in 1992, just in time to watch war break out at home on TV. Stranded in the relative comfort of Chicago, he proves himself a charming and frankly perceptive observer of -- and participant in -- American life. With Nowhere Man, Pronek, accidental urban nomad, gets his own book.
Aleksandar Hemon lovingly crafts Pronek into a character who is sure to become an enduring literary icon. From the grand causes of his adolescence -- principally, fighting to change the face of rock and roll and, hilariously, struggling to lose his virginity -- up through a fleeting encounter with George Bush (the first) in Kiev, to enrollment in a Chicago ESL class and the glorious adventures of minimum-wage living, Pronek's experiences are at once touchingly familiar and bracingly out-of-the-ordinary.
But the story of his life is not so simple as a series of global adventures. Pronek is continually haunted by an unseen observer, his movements chronicled by narrators with dubious motives -- all of which culminates in a final episode that upends many of our assumptions about Pronek's identity, while illustrating precisely what it means to be a Nowhere Man.
With all the literary verve of The Question of Bruno, but with an engrossing narrative, engaging warmth, and refreshing humor, Nowhere Man brings to life a protagonist whose very way of looking at and living in the world provokes an exhilarating sense of seeing everything new again. And all the while, the inspired freshness of the prose reminds the reader why Aleksandar Hemon earned such extraordinary recognition after just one book.
"So good as to make the reader feel certain of having discovered...an extraordinary writer: one who seems not simply gifted but necessary.
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"The man is a maestro, a conjurer, a channeler of universes... as vivid a prose as you will find this year."
ESQUIRE
"Aleksandar Hemon is a striking new voice in fiction."
AMY TAN
"Before the comparisons to Nabokov and Conrad start coming (and odds are they'll come fast and furious), know this: Hemon is an original voice, and he has imagination and talent all his own."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (EDITORS CHOICE, GRADE 'A')
Customer Reviews:
Exodus of the soul.......2007-08-20
Intertwined lives, identity crisises, coincidence, fear, longing, isolation, confusion not to mention wonder, amazement, rebirth as well as the liberation and ecstasy (and sometimes illusion) of epiphany. These are what fill out the lives of the characters in Aleksandar Hemon's second novel Nowhere Man. These traits can also unmistably be associated with any refugee experience.
Hemon is a refugee from the former Yugoslavia and a superlative writer whose power to combine words into image-invoking sentences is unmatched given the fact that he came to the United States in 1992 and didn't start writing in English until 1995. Despite having a fluent grasp of the English language he occasioanlly inserts words in his prose that are an imperfect fit. These slips usually come across as inventiveness, however, and add authenticity to his status as a refugee writer and non-native English speaker.
It is appropriate that a writer should come along and tell the contemporary story of the American refugee from the war torn regions of the former Yugoslavia even as these refugees' impact on the American demographic topography has yet to be fully manifested. This novel will refresh readers' memories of the fact that we are a nation of immigrants and that the American immigrant story didn't end at the turn of the Century. It will be interesting to see how history writes the story of the exodus of denizens of the former Yugoslavia from their homeland. Aleksandar Hemon's Nowhere Man is a meritorious first chapter to that saga.
Exposing psychological insecurity .......2007-04-06
Bosnian immigrant Jozef does not find his own place in US. He is an intelligent, sensitive and cool guy, but he feels empty inside. The mouse which comes into Jozef's dream in the beginning of novel is similar to Josef himself.
Hemon mentions mouse three times in association with Jozef (guy of 1990s) and Russian immigrant (of much earlier time). He tries to expose deep down suffers - psychological insecurities of people (at least these 2 people), who left their countries because of war. Hemon seems wants to tell that, regardless of their intelligence or power, people in such condition always have deep down worries and he compares it with the feelings of mouse who has no place to go and no one to help.
what's going on?.......2007-02-02
what's going on at our newspapers out there? the village voice, the san francisco chronicle, the chicago tribune, & the los angeles times all picked this as a best book of the year! what pretentious people are getting and abusing these critic positions with their artsy-fartsy lack of perspective? i've about thrown in the towl on listening to our critics nowadays. it seems they're trying to see that i get punk'd rather than find a good book to read. as other folks here on amazon have stated: there is much fine writing in this book (much better than i could do, thank you), but that does not make this a worthwhile book. the narrative is simply all over the place and organized in a way to guarantee annoyance. though i enjoyed many parts of this, in the end it went straight into the ditch and i was left feeling completely unsatisfied. all said and done, a waste of my time.
What?.......2006-03-16
Well written collection of remembrances, tall tales, and fantasies. But they fail to come together as a book, let alone what most would consider a "novel". He needs a new editor to stop him navel gazing (falling in love with himself).
What was Yugoslavia like before the recent wars?.......2006-01-14
I agree that this is an enjoyable page turner but not cohesive as a novel.
That aside, the third section is a great portrayal of life inside a Communist society. The account of Pronek's adolescent adds to my understanding about life in Tito's Yugoslavia. What a surprise, life in a communist country, especially Yugoslavia, was neither horrible, nor wonderful. Hemon's anecdotes are the antidote to anti-Communist hysteria present even today in America.
Book Description
It’s chocks away and tally-ho once again as Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, returns! First published in classic British comic Eagle, these are the original adventures of one of the best known and loved of British comic characters, presented in a new series of gorgeous library editions.
A mysterious spaceship appears near Earth, and its occupant has a desperate plea for help! Colonel Dare and his crew prepare to journey to a strange new world — faster than the speed of light!
Featuring a brand new introduction, plus an exclusive look at Frank Hampson’s sketchbook, this thrilling new volume will blow you away!
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and entertaining.......2007-09-25
I lived in Africa for many years - Rhodesia, also I've spent time in Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Angola - but to my eternal regret I never travelled to Kenya. This author's history of the British-built railway there and how it opened up towns and cities and agriculture and other forms of development there, is very good and very interesting.
Many years ago I read Patterson's memoir THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO of his days building parts of the railway and his attempts to stop man-eating lions who were steadily devouring his Indian labour force and many tribal locals too, even dragging off at least one white colonial. It is still available in the modern Capstick library edition and other re-issues.
The present author does cite Patterson quite a bit as well as provides many fascinating details which he unearthed to round out the story of the man-eaters quite a bit more. Additionally, he provides much modern information on the tourist industry and conditions on Zanzibar, at Mombassa and Nairobi, and points in between and beyond. Refreshingly, there is little of the all too common colonialism-bashing political correctness found in other works on Africa, and that alone gives this another star.
Altogether it is a great book to read and I highly recommend it. I am now going to find and read the author's earlier AFRICAN LIVES.
Great adventure.......2002-08-04
I am planning a trip to Africa, so I bought this book (used) and "Ghosts of Tsavo" by Phillip Caputo and "Man Eaters," which is Patterson's book (he is the British officer who shot the man eating lions). I liked this one best of the three. It is really exciting in some places and tells the story of the man eating lions in Tsavo better than Paterson does, and he was there! I enjoyed the travel aspect too, where Boyles takes the train ride from Mombassa to Lake Victoria and gives a stop-by-stop account of the journey. This book is also very funny in places. I'm glad I took the trouble to get this book. I recommend it completely.
Better than being there.......2000-07-22
I read Boyles's other African book (African Lives) and loved it. When we decided to visit Kenya this year on vacation, I started looking for this book, which I had found discussed in some newsgroups, but it was "out of stock" (whatever that means!). My local public library did a search for it, but couldn't locate the book before we left. When we got home, it was there and I read it. I can't tell you how much I wish I'd had this book before I went. Not only is the writing wonderful, but since the book follows the railroad (telling the story and describing the places along the way) from the coast to Lake Victoria, the details are exactly the kind of things a visitor really needs. Our vacation was expensive and tame, even though we enjoyed the people and the scenery. This book was better than the trip, since it was free (from the library) and very exciting (funny, too).
The best things in it are hard to pick out, but I recommend the story of Patterson and the man-eaters (better than the hokie movie, by far), the depiction of Zanzibar, the social scene in Nairobi and the description of Lake Victoria. If we had known about the little winery in Naivasha, we would have gone there. This book is full of things I wish I'd known, but didn't. Find this book if you can.
Customer Reviews:
Hunter is the best hero since Westly in The Princess Bride!.......2001-07-10
The book is GREAT. It has everything a girl could want. The hero is masculine but tender. The way he treats her, like the most precious thing in his life, makes you long for a man like that (if you con;t have one). This book has mystery, adventure, love, romance (the 2 are not the same), and a very modern twist. I couldn't put it down. Nowhere Man is one of my favorite books, and I have many books.
This book is suspenseful and the romance very touching........1998-07-14
The author did a superb job of keeping you on the edge of your seat with her writing. Once I started reading Nowhere Man I literally could not put it down until I found out how it ended. I was actually dissapointed when I did get to the last page, not because I did not like the ending, but because I didn't want it to end. What happens next? How about a sequel Ms. York?
yet another romantic masterpeice.......1998-07-11
this book shows that you can still count on the Harlequin name when you want a good romance novel. Plus the cover guy is a stud.
Product Description
5 Titles By Robert Daley : Year of the Dragon Man with a Gun A Faint Cold Fear Tainted Evidence Nowhere to Run. five mmpb books.
Books:
- Goodnight Moon
- Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial
- Guess What Came to Dinner?: Parasites and Your Health
- Haunted: A Novel
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts
- How to Write a Children's Picture Book: Learning from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Corduroy, Where the Wild Things Are, The Carrot Seed, Good Night, Gorilla, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and Other Favorite Stories
- In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Spirit Song: The Introduction of No-Eyes
- Gaap 98: Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 1998
- Never Enough: The Story of the Cure
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- The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow
- Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era
- The Cost of Caring: Money Skills for Caregivers
- Mathematics of Interest Rates, Insurance, Social Security, and Pensions
- As Cool As I Am: A Novel
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Home from Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Edge City: Life on the New Frontier
