No comments about Menninger: The Family and the Clinic.

No comments about Freud, Race, and Gender.

No comments about Ibn Khaldun: History As Science and the Patrimonial Empire (Bibliotheca Orientalis Hungarica).

3 comments about A Passion for Egypt: Arthur Weigall, Tutankhamun and the 'Curse of the Pharaohs'.

1. Mainly and above all, this book gives you a great insight into what might be called "the golden age of archaeology in Egypt". I greatly enjoyed all the little stories covering the various social events of that time (particularly the "party at the ombdeh's") which manage to cover Weigall's own colourful imagination and way of storytelling.
   
   Nevertheless, this biography never quite suceeds in bringing you near Arthur Weigall as a person. What I disliked most was the apologetic tone in which Hankey tried to "answer" several references to Weigall made by TGH James in his book "Howard Carter - The Path to Tutankhamun". It almost seems as if Hankey desperately tries to make clear to the reader that in reality, Weigall was a truly "heroic" guy, fighting for Egypt's heritage, while the "evil" Howard Carter was putting stones in his way.
   There is no doubting the fact that Carter was a pretty difficult character but reading Hankey's book, one begins to suspect that Weigall was one as well - a fact not really admitted by his granddaughter.
   
   In comparison to James, who painted a very objective and not in the least biased picture of the person he portrayed in his biography (Carter), Hankey trusts in letting Weigall's own views and thoughts speak for themselves without ever trying to question them.
   For me, Weigall's behaviour towards Carter and Carnarvon during the Tutankhamun excavation is still more than questionable, even if one has to share his views concerning the "Times"-agreement and the division of antiquities.
   
   In the end, for me, Howard Carter with all his faults remains the more interesting personality, especially when compared with Julie Hankey's semi-perfect Arthur Weigall.



2. This book is really a great read. Not only does it give you a great deal of insight about Weigall and his exploits, but it also has a lot of good stories about Egypt and it's exploration during it's most colorful time period of the early 20th century. I have always enjoyed Weigall's books and his ability to weave a good story and describe what it would be like to be exploring various sites while on his inspection tours.

   This book really goes into a great deal about his crusade to save and catalogue monuments instead of just digging for "treasures". He doesn't seem to get his due for what he tried to accomplish under the difficult conditions he had to work within at the time. What I also found interesting was the perspective of his relationship with Howard Carter from more his point of view versus what is more often seen discussed from Cater's. Being that it was written by his grand-daughter I'm sure there's a little bit of bias there. Either way, it is truly a great book written about a great author.

   Wiegall showed that a history book doesn't have to be dry and boring. It seems that his grand-daughter inherited that trait too!




3. This book is really a great read. Not only does it give you a great deal of insight about Weigall and his exploits, but it also has a lot of good stories about Egypt and it's exploration during it's most colorful time period of the early 20th century. I have always enjoyed Weigall's books and his ability to weave a good story and describe what it would be like to be exploring various sites while on his inspection tours.

   This book really goes into a great deal about his crusade to save and catalogue monuments instead of just digging for "treasures". He doesn't seem to get his due for what he tried to accomplish under the difficult conditions he had to work within at the time. What I also found interesting was the perspective of his relationship with Howard Carter from more his point of view versus what is more often seen discussed from Cater's. Being that it was written by his grand-daughter I'm sure there's a little bit of bias there. Either way, it is truly a great book written about a great author.

   Wiegall showed that a history book doesn't have to be dry and boring. It seems that his grand-daughter inherited that trait too!

5 comments about Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid.

1. I've read a good many non-fiction-autobiographies. This book is the most viscerial yet cerebral, poignant, vulnerably heart-wretching; Honest, courageous mind boggling work of artistic genius, I have ever come across.
   
   A sheer out & out mind-bender. A work of transcendent catharsis & tragic emotional metamorphosis, from a phenomenal brilliant writer.
   
   After assimilating Ms. Lau's enthralling, somewhat beguiling stylism, one is simply left, torn asunder, as her spellbinding beautific word pictures are rendered in such astute & sultry erudition.
   
   Evelyn Lau's comprehensive body of work is entrancingly seductive.Hauntingly beautiful & adoit; Scintillating,yet melancholy.Enigmatic & stupefying.Ultimately, I am left dumbstruck.
   
   Her writing has an innate ability to create an obsession & infatuation in a reader,that melts away any notion of steel remnant cold calculated logic, that men may attempt to employ toward women.The games over...
   
   On the meridian of art in written form, we find the pleatau of spirit; Immortal soul, eternal love...embodied within Evelyn Lau's art.
   
   Once you have read her work, your life absolutely, will never be the same again...



2. This is a very tiresome and tedious book about a girl named Evelyn who ran away from home at the age of 14 because her mother yelled a lot and her father was out of work most of the time. Sadly there are millions of young people in this same situation but they don't exchange an unhappy home life for the mean, homeless streets.The author devotes page after page of an endless and futile merry-go- round of prostitution and then seeking solace through drugs. She "hooks" up with this lowlife loser named Larry who she thinks is a "nice guy" because he readily supplies her with Valium, Alcohol,Mandrax, Methadone and LSD.Evelyn tries valiantly to live up to her self created image of a tortured artist because of her scribblings in her journal but all we are left with is 276 pages of 'Poor Me" and self inflicted suffering and self pity.



3. Before reading this I had high expectations of it. After reading it, mostly in between classes, I'm sadly disappointed. If you're a fan of Lau's poetry you may gain some insight into them through this journal.
   Honest? Yes. Brutally frank? I don't think so. Like others have said: rather than an account of struggle and hardship, all we have here is a bored teenager who did a 2-year stint as a street worker.
   I also question her reason for running away. Sure, overbearing ethnic parents can be stifling and problematic when you've grown up in a western world with (somewhat) different values and ideals to those of your parents. Fair enough, they locked her in her room most of the time and forced her to study; but is that really that bad? It wasn't like they were feeding her a diet consisting of only two-minute noodles and only letting her out to have showers.



4. This is a document Evelyn kept from a remarkable phase of her life as a drug addict and prostitute on the streets of Vancouver, and a teenage and ethnic one at that. It shows some of her survival instincts which exist within her and which fight to keep her alive through it all. However, as I read on, I found myself having less and less respect for her. It went from respect for a person who fought to get out of circumstances in life she couldn't stand - not that it was horrid or anything, just not to her liking - to thinking how pathetic she was to have just wanted the change and then making herself out to be a victim of everything. I don't believe she owns up to much, or if she did, it was all "talk", cause her actions didn't back it up. By the end, she came across as a spineless jellyfish with the survival instincts of one to fight and survive whenever it happened, but her life became meaningless without the adversity that gave it a purpose to survive. She can't be happy as a "normal" person without death half staring her in the face or walking closely behind, but is a victim otherwise cause it's stalking her so closely. Interesting insight into her life, yes, but it became difficult to read without judgment, and turns monotonous of the same "routine" after a while. Better than the average book, sure, but not sure by how much. Thus the 4 stars.



5. Once you start this book, Evelyn becomes you. I had to just keep reading and reading...to finish it, desperate for a happy ending. It is the TRUE diary of a young girl - dabbling in prositution, drugs, therapy and homelessness. This book offers great insight in to the mind of a adolesent, and reminds one of a not so distant past of battling the same demons. Evelyn's world view is set to critique all that crosses her path...including our correctional services, family services, and basic social acceptability. Pretty smart for a 15 year old. Many wonderful thoughts, feelings and ideas can be gained from reading this book. I would recommend this book as required reading for youths who typically DON'T read. Its a great starting point and is sure to capture their attention. But nonetheless...a great story that in the end, any reader feels privilaged to have been on the journey.

No comments about Pulling the Right Threads: The Ethnographic Life and Legacy of Jane C. Goodale.

1 comments about Zone of Tolerance: The Guaymas Chronicles.

1. This is the 2nd half of the 2 book story. "Guaymas Chronicles - La Mandadera" was the 1st. That is a great 10 star book - see my review of it. This book could be read by itself but makes much more sense and impact if the 1st book is read first (makes sense doesn't it) as the characters and situation continue from one to the other. Highly recommended

No comments about Meeting Freud's Family.

2 comments about Freud's Wizard: Ernest Jones and the Transformation of Psychoanalysis.

1. FREUD'S WIZARD: ERNEST JONES AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS discusses Freud's disciple and colleague who brought the international psychoanalytic movement to London and fostered its spread to the U.S. With so many books considering both Freud's life and theory, it's satisfying to find an adjunct which details a contemporary who had a dramatic impact both on Freud's personal life and in the promotion of his theories. FREUD'S WIZARD is essential for any college-level or general-interest collection that already houses biographies and discussions of Freud: it considers the history and evolution of early psychoanalysis and the man who vastly contributed to Freud's theory's promotion.



2. For those interested in the history of psychoanalysis in general and Freud's inner circle in particular, Freud's Wizard is a laudable contribution to the literature. It manages to be scholarly in its attention to historical detail while at the same time, readable for the interested layperson who is not steeped in knowledge of psychoanalysis. It will especially appeal to practicing analysts and those of a psychodynamic orientation. How Ernest Jones develops his interest in Freud's new theories, joins his inner circle, and his tireless efforts in promoting both the "cause" and his own career are smoothly presented by biographer Maddox.
   
   Despite her admitted admiration for Jones, Maddox fairly presents Jones's character weaknesses as well as his strengths. She doesn't shy away from facing some of the questionable moral indiscretions in Jones's life-both personally and professionally- nor does she paint an overly positive portrait of his motivations in dealing with colleagues, Freud, or the numerous women in his life.
   
   As might be expected, the most interesting sections have to do with the interactions through letter and personal meetings with Freud himself and the other eminent members of Freud's inner circle. We see how a very short man who worries about overcoming his common name becomes a "true believer" in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and is able to make a distinguished life for himself on the heels of one of the giants of his time.
   
   Jones appears to have been the right person at the right time, attaching himself to Freud and becoming, as he liked to boast, "the pre-eminent psychoanalyst in the English-speaking world." His strong personal presence, intellectual and administrative abilities, skill at political in-fighting, and faithfulness to Freud all made him, if not a "wizard," at least an indispensable right-hand man who stayed true to his master until the end. If nothing else, we owe Jones a debt of gratitude for his courageous act of personally orchestrating the immigration of Freud and his entourage out of Vienna during the Nazi take-over and his crowning achievement of his three volume biography of Freud.
   
   I enjoyed reading this biography, learning a good deal more about Ernest Jones than I had known, and came away with a sharper appreciation for his place in the pantheon of central early psychoanalytic figures.

No comments about Vygotsky's Psychology: A Biography of Ideas.