No comments about Classical Sociological Theory: Rediscovering the Promise of Sociology.

1 comments about First Fieldwork: The Misadventures of an Anthropologist.

1. This book offer alot of details on the anthro field and it was not just the techinical details but actually personal experiences that added a life-view to the profession. Even though I may not be an anthro major I have a higher respect for it and its accomplishments from this book and the class I had on anthro.

5 comments about Bean Blossom Dreams: A City Family's Search for a Simple Country Life.

1. Hi, this is Charley Murphey - the daughter :) I may be nearly twenty now and heading toward my sophomore year in college, but I remember those years which Bean Blossom Dreams so aptly describes better than I remember the past five and I can tell you completely honestly that we were never once arrogant about our ability as farmers. I can only remember my mom's infamous enthusiasm at work, her total and complete optimism and hope that we could really have a farm. We have since eased off of that - especially when my mom became deathly allergic to bee stings and we had to completely change our expectations of the garden - but my father is starting a new business producing organic plant food and I've been learning all I can about gardening to help out my mother. I'm sorry that there are those who feel that farm work is not something to be celebrated the way we do, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that we were not glamourizing our life here, or trying to pass ourselves off as great farmers. I know what real farmwork is, I've seen it at home and at the farms of our friends - and I know I'm not cut out for it. But having humor and joy for something that is underappreciated as a profession and way of life is not making a mockery of it - it is simply making it real and something people can smile about and relate to on the smaller level we were working at, so that they would understand and appreciate what we were trying to accomplish. This farm means more to me than anywhere else in the world. The things my mother and father gave to me by coming here, by trying so hard, by having the grace to giggle at themselves when they made mistakes - is priceless. I will never forget what they did for me/us and I will be a part of this farm - as well as try to make it a part of my children someday - forever.



2. Well, geez, the previous reviewer was a little harsh. I don't think Ms. Murphey glamorized or made light of the serious work she had to do on the farm. Rather, I thought she did a great job of showing how difficult it really is. I enjoyed the book and thought it was very touching.



3. My daughter picked this book up from a garage sale for fifty cents and left it in the "reading room" in our modest house in a modest city in the modest midwest. Growing up on a farm and being raised in a climate where work was expected and birth/life/death were daily events and where weather determined how many presents would be under the Christmas tree, and as well, how much canning would be done in the fall from the family garden, I hold little respect from someone who makes light of being an organic farmer and makes "potpourri" from rose petals.
   
   I realize it's been 10 years or so since Ms. Murphey wrote her book, but I would likely enjoy reading or listening to what she has to say today. Yes, neighbors were family and we lived and breathed next to them. The vet was next to God and God was next to the dinner table every single night when my Dad said Grace. A life on the farm is not romantic when there is no other livelihood. Too bad most people don't recognize this.
   
   I spent just today working on tearing down an old chicken coop at my folks place. The mouse dirt, the years of chicken filth and the constant wind out on the prairie are NOT romantic and not to be trifled with.
   This book goes to the next grange sale fund raiser.



4. Isn't quitting your boring 9 to 5 office job, moving to the country and living a quieter, humbler existence, everyone's secret dream? Well it has always been one of mine, and reading this book was absolutely a treat for me. In addition to thouroughly enjoying every page of this story, I actually learned many things from this book and was delighted to find that Sallyann included her recipes and tips from the story in the back of the book (although it did mean that the book ended too soon). I was especially dying to know the recipe for her Gorganzola and Leek Soup, and now I can't wait to try it out. I will fondly remember the Murphey's story as I try out her many wonderful recipes. I look forward to her next book, and hopefully a sequel to this story is in her plans.



5. I grew up in the country, so I knew Sallyann was in trouble when she named her turkeys! LOL I really did enjoy this book. I now live in the "big city" (Atlanta), and often dream of doing what the Murphey's did. I hope that if I ever get the chance, I will have neighbors as great as theirs. This is a wonderful book to read.

5 comments about Mayflower Madam: The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows.

1. I'll admit when this first came out, I wasn't interested. In my journey to become better at marketing, this book made learning about the importance of the sales process - from the second of the first customer contact to setting your company up for repeat business - fun and easy to understand. From phone scripts to "packaging," you get all of it.
   
   Use your imagination to transfer the sales process Sydney details in her book to your product or service. Your bank account will be glad you did.



2. This was such an entertaining book and I couldn't put it down. It was so interesting to read about a life that most will never participate in, but are nonetheless curious about. The book was written while she was still single in the 1980s, and I can't help but wonder if some of Mrs. Barrows' views have changed a bit since she got married (and I assume still is).



3. Self-serving, Self-righteous, Self-promoting. Sums it up in a nutshell.

   First of all, no pictures. "True Life" books require pictures and Sidney couldn't even spare a few of herself?

   Further, the book is a shameless self-promotion by a woman who broke the law and committed illegal acts. Sidney takes great pains to point out throughout the book that SHE never met any of the men and that SHE doesn't believe in gratuitous sex yet she freely peddles the young flesh of her "girls" without a second though in her quest for the almighty dollar. What about going to college and getting a real job? She had the means...shame shame!!

   Sidney also repeatedly tells us that prostitution is a "victimless crime" yet tells of an incident where twice there was an outbreak of a virulent STD being passed among her hookers and the johns, none of whom used condoms for safety. I'm sure the wives of those 100+ infected or exposed men would beg to differ with Ms. Biddle-Barrows that there are no victims of her crimes!

   As Ms. Barrows was arrested and tried in the early to mid 1980's AIDS wasn't as "known" as it is today. Victimless? What did these "young ladies" aka "HOOKERS" pass along or pick up aside from Gonorrhea? How many beautiful and healthy young girls did Sidney kill in order to earn a few dollars and to have a nice wardrobe of designer clothes? How many innocent and unknowing wives were infected? How many had children and passed the AIDS virus along? None? One? Ten? One is too many and we'll obviously never know the extent of the sexual havoc Ms. Biddle wreaked on New York and further in her hapless "business" venture.

   Ms. Biddle of course plays up her "Mayflower" and "high class" breeding but in actuality she is the worst kind of low-class trailer trash. Lacking the courage,conviction and chutzpah to embark on a career in "entertainment" herself she instead sold the bodies and in the end the souls of our young people, girls who were young, naive and easily used for profit.

   Ms. Biddle is an unusual example of a classic sociopath. She has no concience or moral values, not a single true thought for others, just for herself and her wallet.

   Not the worst book I've ever read, it was an easy and quick read....just nauseating in content.




4. Sidney Biddle Barrows was groomed to be a people person all her life and, because of it, took the prostitution biz to the next level. She saw what was wrong with the industry and fixed it, big time. As I read through the descriptions of excellent client relations that her service, Cache, provided; I found myself wishing my name was in the little black book.

   In addition to reading about an interesting illegal business (which really shouldn't be), the book also fills the reader with vivid imagery of NYC in the early and mid 1980's.

   The best book on the interworkings of the flesh-trade I've ever read.




5. This book clearly etablishes that prostituion fgr women need not be a degrading profession. As the Madam has suggested women could beenift from being prosituites. They receive a crash course in dealing with the male sex without sacificing their sense of femininity. The book is written without a hint of apology. Plus this book is brilliant in exploring reasons men use prostitutes. This book is a must for any woman who wants to understand men.

1 comments about Adorno in America.

1. Written by David Jenemann (assistant professor of English, University of Vermont) Adorno in America is a biography of German philosopher and cultural critic Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969), who lived in exile in the United States from 1938 to 1953. Drawing upon Adorno's theories and archival materials ranging from Adorno's unpublished writings to FBI files, Jenemann reveals Adorno's experiences in New York and Los Angeles, and proffers not only the Adorno's story, but an evolving perspective on the rise of mass culture and consumerism. An exalting portrait of Adorno as a defender of intellectual democracy, as well as an intriguing portrait of mid-twentieth century cultural shifts, Adorno in America is highly recommended for philosophy and cultural criticism shelves as well as biography shelves.

No comments about The Radical Durkheim.

5 comments about Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit.

1. Heinrich Schliemann, like it or not, is a historical figure. Most scholars do not like it, and try to kill the name of the man. Still, every one of them would very much like to do something similar to what Schliemann did. This is a book by such a scholar, and is unfair, because it concentrates only upon Schliemann's shortcomings. They were many indeed, but they have very little historical substance.
   
   Common mortals do not enter the great stage of History because they are gentle or honest or loyal or god-fearing. They do because they have large souls, and great vision, and strong will, (and good fortune).
   
   They may be liars, hypocrites, egoists, deceivers, even murderers (how many people suffered or were killed because of Julius Caesar's personal honour or Napoleon's personal ambition?). But they can see deeper, they can touch the hearts of men, they can make nations dream. They can create.
   
   Notwithstanding his shortcomings, Schliemann did create: he gave new life to archeology.
   
   But David Traill wants us to dismiss Schliemann and forget his achievements, just because he wasn't a fully honest citizen.



2. Many consider this book to be nothing more than a hatchet job on the famed excavator of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann. But author David Traill seems mainly interested in pointing out discrepancies and untruths that have surfaced in the life and work of the man. For example, almost every account of Schliemann's life and work makes mention of the "dream" Schliemann had as a child depicting him finding and excavating the Homeric city, but Traill believes that dream was an invention and finds no mention of it anywhere until after Troy was discovered and excavation begun. Is that proof enough of its falsity? Traill believes so. Traill gives other examples of Schliemann falsifying work, changing reports, or inventing scenarios. Schliemann claimed to have witnessed the 1851 fire in San Francisco, but Traill cites information that separates Schliemann from the scene by a month. This has little to do with archaeology, but Traill believes it establishes a pattern of behavior that casts shadows on the major work in the field that Schliemann did accomplish. Traill does not trash the man completely; he's impressed by his learning, perseverance, and even his accomplishments at Troy, Mycenae, and elsewhere. He just wants his readers to be leery of some of Schliemann's claims in his own writings. Seems fair enough to me. The book is also informative and well written - an enjoyable read.



3. This book is easy to put down and never pick up again. Yet, it's disturbing enough that you'll never forget it. Anyone with the slightest interest in archeology will forever cringe when encountering the name "Schliemann." He destroyed so much while searching in all the right places. But hindsight, perhaps, has been unfair to him. Still, this book isn't that interesting of a read.



4. David Traill investigates the Schliemann biographies (largely based unquestioningly upon Schliemann's own writings and statements) and finds that most of Schliemann's story is fiction. In the process, Traill reveals Schliemann to be an enigmatic figure as bizarre as any fictional character. Phenomenally ambitious and extremely intelligent, he was also completely unscrupulous when it came to getting what he wanted. In his pursuit of fame, Schliemann reinvented himself a number of times, from county to country (he spoke several foreign languages with complete fluency and perfect pronunciation), business to business, marriage to marriage. Through his business dealings he became wealthy enough to devote all his time to his archeological interests. Archeology was a young science then and Schliemann was not a professional. The way Traill paints Schliemann, we are fortunate that the bulldozer had not been invented then. In his zeal to excavate Homer's Troy, he virtually demolished it. Traill builds a convincing case that Schliemann "salted" his diggings with fake artifacts both at Troy and Mycenae. The "Mask of Agamemnon" is probably a fake.

   The story of the marriage to the final Mrs. Schliemann is a fascinating one in itself. He virtually bought her from her parents in an arranged marriage when he was over 40 years of age. He molded her into the wife he wanted, forcing her to study night and day to become as fluent in languages as he was, converting a naïve girl into his helpmate and intellectual companion as well as his fellow archeologist.

   Traill probably goes overboard in his zeal to discredit Schliemann. He wants to make his case so strongly that he goes for overkill. There were times when I wanted to say to the author, "Yes, he was an S.O.B., but you said that already! Now get on with it!" As a result this book was not an easy reading experience for me. However, I feel that this book is essential reading for anyone who has an interest in archeology. It certainly reveals the importance of questioning evidence and investigating the sources. There are more balanced accounts of Schliemann available, but Traille's book gives a good context to place them in.




5. According to Traill, Schliemann was not only a generally unpleasant character, but a liar and a cheat as well. Traill wants to dislike Schliemann, and he succeeds. Is the author biased, as a previous reviewer believes, or was Schliemann really such a rat? It's hard to trust this writer.

   It was a struggle to get through this book. I wanted a life of Schliemann without so much about the technicalities of archaeology, which I found confusing and uninteresting. Only brief glimpses of Schliemann the human being appear.

5 comments about Cosmic Trigger III : My Life After Death (Cosmic Trigger).

1. If you enjoyed the first two Cosmic Trigger books, pick this one up. I would recommend reading the first two books initially but you don't have to in order to get a lot out of this one. RAW makes me laugh and think and laugh again. I like to keep a notepad nearby to jot down people, subjects etc. he mentions, for more research later on. His writings have opened up many doors for many people.
   
   I found this third book to be easier to follow and more focused on it's thesis than the previous volumes. For me, reading all three in sequence seemed to work very well. Enjoy!



2. There really is not much for me to say on this one. It's just a fun ride. The kind you come to expect with Wilson. It is book you can read without having read the Cosmic Trigger books, but it helps.



3. How many books can begin with their author dieing? Well, it seems that nothing is impossible to Robert Anton Wilson. Finding out about his death on the internet, Wilson takes us along another journey of self discovery and an examination of belief systems.

   The story takes us to Ireland and unveils a host of new story lines to help you question the way you look at the world and help you to expand your mind. While this book comes close to the second book in the series, it falls just short of being equally as excellent. Wilson again attacks his topic through the intertwining of several story lines and does not disappoint. For anyone new to Wilson, you may wish to start with the second book in the series. If you have read the first two books, this one is definitely an excellent ending to the series.




4. I feel that Wilson might be a genius. He seems to me to be smart enough to realize that his opinion isn't necessarily the best one. He's careful to state that his opinions are just that, OPINIONS. This colors everything he does. {People looking for answers should run screaming the other way.)

   This is a set of essays, strung together in a manner that will make you think. His style as an essayist is engaging. In fact, I enjoy his essays more than his novels. Even when I disagree with Wilson (which might very well happen if you read with an open mind), I still find something to think about and consider.

   I think that his books are designed to be mind-openers, not mind closers...I actually met a RAW-Dogmatic guy once, and after I finished laughing, tried to show him that (in my opinion) he missed the message.

   This seems to me to be a fantastic book. I hope you enjoy it, too.




5. I think it's impossible for Robert Anton Wilson to write a non-interesting book. (Unfortunately he's gone into virtual retirement since the death of this wife.) While "Trigger III" has very little to do with the first book, (actually none of them have any connection other than title ) it's just a spellbinding read. To me, only RAW can write about what would be considered incidental and trival to most people and just make one gasp at the taken-for-granted mysteries and subtleties of existence. Such as, why IS the Mona Lisa cannonized as a masterpiece while works of equal of vast superioriority not? Here(as in all his books)he absolutely blasts away both materialistic dogma (Carl sagan, CISCOP, politicans)and religious dogma ( all of 'em ).

   Wilson is a philosopher who can see the beauty AND the B.S. of life. He intelligently explains having mystical expericences as a STARTING point to exploration, not a new dogma to shove down people's throats. In my opinion, no other writer is better in explaining and exposeing how the world is with more honesty, knowledge and HUMOR. ( This applies to litterally ALL his books, not just CT III)

   To my knowledge this is the last book Wilson has released. I sure hope he writes another before he "moves on". His works have literally transfromed me into, I think, a far wiser person. Hopefully for you as well.

No comments about HABERMAS: THE KEY CONCEPTS (Routledge Key Guides).

3 comments about Dharma Girl: A Road Trip Across the American Generations.

1. This is a very moving account of a young girl who feels the need to reconnect with her roots. Cain was raised on a hippie commune in Iowa but as a college student in California feels estranged from her background. This spurs a decision to move back to Iowa to rediscover the little girl she was. It's a simple enough premise but it is very well written. Her mother's bout with melanoma is the impetus for the journey. Then there is the search for a former friend thought to be dead which adds texture to the tale. The road trip is a great American motif and Cain handles it in her own unique circumstances. This is a tale about self-rediscovery as Cain attempts to bridge a hippie past with the current gen X values. It is cliché at times but very personal and honest. There is a lot of universal soil in this book. It can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys an honest account of dealing with illness and loss of innocence.



2. Chelsea Cain and I worked together a few years ago at the university newspaper in Iowa City. She was an excellent writer then, and Dharma Girl is wonderful as well. As a person, she is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to know her. I can't wait for her next effort.



3. In Dharma Girl, Chelsea Cain is trying to appeal both to the Gen X reader who is searching for some meaning in her life and to the aging hippie, nostalgic for life on the commune and hoping that it all made a difference somehow. The book is a quick read which I really did enjoy, even though I do not fit into either of the two categories above. The most engaging aspect of the book is the tension over whether she will be able to locate one of the commune members with whom she had a special friendship