Once Were Warriors

Book Description

Once Were Warriors is Alan Duff's harrowing vision of his country's indigenous people two hundred years after the English conquest. In prose that is both raw and compelling, it tells the story of Beth Heke, a Maori woman struggling to keep her family from falling apart, despite the squalor and violence of the housing projects in which they live. Conveying both the rich textures of Maori tradition and the wounds left by its absence, Once Were Warriors is a masterpiece of unblinking realism, irresistible energy, and great sorrow.

Customer Reviews:

This movie took me to New Zealand.......2006-04-07

While I agree this was one of the rare cases where the film was actually better than the book, had it not been for the book and subsequent movie my daughter and I would not have started what would be the beginning of a deep interest in Maori culture and a trip there where we stayed on Maori land.
The stories I was told during my trip were very special and some mirror the trials of the indigenous people of this country, also known as Native Americans. It opened me up to a place on this planet I may not have ever considered visiting. Now I can not wait to get back!

Bland and moralizing .......2005-08-12

I picked up Once Were Warriors because, like most other people, I had seen the movie and was expecting a riveting tale. This is, however, one of those rare cases where the movie surpasses the book in almost all facets.
The story is set against the backdrop of a government housing project in New Zealand and describes the trials and tribulations of a Maori family living on the dole (unemployment). The main characters are the parents, Ruth and Jake Heke, and some of their children, Nig, Booggie and Grace.
The movie (unlike the book) is fraught with emotion and sorrow, and you are swept into the netherworld of Maori society almost against your will. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the movie, I wouldn't have been expecting as much from the book and would have been less disappointed and more forgiving towards the author.
Unfortunately the bland and ineptly described milieu, the one-dimensional characters and lack of dialogue punctuation in the book gives a feeling of emptiness and you are left wanting more.
The story itself is not badly constructed and I could be charitable and say that Alan Duff employed the aforesaid writing devices to emphasize the soullessness of the society he describes. Regrettably he disproves this theorem by descending into a mire of soppiness at the end of the book.
He allows the characters to become pathetically clichéd and tries to turn a fictional account into a self-serving sermon on the moralities of his society. Both the book and the believability of the characters are devalued and made to suffer for this cheap trick of his.
On the positive side, the book initially makes a powerful statement about the effects of developed societies intruding into more primitive ones. The feelings of displacement and defeatism of a conquered nation are also explored as well as the impact they have on the psyche of the subjugated culture.
In conclusion, I would not recommend this book to anyone not extremely devoted to the Maori culture and the societal difficulties of New Zealand. There are many better books available in terms of the emotional, societal and familial structure issues this book attempts to explore.
If, however, you like your moralizing fed with a big spoon and rammed down you throat, this is the book for you.

"Complete Waste of TIme".......2003-07-10

I had watched the movie so I thought the book would be just as good or better: NOT! The lack of dialouge is disconcerting,and you never really get a grasp on the characters. Written correctly this would have been an excellent book, however when a book becomes a chore to finish, it is hardly an enjoyable experience. The movie is fantastic. Save your money {and your eyes} and rent the video!

"Complete Waste of TIme".......2003-07-10

I had watched the movie so I thought the book would be just as good or better: NOT!!! The lack of dialouge is disconcerting,and you never really get a grasp on the characters. Written correctly this would have been an excellent book, however when a book becomes a chore to finish, it is hardly an enjoyable experience. The movie is fantastic. Save your money {and your eyes} and rent the video!

Heavy handed.......2002-09-05

An earlier reviewer who said skip this and see the film was on the mark.
There's no doubting that this is an incredible powerful and important story (hence the 3 stars).
However, to describe the writing as heavy handed is an understatement. Unlike Lee Tamahori (film's director)Duff seems incapable of letting his characters and the situations they find themselves speak for themselves. When you've created characters as powerful and memorable as Jake and Beth it's so unecessary. The fact that Duff feels the need to intersperse the narative with his simplistic moralising means by the end you find yourself spend more time wishing he'd shut up than worrying about the fate of the family.
The film however is a masterpiece. Astonishingly powerful performances, and the direction pulls no punches whilst allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. Duff could have learnt much, however from he's done since it doesn't seem that he did.

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Once Were Warriors
Alan Duff
Manufacturer: Tandem Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Social realism with style: an interview with Lee Tamahori. (filmmaker)(Interview): An article from: Cineaste

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Social realism with style: an interview with Lee Tamahori. (filmmaker)(Interview): An article from: Cineaste
Robert Sklar
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00093O89C
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on June 22, 1995. The length of the article is 3553 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Director Lee Tamahori depicted the lives of postcolonial Maoris in New Zealand in his film 'Once Were Warriors.' The film has been widely received in its country as a lucid observation of the modern Maoris' attempt to reconcile their tribal past with the breakdown of traditional values occurring in the present. The film centers on one family in which the husband's violent and selfish behavior ultimately alienates his wife. It also portrays gangs and societies which revert to a form of tribalism in enacting their violent urges.

Citation Details
Title: Social realism with style: an interview with Lee Tamahori. (filmmaker)(Interview)
Author: Robert Sklar
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 1995
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: v21 Issue: n3 Page: p25(3)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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ONCE WERE WARRIORS
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The Ramirez Bride: Book 1
The Ramirez Bride (Harlequin Presents # 2487)
Emma Darcy
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Accessories:

Avon ANEW CLINICAL 2-Step Facial Peel

ASIN: 0373124872

Customer Reviews:

The Ramirez Bride: Book 1.......2005-09-09

Back cover:
Fame, fortune, fast cars--and any woman he wants! But the past has caught up with Nick Ramirez, and now he's forced to abandon his reckless pursuit of personal pleasure--if he wants to meet his long-lost brothers. Monogamy, marriage--and a mother for his child. Nick must find a wife and produce a child within a year. Though many women have shared his bed, there's only one he'd choose to be his Ramirez Bride...

Comments:
Nick lives in a fast paced environment surrounded by women and luxury. However, he had to fight his way to the top. He basically grew up with little love and comfort from either one of his parents. His mother used her looks to climb the social ladder and married more than four times to get there. Nick also discovered who he thought was his father wasn't and he went to see his real father in Brazil. Unfortunately, his biological father wanted nothing to do with him. Well, Nick's father dies and interestingly he list Nick in his will. The inheritance is Nick will be given the names of his two long lost brothers if he marries and has a child in one year. Nick has the perfect candidate in mind. Tessa Steele. They had one night of passion, but no relationship ever came about despite the fact they remained business partners. Little does Nick know that their one night of passion would connect them forever. The relationship between Nick and Tessa was rocky for the most part. Tessa really was looking for love herself and she had deep feelings for Nick. Nick on the other hand was the love them and leave them type. However, after Nick discovered that part of his stipulation for the inheritance had already been completed he starts to see Tessa in a different light. He wants to make things work with her and eventually he realizes that perhaps Tessa is the key to the empty void in his life. Overall, this book was an easy read. A lot of passionate feelings from Nick towards Tessa. Tessa just really wanted Nick to love her. Sometimes I did think that Tessa let Nick steamroll over her, but she stood her ground most of the time.

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All second/third time brides will appreciate..

Bride Again: An A to Z Guide
Beth Reed Ramirez
Manufacturer: New Horizon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0882822675

Book Description

Written in a conversational and humerous style, this straightforward advice is accompanied by real-life stories from other second-time brides.

Customer Reviews:

All second/third time brides will appreciate.........2006-05-11

the info and advice this book offers. It covers a lot of topics and touches on may issues that the generic wedding planning books do not. I can recoomend this book to anyone getting hitched a second time, or for any women who are marrying previously married men.

Book Description

Printed in the colors of flesh and blood, VAS: An Opera in Flatland—a hybrid image-text novel—demonstrates how differing ways of imagining the body generate diverse stories of history, gender, politics, and, ultimately, the literature of who we are.

A constantly surprising, VAS combines a variety of voices, from journalism and libretto to poem and comic book. Often these voices meet in counterpoint, and the meaning of the narrative emerges from their juxtapositions, harmonies, or discords. Utilizing a wide and historical sweep of representations of the body—from pedigree charts to genetic sequences—VAS is, finally, the story of finding one's identity within the double helix of language and lineage.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-03-09

Nice to see a book that uses design in both narrative and layout. This is on my top ten books to read!

Great Stuff.......2006-03-23

The book is a fun, funky blend of novel, epic poem, found poetry, and graphic art. You will be enthralled. Shipping was fast, too!

Avoid.......2006-03-13

I would rather claw my own eyes out than read this book again. The dialogue and story between the characters in this "novel" is all that is worth reading...and sadly not even a third of the book consists of that. The other two-thirds is nothing but ramblings and fragments about scientific theories and history; and even then, some of that information I found to be incorrect. Spend your money elsewhere if you are looking for enjoyment.

Proof that the novel is very much alive in the 21st Century.......2003-09-22

I've been a fan of Steve Tomasula's writing ever since I read his brilliant short story, "C-U See-Me" in The Iowa Review. VAS: An Opera In Flatland only confirms my best suspicions: that Tomasula is one of our most talented and innovative writers creating in this age of same-ol/same-ol. His collaboration with artist Stephen Farrell hits a high note in the field of Text + Image. This is a literal work of art, and should be approached in the same way one views a painting - by allowing the work to speak on its own terms rather than from conventional and limiting expectations. Reading VAS is like witnessing scattershot in reverse: With narrative of an impending vasectomy combined with scientific data and historical facts (to name only a few), and structure combining the media-asides that bombard us daily, the process of reading here is broadly experiential - an accumulation of often poetic, comic, and tragic information that coalesces as you reach the end. Very much like life between the covers. But a very smart, richly lived life.

This is an excellent Book.......2003-09-03

Reading "Vas: An Opera in Flatland" while I waited to have my hair cut, someone nearby asked what I was reading, and was it a good book. Answering, "yes this is an excellent book", I was not prepared for the next question. "How do you know it's an excellent book"? Being a person who would typically answer, "Because someone told me so", or trying to end the conversation I had become a part of, I answered, "because I am enjoying it, its making me think about a lot of different things, and its cool (I apologize for the `cool')".

Sinking my head down I pretend to read but was actually thinking about the question I had already answered. How do I know this is an excellent book? The question intimidated me. I wondered if I was answering this in the presence of the author that wrote it or the artist that put it together what my answer would be.

So I tried, this book (seems unfair to call it that) encompasses written and visual art, science, humor, some history, politics, ethics, and more. From the books bindings, to the artwork and the writing I find it difficult to compare to anything else I have read or seen (OK, as far as books are concerned). I looked at the drawings, layouts and fonts and typeset, I laughed, I read and I learned. I cannot think of other works that touched so many areas. If this is a new approach to literature, I feel it is `excellent'. If this is an approach to literature that I have been missing then I apologize for myself.

Please give this work a chance, while reading, looking, holding, etc you will ask `you' a lot of questions and will be looking at a lot of different images. When you are done you will struggle to put your hand on what you have put down, a piece of art, a book, or something else.

I'm not sure what I should call it, but it is an excellent book. (Buy It!)

Amazon.com

This collection of 280 thoughts by Gary Zukav (inspired by his bestseller The Seat of the Soul) is packaged like a one-a-day spiritual vitamin. The spiral-bound book can be propped open on a desktop or a kitchen counter. Readers simply flip the pages to find a quote to meditate on every day. Some of the quotes are true gems of wisdom, such as "The decisions that you make and the actions that you take upon the earth are the means by which you evolve" or "If you strike without compassion against the darkness, you yourself enter the darkness." Some offer more intellectual fodder than spiritual awareness, such as "Try looking at life as a beautifully well-organized dynamic." And only a few border on cliché, as in "No two people have the same reality." Nonetheless, Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul makes a great workplace or at-home companion--a daily reminder of why we're here and the true work we have before us. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

The Journey Toward Authentic Power

Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul is a beautiful collection of carefully chosen excerpts from Gary Zukav's celebrated bestseller The Seat of the Soul. Slip this lovely little book into your purse or bag and take it with you wherever you go. Turn the pages as you are drawn -- you can be inspired every day or once an hour, or you can meditate on your favorite thought all month. Use it as an oracle, or to stimulate deeper insight, joy, and appreciation of your life and the lives of others. This powerful volume is for those who are growing in consciousness and for those who want to. It is the perfect gift for someone you love or for yourself.

Customer Reviews:

Thoughts From the Seat of the Soul.......2007-03-08

This book is an excellent meditative companion for those who have read Gary Zukav's other books--"Seat of the Soul," "The Heart of the Soul," and "The Mind of the Soul" as well as "Soul Stories" and "The Dancing Wu Li Masters." I keep my copy of this book in my car where I can grab moments of mini-meditation when I am stuck in traffic or waiting for my daughter to get out of school.

The Best Thoughts.......2004-10-22

Gary Zukav has really put together a great compilation of "Seat of the Soul" into this book. It is inspiring, and helps bring me back to center. I recommend this to anyone that cold use some inspiration combined with wonderful concepts that will help you in your life.

Gary's thoughts are wonderful.......2001-08-03

Gary Zukav has taken his book, The Seat of the Soul, and pulled out the best parts, the parts you would have underlined or highlighted or marked with a star, and put them into a spiral bound, stank-alone book that I think is very useful to me. I flip open a page and let it sit on my desk here next to my computer and every now and then I glance over at it and think about it. It's well worth the price.

The Seat of the Soul.......2000-12-19

Gary's openness allowed me to be at ease looking within myself. Page 99 of the book let me know that I will always have assistance. I now know I will never be alone again. Every Human should read this book it brings all you have learned about God and the Universe into a place where you understand ...what was missing ....I now know it's going to be ok..Thanks Gary for giving me this tool.

All encompassing approach to Life.......2000-07-19

I have only just started reading this book and I already find it all encompassing.The teaching so far is significant for me and enlightening for my life path.

Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul: Meditations for Souls in Process

Average customer rating:

Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul: Meditations for Souls in Process

Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HHRWL6

Customer Reviews:

Authentic recipes..........2005-06-10

More geared toward the novice baker, with some creativity you can re-create the pastries using some ingenuity. It's a book using the metric system and intermediate knowledge of cooking is useful. It's a good book. Good comfort baking that reminds me of growing up in chinatown and having a bao for breakfast every morning. It has recipes for the master dough for chinese bakery bao, cookies, pie and the nefarious bakery sponge cake. A sponge cake for at least one birthday is a requirement.

This cookbook does not use conventional measuring system.......2004-01-06

I had great trouble using this book due to the measuring system this cookbook uses. For example, one recipe calls for "4 2/3 oz. (132 g) cake flour (66%)" What does this mean? How many cups or tablespoon is "4 2/3 oz."? What is 66%? and what is "cake flour"?

A unique collection of Chinese-bakery favorites........2002-01-03

I was thrilled to find this book, which happens to include a recipe I had been seeking (and begging from Chinese bakeries, to no avail) for the last six years. You know how you walk into any Chinese bakery in the United States and see a range of treats, from the very traditional Chinese ones to the peculiarly Chinese renditions of baked goods in the European and American traditions? Well, this book presents recipes for lots and lots of Chinese-bakery treats, covering the whole range, from east to west.

Among the more traditional Chinese treats are moon cakes filled with sweet red bean paste surrounding a savory egg yolk, little cakes of chewy pineapple filling wrapped in a short-crust pastry, savory curry and pork pies, little eggy custard tarts, and the childhood favorite of mine whose recipe eluded me all these years: "bo lo mien bao, "commonly known as "pineapple buns" even though there is no pineapple in it, because of the pattern made when the crusty golden topping cracks during baking, and in this book inartfully called "Rolls with Scaly Crust" but absolutely delicious! For afficionados of Chinese baking, this book gives recipes for making the mysterious "Invert Syrup" and "Lye" I have seen referred to but not explained in some old recipes.

As for the traditionally European and American bakery treats, what I love is that these are the typically Chinese renditions of western favorites. If you have not been to a Chinese bakery and tasted the way the Chinese and other Asian peoples like their western baked goods to taste (and think they should taste!), just imagine a world in which yeasted bread loaves, rolls, buns, and doughnuts are all made with a white and fluffy sweet-roll dough, even when the treats that are filled with savory fillings. Imagine cakes with the finest, fluffiest of textures: American Strawberry Cake; Vanilla Chiffon Cake, Chocolate Chiffon Cake; Raisin Swiss Roll, and the deliciously different Cheddar Cheese Cake. Evaporated milk is widely used in Chinese baking in place of fresh milk, but some of the recipes call for fresh milk or cream, such as Caramel Pudding and Chocolate Chiffon Pie. The techniques given for Basic Pie Shell dough and the Basic Tart Shell dough are unconventional, but, as once could say is the theme of this entire collection, that's the Chinese take on it!

I highly recommend this book to bakers who want to create Chinese-bakery favorites at home, especially to those who are always feeling that they live too far away from a Chinese bakery or who like western bakery treats the way they are made in Chinese bakeries. Beautiful color photographs of the finished items as well as step-by-step color photos of many of the techniques. Clear Instructions in English and Chinese. Avoirdupois and metric measurements. A unique collection of hard-to-find recipes. You will love this book!

Book Description

More than 570 Pairpoint lamps with their distinctive glass shades are shown in this and the companion volume that comprise the catalog. They represent a broad sample of the production of Pairpoint lamps from 1900 to the early 1930s. The most remarkable feature of the catalog is that so many of the pages are hand-colored with watercolors, having been painted by the original factory decorators. This practice occurred at the factory when orders for the lamps were slow.

Book Description

“Duginske, a former contributing editor to Fine Woodworking and a recognized expert on band saws, illustrates how to adjust bandsaws to obtain optimum performance....[He] shows numerous techniques for cuts of all types and offers instructions for a variety of projects created by top woodworkers, including candlesticks, lamps, toys, and boxes. An excellent guide...recommended for public libraries.”—Library Journal.

Customer Reviews:

Where's the rocking chair?.......2004-12-21

To be honest, I bought the book in hopes that the beautiful rocking chair shown on the cover would be either one of the plans, or at least described in the book ... however it is not. The rest of the book looks ok, but was not my primary reason for buying it.

Book Description

Not so long ago, Berlin was a symbol of division. Since the end of the Cold War however, and Germany's re-unification, it has been transformed into a place where Eastern and Western Europe meet. The city has become a bridge between cultures and its thriving restaurant scene offers food and ambience of infinite variety. This selection of innovatively designed restaurant interiors, copiously illustrated with over 100 color photographs and sample menus from selected hot spots, serves as a guide to Berlin's most fashionable dining destinations.

Book Description

Finalists of a global advertising competition are honored in this newest edition of an acclaimed annual that sets standards for excellence in design to inspire ad agencies, graphic designers, and students everywhere. Chosen by the Festivals' Board of Distinguished Judges and Advisors-a veritable Who's Who of communication leaders from around the world-the winning entries include print and collateral design for newspapers, magazines, billboards, package design, promotions, and speciality campaigns of many kinds, adding up to a cornucopia of world-class work at its finest.

Customer Reviews:

The best creative window of the world.......2000-06-07

The best way to know how the creative word is doing is to have a look to this book. From mine point of view is priority when you work in advertising. Is a way you look how your competitors and aother industrial cathegories are facing the advertising goals.

Book Description

Cherie Huffman began her career as a Hollywood hair stylist in the '60s. Cherie has worked with some of the most famous people of our time, including Jerry Lewis, John Wayne, Peggy Lee, Ann Margret, Liza Minelli, Diana Ross and many, many more.

As said by Cherie, "If you think I'm a name dropper, well I am but this was my life. So put on your boots and follow through the path I lived and loved. I was lucky enough to be in the business when it was still mysterious and glamorous."

Fondling Follicles of the Rich and Famous is the story of her life and experience throughout her career in Hollywood.

Customer Reviews:

Hair today and gone tomorrow !.......2007-08-23

Excellent insight into the what goes on behind the camera.Full of entertaining anecdotes about the stars,I bourght it for her time on the dynasty set and was not dissapointed.

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