Book Description
A newly arrived immigrant to New York experiences a series of devastating misfortunes. Just as he begins to lose his faith in God, something comes along to restore his faith, a miracle that will have the reader rejoicing.
Customer Reviews:
Job.......2004-08-23
A book so beautifully wrought, so poetically driven,
so simple in its profound telling of sadness, despair and
redemption. Read this and be rewarded with the
memory of Mendel which, hopefully, will accompany
you all your years
Great story telling.......2003-10-17
Joseph Roth uses the style of Yiddish story telling to retell the ancient story of Job. This is a beautiful and poignant story in which all the characters are fully drawn and recognizable from our own lives. Since reading this book, I've gone on to read all Roth's works of fiction. I wish we had writers of his quality today.
A Simple Man made Wise.......2001-01-17
An extraordinarily moving story with the biblical Job at its heart - a man driven `to curse God' and ready to die, including his friends who come as comforters - but written in such a way as to capture the heart of the story and the imagination of the reader and, by concluding at the very point where you want it to go on, leaving you to complete the experience for yourself.
Beautiful story.......2000-12-01
Mendel Singer parallels the biblical Job. Roth's characters are warm and human. The best of all the fictional treatments of the Job story. I particularly appreciated his treatment of the most difficult part of the Book of Job, his final restoration.
I couldn't stop crying or smiling.......1998-02-27
It is so good to see that people haven't changed in almost 100 years. What moved people then, still moves us today. Life has come full circle. It is among the wisest books about human nature and life's bare essentials.
Product Description
Set in a Russian shtetl, vividly descriptive tale of a pious Jew and his family.
Book Description
Intense and full of psychotic action, Hellsing continues its fevered pitch into a dark chaos that defies human logic. Human? Well, there are only a few left in the storyline as the emerging Millennium Project, an army of Nazi undead, is unleashed upon the world. What will surely ensue is a war of blood and nostalgia, with a cool gothic style and increasingly frenetic pace. Envision the Hindenburg, old sharpshooter rifles, and throwback uniforms, mixed with new jet technology and incredibly bold vampires. Hellsing is packed to the gills with radical mysticism and scary apocalypse ... and it's fun as Hell!
Customer Reviews:
Yeeeeouch! Amazing!.......2005-08-26
Amazingly dark and graffic - that is to say it's less words and more killing and more Alucard doing his transformy-awesome-killer-mode-thingy. Unfortunately, there isn't much Alucard - just one very nicely crafted scene *sob, weeep* but it's my favorite in the series anyway because it's so darn AWESOME!! :D Lots of Nazi's, lots and lots and lots of Nazi's, yup, more Nazi's.
It Just Keeps Getting Better!.......2005-01-14
Hellsing is already a masterwork, (albeit one in progress,) and volume five, as with all of the other volumes of the manga that have come before, seems to be no different. Hirano has outdone himself yet again, and proven, also yet again, that his style, like a fine wine, only gets better with age.
As with any manga series, I recommend you start from the beginning in order to maintain the story's general coherency and provide a more enjoyable experience overall, but if you've read through volume four, then this book is a definite must have! The artwork is excellent and is far more refined than that of the previous four mangas, while the storyline progresses in an adrenaline packed suspense ride jam-packed with the kind of gore and gothic crusader spirit we've come to expect from Hirano. Again, a definite must have for any Hellsing fan.
Book Description
Akiko's fearless crew crashes on a most unusual and fascinating planet: Earth! Taken in by a Japanese woman an dher elderly grandmother, the intergalactic heroes learn the wonders of Japanese culture. Soon after, the beloved characters journey to a bizarre dimension in search of a moon to purchase! An endless string of weird adventures in true AKIKO fashion, guaranteed to plaster a wide grin on every reader's face.
Book Description
Is it possible to be spiritual and yet not believe in the supernatural? Can a person be spiritual without belonging to a religious group or organization? In this book, philosopher Robert Solomon offers challenging answers to these questions as he explodes commonly held myths about what is means to be spiritual in today's pluralistic world. Based on Solomon's own struggles to reconcile philosophy with religion, Spirituality for the Skeptic offers a model of a vibrant, fulfilling spirituality that embraces the complexities of human existence and acknowledges the joys and tragedies of life. Solomon has forged an enlightened new path that synthesizes spirituality with emotions, intellect, science, and common sense. His new paradigm, "naturalized" spirituality, establishes as its cornerstone the "thoughtful love of life"--a passionate concern for the here-and-now, and not the by-and-by. Being spiritual doesn't mean being holed up as a recluse, spending hours in meditation and contemplation, Solomon argues. It demands involvement and emotional engagement with others in the struggle to find meaning in our lives. As such, this modern-day spirituality encompasses a passionate enthusiasm for the world, the transformation of self, cosmic trust and rationality, coming to terms with fate, and viewing life as a gift, all of which are explored in depth throughout this book. Spirituality for the Skeptic answers the need for a non-institutional, non-dogmatic spirituality that leads to personal fulfillment and satisfaction. By examining the ideas of great thinkers from Socrates and Nietzsche to Buddha to Kafka, Solomon arrives at a practical vision of spirituality that should appeal to many seekers looking to make sense of the human condition.
Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking. ALMOST revolutionary........2007-09-11
This is a great book, but try to avoid approaching it with any SPECIFIC expectations. If you're hoping for a bullet-proof philosophical argument, you'll be disappointed. If you're hoping for a "self help" book, you'll be incredibly disappointed. But if you've struggled with your own "spirituality" or lack thereof, and if you feel like morality and deep meaning are still possible without positing a dogmatic "God," then read this book. I call it "almost" revolutionary because I think it could eventually be the beginnings of a new way to think about spirituality. But it's not a manifesto for spiritual revolution; nor is it intended to be. It's a collection of ideas.
Even if you believe in, say, a Judeo-Christian God, this book is still worth a read. It's an interesting and important exercise to ponder which components of your religion are universally true regardless of the specific dogmas and scriptures unique to it.
As a final check to decide whether or not this book is worth your time: have ever felt deeply connected to something bigger, like "nature" or maybe "community," even in the absence of a belief in God? You're not alone, and Robert Solomon has some very interesting ideas to discuss with you.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS?.......2006-12-12
The answer is a qualified "yes," same as the answer to the question, Is it possible to be gay but not homosexual? You simply have to qualify what you mean by the words, state the restricted sense of your operating definitions of "spiritual" and "gay." "Spirit" is multi-faceted, with at least 30 senses of the word in common use; "spiritual" is more restrictive but still a slippery adjective, and all you have to do to answer the question in the affirmative is "spirit" the S-word away from the church by semantic legerdemain.
Here, for example, is Robert Solomon's definition of "spirituality" (from his book-on-tape "The Passions"): "Spirituality is simply the recognition that the universe is much, much greater than yourself, utterly unfathomable... a sense of sublime and humility... nothing to do w religion, per se." I don't buy this, and I doubt that anyone else does either. A sense of awe and humility might be a component of spirituality, but in common parlance, there's much more to spirituality than that; if Solomon wants to hijack spirituality, he'll have to try harder.
And so he does; in this book, "Spirituality for the Skeptic," Solomon dances around the issue for 140 pages, waving both hands and blathering on and on about spirituality, offering up at least 100 definitions or aspects of the S-word, launching them like trial balloons to see which might fly. In the end, I would have preferred that he simply coin a new word for the ersatz spirituality he is trying to sell.
In his treatise on free will, "Freedom Evolves," Daniel Dennett does much the same thing, desperately dancing around and waving his hands frantically throughout an entire book, trying to rescue free will from determinism's death-grip, but in the end all he can come up with is a very restricted sense of the term, as "subjective" free will (in effect, he admits that we do not have free will, but it feels like we do, so there).
Both Solomon and Dennett are academic philosophers, and they are both superb BS artists. But I find their writing entertaining and their thought stimulating, so perhaps you will too; put your thinking cap on, tune up your BS filter, and enjoy the ride.
Extremely Intelligent, Thought-Provoking.......2004-02-16
This is a fascinating book. NOT for the New Age "spirituality" group, but for intelligent, skeptical thinkers interested in the investigations of someone who knows Western philosophy well (and a little Eastern) who is asking how to live one's life. Solomon defines spirituality as "the thoughtful love of life" and then asks how we can practice it.
This is a book I go back to and reread periodically because it is so useful, and even inspirational. The "thoughtful love of life" certainly doesn't come naturally to me, but it's a valuable principle.
The last paragraph of the book says a lot:
"In many spiritual traditions, the purpose of life itself becomes the achievement of such transformation. For most people, the transformation of self may be nothing more than total immersion in a group and a tradition. But for those of us who enjoy the mixed blessing of seeing beyond all traditions and thus finding ourselves without an anchor in the world, spirituality is an arduous process, filled with doubts and misgivings, skeptical of glib formulations and platitudes, frustrated with the limitations of the personalities we have worked so hard to create over the course of a lifetime. But if the self to which spirituality and philosophy refers is nothing other than the everyday self, and neither is it just the everyday self, and a tremendous effort to discover or realize our better selves is what spirituality is all about. Spirituality is a process rather than the result." p. 140
well, maybe it's not so bad.......2003-06-24
I was a philosophy student for five semesters, sincerely (and naively) searching for truth and wisdom. I nearly completed the major before I just got tired of its irrelevance. Solomon nicely summed up my experience, "What had originally been conceived as the love of wisdom had become a tedious technical enterprise, appealing more to students with affective disorders than to those who were seeking the meaning of life." With such disappointment in the background, I looked forward to recovering a bit of enthusiasm for Western philosophy, to receiving a bit of its wisdom for my life, for my skeptical spirituality.
After reading the preface and introduction to this book on Amazon, I ordered it. I had high expectations. I wanted to see a professional, thoughtful philosopher apply insights from the Western philosophical tradition to the problems of spirituality for skeptics: the meaning of life in light of evolutionary psychology and physical cosmology, ethics without authorities, ritual and worship and wholeness in the emerging skeptical traditions, belonging and identity and coalition formation in a world of deadly technology.
I am sorry to say that's not what I got, and if that's what you want you'll be as disappointed as I was. He seems to have satisfied himself on such questions long before he encountered spirituality. He is not addressing them in any depth here.
Instead, this book is an apology for spirituality in academia, specifically in the discipline of philosophy. Solomon's project is to address the typical moderately liberal concerns of academia and academic philosophy in terms of spirituality. Essentially he's preoccupied with a terminological (cultural) problem: How can a self-respecting academic discuss spirituality. Isn't it just too trite?
In retrospect, I suppose this is a worthy mission, but it's not one that means much to me. If it's your concern, this book is probably good for you. But if you are interested in the kinds of questions I was interested in, then this book is either irrelevant or superficial.
(I am not sure what Solomon thought his purpose was. He never actually comes out and says, and he seems to think he's discussing deep, meaningful questions throughout the book. And, to be fair, I did pause for thought a few times while reading it. But it's not going to have a lasting impact on me, and he didn't seem concerned that it might. He did seem concerned that he might be misconstrued by a reviewer, so he filled his paragraphs with caveats; obviously he's accustomed to writing for academic journals rather than for a "serious" audience--I mean that literally. Meanwhile, comments throughout the book reveal that his projected audience is familiar with the social scene in Anglo-American academia.)
Let me add two more criticisms. Solomon seeks spirituality in partnership with science, but he really appears unfamiliar with science. Perhaps that's a faulty impression; since he's not really thinking about the meaning of life perhaps he doesn't have to address the problems suggested by science.
Secondly, he appears unfamiliar with anthropology; although he cites and refers to classical philosophers, modern and contemporary Western philosophers, ancient East Asian philosophers, ancient Indian philosophers, and religious traditions from Pacific islands (he wasn't more specific)--he doesn't take any notice of the contexts of all those philosophers. Once again, a charitable reader could imagine that they are beyond the scope of Solomon's project. So they may be. However, he makes a startling claim on the last page, "For most people, the transformation of self may be nothing more than total immersion in a group and a tradition. But for those of us who enjoy the mixed blessing of seeing beyond all traditions and thus finding ourselves without an anchor in the world, spirituality is rather an arduous process, filled with doubts and misgivings, skeptical of glib formulations and platitudes, ...."
Oh my! I submit that Solomon is not seeing beyond all traditions, that actually he is deeply immersed in one, that in fact spirituality in many traditions is an arduous process filled with doubts and misgivings, and that while he is skeptical of certain glib formulations and platitudes, he is swallowing others hook, line and sinker--and spitting them back up in print. In short, he really ought to read some anthropology.
His other books are probably much better. To be fair, he admits that spirituality is new to him. Perhaps when he is more familiar with the topic, and more comfortable with his right to address it, he can bring his familiarity with philosophy to it in greater depth. If he tries, I would be happy to read his book.
On the bright side, reading the book did inspire me to revisit Sartre, Camus and Heidegger after all this time. Solomon reminded me that they did wrestle with the grand questions I mentioned, and that once upon a time I enjoyed reading their work and thinking about their thoughts and learning from them. I guess that's a meager version of what I wanted after all.
Average customer rating:
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Espiritualidad Para Escepticos/ Spirituality for the Skeptic: Meditaciones Sobre El Amor a La Vida / the Thoughtful Love of Life (Paidos Contextos)
Robert C. Solomon
Manufacturer: Ediciones Paidos Iberica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 8449313791 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on September 1, 2003. The length of the article is 758 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.
Citation Details
Title: Solomon, Robert. Spirituality for the Skeptic: the Thoughtful Love of Life.(Book Review)
Author: G. Elijah Dann
Publication:
The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2003
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: 57
Issue: 1
Page: 181(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
Debra Ponzek, former chef at Montrachet in New York, was once one of America's superstar culinary artists. But she chucked it all to lead a more normal life away from the pressure and the long, hard hours. Now she's back with a cookbook that draws on the expertise she gained in the kitchen of one of the top restaurants in the country. Her goal is to show how to apply some of the secrets of the chef's art in your kitchen at home. Crab cakes, for example, can be cooked most of the way through in advance and finished off before serving. Broths can be made way in advance. The book succeeds, both in passing on tricks of the trade and offering delicious, inspiring recipies.
Book Description
The most acclaimed new interpreter of French cuisine since Alice Waters shares the techniques and the philosophy behind her award-winning approach to French food. With Debra Ponzek as their guide, a new generation of home cooks can truly participate in the next wave of culinary innovation. National ads/media.
Customer Reviews:
A lot from one book.......1998-07-13
I had origionally read about this chef/author in the book Home Food so I researched more articles on the woman. In the end I bought the book for my daughter because the book had a lot in it. My daughter had asked for a book on technique and this book instills confidence for the beginning cook. Along with good recipes there is a lot of information on substitution of ingredients and timing. She really teaches how to think ahead in cooking, Her recipes are lovely variations on the familiar. As it is summer in Seattle as I write this, I had only hoped that it would have more seasonal food. It is a book for someone living on a coast. I find myself borrowing this book from my daughter quite a lot.
Amazon.com
It's not just what you write, it's what you write it with. In a world where e-mailing and word processing are the new norm, nostalgia for fountain pens, inkwells, and other erstwhile desk accessories is on the rise. What's more satisfactory--signing a letter with a Bic or a black rubber gold-nibbed 1950s Parker Duofold? For lovers of pen and ink, The Write Stuff is an informative book on the history of ink and ink containers, pen making, and collecting.
Filled with black-and-white photographs and illustrated advertisements (plus a 31-page full-color section), The Write Stuff takes us through the advent of the writing trade up to the rediscovery of the fountain pen in the 1980s. Beginning with Egyptian scribes and lasting until the Middle Ages, inkwells were plain and serviceable and pens made from reeds or feathers. With the Renaissance, inkwells became ornate and were often made of precious metals or delicate porcelain (for the most part, only the wealthy could read and write). The steel pen debuted in the mid-1700s, and not until the 20th century did fountain pens, which are now sought-after collectibles, appear. Inkwells and desk accessories are often of more value than fountain pens, but the pens invoke a fond sentiment for less-hurried times--and these days, represent style, prestige, and power.
Written by Ray and Bevy Jaegers, longtime pen and inkwell collectors, The Write Stuff tends to focus more on the history of the inkwells, pens, and their makers than on how to collect or on the going rate for these collectibles. But they do make you want to push that keyboard aside and reach for a thick sheet of combed cotton paper, a cut crystal inkwell, and a white goose quill. --Dana Van Nest
Customer Reviews:
A very good introduction, but no more than that.......2003-02-19
This large and attractive book is a 199-page (not including table of contents, etc.) history of everything that covers the desk: from pens and inkwells to paperclips, paperweights and bookends. The highpoint of the book is definitely chapter 9, which gives tips on the repair and restoration of such items for the collector. Along the way, the reader is treated to numerous black-and-white pictures, and even 32 pages of color pictures!
This book is an excellent gift for someone who is interested in taking up the hobby of collecting desk accessories. However, as it is only intended as an introduction, it does not have any real depth. If you are hoping to use this book to help you understand the items you already have, then you will be disappointed (as I was). But, if you want this book for the introduction that it is, you will enjoy it.
Delightful Reference For "Writing Stuff" Collectors !.......2000-08-16
This brand new (2000) 208 page softbound volume contains more than 200 full color and 300 black and white very large, sharp photos of every type of writing tool and desk accessory. In addition to the great photos, there is plenty of detailed information about the various collectibles. Topics range from: history of ink and ink containers; stone to shell-inkwell materials; inkwell designs and motifs; history of pens; to collecting pens; advertisintg item;, and restoration and repair tips. Plenty of valuable data for the collector. There are pen ads, and year 2000 values. Pen collectors will be interested in the history provided, which takes you from quill pens to the ballpoint, and back to the old nib-style pens. There is an interesting chapter on the major fountain pen makers. Well worth adding to your collectibles library.
Average customer rating:
- Good for reference but not for patterns.
- A mix of surprise, creativity and dissapointment...
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Southwest by Southwest: Native American and Mexican Quilt Designs
Kirstin Olsen
Manufacturer: Main Street Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Applique
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ASIN: 0806974389 |
Customer Reviews:
Good for reference but not for patterns........2004-01-14
Given the relative dearth of quilting books featuring patterns inspired by Native American and Mexican art, I was anxious to buy this book. After going through it, however, I would classify it more as an "appetite-whetter" than a pattern book. It is a terrific starting place for a more experienced quilter who can adapt the author's dated instructions to current techniques such as rotary cutting and strip piecing and who can incorporate multiple design elements into one piece. Standing alone, the pieces presented by the author are simplistic to the point of being crude. Nonetheless, I enjoy this book and am happy to have it as part of my reference collection.
A mix of surprise, creativity and dissapointment..........2000-12-16
Although published in '91 the quilts and techniques in this book are reminiscent of the '70s. Ms. Olsen does a great job of researching Native American designs. Her interpretation and execution of the quilts, however, is a little dissapointing. Her quilts are very simplistic and, in the case of her CHEMEHUEVI CRIB QUILT, entirely misses the design elements. Most of the quilts are pictured draped instead of full view. These quilts could easily be done with the strip piecing technique but Ms. Olsen gives directions for individual patchwork pieces instead. The book does however, have wonderful patterns which are easily adapted to modern techniques and fabrics. Overall, I enjoy the book and look forward to using her authentic designs.
Book Description
Hit television show inspires more than a dozen ideas to decorate any surface in any room.
Power decorating techniques for anyone with limited time or money.
Chapters are organized by decorating topic so readers can choose a technique and instantly engage.
Room tours and advice for many decorating styles and room types.
Easy-to-finish projects require a few simple steps and readily available materials.
Ideas for adding architectural details to a room, embellishing furnishings, creating decorative accessories, and beyond.
Customer Reviews:
Best of the Trading Spaces books.......2006-06-30
"Instant Impact" is definitely the best of the Trading Spaces books! They have a great ideas and wonderful photos from the shows. Another great book is Martha Stewart's "Decorating with Color." Sadly, I was disappointed by HGTV's "Before and After."
Book Description
The Graphic Idea Resource series presents good design in an affordable format. Each book in the series presents inspiring, contemporary, graphic design projects, and focuses on a single area of design technique. With examples of finished work ranging from brochures to packaging to self-promotion, this series is a valuable resource for designers working in any specialty.
Good graphic design can be a powerful force behind the sale of products, companies, or a service. Graphic Idea Resource: Promotion presents the finished designs and the creative process of the designers who are making sales for their clients and themselves. This book presents outstanding work by top market-savvy designers showing finished graphics which have increased sales for the client.
Corporate identity is the heart of a brand. The designs collected in these pages are vivd examples of how top designers approach the challenge of positioning companies, products, and services in competitive markets. Graphic Idea Resource: Identity is a solid introduction to the unique role graphic design plays in achieving business success.
Customer Reviews:
Identity.......2001-02-26
Visually this book is great - however it is only meant to be visual resource as it only contains samples of peoples work. Each company used as examples of good identity programs in this book show visually what they each had come up with and also names the designers and client and gives a breif review of each company's choice of design/text/logo for their identity programs. The book is great for giving visual ideas - but lacks any real text about what identity is, how it can be successfully implemented in order to give it a good place on the market etc.
Average customer rating:
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They'll Be Lovin You Forever: New Kids on the Block
Amanda Rubin
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 082561273X |
Books:
- Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904 (Penguin Classics)
- Leviathan Three
- Lil Mamas Rules: A Novel
- McTeague: A Story of San Francisco : Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism (Norton Critical Editions)
- Miss Lulu Bett and Selected Stories
- More to William Morris: Two Books that Inspired J. R. R. Tolkien-The House of the Wolfings and The Roots of the Mountains
- Moths (Broadview Edition)
- My Beloved Talleyrand: The Life of a Scoundrel by His Last Mistress
- My Mother's House and Sido
- My Venice
Books Index
Books Home
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- Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
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- David Hockney's Dog Days
- Jimmy Swinnerton: The Artist and His Work
- If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy O
The Radetzky March (Works of Joseph Roth)
The Collected Stories of Joseph Roth
The Emperor's Tomb (Works of Joseph Roth)
The Wandering Jews
Hotel Savoy (Works of Joseph Roth)
