Book Description
Far too set in her ways for someone her age, failed dancer turned graphic designer Oceane doesn't get out much. Luckily there's a lot you can do in your room these days...
In this completely original, deliciously raunchy novel, Tibor Fischer returns to top form to give us a story of a woman searching the world in order to understand her past. Starting in the cramped confines of a South London apartment, Voyage to the End of the Room takes its funny (and foulmouthed) heroine to the nightclubs of Barcelona, the battlefields of the Balkans, and a reckoning on the Micronesian island of Chuuk, shedding memories and finding answers along the way. Combining Fischer's trademark sardonic wit and offbeat imaginative flair, the result is a compelling page-turner that doubles as a darkly hilarious meditation on how and whether you can ever really know other people, the nature of evil, what is reality-and whether you can fake it.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2006-06-11
The author's flailing attempt at globetrotting hipness (with the twist of the protagonist barely leaving her couch) falls flat. The occasional wittiness and humor in parts saved this book from a one star rating. It is indeed very funny in parts, but most of it I yawned through. And the ending... it just sortof ends.
written by a woman?.......2005-06-06
This novel is written in first person by a young woman, but reads so exactly like a male fantasy of what a young woman's life might be like that it was impossible to believe any of the the characters. Many male writers climb into women's skin just fine; in this book basic female perception is nonexistent. I gather the writer was getting a kick out of imagining he was a beautiful stripper, with the proverbial heart of gold; but the book read like nothing much more than an unimaginative male fantasy.
Dissapointingly shallow, and tedious in its attempts at globetrotting hipness.
Along a similar vein, I recently read London Irish, young groovies in London, which was absolutely hilarious.
Not your everyday work of fiction.......2005-03-06
Oceane is a former erotic dancer turned successful computer graphics designer who now never leaves home. We follow her strange routine through her London flat and relive her days in a Barcelona sex club. Later, as our heroine seeks her former lover, we follow her personal assistant, Audley, who is a former mercenary and now proprietor of the Dun Waitin Credit Agency.
If the premise seems thin, it's because this is a book in which the language and the interaction between characters takes precedence over matters of plot. The result is a eccentric, often funny read, as the progression of events becomes somewhat hard to follow.
A good work of fiction has nuggets of truth interspersed within it. At the very least, the reader can accept the nugget as truth, which, in a book such as this, provide the opposite of comic relief and keep the book closer to the ground. Fischer writes of Oceane's short encounter with a man with whom there is no possibility of a long-term relationship:
Juan was far too good-looking for any hope of a long-term relationship . . . Juan was perhaps to easy-going for me. It's like training dogs. You want the dog to obey you, but you can't have any real respect for a dog that always obeys you. You want a dog that occasionally goes over the wall or bites the postman without your permission; you want to be reminded that you command a subdued yet wild animal, not a crawler. A man should be strong enough to kill you with his bare hands.
Until the last sentence, the above passage captures a truth about male-female relationships that is hard to toss aside. While extending the often-used metaphor of training a man as one would a dog, Fischer takes a healthy stab at identifying the intangible qualities of a relationship that elude so many of us. Moments like this kept me turning the pages.
To be sure, this novel is not for everyone. It's a quirky, offbeat and meandering delivery, whose subject matter alone will alienate some readers. But it's fun reading from this award-winning British author.
Really Big Review.......2004-12-14
The past works I've read by Tibor Fischer (The Thought Gang and The Collector Collector) have both been remarkable in their brilliance. Fischer writes with language that is multi-layered, quick-witted, and wonderfully fun to read. His mastery of the absurd and his stylized vignettes have made his books enjoyable for both long sittings in front of the fire, or a quick 10-minute jaunt while waiting for the train. Voyage to the End of the Room, tragically, does not measure up to his previous works.
This is not to say that is a bad book. It possesses a wide array of interesting language, and the situational comedy is still present in spades. The man who is crushed to death by a plummeting cow on the roof of a Barcelona sex club is a good example of this. It is a worthy exhibition of some of my favorite aspects of Fischer's writing. The reason for the aerial bovine is never explained, making it all the more entertaining.
The book also displays some very insightful observations and didactic. My favorite lies on page 204 of the paperback edition. "What I find significant is that no one seems to have Hope any more. One-off hopes exist. You hope the rain will stop, you hope you get the job, you hope you win the lottery, you hope you get to go out with someone attractive. But belief in the future seems to have no future any more." This illustrates some of the best qualities of Fischer's writing. A perceptive observation coupled with a subtle inclusion of humor. The last sentence also gives us a hint at Fischer's prowess with double meaning and wordplay.
The problems arise with the more conventional aspects of the book. The plot deals with a somewhat agoraphobic designer named Oceane. After receiving a letter from a former coworker, she hires Audley to travel to Micronesia for her and retrieve another letter from "an evil, dangerous lunatic" named Bruno. It also contains a lengthy flashback describing Oceane's employment in the aforementioned sex club. Overall, a plot that Fischer is completely capable of working with. It feels very fractured, however. The vignettes of The Collector Collector fit together with microscopic precision. Voyage to the End of the Room lacks this precision, and feels more like ill-fitting flagstone.
It also is somewhat harder to identify with the characters. Like him or not, Hubert from The Thought Gang was fairly easy to connect with. Both Audley and Oceane have very interesting premises behind their characters, and both are quite likable, however neither is fleshed out enough to allow the audience a strong connection.
This leaves a book that exists in a sort of void. Fischer's faithful readers will be somewhat put off by the change in style and quality, and the disappearance of The Thought Gang's lingual sorcery. Newcomers would be better off starting with a different book, allowing them a better taste of Fischer's style. Ultimately, the book deserves a four star rating and will add to, not detract from, Fischer's body of work, but will not be counted among his best work.
A disappointment at 5 stars.......2004-04-30
When I first realized Mr. Fischer had come out with a new work I got very excited. The high expectations I held for this book ultimately made this book a huge disappointment.
The plot is not tied together well, it seems more like a string of a short stories tied together through several characters loosely tied together. What Mr. Fischer is best at is providing rich detail and superb entertainment through tangential stories. However, in this book the balance is not quite right. Reminiscent of the big mac with a skewed bread to meat to cheese ratio. You need at least two more meat patties Ronald!
(But when McDonalds Francais offered the maxi-menu mega mac with 4 beef patties, it was just right. Thats a whole other story though.)
Another sad reality was the lack of vernaculous admonition that makes Mr. Fischer's work such a joy usually(whatever the heck that means).
Despite all these problems this book was still excellent and highly entertaining, considering short stories are what Mr. Fischer does best. A must read even.
Book Description
The final two novels in the dragon quartet series-together for the first time
Here's an exciting fantasy tetralogy with all the right ingredients: four elemental dragons (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water), each with a human companion. This series takes us from medieval Europe to the distant future, as the world is caught in a war between the forces of greed and fanaticism, and the dragons and their guides and allies who seek to restore the proper natural balance to the planet.
Customer Reviews:
very pleased.......2007-01-14
This was adventurous and fun. I enjoyed greatly. I found the characters likable and and easy to relate to. I had to go and search for the sequel as soon as I could. I had to know how it was going to end. I read a lot and have a hard time finding new things to explore. This was a fun one I would recommend to anyone looking for a adventure.
A mix..........2006-02-20
I give this book four stars because the book of fire is worthy of four stars, but the book of air is only worth three, but rounded up gives an overall four. The set seems to go downhill with every book. The first book was absolutely wonderful, then the second book was pretty good but starts off rough, then the third book is still good but is switching perspectives a lot, then the fourth book is just chaotic. It is really hard to follow the plot occasionally, or from who it's coming from. It is a necessary read, just because you will want to see how it ends, but a bit disappointing compared to the first volume.
Dissapointing after the first volume.......2006-01-04
The first two books of this series were excellent. I enjoyed them because of the unique writing style, and the grand scale of the plot. The third book is not at all terrible, but the fourth I found quite hard to get through. It is far too confusing, and the ending is terrible. A dissapointment after the first books.
Book Description
A brooding fantasy which delves into the darkest aspects of relationships and the scars that they leave.
Customer Reviews:
Mindless and thoughtless.......2007-09-06
Regardless of you religious beliefs, this book is the biggest waste of time since Ernest Goes To Jail. PLEASE freakin' tell me these guys aren't college professors. Never has a less researched, less thought-provoking book ever been written. It is an insult to read. Don't waste your time.
A persuasive argument against contemporary fundamentalist revisionist history.......2005-08-21
The most important argument in this book might be the purely historical one that until very recently in American history, everyone on each side of the issue of whether the U.S. Constitution should contain a religious or Christian element understood that the constitution as we have it was "a Godless constitution." Those who felt the constitution should honor God or who felt that the United States should be recognized in some fashion as the foundation of the nation were scandalized that the constitution contained no references to God or the Divine. For nearly two hundred years the effort on the part of evangelicals was to try to get God into the constitution. But under wildly revisionist reinterpretations by folks like Pat Robertson the assumption is that God was in the constitution from the beginning, and that they are merely trying to regain the focus on God that the Founders had when they wrote the constitution. As Kramnick and Moore demonstrate in this excellent brief study, any such view is fantastical nonsense.
Early chapters in the book examine the beliefs concerning the relationship between government and a divine foundation found in the Puritans, and why Roger Williams and subsequently the Founders wanted to create a wall of separation between a secular government and organized religion. They show how Williams desired the separation not for the sake of government, but for the sake of religion, for the distortive and corrupting influence political leaders can exert when they attempt to employ religion to bolster political causes. Also, if religion and political parties are too closely identified, if the party falls into disrepute, so also can religion through association. This latter point is far too often forgotten today, and the close identification of the Religion Right with today's extreme right of the GOP does not portend well for evangelicalism. History shows that political sympathies tend to be like a swinging pendulum, and when the pendulum swings the other direction away from the right wing extremism that has colored American politics for the past thirty years (making even a moderate conservative like Bill Clinton appear to many to be a liberal), organized religion could suffer in the reaction. Williams understood this; today's evangelicals do not.
But whatever Williams's motives in desiring a secular government, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Madison, Franklin, and the rest of the Founders desired equally a wall of separation because such was best for both the sake of government and religion. Jefferson envisioned a government that was as little involved in the consciences of individuals as possible. While he believed that religion should play a life in America, it had no place whatsoever in government. In this all the major founders were in complete agreement.
The final section of the book deals with the history of the Sunday mails controversy, and is important because it carefully documents the ongoing understanding of all Americans throughout the 19th and virtually all of the 20th centuries that the American constitution was a thoroughly secular document, with no Christian or religious element whatsoever. This is crucial because recently many members of the religious right have attempted to reinterpret history and counterfactually assert that they want to reassert the religious elements that have already been there. Unless people are familiar with the actual historical facts, such revisionism might actually influence the ill informed.
This is a very solid history, one that is very much in the spirit of Roger Williams in wanting to promote a strong religious life, but understanding that this is only possible with a completely secular government that cannot be employed to exploit religious bodies for its use, as the political right is exploiting the religious right today. I would also like to recommend that anyone reading this book also consult the superb book by Frank Lambert, THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN AMERICA. Compatible with the Kramnick and Moore study, Lambert's book focuses on the shift from theistically based colonies favored by the original settlers to completely secular governments instituted by the Founders.
Powerful and Persausive.......2005-06-27
Of the half dozen books I've read recently on the subject of separation of church and state, this one presents and documents most clearly the historical facts. It also most cogently persuades the reader that the the Founding Fathers did not intend for the United States to be a "Christian Nation," but rather to be a nation where all people are free to exercise their own individual conscience in favor of any religion of their choice, or no religion at all. The authors carefully document what the Fathers wrote on the subject of church and state at the time the Constitution was being adopted, and in the years immediately following. They also quote from numerous individuals during the first hundred years following adoption showing how they complained bitterly that God had been left out of the Constituion and that the God was not pleased with our country because our Constitution was indifferent to Christianity. They then point out the irony that this argument has been turned on its head today by Christian leaders, such as Pat Robertson, and others who assert that we were founded as a "Christian Nation" with God always present in the Constitution until liberal judges began misinterpreting the Consitution to remove God. As a rather conservative Christian myself, I highly recommend this book to other conservatives to gain a perspective, as explained by the authors, that the creation of a godless constitution was not an act of irreverence but was an act of confidence in religion. By keeping religion out of government, the Founding Fathers fostered a beautiful system of voluntary religious affiliation and service that has so benefited our country -- protecting religion from the whims and corrupting influences of government, and likewise allowing government to do what it does best in governing people of many different religions or no religion at all. The chapter titled "The English Roots of the Secular State" is particularly informative as it explains the influence of Englishmean, John Locke, and enlightenment thinkers, on the thinking of the Founding Fathers.
The Agnostic Constitution.......2005-06-07
Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore set out in 1996 to defend the American principle of church-state relations, which they take to mean a rather strict view of church-state separation. Tracing the principle from Roger Williams and John Locke through the founders to recent times, they argue that the Christian right misrepresents the Constitution and the First Amendment.
Certainly a corrective to some of the rhetoric of the religious right is warranted. One occasionally hears the claim that the Constitution is a "Christian document," that the founders were all devout Christians, and that America was founded as a "Christian nation."
As our authors point out, at the time of the Constitution most states had established churches and religious tests for office. The Constitution, by outlawing religious tests for federal offices and omitting references to God as a source of authority was a definite break from practice. For this reason, many opponents of the Constitution labeled it a "godless" document. And far from being uniformly orthodox, many (although certainly not all) of the founders were hostile to traditional (that is Trinitarian) Christianity.
There are two problems with this work, one methodological and the other factual. By its own terms, the First Amendment applies only to the federal government. (An attempt by Madison to make it binding on the states failed.) It wasn't until the twentieth century that the Supreme Court held that the fourteenth amendment applied the Bill of Rights to the states. That being the case, it is likely that part of the goal of the Constitution was to leave religion where it existed - with the states.
That leads to my second complaint: a failure to discuss any evidence that is contrary to our authors' thesis. Their discussion of Thomas Jefferson is typical. Our authors dutifully tell us that he didn't proclaim days of prayer or thanksgiving as president. Yet they don't tell us that as governor of Virginia he proclaimed a day of prayer in 1779. Even as president, Jefferson attended church services at the House of Representatives, and signed a law providing for a missionary and a church to the Kaskaskia Indians. Nor do they tell us that in his second inaugural address he stated that:
"In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the constitution independent of the powers of the general [federal] government. I have therefore undertaken, on no occasion, to prescribe the religious exercises suited to it; but have left them, as the constitution found them, under the direction and discipline of state or church authorities acknowledged by the several religious societies."
Since Jefferson said something similar in the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, his view of church-state relations was consistent with his federalism. If there is any evidence that Jefferson would have supported federal court involvement in state matters such as prayer in school or the posting of the Ten Commandments, our authors don't seem to have it. (And the same goes for attempts to use the federal court to prevent the teaching of "secular humanism" in the public schools.)
The discussion of James Madison illustrates the problem in reverse. Madison was always running into problems with Congress over church-state issues. Congress thought that paid chaplains, religious charters and federal aid to churches were permissible under the First Amendment, much to Madison's consternation. It doesn't occur to our authors that perhaps most people at the time didn't consider the Constitution so godless after all. This makes me wonder if the authors' failure to mention the Blaine Amendment (which sought to forbid state aid to religion) was just an oversight. While our authors have a fascinating discussion of an attempt to amend the Constitution to declare America a Christian nation, that the Blaine amendment failed (after the ratification of the fourteenth amendment no less) isn't worthy of mention. One can interpret this failure in various ways, but at least some who voted for the amendment apparently believed that it was necessary to amend the Constitution to make it sufficiently "godless."
I have no complaint with authors who write popular books, but this book's failure to include footnotes or discuss responsible authors who take an opposing approach is particularly striking. While our authors take on deep thinkers such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, nowhere do they interact with scholars who have challenged the separationist line, such as Robert Cord and Daniel Driesbach, or have a more sympathetic role of the influence of Christianity on the founders such as Ellis Sandoz.
Even a cursory review of history shows the benefits of the separation of church and state. Defending the principle by one-sided scholarship does no one any good.
A "Christian Nation" indeed!.......2005-04-14
Kramnick and Moore imply in this book that the founders intended to create a godless nation. Be assured, I am the last person in the world to claim that the United States is a "Christian Nation." If it was a "Christian Nation" I would burn my Bible and become an agnostic! But these authors ignore the deep history of faith that the framers had. True, God is never mentioned at all in the Federalist papers, but they reference and credit Providence innumerable times. No, they never declared a national religion, but they did leave that option up to the states. I could go on. If you want a great book in response to this one, read Basic American Government by Clarence B. Carson. It is not religious in any way shape or form, but he credits all of the historical influences, religious and secular, on the shaping of the Constitution and the American Government.
Product Description
The key to a successful party is not just with the food—it's also with the host.
Best-selling cookbook author
Joanna White, herself a professional caterer, shows how to prepare your party foods so that you can get out of the kitchen and into the party, to enjoy your guests and the atmosphere you have created. Learn what is best to prepare in advance, and how to store party foods. Encourage your guests to mingle by placing foods around the room and by making sure there are surfaces on which to set down drinks and nibbles.
You'll find detailed, sensible advice about which items you should keep in your pantry, how to contrast hot and cold dishes, how to avoid flavor monotony, and how to add height and elegance to your buffet presentations—the kind of details that make the difference between an ordinary party and a really special occasion.
All of the recipes in Party Foods: Snacks and Appetizers for Easy Entertaining keep the needs of both guest and host in mind. You'll find separate chapters on hot and cold finger foods, hot and cold dips, wrapped delicacies, spreads, mousses and patés, and flavored nibblers, together with suggestions for suitable combinations, and complete party menus.
Customer Reviews:
Good recipes overall.......2007-08-07
This book has some very doable recipes that would appeal to most tastes. Nothing is too fancy or time consuming. There are classic dips and spreads, recipes using puff pastry and wonton wrappers, stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, and chicken wings. A good book for beginner entertainers. Just wish there were pictures!
Average customer rating:
- On the Cannonical book of Gunsmithing
|
Modern Gunsmith: 2 Volumes In 1
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
| Buildings & Construction
| Carpentry
| Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating
| Decks & Patios
| Decorating
| Design & Construction
| Do-It-Yourself
| Electrical
| Estimating
| Furniture
| Green Housecleaning
| Hand Tools
| Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
| Home Repair
| Household Hints
| Masonry
| Outdoor & Recreational Areas
| Plumbing & Household Automation
| Power Tools
| Reference
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Roofing
| Security
| Small Appliance Repair
| Swimming Pools
| Woodworking
General
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Engineering Economics
| Ergonomics
| General
| Industrial Design
| Industrial Technology
| Machinery
| Manufacturing
| Packaging
| Production, Operation & Management
| Productivity
| Quality Control
| Safety & Health
| Systems
Home Improvement
| Home & Garden
| Bargain Books
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 051738583X
Release Date: 1984-03-21 |
Customer Reviews:
On the Cannonical book of Gunsmithing.......2002-03-20
Having read this book thoroughly, I recommend it heartily. Many modern gunsmithing books focus on off-the-shelf parts and aftermarket accesories. Not so Howe's book. From selection of which action to build a rifle around, to diagrams for Double-set triggers, to full instructions on the making of barrells, it is the best modern book available. It was re-printed in 1980, but is now out of print. Combine this book with Ned Roberts' excellent book "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle", and the amateur gunsmith has all the information he requires to equip himself with excellent hunting or target weapons.
Book Description
sing a range of recycled materials from nylon, cotton, and Lycra, to crimplene and plastic bags, Lizzie Reakess designs have a wit and originality that will inspire even the most reluctant needlecrafter to reach for a canvas. Twenty-four exciting and original projects include: Shaped hearth rugsCushion covers Patchwork squaresShoulder bags Childrens activity matsHair accessories Sentimental samplersTies Wall bannersMuslin curtains And much more!Reakess projects combine hand-hooking and simple appliqu to eye-catching effect. An explanation of each project is illustrated with clear step-by-step photographs. Also included are templates for over a dozen designs. With its extensive guide to choosing materials and making the best use of color, pattern, and texture, this is the ideal book for the ragwork enthusiast and for anyone who wants a stellar introduction to this exciting craft.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Ragwork.......2004-07-24
Where as I wouldn't say this is a beginners book, it does cover the basics. I think this is a great book for someone who is interested in seeing what else is possible with this medium.
Average customer rating:
|
Making contemporary rugs and wall hangings,
Dona Z Meilach
Manufacturer: Abelard-Schuman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Textile Arts
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0200715550 |
Average customer rating:
|
Rugs and Wall Hangings ( The Pattern Library)
Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Bargain Books
| Stores
| Books
| Arts & Photography
| Audiobooks
| Biography
| Business & Investing
| Calendars
| Children
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Film
| Greeting Cards & Accessories
| Health, Mind & Body
| History
| Home & Garden
| Humor, Comics & Pop Culture
| Literature & Fiction
| Mysteries & Thrillers
| Nonfiction
| Parenting & Families
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| Romance
| Science & Nature
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Sports
| Teens
| Travel
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Rugs
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Textile Arts
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0345318676
Release Date: 1984-10-12 |
Average customer rating:
|
Showcase of Interior Design: Forty-Three Designers and Their Works (Showcase of Interior Design)
Manufacturer: Rockport Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Illinois
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0962459615 |
Average customer rating:
|
3D Studio Max 3 Animacion - Ed. Especial Con 1 CD
John P. Chismar
Manufacturer: New Riders Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arte
| Arte, arquitectura y fotografía
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Artes Gráficos
| Diseño Gráfico
| Arte, arquitectura y fotografía
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| Automotriz
| Ciencias Sociales
| Crimen y Criminales
| Educación
| Estudios de la Mujer
| Feriados
| Filosofía
| Gobierno
| Hechos Verídicos
| Planeamiento Urbano y Desarrollo
| Política
| Sucesos de Actualidad
| Transportación
ASIN: 8483221896 |
Average customer rating:
- A Book Worth Reading-
- A ROADMAP TO LASTING PEACE!
- The Wandering Peacemaker
- Mediation and Meditation
- Getting to know "the enemy"
|
The Wandering Peacemaker
Roger Plunk
Manufacturer: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
New Age
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Political
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Metaphysics
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1571741798 |
Book Description
The Wandering Peacemaker Roger Plunk
A personal narrative, at once subtle and lyrical, mystical and pragmatic, "The Wandering Peacemaker' is one man's search for the connection between spirituality and government, An experienced mediator, Plunk combines visionary experience and first-hand knowledge of international law to transform fear and alienation into trust and cooperation. Follow Plunk to political hot spots around the globe: in Dharamsala negotiate the issue of Tibetian autonomy; in New Delhi, as he helps draft a constitution for Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan; in Kabul, acting as President Rabbani's go-between for the warring parties within post-occupation Afghanistan. In the field, Plunk watches for the interplay of spiritual insight and political process, finding spirit ever present. He ruminates with a poet's light touch on such diverse topics as prostitution, chi gong and the nature of good and evil, the Mother Divine, Afghani teenagers with assault rifles, love, dreams, and! inner guidance.
Customer Reviews:
A Book Worth Reading-.......2003-07-23
This book tells in common languagge an extrordinary and true story that is both spiritual and pragmatic. An enjoyable easy read that will inform and inspire you, this book is refreshingly honest. The very original theme and information presented is sure to interest anyone tired of the same old stories! I highly recommend this book!
A ROADMAP TO LASTING PEACE!.......2003-02-14
This is one of the most important books for our time. Both diplomacy and power politics in the conventional sense are consistently failing the world. The major powers have only one goal, which is to project their narrow national interest-- usually at the expense of others, whose needs are entirely ignored. The United Nations, once the beacon of hope and a cradle of impartiality, is hopelessly corrupt and driven by a Security Council that is no longer representative of today's realities.
It's high time for a comprehensive change in our approach to foreign policy, and Roger Plunk, with great humility and sound reasoning, shows us the way. If you're concerned with where the world is heading, buy this book and give copies to your friends!
The Wandering Peacemaker.......2003-01-11
Roger Plunk began a lifetime of wandering as a child. He did stay put long enough as a young man to earn two law degrees, then he began working for the U.S. State Department. He learned that his calling was to be a mediator and that he had the ability and desire to work for peace one-on-one with world leaders.
The Dalai Lama was the first to utilize Plunk's special talents. In The Wandering Peacemaker, his first book, Plunk describes mediation efforts between Tibet and China. From there, he travels to India and Pakistan, Burma, and then to Afghanistan. He not only analyzes the political situation in each dispute, he describes the history of the area and the people involved. Readers get a clear understanding of both sides.
Plunk holds strong spiritual beliefs and says "the common thread running through the stories [in his book] is the dynamic relationship between government and spirituality." Plunk was guided by his belief that one person can make a difference. He says, "I was one person on a very low budget engaging in large international issues [and] I did manage to get my message across."
Is there a place for spiritual insight in the political arena? Plunk says yes, and his stories demonstrate the power of spiritual healing in international relations. Readers concerned with human problems and world peace will find The Wandering Peacemaker engrossing, and encouraging. Like a modern Johnny Appleseed, Roger Plunk is planting seeds of peace worldwide. One person can make a difference.
Mediation and Meditation.......2001-11-10
I love it, very enlightening, especially when Plunk writes about Afghanistan, his work with the Northern Alliance, and his captivating discussions with the Dalai Lama. Plunk writes with great clarity, about his journeys as an independent international mediator, venturing into some of the most complicated and violent political conflicts on the planet to connect directly with the leaders and people of Afghanistan and Tibet, to name just a few of his stops. The Wandering Peacemaker is written with a piercing intelligence and a poetic touch that comes staight from the heart as he shares insights from his own spiritual journey. The bowing gesture of devotion, with forehead to the ground, is a perfect metaphor for this book, as Plunk reminds us with every stop along his path to place the heart higher than the head in our common journey towards peace.
Getting to know "the enemy".......2001-09-28
Chapter 5 on Afghanistan, gives the reader an intimate,
close up view of the country and its people. We are so
advantaged in the current war because we cannot have the
the illusion that "the enemy" is a boogey man, whose host country deserves to be obliterated. Not so. In disabling
terrorists networks, may we the people of the world make a
step forward in which we wake up to our oneness. Roger Plunk's book is a "how-to" book for living in a world connected, not only at its unified source, but also through its many venues of
information exchange.
Books:
- War Against the Animals: A Novel
- Weird Women, Wired Women
- When Did You Stop Loving Me: A Novel
- Willem's Field: A Novel
- Winnetou the Apache Knight
- With Your Crooked Heart: A Novel
- You Know Better: A Novel
- Zachary's Wings: A Novel
- A Burning in Homeland: A Novel
- A House at the Edge of Tears (Lannan Translation Selection)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- CMMI
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
- Advanced ESR Methods in Polymer Research
- A New Leaf
- Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks & Techniques for Working With the World's Most Versatile Medium
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
- APLS: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Resource, Fourth Edition
- Spirited Away, Vol. 2
- Wild: Fashion Untamed
- Young Scientists Explore Animal Friends
The THOUGHT GANG
Under the Frog: A Novel
DON'T READ THIS BOOK IF YOU'RE STUPID : STORIES
I Like Being Killed: Stories
Remainder
