Wizard of the Crow: A novel

Book Description

From the exiled Kenyan novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic--a magisterial comic novel that is certain to take its place as a landmark of postcolonial African literature.

In exile now for more than twenty years, Ngugl wa Thiong’o has become one of the most widely read African writers of our time, the power and scope of his work garnering him international attention and praise. His aim in Wizard of the Crow is, in his own words,nothing less than “to sum up Africa of the twentieth century in the context of two thousand years of world history.”

Commencing in “our times” and set in the “Free Republic of Aburlria,” the novel dramatizes with corrosive humor and keenness of observation a battle for control of the souls of the Aburlrian people. Among the contenders: His High Mighty Excellency; the eponymous Wizard, an avatar of folklore and wisdom; the corrupt Christian Ministry; and the nefarious Global Bank. Fashioning the stories of the powerful and the ordinary into a dazzling mosaic, Wizard of the Crow reveals humanity in all its endlessly surprising complexity.

Informed by richly enigmatic traditional African storytelling, Wizard of the Crow is a masterpiece, the crowning achievement in Ngugl wa Thiong’o’s career thus far.

Customer Reviews:

Overlong, yet still interesting. . ........2007-09-08

I was really looking forward to reading this novel. Ngugi wa Thiong'o's aim with this sprawling satire was "to sum up Africa of the twentieth century in the context of two thousand years of world history." Though good, I felt that the execution fell a little flat throughout the book.

Set in the fictional African republic of Aburiria, in Wizard of the Crow the author "set out to explore human relationships against the backdrop of a rapidly globalizing world." Thiong'o, naturally, as an exiled Kenyan, has a long history of political activism.

Although a fictional nation, Aburiria is a satirical depiction of African despotism. A grandiose and grotesque Ruler dominates a corrupt and sycophantic cabinet of ministers, surrounded by venal officials and opportunistic businessmen, all jockeying for position. Part fable, part allegory, Wizard of the Crow is a magical realism parody of the political and social corruption rampant in many African countries. As such, the book represents Thiong'o's reflections on both Africa's numerous dysfunctions and, one can only hope, its myriad possibilities.

Weighin in at 766 pages, Wizard of the Crow is a work of titanic proportions. And its principal shortcoming is that the pace is at times atrociously slow. Which, in the end, killed this novel for me. Too many unnecessary POV characters make for an unbearably sluggish rhythm in several portions of this book. Indeed, I came very close to stop reading on more than one occasions. . . Even though some parts are quite interesting, others bored me out of my mind.

Sections of Wizard of the Crow appear to be undisguised attacks aimed at the dictatorship of Kenya's Daniel arap Moi. Which is not surprising, given the fact that the dictator's regime imprisoned the author in the 70s, banned some of his books, and then forced him into exile, first in Europe and then in the USA. I believe that, in order to fully appreciate/understand Wizard of the Crow, one needs to be familiar with world politics. Leftists will doubtless enjoy it more than their Right-wing counterparts, methinks.

Though Thiong'o is on the money more often than not, I did find some of his political "comments" to be a bit narrow on the ideological side. While I agree that international financial forces can be disruptive with their efforts to engender development (something this continent desperately needs), following decades of economic stagnation in so many African countries I found that the way he depicted market forces more than a little overdone. Given the author's past, tyranny and egomania are themes that Thiong'o explores through the Ruler and his entourage of sycophants.

Wizard of the Crow is an ambitious literary endeavor filled with great ideas. The humor, however, is more intellectual than funny. The political commentary is quite heavy-handed at times, yet that doesn't take too much away from the reading experience. It's the snail-slow pace which makes what could have been an excellent read merely a good one.

Deserves Nobel Prize in Literature.......2007-07-31

Wizard of the Crow is a magical book. Not only magic in the sense of magic realism but also in the sense of the sheer wonder of the story itself. Much has been written about the book's satire almost as if it were only a satire. In many ways it is a profoundly serious book and it is because of the magic of narration(s) in this book that one might lose sight of its profound message. This is a tale of improbable magicians, folk medicine, justice, neocolonial domination and pompous westernism, feminism and these are only part of an extraordinary tale(s). It is also a story of love...a love story enveloped in magic, narrow-escapes, transformations. It will make you laugh and the beauty of the prose will make you shiver. Instead of giving a Cliff Notes recap of the book I would only say this: I was a sceptic and now I believe in magic. This is a truly beautiful and wonderful book and it is full of magic. Not Harry Potter magic but rather a true, simple magic. Enjoy ever word! It is as if a magician himself wrote this incredible book and what better compliment could you pay to the author, certainly this particular author.

Gripping.......2007-06-06

This novel combines the travails of a fictional African dictator with the romance between two witch doctors. Around them are several exercises of greed, deceit, vindictiveness, and loss of faith. The witch doctors, though they know they are only making it up as they go, try to find spiritual peace and cure the country of its oppressive politics. Issues of corporate colonialism abound as well, represented by the horrid and corrupt Global Bank. It's an exciting read: a forbidden romance combined with a political thriller, all through an African lens.

Could not put it down.......2007-02-10

A wonderful modern day adventure that explains the woes of African countries with honest humor.

Children of the Despot.......2006-10-05

Usually I read pretty fast, especially with a novel I enjoy, but sometimes a book compels you to put it down from time to time as you read to think about the story and the realities which the author is exploring. This was that kind of book, a tale to savour and think about. The style is african storytelling, full of fabulous events and characters and laugh out loud language and happenings including an explosive fart to end all farts, but it is also carefully plotted as a complicated political narrative. Ngugi Wa Thiongo is writing a satirical history of Kenya and similar African nations subjected for too long to corrupt "strong men" leaders, but on a larger scale he captures the Zeitgeist of our own time and the surrealistic language and machinations of those corrupted by power and violence. The Ruler of the imaginary country of Aburiria in the story is afflicted with a malaise which a bombastic Harvard doctor calls SIE, Self induced Expansion, he is physically expanding in sync with his seemingly bottomless megalomania. The hero is a character called the Wizard of the Crow who stumbles into awareness of his own powerful gifts when he needs to save his skin in a tight spot; he takes up the role of a modern day wizard and uses common sense spirituality and an ability to see hidden truths via mirrors to heal the sick. But while he seeks only to heal even the most vicious of men, his ministry has the side effect of disrupting the complacency of the greedy Ruler and his ministers, and bringing all the muddled forces of the state against him and his friends. The Wizard, his politically motivated lover and the women of Aburiria respond with imagiative pranks and the relentless demand to be heard. While some aspects of the story are handled with a comical magic realism, this fabulism is rooted in and constrained by a profound inner realism, and it allows for insight into the choices of characters and the resulting effects on society . The plot never relies on magic but shows the role of imagination in a community. His atunement to the distortions of political language and the excesses of global capitalism cut to the quick of current American and neo-colonial politics and are nothing less than brilliant. At times Thiongo may give the reader more of the mechanics of the plot than are needed but I think the writer's purpose was to make the choices of the characters more credible and to show the cumulative effect of those choices. All in all I found the Wizard of the Crow a really rich and engaging story from a writer with a unique perspective because of his confrontations with Kenyan despotism. Anyone who can be funny and hopeful after what he has been through is a remarkable person. ( I thought John Updike's review was off the mark, but don't care for Updike's recent work anyway)

Book Description

It's a brand-new start for Batman's sidekick, Robin: a new town, a new school, new adventures and new problems.Before our hero can fully recover from the recent deaths of his father and girlfriend, he must come face to face with his enemies: the Penguin, the Dark Rider, the Veteran and a mysterious archer who seems to want the Boy Wonder dead!

Book Description

ON THE RUN FROM THE INTERSTELLAR MOB!

For centuries, interstellar prospectors had searched for the fabled worlds of the Three Kings, the lost El Dorado of the galaxy. But none had succeeded. Only the mad cyborg Prophet, Ishmael Hand, had ever seen the mysterious system, and he had refused to reveal its location before vanishing forever into history. Then, with the help of his flock, a starfaring evangelist -- Doctor Karl Woodward, preacher and leader of the starship The Mountain -- found it, only to disappear in turn.

Now a new group of explorers must follow the trail that Woodward blazed. A spacegoing salvage team, desperately in debt after a violent alien menace ruins a lucrative assignment and decimates the group, is hired to follow the clues Woodward left behind. But the team's shady creditors won't want to wait...and they won't much care how they get their investments back.

Fearing pursuit by their former backers, the group heads off for the ultimate salvage operation. By hook or by crook, they will find the Three Kings -- if the galactic underworld's repo men don't get them first!

Customer Reviews:

Return to the Three Kings.......2006-04-30

In the first book of the series we followed a religious group as they journeyed to the legendary world of the Three Kings. Possible location of untold riches and paradise it has been near impossible to find.

Now we meet a salvage team. On a routine salvage job they encounter something deadly and must utilize their toughness and convictions to survive. This ordeal, while leaving them penniless, makes them the target of a wealthy benefactor who claims to know the way to the Three Kings. With nothing left to lose they accept the new job.

While we don't learn what the three kings really are we do see them more closely than we did in the first book. Some of the mystery is solved but not all. What is the significance of the Great Silence? Do the Three Kings have a purpose? How can their riches be claimed?

Although the Three Kings aren't really mentioned until the midpoint of the book they quickly become the focus. Unlike in the first volume, much time is actually spent in the Kings' system. Some questions are answered and others are asked. All of it combines to keep the reader going to the end and into the next book. An if you made it this far you will just have to read the next one.

Nonstop action--much better.......2001-07-21

The crew of the salvage ship Stanley is in trouble. They lose their salvage in an alien attack and ripe for a tycoon's offer. He knows the coordinates to the fabulous Three Kings, a system with three human-inhabitable planets, and a treasure-trove of alien and quasi-natural marvels. The Stanley crew is game and the human race could use the help--it is slowly dying after the loss of contact with Earth and the other advanced worlds.

What follows is an action-packed adventure as the small crew of salvage experts trigger what just might be the biggest trap in the universe.

MELCHIOR'S FIRE is a sequel to the much inferior BALSHAZZAR'S SERPENT (reading the earlier novel is not essential to enjoying MELCHIOR'S FIRE). Author Jack L. Chalker's universe is fascinating and this, together with the non-stop action makes up for a variety of authorly sins (the characters could be better developed, the dialogue is sometimes a little clunky, and the author intrusion is, uh, intrusive).

I approached MELCHIOR'S FIRE with some trepidation after my experience with BALSHAZZAR'S SERPENT, but found myself quickly hooked, reading the entire (short) novel in a single sitting.

Very Good Read.......2001-07-05

Jack Chalker is not one of the authors who I usually follow and read. I read Melchior's Fire before I realized that it was a sequel to Balshazzar's Serpent. This is probably a good thing, as I never finished Bashazzar's Serpent. I thought it was a bit dry. All this being said, Melchiors Fire is a good read.

The story very much seems like two stories tied together by common characters. The first half of the book deals with the first human contact with an intelligent alien species. This seems a significant event and rightly so. It soon becomes apparent that this first story is included merely to set the tone and events necessary to tell the second story. In the second half the surviving members of the first story are financed by a wealthy businessman to find the mystical Space System of the Three Kings.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot but it is enough to say that their adventures are both amazing and exotic. The story was well written and engaging. I would have to agree with at least one of the previous reviewers that the characters are not incredibly developed but then again that is not the strength of this tale. A very action oriented yarn with some original ideas thrown into the mix.

I found two things in the way the story was written that were weaknesses in my opinion. The first issue was the fact that two distinct tales were combined into one. This was only negative in the sense that both stories seemed under developed. Not horribly so but noticeably so. The second negative was the ending. I know this is a preference issue but I thought the ending was unsatisfactory, at least compared to the rest of the tale.

Overall a very good read with very minor flaws.

A fun rad with plnty of ation.......2001-06-27

The salvagers of the Henry Morton Stanley space ship land on the planet due to the town that looks like a rich find. Randy Queson, known for her ability to decide what has salvage value amidst tons of junk, finds the structure out of synchronization with what should be expected by this planet in which the colonists apparently abruptly left. Randy and crew soon learn why no humans are on site as vicious aliens, who enjoyed snacking on the settlers as part of their lunch, attack the Stanley crew. Randy and most of her mates escape, but the damage is astronomical and their creditors want payment right now.

Desperate, the crew excepts a suicide mission offered by wealthy Norman Sanders. He will cover their debts and more if they follow the alleged route to the legendary Three Kings and return with the magi stones. Assuming that Sanders has provided them with the correct coordinates that he allegedly obtained from the lost Woodward venture, Randy wonders what they will find amidst the three planets that they seek, not yet knowing that aliens control their destination.

The sequel to BALSHAZZAR'S SERPENT, MELCHIOR'S FIRE is an exciting science fiction tale centering on a piratical crew struggling to survive among aliens and creditors. The story line is fun and filled with action, but is not very deep or loaded with strong characters. Instead, Jack L. Chalker's tale is for those readers who relish a non-stop adventure thriller that rides faster than the speed of light.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:
Melchior's Fire
Jack L. Chalker
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000U6593M

Average customer rating:
Melchiors Fire
Jack L Chalker
Manufacturer: POCKET BOOKS @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SF08NG

Average customer rating:

Yeah for fast meals

Quick and Easy

This is cookbook versatility at its best!

Not so great

Very, very quick

Weight Watchers Make It in Minutes: Easy Recipes in 15, 20, and 30 Minutes
Weight Watchers
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Low Fat | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Weight Watchers | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Healing | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! : 150+ Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home--All 8 POINTS or Less

Simply Delicious : 245 No-Fuss Recipes--All 8 POINTS or Less

Weight Watchers Simply the Best: 250 Prizewinning Family Recipes

Cook It Quick!: Speedy Recipes with Low POINTS Value in 30 Minutes or Less

Accessories:

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

ASIN: 0764565176

Book Description

The most trusted name in weight loss makes healthy eating fast and delicious. Perfect for everyone who thought they were too busy" to cook healthy food, these meals are ready in 15, 20, or 30 minutes -- just pick the time frame that fits your schedule. The wide range of recipes will please everyone, from fussy kids to gourmets. Sample Pierogies with Creamy Mushroom and Sherry Sauce, Berries and Cream Blintzes, Pepper-Crusted Flank Steak with Cucumber Relish, Cuban Sandwiches, Easy Paella, Tuna Panzanella and Wild Mushroom Risotto."

Customer Reviews:

Yeah for fast meals.......2007-08-16

I am a busy mom with not a whole lot of extra time to be goofing around in the kitchen. PLus I am tired! I can have a healthy dinner for my family quickly! LOVE IT!!

Quick and Easy.......2007-05-30

These are great recipes that don't require lots of thinking (after a hard day at work). Some old standards, some new ideas.

This is cookbook versatility at its best!.......2007-03-30

I disagree with those reviewers who claim that the recipes in this book take longer than 15, 20 or 30 minutes to prepare. I have made the Seared Lamb in Garlic Sauce and it took less than a 1/2 hour from start to finish. I also made the Osso Bucco chicken, which is one of the most innovative and delicious WW recipes ever!

These recipes are all tasty and very quick to put together. Many of them are also suitable for entertaining. So don't hesitate to order this book. It has been a lifesaver for me. Since joining WW in January, 2007 I have lost 60 lbs in 12 weeks! My success is due largely in part to my WW cookbook collection including Make It In Minutes!

Not so great.......2007-03-29

This book is filled with fast ideas, but most are not practical or appealing. I am disappointed and will probably not use the book all that much. The recipes are not generally husband or kid friendly as far as likeablility goes.

Very, very quick.......2007-03-25

A collection of Weight Watchers low point recipes that are creative and very, very quick to prepare.

Average customer rating:
Cooking with Spices (101 Essential Tips)
Dorling Kindersley
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0751305030

Average customer rating:

This is Spicy Baby

101 Essential Tips: Cooking With Spices (101 Essential Tips)

Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference

ASIN: 0789427788

Amazon.com

This demure little book packs a world of spice know-how into it's 69 pages--with not a real life Spice Girl in sight! Profiling an aromatic array of spices: paprika, cinnamon, cumin, anise, and some which the tongue has a hard time even negotiating such as asafetida and fenugreek--Cooking with Spices is a flavorsome treat. Handy hints are given for the selection, drying, and storing of spices, as well as pointers for freezing and grinding. Full color photographs profile the varieties and conditions of a spice--ginger has four types: preserved, dried, fresh, and ground. This spice is recommended for curry powder, meat and fish dishes, and of course cookies! The book even manages to squeeze in 42 recipes that will heat up the kitchen! From the Far East we have Thai Shrimp Soup with Lemongrass, a succulent dish with a zesty balance of lemongrass, chilies, scallion, cilantro, and the shrimp. From the Middle East comes a terrific recipe for faithful Falafel--plan in advance for this one, as chickpeas must be soaked for 36 hours. It's worth the effort though; this is a thoroughly delicious dish, perfect for dipping at parties!

Flavorings deserve their own cookbook--and Cooking with Spices is a great place to go for the basics. --Naomi Gesinger

Book Description

Know--how in a nutshell. The step--by--step series that brings expert advice at an affordable price. Breaks down using culinary spices into 101 easy--to--grasp tips. Gives quick answers to all questions. Each point can be absorbed in an instant.

Customer Reviews:

This is Spicy Baby.......2001-10-28

My grandmother taught me how to use herbs and spices and I also read up on how to use them as a kind of hobby. This is one of the cutest little books and it is just packed with information.

If there was just information on spices, it would not be as interesting. Here, they include wonderful recipes. First you get a "Spice Know-How" lesson to help you figure out what spices really are, how to dry-roast them and the best ways to store them.

The Spice Profiles section shows you say how to use saffron to bring out the most flavor or how to make chili oil. They also have info on paprika, cassia, cinnamon, turmeric, lemongrass (divine!) and cardamom.

Then for the recipes! You will find Far East, Indian, North African, Middle Eastern, European, American and Caribbean treats!

I have totally been looking for a Thai Shrimp Soup with Lemongrass recipe! No lies. There is was, just waiting for me to discover it. I have to mail order the lemon grass and it keeps very well in the freezer. The scent of lemongrass is so lovely.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Beef Curry - always a favorite
Chicken Satay with Peanut dipping sauce
Mixed Vegetable Curry
Moroccan Spicy Chicken
Venison with Green Peppercorns
Bolivia Corn Pie
Jerked Chicken

I was quite surprised with the variety of recipes and the gourmet pictures. If you have not yet discovered the joys of a mortar & pestle, this it the time to buy one! So, if the only time you get interested in spices is during Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Baby, are you missing out! Spices and Herbs will make your cooking rock!

Naomi Gesinger's review cracks me up! I didn't see any
Spice Girls in this book either.

Customer Reviews:

Not a hardcover.......1999-07-10

Although this is a lovely book with beautiful photographs, it is not the hardcover that it is advertised--it is a paperback.

Average customer rating:

Homestyling: Contrast
PBC International
Manufacturer: McNally & Loftin Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0688161421

Book Description

Oprah Winfrey is the protagonist of the story to be told here, but this book has broader intentions, begins Eva Illouz in this original examination of how and why this talk show host has become a pervasive symbol in American culture. Unlike studies of talk shows that decry debased cultural standards and impoverished political consciousness, Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery asks us to rethink our perceptions of culture in general and popular culture in particular.

At a time when crises of morality, beliefs, value systems, and personal worth dominate both public and private spheres, Oprah's emergence as a cultural form -- the Oprah persona -- becomes clearer, as she successfully reiterates some of our most pressing moral questions. Drawing on nearly one hundred show transcripts; a year and a half of watching the show regularly; and analysis of magazine articles, several biographies,

O Magazine, Oprah Book Club novels, self-help manuals promoted on the show, and hundreds of discussions on the Oprah Winfrey Web site, Illouz takes the Oprah industry seriously, revealing it to be a multilayered "textual structure" that initiates, stages, and performs narratives of suffering and self-improvement that resonate with a wide audience and challenge traditional models of cultural analysis. This book looks closely at Oprah's method and her message, and in the process reconsiders popular culture and the tools we use to understand it.

Eva Illouz. Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: an Essay on Popular Culture.(Book Review): An article from: African American Review

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Eva Illouz. Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: an Essay on Popular Culture.(Book Review): An article from: African American Review
David Krasner
Manufacturer: African American Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from African American Review, published by African American Review on September 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1234 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: Eva Illouz. Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: an Essay on Popular Culture.(Book Review)
Author: David Krasner
Publication: African American Review (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2004
Publisher: African American Review
Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Page: 539(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: An Essay on Popular Culture

Average customer rating:

Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: An Essay on Popular Culture
Eva Illouz
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPJV7Y

Average customer rating:

Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery; an Essay on Popular Culture.
Eva Illouz
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N65J0M

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