And the Sea Rolls on Forever

Amazon.com

By age 15, R.D. Laing (1927-1989) was reading the works of Voltaire, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud--perhaps to escape from his brutal upbringing,or perhaps to understand it. A British Army psychiatrist by age 20, Laing sat with schizophrenics in their cells, trying to decipher the "environmental" source of their malady. Rather than pass it off to neurobiology, Laing believed that emotional misery stemmed from experiences, particularly those within the family. His work at the Institute of Psycho-Analysis in London led to many books on the subject including Self and Others. Daniel Burston shows how unconventional thinking took him to the top in his field, then eventually led to his demise.

Book Description

Daniel Burston chronicles Laing's meteoric rise to fame as one of the first media psychogurus of the century, and his spiraling decline in the late seventies and eighties. Here are the successes: Laing's emergence as a unique voice on the psychiatric scene with his first book, The Divided Self, in 1960; his forthright and articulate challenges to conventional wisdom on the origins, meaning, and treatment of mental disturbances; his pioneering work on the families of schizophrenics, Sanity, Madness and the Family (coauthored with A. Esterson). Here as well are Laing's more dubious moments, personal and professional, including the bizarre experiment with psychotic patients at Kingsley Hall. Burston traces many of Laing's controversial ideas and therapeutic innovations to a difficult childhood and adolescence in Glasgow and troubling experiences as an army doctor; he also offers a measured assessment of these ideas and techniques.

The R. D. Laing who emerges from these pages is a singular combination of skeptic and visionary, an original thinker whose profound contradictions have eclipsed the true merit of his work. In telling his story, Burston gives us an unforgettable portrait of an anguished human being and, in analyzing his work, recovers Laing's achievement for posterity.

Customer Reviews:

R. D. Laing: Social Misfit and Theorist of Schizophrenia........2004-02-16

In the 1960s several different movements became prevalent which operated in direct opposition to the institution of psychiatry, which often included forced medicating, confinement, and electroshock and psychosurgery on individuals deemed to be mentally ill. These individuals included both leftists (radical leftists, Marxists, and other liberals) as well as ýlibertarian rightistsý and those who argued for individual responsibility attempting to re-politicize the process of denying civil rights to certain individuals deemed insane, among whom were many in the psychedelic counter-culture, cult groups including Scientology, various indiduals believing themselves to have been wronged by the psychiatric establishment and often identifying themselves as ýpsychiatric survivorsý, and even some prominent psychiatrists ý the two most notorious such ýanti-psychiatristsý being Thomas Szasz (libertarian rightist and opponent of coercive ýtreatmentý) and R. D. Laing (whose politiics ranged from the Marxist left to the far right). _The Wing of Madness_ is a biography of the Scottish maverick psychiatrist R. D. Laing and his contributions to our understanding of the schizoid/schizophrenic mode of being-in-the-world in terms of existentialist theory. Laing had a strange relationship to the medical establishment beginning as a psychiatrist who developed an interest in the field possibly as a result of his own troubled upbringing (his mother frequently prone to depression and possibly psychosis and his father prone to difficult bouts as well). Laing himself would come to embrace both traditional Christianity (in the form of Presbyterianism), but also Gnosticism and ancient mysticisms, as well as Eastern religions and philosophy, and the phenomenological philosophies of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, and the existentialism of Merleau-Ponty and Jean Paul Sartre. For a time Laing flirted with Marxism, but later would claim that he had embraced the right (although exactly to what extent this was to be interpreted was difficult to determine). Critics of Laing frequently argued that he idealized and romanticized madness (especially the psychotic break that occurs in schizophrenia and other schizoid type disorders). Indeed, for Laing, madness often was an entirely reasonable attempt to deal with a difficult situation brought about particularly by stresses demanded from social conformity, economic conditions, and in particular the family life. Indeed, for Laing the family often was a means whereby violence was inflicted upon the individual (the family revolving around several ýenduring mythsý which became cracked at the point of madness seen in schizophrenia for example). Using these sorts of theories, Laing argued that schizophrenia and other psychotic type disorders should be allowed to follow out their course, perhaps being a stage in a process necessary for individual growth. Thus, he opposed treatment which often included medication into a stupor, electroshock, confinement, and insulin shock therapy or in extremely difficult cases even dangerous psycho-surgeries. At the time this was a radical position to take, which could be interpreted as one of the extreme left (arguing for the rights of the ýoppressedý as insane) or even as a conservative measure (arguing for a return to a time when the mentally ill were treated with less invasive measures). Towards the end of his life, Laing moved away from some of these ideas, and perhaps turned closer towards the more generally accepted theory of a biological basis for psychosis (particularly schizophrenia, as brain disorder). Also, Laing frequently encountered conflict with medical authority and other famous psychiatrists and thinkers and was eventually suspended from his medical practice. Laing died playing tennis; however, before his death Laing experienced several severe bouts of depression and frequently resorted to alcohol - drinking himself into a stupor. It may have been his own inability to cope with certain aspects of his life which led Laing to see the mad in such a compassionate (indeed, romanticized) light. Indeed, Laing raises for the thinking individual many questions about the nature of sanity and madness, the nature of man and normality, the roles of society on the individual, the nature of family life and myth in family life, the role of abuse on man to his fellow man, and ultimately about the very nature of reality itself as seen in the light of the eyes of the mentally ill individual. This book offers a good biography of Laing, an anti-psychiatrist who combined insights from both religious mysticism and phenomenology and existential philosophy into a political thesis about the nature of psychosis and schizoid/schizophrenic being-in-the-world. While I believe that the role of biological processes in mental illness is entirely underrated by individuals like Laing and Szasz, nevertheless, their books offer a unique alternative look at the medical establishment which often foists unfair measures upon those who are merely deemed different.

"Give us bread but also give us roses".......2002-09-15

For anyone who has been thrilled by any of Laing's books, as I had been, reading a biography of Laing can be a sad experience. Burston doesn't shrink from the disappointing aspects of Laing, but he finds great and continuing value in Laing's work while also reminding us of Laing's better side.

Burston has divided the biograpy roughly in half. First comes the standard chronological presentation, then an analysis of Laing's thoughts and concerns. This meaty but quite readable analysis includes assessment of Laing's philosophical assumptions, his position on psychoanalysis, and his place within psychiatry.

Burston effectively reminds us that, whatever his failings and however large his fall from popularity, Laing's work still presents challenges and promises values which we would be foolish to ignore. Blessed with a great mind, R.D. Laing also forged a wonderful heart: too many other therapists forget that our suffering needs both.

The Guru's Dilemma.......2001-12-22

This really should be read along with the biography by hy Ronald Laing's son, Adrian Laing. Adrian Laing is much more critical. Although he is a lawyer and Burston a psychologist, I think Adrian Laing shows more understanding of RD Laing's place in psychiatry. Both books are very readable (which is the reason for the 5 stars) because Laing's life makes makes a good story.
By the end of the 1960's Laing was a dinosaur rather than an innovator. He was still blaming parents for their children's mental illness and advocating treating schizophrenia without medication. When I came to America in 1963 psychanalysis was dominant in psychiatry here. By the time time Laing died in 1989, psychanalysis was no longer taken seriously by most psychiatrists. I suspect that part of the reason for Laing's tragic self-destructive behavior came from the dawning realization that his treatment methods did not work for schizophrenia. Unlike Bateson and many of the American neo-Freudians, who were not MD's, he was a psychiatrist who undertook clinical responsibilities. Having set himself up, or been set up, as an omniscient healer he found he could not help those who turned to him.

Wing of Madness the Life and Work of R. D. Laing

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Wing of Madness the Life and Work of R. D. Laing
Daniel Burston
Manufacturer: Harvard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000X62H3Y

Book Description

With over 10 million Americanscurrently suffering from osteoporosis-and millions more at risk-awareness of the disease has been brought to the forefront. Many women try everything from calcium pills to lifting weights in hopes of increasing bone density to prevent this devastating condition. Dr. Felicia Cosman, who has specialized in osteoporosis for 15 years, asserts that every woman should be following a universal prevention plan.This comprehensive guide to a lifelong strategy covers everything women need to know, from the architecture of the condition, to methods for reducing risk factors, to preventative nutrition, exercise, supplements, and vitamins-and the latest findings about estrogen and hormone replacement therapy. But prevention may not be enough-bone density testing is also a crucial yet often misused component of diagnosis. This breakthrough approach presents women of all ages with new, safe, and accessible means of preventing osteoporosis.

Customer Reviews:

Useful information from a physician/patient.......2005-11-13

If you are like millions of other women who have been diagnosed with low bone density, DON'T PANIC! I bought this book after a bone density scan; my physician informed me that I have spinal osteopenia and gave me some fairly alarming warnings about possibly needing to be on medication (though, to his credit, he suggested I obtain a second opinion). I immediately ordered this book and "The Myth of Osteoporosis" (also recommended) and am exceedingly glad I did. This book offers a comprehensive overview of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, with much useful information that, as the title suggests, my doctor never provided. I learned that while bone density is a serious issue for older women, and should not be trivialized, the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies have converted what is essentially a normal state of aging into a disease. Women concerned about bone density should thoroughly inform themselves about how bone density scans are interpreted (this is a controversial area) and about all the medical and nonmedical options available to them. Equally important, they should educate their daughters, because the first few decades of life is the prime time for building healthy bone. For many women, the best course of action will simply to be to eat right, get plenty of exercise, and stop worrying!

Excellent Information.......2003-11-28

This book has much information about osteoporsis and what it means to your future. Along with this book, I strongly suggest reading another book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause - The Breakthrough Book on NATURAL Progestrone". The Osteoporsis book is extremely informatative about all aspects of the disease, osteoporsis, while the Progestrone book is full of informatin to aid you to become involved with your doctor in setting a course of action against osteoporsis. It is wonderful in explaning the differences between natural and man-made hormones. It gives information on REVERSING osteoporsis. Both books are a must read for anyone who has osteoporsis or is headed in that direction.

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Great Book, Not So Great Recipes!

A good book for beginning canners.

What a great book!

A book for people who want to make presents

Absolutely Wonderful! The best by far...

The Food Lover's Guide To Canning: Contemporary Recipes & Techniques
Chris Rich , and Lucy Clark Crawford
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Canning & Preserving | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Canning & Preserving for Dummies

Blue Ribbon Preserves: Secrets to Award-Winning Jams, Jellies, Marmalades and More

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The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables

Ball Blue Book of Preserving

ASIN: 1579901182

Customer Reviews:

Great Book, Not So Great Recipes!.......2003-12-02

Although this book gives excellent tips on the techniques and 'know how' of canning, the recipes are quite lacking in exact measurements. I have now made three of the recipes in this book and have had to modify all three. For example, the recipe for Cranberry Orange Relish calls for a full cup of vinegar. After following the recipe exactly it ended up tasting like a bad, vinegary wine. Next time I will decrease the amount of vinegar by 1/2 a cup.

I'm not sure if anyone actually tried out these recipes before deciding to publish them in a book but if they did, their idea of a good relish is not the same as mine.

This was otherwise a great book with great tips and techniques. Just make sure you do a test batch first so you know what needs to be changed in the recipe!

A good book for beginning canners........2002-10-30

This book is very thourough. The step-by-step instructions on what to do and what NOT to do are idiot proof. The book explains everything you would need to know to properly can foods. I recommend it for first time canners such as myself. The only downside-not many recipes. Also I only have a water bath canner and nearly half of the recipes are for a pressure canner. I did make some excellent Berry Jam from the book and it turned out perfect. (the first time too) A great book for beginners ready to dive in and can to their hearts content.

What a great book!.......2001-12-21

I am new to canning, but not new to dabbling in the kitchen, so I felt it was time to learn. I ordered this book before the holidays so I would have time to read it thoroughly and learn to use my canner in time to give gifts to my friends for the holidays. I've been able to pick a nice variety of recipes so not all my friends receive the same item. There were a few helpful tips that weren't in some of the other canning books I read with explanations as to 'why'. I purchased a couple of canning books at the same time as this one and borrowed a couple more, but find myself coming back to this book the most!

A book for people who want to make presents.......2001-08-12

I just received my copy of this book, and I'm very disappointed. The text describing this book said it was filled with gourmet meals that can be home prepared and canned. This would be true if your idea of a meal is salsa, or jelly, or pickles. There are only a few soup recipes, and those contain no meat (and rarely beans). The book is pretty, and contains excellent hints on how to pack jars to win prizes (or, I guess, make fancy gift jars), but I'll have to look elsewhere for good chilis, stews, etc.

Absolutely Wonderful! The best by far..........2001-05-16

I am a serious dabbler in many kitchen areas..canning is one of them. I searched many bookstores and found very few books that fit my needs. Most everything else was either very old, or contained recipes that i would never use. This book, on the other hand, was wonderful! It contains wonderful, easy to follow instructions and canning guidelines, as well as a collection of great recipes. The recipes included cover many things...from traditional jams and jellies (many with that little extra something that makes a wonderful, stand-out recipe) to more unique chutneys and relishes. All of the recipes are unique, but well within the limits of a beginner or intermediate canner. A truly inspired book!

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Breeding aquarium fishes: Practical hints on the care and propagation of popular aquarium fishes
Julius Nachstedt
Manufacturer: Aquarium Stock Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007EBBM0

Average customer rating:

good overall,in-depth in some areas yet not in others.

Popular Guide to Tropical Aquarium Fishes
Dick Mills
Manufacturer: Voyageur Press (MN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fish & Aquariums | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1564651096

Customer Reviews:

good overall,in-depth in some areas yet not in others........2002-03-05

For the beginner, as I am, this book is very helpful in describing many different kinds of fish and their requirements. It helps the reader make very informed decisions about which fish will do well in the type of community the keeper is looking to establish. However, the book lacks the "aquariums for dummies" information that the keeper needs for the day to day stuff. Water change schedule, diseases & treatments, etc. Overall, the book was very good. I just needed to use another book in-tandem with this one to gather all the information I needed as a first time "aquarium dummy".

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A Popular Guide to Tropical Cichlids
Paul V. Loiselle , David Sands , and W.S. Leibel
Manufacturer: Salamander Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fish & Aquariums | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Great, but perhaps outdated.

Popular Tropical Fish for Your Aquarium
Cliff Harrison
Manufacturer: Tab Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Fish | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0830616314

Customer Reviews:

Great, but perhaps outdated........2005-06-11

This book details all kinds of tropical fish, their behavior towards other fish, what region of the water they swim in [top, middle, or bottom], what extra live foods they may need, tank temperature, scientific name, place of origin and breeding behavior; each breed portayed by a nice color drawing.

There is also information on using live plants, and different formulas [fish + plants] for attractive and well working aquariums. However, the book is outdated, and uses old names, or has no information on newer breeds.

Tropical Fish Handbook: Gold Fish and 31 Popular Tropicals

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Tropical Fish Handbook: Gold Fish and 31 Popular Tropicals

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HZ2NDK

Average customer rating:

Common names of tropical fish
Peter A Lewis
Manufacturer: Lewis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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POPULAR FRESHWATER TROPICAL FISH
JOHN DAWES
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S5TCUG

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Popular Tropical Fish
Cliff Harrison
Manufacturer: Foulsham & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Popular Tropical Fish for Your Aquarium

Manufacturer: Foulsham,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FMFVSO

Popular tropical fish;: A guide for their breeding and care,

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Popular tropical fish;: A guide for their breeding and care,
Edna May Goldberg
Manufacturer: Edna May Goldberg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Detailed step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations for 80 projects that add lovely accents to domestic items: elegant edgings, "Diamonds and Arrowheads" bedspread, "Enchantress" tablecloth, more. For crocheters at all levels.

Customer Reviews:

Crochet eye-candy.......2007-07-12

This is another lovely book of old fashioned thread crochet projects for the home. I purchased it at the same time as "Floral Crochet"

My only handicap working from this book is the fact I learned to crochet some 30 years ago using the British Terminology of crocheting. Other than that, it has a large selection and variety of projects to choose from - place settings for dining, bedspread, arm-chair covers, doilies etc.

I have not worked any of the projects from this particular book but I love to look at it. I recommend this anyone who loves thread crochet.

Begin with another book.......2003-03-17

Although the patterns in this book are beautiful, you should work with another book if you're a beginner. These patterns were written by/for thread companies that have long been out of business. The gage is very difficult to get correct on some of these and it took some research on thread to needle equivalents and a number of restarts to get going on a doily that would lay flat.

Review of "The Crocheter's Treasure Chest".......2000-07-24

"The Crocheter's Treasure Chest" is an excellent, comprehensive book for anyone that loves to crochet or wants to learn. It has easy to follow directions and explains as well as illustrates how to make the stictches.

The book has a variety of patterns from doilies to large tablecloths to bedspreads. For those who want to tackle larger projects, you can make sets such as placemats and table runners with matching coasters.

There are also examples of how to combine crocheting with fabric for tablecloths and doiles. There are a variety of edgings which can be adapted to any fabric.

Overall, this book meets the needs of the beginning as well as the experienced crocheter. Happy Crocheting!

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Indoor gardener's green thumb guide
Arnold Krochmal
Manufacturer: Drake
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0877496633

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Very Helpful for the Person Interested in Homeschooling

Home Grown Kids
Raymond Moore , and Dorothy Moore
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Homeschooling | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook

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School Can Wait

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Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0849930073

Customer Reviews:

Very Helpful for the Person Interested in Homeschooling.......2006-02-11

This book is 25 years old,and I think we've learned a few things in 25 years, but overall the basic principles in this book were eye-opening and thought-provoking. I'm no longer so fearful of the homeschooling idea and have gained a desire to know more as a result of reading Home Grown Kids.

The House to Ourselves: Reinventing Home Once the Kids are Grown

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Your High-End Dream House
Outstanding resource
Fabulous book, somewhat mis-titled!
The House to Ourselves
The Wiggins

The House to Ourselves: Reinventing Home Once the Kids are Grown
Todd Lawson , and Tim Connor
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1561587931
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Book Description

When the kids leave the nest, many couples are suddenly free of many of the constraints that tied them to a particular house or neighborhood. It's a time of new opportunities, an exciting time to rethink the very concept of home to suit changing needs and interests. The House to Ourselves takes you on a tour of 20 homes designed for this joyous and liberating phase in life, when couples can have the home they've always dreamed of. These homes reflect the many opportunities available for empty-nesters, whether renovating an existing home, staying in a beloved neighborhood but building a new house, or creating a new home in an entirely new community.

Customer Reviews:

Your High-End Dream House.......2006-12-25

Typical of its kind with lots of great photos of fabulous makeovers, requiring extensive remodeling and an architect. But it does have some concrete ideas that push it up a notch over the competition.

Outstanding resource.......2004-07-10

What an outstanding resource for empty-nesters looking to redefine their lives! The house is yours again, what do you want to do with it for the second-half of your life? I can't wait until the last child leaves so I can put so many of these examples to use. Well, I'll enjoy the time left and just use it to plan. The attractive photo of Todd Lawson is an added benefit.

Fabulous book, somewhat mis-titled!.......2004-06-21

When I picked up this book, I thought it was for empty nesters and retirees who wanted to downsize or "undecorate" the kids out of their former rooms. Not so! These homes are for people who have lots of living and big plans for themselves. There are only a couple of places I would call "retirement" homes. The rest include homes with offices to make work life go along with home life,homes with studios for the fulfillment of dreams and even homes with guest wings and guest houses to welcome whole troops of extended family. Absolutely brimming with ideas.

The House to Ourselves.......2004-05-05

I purchased this book for my parents who are planning on building. They absolutely loved it! It has lots of great ideas.

The Wiggins.......2004-04-01

We purchased this book hoping to find new ideas to fit our needs. It was obvious the authors researched the material at length and offered a variety of solutions that could be adaptable to any lifestyle. Lots of illustrations which helps visualization. We are able to incorporate many of the suggestions in this book to our remodeling projects. Now the hard part - tackling the hammer and nails.

Home Grown Heroes: Practical Principles For Raising Courageous Kids

Average customer rating:

Wow! A great book for anyone!

Home Grown Heroes: Practical Principles For Raising Courageous Kids
Tim Kimmel
Manufacturer: Family Matters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0977496708

Customer Reviews:

Wow! A great book for anyone!.......2006-06-30

This book not only inspires parents, but anyone. Dr. Kimmel has such a great way with words. This book is an awesome reminder of how to build courage in yourself, as well as, children that you are a role model for.

Home grown kids: A practical handbook for teaching your children at home

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Foundational Book

Home grown kids: A practical handbook for teaching your children at home
Raymond S Moore
Manufacturer: Word Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: 0849902703

Customer Reviews:

Foundational Book.......2007-04-21

This was the first book we read on the subject of homeschooling. I still consider it the best.

Home Grown Heroes: How to Raise Courageous Kids

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Home Grown Heroes: How to Raise Courageous Kids
Tim Kimmel
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0880703598
Release Date: 1992-06-29

Watch and learn as kids build clubhouse; Wild imaginations will amaze stodgy grown-ups.(Homes - Renovation and Design): An article from: Winnipeg Free Press

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Watch and learn as kids build clubhouse; Wild imaginations will amaze stodgy grown-ups.(Homes - Renovation and Design): An article from: Winnipeg Free Press
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000O76KGC
Release Date: 2007-03-12

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on March 11, 2007. The length of the article is 686 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: Watch and learn as kids build clubhouse; Wild imaginations will amaze stodgy grown-ups.(Homes - Renovation and Design)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 11, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: f12

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Home Grown Kids
Raymond and Dorothy Moore
Manufacturer: Word
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GRM6Z4

Activity Suggestions for Home Grown Kids: My America; Our America; Our American History; The History of the United States; Old World History; New Worl

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Activity Suggestions for Home Grown Kids: My America; Our America; Our American History; The History of the United States; Old World History; New Worl

Manufacturer: Hewitt Research Foundation, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

Study & Teaching | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1578960398

Book Description

One of the great jazz memoirs. Count Basie (1904-1984), pianist, composer, and icon of big-band jazz, known for such classics as "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Cherokee," and "One O'Clock Jump," recounts his life story to Albert Murray with all the charm and dry humor of two friends sitting at the kitchen table. Good Morning Blues is both testimony and tribute to a remarkable, rich life.

Customer Reviews:

The book of lists.......2006-03-11

I'll admit to being a bit dissappointed by this book about Basie.As mentioned in some of the other reviews, you get list after list of recording dates and tour dates, interesting, but not enlightening. Where are the road stories? I feel I've learned more about Basie from other peoples books about jazz and Kansas City than I did in this book. It's too bad, I'm sure he could have filled a few books with what he saw in 60 plus years of jazz.

Basie the cool professional, Murray the former general.......2005-04-18

This is a particularly useful book if you know basie, Basieism and what is happening already. Count Basie never was the kind of person you would expect to write a tell all, or note how much reefer was being smoked like Buck Clayton did in his memoir, or spill the inside dope on John Hammond as a number of Basieites have in their books and interviews.

Basie has always been a cool professional, concerned with handling the business side, keeping everybody happy, and keeping the ship above the water. He goes by the old watchword from the 50s we used to have "Maintain your cool at all times."

Thus we get a memoir that has a lot of places and names in it, a lot about working in the band, but very little that is going to surprise or wow anyone who isn't into the Basie story. He stays pretty close to the vest, and presents a very easy going story.

One example of how this book smoothes over conflict and controversy and makes everything seem smoother than the truth is how it treats the departure of Claude Fiddler Williams from the Basie Band in 1937. While the ignorant think Freddie Green was Basie's only guitarist, Williams was the band's first guitarist--and he was Downbeat guitarist of the year that year--and also played hot jazz fiddle solos with the band. Only the Live at the Chatterbox recording lets you hear his brilliant fiddling.

When the band arrived in New York, John Hammond who acted like manager, director, and overlord over the band for years, decided the Fiddler's violin was too "country" and replaced him with Freddie Green who was playing in a New York Club when Basie arrived in the Apple.

Williams who lived until last year (2004) always said John Hammond fired him, although he says he felt grateful in the end because his career as an independent fiddle soloist would have never taken off had he stayed with Basie. In this book, Basie says that he and Williams came to a friendly parting of the ways that let Williams become independent. There is lots of smoothed over stuff like this.

To be fair, this was more or less of an interview with an aging Basie with little attempt to research things. Many things get hazy or are remember conveniently as the years pass on, as I am coming to realize myself as I enter my late 50s.

The book also suffers from Albert Murray's interviewing. Murray never presents his credentials in his appearances as an "expert" on Jazz. In fact he is a retired Air Force General and has never been a musician, a musicologist, or anything professionally associated with music. He's imposed his own rather conservative viewpoint on Jazz as the all American capitalist product, rather than an expression of Black culture, oppression, and a struggle to Africanize music. Rather, Murray priviledges a progression to take Jazz closer to the forms of European classical music. So, it is no surprise that Murray isn't going to try to ferret out controversy, difficult truthes, or unconventional behavior, particularly with a man as cool and under control as Bill Basie.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of information here that exists nowhere else. Sadly, no one has written a serious biography of Basie, or a serious study of his music save for the section on him in Gunter Schuller's great book on Swing. Until that takes place, this is the book.

Like most books of this kind, the part about Basie's life before he became famous, growing up, learning his chops on piano in New York, travelling with TOBA shows, hooking up with Rushing, then with the Blue Devils, then with Moten, are the most interesting and readable parts of this book. Similarly, the book speeds up and summarizes too quickly the closer it gets to the time the interviews took place.

One thing is nice is the list of who took what solo on some of the Old Testament sides.

Still, Basie is important enough for every true Jazz lover, or at least every true swing lover, to own this book, particularly as a cheap used edition can be obtained for little!

How Did They Do It?.......2004-11-30

How did Albert Murray and Dan Morgenstern manage to write an uninteresting and at times boring book about the great Count Basie? This is a sanitized and unemotional look at Basie's career. It is full of details that can only be of interest to a Basie historian- and that's about the only good thing you can say about it. I guess The Count wanted it that way. If you want to read everything about Basie that's ever been written, then buy this book. Otherwise, skip it.

Good Morning Blues, Blues How Do You Do?.......2002-05-04

This book contains a wealth of historical information, and is written in a calm, mellow style. Murray perfectly captured the laid-back elegance of Basie's voice and tells his story in a smooth, graceful manner. This book contains no sensational or scandalous materials about Basie's many associates, including Lester Young, Billy Holiday, Frank Sinatra, or Benny Moten, and that's the way Basie wanted it. Basie was a gentleman who believed in proper decorum, and he never revealed any secrets about his many friends. There are no bombshells in this book, but if you are looking for a comprehensive life story of one of the 20th century's most important and succesful musicians (both commercially and artistically), this is the book for you. This is an absolute neccesity for students of jazz and is essential to any collection of jazz biographies. The information on the music alone (where they were touring, what they were playing, when they recorded what, etc.) is vast.

For Basie aficionados only.......1998-08-06

If you expect some spectacular insight how Basie and his music came into being, you're in for a slight letdown. The book has a somewhat sedate pace, doesn't feature to many anecdotes or details about Basie and his musicians. There are certainly some interesting facts but on the whole it's rather dry. The book covers Basie's career from its beginnings. I found the chapters on his early life the most interesting ones. From about 1940 onwards Basie structures his memories along his recording sessions; and this gets a bit tedious. I can only recommend this for true Basie aficionados who want to pick up the odd piece of new information.

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Good Morning Blues (Autobiography)
Count (as told to Albert Murray) Basie
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0TQL0

Good Morning Blues. The Autobiography of Count Basie.

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Good Morning Blues. The Autobiography of Count Basie.
ALBERT (as told to). MURRAY
Manufacturer: New York:Random House,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UBI0FQ

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Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie
Albert Murray
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT0MHI

Customer Reviews:

An important book, butchered by Ballantine.......2003-04-24

This Ballantine paperback printing is full of printer's errors, an insult to the author's fine work and vitally important topic.

Wallenberg.......2002-10-17

This is a story about a fearless swede who risked his life going behind enemy lines to save the lives of Hungarian Jews. This is a good book for those who want to read about what happened to Jews in this time period. I didn't like the first part of the book but I enjoyed reading the end because of all the information about how Wallenberg could have lived through the seventies trapped in Soviet prisons.

A great movie title - Wallenberg's List........2001-07-29

It is regrettable, and a mystery to me how a book that it is so well-written and important can go out of print, but such is apparently the case with Kati Marton's book "Wallenberg". Reading this book is something I will never forget. It is the story of Raoul Wallenberg, a young Swedish diplomat whose heroic and selfless efforts saved thousands (some say as many as 100,000) Hungarian Jews from certain death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Budapest's Jews were among the last substantial population threatened by the Nazi's, and in July of 1944 Wallenberg was sent there by the Swedish Foreign Ministry in an effort to rescue the remaining 200,000 Jews from planned deportations. He issued thousands of Swedish Embassy-stamped "Schutzpassen" which were provisional or "protective" passports, granting the bearer not only an exemption from wearing the humiliating yellow star, but (more importantly) extending to them the rights of Swedish citizens, with the eventual intention of being "repatriated" to Sweden. With funds supplied from the War Refugee Board, Wallenberg also secured property which he then converted into "safe houses" for those rescued from deportations. Can you imagine? At times, Wallenberg put himself on the line and pressured SS officials into turning over to his custody "prisoners" who were already on board deportation trains! He then organized a network of hundreds of Jewish agents who managed the distribution of food and medicine to Jews in his shelters.

The tragic twist to this story is that after Budapest's liberation, Wallenberg himself was arrested by the Soviets on espionage charges and imprisoned, presumably until the rest of his life, for his fate remains shrouded in mystery. All attempts by his family and government to obtain his release were frustrated. To placate the mass of inquiries, Lubyanka Prison officials gave a date of Wallenberg's alleged death as being July 17, 1947. The end of Marton's book goes into many reasons why such an ending to Wallenberg's life seems suspicious. She explains how that Wallenberg was "quite possibly the Soviet's most important prisoner. His name and his legend were too powerful to release." A free Wallenberg would be a "living indictment" and would have presented a dangerous competition to the Communist party's most jealously guarded possessions: legitimacy and power.

The author says in chapter 10: "Wallenberg was imbued with a conviction that anything was within reach, any goal could be met if one just applied oneself, and all of one's God-given gifts to its fulfillment." Here where I live in the capital city of Canada there is a Raoul Wallenberg Park... and whenever I drive by it I am powerfully reminded of the importance of remembering this hero of humanity, who, in the name of the civilized world sacrificed his own freedom in a fight to hold the uncivilized portion of that world accountable to the last.

An amazing--truly amazing--person.......1998-03-24

A spine-chilling account of this great man's days in Budapest, followed by a rather tenuous and undocumented account of his horrors in the Gulag. Well written and gripping.

Righteous Gentile: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, Missing Hero of the Holocaust

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Raoul Wallenberg:A Hero Allowed To Slip Through a Russian Sewer Grate
Sweden's greatest samaritan
fitting tribute to a great hero
An Inspiring Book

Righteous Gentile: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, Missing Hero of the Holocaust
John Bierman
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Jewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0140246649

Customer Reviews:

Raoul Wallenberg:A Hero Allowed To Slip Through a Russian Sewer Grate.......2006-02-23

John Bierman's terrifically tragic Wallenberg biography,'Righteous Gentile' is divided into two parts;the first 119 pages lead up to his kidnapping by the Russians on
January 17,1945.The last 97 pages deal with the world's apathy in securing his release from the Gulag.Thousands of Jews and some non-Jews owe their lives to Wallenberg's intervention on
"behalf of the Swedish government"-which dealt with the Wallenberg kidnapping issue as buroucracies tend to do.Bierman's Wallenberg book was published in 1981-and there were credible reports that Wallenberg was still vegetating in the Soviet prison system.The sin of allowing this to happen-is beyond unforgivable.

Sweden's greatest samaritan.......2003-05-22

A five star book about a five star hero.

The second world war threw-up some gigantic figures but ironically Raoul Wallenberg from neutral Sweden towers over all the rest.

Like the Good Samaritan he didn't pass on by but instead left his safe homeland to assist others by putting himself in danger day after day in the inferno that was Hungary during the dreadful days of 1944-45.

The man who saved a 100,000 jews from the clutches of Adolf Eichmann, the SS, and the Hungarian facists, the Arrow Cross ultimately fell foul of the Russian 'liberators.' He was never seen again as a free man after being taken into 'protective custody' by the Reds on 17 January 1945.

I read John Bierman's excellent book some 20 years ago and he charts the extraordinary crusade of his subject with a deft touch.

This is a book that will both inspire you, with Wallenberg's humanity and courage, and anger you that such a man could lose his liberty after fighting so hard for the freedom and safety of others.

In the pantheon of heroes Raoul Wallenberg-the righteous gentile-would have to be at the very top

fitting tribute to a great hero.......2002-01-02

Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish aristocrat who managed to save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the gas chambers in the closing months of 1944. His relief agency in Budapest issued bogus Swedish passports to as many Jews as possible. By dint of his commanding personality, his ingenuity, and his talent for pulling the wool over the eyes of dimwitted Nazi functionaries, he contrived to convince the German and Hungarian authorities to respect these entirely extralegal documents. In mid-January 1945, he was summoned to the Soviet embassy in newly-"liberated" Budapest, and he was never seen again.

This is a great and inspiring story, and "Righteous Gentile" does justice to it. Bierman doesn't really succeed in explaining the origins of the idealism that led Wallenberg to volunteer for this job in the first place, but probably nobody could. What he does show is the skill and energy with which Wallenberg executed the task assigned to him. Actually "skill and energy" are ludicrously inadequate terms. Wallenberg not only distributed his passports, he tirelessly roamed around pulling Jews out of death marches and off trains bound for Auschwitz, he bossed Nazi thugs around in impeccable Hochdeutsch (and they listened), and he confronted Adolf Eichmann himself, all the while taking the most extraordinary risks. I can't say that Wallenberg was the greatest hero in recorded history, since I'm not familiar with all of it; suffice to say that he is by a very large margin the greatest hero I've ever read of, in fiction or history, and it is an inspiring and hopeful fact that someone like him ever existed. I am grateful to John Bierman for bringing this figure to such luminous and memorable life.

The only problem I have with the book is that half of it consists of speculations and rumor-cataloguing to the effect that Wallenberg was alive in the Gulag until about 1980. I believe that most authorities now think he was murdered by the Soviets long before this, perhaps after they failed to recruit him for espionage. This part of the book is therefore something of an anachronism. However, it doesn't detract from the general value of the book, which should be required reading for everybody, period.

An Inspiring Book.......2001-11-12

I read this book about 1982. I used to work the night shift at a hospital and on Sunday mornings, I recall listening to a Sunday Morning NPR talk show. One morning, Howard Cosel interviewed the author of Righteous Gentile. I was completely fascinated by this story that I had never heard. Howard was masterful in his interview and I was so taken that I immediately purchased the book and read it. It is riveting and I could not put it down until I had consumed it all. I am always in amazed wonderment at ordinary people who perform extraordinary acts under dire conditions. Wallenberg was such a man. The story is, of course, a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, as Wallenberg disappears into the Russian Gulag. I irony of his imprisonment in the Gulag after having saved so many Jews from their fate in the Holocost. It is one of those books that is uplifting because it reminds us of both the good and evil that humans are capable of.

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RIGHTEOUS GENTILE, THE STORY OF RAOUL WALLENBERG, MISSING HERO OF THE HOLOCAUST
John Bierman
Manufacturer: Viking, 1981
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NSKET6

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Righteous Gentile: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, Missing Hero of the Holocaust
John Bierman
Manufacturer: Viking Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OBFKXW

RIGHTOUS GENTILE: THE STORY OF RAOUL WALLENBERG, MISSING HERO OF THE HOLOCAUST.

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RIGHTOUS GENTILE: THE STORY OF RAOUL WALLENBERG, MISSING HERO OF THE HOLOCAUST.
John: Bierman
Manufacturer: Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LY1T6O

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Righteous Gentile: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, Missing Hero of the Holocaust
John Bierman
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIZHF6

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