The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach

Book Description

On February 6, 1945, Robert Brasillach was executed for treason by a French firing squad. He was a writer of some distinction—a prolific novelist and a keen literary critic. He was also a dedicated anti-Semite, an acerbic opponent of French democracy, and editor in chief of the fascist weekly Je Suis Partout, in whose pages he regularly printed wartime denunciations of Jews and resistance activists.

Was Brasillach in fact guilty of treason? Was he condemned for his denunciations of the resistance, or singled out as a suspected homosexual? Was it right that he was executed when others, who were directly responsible for the murder of thousands, were set free? Kaplan's meticulous reconstruction of Brasillach's life and trial skirts none of these ethical subtleties: a detective story, a cautionary tale, and a meditation on the disturbing workings of justice and memory, The Collaborator will stand as the definitive account of Brasillach's crime and punishment.

A National Book Award Finalist

A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist

"A well-researched and vivid account."—John Weightman, New York Review of Books

"A gripping reconstruction of [Brasillach's] trial."—The New Yorker

"Readers of this disturbing book will want to find moral touchstones of their own. They're going to need them. This is one of the few works on Nazism that forces us to experience how complex the situation really was, and answers won't come easily."—Daniel Blue, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"The Collaborator is one of the best-written, most absorbing pieces of literary history in years."—David A. Bell, New York Times Book Review

"Alice Kaplan's clear-headed study of the case of Robert Brasillach in France has a good deal of current-day relevance. . . . Kaplan's fine book . . . shows that the passage of time illuminates different understandings, and she leaves it to us to reflect on which understanding is better."—Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

Customer Reviews:

Appetizer better than main course.......2005-01-22

The most compelling part of this study of Robert Brasillach for me was not the courtroom rhetoric - framed as the payoff of this book - but the contextual descriptions of the open anti-Semitic and pro-fascist political advocacy of pre-war France.

It's important to be reminded that anti-democratic and racist thought was not confined to Germany in the 1930s. I found, however, that the more I read about Brasillach the less pivotal a character he became. Here was a clever but sad follower of the dashing fascists, but a follower whose chief weapons were mockery and verbal attack. Brasillach may have become a martyr for the right, but only for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not for being a philosophical or popular leader.

Kaplan has done an excellent job in presenting a relatively dispassionate report on the case, but the case itself is more a fluke than an historic watershed.

Guilty of Political Correctness.......2004-01-03

This biased and rather mean-spirited investigation of the life and trial of French author Robert Brasillach is an attempt on the part of the author, Duke University professor Alice Kaplan, to establish the guilt of her politically-incorrect target.

Robert Brasillach (1909-1945) was a French author, critic, and (need I say?) idealogue. Guilty not of acts but of expression, his death at government hands might be just another sad addition to the crimes of totalitarianism - except that Brasillach was a RIGHT-winger, condemned and executed by the post-liberation French authorities. Brasillach was among many accused collaborationists (or suspected conservatives) who were 'purged' following the liberation of France, often by leftists with old scores to settle. There are two important issues this affair raises for me: what regard for justice can we expect in a passionate time, and why do people embrace extreme views? These are not Kaplan's concern. She wants us to consider the profound question: why can't people whose views I hate just keep their damn mouths shut?

Brasillach neither served the Germans in any official capacity nor participated in any war crimes. Nevertheless Kaplan claims that Brasillach is guilty, although hedging that his punishment was excessive. She accuses Brasillach of three crimes: denouncing French citizens to an enemy of France (punishable by death under a 1944 revision to article 84 of the French penal code), treason (article 75), and calling for the death of French politicians. The accusations never get off the ground.

While it is fair to denounce Brasillach's anti-semitism and hostility to democracy, Kaplan presents no proof that he denounced fellow citizens personally, except for politicians already imprisoned by the Vichy government. There are serious legal and even ethical problems in condemning a man for sympathizing with foreign agents whose authority is sanctioned by his own government. The closest Kaplan comes to a justification of Brasillach's legal guilt is when she quotes the damning remark (left out of Brasillach's compiled works!!!): "One was asked to point out the Jews." Kaplan, who expends several pages in interpreting the quote as meanly collaborationist, says "It is a fudge, a syllable away from a confession that he did..." Perhaps just a bit more than a syllable: a verb, a personal pronoun or two, maybe a conjunction...

Kaplan's aggressively prejudicial interpretations are the body of the work, together with some irrelevant detail about contemporary events. Her argument is simple: Fascists are bad, so what they do is bad. If a Fascist goes for a walk, he walks in a bad way. Brasillach wrote several books; one was nominated for the Prix Goncourt, France's highest literary award. Kaplan says they were all bad books, so THERE!!!

The valueless childishness of this sort of thinking seems self-evident to me. The 20th century political arena showcased an endless parade of troupes of righteous zealots, all convinced that they had identified the Bad Guys responsible for humanity's woes, all shouting down any questioning voices, each exiting the world stage disgraced by odious crimes - to become the bad guys of the NEXT troupe!

The job of the thinking man is to gong this crap, without falling into the trap of ideological despair. We need to blame crime, not opinion, and if we disagree with opinion we need to present a case that is not based on ad hominem attacks on our opponent's character! As U.S. political debate slides into steadily increasing invective, the need for fair-mindedness is getting greater.

Masterful analysis of the trial of Robert Brasillach........2002-08-31

Brasillach was a political (anti-semitic, racist) commentator and novelist in France before and during WWII.
As we can read in his memoirs, he was intellectually seduced by the racist and nationalistic work of Charles Maurras (L'Action Française). He had probably homosexual tendencies.
After the war, he was condemned (3 against 1) for high treason and executed.
For me, the author proves convincingly that the trial was excessive and unfair - the Liberation courts were essential Vichy courts! Brasillach was guilty for his writing, but should not have been shot. There was no strict cause-effect relationship between Brasillach's words and the murders and deportations that did take place in France.
But I agree also with the author that with this trial there was much more at stake: free speech, the capacity of language to do real evil, the accountability of writers and intellectuals. It was a warning by the political power elite at that moment.

Good portraits of Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir.

A model study. Nearly every sentence in this book is supported by a reference.
It is a signing on the wall that this book was written by an American. The ghosts and demons of WWII are still not dead in Europe.

A Superb Book.......2001-06-02

France has certainly been taking stock of its own behavior lately--both good and bad--during WWII. The Vichy Regime was complex--denounced as collaborating with the German Socialists by some, accepted as a pragmatic answer to the survival of French culture by others. Many were caught in the middle, and this is a superb book about one such person. Kaplan's analysis is sensitive, brilliant, clear-eyed. She can tell a good story, too. Highly recommended.

A great book!.......2000-12-13

This is a fantastic book and should be read together with Patrick Modiano's "Dora Bruder" and Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem."

The Collaborator: THE Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (Leather Bound)

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The Collaborator: THE Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (Leather Bound)
Alice Kaplan
Manufacturer: Gryphon Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000OT3URW

Product Description

BRAND NEW leather bound book accented with gilt! ! Facsimile reproduction of original work.

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Product Description

BRAND NEW leather bound book accented with gilt! ! Facsimile reproduction of original work.

The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach.(Review) (book review): An article from: New Criterion

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The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach.(Review) (book review): An article from: New Criterion
Jeffrey Meyers
Manufacturer: Foundation for Cultural Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on November 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1765 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: The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach.(Review) (book review)
Author: Jeffrey Meyers
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2000
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Page: 69

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

THE COLLABORATOR: THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF ROBERT BRASILLACH.(Review): An article from: American Scholar

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THE COLLABORATOR: THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF ROBERT BRASILLACH.(Review): An article from: American Scholar
David Carroll
Manufacturer: Phi Beta Kappa Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008IZAHW
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Scholar, published by Phi Beta Kappa Society on June 22, 2000. The length of the article is 2750 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: THE COLLABORATOR: THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF ROBERT BRASILLACH.(Review)
Author: David Carroll
Publication: American Scholar (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2000
Publisher: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Volume: 69 Issue: 3 Page: 142

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Collaborator: The Trial & Execution of Robert Brasillach

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The Collaborator: The Trial & Execution of Robert Brasillach
Alice Yaeger; Kaplan, Alice Kaplan
Manufacturer: Univ of Chicago Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000X5BUHE

The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach

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The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach
Alice Kaplan
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPKPYW

Customer Reviews:

Pure - Unconditional Love.......2001-12-29

Here is a pure spirit who knew no bounds as she grew mentally & physically and at the same time continued reaching out to those who turned their backs on her & her family. Her devoted love for her son makes a mother feel proud yet she keeps within the framework of a True Christian. She battles family, church, townspeople, school & government. She soars above hate & bigotry to stand tall yet finds enough love and strength within her to reach out to love and aid others. She has most certainly inspired me. Hats off!

Especially Recommended for Newly `Outed' Parents.......2000-12-30

This was recommended to me by P-FLAG and it was a great read. I bought it for my parents. Ms. Murray summarizes her message beautifully in chapter 12 of the book... "I'm certain, many in the audience that day were seeing gay people as genuine human beings for the very first time. Presenting gays and lesbians as the real people they truly are is the key to dispelling stereotype-based images of lewd, immoral, subhuman sexual predators so important to the success of the antigay propaganda being churned out by religious and political extremists." I hope she enjoys a long prolific life!

The remarkable story of a mother's journey to her own truth........1999-02-07

"A Journey to Moriah" is unequivocally the finest book I've ever read by the mother of a gay child. This is a story of a mother who takes responsibility for her own feelings, faces her demons, and grows as a woman. Too often parents of gay children project their own fears onto their children. Rhea Murray is clear from the start that she loves her son unconditionally and any demons she faces are her own demons - not her son's. Her turmoil over facing the church, facing family, facing her son's school, facing her small suburban community in Indiana, is her "own" turmoil - not her son's. To watch Rhea unfold as a human being as she faces these demons, is to watch a woman with a capital "W" come into her own strength and wisdom. The book's title refers to the biblical story of Abraham who was tested by God with the command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. Rhea realizes that she can have the approval of her church and the parishioners she has called "friends," if she sacrifices her son - if she turns her back to him as they have. "I will not sacrifice my son for the approval of a few people," she says. Rhea knows from the beginning that she will not sacrifice her son to church,school, family, or community - not to anyone. She honors her power and her ability to think for herself. Rhea faces her fears of public speaking, speaking out as the mother of a gay son, and facing authority. One of the most powerful moments in the book comes when she stands up to the school principal who is doing nothing to protect her son. At that moment she blossoms into a full and powerful woman. "A Journey to Moriah" is the story of a mother's fierce love for her son. It is a woman's journey to finding her own truth, facing her fears, finding her own power and strength, and growing as a human being. Rhea's story is a lesson to us all that the love for our children should not be compromised by any external forces and that finding our truth will unleash our power as human beings.

Required Reading for all Parents.......1998-12-19

Rhea's book best describes the struggles of a gay teen in rural America. Coming from a town like Sunnyside, Indiana, only 100 miles north, I too have been through the struggles that Bruce had experienced.

Rhea is a priceless asset to the gay community, not only in rural Indiana, but also to gays and lesbians all over the country. Her dedication and stamina, sometimes seeing the events first hand, has often left me with a sense of pride and a restored faith in humanity. It is very uplifting to read of the positive live that she had provided to her gay son, and I truly believe that this book is a requirement for ANY parent who's son or daughter recently came out of the closet!

Here's a standing ovation for Rhea - Thank you for the memories, and thanks for the help over the past years. You are truly loved by all of God's lesbigay children

Thank You Rhea, this is GREAT!.......1998-12-08

KNOWING THE PAIN THAT EVERY GAY/LESBIAN YOUNG ADULT GOES THROUGH IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THE HATE THAT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE FACE AND HOW THE FAMILY COPES WITH THESE CHANGES AND THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE AND FAMILY AS ONE. I LOVE BOTH OF MY CHILDREN...I'M PROUD OF THEM AND I WOULD NOT WANT IT ANYOTHER WAY. IT IS SO HARD FOR ANY YOUNG PERSON TO FACE THE FACT TO HIM/HERSELF ABOUT THEIR SEXUALITY BUT TO THEN HAVE TO TELL THE FAMILY THAT THEY LOVE SO DEAR IS SO VERY HARD TO DO THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR EVERYONE STRAIGHT OR GAY/LESBIAN MAYBE SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T WISH TO UNDERSTAND JUST MAY SEE THE LIGHT.THANK YOU AGAIN RHEA YOUR FRIEND, LINDA

Abused Beyond Words: The Healing Journey of Reclaiming Our Inner Power and Peace by Speaking the Unspeakable Truth

Average customer rating:

wonderful and moving book

Abused Beyond Words: The Healing Journey of Reclaiming Our Inner Power and Peace by Speaking the Unspeakable Truth
Moriah S. St. Clair
Manufacturer: Pathways United Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Abuse | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1892268027

Customer Reviews:

wonderful and moving book.......2000-10-19

i bought this book at a local store and found it to be incredibly helpful to me as a survivor of ritual abuse. my partner has been reading it aloud and we have gained a new closeness through the experience of sharing this work. moriah st clair is a powerful writer, and has obviously worked very hard to heal.

Journey to Moriah: The Untold Story of How Abraham Became the Friend of God

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Journey to Moriah: The Untold Story of How Abraham Became the Friend of God
Kenneth R. Wade
Manufacturer: Pacific Press Publishing Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0816320241

Book Description

In Journey to Moriah Ken Wade invites us to go on a spiritual adventure with Abraham--seeing life through his eyes, entering into his culture, and learning with him how to really walk with God. Along the way, Wade shows us a new picture of the "Friend of God." We see a real human being with faults and flaws that needed to be smoothed over. And we see a man steeped in pagan culture trying to learn the ways of Jehovah.

Abraham never could have made the journey to the top of Mount Moriah if he hadn't been through myriad other trials along the way—some of which he failed. Life was a learning, growing experience for the friend of God. It can be for you, too. Why not begin or continue the journey right now?

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Moriah's Journey
Richard Moriah
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Reference & Collections | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1425928684

Book Description

This book can be described as a clear, keeping it real and succint portrayal of the personal growth journey of an African American man seen through his eyes beginning with a recounting of real life experiences obtained while growing up in his ancestral home in Guyana. Readers then get to travel along on this interesting journey through his young adult and middle age years while sharing in his adventures and travels as an immigrant in Canada.

Average customer rating:

Good for Children ages 10-15 years old.

An articulate and intelligible primer to the stock market

Buying Stocks Is Child's Play
Sandra M. McWhorter
Manufacturer: Authorhouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Stocks | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0759631824

Book Description

We want our children to be financially aware and secure. This book will give you the tools to teach your children about investing in a step-by-step approach. You will also learn company histories of stocks children woul recognize.

Customer Reviews:

Good for Children ages 10-15 years old........2006-03-19

This book is written for McWhorter's children as a means of teaching the following: the history of the stock market, how to read stock quotes in the news paper, and background on about 10 blue chips for long term investing. Bought it thinking I was getting a new perspective on investing... found it well below the level of even a novice adult investor like myself. Buy it for your kids as a starter or means of getting them involved in the world of investing.

An articulate and intelligible primer to the stock market.......2002-02-08

In Buying Stocks Is Child's Play, author Sandra McWhorter draws upon her thirty years of experience of teaching investment principles and practices in small group settings to create an easy-to-read, articulate and intelligible primer to the stock market. It's divided into three parts. Part I covers the history of Wall Street and step-by-step instructions to begin investing; part II is about the histories of the most established and famous stocks such as those of McDonald's and Coca-Cola; and part III is filled with definitions, web site addresses and suggested readings for advanced study. Very highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader with little or no previous experience with the stock market, the information in McWhorter's Buying Stocks Is Child's Play must be carefully read through before making the decision to invest sizeable fortunes in a fluctuating market!

Book Description

Topics include short-run and long-run decisions, joint and by-products, service department cost allocations, measuring and interpreting variances, cost allocation to various divisions, costing, contribution margin, gross margin, mix, yield, revenue variances, control of decentralized operations, planning, control and capital rationing, operations management, and pricing of products and services.

Average customer rating:

Big Wedding on a small budget... if it is 1950

Very Helpful!

Be known for the cheapest wedding ever

A good book for some good ideas

Don't Bother With This Book

How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget: Cut Your Wedding Costs by Half-- Or More
Diane Warner
Manufacturer: Betterway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Planning | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Marriage & Family | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5000 (or Less) : Achieving Beautiful Simplicity Without Mortgaging Your Future

Bridal Bargains, 8th Edition: Secrets to throwing a fantastic wedding on a realistic budget (Bridal Bargains)

1001 Ways To Save Money . . . and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000

ASIN: 1558704485

Customer Reviews:

Big Wedding on a small budget... if it is 1950.......2007-04-19

This book was NOT helpful at all! Ms.Warner's prices are very off base. Please tell me where you can find a "reasonable photographer" for $600 or a seamstress to make you a dress for $321. Also, her decorations sound like something out of a bad high school prom, ie "fifties theme, the Roaring Twenties, or a Renaissance Festive. Start saving money on your wedding by NOT buying this book!

Very Helpful!.......2005-11-29

This book was a lifesaver! I called a friend who was an amateur photographer. I had her take some photos of us and also reviewed her portfolio. We discussed the photos she took of us and what we liked and didn't like. We made a list of must have shots and ideas we had in mind. They came out beautiful!

The cake we purchased from Albertson's. Who would have thought of purchasing a cake from the grocery store? But I saved a couple hundred dollars and it was beautiful and delicious. I knew what I had in mind for the cake and the baker listened to my thoughts and added some from her own experience and we came up with the perfect cake! They make cakes often enough so they turn out beautifully, but not so often that they don't get excited about creating the perfect cake for you.

These are a couple of the suggestions I used to save a ton of money. While not all worked for me, they did help me think creatively in planning and saving money on the things I needed to spend money on.

Be known for the cheapest wedding ever.......2005-03-10

Unless you want all your friends to say, "That was the cheapest wedding ever!", this isn't the right book for you. The tips were unhelpful and unrealistic for anyone who wants to have an elegant wedding on a budget. Examples:

- Don't send any money on decor and flowers and get them from your aunt's backyard. (I'm sorry but I don't know anyone with a wrought-iron bench or potted tree I can borrow.)
- Get the supermarket florist to do your flowers and the supermarket baker to make your wedding cake. (I don't know about your supermarket but I never see the same person twice in those departments, if there is anyone even there.)
- Make all the food for the reception yourself and have the church staff serve it. o_O
- Find an amateur photographer and videographer (and risk not having any memories of your wedding!).
- Basically borrow everything from anyone you know.

Not pratical for someone trying to have an elegant wedding in a big city. Get "Bridal Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields. It makes much more sense.

A good book for some good ideas.......2004-09-28

Although this is not the best bridal budget book, its still, all in all, a good book with some good ideas. It does stress getting everyone involved, which for some, is welcoming. If you're a bride who has a family who's always giving you their 2 cents worth, this may be the budget planning book for you. It will get everyone involved in planning, helping and setting up for your wedding. If not, there are a few tips you can still use. Diane Warner has many books worth reading and I think she's knowledgeable in her ideas. This book is much better than Denise and Alan Fields' "Bridal Bargains". The book itself is more comfortable to read and hold (it's a standard size book with dark, large print, which "Bridal Bargains" is definetly not!) Besides, Diane Warner has some very original ideas which are legal and "Bridal Bargains" tells you some not so "authorized by law" ideas. Compare the two and I'm sure you'll agree, Diane Warner's "Big Wedding on a Small Budget" is much better! Just glimpse through and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Don't Bother With This Book.......2004-05-18

This book is pretty much everything your friends and family suggested to you when you spoke of having a small budget for your wedding.

The author herself seems a lovely person, but frankly, some of the advice is insultingly simple minded.

The best book to buy is "Bridal Bargains".

How to have a big wedding on a small budget: Cut your wedding costs in half-- or more!

Average customer rating:

Poor ideas and highly condescending to 2nd time brides
Not bad ideas
Really how to have a cheap and tacky wedding....
Very useful but don't depend on the prices
Steal this book!

How to have a big wedding on a small budget: Cut your wedding costs in half-- or more!
Diane Warner
Manufacturer: Writer's Digest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0898794021

Book Description

This newly revised guide shows how to plan a stunning wedding with all the trimmings but without all the expenses. In this completely updated 4th edition, brides and grooms will find:

-Case histories illustrating how four brides stayed within their respective budgets without sacrificing their wedding's quality and elegance -The latest wedding trends with guidelines for being fashionable at a low price -Creative new cost-cutting ideas, plus money-saving tips for the groom -Updated costs for everything, including flowers, wedding gowns, reception food and photographers, for 9 regions nationwide -Instructions and advice for tracking every aspect of planning a wedding -A quick-reference "what to do when" calendar/timetable

This book's dozens of creative ideas will not only help readers save money, but will make wedding planning a fun process!

Customer Reviews:

Poor ideas and highly condescending to 2nd time brides.......2006-05-31

To be fair there are a few good ideas but by and large - this is not a good book. In addition - this book's attitude that 2nd time brides really should focus on tiny small weddings that no one will notice. Bridal Bargains is much better and gives practical information.

Not bad ideas.......2006-03-20

The previous review is a bit harsh. To be fair, the book has a number of different price catagories with suggestions on how to achieve them. You can go for the full boat and they give great high end suggestions. You can also cut corners in places and they have those suggestions as well. I didn't go for a foam cake, but if you don't care about the cake why the heck not? If it saves you money and you have a great wedding, who care? And as for using amatures: florists, photographers, DJ's, etc., they are very clear about getting recommendations and checking out their work BEFORE hand. Saving money means putting in extra work, that is the deal.

Really how to have a cheap and tacky wedding.... .......2005-06-09

For starters, if you want to start saving money then don't buy this book or waste the gas to get you to the library! By far the WORST wedding book I have ever read (and I've read lots of them). This book has hideous reception suggestions such as using your parish CAFETERIA to host your event. Using olives as an "appetizer", having a fake foam cake, having an amatuer dj who plays "for free to get experience" and many other bad ideas. Words cannot express how bad I thought this book was. I actually called another woman and read her a few quotes to get her opinion and she laughed so hard she actually cried. The fact that the author kept plugging her other stupid wedding planning books was almost as tacky as some of her suggestions. Right up there with the tackiness of a cash bar.

Very useful but don't depend on the prices.......1999-02-19

Hopefully the more recent editions of this book have more accurate prices. Otherwise, it is an invaluable reference for anyone who is on a very strict budget. Note that this is not a book about how to save a little money. It is most useful for the under $5000 budget range, with ideas for do-it-yourself, rental and other very low-cost options. If you want to work with a consultant, use full-service vendors, and not do a lot of work, this isn't going to help you much. But for those with extremely low budgets, it is probably the most useful book published.

Steal this book!.......1997-08-14

While reading this book, I couldn't help but think that the first line should have been "if you're looking at this book in a bookstore, put it down and try to find it at your local library". Almost all the rest of the advice in the book is like that. Much of it is really clever. Some of it is downright tacky. However, I'm certain that just about all of it will save you money, just as the title boasts.

Average customer rating:
Suzanne's garden secrets
Suzanne Pierot
Manufacturer: Bobbs-Merrill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0672522039

Average customer rating:
Suzanne's garden secrets
Suzanne Warner Pierot
Manufacturer: bobbs-merrill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXD7TK

Average customer rating:
The secret garden of teacher education (Craft paper)
Suzanne M Wilson
Manufacturer: National Center for Research on Teacher Education, Michigan State University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Education Theory | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000722VSU

Average customer rating:

Should be in every household!

Much Needed

Family dynamics and how to deal with them.

Shift from being Right to being Loved and Happy Now

Awakening words!

Codes of Love: How to Rethink Your Family and Remake Your Life
Mark Bryan
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Happiness | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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You Can Go Home Again: RECONNECTING WITH YOUR FAMILY

The Family Crucible

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0671036637

Book Description

As a member of Oprah Winfrey's "Change Your Life " team, Mark Bryan gained a national reputation for doing what he does best -- bringing families together. Here, he helps all of us achieve deeper intimacy with our loved ones by cracking the codes of love with a four-step process of self-exploration that teaches you to:

Remember: use your senses to awaken pleasant memories of your family.

Reflect: set pain aside and challenge the story of your life as you remember it.

Re-frame: see the whole picture, including events, legacies, and traits that unite your family.

Reconnect: become authentically engaged in familial relationships.

Customer Reviews:

Should be in every household!.......2006-03-04

This type of book needs to be in every household throughout the world not just the country!

Much Needed .......2005-01-28

Mark Bryan is my husband's cousin. I saw him on Oprah talking about his book and had to get it. However, it was out of stock. Mark sent me an autographed copy and I read it in a day. It was so helpful to me to learn to deal with some members of my own family, but more importantly with my husband's family. Now that I have the truth on where my husband "comes from", it is easier for me to understand how and why he thinks the way he does...that also goes for the rest of his immediate family. I am going to have my husband read this to help him work out his problems with his parents.

It was very touching and loving to hear about the extended family that I have not ever met. Jim and Mark's grandmother, Minnie, was an exceptional woman, and I can relate to her in many ways. I admire Mark for all he has done and for all he has accomplished.

He has been so supportive of us, but this book has really "tied the loose ends up" for me. The exercises at the end of each chapter are really thought provoking. I began to remember memories that I would have thought that I had forgotten forever. It is nice to know that they are there, and now I can incorporate them in with the "bad" so that the "bad" isn't that horrible. I feel that I have grown and matured, and am ready to Re-Frame and Remake my life. He is right...you can go home again.

Family dynamics and how to deal with them........2004-05-11

This is a great read for anyone having a family or coming to terms with family problems. Bryan came from a disfunctional family and spent a decade of his life blaming his family for the letdowns in his life. Once he saw his family was not the problem and he was, he came to terms with his family and decided to become a member of the family again. This book mainly focused on the interaction between children and their parents, but it can be used with other relationships. This is a great read for any of us who have problems with their family, because it councils us in how to behave in the proper manner. As Bryan himself also states, he even has to work on how to see his family in the proper light. This gives great insight into family dynamics, and is useful reading for anyone.
I plan on using some of Mark's principles with my family. Family matters, and as Mark show, some of us have some pretty heavy baggage. Losing the baggage is a first step in coming to terms with your family. Good read and great advice.

Shift from being Right to being Loved and Happy Now.......2004-02-18

Re-enter your family and find your own true loving nature with Codes of Love by Mark Bryan. Mark uses his own family life and the diverse lives of many clients and friends to help you change your personal family recipes from leftovers to exciting new meals that are deeply nurturing, satisfying and actually possible to enjoy.
Mark's carfully prepared program merges passion with persistence in order for you to digest your past and emerge in the present with new compassion for yourself and the other members of your family.
I personally used Codes of Love to graft into my being Mark's substantial experience in mending families. With Mark's vision by my side, I was able to find the courage, humor and new ways of viewing my past in order to enjoy and reconnect with my precious parents. I had been completely separate from my father (I thought) and almost totally separate from my mother for over twenty years. Mark showed me that they were actually never far from my heart or my mind.
During those twenty years Mark Bryan's wisdom paid various visits to my creative awareness through his books and through a one afternoon seminar in San Francisco. In book form, Mark Bryan and Julia Cameron came into my life first with the amazing Artist's Way and then with the profoundly transformative Artist's Way at Work. In the fall of 2002 my domestic partner came home with Codes of Love for me to use and hopefully help me find a better way to understand and forgive my family and myself.
Mark and his powerful books have brought me back into a full and loving contact with the only parents that I will ever have. Using Mark's words and work to reconnect with my parents has also set me free to engage in my own projects with more confidence, determination and respect for myself.
I sincerely hope that you can also use Codes of Love to further understand your past, free yourself in the present and rejoin your primal pack.
My parents are 80 and 81 and I also have a niece and nephew who are 10 and 13 -- we all needed to come together as an interactive and loving family before it was too late. Mark Bryan and Codes of Love were the ticket that eventually helped us to create the healing, to let go and to make merriment again with each other.
Working with the principles and exercises in Codes of Love gives us the capacity to strengthen our connections with ourselves, our partners,our families and with our worldwide families as well.

Awakening words!.......2000-01-08

I received this book as a gift and it really helped me to see that I was interpretting things my family was saying and doing in a defensive and distorted way. This book has helped to re-examine these things and accept that my family loves me and just wants what is best. I have also tried to stop controlling family members, which has been something I was told and never believed until now. Hats off the the author for writing this insighful book!

Codes of Love (How to Rethink Your Family and Remake Your Life)

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Codes of Love (How to Rethink Your Family and Remake Your Life)

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000ID9XA2

Book Description

A Grammy winner and pioneer of multi-track jazz recording, Bill Evans was the pianist on Miles Davis' classic Kind of Blue album and a key figure in the development of modern jazz piano. This new Backbeat book details his wide-ranging and absorbing career, from freelance work in the 1950s, through his groundbreaking trios and solo releases, to his relationships with various record labels, to the intense final phase before his death in 1980. Printed on top-quality stock, the book includes fantastic full-page photos throughout, and a special color section.

Customer Reviews:

Prefer it to Pettinger's!.......2007-08-24

I find Pettingers book borders on the sycophantic at times. Although it is a great book he's a real 'fan' and in fairness he makes no denial of the fact. That spoils the book for me a bit. This Shadwick book is more focused on the music and how it evolves in a more useful way, which helped me to understand how Evans slots into the history of Jazz piano. As a Jazz pianist myself I think this is a great book and I've learned loads from it.

Not Bad At All!.......2004-07-07

I'm only writing this to bump up the book's rating a bit and to offer a more positive opinion that the reader might take into consideration. You might assume from some of the reviews here that this is the worst jazz bio ever written, and it's definitely not the case. Shadwick is a fine writer, and his understanding of Evans' work is not in doubt. Sure, there are liner note excerpts quoted in the text, but find me a jazz book that doesn't call on liner essays, among other references. For the most part, Shadwick concentrates on the actual recordings themselves, and in this way, it truly is a "musical biography," tracing Evans' developments over the years as they are heard on record. At best, Shadwick's subjective descriptions/criticisms can offer even the hardened Evans fan (like me) insights into the music, and for the newcomer, it's a handy guide to what he/she can expect to hear. Not only are most of Evans' records examined, but most of the key tracks are discussed in descriptive detail, making for a fairly comprehensive overview.

The negativity of some of the preceding reviews here is so uncalled for as to be suspicious to me, as if some of these reviewers are just shilling for the "other" Evans bio, How My Heart Sings, and trying to keep sales of this one down. I've read some garbage jazz books before, and this isn't one of them. It isn't one of the best either, but the author does not deserve to be trashed for this labor of love. (Better written, I must add, than some more popular jazz bios, which I won't bother to mention.)

Musical Biography?? In what way?.......2004-04-04

I also prefer How My Heart Sings over this one -I'm a huge Evans fan and as a jazz musician, I was thrilled about finding a "musical biography". Well, just repeating the same old stories as all the other books on the subject and then throwing in comments about the recordings -some of them suspiciously harsh, even- does not make it any more musical than any other biography. Not only that, but the times he comments on the actual music, he is almost invariably mistaken and wrong; "Freddie Freeloader" in NOT in a minor key and "These Things Called Changes" is based on "What Is This Thing Called Love", not "All The Things You Are" as Shadwick suggests. If he ever really studied the Manne-Hole live recordings instead of undeservedly dismissing them, he would know that Evans was already using the very same changes. As a collector of everything about Mr.Evans, I had to get this but I would not recommend it to anyone. Two stars for the subject alone.

Couldn't even come close to finishing it.......2003-08-14

I agree with other reviewers "...My Heart Sings" is vastly superior. Never mind the tiny print and wide columns which makes this book a conscious effort to even read, the writing gives you nothing of the feeling or experience of Bill Evans. Better to just listen to the music. I wouldn't even give my copy to other Evans' fans for fear of being associated with it so I tossed it. What a disappointment. Doesn't the author or publisher have an editor?

pictures--nice. text--yawn........2003-01-28

Like most other reviewers, I love Bill Evans' records and I hear a certain magic in his playing. The trouble with this book--other than the microscopic text and exceedingly wide columns--is its utterly dry and monotonous narration.

The book is fairly interesting--whether accurate or not, I couldn't say--in its account of Evans' quiet ascent from obscurity to the jazz pantheon he eventually came to occupy. Unfortunately, once we've learned how Evans reached the top, book becomes excruciating in its colorless, repetitive and tedious descriptions of Evans' subseqent recording sessions, tours, and record label changes.

Worst of all--and least excusable--is the fact that, somewhere along the way, author Shadwick seems to become disenchanted with the artistry of Bill Evans. If we're to believe Shadwick's account, the last 20 years of Evans' career were almost entirely uninspired and devoid of the creativity and innovation for which he's known and loved.

Whether he intends to or not, the end result is that Shadwick is essentially demystifying Evan's artistic legacy--and that's not a book I care to read.

Book Description

This book is a fascinating first-hand account of intellectual, political, and daily life in two vanished places: Jerusalem before the creation of Israel, and Ethiopia before the Marxist revolution. Ullendorff , who went to Hebrew University in the 1930s and held numerous British government
posts in the interwar and war years, counted among his acquaintances Haile Sellassie, S.Y. Agnon, J.L. Magnes, Martin Buber, and many other eminent scholars, writers, educators, and Zionists. He provides numerous eyewitness accounts of notable people and events, including the lost dream of
Arab-Jewish accord, British conduct in Palestine, the promotion of Hebrew as a modern language, the Falashas, Ethiopian customs, and the political upheaval in Ethiopia that brought about the fall of Selassie.

The Two Zions: Reminiscences of Jerusalem and Ethiopia.

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The Two Zions: Reminiscences of Jerusalem and Ethiopia.
Edward. Ullendorff
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJOOFE

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