Book Description
When noted anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff received a grant to explore the process of aging, she decided to study some elderly Jews from Venice, California, rather than to report on a more exotic people. The story of the rituals and lives of these remarkable old people is, as Bel Kaufman said, "one of those rare books that leave the reader somehow changed."
Here Dr. Myerhoff records the stories of a culture that seems to give people the strength to face enormous daily problems -- poverty, neglect, loneliness, poor health, inadequate housing and physical danger. The tale is a poignant one, funny and often wise, with implications for all of us about the importance of ritual, the agonies of aging, and the indomitable human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Great, informative and funny book!.......2003-06-09
This book is an excellent study of the Jewish elderly living in Venice. I had to read it for an anthropology class at UCLA, and, considering it is an ethnography (which are usually dull and straight-forward) it is a really great book! Barbara Myerhoff makes her book extremely interesting to read, especially because of the comical episodes that happen within the context. Her book not only provides a study of the elderly, but also what it means to be a Jew who has survivor's guilt (from the holocaust). The book shows how the elderly are neglected, outcast members of society. A lot of mainstream media is focused towards our youth. Almost all of us will experience old age, and this book addresses that issue. I highly recommend this book, and to see the short film (which won an oscar).
Stilted and Plodding.......2003-04-21
I love to read, but I doubt that this is the kind of book I would have ever read on my own free will. For each little point the author inexplicably feels compelled to ramble for 5 pages. Existing existentials? Symbolic cultural polarities? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Get to the point dude. The text should have been at most, a third its actual length...Indeed the setting is glum, Schmuel is OK but most of the others are portrayed as relentlessly vicious and petty. Not the kind of people you would want to hang around with or get to know for that matter. But none of this matters if the book is at least, overall, interesting and achieves its goals. I am sorry to say that it neither manages to be the former (except for rare instances)or accomplish the latter. Unless its goal is to leave the reader with a vaguely depressing emptiness. What a shame. I have heard that the Prof. Myerhoff, may she RIP, was a dedicated and talented teacher, who while unable to write well in all her books at least had her heart in the right place. Perhaps I would find her other works more enjoyable and would have seen greater titles had she not passed away so quickly.
Anyways I harbor no bad feelings against her. No, the real fault lies with my ... professor, who along with legions of his ... colleagues across the nation, torture countless students with overblown and hyperverbose books and lectures. Take my advice. AVOID THESE CLASSES AT ALL COSTS!
Stilted and Plodding.......2003-04-21
I love to read, but I doubt that this is the kind of book I would have ever read on my own free will. For each little point the author inexplicably feels compelled to ramble for 5 pages. Existing existentials? Symbolic cultural polarities? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Get to the point dude. The text should have been at most, a third its actual length...Indeed the setting is glum, Schmuel is OK but most of the others are portrayed as relentlessly vicious and petty. Not the kind of people you would want to hang around with or get to know for that matter. But none of this matters if the book is at least, overall, interesting and achieves its goals. I am sorry to say that it neither manages to be the former (except for rare instances)or accomplish the latter. Unless its goal is to leave the reader with a vaguely depressing emptiness. What a shame. I have heard that the Prof. Myerhoff, may she RIP, was a dedicated and talented teacher, who while unable to write well in all her books at least had her heart in the right place. Perhaps I would find her other works more enjoyable and would have seen greater titles had she not passed away so quickly.
Anyways I harbor no bad feelings against her. No, the real fault lies with my idiot professor, who along with legions of his moronic colleagues across the nation, torture countless students with overblown and hyperverbose books and lectures. Take my advice. AVOID THESE CLASSES AT ALL COSTS!
Excellent book to read........2002-06-11
I was required to read this book for an Anthropology class I took at Temple University and this was a great book. The Professor even went as far as locating the video through our video library for the class to view and it was interesting as well. This book was great! I would recommend it for reading even if you don't have to read it for a class!
Loved It!
wonderful.......2000-09-27
I read this book a while ago and reread it every few years. It is wonderful and moving, unsparing but kind. I often buy it for friends.
Book Description
During the Cold War, culture became another weapon in America's battle against communism. Part of that effort in cultural diplomacy included a program to arrange the exhibition of hundreds of American paintings overseas. Michael L. Krenn studies the successes, failures, contradictions, and controversies that arose when the U.S. government and the American art world sought to work together to make an international art program a reality between the 1940s and the 1970s.
The Department of State, then the United States Information Agency, and eventually the Smithsonian Institution directed this effort, relying heavily on the assistance of major American art organizations, museums, curators, and artists. What the government hoped to accomplish and what the art community had I mind, however, were often at odds. Intense domestic controversies resulted, particularly surrounding the promotion of modern or abstract expressionist art. Ultimately, the exhibition of American art overseas was one of the most controversial Cold War initiatives undertaken by the United States. Krenn's investigation deepens our understanding of the cultural dimensions of America's postwar diplomacy and explores how unexpected elements of the Cold War led to a redefinition of what is, and is not, "American."
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Ghost Stories of Venice
Kim Cool
Manufacturer: Historic Venice Pr
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Ghost Stories of Sarasota
ASIN: 0972165509 |
Book Description
Since the first Calusa Indians inhabited the coastal areas of Southwest Florida more than 1,300 years ago, there have been stories of spirits and unexplained occurrences. Sightings have been reported at Historic Spanish Point and at Manasota Key and Englewood, places where ancient shell middens remain to this day. More modern spirits have been reported riding motorcycles, adjusting car seats or turning on faucets in the middle of the night. It is even possible that the ghosts of explorers Ponce de Leon and Hernando De Soto have been seen in the area.
"Ghost Stories of Venice," is the first publication of such legends and tales relating to the Venice area and thought to be the first such book relating to the West coast of Florida.
In the introduction to "Ghost Stories of Venice," the author writes "Some people are truly afraid to even contemplate the reality of ghosts and want no part of such stories. Others think it is all make-believe. Perhaps reality is somewhere in between," Whether fact or fiction, Ghost Stories of Venice" provides a "different look at the Shark Tooth Capital of the World..."
Customer Reviews:
Ghost Stories of Venice.......2003-05-27
As a newcomer to the area, I enjoyed learning about the legends of Venice as well as about the history of the city in relation to the stories.
A good book to take to the beach.
Book Description
"Stunning, fresh, and very visual." -- Bride's Magazine
From the stately charm of palazzos standing guard on the Grand Canale to intimate details of private homes lining the twisting sidewalks and waterways, Venice is a dream of timeless beauty. From its hand-blown beads and Puccini-singing gondoliers to the wild beat and dazzling costumes of Carnival, discover Venice, happily married to traditions that have put painters, travelers and poets under its spell for centuries.
Find the Venice everyone dreams of, but few actually witness. Enjoy the city's fabulous architectural wonders -- ranging in age from 100 to 1,000 years old -- that are by turns intimate and majestic, and explore the twelve neigborhoods from central San Marco to the less-visited but charming Santa Croce. Learn not only where to hire a gondola and how much to pay, but also how these magical boats are built and navigated. Take a guided tour of the Accademia, with its grand collection of Titians, and find the small craft shops where the glass Venice is famous for is blown. Find the best beach on the Lido, choose a pensione that is just right, and sample fegato alla veneziana at a neighborhood trattoria.
Customer Reviews:
It is what it is.......2006-11-10
This Knopf city guide is a handy description of the history of the various palces in Venice. However, I was looking for more of a guide to make recommendations on what not to miss, where to eat, where to shop, etc. Hopefully it will make a good walking guide book when we get there, but does not seem to help us plan.
Buy it, read it, leave it at home (or in your hotel room).......2004-07-10
If you're going on a cruise or tour and have one day in Venice, forget it - don't bother with this book. But if you have any time to spend, this guide will provide you with some context for everything you're going to see. And if you don't want context, don't want to understand the city, why not just go to the casino in Las Vegas? The gondola ride will be WAY cheaper.
But if you do want to understand Venice, what it was, why it was important, and how its role in the world has changed, then dive into this wonderful book. Have a glass of wine and read through it again at night when you come home from your touring.
I loved this guide - read it cover-to-cover twice, then again when I got home. But one warning - it's not really the kind of book you tote with you in your bag to help you identify landmarks as you walk the city - the Eyewitness Guide works better for that. Neither is it the kind of book that will tell you where to buy the best marbelized paper. It's the kind of book that will tell you how marbelizing got started, who revived it, and how it's actually done.
Best City of Venice guide.......2003-01-27
On my first trip to Italy, I spent 8 nights in Venice with this book and was not disappointed with any aspect of the descriptions, histories, and cultural commentary of the book, however, this was my first time booking a 'recommended' hotel and got burned bad. This is why in all the Knopf books I have reviewed, I consistently state that unless you are talking about a world class place, like the Cipriani, you must use another resource to get your hotel and restaraunt picks. While I love the Knopf guidebooks for Cities, Venice is a little 'tough'; compared to Rome, Paris, London, Dublin, or Munich and New York (Cities I have been to or live in). Therefore I offer the following caveat to the traveler beyond recommending this book unconditionally. Venice is tough, and really is a theme park. What I mean by this is the following: Venice lost half its native population from like 1920 to 1980. It then lost half of what remained of its native population from 1980 to 2000. Venice, (the main islands), has no industry, employees, or even citizens left not completely relegated to tourism. And the tourists do come. There were so many Americans in Venice that it felt like a mall on Long Island. The result is that every Venetian you meet is, shall we say, a little edgy having to deal with hoardes of foreigners from 7 am till 2 am, 7 days a week! I saw more locals being abused by tourists in Venice than anywhere else, so the locals get back at you with scams, charging for every little thing, and otherwise looking to shave am extra buck off of you at every turn. Most of the time I do not mind this, because frankly you couldn't pay me enough to do their jobs, but the only time I have every really been fleeced was in Venice. No Cote D'Azure, or Miami, or New York, clip joint could compare to Venice
The Knopf guide really does not go into this, and I guess it really can not, but watch for the following and frankly, I dont mind paying, believe me, but I balked at a lot of the following:
1) Paying for every church you go into. Paying within the church to stand on the balcony, and then pay again to go into the crypt. Paying to light up every painting in the church you might be interested in looking at.
2) Paying every time you check your coat, and then charging you extra to hang an umbrella. The Venice casino was a JOKE for doing this.
3) Any gondolier by himself looking to give rides is double, if not triple charging.
4) Hotels will claim to be air conditioned, then charge you per night. If you dont buy the a/c they will fill your room with skeeters by leaving the windows wide open through dusk when you are outside eating.
5) The Jumping off point into the City from the mainland has 500 scams. Do not let your rental agent hire you a water taxi cause you will be charged way over. Any boat, car hire, porter, that is away from the main action is scamming.
I have always found that going into a small out of the way place with locals is part of the fun of being away, but Venetians do not want to socialize with you, the tourist, for the most part, while you are on the main islands. You can go out to the Lido for the day, or stay in a beach hotel there, and everyone is their good old normal self again. But do stay in Venice for a few nights, because despite all this, Venice is unique in the world, and you will feel like Othello when you walk around at night, or early in the morning you see a cat sleeping in an old well.
To avoid a lot of this, stick to Rick Steves. I think Rick is great in general, but his Italy books are indispensible. I wish to God I had it in Venice. But I have no regrets, because I felt something unique there. For a fleeting glance, like taking a gondola at night with a full moon, when, in the back of some palaces you see the old water entrance and egress, you see in the light, or how the shadows look, and you hear no cars, you see something identicle to the way it was 800 years ago. In most of Europe you cant do that. In Venice you can!
The Best In-Depth Guide to Venice.......2002-03-13
The Knopf Guide Venice provides a colorful picture-packed in-depth guide to Venice and the surrounding attractions of the Venice Lagoon. Like all the Knopf guides there is an extensive introduction giving the historical background to Venice. The individual tourist attractions are described in great detail with copious illustration. I wish more photographs were used rather than drawings. This minor fault is common to all the Knopf guides. There are good sections describing Murano, Burano, Lido and San Michele (the Cemetery Island) as well as the obligatory tourist attractions.
A visit to Venice is a jarring experience; Venice being like no other place on earth. The real 18th century (and older) architecture seems almost fake, you have to pinch yourself to be reminded that it's not a new Disney ride: "Pirates of the Adriatic." The Knopf guide prepares you for all this if you have the foresight to read it in advance, before taking your trip. There is too much to take in during the typical brief tourist visit. There's great advice about what to try to see with itineraries for a 1-day, 3-day and weeklong visit. A great piece of advice is to get a feel for Venice by staking out a seat in the rear open area of a waterbus. If you buy an inexpensive multi-day pass, this gives you a cheap but comprehensive tour of the city and let's you get off and on repeatedly wherever you like.
Venice hotel rooms are small and expensive. You will pay more for a small walk-in-closet-sized room than for a comfortable room with sitting area in Room or Milan. Despite this, I think it is necessary to stay overnight rather than make daytrips from outlying suburban hotels in order to get the true flavor of the city. Walking through Venice at night makes you feel like a character in Othello; you won't get that if you have to leave at the end of the day. The Knopf guide does include some hotel recommendations but it's very limited. A better bet for choosing a hotel would be the Michelin Red Guide Italy. The Red Guide just gives listings with abbreviations describing the accommodations. The Knopf guide can give you an idea about the neighborhood your hotel is in before making a specific choice from the Michelin Red Guide.
Tiny font = Tons of text.......2000-06-10
I just got my own Knopf Guide for Venice. No more having to renew at the library. While the Eyewitness guides are great for zeroing in on a desired sight, the Knopf series has much more detail about the place in question. I like to buy and read the Knopf guide about 6 months before I leave for my trip so I have plenty of daydream fodder, and then take the Eyewitness for when I actually get there.
The Knopf will take you to places that the regular tourists don't know about. Once you get there, if you've read the book, you'll know much more about these places than even some of the natives! My favorite things: The historical photos in the front, the drawings and photos of art (I especially enjoy these after I come home and am feeling nostalgic), and the hotel and restaurant listings in the back.
Book Description
Jonathan Tolins's hilarious and poignant play The Last Sunday in June follows in the tradition of The Boys in the Band and Love! Valour! Compassion! Set in a Greenwich Village apartment, Michael and Tom plan to spend Gay Pride Day contemplating their move to the suburbs. But with the parade happening outside their window, friends drop by, igniting a chain of events that rocks the foundations of their relationship. Also included in this collection are If Memory Serves, a satire of repressed memory and celebrity scandal, and The Twilight of the Golds, the controversial Broadway play about genetics and homosexuality that was the basis for the Showtime film starring Brendan Fraser and Faye Dunaway.
Customer Reviews:
SMART & FUNNY & MORE.......2006-11-01
All of Tolins' work here is relatable, but brave. The characters, gay and straight, are recognizable without being the usual cliches found in some other gay-themed books, TV shows, movies, etc. Best of all, his plays are richly entertaining. I highly recommend.
Lowest common denominator gay fiction.......2006-09-28
When I found out this author was a writer on Showtime's series "Queer As Folk" it came as no surprise, as his fictional work is just a continuation of gay stereotypes. As a gay man with a lover of nine years, I find this material lacking in talent, wit and authenticity. It is sadly typical of how many gay TV writers with marginal talent portray gay life. If Tolins actually had true writing talent, he might choose to look at the multi-layered aspects of gay lives in America, rather than his one-dimensional cartoon versions of gay life.
This guy can write!.......2004-06-07
Last Sunday in June was my favorite theater experience of whatever year I saw it in! And Twilight of the Golds was truly searing and thought-provoking! This man is a writer we'll be hearing more about. Comparisons to Neal Simon are obvious but don't do justice to this writer whose heart is as big as his sense of humour and his compassion for his characters reminds me more of Checkov than Neal Simon. (So if he's so good, why no 5 stars? Simple: I'm an honest man and I haven't read this book yet, and am reviewing it only on the basis of the two productions I SAW. So, when I read If Memory Serves I'll re-check in on this review if it's a warranted 5th star.) But buy this book! You won't be disappointed! This man's one liners and characters are as good as they get.
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- The BEST Sunday in June!
- LET TRUTH BE KNOWN
- No more hiding in the closet
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The Last Sunday in June
Manufacturer: powerHouse Books
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A Time Before Crack
ASIN: 157687172X |
Book Description
Introduction by Emil Wilbekin. On the last Sunday in June, New York City celebrates Gay Pride Month by staging a parade of floats showboating south down Fifth Avenue to Christopher Street. Originally staged to celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which mark the birth of the Gay Pride movement and the eventual recognition of rights for gays and lesbians, Gay Pride Month now takes over the West Village in a parade that attracts close to a million people of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and classes. The four-on-the-floor thump of house music pumps as caravans of divas, boob-flapping biker gals, and costumed creatures preen, primp, and pucker for cameras and spectators on the street. Equally colorful is the crowd, clapping and cheering for the performers before parading about town themselves. As a follow-up to his crazy successful, fashion and pop culture-influencing book of hip-hop's early daz, Back In The Days, photographer Jamel Shabazz takes a sharp turn in bringing to light a vastly original - and under-documented - emerging subculture in Last Sunday In June. Drawing from an enormous cast of eye-catching characters, Shabazz showcases an extraordinary collection of luscious lesbians, tasteful transsexuals, and dramatic drag queens done up in their Sunday best to celebrate Gay Pride.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST Sunday in June!.......2007-04-28
This is a terrific pictorial that realisticly portrays the GLBT community on a day commemorating an important moment in history. Because of Stonewall and because of the Gay Pride celebration and all the sacrifices that have been made since 1969, generations of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trans people have been and continue to be encouraged to come out and be proud.
I was actually at this particular event. It's one of my most memorable. I had no idea why my photo was being taken, but it ended up in this book....a friend of mine called me to let me know. Imagine my surprise!
I highly recommend this book because it captures the essence and spirit of this celebration in a beautiful full color format. It looks great on the coffee table and is a great conversation piece.
(...)
LET TRUTH BE KNOWN.......2003-08-08
The book The Last Sunday in June captures photographs of the many faces of the people who are proud of who they are and are comfortable with their lifestyle.The photographer is not afraid to capture the real world that we live in. I felt that the photographer's work was excellent and I am looking forward to
seeing more work by this photographer.
No more hiding in the closet.......2003-06-11
Jamel Shabazz has the magic touch.I loved the book.This is the real world we live in but hid behind closed doors.His Pictures show the real emotions of real people not afraid anymore.He has a gift and is a truly great photographer.The pictures are beautiful.I been to many of his events and enjoyed each and every one.I hope this book will be a best seller.
Book Description
This volume is produced from digital images from the Cornell University Library Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
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Last Sunday in June
Jonathan Tolins
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
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Welcome to High School: A View from the Trenches
David James Smith
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ASIN: 1564743918 |
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- Offices & Workspaces: Portfolios of 43 Designers
- One Night in Payne House (Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition, No. 4)
- One Thousand New York Buildings
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- Piet Boon 2
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- Programming for Design: From Theory to Practice
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