The Gates of November

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Potok, well known for his novels of Jewish family life such as The Chosen, turns to nonfiction in The Gates of November, a wrenching family chronicle with a riveting historical undercurrent. The story of the family patriarch, Solomon Slepak, spans most of the book: ignoring his mother's wish that he become a rabbi, Slepak emigrated at 13 to America, became a Marxist in New York, returned to fight in the Russian Revolution, and rose to prominence within the Communist Party. But while Solomon remained a convinced Bolshevik, his son Volodya rejected socialism when anti-Semitism emerged during Stalin's era. Disowned by his father, Volodya was later exiled to Siberia as a dissident. The story of the Slepaks is simultaneously the story of Soviet Jewry and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union.

Book Description

"REMARKABLE . . . A WONDERFUL STORY."
--The Boston Globe

The father is a high-ranking Communist officer, a Jew who survived Stalin's purges. The son is a "refusenik," who risked his life and happiness to protest everything his father held dear. Now, Chaim Potok, beloved author of the award-winning novels The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, unfolds the gripping true story of a father, a son, and a conflict that spans Soviet history. Drawing on taped interviews and his harrowing visits to Russia, Potok traces the public and privates lives of the Slepak family: Their passions and ideologies, their struggles to reconcile their identities as Russians and as Jews, their willingness to fight--and die--for diametrically opposed political beliefs.

"[A] vivid account . . . [Potok] brings a novelist's passion and eye for detail to a gripping story that possesses many of the elements of fiction--except that it's all too true."
--San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

excellent reading!.......2007-05-12

the gates of novemeber was one of the best documentaries i have ever read. chiam potok chronicles the life of multiple generations of soviet jews who suffered under a few different soviet leaders. it is a very moving story and the character depth and descriptions make it feel as if you are on the journey with them. highly recommeded.

FROM BOLSHEVIK TO "REFUSEDNIK" IN TWO GENERATIONS.......2004-01-05

The paterfamilias of the Slepak family is "The Old Bolshevik," Solomon. He comes on the scene in the very early years of the Russian Revolution as an avid revolutionary. Even though he is Jewish, and Jews are looked on as part of the "internationalist" enemies, he rises high in the Communist hierarchy and somehow manages to survive all of the Stalinist purges. No one knows quite why, but he is, arguably, the highest ranking of the original revolutionaries except, of course, Stalin, himself, to do so. No matter what horrors are the responsibility of Stalin or his successors, Solomon always believes that they are necessary aspects of "The Revolution." Even when he and his family suffer from these excesses, he retains his faith in his leaders and their actions. In fact, when Stalin is denounced after his death, Solomon's attitude is that Stalin did what was necesary during his time, and the later leaders are now doing what must be done now. Like so many zealots, even those of the present time, he believes that whatever is done in the name of the cause is right.

For purposes of this family history, this belief comes to a head when he, for all purposes, disowns his son, Volodya, for wanting to emigrate out of the U.S.S.R. to Israel.

The government, using as an excuse that Volodya has worked in a field where he "knows secrets," refuses him permission to leave. Volodya and his wife, Masha, become activists, working on behalf of those Jews refused permission to emigrate. Because of these activities, Volodya loses one job after another, is exiled to an unliveable part of Siberia for five years, and is frequently imprisoned. All of this does serious damage to his health, but he perseveres. By these actions, he gains international fame and is partially responsible for thousands of other Jews being allowed to exit, even though he is still denied an exit visa.

Potok's book vividly describes the horrors of these years, and serves as both a family chronicle and a history of the Jewish people in Russia, ranging from the horrors suffered under the Tsars, to the further horrors suffered under the followers of Lenin.

In many ways this book is a history of the abuses that accompany absolute power and those that go along with rule by zealots of any persuasion.

As an aside, _THE GATES OF NOVEMBER_ does end on a high note. Volodya and Masha are finally allowed to leave, and do live out their lives in freedom.

History of a Jewish Family in Russia.......2002-09-07

Iým a great fan of Chaim Potok (who passed away recently, in case you didnýt hear). Heýs a brilliant novelist who was educated to be a rabbi, but never had a congregation. He apparently was approached some time in the 80ýs to write this story, and finally managed to complete it a few years ago. Itýs a theme that Potok returned to repeatedly in his fiction: fathers and sons, conflict in families, trying to make things right and do the right thing.

In this instance, the author met the second generation of the Slepak family. The first generation was an old Bolshevik who commanded a division of the Red Army in the Far East during the Russian Civil War, and often met Stalin for press briefings in the 30ýs. By then he spoke 11 languages, 8 of them fluently, and so translated newspapers and magazines for Stalin. He was almost purged in the late thirties, wound up retiring early in the mid 40ýs, and lived to be an old man. He was also Jewish, though completely assimilated and non-religious. He had a family, including a son who turned out very different from the father.

The son became a refusenik in the seventies, trying to leave the country when it became apparent that anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in the period after WW2. He was one of the leaders of the group, and was quite prominent. He and his wife were able, finally, to move to Israel. The father was alive for the early part of the refusenik movement, and was mystified that his son wanted to go to Israel.

All in all this is an interesting book. I do think that his prose works better in fiction than it does in non-fiction. That being said, this is still a very good book.

Brought History to Life.......2002-03-06

I studied the Russian Revolution and its aftermath in history class recently, and was honestly pretty bored.

Knowing that the Russian Revolution played a large role in the plot of this book, I was a little cautious as I began reading. However, as I delved further into it, I realized that not only was it quite interesting, I was learning a lot of history. This book kept my attention throughout and brought what I previously thought was dry, to life.

I highly recommend you read this book.

"A tedious season they await, who hear November at the gate".......2001-04-21

Chaim Potok, well known for his novels ("The Chosen," "My Name is Asher Lev," amongst others), has frequently dealt with the theme of father/son conflict, of generation and cultural gaps. In "The Gates of November," he uses the same theme, but Potok now turns to a non-fiction account, an epic work with two cores: 20th century history of the Soviet Union and a personal drama. It is a family tale in which Potok (himself active in the movement for Soviet Jewry) documents the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union.

The book is divided in two sections. The first one describes the life of Solomon Slepak, a Jewish renegade who emigrates to the U.S.A., discovers Marxism, returns to the Soviet Union, becomes an ardent, ruthless Bolshevik and rises to prominence within the Communist Party. The second part narrates the life of Volodya (Solomon's son). As a product of a different historical context and perspective, Volodya rejects socialism, revives his Jewish identity (mainly as a result of the prevailing anti-Semitism), attempts to emigrate to Israel and becomes an international famous "refusenik" (Jewish activist who was denied exit visa from the Soviet Union to Israel).

The author developes the family account based on taped interviews with Volodya, his wife, two sons, and other family members and friends. Because of lack of first hand accounts from Solomon, the narrative for the first part of the book lacks interest and factual proves. For example, it is beyond understanding how Solomom Slepak was able to survive through the purges against the Jews, especially considering that he ran high in the communist organization.

In this amalgamation of a non-fiction narrative and a family drama, the literary strenght of "The Gates of November" was negatively affected. Had the author used a first person narrative, in a traditional historical novel, the book would certainly have a deeper emotional impact. None of this, however, obliterates its historical value.

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Dan Namingha: Extensions of the Nampeyo creative spirit : paintings, sculpture and lithographs : California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, November 16-January 16, 1979
Sandra Green
Manufacturer: The Academy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006Y2HUQ

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ENGRAVING:'At the Eagle Gate, Salt Lake City'...engraving from Harper's Weekly, November 17, 1900
Harper's Weekly
Manufacturer: Harper's Weekly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unbound
ASIN: B000NKKH2S

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Galaxy Science Fiction November 1976:In Xanadu; Lovelife of the Leglorn; Guardians at the Gate of Morpheus
Kevin Jr.; Strete, Craig; Wylde, Thomas O'Donnell
Manufacturer: UPD Publishing Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KP2BUW

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Gates of November

Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0436204401

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Gates of November, the
Chaim Potok , and Chaim Potock
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 044921981X

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Gates of November: Chronicles of the Slepak Family
Chaim Potok
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O67VCK

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Gates of November: Chronicles of The Slepak Family
Chaim Potok
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZS3VA

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JADEMAN OPENS: THE GATES OF THE NIGHT #2 (November 1990)

Manufacturer: Jademan Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S67248

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Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 85, No. 21 November 5, 1963
Marshall (ed.) Gates
Manufacturer: American Chemical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KG6Z0S

Book Description

Philip Whitmore, Viscount Greybourne, has been deserted at the altar, and Meredith Chilton–Grizedale, the Matchmaker of Mayfair, is ruined. This was the most anticipated wedding of the Season and would have secured her position. But now the word is out that the groom–to–be is cursed, making him the Most Unmarriageable Man in England. If Meredith is to have any hope of a future, she'll need to help him break this curse and marry him off. Unfortunately, the only woman he now wants is Meredith – the Most Unmarriageable Woman in England!

Customer Reviews:

A 5 star IF you like non-pretty characters...........2007-06-08

This is the first book I've read by this author. After finishing it and then reading the mixed reviews here I'm surprised because I really enjoyed this book:)

I think the problem here is not the book but the readers-in the way that different readers want different Heroes and Heroines.

While the books premise has been summed up well by other reviewers-just let me add a few points:

1-I loved that the hero and heroine are not handsome or pretty in the vein of "his/her looks took everyone's breath away". As someone who is "average" herself, I tend towards romances along the same vein. I think some reviewers took the H/H averageness for boring-but it may be they just prefer the other, studlier type romances.

2-I disagree with the publishers weekly review statement that this is a screwball comedy. It's not-it's a kind of "goulash" of comedy, adventure, mystery, and some very serious issues like prostitution, child abuse, death, etc. I personally enjoyed this and found that I didn't want to put the book down-it kept my attention.

3-great love scenes and fantastic sexual tension that built up to the love scenes. Very sexy and sensual and I applaud the gentleness in the hero in these scenes-a nice change from some more aggressive alpha male types. The scene where the hero feeds the heroine is hot!

4-some have said the heroine seemed cold but if you continue through the book you'll see she has valid reasons to be wary.

5-great secondary characterization -loved the side stories-they really make the book!

All in all, I heartily recommend this book if you like quirky, "non beautiful" hero and heroines.

5 stars!

A new 'top shelf' author!.......2006-03-20

Well, this book seems to be getting a lot of mixed reviews, but this is another rave. This is the third D'Allessandro book I've read, and this author has yet to let me down. She writes a book that centers around an ancient Egyptian curse, and somehow keeps it from getting dark and depressing, as most 'curse-themed' books do. Instead, this book is enjoyable and heart-warming, yet still manages to take the curse seriously.

As always, the characters are loveable, the dialogue is witty, the sexual tension is top-notch, and the historical detail is lush without overtaking the plot. The balance of action/mystery and romance is wonderful. Neither plotline overtakes the other, instead they both interweave to form a lovely whole.

There is also a short, sweet secondary romance between two minor characters. It added nicely to the book without detracting from the main romance.

I give out very very few five star reviews. In fact, most of my friends consider me quite critical in what I read. If I enjoy even a quarter of the books that I read, I'm surprised. And even out of that quarter, a very select few make the five-star mark. (See my other reviews if you don't believe me.) I don't hand out my praise lightly, and for me to love a book this much says something about it. You just can't go wrong with this author. I very highly recommend this book.

A very good read, not my favorite of hers, but special in it's own way.......2006-01-08

I read this book several months ago, and have been lax in doing reviews until just recently, so I'll just talk about what I remember & let the rest go.

I remember that I liked this book better than I first thought I might. I remember the reason I thought I might not like it was because I thought it would travel to Egypt, so I was glad when it
didn't & stayed in London. It is a very good mystery book, as well as a romance book, and set up the sequel, which is one of my all-time favorites, very nicely. My friend at work read this after I did, and she read the sequel as well, but she actually liked this book better than the sequel. I guess we're all different and what appeals to one of us might not appeal to the other, though we have similar tastes in books.

One of the things I like in Jacquie's books is how she always has a running line throughout her books, which doesn't get old, but only lends more charm to her reads. I don't know how to describe
this, other than you have to read her books & you'll see what I mean. She gives the main characters their own special running joke throughout the book, and this is different in each book with each set of characters. To me, it's her trademark, along with other cute things, like giving pets cute & imaginative names.
It just helps endure me to her writing.

I've read all of her books so far, except for "Red Roses", and my favorites so far are "Love & The Single Heiress" and "The Bride Thief". Her hero in Love & The Single Heiress is one of my favorite heroes ever.

1-10 scale for this book: 9.8

Fairly ordinary.......2004-07-18

For me, there was nothing really special about this book. The lead characters were pleasant and enjoyable, but nothing out of the ordinary. Some of the secondary characters were quite interesting, especially the secondary romance, but they were not developed enough. Sadly, if they had been more developed, they would have overshadowed the romantic leads.

The mystery was often interesting, and often provided some of the best-paced sections of the book. At the same time, however, the mystery was exceptional either. The red herring was too obvious, and the villain needed more time and "screen time."

Too often, the author's unfortunate tendencies to massacre pronoun usage, to endlessly repeat a phrase in the dialogue (something that was obviously intended to be amusing, but quickly grew old and flat), and to reuse the same phrases in description and dialogue from novel to novel grated on my nerves. The book's uneven pacing had me checking repeatedly to see how much I had left to read. If I hadn't wanted to see how the curse was broken, I probably would have given up. As it was, I was glad when I'd finished.

Delightful!.......2004-01-14

First and foremost, THANK YOU, Ms. D'Alessandro for your quirky characters in this book! I loved them! I loved that Meridith and Philip were a bit "odd" (in a good way), I loved that they were not the typical "beautiful people" of the ton. I loved that they tried desperately to ignore their attraction to each other. Ms. D'Alessandro did an excellent job of weaving a story, creating a great romance and keeping the characters down to earth (making them very lovable)!

"Who Will Take This Man" has all the great aspects of a terrific read! It has amazing sexual tension, touching and tender love scenes (yep, they're hot!) and enough humor to keep you laughing.

Product Description

Has the Matchmaker of Mayfair met her match in the dashing lord no woman dares to marry?

Who Will Take This Man?, Love And The Single Heiress, Not Quite A Gentleman, Never A Lady (Set of 4 Regency Historical's by Jacquie D'Alessandro)

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Who Will Take This Man?, Love And The Single Heiress, Not Quite A Gentleman, Never A Lady (Set of 4 Regency Historical's by Jacquie D'Alessandro)
Jacquie D'Alessandro
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000W8LCU2

Book Description

The hippest bounty hunters in the galaxy are back! Spike Spiegel, Jet Black and Faye Valentine are on the hunt for new targets. Inspired by the hit anime series, Cowboy Bebop blends science fiction, spaghetti westerns, film noir, and jazz music into a new genre that's all about style. As each volume features four stand-alone adventures, this is the perfect time to find out what all the excitement is about.

Customer Reviews:

Brazilian half-volume, manga half-sliced (rating: 87%).......2005-02-14

First some introduction to my situation. This would really be just a first impression because...

Here in South America we are STARTING to buy manga the way you find them in USA or Japan. Brazilian editorials are the biggest players in manga, but in an attempt to compete with comix, they split in two parts all the volumes for more frequent distribution and lower prices. Cowboy BeBop Manga has 3 three volumes? Here, they are 6.

I have the 3rd Brazilian half-volume (which would be the first half of the 2nd volume). When I saw it in the shop, I just didn't think twice like most other mangas, left it there as I thought so other could buy it and I could stay sleepless over the night. I bought this one impulsively. As a Cowboy BeBop fan, I saw myself excused.

I guess that, like half-volumes, my excuse got sliced half too.

The half-volume only had the first two chapters, and they kind of fell short in terms of deepness or entertainment, unlike the anime counterpart were I can hardly think of two or three bad sessions. "She's a Rainbow" and "Great Deceiver" aren't so well developed stories. They are good ideas and, with the proper work, they would've been great sessions for the anime series, but the magician didn't show up for the birthday. You know what I think now when I see that Hajime Yatate wrote the scripts? I think they thought Yutaka Naten would pick them up and develop them further, maybe trade some notes with the supervisor, Shinichiro Watanabe (director of the anime series, but you probably know that by now), to get the taste of the series. Once again, hope sliced half. Seemed like Shinichiro wasn't there to make it work.

Drawing was good overall, characters were well reproduced in general and props and ships were of excellent quality, but some things also left me somehow confused. Spike and Jet seemed like a poor excuse of needing to have defined lips, they're supposed to be more manly. That didn't made them look so good, so guess I prefer the anime orginal design. However, Ed, Ein, Faye, and background characters seem like a really nice one, the best portrays of the manga, although Faye's head sometimes seemed too thin. Now, the bad slice is...

The drawing style. You know, two of my anime favorites are "Cowboy BeBop" and "Patlabor, The Mobile Police". Why? A reason among the crowd was because they had their degree of realism on the face expressions, comic but realist. If someone got ashamed or startled, they would draw their faces as if most of the times. In this manga, some times this example was followed, while some other times drawing made it clear to you that generic manga expressions like "point-eyes", "rainbow-eyes", and "cheek-lines" don't work with the Cowboy BeBop characters most of the time, only with Ed (too bad she rarely appeared here). As a breakthrough series, Cowboy BeBop should have been more distant to the mainstream style which certainly didn't fit too well, as some scenes are even too chaotic this way. And please, the worst of all was the horrible work that was done with Rachel in "She's a Rainbow". The RIDICULOUS amount of cheek lines, excessive eyelash details (this goes for all women) and messed up hair was unbearable at some times, specially when she was nervous or scared.

Dialogues are a serious subject. The dialogues fit well into the characters (even Rachel that seemed too heroic and moralist in the "chasing the dream" theme, stealing some panels and protagonism), but the order and way of the baloons was sometimes hard to follow. As nervous as I can get, in some complicated points I sometimes felt like I needed to read a manual on how to read this manga. Baloons are for talking, but not only by people in the drawing, so stay sharp at the words and style of talking. Thought baloons could be for thinking or memories, so you have to set to mind that Rachel has a really mixed-up head, I recommend to read all consecutive thoughts first and then go on with the manga. Star-like baloons of "Great Deceiver" pointed for the introduction or conclusion of flashbacks, also. Really, it's not as bad as I say it, but you could use reading each chapter twice to get it 100%.

This was my first impression on the manga by reading those two chapters in the third half-volume. Needless to say, Cowboy BeBop has that "stand-alone" feature that I always enjoyed and appreciated because here in Paraguay you never know when things are coming, or if they will ever come again at all, so if you haven't started the series from the start or haven't bought the first volume of the manga, you can always be sure you will understand it anyway (myself, I started watching the series "on the run" from the end of the session#4 to the session#26, to later see sessions 1 to 4 completely, plus the sessions I missed from exams study).

I know that I may sound very harsh in some matters, but its just that as a fan I expected a masterpiece to collect and love, like my three Saint Seiya Episode G volumes (Brazilian full-volumes, this ones) that I bought in Brazil no matter the price. Now, that was obssesion, if you hear me right. But, you know, this is just a first impression, I think I got out of the line a bit (a bit I say!! yeah, right) by reading all those negative reviews. Maybe this weren't the correct first chapters to read, and therefore I hope other chapters awaiting my posession are better than this. Yet, this two don't fall too down, they are good once you get to know them.

Yeah, Cowboy BeBop Manga got sliced, but nobody said the bad part was the bigger. It's just bitter. As I heard on TV and I think it is true: "You can learn nothing from victories but a thousand things from defeats". So, Nanten, I'm sending you the thousand points on Friday! Just kidding...

AN INSULT TO BEBOP.......2003-09-15

This second volume of the 1st Bebop manga series suffers from the same, if not worse, problems than book 1. This time around we have 5 bad stories instead of 4. "She's a Rainbow" is about a news reporter dying to get her first big break by following a group of bounty hunters around. Unfortunately, our Bebop crew is lucky when they have someone to hunt down to take them away from their empty stomachs and constant bickering with one another. Not exactly newsworthy. "Great Deceiver" is about Faye having to track down an old friend. The totally useless "Special Short" is about Jet catching a cold. Wow. "Thinking Bird Happy Song" involves Ed's interference with a hitman and a duel between old men's songbirds. "Like a Rolling Stone" showcases Spike as he enlists the aid of a cafe singer to find a bounty.

What can I say, these stories were awful. Even the titles were a pale imitation of the anime. The whole book felt lifeless. They weren't funny or entertaining in the least. It's a real shame that this series exists. It's almost an insult to the creators of the show. These characters have so much appeal and had room for development. I'm not even going to bother reading the 3rd and last volume. I recommend you read the two volumes of the Shooting Star series which tells the story of the Bebop crew from a slightly what-if like perspective.

aswome.......2003-07-26

This is the 2nd volume of the cowboy bebop manga series.this one has 5 stoies and very funny as well this one has all the main characters including ed and ine.its asome and i recomend it to all of you. it may be hard reading it right to left and if you seen cowboy bebop youll love this. see ya cow boy

aswome.......2003-07-26

Bang..........2003-01-21

the book delivers the exact thing the show does. Its great. Although the plot lines arent great in the book if you love the bebop than youl love thews stories

3-book Set By Yutaka Nanten; Cowboy Bebop Vol. 1,2,3

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3-book Set By Yutaka Nanten; Cowboy Bebop Vol. 1,2,3
Yutaka Nanten
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WBNQCQ

Product Description

3-book set

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Graphic SF Reader
A Brief Review
Good- but with flaws
How do you ruin Cowboy Bebop? This is a big example!
Kuga just doesn't understand

Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star, Book 2
Cain Kuga
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159182298X

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-04

Over-ethical bounty hunting can be hard work.

In a diaspora situation the police have little of coping with the crime situation over such a large area, so bounty hunters are quite popular. The ones that aren't too fussy about dead or alive tend to make more money, which leaves the Bebop crew struggling.

Supergenius crimelord doubles, computer brained dogs and annoying alien girls don't really help.

A Brief Review.......2004-12-28

Okay,so there's been a lot of griping about the "Shooting Star" manga series,when the truth is it's not such a bad series.Of course anyone who is interested in getting into the Bebop franchise, shouldn't go to "Shooting Star" first.In fact this is probably the last Bebop thing you should explore.

With all the said,I think the only flaw with the series are some of the personality changes,but they are slight,and I'll let it go, since this just a "What if?" alternate reality/universe-type situation.The characters designs are also quite different,but I think it fits the whole alternate-universe feel of the manga series.

So if you've watched the series,the movie, read other manga series then check this series out.You may be in for a pleasant surprise(or not)

Good- but with flaws.......2004-07-09

It was a refreshing twist to the Bebop universe. Spike's style was made a little, um, too pushy. He cared too much for his ship. Ed is still Ed, but has a more animeish (is that a word?)look to her (him? not sure about it this time around.)Jet hasn't changed with the new artist, but Faye has turned into a snobby brat. The art is hectic in the fight scenes, but is okay as is. Is worth a look for hardcore Bebop fans, but not for newcomers. See you space cowboy.

How do you ruin Cowboy Bebop? This is a big example!.......2004-05-27

This series is a retelling of Cowboy Bebop supposedly, except for some reason Cain Kuga destroyed the characterization of everyone. Spike is now much lazier than the original, and lacks the laid back yet serious stature he has in the anime, Ed is now a whiny little brat, and Faye is nothing but a brainless (...) The artwork is ugly to look at... no, the character designs are okay, but the action is drawn so odd that it is impossible to tell what is going on. And the stories themselves are very lacking, they do not have the Bebop feeling that the anime does, and devoid of any characterization. Listen to this review: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY LIKE I DID! I've goofed up so none of you will make the same mistake like me!

Kuga just doesn't understand.......2003-08-15

The good thing is Cain Kuga provides great art for this series. The bad thing is Kuga, as the writer, never grasped the personality or appeal of each character. The subtlety of the anime and the balance of the various personalities aboard the Bobop is lost. The most infuriating is Spike has taken on a whole new personality of stupidity. Instead of a cleverness hidden behind his nonchalant attitude, he has become Bebop's grunt, driven by hunger and little else. There's a reason the manga is being canceled after issue 2.

Book Description

The key to becoming fully alive and joyful is to develop our natural capacity for attention and to be fully present here and now. In this informative guidebook to practical Buddhism you discover:

How to live life with equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and joy

How to cut through obsessions with the external world, relationships, harmful emotions, pleasure and power, and self

Tried-and-true methods for cultivating active attention with your body and mind.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Meditation Guide!.......2007-05-10

I don't think I've ever read a guide to meditation that is as comprehensive and powerful as "Wake up to Your Life." Forget about the dogma that has developed around Buddhism, says author Ken McLeod, and focus on developing your powers of mindfulness and awareness. When you start to wake up, then you begin the real work of dismantling your illusions, seeing the world as it really is. McLeod promises no results (indeed even suggests that fixation on results is just another limiting illusion); one should follow this path because they long for something more from life.

I agree with other reviewers that McLeod can seem "pedantic", but this is only because he views himself as a classical Buddhist teacher, challenging his students to free their minds (not merely as an author describing techniques to a disinterested reader). I also think McLeod could strike a more inspirational tone in parts, along the lines of other popular Buddhist masters. And further, I sense that McLeod is more than a little unorthodox in his Buddhism, adopting a very Western, psychoanalytic perspective on how these techniques should change one's life in the present. There is very little of the dogma that has grown up around Buddhism; McLeod focuses on the techniques instead of the beliefs, trusting that once you begin to practice, you'll *see* for yourself.

These minor criticisms aside, I've never read a more powerful guide to meditation. I promise that you will quickly see and feel the results of this rigorous practice! And when you practice, you'll begin to wake up, begin to see the reality of things, and you won't need anyone else to tell you about being awake to your life.

Didn't help at all.......2006-04-18

I read through this book a long time ago when I was searching for more depth in my life, and found it that it was just meaningless. The information shared didn't help. The Bible has given me more answers than this, and I haven't looked anywhere else since. Mr McLeod's book just doesn't cut it, and I was disappointed with my purchase at the time.

A Great Contribution.......2004-07-28

I am indebted to Ken McLeod. The beauty of this book is its tremendous practicality. Here is a clear means of getting started on the Buddhist path of attention without becoming bogged down in doctrinal issues. It is written beautifully and with an incisiveness that wakens one's attention all on its own. A great contribution.

splendid array.......2004-05-28

While this text indeed provides a refreshing and vibrant presentation of contemplations conventionally used in Tibetan Buddhism for centuries, I disagree that it avoids central Buddhist principles of, for example, karma and rebirth. In fact, one of the strengths of this text is its presentation of these and other critical aspects of Buddhist philosophy so subtly that it could go unnoticed. The discussions and meditation exercises are not in any way heavy-handed and would be comfortable for those who have not had the opportunity to study and practice Tibetan Buddhism directly with a genuine lama. Those who have had that chance will find fresh new ways to expand and enhance their regular practice. The meditation exercises are nothing to sneeze at--they would take years to finish, even following the minimum time guidelines, and that would miss the point. These are reflections to take up and continue throughout one's life, just as the Tibetan tradition has encouraged students since the Dharma came to Tibet.

Mr. McLeod's own insistence that one undertake them in conjunction with consistent resort to a spiritual teacher knowledgeable about the path and able to guide students makes this one of the few books written from a Westerner's perspective that honors the dual importance of spiritual guidance and commitment to practice in this tradition. Kalu Rinpoche, Mr. McLeod's own lama, to whom he dedicates this book, was widely regarded as a great meditation master and spiritual guide. Through Mr. McLeod, he continues to present the Dharma to Westerners in a manner that is true to the principles of Buddhism while taking into account the differences between our cultures.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It requires a sincere commitment to spiritual growth to do justice to the splendid array of reflections it presents. Many explicitly require the guidance of an authentic lama, and all of them would benefit from that input. Doing these practices as set forth, however, definitely can bring greater authentic awareness, increased openness to helping others, and deeper peace to one's life-- visible here and now, and onwards...

May all beings benefit!

secular meditation manual of Tibetan practices.......2004-02-19

McLeod strips Buddhism of much of the doctrinal beliefs (such as rebirth and intra-life karma) and focuses on the methods of "waking up". He is not afraid to argue against 2,500 years of (encrusted?) doctrine. For that reason, this is something of a controversial book. He has taken Buddhism as a means, and made those means both consistent with classic Tibetan meditation practices, and also accessible to skeptical Westerners.

This is not a thin gruel of New Age platitudes, however. It is a demanding, didactic, clear-eyed manual of various guided meditations.

If you are interested in the approach, but don't need 200 pages of guided meditations, I strongly recommend "Buddhism Without Beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor.

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Wake Up To Your Life: Discovering the Buddhist Path of Attention
Ken McLeod
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF5LDM

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