Macho Camacho's Beat

Book Description

This world is ruled by publicitary language and by the insidious ellipsis that obstruct communication and hide reality. This is a parody about those polluted languages, a novel that's a mirror of Puerto Rico and Latin America, the colonized.

Customer Reviews:

DEFINITIVAMENTE PEGAJOSA.......2002-06-20

lA GUARACHA ES UNA NOVELA CON LA CUAL CUALQUIER PUERTORRIQUENO PUEDE IDENTIFICARSE, AUNQUE CUALQUIER PERSONA ENCONTRARA QUE LAS MISMAS SITUACIONES PUEDEN PASAR EN TODOS LADOS. EN UNA FORMA MUY HUMORISTICA, COMO AN FORMA DE PARODIA, PRESENTA LA REALIDAD DEL PUERTO RICO DIA A DIA, CON SUS VIRTUDES Y DEFECTOS EN UN TONO MUSICAL: LA GUARACHA QUE TODOS CONOCEN. ES UNA NOVELA DIVERTIDA Y HASTA COMICA, PERO MUY REAL.

Tremenda novela.......2001-09-21

La guaracha del Macho Camacho solo se puede describir como ejemplo de pura puertorriquenidad. Luis Rafael Sanchez trae a la vida en esta novela a personajes que brillan en su autenticidad y provee una fiel ilustracion de la realidad (a veces sumamente absurda) puertorriquena. La contagiosa y pegajosa guaracha tipifica la tendencia obsesiva del pueblo boricua, al igual que el espiritu alegre y optimista de la gente de la isla. Al igual que la guaracha, la prosa ritmica de Sanchez resulta ademas de atractiva, adictiva. Es una de las mejores novelas lationamericanas y caribenas. Brillante.

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Macho Camacho's Beat
Luis Rafael; Rabassa, Gregory (translator) Sanchez
Manufacturer: Pantheon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRVISG

Customer Reviews:

Bliss River is Hard to Swallow.......2005-06-09

Ok so being a devoted Devine fan I snatch up all her books, and will continue to whether in the end they are wonderful or not so. This book is not one of her better reads. It has wonderfully erotic sex but the plot is not so great. Come on, the Victorian era actually having a hedonistic cult? It would be more believable in this day in age. However it is fiction so I went with it, and even though the idea was absurd, Ms. Devine was still able to hold my attention. The idea of kissing cousins wasn't a wonderful idea either.

Silly and Dull.......2004-02-17

I agree with the reviewer who said this is another in the trend of Man who Hates Woman but Has Sex with her Anyway. These two had nothing in common, indeed, rather hated each other, and I hated both of them. There was nothing that would categorize this as a "historical" romance--the few details of setting she gave us might as well have indicated the year 2004, though she mentioned a lorry which is a word not coined till 1900. Oh, and I also don't categorize these types of books as "romances" when the H&H can barely abide each other. I like there to be affection and, god forbid, LOVE!

I also didn't know there were Bedouins in South Africa. And...Aren't Charles and Georgiana COUSINS?? This book just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

And you thought YOUR family was dysfunctional.......2003-06-09

Meet the in-laws: Mom was a doormat, Auntie is a psycho, and Stepfather is...Or is he her uncle? Nevermind. You'd need a flow chart to track the family relationships in meandering Bliss River, and at any rate they exist mainly to provide our Tormented Hero with a motive for his intense - and intensely childish - dislike of his new girlfriend. Don't get me wrong - Thea Devine's sex scenes are always entertaining, and Bliss River is a pleasant romp. But something's missing. In my favorite Devine book, "Secret Pleasures," there are some plot similarities (bad parenting, murder, revenge) but I actually LIKED that couple and felt anxious about the outcome of their relationship. In Bliss River, I couldn't help thinking that they should consider dating other people. This novel falls into the increasingly familiar rut of "Boy Meets Girl; Boy Hates Girl But Agrees To Have Sex With Her Anyway; Boy Is Faced With Evidence That He Was Wrong About Girl, But Boy Is Too One-Dimensional To Admit It..." It gets old. As I said, enjoy the sex scenes. And hope for well-drawn, believable characters next time.

Steamy Tale.......2003-01-11

"Bliss River" was the first book that I had read by Thea Devine while the book did live up to its Erotic genre, the Characters were did not impress me very much. They book seem a little shallow to me. But if you are a fan of either Ms. Devine or of the Erotic genre you will more than likely enjoy this book.

Porn By Another Name.......2002-10-22

In case you haven't caught on, in today's romance novel language, "erotic" is another word for "porn." Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Thea Devine is the most explicit "erotic" romance novelist. Be prepared for sex scenes that go beyond what any other romance novelist is writing today. The plot, such as there is, exists only to move from one sex scene to another.

Archaeological test excavations at four prehistoric sites in the western Snake River Canyon near Bliss Idaho (Project reports / Idaho Archaeological Consultants)

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Archaeological test excavations at four prehistoric sites in the western Snake River Canyon near Bliss Idaho (Project reports / Idaho Archaeological Consultants)
Mark G Plew
Manufacturer: Idaho Archaeological Consultants
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Blazing the way west,
Bliss Isely
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Bliss River

Manufacturer: Kensington Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739426656

Product Description

In the steamy Bliss River Valley of South Africa, a colony of aristocratic British citizens have given themselves over body and soul to a debauched and dissolute lifestyle. The stifling heat only intensifies their lust for every sin, and for each other. An erotic romance novel by Thea Devine

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Bliss River
Thea Devine
Manufacturer: Kensington Pub Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY2DVC

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Bliss River - A Novel Of Erotic Romance
Thea Devine
Manufacturer: Brava/Kensington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K0EK6A

The horseman of the Shenandoah;: A biographical account of the early days of George Washington

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The horseman of the Shenandoah;: A biographical account of the early days of George Washington
Bliss Isely
Manufacturer: Bruce Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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It Happened at Thunder River
Bliss Lomax
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NDTOX8

it happened at thunder river { also released as the law busters}

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it happened at thunder river { also released as the law busters}
lomax bliss
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K5QBSA

Book Description

Murder, Mystery, and Interstellar Intrigue! Hugo Award winner Janet Kagan's Hellspark is now back in print! Lassti, a newly discovered planet, is the center of political intrigue. Recently, Oloitokitok, the planet survey team's physicist was found dead. Was he killed? If so, by who? One of his fellow surveyors? Or by one of the Sprookjes, the birdlike natives of Lassti? Are the Sprookjes intelligent? If so, then parties that want the planet for development will lose it. Why is the survey team having so much trouble finding out? Into this situation arrives Tocohl, a Hellspark trader who just wanted to have a vacation on Sheveschke at the St. Veschke festival. After being attacked, rescuing a young woman, and going before a judge, Tocohl has learned all she ever wanted to know about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she is on her way to find Lasti to find answers to the mysteries there.

Customer Reviews:

An awesome book.......2007-07-19

This is the book that introduced me to the idea that body language could be, and should be, studied exactly like, and along with, any foreign language. The linguistical study, as vital as it is, still takes second place to the mystery that underlies the whole book. There are a few names that can be hard to say correctly, but it is well worth taking the time to learn them. This book is more than just a simple mystery novel, ultimately dealing with the question "just what does 'human' mean?" Unreservedly recommended.

Wonderful Author.......2007-06-13

This is a truly incredible book. Not quite as light-hearted as her other novel (Mirabile) but very entertaining. I wish she would write more.

One of my favorite books.......2003-08-09

"Hellspark," by Janet Kagan, is a flat out readable book. It gets everything right, from the science to the psychology to the anthropology -- everything works.

The plot is somewhat difficult to describe. Tocohl Susumo is a ship captain, trader, and bon vivant; her sentient computer Margaret, Lord Lynn is her sole companion.

At the Festival of Saint Veschke on the world of Sheveschkem, Tocohl finds danger, mystery, intrigue . . . and maybe even a hint of scandal. She goes to Lassti to find out whether or not a new race of beings, the sprookjes, are sentient -- or aren't.

There's a whole lot more to it; it's a comedy of manners, a comedy of language, and a hint of romance among Tocohl and Om Im Chadeayne helps to spice the mix. (The romance between Alfvaen and swift-Kalat does even more along these lines.)

I wish I knew how to describe this book better. All I can say is that I enjoy it for the language, the sense of humor, the mystery, the intrigue, the conflict, and everything else besides.

Five stars plus, recommended.

Oh yeah, and if you like this, you'll probably like the other couple of books Ms. Kagan has written -- "Mirabile" and "Uhura's Song" -- as well as works by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee, Lois Bujold, and possibly David Weber.

Barb Caffrey

More! More!.......2002-06-28

Hellspark is quite possibly my single favorite book - and I read an awful lot of books. All of Janet Kagan's books are wonderful, and my only gripe with her as an author is that she's only written three so far (Please Ma'am can I have some more?) Hellspark is a fascinating first contact book, with a crystal clear look at how our culture informs our assumptions, and the huge messes those assumptions can cause. Tocohl Susumo (our Hellspark protagonist) is wonderful as the only good cultural interpreter in a mass of surveyors from vastly different worlds, Maggy, her computer is a delightful mix of rapid thinking and small-child personality, and her aliens (the Sprookje) are truly alien without being unbelievable or trite. If you've already read this one, go on and try Mirabile and Uhura's Song, which are also wonderful reads.

Neat idea, but laborious reading.......2002-05-21

I seem to be in the minority here, but I was not blown away by this book.

I found the plot ok, but there were simply too many characters presented one after another in too few pages. It became laborious to keep track of them all. On top of that, I found the author's writing style to be awkard at times, forcing me to reread sections multiple times throughout the book in order to understand what the salient points were.

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Hellspark
Janet Kagan
Manufacturer: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H0SG7W

Average customer rating:

Hellspark
Janet Kagan
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRFS9S

Average customer rating:

Hellspark
Janet Kagan
Manufacturer: Tom Doherty Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GK9IH0

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Hellspark

Manufacturer: Meisha Merlin Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HKHUU6

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Hellspark
Janet Kagan
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GRGKKG

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Insights into Diversity and Mosaic

Book Reviews--Christian Century---CHOICE--Journal Scientific Study Religion--Sociology of Religion Quarterly

Phenomenal MUST Read for Emerging Christianity

Beyond conventional labels for religious believers

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
Gerardo Marti
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

One New People: Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church

People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States

One Body, One Spirit: Principles of Successful Multiracial Churches

Multicultural Ministry: Finding Your Church's Unique Rhythm

United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation As an Answer to the Problem of Race

ASIN: 0253344824

Book Description

"Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of American evangelical diversity, of the emergent church movement, and of intriguing congregational efforts to bridge ethnic divides, will want to read this book." --Christian Scholar's Review

"Mosaic" in Southern California is one of the largest multiethnic congregations in America, and also one of the most innovative. This book takes us inside this unusual church. It shows how the church has achieved multiethnicity, not by targeting ethnic groups, but by providing multiple havens of inclusion and commonality that render ethnic differences moot. These havens are arenas for multiethnic companionship, cooperation, and camaraderie that arise out of a union of creative volunteer resources and the ambitious global mission of the church. A Mosaic of Believers examines the structure of the church and the innovative aspects of its mission. It reveals a congregation aiming to reconstruct evangelical theology, personal identity, member involvement, and church governance in an attempt to create an institution with greater relevance to the social reality of a new generation. Based on interviews and participation with the congregation and grounded in contemporary sociological theory, the book presents a rich portrait of an emerging religious community.

Customer Reviews:

Insights into Diversity and Mosaic.......2006-09-28

This book does a masterful job of piecing apart Mosaic, how it is structured and how it operates. It provides facts and unique insights behind the scenes and gives the reader what he needs to understand diversity in a local church that is impacting the world.

Book Reviews--Christian Century---CHOICE--Journal Scientific Study Religion--Sociology of Religion Quarterly.......2005-07-21

-- Quoted from CHOICE Reviews by K. D. Lyon (Jones County Junior College), January 2006.

"Through careful ethnography and masterful application of sociological theory, Marti (sociology, Davidson College) provides a rewarding and insightful study of one of the nation's largest multiethnic churches, Los Angeles's Mosaic."

"Principally, Marti attributes Mosaic's remarkable success to five "havens" of inclusion/involvement within the church that allow transcendence of ethnic separateness in favor of spiritual commonalty. The "theological" haven offers a purposeful ideology of evangelical mission that animates other havens, while the haven of "artistic creativity" harnesses a wealth of Hollywood talent and integrates myriad artistic forms into worship. Analyzing the "innovator" haven, Marti explains how congregants viewed as deviant in organizationally conservative churches frequently become "catalytic leadership" within Mosaic. The "age" haven attracts and empowers young people, especially those fleeing "entrapment" in their parents' monoethnic subcultures."

"A superb chapter explores "ethnic" haven in terms of the fluidity, subjectivity, and situational construction of ethnic identity, allowing emphasis, reconfiguration or muting of ethnicity within Mosaic's context and missiology. Engagingly and accessibly written, this excellent book deserves wide readership among everyone interested in US religion, ethnicity, organizations and urban culture."

"Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries."

-- Quoted from Journal for Scientific Study of Religion by Elaine Howard Ecklund (University of Buffalo, SUNY, and Rice University), September 2006 (Vol 45/No 3), pp. 467-468.

"Mosaic of Believers is a highly readable volume, following in the footsteps of other congregational ethnographies within the sociology of religion (e.g. works by Nancy Ammerman, Brenda Brasher, and R. Stephen Warner)."

"He shows that Mosaic retains its unique mission, in part, by rewarding change-agents, providing a haven for self-starters and leaders."

"Carefully walking the line between overindulgent navel-gazing and unquestioned objectivism, Marti writes an engaging methodological appendix.... Throughout the volume, he implicitly pushes forward a dialogue on the different roles that insiders and outsiders to a religious community have in ethnographic accounts of such settings."

"Overall, this is a strong volume and I look forward to reading Marti's future work."

-- Quoted from "Multiethnic Mix: A Model of Congregational Diversity?" by R. Stephen Warner (University of Illinois at Chicago), The Christian Century, July 26, 2005 (Vol 122/No 15), pp. 26-29.

"As Marti sees it, the key to building a congregation of people from diverse, often alienated ethnic backgrounds is to appeal to them in ways that trump their differences."

"Marti stresses the malleability of identities and the way that being a follower of Jesus Christ at Mosaic "transcends" ethnicity. In so doing he offers an appealing vision of a church that builds on the dynamism of demography and popular culture to overcome the scandal of religious segregation (as well as the specter of civic balkanization)."

"Clearly, Mosaic is spiritually compelling. Its members are on fire with their faith, eager to share it with everyone in Los Angeles. Its leaders take risks that most pastors would not dare."

"His book will be on the syllabus the next time I teach a course on race, ethnicity and gender in American religion."

-- Quoted from Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review by Kathleen Garces-Foley (Cal State Northridge and Marymount University), Fall 2006.

"Marti's analysis is a well-crafted mix of first-person accounts and sociological theory."

"As an assistant pastor at Mosaic during the course of his research, he straddles the religoius insider/outsider tension with ease and precision, and the methodological appendix offers insightful advice for other scholars in this position."

"It also offers valueable insights into the postmodern church movement, and I found the discussion of Mosaic's theological position with regard to premillenialism particularly helpful."

Phenomenal MUST Read for Emerging Christianity.......2005-05-24

This book is an artform. The work is an in-depth glimpse of the inner-workings of the emerging church that many philosophize and prophesize about, yet never have the opportunity to live within. The care and balance that Marti brought to the project as a pastor and scholar was obvious and reassuring. I am confident that Gerardo's work will provide a methodological basis that provides others with the courage to do the same. This book is timely as the denominational form of Christianity continues to slide into oblivion in the U.S. However, it is a refreshing testament to the fact that God has something more in mind. He's not done with Christianity in the U.S. just yet. He is the God of MORE...much more. Marti's book is a refreshing, uplifting testament to the fact that He is alive and working diligently in our world...He just needs some disciples to hear Him and "Follow Me." Clearly, the finished work spawns more questions and opportunities for additional research, as any substantial research endeavor should.

Beyond conventional labels for religious believers.......2004-10-28

Looking under the conventional labels used to depict religious believers, ethnographers and cultural historians are uncovering some unexpected findings. We know, for example, that religious conservatives are likely to vote Republican, but what, exactly, does it mean to be a religious conservative? If the scholarship of historians like R. Marie Griffith or sociologists like Gerardo Marti is any indication, it does not necessarily mean turning one's back on the modern world. [...] Marti's 'A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church,' to be published next month, offers a case study of a Los Angeles-based church that is at one and the same time Southern Baptist in affiliation and conservative theologically and attractive to a young, primarily single Hollywood clientele working at cutting-edge cultural jobs in the entertainment industry. As such books illustrate, the ethnographic trend overlaps with interest in the complexities of religion and American culture and their intersection. While religion has certainly done its share to shape American culture, it is also the case that American culture shapes religion, and in very powerful ways.

-- From Alan Wolfe, "Scholars Infuse Religion With Cultural Light," The Chronicle of Higher Education

Detailed Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
   Mosaic Havens: Dual Movement of Escape and Refuge
   Max Weber and the Dynamic Nature of Ethnicity
   Overview

Chapter 1: Multi-Ethnic Churches, Mosaic, and Social Change
   Significance of Multi-ethnic Churches
   Significance of Mosaic
   A Glimpse Into the Future

Chapter 2: Describing Mosaic
   An Oral History
   Unique Aspects of This Congregation

Chapter 3: History, Agency, and the Evangelical Faith: A Reconstruction of Ideology
   Exploring Mosaic's Theological Haven
   Catalytic Preaching and the Shaping of a Congregation
   A Theology of Mission
   The Apostolic Community and the Movement of History

Chapter 4: The Hollywood Connection and the Management of Artistic Talent: A Reconstruction of Involvement
   Exploring Mosaic's Artistic Haven
   Parallels between Mosaic and the Entertainment Industry
   Mobilization as the Core Activity at Mosaic

Chapter 5: Innovation and the Cultivation of Catalytic Leaders: A Reconstruction of Imperative
   Exploring Mosaic's Innovator Haven
   Discovery, Development, and Deployment of Leaders
   Diversification and Innovation through Catalytic Leaders

Chapter 6: Mosaic and the Emerging American Culture: A Reconstruction of an Institution
   Exploring Mosaic's Age Haven
   Reversing the Age Hierarchy
   Cultural Appeal to the Coming Century

Chapter 7: Becoming Mosaic: A Reconstruction of Identity
   Exploring Mosaic's Ethnic Haven
   Charismatic Authority and the Strategic Management of Ethnic Identity
   Charismatic Re-orientation of Ethnic Identity

Conclusion
   Innovation and Diversification in Pursuit of Mission
   Popular Culture, Younger Generations, and the Rejection of Modernity
   Capturing a Movement in Action

Bibliography

Appendix: Methodological Considerations from a Religious Insider
   Qualitative Research and the Dilemma of Researcher Involvement
   Seeking Validity for This Researcher in Studying This Congregation
   Guidelines Offered in Hindsight

Appendix: Women and Leadership at Mosaic

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church.(Book review): An article from: Sociology of Religion

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A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church.(Book review): An article from: Sociology of Religion
Kathleen Garces-Foley
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000WE2962
Release Date: 2007-09-24

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Sociology of Religion, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 847 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: A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church.(Book review)
Author: Kathleen Garces-Foley
Publication: Sociology of Religion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 67 Issue: 3 Page: 337(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church

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A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
Gerardo Marti
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQIKKC

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