Book Description
As it approaches its twentieth year, Shannon Ravenel's anthology has taken on a kind of cult status among readers, writers, teachers of short fiction, and trend watchers. It was here that some of the most well-respected voices of the last two decades were first recognized, here that writers tell us they were discovered by agents, here that they landed their first book deals. And for readers looking for fresh, exciting short fiction, here is where they'll find it. Ravenel has once again put together a stellar lineup of stories that makes this anthology not just a mark of distinction for writers, but a must-have for short-story aficionados and lovers of Southern fiction.
The stories in the nineteenth volume of New Stories from the South continue to spotlight the jewels of the South, both discovered and on the verge, featuring Edward P. Jones, George Singleton, Chris Offutt, Annette Sanford, Rick Bass, Silas House, Starkey Flythe, Michael Knight, and more. Each story is followed by the author's note about its origin. With a preface by bestselling writer Tim Gautreaux, this volume promises to be another collector's edition.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Literature.......2007-07-06
I so much enjoyed the short stories written by Southern authors. There is something inherent in the Southern psyche that can tell a story!!
Excellent reading, you can enjoy it all at one time or read one story at a time. You won't be disappointed!
Good anthology overall but be prepared to skip a few stories.......2005-04-13
I really like short story anthologies, and this one was no exception. As long as you caveat your reading with the obvious notion that some of the stories you just won't like, you'll be fine. Unlike reading a complete novel to find yourself unhappy at the end, with this format you're not really out anything. And since all the stories offer something to the reader, you don't have too much downside.
These stories may come from the South, but that is a loosely-shared quality at best. I didn't find much of anything "Southern" in several of the offerings, but perhaps my view is skewed.
Let me recommend specific "don't miss" short stories:
-George Singleton's "Raise Children Here" is a laugh-out-loud hoot. Best one in the book by FAR. Just a pleasure to read.
-Drew Perry's "Love Is Gnats Today" is a fun and heartfelt read. This one gives you a new perspective on a certain type of person that you may not think much of on the surface.
Jill McCorkle's "Intervention" is another one that gives you a new perspective on a situation where you might be very apt to jump to a conclusion. Since so much of our lives are oriented on the need to make quick decisions, I like a story that teaches the need to hold back on snap judgements and to dig a little for the truth.
I did skip "Pagans" based on the formal book review, and the fact that it really did drag on.
A compilation of the year's eighteen best short stories.......2004-10-06
Enthusiastically recommended reading, New Stories From The South: 2004 is knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Shannon Ravenel and a compilation of the year's eighteen best short stories. Ravenel (series editor of "The Best American Short Stories" for fourteen years and who inaugurated the "New Stories from the South" series in 1986) is uniquely qualified to assemble the best of southern storytelling and storytellers, thereby making them accessible to those who enjoy great literature throughout the country. From Edward P. Jones' A Rich Man, Ingrid Hill's Valor, to Brock Clarke's The Lolita School, to Bret Anthony Johnston's The Widow, these are true gems reflecting the phenomena of love in all its diverse variations and generations.
Customer Reviews:
Great series!!!.......2007-07-28
This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!
Twilight of Empire.......2007-04-10
Eckert's hardest book to read felt like he just sometimes wanted to just fill pages, still a great teller of stores. Also felt he wrote for the money! I hope he finds new subjects because he's a great writer and story tell of history.
Tale of the Black Hawk War of 1832.......2003-01-31
This is the last book in Allan Eckert's Winning of America Series. "Twilight of Empire" chronicles the little-known but bloody Indian uprising in western Illinois in 1832 that became known as Black Hawk's War.
The war was named after the leader of the uprising, an old battle-hardened Sauk war chief named Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak...Black Hawk. In the years following the War of 1812, white settlers flooded into Sauk and Fox lands and the native tribes were forced into signing treaties that gave up their ancestral lands to the United States. In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk, in defiance of the United States and some of his own tribal leaders, led a large band of his starving people back across the Mississippi into northern Illinois to reclaim their stolen lands. This large movement of Indians was seen as hostile by the local white settlers and the militia was called out to subdue Black Hawk's band. The fatefull encounter at what would become the Battle of Stillman's Run would start off what would be the last major Indian war of the midwest. In the end, Black Hawk and his people would be decimated by pursuing American troops under General Atkinson at the Battle of Bad Axe, where hundreds of Indian women and children were shot or drowned while trying to escape back across the Mississippi River. This sad event marked the end of Indian wars east of the Mississippi and signaled the end of the way of life for the woodland Indians.
This story is deeply moving and involved and tells the history of a people and events not generally known today. Highly recommended.
Best Story Ever Told.......2001-05-22
Not only is Twilight of Empire a great book, but the whole winning of america series are, without a doubt, the best stories ever told. I would recommend them to anyone, even those not very interested in history. You have got to read these!
GREAT HISTORY LESSON.......1997-11-05
ALLAN ECKERT GOT ME FOREVER HOOKED ON THE FASINATING HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR. HIS STORY TELLING STYLE AND ACCURATE ACCOUNTS OF THIS IMPORTANT PART OF THIS AREAS HISTORY MAKES IT A MUST READ.
Customer Reviews:
Mr. Lieven does the job.......2001-06-26
Well-written book on Nicholas II and the last days of the Russian Empire... The last Russian Tsar is shown in this book with sympathy and good understanding of the Russian history. The author has done a very good research of Russian and foreign sources, including many official documents and private diaries of Nicholas himself, his wife Alexandra and many top officials including Witte, Benckendorff, Durnovo and others. The author is a scholar of the Russian studies of the London School of Economics and his account is well supported by the thorough analysis of the political and economic situation in Russia in the last years of the Russian Empire 1880 - 1917.
The account of Nicholas is fairly balanced, he is shown as a decent man dedicated to his family, country and its people, but neither equipped with character needed to run the huge country, nor even trained for that. Despite the fact the author clearly sympathize with Nicholas and his huge burden; there are numerous accounts in the book describing Nicholas glaring lack of vision, lack of assertiveness and simply managerial skills. For example, after the World War I started in 1914, Nicholas II, the "chief executive of Russia", for several months continued to lead a life of the country gentlemen, riding horses, playing tennis, visiting relatives for tea.
For his credit Nicholas did in the end assumed the supreme command of the Russian army, but not until after it suffered several disastrous defeats. He was on the one hand, an intelligent and decent, but soft and indecisive man trying to play a role of iron-willed autocrat, and on the other hand a member of a leisure class, a country gentleman trying to play a role of a hands-on CEO of a huge corporation called Russia. As Mr. Lieven showed, Nicholas had honestly tried, but unfortunately because of his own mistakes and disastrous external circumstances failed in both roles. Despite that, to the author's credit the collapse of the Russian Empire and fall of the Romanov dynasty is mostly attributed to the inability of the Russian State to quickly modernize itself, rather than to other coincidental factors as the presence of Rasputin or tolerated by the Tsar widespread involvement to the politics of his family and relatives.
Provides a different perspective on the "puppet" of history........1996-08-26
Lieven offers a different perspective of the usual account
of the devoted family man and "puppet of history." The author
goes beyone the familiar recounting of the path to the Ipatiev
House with his richly detailed explanation of the reasons why
the last Tsar and his family were brought to their inevitable
end.
Customer Reviews:
Laid-back writing is surprisingly subtle..........2005-10-18
I read the first book included in Twilight of Empire while I was on a cruise a couple of weeks ago. Mistworld is written clearly for easy reading. It is built around a situation that capitalizes on the relationships between prominent characters that many writers would go overboard with. Mr. Green doesn't. Despite the convoluted plot, the minor detail is kept to a minimum. I stopped reading at one point and tried get straight in my head who had done what, and how it affected others. I succeeded in this. Another neat thing is Mr. Green's sense for creating the "legendary" character. For example, in one case he has people mention the fury of one of his central characters, Topaz. She is a siren, an esper who, in her own defence, killed 500 attackers with her song. In the end, Topaz must face Typhoid Mary. Trust me, you'll know who she is. This book is terrific. And I loved Deathstalker; Mr. Green wrote that one at full steam in his technique.
Space Opera pure and simple.......2001-12-02
Several rviewers have written about Green having found his niche, I agree. He writes well when he places sword & sorcery stories into the future and adds warp engines. It takes a bit of getting used to but his brand of fantasy with a tech twist grows on one after a time.
Loved it..........2000-12-26
Coming to this book from Green's Hawk and Fisher series was a somewhat odd transition. But most definatly a good one. The new depth of horror that I found was great. We got tastes of it in "Bones" and a few other spots. Such as the Burning Man or Lament. I have not been disapointed at all with this man's writing. Keep them coming!
Intriguing space opera (especially for Deathstalker fans).......1999-07-13
One thing I should say before I begin: I think Green's found his niche writing space opera. It's not really sf per se--it's more like fantasy in space, with science-fictional trappings. This isn't bad; I just thought I'd point it out.
That being said, the three novels herein give some more background to the Deathstalker universe. They're fun reads--not terribly complicated, but fun. And some of the imagery is beautiful.
Best book I've read in a long time.......1998-05-29
I am not a sci-fi book reader. That is, not till I read Twilight of the Empire. Excellent. If you like great in-depth, believable character development mixed with fast-paced, don't plan on getting a lot of sleep action, this book will not disappoint. It has plenty of both, as well as some of the best writing I've come upon. Simon Green possesses a pleasantly understated method of writing which is very "human", like talking to a buddy. No fancy-shmancy wording or rhetorically correct banter just for the sake of fancy-shmancy wording and rhetorically correct banter. No unnecessary words to muddle what one's reading. I'm a visual reader - I have to be able to "see" what I'm reading, the more I can the more I enjoy - and Simon Green has created one of the most easily visual books I've ever read. You can't help but see every detail: the seediness of Mistworld, the eeriness of Ghostworld, the savageness of Hellworld. These places are real, and their inhabitants alive (this guy has one whacked-out imagination. Very original!). While reading Twilight I couldn't help thinking `man, this would make a great movie.' If only Simon Green were a director....
Book Description
Activists, ambassadors, and award-winning journalists offer their incisive analysis of the American occupation of Iraq in this timely collection of essays, featuring the arresting photography of Lynsey Addario. Topics include American economic interests in the war, the mainstream media coverage that made it politically feasible, escalating abuse of Muslim women by both American troops and an increasingly fundamentalist Middle East citizenry, the profiteering of multinationals like Halliburton and Bechtel, and more. A bevy of contributors includes Medea Benjamin, Kristina Borjesson, Amy Goodman, Amir Hussain, Naomi Klein, Mark LeVine, Yanar Mohammed, Viggo Mortensen, and Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Includes color photos throughout.
Customer Reviews:
One of the better books out there on the U.S. occupation of Iraq.......2007-02-01
Though not a gigantic read, this brief book clearly details what is being done with our tax dollars to the impoverished people of Iraq. Along with some really strong photo documentation, this book includes an excellent collection of essays by some very important writers on the left like Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, Christian Parenti, and Mike Davis. My favorite essay however was the one written by Naomi Klein, author of "No Logo", another crucial book. In this essay, Klein talks about the need to bridge the anti-war movement with the global justice movement. This is a discussion very much needed in the peace movement, because until we build a fair and truly democratic economy, we cannot possibly end the tragedy of war. Not only is this a good (though depressing) read, it's an excellent tool for public education. Buy it and then share it with friends! Why not donate a copy to a school or a public library?
Wow.......2004-09-10
In reading this collection one would think that the US intends to plunder and pillage Iraq while at the same time destroying their social, economic, and political fabric. We are responsible for their treatment of women, poor economic choices, Saddam's palaces, and the destruction of the World Trade Center. This is complete left-wing drivle that uses blinders only to exploit negative events and completely ignore anything positive occuring in Iraq today. If you're looking for an objective review of conditions in Iraq today stay clear of this one.
An insightful read.......2004-06-29
An excellent collection of essays, interviews and photographs. Jodie Evan's (co-founder of Code Pink: A Women's Movement for Peace) journals provide first hand accounts of her experiences in Iraq, painting a vivid picture of the devastation, chaos and the continuous struggle of the Iraqi people -- they also depict the struggle those who wish to help will encounter. Christian Parenti's essay likewise offers another first-hand account of Iraq, but this time of the lives of US soldiers and how they have been tricked and mistreated.
Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson lays out how the US deceived the American people into supporting a fallacious war and Naomi Klein's wonderful essay clearly defines who exactly stood to gain from the war in Iraq. In an interview with Kristina Borjesson, she explains how in order to gain accurate news reporting it is important to seek out more reliable sources, such as the foreign press, who aren't pressured by the administration to present a favorable view.
While all political books have agendas, Twilight of Empire strives to present information fairly and to connect the dots that are sometimes difficult to find. And Lynsey Addario's stunning and compelling photographs are not to be missed.
It can get so quiet.......2004-06-20
Many political books -- no matter what party they are from -- are ill-conceived rants that make people mad, rather than making them think. Perceval Press's "Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation" breaks that trend with understated, thought-provoking essays on the controversial Iraq war, which provide a pat on the hand and a punch to gut at the same time.
Amy Goodman's introduction at the start makes you start to think about the motives behind the war, and question what goes on behind the curtains. Then it's a look at Iraq itself, and at the damage wrought both by Saddam and by American troops. It's sobering, and more than a little shocking.
Mike Davis offers a rather stretched glance at empires, invasions, and the difficulties that come after them. Naomi Klein offers economic glimpses at financial motives behind attacking Iraq; women's activist Jodie Evans provides her journal insights from Iraq itself; and Ambassador Joseph Wilson puts his extensive knowledge of the Middle-East to use. Publisher Viggo Mortensen offers a quiet, bleak prose poem, "Back to Babylon."
No war in decades has inspired controversy the way the present Iraq war has. And the general reaction to it is to knee-jerk. But "Twilight" wisely avoids propaganda, whining, ranting and name-calling. Instead, most of these writers merely present their opinions and stimulate the readers' thoughts. Some have even been to Iraq to see what has happened with their own eyes.
Whatever your political leanings, it's impossible not to be shocked by the deterioration of Iraq that is shown to us here, a crumbling country which is being weighted down to the breaking point. The political commentary is secondary to the vivid pictures of Iraq -- a place most people have never seen -- and its struggling people by those who have seen the aftermath.
Lynsey Addario's photographs prove an effective illustration of the essays. They're bleak, stark, and often very disturbing. There are pictures that are saddening looks at the struggling Iraqi people, and some that are simply appalling on a moral level, like an soldier goofing off in Saddam's pool.
Whatever your thoughts on the Iraq war are, "Twilight of Empire" is worth checking out, if nothing else to make you think, reconsider, wonder, and sympathize. A powerful and disturbing book.
Average customer rating:
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Twilight of the Old Order, 1774-1778 (Age of the French Revolution, Vol 1)
Claude Manceron , and
Patricia Wolf
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| United States
| Americas
| History
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General
| France
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| History
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Revolution
| France
| Europe
| History
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Toward the Brink, 1785-1787 (Age of the French Revolution, Vol 4)
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The Wind from America, 1778-1781 (Age of the French Revolution, Vol 2)
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Their Gracious Pleasure 1782-1785 (Age of the French Revolution, Vol 3)
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Blood of the Bastille, 1787-1789: From Calonne's Dismissal to the Uprising of Paris (Age of the French Revolution, Vol 5)
ASIN: 0671680188 |
Customer Reviews:
A good character study of the last Byzantines........1998-08-04
There is a certain irony in that the last emperors of the Eastern Roman (or "Byzantine") Empire belonged to the longest-reigning house as well. After 192 years on the imperial throne, the tragedy-ridden Palaiologos (or Paleologus) dynasty would succumb to the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, its last reigning member Constantine XI dying valiantly in the defense of his city. Dr. Constance Head's "Imperial Twilight: The Palaiologos Dynasty and the Decline of Byzantium" is a concise, readable story of an imperial family as paradoxical as Byzantium itself. The book profiles the ten Palaiologos emperors, their spouses, relatives, and associates, and explains how their varying personalities determined the course of events during the last two centuries of the Byzantine Empire. By the time the Palaiologoi assumed power in 1261, the empire was on its way to a final collapse which even the most enlightened rulers could not have prev! ented. This 192-year-long "imperial twilight" was, so to speak, "deja vu all over again" as factors which in earlier centuries had done much to do away with the power and prestige of the Byzantine state resurfaced with a vengeance: incessant palace intrigues, a depleted treasury, civil war, disastrous military policies, and rising enemy powers. The book treats the events surrounding the siege and fall of Constantinople in a very limited manner (taking only 12 out of 169 pages of narrative); therefore, more information on the city's tragic fate must be sought elsewhere. Nevertheless, "Imperial Twilight" was enjoyable reading.
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Average customer rating:
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Enigmatic Proconsul: Sir Philip Mitchell and the Twilight of the Empire
Robert Frost
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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General
| Africa
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Kenya
| Africa
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Fiji
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ASIN: 1850435251 |
Book Description
Sir Philip Mitchell has a distinguished career in the British Colonial Service during the latter stages of Empire. He was Governor of Uganda and Fiji, High Commissioner of the Western Pacific and finally Governor of Kenya. During World War II, he administered the former Italian territories in East Africa and had the rank of Major General.
Mitchell was in the forefront of educational, economic, social and political reform and believed that human relations - especially race relations - were the key to progress in the Empire. However, his final years in Kenya were overshadowed by what appears to be a faulty reading of the political situation - a failure to appreciate the power of the Mau Mau. This book surveys his career contrasting the final years with the years of achievement, examines the problems that beset him and defends his record.
Frost is the author of a study of Kenya, Race Against Time.
Customer Reviews:
Lacks inspiring imagery.......2007-01-08
This book may be helpful as an VERY BASIC introduction to making your own altars.
*If you like the concept of altar-making, but feel intimidated or lost about them, then this book would probably help make you feel at ease about creating your own.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR AN ARTIST.
Anyone who already feels comfortable making an altar will need to be *VERY PATIENT* to find the new ideas scattered throughout. So far, I have lost that battle of patience.
I was expecting a contemplative, image-rich publication.
Instead I got a book with images that are uninspired & a lot of text that is not insightful.
The photos chosen look ameteurish & many are rather bland nature shots, or of home decorations/ potential altar fodder.
My main disappointment was that all the altars look like they were made by the same person and none of them are very aesthetically exciting.
One of the altars near the end of the book appears to feature a sheet of tinfoil underneath.
The book includes ideas about ritual use of an altar that may be new-- even to someone who has made altars, performed sacred rituals or explored symbolism. For me, the tinfoil effect is making it hard for me patiently sift through to the new ideas.
A Book for Every Woman.......2003-01-14
I found this to be a beautiful book that inspires the reader to create places for everyday reverence and meditation to enjoy within and around the home. An ideal gift for daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. Highly recommended.
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- Nights in White Satin: A Laura Principal Novel
- Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International)
- Oscar and Lucinda: movie tie-in edition
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- Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre, and Elsewhere
- Prairie Nocturne: A Novel
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- Quiet As It's Kept: Shame, Trauma, and Race in the Novels of Toni Morrison (Suny Series in Psychoanalysis and Culture)
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Books Index
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New Stories from the South, 2005 (New Stories from the South)
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New Stories from the South 2002: The Year's Best (New Stories from the South)
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New Stories from the South 2001: The Year's Best (New Stories from the South)
