The Grass Harp and The Tree of Night

Product Description

Here for the first time in one volume are two brilliant books by the author of America's number one bestseller "In Cold Blood". The Grass Harp is a story about people in search of love. They defy the narrow conventions of a small town in order to find their own brand of freedom, enjoy momentary heady release, and then make their individual compromises with reality. In a Tree of Night and other stories Trumean Capote explores the misery, horror and lonliness of modern life. Two of these tales, "miriam" and "Shut a Final Door" have won O. Henry awards.

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The Grass Harp & a Tree of Night
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TYBSKI

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The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R3GBWQ

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The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VVJGZ8

THE GRASS HARP AND A TREE OF NIGHT - SIGNET #S1333

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THE GRASS HARP AND A TREE OF NIGHT - SIGNET #S1333

Manufacturer: Signet Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQXRYY

The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night and other Stories

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The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night and other Stories
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet / NAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000N02GOU

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The Grass Harp and The Tree of Night
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Grass Harp and The Tree of Night: And Other Stories

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Loved it
if you don't have to read this don't

The Grass Harp and The Tree of Night: And Other Stories
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Loved it.......2004-10-24

Read this in my Freshman lit class and just loved it-I favor Children on their Birthdays,its a kicker.The title stories are lovely but a bit stagnent at times-I recomend it.

if you don't have to read this don't.......2004-03-25

I have to read this book for my comp 2 class in college. It is horrible. Capote doesn't give a clear picture of what he writing about and he rambles on about his life that seems very dismal. If you want to read a good book try The Count of Monte Cristo or my favorite Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. Those are books that get somwhere and are interesting.

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THE GRASS HARP THE TREE OF NIGHT

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HFDUYQ

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Did she fall off the face of the earth?

Wanted More

Cheap Thrills

Didn't live up to the hype...

great, but i would really give it a 4.5
Master & Fool (The Book of Words , Vol 3)
J. V. Jones
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Jones, J.V. | ( J ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

A Man Betrayed (The Book of Words, Book 2)

The Baker's Boy (The Book of Words, Book 1)

The Barbed Coil

A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows)

A Fortress of Grey Ice: Book Two of Sword of Shadows

ASIN: 0446670960

Book Description

The Known Lands are teetering on the brink of war. Desperate to avert worldwide catastrophe, Jack, the baker's boy, must learn to harness the full strength of his magic to face his ultimate destiny--a final confrontation with the murderously evil Kylock.

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The Known Lands are teetering on the brink of war. Alliances are made, armies are mobilized, and once strong loyalties are shattered. Melliandra is married to the Duke of Bren and widowed on the same day, her husband murdered by the wiles of Baralis. Baralis's own candidate for duke, Kylock, gives in to madness and brutally kills the duke's daughter on their wedding knight. The knight Tawl is framed for both crimes and must flee the city of Bren, forced to break his sworn oath to protect Melliandra. Meanwhile, Jack, the baker's boy, has grown in the study of magic, learning to control his powerful strength. Searching for Melliandra, he finds both her and Tawl--thus fulfilling another part of Marod's prophecy. The alliance between Annis, Highwall, and Halcus lay siege to Bren, escalating into all-out war. Desperate to avert world-wide catastrophe, Jack and Tawl travel to the mystic island of Larn to find more answers, and Jack's magic comes into its full power as he destroys the seers of Larn and their hideous worship forever. He learns of his mother, and yet more pieces of his past come together. Returning to Bren, Tawl enlists the aid of his brothers in the knighthood who are becoming disenchanted with their order, which has been taken over by a greedy mercenary. Already dangerously unstable, Kylock is pushed closer to insanity as Baralis struggles to suppress his natural magical talents. Kylock's prophesied relationship to Jack grows clearer as his magical powers come closer to erupting. With the thunder of battle growing louder outside the city-state of Bren, Jack learns fully of his past, and he knows that the fulfillment of Marod's prophecy rests upon his confrontation with Kylock.

Customer Reviews:

Did she fall off the face of the earth?.......2005-12-03

Still waiting for the rest of the barbed coil....

Wanted More.......2005-08-26

While I enjoyed the book, the story left me a little flat at the end. I would have prefered the story to go out with a definative bang instead of leaving things sort of open for sequels. For some reason, after the first two J.V. Jones novels, I have enjoyed her work less and less. I could not even get through the Barbed Coil book.

Cheap Thrills.......2005-01-27

The trilogy was OK, but I had some problems with it.

The writing was poor a good chunk of the time. Jones seems to have a penchant for silly names and cliches and uses them liberally throughout the books. The characters are flat and (again) cliched. The dialogue is appauling.

These things are all pretty standard in fantasy writing, which is a shame, but the difference --the important difference-- is that I still wanted to keep reading.

The story was nothing original but somehow, even though I scoffed at the names and the dialogue and the writing, I tore through all the books in a few days and I couldn't stop.

These books seem to be a fluke. I started reading Barbed Coil and didn't even get half way through. By far too painful to read. I wouldn't bother with her other writing, but this series has something going for it.

If you're looking for a cheap thrill, this trilogy is perfect. It doesn't require any sort of real thought on the part of the reader and is chucky jam full of action packed adventure and weird/violent sex.

Didn't live up to the hype..........2005-01-12

Okay, so if you were snooping around in the fantasy circles circa 1995, you are indubitably aware that this trilogy generated an enormous buzz. That in itself was surprising, since The Baker's Boy was Mrs. Jones' very first novel. In addition, it was published by Aspect (Warner Books), an imprint not particularly renowned for publishing bestsellers.

In any event, to a certain extent taking the market by storm, the series was an instant success. The three volumes were all national bestsellers, which is quite unusual. They all topped the Locus Bestseller List. Okay, so it's not the New York Times, but it is still quite an accomplishment for a new author.

Like a lot of people, I bought the books when they came out. Unlike many, I didn't read them yet. The hype was too strong, and I didn't want it to influence me when I read the series. Of course, I didn't really expect to wait nearly 9 years before reading them, either! For some reason, even though Mrs. Jones wrote 3 more novels since the publication of Master and Fool, she never did create waves the way The Book of Words trilogy initially did. Now was the time for me to see what the buzz had been about. . .

As is usually the case, the series did not live up to the expectations the buzz had created within me. Hence, I'm happy to have waited before reading the novels. Otherwise, I would probably have been VERY disappointed by this series. With the enormous number of books I've read over the years, I'm afraid that I have become definitely hard to please. . .

But although the trilogy suffers from several shortcomings, in all objectivity I must admit that it is still a relatively good read.

My main problem with the series is the fact that it appears to be aimed at a younger crowd. In my mind, it seems to be aimed at readers who are under 18. Being 30 (yes, I AM getting old!), I couldn't quite get into it. But I am persuaded that if I had read the series when I was 16 years of age, I would probably have loved it. There is a certain innocence inherent to the characters and their views of love, honor, obligation, etc, that makes the whole thing not ring true to my "adult" perspective.

The biggest shortcoming of the series, however, is the fact that the characters are far from being three-dimensional. As a matter of fact, they are not "real." The author fell into a popular trap, namely creating "cliché" characters: the innocent boy with immense potential, the beautiful and spoiled young woman who turns out to be stronger and more courageous than she believed herself to be, the evil mage, the power-hungry prince, etc. And some characters are just caricatures, case in point being the Archbishop Tavalisk. And yet, having said that about the characters, they are still a likeable bunch. Which, in the end, helps you enjoy the books.

Several plotlines had a lot of potential (the knights of Valdis, the Seers of Larn, Jake's parentage, etc), but they were not exploited to their fullest. Had they been, this series would have been much better. Mrs. Jones took the easy road instead. . .

In light of all this, I have to admit that I nevertheless like J. V. Jones' writing style. She has a witty way to write, which I truly enjoyed. I think that she must challenge herself a little more with her storylines, and explore a bit more those concepts that she creates. It would certainly give ner novels more depth, which in turn would make them more enjoyable.

I believe that J. V. Jones shows great promise and could be a bright voice in the fantasy genre. Hopefully her other novels will show just how much potential she truly possesses. . .:-)

Check out my blog: www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

great, but i would really give it a 4.5.......2004-08-09

Master and Fool is the conclusion to J.V. Jones' Book of Words trilogy. The trilogy starts off slow, but ends with a bang in this third book. I never expected some of the stuff that occurred, which is something I always look for in my fantasy books and made this series enjoyable.

Jack is finally away from Rovas, Magra, and Tarissa physically but not mentally, and is taken up by a sorcerer, who is the opposite of Baralis. He helps Jack learn to control his powers after what happened in A Man Betrayed, but Jack now distrusts everyone. Once he feels he is being lied to he leaves and heads towards Bren. In Bren he finally meets up with Tawl, and the start of their journey to oppose Baralis and Kylock begins.

Melli and Tawl, over the corse of Melli's engagement to the Duke of Bren, have fallen in love. They are now in hiding after the Duke of Bren's murder and the blame is being laid on Tawl by Baralis. The marriage was supposedly never completed, so Melli has no claim on the realm of Bren. Tawl is still dealing with his past, but finally discovers the root of it all and takes action.

The claim for Bren is given to Catherine, but it isn't long before Kylock takes over that title, unexpectedly. Larn is giving more and more help to Baralis, and needs to be eliminated or else Kylock will conquer both the north and the south easily.

The book comes to a stunning conclusion with most of the loose ends tied up, and enough mystery left to create another series with the characters. The only problem I found with this book was that I never got any explanation as to why some of the characters were included, like the archbishop of Rorn and the prostitute, Megan. I thought their importance would be explained in the end, but they never were. Otherwise I enjoyed Master and Fool and the Book of Words trilogy, and look forward to reading more from J.V. Jones.

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!

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CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.

Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings

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The Method to Ryokan's Great Foolishness
The Great Life of a Great Fool
The Best....
The essential Zen poet
Exquisite hardcover binding with well rendered translations.

Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings
Ryuichi Abe
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 082481777X

Book Description

Taigu Ryokan (1759-1831) remains one of the most popular figures in Japanese Buddhist history. Despite his religious and artistic sophistication, Ryokan referred to himself as "Great Fool" and refused to place himself within the cultural elite of his age. In contrast to the typical Zen master of his time, who presided over a large monastery, trained students, and produced recondite religious treatises, Ryokan followed a life of mendicancy in the countryside. Instead of delivering sermons, he expressed himself through kanshi (poems composed in classical Chinese) and waka and could typically be found playing with the village children in the course of his daily rounds of begging. Great Fool is the first study in a Western language to offer a comprehensive picture of the legendary poet-monk and his oeuvre. It includes not only an extensive collection of the master's kanshi, topically arranged to facilitate an appreciation of Ryokan's colorful world, but selections of his waka, essays, and letters. The volume also presents for the first time in English the Ryokan zenji kiwa (Curious Accounts of the Zen Master Ryokan), a firsthand source composed by a former student less than sixteen years after Ryokan's death.

Customer Reviews:

The Method to Ryokan's Great Foolishness.......2007-02-13

Something about Ryokan just captures the imagination. An eccentric Zen monk living in a hut in the mountains, dashing off fine poetry and refined calligraphy after making the rounds in the towns below with his begging bowl, playing ball with the kids and sipping sake with the farmers along the way. Living a life free of the many conventions and responsibilities that hem us in, Ryokan seems to speak directly to us with a straightforward, friendly, unpretentious eloquence. Apparently this is a voice we find greatly appealing, and there are a great number of fine books about him and his poetry in English.

Still, of these, "Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan" really stands out as an excellent scholarly treatment of Ryokan and his art. Special attention is given to the nature of his religious orientation and his place in late Tokugawa literary society. His relationships with sponsors and fellow literati (of both Confucian, Kokugaku, and Buddhist persuasions) are fleshed out through translations of his letters, his role and image in local society exemplified by Kera Yoshishige's firsthand biography (one of the earliest), and his strict Soto Zen religiosity are revealed in several sermonistic essays on Buddhism--these latter especially reveal a very different Ryokan, strident and very critical of the state of institutional Buddhism in his day, erudite in the difficult writings of Dogen and the canonical Mahayana sutras, whose practice of seclusion and begging turn out to be highly unusual in his own context and thus a very intentional manifesto of his firmly-held religious principles. And of course there are the poems, lots and lots of them, both kanshi and waka, all of which have been specially selected with a view to shedding light on many of these same questions--for what they tell us about Ryokan the literatus, Ryokan the local weirdo, Ryokan the Soto Zen monk, and hence Ryokan the man living during late Tokugawa Japan.

The three scholarly essays at the beginning of the book by Haskel and Abe outline these same themes as well as discussing perceptions of Ryokan in modern and contemporary Japan, his role as a kind of household name and folkloric culture hero and the very divergent academic takes on him by his different Japanese interpreters. Much consideration is given too to the evolution of Ryokan studies over time and of the nature and reliability of the sources we use to understand him. All of this makes this book extremely useful, almost indispensable really, for anyone who wants to study Ryokan in-depth, and this more than makes up for the fact that the translations of the poems themselves seem just a tad prosaic sometimes. Highly recommended to anyone interested in late Tokugawa Buddhism and its relation to literature as well as to all diehard Ryokan fans, of course.

The Great Life of a Great Fool.......2005-11-02

"Great Fool" is the best English source I've found for Ryokan's poems and life history. When I feel a bit overwhelmed, I always turn to Ryokan and his simple and direct approaches to life.

"Great Fool" starts off with three essays that deal with (among other things) Ryokan's modern popularity and the debate whether Ryokan was an enlightened Zen man. This last topic I found greatly interesting, especially his being coopted by Marxist thinkers who saw in him a failed zennist and bitter poet.

Next is a collection of stories of Ryokan's life and the poems, Kanshi poems written in Chinese and shorter Waka poems written in Japanese. Ryokan shares alot of spirit with Han-shan, or Cold Mountain, except that Ryokan's poetry seems livelier and more personable than Cold Mountain's, though this could be a result of the translations. It also could be the result of Ryokan's constant association with people - indeed, like a Bodhisattva, Ryokan never really left the world. Instead of running from inquirers with shreiks and giggles, Ryokan delightfully pulls a rubber playing ball from his sleeve.

The book ends with a collection of letters and essays written by Ryokan, which give a great insight into his daily life. I especially like how he ends some of his letters:

That's all.
Ryokan

Enjoy! That's all.

The Best...........2002-05-04

I discovered Ryokan around 20 years ago when I took out "One robe, one bowl" from the library. Since then I've bought that and most of the other English translations that have appeared. I finally gave in and spent the extra bucks to buy this one and have been thoroughly impressed and glad with my purchase. Not only does it contain more of his poetry than the other collections, but it also contains some superb biographical and critical essays. If you want to know more about this wonderful poet and person, this is THE book to get. I would hope every library in America would purchase it as well. Although I'm sure Ryokan would find this rather amusing, I can't help but call this the "Cadillac of Ryokan anthologies." A fantastic book!!

The essential Zen poet.......2001-06-12

Ryokan,a great zen monk who dubbed himself"the great fool" is one of the most revered figures in all Japan. As a wandering begging monk{one robe, a bowl and walking stick} Ryokan celebrates the quotidian,whether a stong pot of tea, sake,playing ball with village children,or the warming embers of a dying fire in the midst of Winter,he makes these images come alive,with vibrancy and suppleness. This volume conatins remembrances of Ryokan from contemporaries,disciples,students and those he met along the way. Along with his Reflections on Buddhism,this volume also contains a very helpfulessay, a poetics of mendicancy by ryuichi abe`,and another essay by ab`,commemorating ryokan. the introductory essay by peter haskel, ryokan of mount kugami puts ryokan in his historical perpective. However, above all, it is the pure airy poetry of the master himself.Cleansing and wonderful...

Exquisite hardcover binding with well rendered translations........1998-10-14

This beautiful cloth covered book brings Ryokan to life. An extensive biography helps place him firmly in the lineage of zen fools. His poetry is well rendered, cutting to the heart of his enlightenment, his lonely village. Some of the preface seems a bit misplaced and foolish, attempting to address the question of whether he was 'enlightened,' with deep and silly consideration of his views relative the deconstructionist movement. But his skill as calligrapher and poet are well treated: the beauty of his poetry is not random! If you can afford it, the hardcover's worth the extra bucks because of the sweet binding, really a nice book to hold in your hands.

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The book of Words III Master and Fool
J. V. Joves
Manufacturer: WARNER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GRRLNG

The Book Of Words Series: The Baker's Boy, A Man Betrayed, Master and Fool (Set of 3 Fantasy Novels)

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The Book Of Words Series: The Baker's Boy, A Man Betrayed, Master and Fool (Set of 3 Fantasy Novels)
J.V. Jones
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000MMBPO6

GIRLS DON'T FOOL WITH CUPID, Songster. Containing New and Popular Songs Sung by Billy Emerson, Master Birnewy, Charles Vivian, Frank Howard, Frank Wilder, Lydia Thompson, Mdlle. Christine Nilsson, Miss Annie Louise Cary, and Other Celebrities. Beadle's Dime Song Book Series, No. 28.

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GIRLS DON'T FOOL WITH CUPID, Songster. Containing New and Popular Songs Sung by Billy Emerson, Master Birnewy, Charles Vivian, Frank Howard, Frank Wilder, Lydia Thompson, Mdlle. Christine Nilsson, Miss Annie Louise Cary, and Other Celebrities. Beadle's Dime Song Book Series, No. 28.
[Songster / 19th C. Music].
Manufacturer: Beadle & Adams, 98 William St.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SIDZQ0

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MASTER AND FOOL
J.V. JONES
Manufacturer: ORBIT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S9M4QG

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Master and Fool
J. V. Jones
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KIDDZ6

One for the Master, Two for the Fool: A Bruce MacLeod Mystery

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Not like his short fiction
One for the little boy that lives down the lane.

One for the Master, Two for the Fool: A Bruce MacLeod Mystery
Larry Townsend
Manufacturer: The Nazca Plains Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Gay | Mystery & Thrillers | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1555832091

Customer Reviews:

Not like his short fiction.......2003-04-09

This is one of two novels Townsend has which star his gay and kinky therapist, Bruce MacLeod. The story revolves around MacLeod, his lover, and his assistant as their daily lives are interrupted by several events: a nearby murder, a runaway gay teen, and a nosy reporter. The mysteries here are really all that great, go read a more mundane mystery if you want that. The sex too while it can be hot isn't numerous enough to really push this into the porn category. Instead this really is a novel that attempts to make us see that SM can be healthy or it can be unhealthy.

One for the little boy that lives down the lane........1997-10-28

Though I have trouble with heroes whose "eyes seem to twinkle in gold-flecked splendor," and authors who pen such, I confess I find Larry Townsend's Bruce MacLeod mysteries entertaining. Once you get past the steel collars, handcuffs, and other accoutrements of SM, these books are pretty much like any mystery. They just dress differently.

Psychiatrist and police consultant, Bruce MacLeod is called in when the police commissioner's nephew turns up hustling on the streets of L.A. But Bruce has his own problems. His lover and former patient, Frank, is the target of a sleazy tabloid reporter who plans to "out" him--and now the reporter turns up strangled. Could this have anything to do with the recent murder of a wealthy Beverly Hills couple found garroted in their home?

Townsend deftly manages a skein of subplots interwoven with gay themes including homophobia, love vs sex, and coming out.

Book Description

*Created by Shotaro Ishinomori - one of Japan's most beloved manga-ka - known by some as the King of Manga *From the author of the long-running Kamen Rider (Masked Rider) series *Anime currently running on Cartoon Network

009 has double vision when he sees two Helens--although their faces aren't launching a thousand ships, they sink 009 into a ball of confusion. The rest of our alloy alliance is in for a double--crossing. While closing in on the Black Ghost, a member of gang zero--zero turns out to be a big fat zero!

Book Description

What happened to American religion during the cultural revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s? The era has long been associated with the ascendancy of Eastern religions and fringe cults. But in this provocative book, Mark Oppenheimer demonstrates that contrary to conventional wisdom, most Americans did not turn on, tune in, and drop out of mainstream religious groups during the Age of Aquarius. Instead, many Americans brought the counterculture with them to their churches and temples, changing the face of American religion. Introducing us to America's first gay ministers and first female priests, to hippie Jews and folk-singing Catholics, Oppenheimer demonstrates that this was an era of extraordinary religious vitality. Drawing on a rich range of archival material as well as interviews with many of the protagonists, Knocking on Heaven's Door offers a wry and iconoclastic reappraisal of the ways in which the upheavals of the sixties changed America's relationship with God.

Customer Reviews:

Counterculture challenges conformity.......2004-07-30

Oppenheimer has examined an almost entirely ignored niche of modern United States' history. While the 1960's - the "Nixon Era" as Oppenheimer labels it, is usually portrayed with anti-war protests, the "drug culture" and alternate lifestyles, the author discerned another aspect. In this compelling analysis, the activities of American religions are brought to light. The author selected the five major faiths to examine whether the :counterculture" of the sixties had an impact. In what sense, he asks, were these religions modified and how meaningful were the changes? What were the changes proposed and how did these faiths respond to them? The answers are surprising.

Churches are a major factor in United States society. Oppenheimer begins with some interesting numbers of church membership. He also describes the differences across the various faiths - his description of the history and development of the Southern Baptists is particularly enlightening. He portrays how elements of the counterculture forced the faiths to reassess their outlook of community relations. Every organised religion contains its conservative and reform elements. Oppenheimer describes the reform challenges to the Unitarians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Episcopalians and Southern Baptists. Each religion faced particular provocations to its established norm. Each resolved these movements in a different way. He demonstrates, for example, how Roman Catholics had an impetus for change from Vatican II, with unexpected results. Gay rights, feminism and new religious communities become significant issues. Only among the Southern Baptists was Viet Nam the topic of dispute, and Oppenheimer's description of the methods employed makes compelling reading. Still, he concludes the foundation of the counterculture's impact on United States' religions lies elsewhere, as he points out in his conclusion.

The author has combined some in-depth research with interviews of the participants, newspaper and magazine stories to fully personalise this account. Amazingly, no mention is made of the song of the title! Photographs of events and some of the leading figures add some nuance, but aren't very informative. Written in an almost rollicking style, the book is well drafted for the general reader. It should inform many on why their particular faith is operating as it is today. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Educational? Yes. Dull? No........2003-11-21

I'm shockingly ignorant about Christian sects and religious history, not to mention my own Jewish background. Oppenheimer's book sparked interesting conversations with my fiance, who was raised going to Catholic folk mass, joined an evangelical group in high school, and then was part of a Unitarian congregation in his early 20's. I had known nothing about these movements, and the book gave me a window into a world that I'm usually separated from. Besides being a great topic for cocktail parties (people don't talk about religion enough), the book is scholarly and meticulously researched, with dozens of interviews with people who were influential in or lived through the religious changes that were a product of 60's counterculture.

Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture.(Book Review): An article from: American Jewish History

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Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture.(Book Review): An article from: American Jewish History
J. Shawn Landres
Manufacturer: American Jewish Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Jewish History, published by American Jewish Historical Society on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1148 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: Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture.(Book Review)
Author: J. Shawn Landres
Publication: American Jewish History (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2003
Publisher: American Jewish Historical Society
Volume: 91 Issue: 2 Page: 328(4)

Article Type: Book Review

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