Dancing with Ghosts: A Critical Biography of Arturo Islas

Book Description

This first critical biography of Arturo Islas (19381991) brings to life the complex and overlapping worlds inhabited by the gay Chicano poet, novelist, scholar, and professor. Gracefully written and deeply researched, Dancing with Ghosts considers both the larger questions of Islas's life--his sexuality, racial identification, and political personality--and the events of his everyday existence, from his childhood in the borderlands of El Paso to his adulthood in San Francisco and at Stanford University. Frederick Aldama portrays the many facets of Islas's engaging and often contradictory personality. He also explores Islas's coming into the craft of poetry and fiction--his extraordinary struggle to publish his novels, The Rain God, La Mollie and the King of Tears, and Migrant Souls--as well as his pivotal role in paving the way for a new generation of Chicano/a scholars and writers.
Through a skillful interweaving of life history, criticism, and literary theory, Aldama paints an unusually rich and wide-ranging portrait of both the man and the eventful times in which he lived. He describes Islas's struggle with polio as a child, his near-death experience and ileostomy as a thirty-year-old beginning to explore his queer sexuality in San Francisco in the 1970s, and his fatal struggle with AIDS in the late 1980s. Drawing from hundreds of unpublished letters, lecture notes, drafts of essays, novels, and poetry archived at Stanford University, Aldama also deals frankly with the controversies that swirled around Islas's impassioned love life, his drug addictions, and his scholarly and professional career as one of the first Chicano/a professors in the United States. He discusses the importance of Islas's pioneering role in bridging Anglo, Latin American, Chicano/a, and European storytelling styles and voices. Dancing with Ghosts succeeds brilliantly both as an account of a fascinating life that embraced many different worlds and as a chronicle of the grand historical shifts that transformed the late-twentieth-century American cultural landscape.

Customer Reviews:

A Seminal Biographical Study.......2005-04-18

Frederick Luis Aldama notes that he could have written a hagiography because of Arturo Islas' "sensational and melodramatic 'up-from-the-bootstraps' story and its tragic denouement." But that would have been dishonest. Despite his talents as a writer, Islas was plagued with self-hate and was often moody, manipulative, narcissistic and unpredictable. Yet he could be brilliant, gentle, soft-spoken and, above all, generous. Aldama succeeds in synthesizing the disparate elements of Arturo Islas to produce what doubtless will become a seminal biographical study of an important figure in Chicano letters. [The full review of this book first appeared in Southwest BookViews.]

Dancing Ghosts: Native American and Christian Syncretism in Mary Austin's Work (Western Literature Series)

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Dancing Ghosts: Native American and Christian Syncretism in Mary Austin's Work (Western Literature Series)
Mark T. Hoyer
Manufacturer: University of Nevada Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0874173124

Book Description

A significant and innovative contribution to Austin studies.

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GHOST DANCING, A Novel
James Magnuson
Manufacturer: Doubleday & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VBGMXW

Book Description

Look back to Multiple Man, Quicksilver, Strong Guy and Wolfsbane's earlier days together as the U.S. government's motley mutants meet murder and mayhem in the Middle East! Then, it's stateside struggles against the Nasty Boys and the Mutant Liberation Front, which may pale before a threat that strikes mutantkind much closer to home! Guest-starring the Incredible Hulk and the mythically mighty Pantheon! Collects X-Factor #76-78 and Incredible Hulk #390-392.

X-Factor Visionaries - Peter David, Vol. 1 (X-Men)

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Pretty much the only X-Factor ever worth reading
Madrox Mayhem

X-Factor Visionaries - Peter David, Vol. 1 (X-Men)
Peter David , and Larry Stroman
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785118721

Book Description

The name wasn't changed to protect the innocent, but everything else was as Peter David took over the series from the founding X-Men! Alumni of the X-Men, the New Mutants and the Avengers join refugees from odd corners of the X-Universe as the government's latest super-effort, but Mister Sinister and his Nasty Boys don't want this team to survive long enough to get its roster straight! Featuring the historic first meeting of the cast of Marvel Knights' Madrox! Collects X-Factor #71-75.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty much the only X-Factor ever worth reading.......2006-01-20

While it didn't become the legendary fan favorite that his monumental run on the Incredible Hulk did, Peter David's revision of the X-Men spin-off X-Factor is undoubtadly the best the series ever offered, and pretty much the only X-Factor ever worth reading. In the beginning of this TPB, the government sponsored mutant team has their share of difficulties. Besides the auora of distrust between the group and their liason Val Cooper, Jamie "the Multiple Man" Madrox's powers are slowly spinning out of control. In the meantime, Havok and co. are going to have their hands full with events that are just over the horizon, which is the biggest drawback of this TPB. The farther that the TPB goes along, the better David gets in his storytelling, and by the time it comes to an end, you'll be wanting more. Larry Stroman's art is solid throughout, even though it's the typical, 90's muscled look that ended up being so apparent throughout the various X-books during the decade, but thankfully it never goes to Liefeld-esque heights. All in all, if you have fond memories of Peter David's all too brief run on X-Factor, give this a look; and while you're at it, check out David's woefully underrated Madrox mini-series, as well as the current monthly X-Factor series that once again features the man at the helm.

Madrox Mayhem.......2005-12-13

This graphic novel, which reprints X-Factor #71-75, takes place as Peter David and Larry Stroman took over the struggling book. Giving the team a line up of Quicksilver, Strong Guy, Havok, Polaris, Maddrox, Wolfsbane, they have the group working for the government, with Val Cooper as a liaison.

This arch has several subplots, but the main plot featuring Multiple Man's powers spinning out of control is the most amusing. Several other subplots are not wrapped up before the end of the graphic. The writing itself is not David's strongest work. In the first half of the graphic, you get the feeling he's still trying to find the character's voices and mannerisms, with nothing really gelling until much later in the book. There's humor, but most times it feels forced, and the villains are either overused or asinine.

The art work is staggering, and I think Mr. David would have been better served had this been called X-Factor Visionaries (Larry Stroman, Vol. 1) Mr. Stroman's art, sense of style, and composition make even the most mundane instances appealing and his art alone saves the book from a rating of 3 stars.

So if you get this book, just know that it's nothing amazing that will change your life or the way you see comics. But, the art is staggering, and worth the price of admission alone.

This could be read by a newcomer to comic books, but they might think `Is this all there is to comics?' Buy them Watchmen instead.

X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David, Vol. 3 (X-Men)

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X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David, Vol. 3 (X-Men)
Peter David , Fabian Nicieza , Jim Fern , Larry Stroman , Rurik Tyler , Mark Pacella , Joe Quesada , Darick Robertson , and Joe Madureira
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785124578

Book Description

Today X-Factor's beat is Mutant Town, but years before, it was Washington DC! Madrox, Strong Guy, Quicksilver and the rest face crises of diplomacy, deception and death while protecting humans from mutants and vice versa! A battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in the shadow of Genosha! Musical murder, the Mojoverse and more! Featuring one of Wolverine's worst rivals, Cyber! Collects X-Factor #79-83 & Annual #7.

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Golden Witchbreed (The Witchbreed Bks., No. 1)
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: N A L
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GKSEKW

Average customer rating:

The edges of tragedy and poetry

Close to classic, but not quite there

Golden Witchbreed, A Great Book

Startlingly original

Golden

Golden Witchbreed
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Ancient Light

ASIN: 0451136063

Customer Reviews:

The edges of tragedy and poetry.......2005-11-18

It's been too many years since I've read Golden Witchbreed and Ancient Light, but they came up in conversation somewhere and I had to look them up -- and I was surprised to see how little information there is on them, especially the latter. Please see the other reviews for better info about the books than I could provide . I will add images of the covers, however (although I don't like the cover of Ancient Light), and the comment that usually I don't like books that have a sad or tragic nature, but in this case I make an exception.

Close to classic, but not quite there.......2004-07-27

A huge journey across a vast alien world is a theme more consistent with fantasy than SF but Mary Gentle brings it off beautifully. Her aliens have a lot of 'classic' features but they still seem very fresh and real. She makes the journey emotional without ever making it sentimental, we are engaged by the envoy's travails but are still uplifted by them and personally, I found myself envious. The more she travels, the more about the history of the world we find. It's a fascinating journey, albeit a long one.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula Le Guin, which shares many features with this book.

Golden Witchbreed, A Great Book.......2003-10-23

I absolutely love this book. It's the kind of book that will suck you right in as soon as you start reading. Golden Witchbreed is complex in its construction, but easy to follow because of how information is doled out one piece at a time. The planet on which the story takes place seems to come to life in front of the reader. The author did an excellent job in that respect. Irregularities in grammar from the standard American English (as well as British English) crop up on a regular basis in this book, but in general they don't interfere with the reading. The front flap says something comparing Golden Witchbreed to Frank Herbert's Dune, but it's not a valid comparison because the world of Mary Gentle's book is so much more complex and vividly described than Dune ever was. A wonderful book for any Sci Fi fan, or anybody else, no matter what they generally read. The book pulled me in and I couldn't put it down. I think everyone else who takes the time to find Golden Witchbreed will have the same experience.

Startlingly original.......2002-01-07

I've loved this book ever since it first appeared back in the 1980s. Mary Gentle keeps the suspense going well and her level of control is startling for a (then) tyro writer. At the time of its publication serious xeno-anthropological SF was unusual - we now have C J Cherryh's 'Foreigner' series and others - and even today the book stands out as one of the best of its kind. The sequel (Ancient Light), unusually, is spectacularly good, and is a remarkable deconstruction of all that was built up in Golden Witchbreed. I've been disappointed by several other books by Mary Gentle, but the recent novel "Ash " is a return to form.

Golden.......2001-04-12

This is the story of Lynne de Lisle Christie, the first of Earth's envoys to Oerthe, a primitive world on a planet half a galaxy from Earth. Presenting herself at the court of the Crown of the South, Christie's life quickly teeters into the hands of those motivated by beliefs, assumptions and thoughts alien and unknown. Factions in the Southland would rather that she were dead, or defamed never to return. Others feel that now that Earth has visited Oerthe, there is no way that the clock can be turned back. But all are quite wary of Earth and its technologies, and a current of hostility runs deep. As events unfold, at one point Christie finds herself among the ruins of Oerthes anchient civilization and realizes that Earth has made a very, very large mistake.

This is a fun, engaging story. And to one of the readers who posted earlier, there IS a sequel to this book. It is called "Ancient Light", and was published in 1987 by Arrow Books, from London, England. I didn't see it listed at all on Amazon, though....

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Golden Witchbreed

Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I3VF62

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Golden Witchbreed
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: Arrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KKNZ3E

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Golden Witchbreed
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: WILLIAM MORROW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UCH01A

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Golden Witchbreed
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: Arrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000V742OM

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Golden Witchbreed
Mary Gentle
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OF0934

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Golden Witchbreed

Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1DEXG

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Golden Witchbreed

Manufacturer: Orion Publishing Group, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HR3ZNU

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a psychoanalysis of fundyism from one who was there!.......2007-06-28

First, a couple nitpicks:

In the chapter on "logocide" Cohen ascribing manipulative purposes to obviously figurative language-life, death-is over the top.
The outright conspiracy theory toward the end is silly-since no one gained politically or financially form Christianity until it had been aroound for 200 years or so(Constantine). The canonical books are simply, as Cohen himself allows at one point, simply what got saluted when run up the flagpole(as opposed to Gnostic and other non-canonical stuff) due to their psychological effects.
Those nitpicks out of the way, this book is far above the usual psychologies of religion based in wish-fulfillment, father projection, search for meaning, etc. Cohen demonstrates that the New Testament makes use of several tactics which work together synergistically, while no particular single one of these could take root in a modern person by itself.

This book's observations matched my experiences.......2005-09-16

I have read cohen's book twice, once twenty years ago when it first came out and once again recently (2005). The first time I read it, I recall that the accumulated force of the author's observations caused me to weep. Because I was an evangelical throughout much of my teens, the book's observations about the mind-games that christians play with themselves hit very close to home. I reread the book recently because I wanted to see if the book read as well as I remembered it to have, and also because I wanted to share the book with an evangelical that I know. What I discovered is that the book is as well written and thoughtful as I remembered. A portion of the book that I find especially interesting (but that I did not remember from the first time I had read it) is the section in which the author reflects on Kafka's novel "The Trial" in relation to some of the Kafkaesque psychological aspects of being a conservative Christian. This section comes toward the end of the book and is sort of the climactic observation of the entire study. Perhaps I missed being impacted by this part of the book because I was young at the time of my first reading of it and hadn't yet read Kafka. If you would like to dialogue with me concerning the book my email is (...)

Good Insight.......2003-11-22

This book offers an insightful analysis of the mind-control devices inherent in a literal approach to the Bible. As someone who once subscribed to that mindset, I found Cohen's book to be very helpful in understanding my experience and the reactions of my close friends who still subscribe to it. I don't really buy Cohen's assertion that the writers of the Bible designed it to be potent as a mind-control weapon intentionally (possibly, but I imagine that it evolved on its own following the laws of nature -- that which was potent enough to attract followers survived while that which was not was lost), but it was helpful to me to explore what is attractive and what is ultimately flawed about that approach to life. As someone who is already familiar with the Bible, I found his in-depth analysis of Bible verses and their effect on people's lives to be a little slow, but I suppose it would be very helpful for someone who has not been exposed to christian fundamentalism before. I found his explanation that the belief system creates the very problems it promises to solve to be a delightful paradox that rings true. I recommend this book and suggest that anyone who wants to know what's up with Christian fundamentalism flip to the end where he describes the devices Christianity uses one by one.

Truly Brilliant.......2002-08-30

Excellent Reading for those ready to move forward from the mind control devices of Christianity. Don't believe the false reviews written by fundies in disguise, this book touches aspects which really get you thinking, and leave you with that "ah ha!" feeling.

Half brilliant, half ludicrous.......2002-05-23

Edmund Cohen's The Mind of the Bible-Believer is both highly insightful and at the same time, as another reviewer (beakus) pointed out, highly ridiculous. Cohen's analysis of the fundamentalist church's techniques for converting and trapping gullible believers sheds a great deal of light on my own experience in an Assembly of God church as a teen. The techniques he describes are real, although whether they are devised intentionally by the church or not is debatable (I believe that in most cases they are not).

Cohen goes overboard when he discusses these so-called mind control techniques as they are implemented in the Bible. In several cases, for example, he takes a simple inconsistency in Biblical teaching (such as Christ's command to love one another versus his expectation that the believer abandon--"hate"--his family to follow Him) and claims that it is a purposeful "device" created by Jesus to frustrate the believer and force him/her to expend ever-increasing amounts of mental energy on fulfilling these impossible demands. Such claims are at times just as absurd as the religion he criticizes.

Cohen fails to sufficiently back his claims that the fanaticism of Christian fundamentalists is the result of a "conspiracy" implemented by Jesus and his disciples to further their
underhanded political schemes. This leads to another important issue which Cohen might have addressed: If the fanaticism of fundamentalists is primarily the result of sneaky mechanisms in the Bible, would such an explanation apply to fanatics of other religions? Do Jews or Muslims, for example, who could be considered fanatics follow their religion to such an extreme because of mind-control techniques intentionally placed in their religious books, or are these cases of free choices made by the followers of each religion?

Book Description

As Christians, it is vitally important that we know the truth - the truth of God's Word. It is our protection, our comfort, our source of freedom. We are called to walk in truth and give a reason for our faith. Knowing Scripture by heart is our defense in a world that is increasingly hostile to truth and to the Christian faith. But memorizing Scripture can be a daunting task! Where do we start? What should we memorize? The Believer's Life System has now made hiding the Word in your heart much easier with God's Word in Mind, a three-level tool. If you've memorized some Scripture verses in the past, and now want to be more intentional, try the Advanced Level 1 or Advanced Level 2 packets. Memorize what the Bible has to say on topics such as Guidance, Integrity, Thankfulness, and Wisdom. Each features 52 Scripture memory cards arranged by topic, quoted from the New International Version (NIV), and the New King James Version (NKJV). These packets contain suggestions on how to train your memory for better recall of the Scripture verses you learn.Each level contains 52 credit card-sized Scripture memory cards that can be carried with you in a sturdy vinyl card holder that fits in your Believer's Life System.

The mystery of God is finished: The books are opened ... : the key to a rational interpretation of the Holy Bible, which will satisfy the minds of believers ... in its search for truth and righteousness

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The mystery of God is finished: The books are opened ... : the key to a rational interpretation of the Holy Bible, which will satisfy the minds of believers ... in its search for truth and righteousness
John F Mieling
Manufacturer: Lawton Constitution Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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